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Open house generates more signed petitions
Published 11:43am Wednesday, December 16, 2009A petition for a proposed city spending ordinance had garnered more than 600 signatures by the end of an open house on the subject Tuesday night.
Total signatures have reached 622, up about 200 names from the end of the weekend, according to Daryl Synstelien of the Fergus Votes Committee. Synstelien says 815 votes are needed to bring the measure before the city council for consideration.
The committee is proposing an ordinance that would require a public referendum on certain types of major capital improvement projects. These “elective projects” are those which exceed the basic services required by city government and do not show the potential to pay for themselves, according to the ordinance. An elective project would need voter approval before the council could accept bids or authorize the issuance of bonds for the work.
Synstelien has said he believes the ice arena would be classified as an elective project.
An estimated 75 people attended Tuesday’s open house at Bigwood Event Center, with some people staying for up to two hours. The event included what Synstelien called a “respectful, considerate discussion” between ordinance-backers and residents concerned the measure could limit future development.
Sarah Piekarski, a member of the Convention and Visitors Bureau board, said there was widespread consensus that clear communication is essential on projects as large as the ice arena. People want to be better informed in general and more involved in arena planning in particular, she said.
“Really it came down to the fact that people wanted to be heard,” she said.
Jean Bowman, director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, also attended Tuesday’s open house. She said she is afraid the ordinance is an angry reaction to the arena project that stands to threaten untold projects.
“I question if, standing alone, it’s a good policy — and I don’t know the answer to that,” she said.
Bowman said she would like to hear what economic development officials think of the proposed ordinance. She’d also like to know whether similar-sized cities that are growing have a similar ordinance in place.
Another open is house is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at Bigwood Event Center.
