9 comments:

• roy bitz posted at 9:51 pm on Mon, Nov 22, 2010.

  Posts: 480

  Glad you asked Darrel.

  I would like to change several of the decisions the council has made there are too many. I will recap just one here. The "treat and drink" water treatment plant.

  We were told we need this plant because the area ground water is being severely over drafted.
  Facts:
  1. Lodi uses fifteen thousand acre feet of ground water annually.
  2. The entire area ground water over draft is two hundred thousand acre feet a year.
  3. Lodi accounts for 7% of the 200,000 afa overdraft --rural users account for 93%.
  4. The city has spent over twelve million on plans and raw hook up but that cost was not included in the new cost estimate of thirty six million---the plant will cost close to fifty mil. This does not include the cost of debt service or the ongoing cost to operate it.
  5.The plant will filter and chlorinate the six thousand acre feet we buy from the irrigation district for 1.2 mill every year----for the next forty years. Six thousand acre feet amounts to 3% of the over draft problem.

  The numbers do not lie! Check it out for yourself. It won't be easy because these guys know how to bury information but it is there if you want to find it.

  Mr. Hansen championed this project and he refers to this plant as the "treat and drink" water treatment plant. The promise is waterl be cleaner, safer, and better tasting than ground water. The fact is---this water will be filtered, chlorinated and blended with ground water--- then delivered to users who may drink it or shower with it, water the lawn with it or or flush with it.
  The treat and drink terminology is a great example of how this council spins things.
  There are so many others it makes my hair hurt.
  
  

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• Darrell Baumbach posted at 8:41 am on Mon, Nov 22, 2010.

  Posts: 9403

  Kim stated...Darrell Baumbach: You comment here a lot, but you don't live in Lodi, right? When did you move away? Just wondering

  When I said I did not know the history, I was referring to the city council affairs and politics. Over the years, my work days were from 5:00am to 9:00PM, with breaks during the day. I did not find time to follow then. Doug and Roy seem to have a passion for city affairs. I prefer to learn from those who have experience.
  I was born and raised in Lodi, returned as an adult. I am now in and out of Lodi and thanks to the internet can do business from anywhere and provide quality service.
  

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• K Lee posted at 7:28 pm on Sun, Nov 21, 2010.

  Posts: 1786

  Mr. King is definetly missed here in Lodi.

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• K Lee posted at 7:26 pm on Sun, Nov 21, 2010.

  Posts: 1786

  Darrell Baumbach wrote, "I have not been involved and do not know much of the history."

  Darrell Baumbach: You comment here a lot, but you don't live in Lodi, right? When did you move away? Just wondering.

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• Darrell Baumbach posted at 8:28 am on Sat, Nov 20, 2010.

  Posts: 9403

  Roy and Doug, you both contribute comments consistently about the city council and appear to have ideas and solutions in how the city council should be run. I have not been involved and do not know much of the history. Can you please blog again and describe what specific things you would do differently if you were on the city council and what projects you would have voted differently on and why. Thanks!

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• roy bitz posted at 9:16 pm on Fri, Nov 19, 2010.

  Posts: 480

  Josh likes "kool-aid" our three "gentle councilmen" serve up. I prefer the perspective served up by our two council women.
  Josh---the council women supported Bartlam and voice strong and logical objections to the sweet contract the mayor "hammered out" with Bartlam. What a joke!
  Someone ---please tell me why should any city employee be awarded a contract? These contracts bind the city (rate payers) but the do almost nothing to bind those who win a contract.
  Ms. Hitchcock made an excellent point regarding the contract requirement--- the city manager be the highest paid city employee. We have a novice electric utility manager---thanks to another 3/2 council vote. Why have a novice running the electric utility? Anyone?
  

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• Josh Morgan posted at 5:31 pm on Thu, Nov 18, 2010.

  Posts: 520

  Didn't seem to be much of a controversial issue with a 5-0 vote.

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• Doug Chaney posted at 3:55 pm on Thu, Nov 18, 2010.

  Posts: 1232

  Why are the 3 amigos Johnson, Hansen and Katzakian in such a hurry topush certain issues, projects and new hires through before the new council is to be seated? Do they feel the need to further stack the deck to continue fleecing Lodians with their elaborate, hare-brained schemes from their Sacramento and Bay area consultants, not counting the money mongering Northern California Power Association and their illustrious board chairman, Larry Hansen? Why did they just hire a self-professed member of the NCPA family? And at a paltry salary compared to what Mr. Bartlam is asking? That position should be the top paying position in the city of Lodi unless they're (Hansen) just looking for a puppet to pass on the constant rates raises that have Lodians paying some of the highest utility, especially electric rates, in the United States? Why can't this dysfunctional, 3 amigo dominated and led, city council wait until the new members are seated? IMO, you're just three greedy chumps that seem to have to cheat to win at anything to line the pockets of the well-connected, wealthy, influential, family members and their businesses, and most of all, their own bulging pockets. To you greedy 3 amigos; jUST WHEN IS TOO MUCH NEVER ENOUGH?

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• Doug Chaney posted at 3:20 pm on Thu, Nov 18, 2010.

  Posts: 1232

  WOW! For a wannabe get rich quick developer wannabe who also seemed to be instrumental in the loss of the superWalmart project and one who is rumored to be a very hard person to deal with and has had past morale problems within his departments and jurisdictions and seemed to forsake the city of Lodi and the Walmart and general plan to make his jillions in the RE boom in the development, building, construction, lending or whatever get rich quick sscheme that was going on in this area at that time. Needless to say, the real estate pyramid collapsed, thanks to the many scammers here in Lodi that Mr. Bartlam had as business associates and Mr Bartlam was left to the mercy of Lodi to return to finish the general plan and IMO, dabble in the developementd problems, changes and sneaky issues concerning Reynolds Ranch fo DGPdevelopment and the Walmart controversy, including the dirty decision of councilpersons Hansen, Johnson and Katzakian to overrule their own planning commission just to keep the SWM project alive. It was also brought forth at that time that some, or even all 3 amigos on council were talking and working backdoor deals with SWM and their interested parties and developer and were warned to stop that communication immediately. Is this the kind of management and council leadership Lodi needs? Apparently it is for the 3 amigos and Mr. Bartlam. Mr. Bartlam should never be paid anywhere near the salary the intelligent Mr. Blair King commanded, at least 50K less for what little his past accomplishments ahve shown. Lodi is afraid to bring in an outside entity who would, IMO, have at least half of them in jail.

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