Morenci’s city council meeting last week resembled school board meetings last July. In both cases, staff cuts were made to help with a cash shortfall, and in both cases, members of the public offered alternative suggestions.

In the school’s situation, some of the suggestions could have worked in the district’s favor. Other ideas may have worked somewhere else but couldn’t make the same impact here. In the city’s case, several suggestions simply don’t make sense. What might sound good in the heat of a contentious meeting doesn’t make the grade when examined later.

For example, there was a suggestion to sell the vacant land north of Wakefield Park. The property was bought for future park expansion and more than half of the cost was paid by a state grant. It seems very unlikely that a state agency would allow the city to use a grant to buy land, then turn around and sell it.

The sale of Riverside Natural Area was also suggested, although the speaker later claimed he didn’t say that. We see that as a very shortsighted suggestion—a one-time cash infusion for the permanent loss of the old Tourist Camp. It was said that no one uses Riverside anyway, but a more correct statement would have been, “I don’t use Riverside, anyway.” Many other people do.

There was a suggestion to build a bridge across Bean Creek, but taxpayers would likely be shocked if they knew that cost.

Although it may seem silly for the city to own a few acres of land in Ohio, the engineer handling the development of the industrial park thought otherwise. He suggested retaining it, because if a large factory were built in the future, a retention pond or extra parking could go there. As for now, the city continues to collect rent for farm use.

Similarly, the NWD building brings in steady income every month through rent. The city obtained the building at a good price and it seems smart to hang on to it rather than trying to sell it off.

Last week and again this Monday suggestions were made to fire the police chief, but someone has to be paid to do his work. As city clerk/administrator Renée Schroeder pointed out, an officer sometimes earns more in a year than the chief due to overtime hours.

It’s easy to make suggestions for saving cash, and when presented at a combative meeting like last week’s, it can make councilors look ineffective. In the end, the ideas don’t always pan out when all the facts are known.

This isn’t to say that suggestions from the public aren’t welcome. Far from it. It’s often someone looking in from the outside who sees what everybody else missed. In this case, council members have pored over ideas for the last three months and they’ve already rejected many of the ideas brought forth in the free-for-all sessions.

Do they have their minds made up in advance? On one hand, of course they have a firm idea in mind. They certainly aren’t going to come into a meeting unprepared. They know how they’re likely to vote because several committee meetings went into reaching that conclusion.  We have no doubts that council will consider ideas presented, but it’s also likely that most will be rejected as not the right direction to take.

Council members were elected to make informed decisions for the public. The public can make its decision at the polls in November.