Council should be more humble

Dear Editor,

I have been intrigued by the way the members of the City Council have been handling city business these days.

The council needs to take a hard look at the road they are heading down and exactly what they were elected to do I.

You have been elected to represent the people of McCook, that does not mean you are smarter or better than the people you are representing. You put your pants on one leg at a time just like everyone else.

The past few months, I have watched with amusement how you have become a rubber-stamp to the city staff.

Don't take me wrong; I think you have an outstanding group of people running your fine city, but you have to do your job also, and have accountability for the way they spend the tax payers' money.

You have started down the path of taking the people out of the government that you swore to represent.

You are eliminating the three-meeting rule for what you are voting for, taking away the right of people to have input in the process of your decisions. Now you are raising the limit that the city can spend without consent of the council, giving city employees the ability to make deals [when] the bid comes in over the amount voted on with out the council. You have let the sales tax get out of control, and keep taking every increase from past projects to add to the general budget, but I have [not] yet heard anyone say they have paid less property tax this year than they did last year and that is what you sold to the people to get it passed (shame on you.)

Now I heard on Council Close-up you want to charge everyone who does work for people living in town a license fee, with the idea you are protecting the people.

Get real, and say what you really want to do it is called more taxes and more revenue coming in the back door.

The fine citizens of McCook are very capable in doing their own business without the help from more tax revenue and you the council.

I urge the council to stop, take a deep breath and look at the big picture and do the job you were elected to do.

That is represent the people who were intelligent and trusting and have faith that you will represent them.

Always remember the votes put in office and votes can take you out of office . Humble yourselves when leading this fine city in the future [so] that your intent doesn't mean anything; what counts is what is written and recorded. When voting on issues, vote on what is written not what they say is the intent.

Don Neel,

McCook, Nebraska