Not a Tool for Government, City Charter Is a Tool for the People
To the Editor:

The news that in the coming months the City of Saint Ignace will be reviewing our city's charter to identify changes that will make the document more useful to government was uproariously funny.

For an informed citizen to do anything but laugh at these latest municipal antics is impossible!

The administration of the City continues to ignore whatever sections of the Charter that are not "useful" to them.

Oh, the powers, elected and unelected, are miffed and embarrassed when a mere citizen points out their non-compliance, but they consistently fail to take that massive step to actually do what the Charter requires.

This recent "review" has been rolled out with pomp and flourish, but, I suggest, it, too, will be meaningless to ensure that the Mayor and Council actually require that the City Manager discharges the duties outlined in the Charter.

Here are a some choice examples of the efficient sidestepping of a very important section of Charter requirements, as orchestrated by our municipal management with the approval of the seven elected representatives:

Finance:

Section 8.3, Budget Hearing: " ...Notice of such a public hearing, a summary of the proposed budget and notice that the proposed budget is open file in the office of the Clerk shall be published at least one week in advance of the hearing. The complete proposed budget shall be on file for not less than one week prior to such hearing."

Didn't happen.

Section 8.5, Budget Control: "The City Manager shall each month submit to the Council data showing the relation between the estimated and actual revenues and expenditures to date; and, if it shall appear that the revenues are less than anticipated, the Council shall endeavor to reduce the appropriations, except amounts required for debt and interest charges, to such a degree as may be necessary to keep expenditures with- in the revenues."

Didn't happen.

If it had happened, how could this City have eight depleted funds in the budget?

And, of course, we must not forget that within the past fiscal quarter, the City Charter's Section 8.2 requiring the City Manager to prepare a recommended budget for the next fiscal year by the first meeting in October was ignored.

That eventually happened, but only after citizen objection to the negligence of the City Manager! Citizens were not allowed to ask questions at that meeting

Mayor Grondin's stated goal that, "It's our job, as the seven of us, to decide whether or not this document is something we can continue to live with or it's a document that needs to be changed," or "to make this document more useful to government," are wholesale misconceptions of the purpose of the Charter.

The Charter is to define the tasks, responsibilities, powers and, more importantly, limitations on those powers exercised by the City of Saint Ignace's City Manager, Mayor, and Council.

It is not meant to be a useful tool of "government," rather it is meant to be a useful tool for the people to determine whether or not the administration is doing the assigned job of government.

Clearly, whatever it is that is being done at City Hall, it is not in accordance with our City Charter. So, to have these same folks identify possible changes "to make this document more useful to government" is the best laugh I've had all year.

Instead of changing the Charter, wouldn't it be refreshing if the City complied with it? Then, after a few years, a review might be in order; even then, the initiative for any proposed Charter change should more appropriately come from the citizens, not from the powerful few.

Mary Elizabeth Nichols

St. Ignace