Laserfiche WebLink
<br />responsible for this. She said in addition there are more resolutions for the <br />Municipal Park grants along with some emails included in Council’s packet. Ms. <br />Carr said it appeared Trailnet and U City had been working together on projects, <br />when U City expressed interest (according to a Trailnet official) in a bike walk <br />plan and had funding available. She said the City was working with Trailnet on a <br />bicycle path through Ruth Park Woods and at some point a City official wrote a <br />letter to the Department of Natural Resources that the City would not be <br />accepting it because the City did not have $100,000. Ms. Carr said the City was <br />working on it and the City sought it. She noted in another email the City match <br />share was taken from the administration department budget by the former <br />Finance Director Janet Watson. Included in this email, Mr. Wilson said he did not <br />locate any records indicating that the project was sent to the Council for review. <br />Ms. Carr said no review or vote, noting the Council has to vote somehow; either a <br />resolution or a vote on the City Manager’s report or consent agenda. She noted <br />the Finance Director does not cut a check until the City Manager instructs her to <br />do so. Ms. Carr stated on the next email from Mayor Welsch to Cindy Mense, the <br />Director of Community Services at Trailnet quoting, “I wanted to let you know that <br />Nancy MacCartney is hand-carrying our application for the Bikeable Walkable <br />th <br />Community Planning Grant to your Washington office today”… October 29, <br />2010. Ms. Carr stated that the City’s Charter clearly states that Council cannot <br />work with staff. She further noted that Council can only question them (Staff) for <br />the purposes of inquiry and then must obtained permission from Mr. Walker. She <br />was not sure how Nancy was so intimately involved with the Mayor. Ms. Carr <br />noted that the grant application, which according to Mr. Wilson, Nancy <br />MacCartney put together and four letters of recommendations of which one was <br />written by the Mayor, were included in Council’s packet. Ms. Carr stated that this <br />grant should have come to this Council for approval, and the Council was simply <br />bypassed. She stated that the City has a grant signed by the City Manager and <br />this City paid $12,000 and he wanted to know who authorized it. She stated Mr. <br />Walker was not authorized by this Council to sign the contract to obtain the grant; <br />the Mayor could not authorize it and she wondered how many of the <br />Councilmembers even knew the City had a grant until the Task Force made their <br />presentation. Ms. Carr noted this was a Point of Information and she was very <br />sure this would not happen again. She said a grant was approved by Council <br />where the City’s match was only $1,000 so it was not a matter of money but <br />rather of what the City’s Charter says are Council’s powers. She stated again, <br />that it was just informational, noting it is water under the bridge, could not be <br />redone, and the City would just move on and do a better job. <br /> <br />Mayor Welsch clarified the City did not approach Trailnet to ask for this grant. <br />She stated Trailnet came to the City’s staff saying they had extra money in their <br />account and would like to work with University City. It was staff’s decision to work <br />with Trailnet on this grant and staff handled the whole process. <br /> <br />Mr. Crow stated that of all the comments Ms. Carr made, your reply was this was <br />staff’s responsibility. <br /> <br />Mayor Welsch noted again that she said that her colleague stated we went to <br />Trailnet asking for the funds as that was not the case; Trailnet came to the City <br />10 <br /> <br /> <br />