City Council meeting Aug. 6

Cleaning up the town is still at the top of the list of items discussed at City Council meeting, but in the words of Richard Hightower, "we aren't doing enough".  Council talks about solutions but isn't holding anyone accountable, and won't take the necessary steps to get the job done.  The duties of Code Enforcer have been put on the shoulders of the assistant Fire Chief Robert Daugherty, in addition to his main job as firefighter.  The citizens of Watonga have pushed for a full-time Code Enforcer, but Mayor Clay Loosen chose instead to add the duties to an existing employee.  It has now been several months and it is evident to all that Code Enforcement can't be done by a part-time person who has other full-time duties that take priority.  Last night's discussion at City Council centered on what we can do next. The issue of condemning dilapidated buildings that are unsafe and then tearing them down has been a problem for at least a couple of years, with the Street Commissioner saying there isn't money to take the buildings down, but the City didn't include any funds in this year or last year's budget for demolition of buildings.  Even though our City employees don't have time to do the work, the City refuses to contract out the jobs.  Many citizens are frustrated by the lack of action, even though the Mayor and Mr. Daugherty say they are "doing the best they can." 

In the July 24 issue of the Republican, there were pictures of several buildings that the City Clerk said "City Council voted to tear down."  Yes, City Council voted to tear down those buildings back in August 2012 and January 2013. But they are still standing and are a blight on our community. 

I'll transcribe the actual minutes of the City Council meeting on another post.  I've asked the City Clerk for clarification on a couple of matters and am awaiting her response.  Until then, keep asking questions!