TOF 1-8-2018 Council Meeting Agenda posted at mail time on 1-5-2018.

8 Comments

1. The Town Agenda is always posted on the Friday before the meeting. We are the process of trying to get all the towns information on the town website. At this time, I am unable to access the mail or make changes, even though I do have the log-in information. I am working with the support team to get that chore completed. Keeping the website information is the job of the Town Clerk.
   It will take a little time to get things organized and up to speed , as change is not accepted by everyone . So please be patient.

   • There are times where change must be MANDATED. How long has the Town Clerk been in her position? 10+ years? The Town Website Chain of Command needs to be entirely revamped. Per TOF Minutes, the previous Mayor used his own credit card to renew the domain name? He was obviously solely in charge of said site. He said the site renewal fee for this year was in excess of $400! If, as you say, “Keeping the website information is the job of the Town Clerk”, she needs to either do that or step down.
     Simply because the TOF Agenda has always been put out the Friday before the meeting, does not necessarily mean that practice should continue. A week’s advance notice would allow more time for constituents to do research and prepare their arguments. This would certainly have been helpful in the Barley Field Fiasco. If an agenda item came up during that week, the issue could be briefly brought up under Agenda “Item 7: Public Comment (For those items NOT on the Agenda)” and then added to next month’s Agenda. Fromberg needs to become Proactive, NOT Reactive!

     • After getting in touch with the website support people, the website was set up by the former mayor. I am not certain if it was used for the Town Business only or not.I was told by Network Solutions that the fees for the site are only accepted by credit card. As the town does not have a credit card that I am aware of, a personal card was used.
       We are currently working on some changes and would like to get them completed as soon as possible. There are times when patience is the key , please don’t expect overnight success. Rome was not built in a day. Remember , the new administration has only been in off for a short time and “change” is a dirty word right now. I am still asking, why were there only two names on the ballot? There seem to be a lot of dictates on how things should be done.
       The issue of the barley field will once again be revisited at the Feb meeting, The town attorney has been asked to prepare a legal summation and I have been in touch with several State Officers regarding questions that I have received.
       Because the recent workshop was not recorded, it will be declared unofficial and the process of choosing a person to fill the council seat will be on the agenda also. I should say, the meeting is on video but officially not on the town recorder. That was my fault and I admit that freely. Failure is not fatal and I’m sure there will be hiccups for awhile.
       Right at this time the agenda will contain topics on the barley field, a variance application, discussion and vote for council seat.
       Again, I am at the town hall Tuesdays and Thursdays… 2-4 pm, instead of assuming, maybe people could come in and discuss
       their concerns and if needed will be added to the agenda for the meeting. Communication is a two way road as are ideas and suggestions for solutions. We are doing the very best we can and hopefully it will improve as we go forward.

       • If anyone would like to be on the agenda please visit Town Hall and request that you be added.

       • With regard to your statement: “After getting in touch with the website support people, the website was set up by the former mayor. I am not certain if it was used for the Town Business only or not.” From a security standpoint that seems highly irregular, and not at all appropriate for a government website on which communications should certainly be separate from any other, as well as being highly secured. Specifically: http://fromberg-mt.gov

         With regard to your statement: “The issue of the barley field will once again be revisited at the Feb meeting, The town attorney has been asked to prepare a legal summation and I have been in touch with several State Officers regarding questions that I have received.” The Barley Field Fiasco seems to be a fait accompli since the proceeds check has already been deposited in the bank and duly transferred to a “special fund”.

         With regard to your comment: “ I am still asking, why were there only two names on the ballot? There seem to be a lot of dictates on how things should be done.” Since the inception of our Country, from our Founding Fathers on down, this is how it has always been done. We the constituents, elect the person(s) who we feel will best represent us, given our ideals, send them off to congress, as it were, and then carry on with our daily tasks which in turn builds America.

         With regard to your statement: “Because the recent workshop was not recorded, it will be declared unofficial and the process of choosing a person to fill the council seat will be on the agenda also.” We respectfully submit that one of the planks you ran on was transparency. It is our understanding, that there are other issues with regard to this meeting other that the issue of the absence of an audio recording.

         With regard to your statement: “Communication is a two way road as are ideas and suggestions for solutions.” Like it or not, we live in a digital age. the.fromberg.advocacy.com was incepted in order to bridge that gap. Our “About” page reads: Our goal is to provide easily accessible, irrefutable factual documentation and an open forum for discussion. Our hope is to spark honest, heartfelt discussions about the Town of Fromberg’s true current situation. It is our fervent belief, that with facts in hand, open and honest discussion, a willingness to listen and sincere desire to return Fromberg to her former “Glory Days”, that we, as a community, will take proactive steps to accomplish our goals for a revitalized Fromberg. Will you join us?” Our objectives have not, and will not change.

         • With regard to Shirley Miller’s statement: “If anyone would like to be on the agenda please visit Town Hall and request that you be added.” Again, like it or not, we live in a digital age. It seems provident to also provide digital contact information in such requests for constituent participation.

     • The Town Clerk at this time, does her job the way she was trained to do eight years ago. Change is difficult for people. Especially when “it has always been done this way”. I can’t fault her, as the supervisor did not go through changes with her and do some training.

2. In reply to the question concerning the Town Attorney and Judge, the has retained Hope Freeman as Attorney and the Judge is an appointed position.
   Her term is for four years and by law cannot be eliminated.