TOAV ‘transparency’: One and done, or more to come? (September 23, 2015)

At the August 11th presentation of the first Ranchos Acquisition Efforts Transparency Report, Assistant Town Manager of Finance & Administration Marc Puckett announced:

The report itself will be presented to Council on a {unintelligible} basis monthly.

The Town Council members were thrilled with the report. Said Council member Curt Emick:

I look forward every month to seeing those records. I think the public will appreciate it.

Mayor Pro Tem Barb Stanton said:

We’ll see this financial page in our agenda packet each month. That keeps all of us up to date on all monies spent.

Mayor Pro Tem Stanton had earlier foreshadowed the coming bounty of transparency at the Town council meeting of June 9, 2015, while attacking those who were skeptical of the Town’s motives and spending:

Our intentions have been made very clear that we are going to present a special section for every penny that is spent … it’s your money … it’s our money.

An ad subsequently placed by the Town of Apple Valley echoed this:

… As we explore potential acquisition of Apple Valley Ranchos, we want you to know exactly how much we’ve spent on your behalf …

TOAV ad in the Daily Press

September 11th came and went with no new transparency report, but there was a Town Council meeting upcoming on September 22nd. September 22nd came and there was no word on the agenda about a transparency report. At the meeting itself, there was no announcement about the transparency report, or lack thereof.

Just when we wondered if the whole transparency thing was one and done, the Town updated its AVH2Ours propaganda website to say:

A new report will be posted each quarter.

Given the issues with the first transparency report, it will be interesting to see if the additional time will bring more accuracy, or if the Town will opt to change to an annual report.

Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.


Files related to the the Town’s “transparency”