links for city council meeting

Agenda (zoom URL within to prevent zoom-bombing): https://councildocs.dsm.city/agendas/ag20201019.pdf?pdf=Agenda&t=1603142532368
Zoom Webinar ID: 960 1067 9021
Zoom Password: 915229
YouTube: https://twitter.com/DesMoinesGov/status/1318279787157295106

seems the meeting is starting late

its been well over 5 minutes. there's been a lot of issues with these Zoom meetings but never seen one start this late. just one more way our city fails to hold themselves to the minimum standards they create for themselves.

people take off work for these meetings. people rehearse for these meetings (especially with the new rules). people raise awareness for these meetings. these sorts of issues are unacceptable, especially without transparency from the city as to what is going on.

wouldn't want to joke in these threads but the meeting hasn't started so obligatory "if the teacher doesn't show up after 15 minutes is class cancelled?"

worth noting:
city council is over 10 minutes late.
city council only allows 30 minutes for public reports, citing time constraints.
if time is so important that the public can't speak, why don't they start on time?

meeting starting now at 4:44pm, 14 minutes late. that's about 1/2 of the time allotted for public reports. they're citing technical issues as the cause for delay.

they're discussing amending the procedural rules. some confusion around these, they've had to ask their lawyer about how they're actually going to do this.

Connie asking for changes to the amendments to the rules

if city council doesn't understand these rule changes, how are they supposed to follow and enforce them? how are members of the public supposed to understand them?

these rules seem to create some murky waters around changing the agenda while giving more power to Mayor Cownie and Councilman Gatto

Connie wants to take time to review and change the rules. In response to this, Gatto tried to rush the vote. We've seen him rush votes before with police funding.

Indira and Paden are asking to remove 23i and 33 from the consent agenda

item 23i regards $10,000 settlements with DMPD
item 33 regards $1,000,000 in Homeland Security funds for weapons
hopefully we will hear more about these later

council has decided people can only ask that 1 item be pulled. not sure where that rule came from, Cownie does not seem to know it.

they muted me and at least one other person before we finished speaking. not sure why, they aren't telling us. Cownie is noticeably annoyed that people are all united requesting the same two items be pulled.

cownie has also tried to invent a rule on the spot to try and stop more people from speaking up on these two items. his new rule doesn't appear to be working.