Why you should attend the SPECIAL MEETING

Citizens should bring friends a family to the Special Meeting of the City Council on Wednesday at 6:00 pm. Fill the room. It is doubtful that there will be Ch 3 coverage of the meeting and the public comment. In addition with Walt Stanckiewitz having to abstain from the discussion and voting for fear of a conflict of interest the public must have representatives voicing their objections to the use 900,000 + of Tax Payer's Money to fund a development that will only increase Tax Revenue to the city under 200.00 per year.

Ferre, Cortes, and Garcia have been known for their excessive spending of the cities funds. Taxpayers and Citizens, you need to be there see their actions first hand. This is a lot like spending money we don't have to spend on Electronic Signs We don't Need, or public parks that are designed just to "Drive by". Parks with no parking, or pocket parks, and parks with no restroom facilities are not true public use parks yet we spend a lot building them.

These Three Ladies or the Triad of Schwab/Berry Administration will not add up the numbers and do what is right for Grand Terrace, they will do what is right per the direction of Tom (Don't Pay Taxes) Schwab.

Why are we paying Jack Brown to ruin many of the small businesses in GT? Why? If any business should be able to afford to build without public financing Stater Brothers sure should be able to. Handouts to large corporations need to stop, even if it stops this time in Grand Terrace it should stop here and the city may have something it can take pride in. Saying NO to a big business and YES to small business owners.

Betsy Adams the current City Manager provided a package of numbers to the City Council for their consideration. She should be faulted as she did not extrapolate the numbers in such a way as to demonstrate the bottom line, or the actual increase in sales tax revenue that the "New Store" will provide. She did not include the fact that the "New Store" does not increase the buying power of the Total of Grand Terrace Population, so the "New Income Levels" will just be a transfer of where the point of sale is. It isn't really an increase of any size.

She does not offer an alternative, such as tell Stater's sure they can build a store, just like anyone else, according to the codes, and fee schedule any other builder or developer would have to pay. She could say RDA Funds should be for REDEVELOPMENT of EXISTING Buildings and Businesses not new Construction which required zone changes, and remapping of plots.

If she did this she would have provided the City Council Members with a more complete packet upon which to make a decision. But, this would require her to believe that they actually want information, want to think, and want to weigh the options and realities of the decisions they are being asked to make. Even if Ms Adams thinks that the City Council will not read alternative opinions or options, the public deserves a better report out of the Staff that is paid well above the income of the average citizen of Grand Terrace. We expect better of you Ms Adams.