1.23.24 MH City Council Meeting

The City Council meeting took place at City Hall this past Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. All council members and the mayor were present. This was a meeting that was filled with tension to say the least. Especially amongst varying council members and the mayor.

Near the end of the meeting, as one of the last items on the agenda, Council Member Wirkkala wanted to discuss the possibility of moving all public comments. This would move them from the end of meetings to the beginning of meetings moving forward so that people of the public could air their grievances before council voted.

It was made clear by the city attorney, that during all public comments, they could not discuss any item on the agenda, and that that was the intention and purposes of public hearings.

The first item on the agenda was to adjust the consent agenda, in which there was the clarification to be added to the item, ‘approve the destruction of surplus property and authorize the mayor and city clerk to sign’ to also state that the property would first go to auction.

There was the matter of the possible demolition and rebuild of a school within the Mountain Home school district on the MHAFB, in which there would be a match program so that if the school could generate 20% of the cost, Mike Simpson would federally fund the other 80% with the Community Funding Project. Wirkkala had asked if there was a representative from the school present and ask for clarifications. The mayor had informed the room that there was no one present to discuss the sought after letter of support, including Superintendent James Gilbert. The council then voted on the issue and the letter of support; it passed.

The exciting moment of the meeting though, was when the council discussed and debated what actions should be taken for budget adjustments.

Wirkkala had asked at the previous meeting that spending limits, particularly the mayor’s, and the budget be added to the 1.23.24 agenda.

There was obvious tension between multiple parties at the stand in which the discussion regarding spending limits was motioned, and passed, to be tabled for another time. The intention of the tabling was so that Council members could better educate themselves on the issue and policies.