June 16, 2025 City Council meeting UPDATE:
Following a constructive dialogue with the City Council, I initially left the meeting with the impression that the council might voluntarily rescind their notices of intent to issue Certificates of Obligation without requiring the official filing of our petition to block them.
Following a constructive dialogue with the City Council, I initially left the meeting with the impression that the council might voluntarily rescind their notices of intent to issue Certificates of Obligation without requiring the official filing of our petition to block them.
However, I was mistaken, as the council has every intention to move forward with the issuance of the Certificates of Obligation. My initial belief stemmed from several observations. First, the council urged me to submit our petition early, noting that the city finance manager was already working to secure the sale of the Certificates of Obligation. Second, Councilmember Simon clarified that the state legislation the council cited, which they claimed would hinder project financing, failed to advance out of committee in the recent legislative session. Third, during my discussion with the council, I asked if we could informally demonstrate that we have enough petition signatures to stop the Certificates of Obligation issuance, would they willingly rescind the notices and halt the process.
The city attorney responded, “I can make that work,” indicating potential flexibility. Fourth, Simon voiced strong opposition to incurring substantial debt for the proposed city campus project. We also learned that the city’s water system fund has only a few days of reserve, well below the recommended 90 days. Simon further noted that the council’s projected impact of these bonds on property taxes was misleading, as it assumed older bonds would be paid off while ignoring the ongoing need for new bonds to maintain or upgrade city infrastructure.
The city’s financial situation is dire, largely due to a decade of mismanagement by a rotating group of the same city council members or their relatives, which has led us to this precarious point. Issuing these Certificates of Obligation would only worsen the situation. I will address the council’s misleading statements, which they have now codified on the city’s website—or, as my parents would say, lying by omission—regarding the issuance of these Certificates in my next post. For now, we are moving full speed ahead with gathering signatures, using the petition drive as a platform to amplify voters’ voices.
We will host another petition signing event this
Saturday, June 21st, at our home at 8325 Achgill St., from 9 AM to 6 PM.
It takes just a few minutes to sign and help prevent reckless spending that could harm the city for decades.
Michael Torigian
