(July 29, 2006) -- In the latest thumb-nose salute to LB taxpayers (pension spike, pay raises, de facto "golden handshake" while holding public safety and library funding hostage), LB City Hall has quietly refused to agendize its tax increase ballot measure for serious public discussion at the August 1 City Council meeting.

That means they think it's smarter to try and blindside taxpayers with the text of whatever they want -- a sales tax hike, a property tax hike, who knows? -- on August 8...just days before the deadline for putting it on the ballot.

This is intentional, willful, deliberately obfuscatory behavior. It is visibly hostile to the public, inimical to the democratic process and the latest example of LB City Hall's legendary "mushroom treatment" (keeping the public in the dark while fed manure). It should be the last straw for LB taxpayers and their elected Council representatives.

Councilmembers shouldn't collaborate in conning their constituents. LB lawmakers now have good and sufficient reason not to dump the still unseen tax increase scheme on the ballot on August 8. Councilmembers who justify calculated concealment make a mockery of transparency.

We urge Councilmembers to convey to management (and signal to Mayor Bob Foster) that they favor restoring library services and funding police and firefighters -- core city responsibilities -- by (among other things) cutting City Hall hours (four day a week operation every other week or every week), followed by cuts to city management (six figure club members, first to go) and non-public safety city employees (whose union reps thought a profligate, unaffordable 2002 pension spike was smart).