Joe, I don't see how the credit-rating issue counts as a secret. The revenue conditions imposed in our bond covenant were about ensuring credit-worthiness, and during this year's workshops, staff repeatedly stated that continuing the rate increase plan was necessary to continue R&R, build the WWTP, and meet the conditions of the bond covenant to protect the City's credit rating.

I keep hearing about things being kept secret, but I can read them in the reports and PowerPoints that any citizen can get from City Hall. I know everyone has jobs, families, and responsibilities, but if those obligations keep you from researching the complex issues of governing the County's largest city, that doesn't count as a conspiracy.

Pro tip: before you attend your next City Commission meeting, go to the Commission page on the City website and download the agenda. It will have all supplementary documentation included, unlike the paper version they give out in the Chambers.