Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Dear Commissioner,

I was very disappointed to be made aware about a recent vote made without public comment and no public notice.

At a workshop on March 14, the Board of County Commissioners chose to kill portions of amendments that affect the future growth of Hillsborough County. Regardless of your thoughts on whether the plans were effective or limiting, your decision to alter the plan immediately without public input is disgraceful and leads one to believe there is an ulterior motive that you feel should be hidden from your own constituents.

According to your website (see http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/htv/schedules/showdesc.cfm?SID=8&curWeek=349&thisWeek=1), BOCC workshops are summarized: “Informal, public discussions among the County Commissioners may include limited public comments and allow the BOCC to throughly explore specific topics. No actions are taken during workshops.” Please note the last sentence should be changed or adhered to.

I demand that you reverse the motion made at the workshop on March 14, and encourage you to discuss the plans with your constituents on or before April 19 - the original date scheduled for the public to weigh in on the matter. (see http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/calendar/details.cfm?Meeting_ID=5135 )

Please remember that you were elected by the taxpayers to represent ALL taxpayers, not just a handful that are aware of your intentional dismissal of those taxpayers.

Respectfully Yours,

Tommy Duncan