Just When it Seemed the Situation in Clayton was Cooling Down. . .

By Clayton Watch

City Council members Holly Tillman and Peter Cloven demonstrated their continued meddling at the last council meeting. You can watch the full meeting, including the city budget discussion starting at 1:49:12, by clicking this link: https://claytonca.gov/government/city-council/city-council-meeting-06-04-24/

Despite the city's recent staff turnover, the Interim City Manager Adam Politzer effectively leveraged outside resources to promptly assemble and deliver the FY24-25 budget by the legally required June 30th deadline.

This baseline budget aimed to establish an ongoing process for more frequent evaluation and adjustments, rather than seeking significant changes and tax increases.

Over the past 6 weeks, the Budget and Audit Committee (Council Members Jeff Wan and Kim Trupiano) diligently reviewed and iterated on the budget, which staff had prepared professionally and transparently.

Notably, the projected $560K deficit from the previous City Manager (Bret Prebula) was inaccurate, highlighting the value of knowledgeable staff and rigorous financial analysis. By all accounts, Bret Prebula created a significant mess at City Hall, failing to provide the professional, competent oversight that a municipality requires.

However, during the budget discussion, Holly Tillman and Peter Cloven claimed they lacked time to review the budget details and sought to delay the vote. Their unwillingness to engage with the budget process, despite materials and invitations from staff, raises questions about their priorities and understanding of their responsibilities as council members.

Unbelievable! It’s one of the most important functions of a city council member, and they didn’t have time? If they didn’t have time to devote to the city’s number one priority, reviewing and passing the budget (while the whole staff turned out and was online to answer any of their questions) what was more important?

What was the real reason they avoided the budget process?

⁃ Were they upset because they were complaining we would have a huge deficit and now the truth comes out?

⁃ Were they embarrassed because their numbers were wrong and their push for a sales tax and parcel tax was unfounded? (Holly Tillman wanted a .5 to 1% sales tax, and Peter Cloven wanted a $400.00 per year parcel tax without even knowing our true income and expenses. Keep in mind, the city checkbook hadn’t been reconciled in 18 months and the numbers Holly and Peter were looking at were over two years old.)

⁃ Was it because they didn’t understand the process or that they knowingly pushed a huge false budget deficit presented to them by past city managers Reina Schwartz and Bret Prebula to justify their support for tax increases.

Let’s not forget, that for their first two years on the city council, they had a voting block (Wolfe, Tillman, and Cloven) to present a realistic budget to the community, but instead they chose to push a false budget deficit in support of their tax and spend agenda.

Last year, Holly Tillman abstained from voting on the budget, partly because she doubted the $35,000 revenue projection from the proposed new master fees. Her skepticism proved unwarranted, as the actual fees generated to date are $49,000, and the fiscal year has not even ended.

Meanwhile, Peter Cloven questioned why Jeff Wan had requested worksheets and supporting data on the budget from Bret Prebula, who presented the budget but refused to provide backup documentation. When Peter Cloven asked why Jeff Wan hadn't asked Reina Schwartz for the backup, Jeff clarified that he had, and Reina supplied the requested information in a timely fashion.

Ultimately, the budget was approved 3-2, with Tillman and Cloven voting against it. Their actions suggest a concerning disregard for state law and one of their core council duties.

As the Clayton community considers future elections, voters should keep this in mind when evaluating the candidates and their commitment to the city's best interests.

We appreciate you for reading this article.

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