I just wanted to express my feelings about the $1 handling fee that they have attached to late city bills. The city is already charging over 12% of the total as a late fee. That percent is extremely high and then the city adds on another $1 to open the envelope one day late. Most of the people in Hope are on fixed incomes and this is just another expense that they can not afford. I figure this has something to do with the fact that the water tower needs fixed. Just because something needs fixed by the city should not mean that we have to pay more on our utility bill. I called the Hope City office and requested an explanation as to why the $1 handling fee was added, when it was added, whose idea was it to add the handling fee? Of course, I did not get an answer. Nothing new.

To the second part, the city paid a cement contractor to repair/redo five individual citizens' driveways. Under what authority does the city have the right to use city funds to pay for private individuals' driveways. It was hard enough figuring out why they even replaced the curbing in the second block. There really wasn't anything wrong with it. Then to pay for private work out city funds is not right. Who made the decision that they would cover the costs for the five families? Under what authority was that decision made. Why weren't the families billed directly from the private concrete contractor? What terms did the city extended to these private citizens? How long do they have to pay this money back? What interest rates and handling fees are the city charging these individuals? Why wasn't everyone in Hope given the option to get concrete work done instead of just five families. Is the city going to continue covering the cost of work done for individual citizens of Hope? That money spent on private work should have been used to fix the water tower. If the city has to charge over 12% in late fees and a $1 handling fee for being one day late on your water bill, where do they get the right to pay for private concrete work done for five Hope residents? How many of the residents still owe for the work and who are they? That is public information.

We live in a town governed by an individual that does not follow the same rules for everyone. Rules are made up as he goes along. He uses bullying tacts to get what he wants. He has no clue as to what is legal and what is actually illegal. He pursues certain families to point of putting them in jail for not having a "good" enough fence. But yet the neighbors across from the mayor, have a fence that just falls apart, the boards end up on the ground, the fence in no way can keep anyone out but that is okay. Two different standards, one for the people he likes or is scared of and then the people like me that he dislikes so much. As the mayor screamed at, "you and your big mouth." Yes, I do have a big mouth but you need one when you are playing with a bully.