Minutes from August Board meeting confirm West reps want Committee dissolved or weakened
For those who are sometimes skeptical of the Blog’s view that the West folks do everything within their power to maintain control over the Community College, one only has to read the minutes of the August Governing Board meeting. The biggest thorn in the side of the Board is the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee, which has made several recommendations the folks on the West side of the County have voted down. For example, no tuition or tax increase; or hold up further capital spending until there is a plan.
The Verde Valley Board may have gone too far when it began asking for detailed financial data showing the College operating and maintenance expenditures for the Verde Campus and the Sedona Center. The Administration, which sees keeping financial details out of the hands of the Governing Board and taxpayers as its number one priority, has fought every request. So far, the details have never been released.
One method of getting rid of the Verde Valley folks is to claim it has met its objectives. As the minutes show, the was Mr. Sigafoos view (Prescott): “Member Sigafoos suggests that this committee has met specific Verde Valley ownership linkage objectives.” The minutes also reflect Mr. Irwin’s (Prescott Valley) view, which if followed, would effectively dissolve the Verde Valley Board Advisory Group: “Member Irwin suggests that the Verde Valley strategic plan is close to being completed and recognizes that several of the VVBAC members have acquired knowledge and information that may be valuable to the Executive Dean Verde Valley Advisory Committee. Mr. Irwin suggests that combining the committees may be more effective rather than duplication of work of developing the Verde Valley Strategic Plan and monitoring progress.”
Chair McCarver, who obviously does not support the VVBAC actions joined in: “Chair McCarver agrees that incorporating members from the VVBAC into the Executive Dean Verde Valley Advisory committee may be a natural transition because of the effective incorporation of the VVBAC recommendations into the Verde Valley Strategic Plan without requiring action from the Board. Dr. McCarver would also note that it is not necessary to have two separate committees to identify the needs of the Verde Valley community with information going directly to the Strategic Plan and not requiring any Board action.”
This scheme, being pushed by the three representatives from the West side of the County, will effectively kill of the VVBAC. (Ask any member if you don’t believe the Blog.)