City Council Workshop and Meeting 5/20/10

There will be a City Council Workshop Thursday evening at 7:00 PM. This is a gathering in which the community can interact with the Council. I encourage all of you to attend.
The agenda is posted outside the office.
Please come and let us know what is on your mind.
There will be a very short special Council Meeting immediately following the Workshop so please plan on being with us for both.
See you Thursday.
Cathy Bennett

FYI - Posting and Reading Comments

I was visiting with someone last night and she mentioned having read my post on the blog but had not been able to read the comments I was referring to. It occurred to me that there were probably many of us that did not know how to post or read a comment.
At the end of each post, it says"comments". If there is one, it will say "1comments". If you click on this, you can read the post, if there is one or make a comment if that is what you chose to do.
It really is great to read other people's comments and to post your own. THAT'S COMMUNICATION!
Let us hear from you!
Cathy Bennett

BENEFIT BAR-B-QUE

For the Ivanhoe Volunteer Fire Department

MAY 29th 2010

From 10 a.m. until it runs out at the Ivanhoe Front Entrance

Brisket and Link sandwiches, Brisket, Link or combination plates with beans, potato salad and bread. Cold Drinks are also available.

SUPPORT YOUR FIREFIGHTERS

Response & History

I must admit that I have not kept up with our blog. I just became aware of the comments posted in March in response to the post announcing the incorporation of Ivanhoe.

I think that perhaps a little piece of history might be in order.........

In 2001 a group of property owners sued the IPOIA (Ivanhoe Property Owner's Improvement Association) saying basically that the fees that were being collected were illegal and that according to the original agreement the fees should only be $6.00 per year.

In an agreed judgment, the IPOIA was given until August of 2012 to continue collecting the fees they were currently collecting and at that point, the fees would revert to $6.00.

We have 5 dams and 69 miles of roads to maintain, not to mention the maintenance of our parks, mowing of roadsides, etc. It is impossible to support the community with only $6.00 annual maintenance fees.

Since the time of the lawsuit, expert lawyers have been consulted to see what we could do and if there was any other solution outside of incorporation that would enable us to keep our beloved community going. Over and over we were told that the only solution for us was to incorporate.

None of the people involved in running the IPOIA wanted to incorporate. Becoming a city was the only alternative we had. It is sad that because of a small number of people, and entire community suffers. And why? So that they would not have to pay a measly $100.00 per year (average)

Your frustration is shared. We all feel it. It has not been easy for any of us but if the finger of blame is to be pointed in any direction, it should be pointed at those people who decided to sue Ivanhoe rather than support their community.

The people involved in the incorporation effort should be thanked for caring enough about Ivanhoe to work to see that it is maintained.

Those of us that were here during the loss of the lakes remember what happened to our property values. They plummeted. With $6.00 a year maintenance fees, our dams cannot be maintained and we would not only lose the lakes but our roads would deteriorate at an incredibly rapid rate. We are working to maintain our community and our property values.

I personally was against incorporation and so when I heard the rumors, I decided to get involved so that I could be a part of the decision making process. I came to understand why the effort was being made. I am inviting all of you to become involved in our ongoing effort to preserve Ivanhoe.

Meetings are open and your input is very important to us. Please come. IPOIA meets at 10:00 AM on the second Saturday of each month and the City Council meets at 11:15 AM on the same day.We are also holding a City Council Workshop on the 20th of May at 7:00 PM at which the citizens are invited to interact with the Council.

Agendas are posted on the bulletin board outside of the Ivanhoe office at least 72 hours prior to any meeting. If you would like something to be included on the agenda for the 20th, please let us know by noon Saturday the 15th.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me at revcathyb@gmail.com or by phone at 409-429-6752.

Also, please place your comments on the Blog. Communication is important.

Thanks much for your patience and understanding as we go through our transitional process.

Cathy Bennett, Secretary/Treasurer IPOIA and Commissioner of the City of Ivanhoe