Hot City Council Meeting Cancelled

The Monroe City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 12, 2022, was canceled by the Ellis administration. In an announcement released by city hall, a statement read that the meeting was canceled due to not having a quorum of council members attending. The announcement further mentioned that the meeting would be rescheduled for Monday, July 25, 2022, at 4:30 PM in the Council Chamber of the City Hall Building in Monroe. All items on the agenda would be acted upon as previously published. The late announcement may have city council watchers off guard, as some may have been expecting the council to take action on an agenda item that stirred up much discussion between SEDD Executive Director Charles Theus, and city representatives for a controversial city project and members of the city council at the June 28 council meeting. The ordinance, as introduced, would authorize a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the city and the Walnut Street Special District, authorizing the sharing of tax increments within the district's boundaries in connection with the city’s efforts to “support and incentivize” an economic development project. That item was addressed by Theus, suggesting that there appeared to be an “uneven” playing field when it came to the Southside Economic Development District (SEDD) attempt to start a project. Theus questioned council members over issues such as ethics by some involved in the projects and even suggested that the agenda be tabled until more information is brought before the council. The city argued that no special treatment was extended to the developers of the Walnut Street Project, even as a lawyer and representative said that any issues that had not been settled would be by the next council meeting. The exact agenda item was scheduled for final adoption at the July 12 meeting. Still, there was no advanced announcement that any unfinished business emanating from the discussion in council chambers at the June 28 meeting had anything to do with the canceled council meeting. However, it was clear that there was dissatisfaction in the community with the manner in which council meetings approved money for the Ellis administration to begin the project. Residents in Districts 3, 4, and 5, represented by Juanita Woods, Carday Marshall, and Kema Dawson, voiced their disapproval. When will it be the southside’s turn to see economic development projects? There was some agreement among members of Districts 3, 4, and 5 that the city government did not play when it came to SEDD. The southside used to be a thriving part of Monroe in years past. Residents believe it is past time that the city started to show more concern and invest more of its tax pie in the southside. Concerned citizens say they are tired of expectations while, at the same time, seeing nothing is being done.