Posted by Hal Bailey, a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Jul 25, 2007 at 9:29 am

Dear Dolores,

Chris Kember, in his guest article for the Danville Weekly, justified incorporation of Alamo in overview but did not discuss the issues of formation of a government and the strength of community voice in that government. CCC LAFCO as the incorporation authority does not allow formation of government under citizens’ oversight or with limitations of the authority of the city council. The allowable form of incorporation is an unplanned city and all definition of the city happens after incorporation by a city council with full authority to act without citizens’ oversight.

Alamo residents should ask themselves if they would INVEST in any organization that did not have a plan and a defined role and accountability for its leadership. In any establishment of a corporation or institution, we would expect, as shareholders, the following to be in place and in force prior to our investment:

* A charter that states the purpose and goals of the venture.

* A general plan that states the operations, structure, plans, TEAM and pro forma fiscal activities of the venture.

* A summary plan that introduces the venture’s operations and planned results in overview to capital sources.

* A formation document that defines the specific incorporation of the venture.

As residents of Alamo, we should expect the same definition and planning to be in place and as part of any vote on incorporation of the City of Alamo. We must provide our preferences for boundaries, zoning, codes, staffing, operations, services and authority of council members in a general plan. Anything less is a blind investment in the good faith of city councils now and into the future.

Hal Bailey

as a courtesy to Alamo community of neighborhoods