I have been following with mild amusement the saga of the town's new city hall, beginning with demolition of the old building before the cost of its replacement was finalized and continuing through a series of change orders and other items that have inflated the project's price tag by more than 16 percent.
Especially hilarious is leadership's logic for approving change orders in small, private meetings rather than with all of the city's elected commissioners present. According to the city's explanation, published in the April 21 issue of the Gazette, "(t)he meetings cannot have four or more commissioners taking part or else the gathering becomes a quorum and the meeting must be publicly noticed."
Yes, notifying the public might slow work, but it also would shed light on the project and allow residents to know how their tax dollars were to be spent before funds were committed.
Maybe city leaders just don't want people to know about changes, such as "$11,000 to modify the walls of the commissioners' caucus room, a tower structure standing on the eastern corner of the building."
Perhaps it would be appropriate to rubber-stamp one final change order - to cover the tower's exterior in ivory, creating a perfect vantage point from which to look down upon the mere citizens who'll be paying for their leaders' edifice complex.
Peter Harrigan
Rehoboth Beach
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