Leaders Seek to Televise City Council Meetings

City officials want to put council meetings on television to better educate the public on issues facing the city.

Stanton is one of the few cities in the county that does not televise its council sessions, a fact some council members say works to their disadvantage.

“I think it would really help for people to understand what we are doing and why we are doing it,” Mayor Pro Tem David Shawver said.

Besides council meetings, discussions with the community about the pressing issues of the day should be aired, Shawver said, adding that getting the word out to the public is particularly critical now because the tiny city faces some big problems.

Stanton has experienced years of declining sales and property tax revenue, which has forced the city to cut its bureaucracy and turn some services over to the private sector. The city now fears another financial crunch looms because of the passage of Proposition 218, which requires voter approval of certain fee increases. The measure endangers the city’s utility tax and some assessments.

To prevent cuts in fire and police protection, the city may put a law-enforcement tax before the voters in June, but city officials doubt the public would back a new fee without understanding the issue.