I think the long term financial burden on a small town of the homeless cabin project is just crazy. This is a small town with limited health, mental health, safety, police, etc. The Governor just issued what needs doing during El Niño. Maybe we should focus on that, the citizens that pay the taxes.

Do you think anyone read the fine print, and if so, did they really understand the consequences? If they did, do you think they communicated it to anyone else? If it wasn’t read, why not, and whose responsibility was it?

Do you think Ojai should establish a formal policy requiring a complete fiscal impact report detailing predictable long-term operational costs before entering into any future state-funded agreements or taking a grant?

Do you think Ojai should establish a Grant Committee to do this before applying for any grants?

When evaluating projects, reading the fine print is essential to address the long-term financial reality before accepting the grant, not just after. Relying on perpetual grant chasing and donations for ongoing operational costs is going to leave Ojai vulnerable to recurring budget strains. Real governance requires transparently discussing these predictable consequences and prioritizing resources.

It doesn’t mean we should not do something because it doesn’t pencil out. It means that we need to know why we are applying for it, whether there is another way, what the conditions of taking the money are, and what will happen in the future because we did take it.