The people deserve answers

It appears that city council members Rishoff and Kuperberg may have sold out our city.

The Oak Creek complex may turn out to be a real ongoing problem for Agoura Hills. This development, encouraged and approved by these two individuals, raises serious questions about the integrity of the current level of decision-making processes within city hall.

An in-depth investigation of the deal’s paperwork reveals that the city sold Snyder development acres of prime land on a price based on an appraisal that was over five years old.

Why didn’t the city use an up-to-date current appraisal of the value of the land, as you would do with any normal sale or purchase? The truth is that the developer got this land cheaply along with a highly prized rezoning to allow for higher density occupation. Why?

By conservative estimate, the going rate for this land was upwards of over $1 million. Why would the city take such a dramatically lower amount of money?

What about the wonderful $1 million windfall to the local schools that Rishoff and Kuperberg tout? Guess what? That was an amount mandated by state law. It was no gift from the developer.

And what happens now every year when the student body continues to swell? Where will the extra money for our schools come from to take care of these hundreds of additional students? Well, it will not come from the Oak Creek developer, that’s for sure.

One last thing. Where is the $5 million that the developer promised for improvements to the Kanan overpass that has been touted by Rishoff and Kuperberg? Are the developer’s funds actually in the city’s bank account? Or are they just "promised"?

What if the federal government pulls out of the project? Matching funds have now been delayed in Washington. Does the city still get to keep the $5 million it is owed by the owner of Oak Creek or does the developer get yet another "gift"?

I believe the citizens of Agoura Hills deserve answers.

James Iwanoff, D.C.

Agoura Hills