Here they are, digging into the batter's box. Thursday's public meeting marks the Lee's Summit City Council's 4th trip to plate and Lee's Summit Town Hall hosts Jason Norbury and Nick Parker wonder if once again they'll keep the bat on their shoulders and watch the pitch go by.

Spring training starts soon, so forgive the baseball analogies. Nick can't help himself. This week, we are once again talking about the Council's stated desire to increase pay for City employees. All eight members of the Council — and Mayor Randy Rhoads — have made very clear their support of the new compensation philosophy. What makes this interesting, and of concern to residents, is that no one on the dais seems ready to make a public declaration on when and how to actually put the plan into action. With a clear majority of the Council using language to say this must be done, and done now, Jason and Nick ask why haven't they taken action to vote it through? Are they not ready for the public criticism to follow? Do they fear retribution at the ballot box for voting for a plan that could mean increased taxes, new taxes, job cuts across all City departments (including City Hall and the police and fire departments) or a combination of all of the above? These questions, Jason and Nick say, deserve answers.