City Council will be having their annual retreat on February 20th. They will be deciding which councilmembers get assigned to each committee, what basic direction the city will be going this year and discussing the economic summit that the Mayor is having this spring.
During the council workshop, starting at 6:00 pm Thursday night, the council will be having some discussion about the retreat. These discussions will be an insight into where the council feels the city needs to go.
I am very interested in the opinions of the citizens regarding where you want the city to go. What do you want the city to do for you? What do you expect of them? Where do you see us in 5 or 10 years? If you were on the council, what would you propose?
So here you go, let me know what you want from your city.
I'd like to see recognition that things are difficult financially all over the place and see the city work to avoid any deficit spending. I would gladly give up every city park in order to keep police and fire services instact and the roads clear of ice / dirt / deadfall etc.
ReplyDeleteThe general idea that we can recover from this depression by spennding more money and paying it back when things get better is absolutely the wrong thing to do.
Bart, I'm curious what you would propose doing with the city land once the parks are closed? Hillary
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of setting priorities. This does, of course, often lead to difficult choices. While not commenting on what Bart's priorities are I really like that he is willing to make the tough choices and put his opinion out there.
ReplyDeleteAnd remember these are just ideas. Let's hear more.
Hillary - Why not turn it over to the community around the park to maintain instead of the city paying to do it? This allows the most common users of the park to have more of a say in how it appears, and removes the burden of maintenance from the city.
ReplyDeleteAs Thomas pointed out, these are just ideas, and I'm not going to be offended if people don't like them or don't want to implement them. All I am asking is that priorities be set, and that the citizens all recognize that their pet projects or favorite services may end up being cut or reduced in tight economic times.
Hillary,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think the city can do to make Duvall better this year?
I think that Duvall could be improved by converting the Highland mobile home park to a moderately expensivel gated 55+ retirement community. This would increase the income demographics of Duvall to the benefit of local businesses. Ralph W.
ReplyDeleteRalph,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you would like to know that the city has recently been approached by a local developer who is interested in creating a development in town which will include senior housing as well as single family homes. While it is not a gated community as you propose it is an exciting new development.
Welcome to the blog.
Thomas
Ralph -
ReplyDeleteWhat do you propose to do with the current residents of the Duvall Highlands? Many of them are under 55? Would you force them to move out of town, or into massive debt to afford the housing costs around town?
We are just tossing out ideas here. We are leaving the practical implications out of it for now. Whether it's parks or eminent domain.
ReplyDelete