Stu Whitney wrote a great column about Stehly and her upcoming agenda on the council. I thought I would clarify a bit, since these are some of the things Theresa and I have discussed long before the election, in fact some of this stuff we have talked about for years;
At tonight’s meeting, she plans to discuss the possibility of a “town hall forum†to promote public feedback on borrowing $25 million for a new city administration building, tentatively approved by the council last month. Huether cast the tiebreaking vote for that compromise measure, which approved the bond ordinance but delayed the actual borrowing of the money until this fall.
The idea was to allow more time in case county cooperation with the project materialized. But Stehly sees the delay as an opportunity to encourage more citizen input, and maybe even a public vote, on the proposed 79,000-square-foot building at Eighth Street and Dakota Avenue.
This is something Stehly has pitched in the past, a threshold ($$$) on when the council should approve a project and when the citizens should. Stehly thinks after a certain dollar amount, it should be on the ballot. Not such a bad idea since citizens are already voting on ordinances and policy on the ballot through the Charter Revision Commission. While I like the idea, I think the number should be rather high, like over $50 million. Theresa thinks it should be lower. Either way, worth the discussion with the public.
Stehly also wants the city to revamp its Project T.R.I.M. tree inspection program to make it more citizen-friendly, passing on the labor to city crews rather than homeowners in some cases. “I’d like to see one season where they use their staff to do the trimming,†she said.
A little clarity on this one. The idea that has been thrown around is to NOT eliminate the notification process OR allowing people to trim boulevard trees. Some people prefer to trim their own trees because they want them to look a certain way, or they want to hire an arborist to do it. I think that this ‘priviledge’ could still be allowed. This would be for people who either can’t physically trim them or afford to hire someone. Instead of wasting resources on public works employees driving around measuring and writing letters, if they see something minor, just chop it off right there or ask the homeowner if they can do it. This is really no different then what Excel does when trimming trees around powerlines. Many communities across our state are finding it is just much easier to have city employees trim the boulevard trees. In the long run it pays off.
Also on her agenda is addressing crime-ridden areas of the city with vigilant neighborhood watch programs, a pet cause of hers since she started her own program back in 1997. “It’s a very low-cost way to bring people together to be the eyes and ears of this community,†says Stehly, who plans to meet with police chief Matt Burns on the issue.
This one is really just common sense. With all the recent vandalism and robberies alone in this city, it is smart for neighbors watching out for each other.
Will Stehly be 100% successful on these issues? Probably not, but starting a good discussion doesn’t hurt.
Nice proposals but can’t happen until citizens throw down the shackles of Huether’s tyrannical rule. He should have been undone by his own arrogance. It’ll happen but should have happened before now.
If the administration building went to a public vote I would vote no just based on the amount of debt the city is currently carrying and the current mayor’s track record of high construction costs but still have material problems.
I haven’t heard from any employees they don’t have cubicle space so I’m not sure what huether’s big rush is.
Oh wait. Ego. Another building that will have his name on the plaque.
I’d be more comfortable letting the next Mayor decide if we need a new building or not. I don’t know who it will be and I already trust their judgment more.