Monday, February 16, 2009
City Council to Set Goals; Be There on February 21st!
The Public was not well represented last Wednesday night when the Paso Robles City Council had a special workshop to set goals to help them through the upcoming budgetary process later this Spring.
After a review of where the accomplishments of the last 8 years by City Staff, Meg Williamson and Ron Whisenand, City Manager Jim App gave a sobering reviewing of the City's financial condition. Although the City is looking at a cumulative $9 million in negative expenses over income over the next three fiscal years, thanks to several years of careful budgeting and accumulating reserves, Jim is hopeful that the actual negative can be held to a cumulative of $4.638 million. How the City will have to address that negative will be at the heart of the future budget hearings.
Although many suggested goals were sent in via email from the public, only about a dozen members of the audience addressed the Council. Anne Laddon (my wife) president of the new nonprofit Studios on the Park asked the Council to keep the encouragement of the visual arts as a "positive path" for the City to follow.
I spoke on the need for the City to use the spirit of Paso Robles, which has always depended on its volunteers in hard times, to help get through the difficult financial times ahead. My remarks were amplified by others such as Field Gibson speaking for the Paso Robles Youth Sports Council. Field said that the City has made it difficult in the past for volunteers to take on such tasks as the maintenance of the playing fields. He advocated for an "Adopt-a-Park" program or other ways to foster community participation.
Others spoke on the need to use the planning process to work toward creating the environment that will speed the creation of head of household jobs when the economy eventually improves.
I could go on, but the real message to get out is to be active in our community. There will be a meeting on Saturday February 21st at 9 AM to evaluate all the suggestions that have been made and help the Council determine their tentative goals which will be adopted during the March 3rd Council meeting
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