2009 Goal Setting

"Some see private enterprise as a predatory target to be shot, others as a cow to be milked, but few are those who see it as a sturdy horse pulling the wagon." ~ Winston Churchill

This is a quote I read when I am working on Commercial Development projects for the City and one of many when working on our Budget and Long Term Financial Plan.

We had a good Goal Setting Session today. The goals are followed by the appropriate Committee that will be working on it. Several of these items do tie together. I laid out the following Goals and policy changes:

• Update Personnel Policy - Personnel Committee
• Explore in house billing for utilities due to possible 80% increase in charge from Connexus. Secondary benefit would be implementing credit card payments for all types of City fees and services on the City Website - Finance Committee
• O/S nuisance lawn and sidewalk care - Public Works Committee
• Increase Commercial Tax Base - EDA
• Complete Long Term Financial Plan with updated budget numbers - Finance Committee
• Establish Intra-governmental Committee - Mayor
• Terms of Office for Planning Commission and Recreation Board - Personnel
• Rail served Industrial Park - EDA
• Frontage Road system for Commercial Corridors - Planning Commission/DAC
• City multi modal Transportation Plan - Planning Commission/DAC
• Disaster Plan - Personnel Committee
• Review of Fire Board performance - Finance Committee
• Municipal Building cost - Building and Grounds Committee

The top 5 Goals for 2009 are:

• LTFP
• Increasing Commercial Tax Base
• Disaster Plan
• New Personnel Policy
• City Multi-modal Transportation Plan

We will be focusing a great deal of time and energy increasing our Commercial tax base. This is the epitome of terrible economic times but we must continue to lay the ground work of economic development.
The Disaster Plan will encompass everything from a literal natural disaster to losing several key staff members at once. I am a planning person and want to make sure the City can respond in any situation.
I have been serving on the City's Personnel Committee for over 4 years now and we continually have to revise and fill in policies. This has caused a great deal of work and potential legal issues. We believe it is time to redo the entire policy and make sure we have a modern professional policy.
The New Multi-modal Transportation Plan will encompass everything from frontage roads on the west side of 65 to rail to trails to safe crossings of 5 and 65.
The Council will be voting on this at our February 3rd meeting.