[Vision2020] Behind closed doors . . .

Tue Apr 1 03:46:20 PDT 2014

My apologies for not disclosing that the City Council Workshop is a recurring event, open to the public.

This meeting was, in fact, scheduled and convened on March 25th.

http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/records/Meeting%20Packets%20%20Full/GoalSetting03-25-14.pdf

Again, my apologies.

Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"There's room at the top they are telling you still.
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill,
If you want to be like the folks on the hill."

- John Lennon

> On Apr 1, 2014, at 3:35 AM, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote:
> 
> Apparently the Moscow City Council met last week (week of March 24 - 28) to discuss city goals.  Yet there is no record, on the city website, of this meeting.
> 
> http://www.ci.moscow.id.us/i-want-to/find-meeting-minutes-or-recordings
>  
> No.  I am not referring to the mayor's State of the City address; an event unattended by City Council President Walter Steed, who was interviewed subsequent to last week's unrecorded city council session:
> 
> "It's done as city staff begins preparing the spending plan for the new year. This ensures these priorities have the funds necessary to pay for them because staff knows they are priorities, said Council President Walter Steed."
> . . . 
> 
> Furthermore, it appears that two of the key topics discussed at this unrecorded session were a city security camera system and a business regulation program.
> 
> "Off the list as a result of this recent council workshop is funding a security camera system and developing a business regulation program, Steed said."
> 
> It would certainly seem appropriate for the citizens of Moscow to be kept informed of such vital issues impacting them.
> 
> Courtesy of today's (April 1, 2014) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.
> 
> -----------------------------------
> 
> Moscow City Council to-do list
> Panel sets goals for upcoming fiscal year
> The Moscow City Council met last week and settled on a list of matters it considers most important during the upcoming 2015 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
> It's done as city staff begins preparing the spending plan for the new year. This ensures these priorities have the funds necessary to pay for them because staff knows they are priorities, said Council President Walter Steed.
> There were 12 goals in FY 2012 and that list was reduced to seven in FY 2013.
> "In past years the council has created a lot of goals," Steed said. There were "more than you could do anything with and expect staff to get accomplished."
> Councilor Dan Carscallen was asked a couple of years ago to "winnow the list down and clean it up," Steed said, which is why there haven't been new goals added during the past two years, he added.
> The list:
> - Transition from current annual goal setting process to long-range strategic planning for concerns five years into the future. The 2013 estimate for a consultant is $25,000.
> - Develop improvement plans for public rights of way at city entrances. Mayor Bill Lambert said during his State of the City speech last week the "project has been moving forward and is looking at areas of opportunity for enhancements and possible public-private partnerships."
> - Expand the perceived downtown on Main Street from E Street to the south couplet through streetscape improvements and evaluation of zoning and development standards. The project is ongoing. The projected construction was set to begin in 2015.
> - Research siting and construction of permanent public restroom facilities in downtown Moscow. The cost was not mentioned during 2013 goal setting.
> - Develop and implement a community relations plan using electronic and social media to increase resident participation. The project is ongoing and total hours of staff time was estimated in 2013 to require more than 300 hours for planning and implementation. It's a continuous effort.
> Also during 2013, each goal's completion was plotted on a specified timeline. Many required efforts over multiple fiscal years. The FY 2013 list only looked out a couple of years.
> There are two other goals expected to be completed before the end of FY 2015:
> Develop a facilities' master plan addressing current and future city operations and space needs. This is slated to be completed this summer when it was placed on the 2013 list. A consultant would receive $35,000 and staff would devote about 160 hours on the work.
> Develop and implement strategy for development of ballfields and park land within the city. Moscow School District Community Playfields project, to which the city contributed $1.5 million, goes out for bid today, for example.
> Off the list as a result of this recent council workshop is funding a security camera system and developing a business regulation program, Steed said.
> -----------------------------------
> 
> Stay tuned, Moscow, because . . .
> 
> "Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>   
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>  
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