1993-01-26 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I I I Council Meeting Minutes January 26. 1993 Page 3 State of the Citv Address. continued They include - as a few examples - . a positive budget performance. . increased participation in our Parks &. Recreation programs, . presentation of recommendation from the Senior Center Task Force. . continued progress on our efforts to involve more people in New Brighton governance processes. . development of proposals to rebuild downtown (on tonight's agenda). . initiation of development of the Jones Lake area. The people involvement process is best illustrated by our recent focus group and community survey process. The process was defined by the Council as a means to document community desires in a cost effective, yet reliable. way. We now know for certain the key needs and concerns of our constituents. So what did the process tell us? It told us that our friends and neighbors live here because of our convenient location. because New Brighton is a safe place to live. because of our quality neighborhoods. our good schools, and great parks. We also know that many people are concerned about perceived threats to personal security and property values. Our existence as a mature suburb close to the urban centers of Minneapolis and St. Paul is a logical source of these concerns. These concerns. in part, led to the formation of the Housing Task Force that is currently researching current problems and opportunities to avoid deterioration. In addition. work is proceeding on assessment of a neighborhood based service design process that will actively involve residents in solving community problems. Our rationale for pursuing neighborhood level involvement and problem solving is very simple. Simply stated. we believe: . that city government cannot and should not do everything for everybody. . needs vary by neighborhood and should. therefore. services must be designed to meet those variable needs, preferably with decisions being made on a neighborhood level, . a key question for New Brighton residents in the 90's is how we blend our resources with the District 621 and District 282. with the county, and with the State and Federal governments to best meet our mutual needs. . we must work closely with our businesses that provide jobs and the services we need. Despite the concerns and turmoil around us, I am confident that we have the personal commitment and financial strength to meet any challenge we might encounter in New Brighton. We've done it before as we solved our water problems. We can do it again while facing new issues. We have the added opportunity now to build on our strength and continue our proactive. collaborative governance process. Scecial Order of Business State of the City Address