Politics & Government
City's 5 Year Plan Progresses
6 prior Council members show up to help plan the future.
The City Council met last night to work on the 5 Year Strategic Business Plan, a document that sets the course for City spending for the next 5 years, and more specifically, for the next 2 years.
All members of the City Commissions were present, along with 6 past Council members – Dave Bass, Peter Herzog, Kathryn McCullough, Marsha Rudolph, Mark Tettemer, and Helen Wilson.
The group spent time listing their concerns in several areas:
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- · Public Safety
- · Recreation and Leisure
- · Infrastructure
- · Planning and Development
Throughout the discussions, concern was expressed for the imminent raise in the Police contract which threatens to wipe out the City’s cushion (revenues minus expenditures). On the positive side, it was noted that the new Recreation Center promises to be a destination for diverse groups, meaning that income for the City in general (hotels, restaurants) will grow, and the sales tax and hotel tax revenues will flow to the City. In addition, as the new homes begin to pay property taxes, each new home will bring approximately $700 per year to the City in our share of property taxes, as well as added income for the retail sector.
At this point City staff will collate the wish list and then circulate and eventually it will be the document that the Council uses to make the final decisions on our spending plans for the next 2 to 5 years.
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Assuming that the document is available in the next few weeks, the Town Hall meeting on April 18 will be devoted to a discussion of that document
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Jim Gardner is on the City Council for Lake Forest. You can check him out on LinkedIn and/or Facebook and you can share your thoughts about the City at Lake Forest Town Square on Facebook. His comments are not meant to reflect official City Policy.
Dr. Gardner has office hours every Tuesday from 3 pm to 5 pm at the City Hall (Note the change in time). In addition, he holds a mini town meeting every moth. The next meeting will be April 18 from 2 to 4 pm at the Foothill Ranch Public Library.
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