TO: Town Council
FROM: Michael Collins, Mayor
DATE: November 1, 2018
Staff Contact Mayor Collins
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AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Establishment of a Citizen Capital Projects Outreach Committee
Body
Town Value(s):
☐ Primarily one-acre, residential community
☒ Limited government
☒ Creating a sense of community
☐ Partnerships with existing schools and resorts to enhance recreational opportunities
☐ Improving aesthetics/creating a brand
☐ Preserving natural open space
Council Goals or Statutory Requirements:
Improving our public engagement process during capital project planning, design, and implementation will allow Town Staff and Town Council to make better, more informed decisions that incorporate resident feedback earlier in the long-range capital project planning process.
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
A proposal to establish a Citizen Capital Projects Outreach Committee will be made to the Town Council. The idea of forming a Capital Projects Outreach Committee has been with me for some time, but it wasn’t until recently during our meetings with affected East Doubletree Ranch Road residents, did the importance of improving our public engagement process during capital project implementation finally crystalize.
I am proud of our Town’s actions to improve resident engagement across other areas of government and my proposal for this new committee will only continue to build upon the philosophy of listening first to residents before taking actions that have the potential to affect their quality of life. This new committee and the improved resident engagement that it will bring will allow Town staff and Town Council to make better, more informed decisions that incorporate resident feedback earlier in the long-range capital project planning process.
I am recommending that this new Capital Projects Outreach Committee be a standing committee that serves as advisory to staff and Town Council and provides an ongoing platform for resident engagement whenever the Town identifies or pursues capital projects that may affect their neighborhood. Although the first and most obvious task at hand is to work with residents on the proposed East Doubletree Ranch Road improvements, currently proposed roadway projects planned for Lincoln Drive, Mockingbird Lane, and Indian Bend Road will all benefit from improved public engagement and participation. Projects currently identified for other areas of town and those that may result from our ongoing Cell Phone Task Force are equally great candidates for early neighborhood outreach and dialogue.
Throughout my tenure on the Town Council, I have actively increased public engagement in other areas of town governance, including the formation of resident groups such as the 2012 General Plan Advisory Committee, 2013 Public Safety Task Force, Advisory Committee on Public Safety (ACOPS) in 2014, and the Homeowners Association (HOA) Advisory Forum in 2015. Residents often tell me how much they appreciate these new groups and believe they have been tremendously successful in improving resident engagement with town governance and its processes. I plan to use a similar initiative to address the proposed Doubletree Ranch Road improvements as well as future capital improvement projects.
In my experience, the best way for a resident committee of this kind to work is to have members with a long history of service to the town, who understand the CIP process, understand funding limitations, understand that their role is advisory only, are able to make objective and rational recommendations, and are able to bring proven public engagement skills and an empathy for residents to the table. My recommendation for initial committee membership will include well-known and respected town hall veterans such as retiring or retired council members David Sherf, Mary Hamway and myself, along with former Planning Commission Chair Dolf Strom and long-time Water Committee volunteer Bill Plummer.
Since announcing my plan to make this recommendation to Town Council, I have received considerable positive public feedback from residents who agree that improvements are needed in this area of government-resident interaction. Regardless of who the Town Council chooses to initialize this important new committee, I am confident that residents will see the value and appreciate the opportunity to be heard earlier and more often when it relates to current or future CIP projects in the Town that have the potential to affect their neighborhoods and quality of life.
A copy of proposed terms of committee structure is attached. This is meant to be a starting point for Town Council discussion. It is anticipated that following Town Council discussion on the proposed committee, a resolution establishing the committee will be presented to the Town Council for review and action during the 15 November council meeting.
BUDGETARY IMPACT:
Creation of a capital projects committee in the general form as recommended, will result in improved resource allocation and cost savings associated with capital project design and implementation.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Letter to residents living along Doubletree Ranch Road dated 3 October 2018
Proposed terms for Capital Projects Outreach Committee structure