2012-08-27 Reg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Mr. Sharp suggested locally for one day. Mayor Welsch suggested more than one day with a facilitator. She stated that when coming to office she was dismayed realizing that Council was facing a myriad of challenges including the former Interim City Manager saying the City was facing a large deficit in Fiscal Years upcoming and up to a two million dollar deficit in the present Fiscal Year. Mayor noted she was informed that to bring streets, curbs and sidewalks up to code would cost over twenty million dollars over twelve years. She also found out that the City grossly under estimated the cost of maintaining the City trees; and the City lost twenty-five hundred residents according to the Census. Mayor said there were many other factors facing the City when she became Mayor. (The Mayor’s complete statement can be found attached to the end of the minutes). Mayor Welsch said these issues have to be focused on and planned for if the City was going to progress to be a great City for the future. She noted that with this in mind she strongly believed the Council needed to commit to a long term strategic planning process and bring the citizens into this process if U City is to be a successful modeled community in the St. Louis region in the near and long -term future. She said the City and its citizens deserve more than a one day session with no facilitator. Mayor Welsch noted the Council should create a full list of Council’s specified goals, organize and implement a process of community engagement to get residents input on these goals and also to get their input on additional areas. Mayor Welsch asked the City Council to review the documents which are the outline of what the School District did in 2008. She also requested the City Council to review background information on strategic planning from 2000, also attached. The Mayor believed that the City of University City deserved just as much input in their strategic plan for the Community as was done for the School District. All documents referred to are attached at the end of the minutes. Ms. Carr believed the Mayor’s goals were worthy but noted the Mayor had every opportunity before the election to establish such a retreat to get the process going and asked why it was not done before the election. She noted there was an elephant in the room and maybe agreed that a facilitator was needed. Ms. Carr stated that there is a very fractured Council and noted that when she is publically called out by the Mayor in the press, she wondered why she would want to sit down with the Mayor for a long period of time and questioned whether they could find mutual goals. Mayor Welsch noted that a retreat was held in May 2010, with this Council at the Green Center. At that time, the Council was faced with the City Manager leaving and a massive projected budget deficit for the next two years. She noted the Council did set their goals and they have been working on them but up until now Mayor Welsch did not feel that the Council had enough of their ducks-in-order throughout the City to get going on a long-term commitment. Mayor Welsch hoped Council could work together for the betterment of the City. She noted that she has asked to sit down with Ms. Carr since she was elected, in April and July, and those offers were not accepted. The Mayor said she thought they could work together but that would require them to sit down in the same room without any preconceived notions and be working for the betterment of the City. 9