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GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE BOARD OF ALDERMAN STRATEGIC WORK SESSION.
TODAY IS AUGUST THE 30TH, 2023.
UH, IF YOU WOULD PLEASE STAND THE SUPPLY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
AT THIS, I'LL ASK THANK AND LET US PRAY.
FATHER, IN JESUS' NAME, WE PRAY THAT THIS STRATEGIC PLANNING WORK SESSION WILL PROVIDE INSIGHT AND ANSWERS THAT WILL PROMOTE DIRECTION, SUSTAINABILITY, AND GROWTH FOR OUR CITY.
BLESS ALL THOSE THAT ATTEND TODAY, AND THANK YOU FOR KEEPING OUR CITY SAFE.
AND ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE IN HARM'S WAY OF THIS STAR, WE ASK THIS IN JESUS' NAME, IN AMEN.
THANK EVERYONE FOR, UH, TAKING TIME OUT OF THEIR SCHEDULE TO BE HERE TODAY.
AND AT THIS TIME, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO CITY MANAGER.
OKAY, MR. MAYOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, FOR THAT.
WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE TODAY.
UH, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLANNING, UH, FOR QUITE A WHILE NOW, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THIS PROCESS.
WE ENGAGED WITH THE SCHOOL, GO AND LEAD US THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
UH, SO YOU HAVE RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO PREPARE FOR THIS, AND SO THIS IS GONNA BE AN ENGAGING TIME.
AND SO IAN IS GONNA GO OVER THAT HOUSEKEEPING, RESTROOM OR HALLWAY BACK HERE TO THE RIGHT.
WE HAVE SOME COFFEE AND THINGS LIKE THAT IN THE KITCHEN.
UH, AND IAN, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
FIRST OF ALL, MY APOLOGIES, UM, I WAS ACROSS THE STREET DOWN THAT WAY JUST 30 MINUTES AGO, BUT WAS CONVINCED I WAS AT THE WRONG PLACE, PUT THE NEW ADDRESS IN AND ENDED UP BACK WHERE I NEEDED TO BE, ONLY TO TURN AROUND THREE TIMES AND COME BACK.
UM, GOOD MORNING TO ALL OF YOU.
I WISH THAT I HAD HAD A CHANCE TO, UH, INTRODUCE MYSELF PERSONALLY AND SHAKE YOUR HAND ALL BEFORE WE GET STARTED, BUT HERE I AM.
UM, I WAS GOING TO MAKE A LITTLE FLIP CHART, BUT I THINK IT'S FAIRLY EASY TO SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE PLAN TO DO TODAY.
UM, THERE IS SOME GETTING STARTED PIECES.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ENGAGING IN THE HOMEWORK THAT I OFFERED.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT I DID HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH, UM, THREE OF YOU.
I SEE THESE ARE THE THREE I THINK I HAD THE CONVERSATION WITH AS WELL, STAFF.
UM, AND THEY SAID, OH, NO PROBLEM WITH HOMEWORK.
SO THAT'S, UM, WHERE I WENT AHEAD AND DOVE IN AND DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, TO GATHER SOME THOUGHTS, UM, AHEAD OF TIME.
SO WE'LL DO A BIT OF GETTING STARTED ACTIVITIES TODAY AND KIND OF LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE CONVERSATION.
UM, WE'LL THEN TAKE A BREAK, UM, WHICH MIGHT WE MOVE A LITTLE BIT? I HAD THOUGHT IT WOULD BE AROUND 10 30.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL DIVE IN TO SOME CONTEXT SETTING.
SO THE HOMEWORK THAT I, THAT I OFFERED YOU, UM, REALLY WAS A CHANCE FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT ARE GONNA BE HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AS I WAS BEING GUIDED IN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. MANAGER.
UM, I WAS PASSING THE FUTURE 42 SIGN.
I'M LIKE, WELL, THERE'S A BIG ONE RIGHT THERE, UM, THAT THIS WILL BE A, AN INTERSTATE, UM, THAT'LL BE COMING THROUGH YOUR CITY.
UM, BUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE GONNA BE HAPPENING TO YOUR COMMUNITY, UM, OR HAPPENING AROUND YOU? AND WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR YOU ALL FOR THE FUTURE? UM, BECAUSE WE'RE NOW IN 2023, BUT WE REALLY WANT YOU TO BE THINKING LONGER TERM, BIG PICTURE 20 YEARS OUT, EVEN THOUGH WE, WE WOULD GET DOWN TO SPECIFICS FROM THE PLAN TO BE A LITTLE BIT SHORTER TIMEFRAME, BUT WITH YOUR 20 YEAR LENS, KIND OF WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GONNA BE HAPPENING FOR THE COMMUNITY AND HOW DO YOU NEED TO BE PREPARING FOR IT AS AN ORGANIZATION? UM, SO WE'VE GOT AN EXERCISE, UM, WITH, BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT YOU GAVE ME IN THE SURVEY, UM, AND KIND OF TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT, WHAT WOULD THE IMPACTS BE, AND THEN WE'LL SHIFT GEARS A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND THINK ABOUT, UM, THE SOAR ANALYSIS THAT I GAVE YOU.
SO LOTS OF HOMEWORK, UM, AND BE THINKING ABOUT SORT OF WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STRENGTHS THAT YOU ALL HAVE, WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? WHAT DO YOU ASPIRE FOR FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, UH, AND WHAT ARE THE RESULTS THAT YOU HOPE TO SEE FROM THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS? UM, SOMEWHERE IN THERE WE'LL HAVE LUNCH AND THEN IN THE AFTERNOON WILL MOVE INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT REALLY THE FUTURE.
REALLY TAKING THAT LONG-TERM LENS.
UM, FOR ME AT 20 YEARS IS LIKE, OH, THAT'S ALMOST A GENERATION.
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I DON'T HAVE ANY GRANDCHILDREN JUST MARRIED OFF ANOTHER STEPDAUGHTER THIS WEEKEND.UM, BUT WHAT WOULD THEIR CHILDREN, UM, BE FACING AND WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT, UM, TO IMAGINE FOR THEM IN THE FUTURE? UM, AND WE'LL BEGIN TO REALLY THINK ABOUT, UM, WHAT YOUR VISION IS.
MAYBE YOU DO A, AT LEAST A, AN UPDATE OR A TWEET OR A REVISIT TO THE MISSION THAT I JUST FOUND THANKS TO GOOD RECORD KEEPING, UM, YESTERDAY, UM, THE CITY MISSION.
UM, AND THEN THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE BIG DECISIONS THAT NEED TO BE MADE.
I UNDERSTAND WE ARE PROBABLY NOT HAVING A SESSION TOMORROW, CORRECT? SO, UM, NOT SURE WE NEED, WELL, I'M NOT SURE AT WHAT POINT WE'LL TALK ABOUT WHAT TO DO NEXT.
UM, TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY, I ALWAYS LIKE TO START WITH A SUMMARY OF NEXT STEPS COMING FROM THE DAY.
UM, AND THEN THAT WILL, I THINK, INCLUDE A CONVERSATION ABOUT, OKAY, WE DIDN'T GET TO TOMORROW.
WHEN WILL WE, AND HOW WILL WE DO THAT? UM, BECAUSE WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO WAS TO, UH, HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF PUT SOME OF WHAT WE'VE DONE TODAY INTO GOAL STATEMENTS OR OUTCOMES, THINGS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENT.
UM, AND THEN THINKING ABOUT, UH, AN ENGAGEMENT, UH, PLAN AS WELL AS A COMMUNICATIONS PLAN.
UM, BECAUSE THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS IMPORTANT, THE PLANNING AND THE PROCESS OF PLANNING IS, I'D SAY EQUALLY IMPORTANT.
UH, AND IF YOU'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THE, UM, THINK ABOUT COMMUNICATING ABOUT IT AND THINKING ABOUT ITS IMPACT ON YOUR CULTURE, THEN YOU'RE LOSING I THINK THE BENEFITS OF SOME OF THAT AS WELL.
SO, UM, JUST TO SAY IT'S NOT JUST THE PLAN, THIS IS REALLY, I THINK, BIGGER THAN THAT.
THE PROCESS WILL, WE'LL BE MORE EXTENSIVE THAN THAT.
SO THAT'S OUR GENERAL PLAN FOR TODAY.
UM, LET'S SEE, CLICKER, AND WE WANNA START HERE REALLY WITH SOME, LET'S SEE, FLIP CHART.
I'M GONNA GRAB A FLIP CHART OVER HERE SO I CAN TAKE SOME NOTES HERE.
UM, THIS IS A STURDY, GARY, CAN YOU GET THAT ON FOR ME PLEASE? YEAH, THAT WOULD BE MUCH BETTER IF WE COULD JUST GET THESE.
NORMALLY ALL THIS HAPPENS BEHIND THE SCENES.
IT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN REAL TIME, IN REAL, IN REAL SPACE HERE.
WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO IS START WITH THIS QUESTION HERE.
UM, WELL, THESE ARE THE RETREAT OBJECTIVES, SO LET, LEMME MAKE SURE THIS SHOULD BE ON YOUR, YOUR MATERIALS, UM, SO MUCH.
AND THEN, UH, I THINK I SAID THESE ARE BASICALLY WHAT WE HOPE TO DO.
SOME OF THESE ONE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO AT THIS POINT.
UH, I THINK WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE CONTEXT FOR THE PLAN, UM, AND THE PLAN AND VISION AND MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION, AND MAKE A NEW PLAN FOR THE OTHER TWO BULLETS TODAY.
UM, I'D LOVE TO JUST START WITH THIS QUESTION.
UM, AND I THINK IN THE INTEREST, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM STAFF AS WELL.
THIS'LL JUST BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO ME, AND I KNOW YOU ALL KNOW EACH OTHER, BUT I REALLY APPRECIATE, UM, HEARING REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITH THE CITY AND WHAT, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN IT AND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO SERVE IN THIS ROLE, UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A, THIS IS A BIG LIFT THAT YOU ALL HAVE AGREED TO DO HERE IN TERMS OF SERVING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO, TO HAVE THAT ROLE? AND I'M JUST GONNA TAKE A FEW NOTES.
AND BY THE WAY, I WILL BE JOINED, I THINK AT THE BREAK BY MY GRADUATE ASSISTANT.
UM, I WANNA CALL HER MARIAH CAREY, BUT HER NAME IS MARIAH CANNER.
UH, SO SHE'S NOT MARIAH CAREY.
UH, BUT, UH, FOR HER BENEFIT, I'M GONNA TAKE SOME NOTES AND SHE'LL BE HELPING ME WITH THAT LATER.
SO, UM, MAYOR, I'M GONNA PICK ON YOU IF YOU DON'T MIND.
UH, JEFFREY ODOM, UH, MAYOR, UM, JUST WRAPPED UP OUR FIRST YEARS AS FIRST YEARS AS BEING MAYOR ON AUGUST THE 15TH.
UH, PRIOR TO THAT I WAS AN ALDERMAN FOR THE SIXTH WARD, UM, FOR I GUESS ABOUT EIGHT AND A HALF YEARS.
WHAT MOTIVATES ME TO SERVE IS JUST THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN MY HOMETOWN AND COMMUNITY.
UM, AND I DID NOTICE FROM JUST FROM THE PROFILES THAT MANY OF YOU MISSED YOUR HOMETOWN, UM, ALDERMAN ROYAL.
HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THAT QUESTION? HAZEL ROYAL, MY ROLE IS ALDERMAN.
MY 10 YEAR TENURE IS THREE AND A HALF YEARS.
I'VE BEEN ON BOARD FOR ONE YEAR, AND WHAT MOTIVATES ME TO SERVE IS MY PASSION FOR PEOPLE AND SEEING THEM TO HAVE, UM, HELPING THEM
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NOW THE BEST QUALITY OF LIFE THAT THEY CAN.UH, RICK FRILL, ALDERMAN WARD, ONE TENURE YEAR, ONE YEAR, UH, INTO A THREE YEAR, THREE CLOSE TO YEAR, UH, TENURE.
UM, MOTIVATION WAS PRIMARILY TO GIVE THE VOTERS OF WARD ONE A CHOICE IN CANDIDATES, AND I, IT WAS ONE OF THOSE SITUATIONS.
BE CAREFUL OF WHAT YOU WISH FOR
UM, MY BACKGROUND, UM, IS AS A CITY MANAGER FOR THREE SEVERAL YEARS, 30 YEARS.
SO I THOUGHT THAT, UH, I COULD MAKE THE TRANSITION, UH, EASILY AND ALWAYS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PROFESSIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
I'VE SERVED 15 YEARS ON THE BOARD, AND I LIKE TO LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE TO FIND OUT WHAT CAN I DO FOR THEM TO MAKE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE BETTER FOR THE COMMUNITY.
I'M ALSO A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE, AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND TRAINING PEOPLE, UH, YOU GET A CHANCE TO HEAR THEM AGAIN AND HELP THEM TO ACCOMPLISH, TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.
I I HAVE A PERSONAL TRAINER WHO I KEEP SAYING TO HIM, JUST KEEP PUSHING ME AND I'LL JUST KEEP DOING IT.
SO, ABSOLUTELY, HE'S HELPING ME A LOT.
UM, UM, I'M ALMOND BARBARA BEST.
UM, I'VE BEEN IN, THIS IS MY SECOND TERM.
UM, THIS IS THE, UM, FIFTH, FIFTH YEAR,
UM, I, I, UM, RETIRED OUT OF THE CITY'S TAX, UH, DEPARTMENT.
AND WHILE MY TENURE THERE, I CAME IN CONTACT WITH A LOT OF SENIOR CITIZENS, A LOT OF CITIZENS THAT, UM, WAS UNDERSERVED AND A LOT OF CITIZENS THAT WAS AT THE POVERTY LINE, AND THEY WERE STRUGGLING TO TRY TO SAVE THEIR HOME AND DIDN'T WANT TO GO, YOU KNOW, FORECLOSURES AND ALL OF THIS AND COULDN'T PAY THEIR TAXES.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT MOTIVATED ME TO, I RETIRED, I WAS GOING TO TAKE ON THIS ROLE AS AN ALDERMAN, UH, DIDN'T KNOW HOW IT WAS GONNA GO.
I WAS REALLY SURPRISED, UM,
I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST YEAR, UH, ON THE BOARD, LIKE MANY AND, UH, A LITTLE BIT, UH, DIFFERENT IN THAT I GREW UP HERE IN NEW VERN AND THEN SPENT 30 YEARS AWAY AND HAVE NOW COME BACK.
SO KIND OF HAVE BOTH PERSPECTIVES OF, UH, A HOMETOWN AND A TRANSPLANT, BUT REALLY DOING THIS JOB, UH, TO BE A CONDUIT, UH, HELP HELP MY NEIGHBORS NAVIGATE CITY GOVERNMENT, HAVE THEIR VOICE HEARD, BUT THEN ALSO BE ABLE TO TURN AROUND AND EXPLAIN TO THEM, UM, WHY CERTAIN THINGS ARE HAPPENING WITH THE NEW, WITH THE NEW BERN CITY GOVERNMENT AND WHY WE MADE CERTAIN DECISIONS.
SO REALLY TRY TO BE THE TWO WAY STREET.
UM, BRENDA, THANK GOOD MORNING.
I WAS APPOINTED AS THE CITY CLERK IN 2014 AFTER WORKING WITH THE CITY FOR 12, 13 YEARS.
AND I VERY MUCH ENJOY WORKING.
I'M A PEOPLE PERSON, LOVE WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC.
AND IN THIS ROLE, THE GREAT THING IS I GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET SO MANY CITIZENS THAT I OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND IT FEELS GOOD TO HELP THEM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. WILLIAMS. UH, YES.
I'VE, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY, UH, AS THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS NOW.
UM, BACKGROUND IS PREDOMINANTLY IN, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT, UM, I THINK GROWING UP AND EVERYTHING I, I'VE REALLY BELIEVED IN THE PAST, IT STATES THAT THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IS, IS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
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FORTUNATE THAT WHEN, WHEN I'VE COME TO CONSTRUCTION SITES THAT I'VE HAD GOOD PEOPLE ASSIST ME.SO I THINK WHAT I LOOK FOR NOW IS TO, TO REPAY THAT TO, TO ANYONE THAT I CAN ASSIST WITH TRYING TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL.
YOU SOUND LIKE YOU WORKED FOR DOT
NO, IT WAS THE PAVING COMMENT.
WELL, I, I'M CELEBRATING MY 34TH YEAR IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORKING FOR A VARIETY OF DEPARTMENTS.
UH, PRIMARILY IT'S BEEN PARKS AND RECREATION.
I CAME TO UBERING, UH, A LITTLE OVER FIVE YEARS AGO.
UM, I HAVE BEEN THE MANAGER FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS, AND MY OVERALL GOAL IS TO, TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF OUR BOARD ARE BEING MET WHILE AT THE SAME TIME MAKING SURE THAT THE CITY OF NEWBURY IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE.
WORK CAN PLAY FOR OUR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS.
UM, WE HAVE GREAT STAFF THAT, THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH TO, TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF OUR CITIZENS ON A, A DAILY BASIS.
AND, UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO, TO STRONG POSITIVE GROWTH IN THE FUTURE.
I'M GONNA MOVE TO THE STAFF FOLKS, AND I CAN'T READ YOUR NAME TAGS FROM HERE.
SO, MR. UH, WELL,
GOOD MORNING, I'M CHARLIE ARDER.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC UTILITIES.
UM, WHAT MOTIVATES ME? PUBLIC UTILITIES.
IT'S, UM, ALL I KNOW AND, UM, DONE THAT ALL MY LIFE.
BEEN HERE ABOUT FIVE YEARS AND, UH, JUST HAD TO BE WORKING.
I FIELD WORKING IN PUBLIC UTILITIES.
SO YOU'RE ALL ABOUT PUBLIC UTILITIES.
UM, WE NEED, WE NEED TO FOCUS LIKE THAT FOR SURE.
WE'LL JUST GO AROUND THE TABLE THEN.
JORDAN QS, THE DIRECTOR OF WATER RESOURCES.
UH, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR 17 YEARS.
UM, WHAT MOTIVATES ME ON, ON THE PROFESSIONAL LEVEL? UH, IT'S AN OLD CITY, A LOT OF PROBLEMS. AND AS AN ENGINEER, I DO LIKE SOLVING PROBLEMS IS ALWAYS A CHALLENGE.
UH, ON THE PERSONAL SIDE, MY, MY NEW ROOTS FIRM VERY DEEP.
MY, MY FAMILY HAS BEEN CONNECTED TO REON COUNTY SINCE EARLY 17 HUNDREDS, UH, SINCE THE KIND OF PRIDE AND TRADITION BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE TO BE PART OF THE GREAT.
I'M HUMAN RESOURCES AND I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR 23 YEARS.
UM, AND WHAT MOTIVATES ME IS TO KNOW THAT MY STAFF AND I ARE SERVING OUR EMPLOYEES AS WE ALL SERVE THE CITIZENS OF DENVER.
OKAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH, SONYA.
JIM MCCONNELL, INTERN FIRE CHIEF FIRE RESCUE.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY 24 AND A HALF YEARS.
THE MAIN GOAL IS TO PROVIDE SERVICES TO PEOPLE ON THE WORST DAY OF THEIR LIFE, AND THAT MAKES SURE THEY'RE EQUITABLE ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY AS WE LOOK AT THE CITY.
UH, AND I HEAR YOU'RE MOVING INTO A PERMANENT ROLE IN ABOUT TWO DAYS.
I'M JESSE RU, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
I AM STARTING MY NINTH MONTH THIS WEEK IN THE CITY OF NEW BERN, 22 YEARS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA AND FOUR DIFFERENT JURISDICTIONS.
WHAT MOTIVATES ME? I LOVE TO TAKE, UM, A STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENT THE STRUCTURE AND SYSTEM AND WATCH IT MAKE SOMETHING BETTER.
AND THEN WE'LL GO COLLEEN ROBERTS PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER.
UH, BEEN WITH THE CITY OF NEW BERN FOR 12 YEARS.
UH, PRIOR TO THAT, UH, I WORKED FOR THE MILITARY FOR ABOUT 18 MONTHS, BUT PRIMARILY MY BACKGROUND IS BROADCAST NEWS.
UM, IN MY ROLE, I, I LOVE MEETING PEOPLE.
I LOVE THE VARIOUS COMMUNICATION METHODS, UM, TO REACH PEOPLE.
UM, I REALLY ENJOY WRITING, UM, AND I THINK GOVERNMENT CAN BE A LEADER IN BEING A LOT LESS CORPORATE AND A LOT MORE SOCIAL.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY TWO MONTHS, 18 DAYS, AND A LITTLE BIT OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF, UH, 18 YEARS IN HIGHER ED.
I'VE ALWAYS WORKED IN A SUPPORT ROLE IN IT.
UH, ACTUALLY MADE THE DECISION, UH, 18, MORE THAN 18 YEARS AGO THAT I WANTED TO BE A PART OF AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS NOT SO MUCH FOCUSED ON JUST MAKING MONEY, BUT ACTUALLY MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
SO THAT'S WHY I DECIDED TO MOVE FROM MANUFACTURING INTO HIGHER ED.
AND NOW PART OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT,
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS, WHERE'S THAT? GOTTA SAY.I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION.
UM, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY GOING ON EIGHT YEARS, BUT I'VE ONLY BEEN DIRECTOR FOR 10 MONTHS NOW.
UM, WHAT MOTIVATES ME IS PROVIDING QUALITY RECREATIONAL LEISURE FOR THE CITIZENS OF THE NEWBURY.
UM, AS WELL AS, UM, TRYING TO ENCOURAGE HEALTH AND WELLNESS.
UM, I WORKED ABOUT 10 YEARS IN MENTAL HEALTH PRIOR TO THIS, AND BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THAT IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE REALLY NEED IT BEFORE THEY HAVE TO GO TO A INPATIENT SETTING, I FEEL LIKE'S VERY IMPORTANT.
KIM OSTROM, THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS, BEEN IN GOVERNMENT FINANCE FOR 20 OVER 20 YEARS.
UM, WHAT MOTIVATES ME IS THAT, UH, I JUST REALLY LOVE WORKING WITH PEOPLE AND LEADING, UM, STAFF.
I'M THE ALLEY BOX THINKER AND ALWAYS LOOKING FOR MORE WAYS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT.
AND, UM, I ENJOY JUST, UM, PROBLEM SOLVING THAT WAY.
THAT'S HOW WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT.
SO I LOVE CHANGE, UM, THAT KIND OF GOES ALONG WITH IT.
AND SO I JUST REALLY LIKE SEEING, I THINK IT'S A PERFECT TIME TO BE HERE 'CAUSE WE'VE BEEN THROUGH QUITE A BIT OF CHANGE ALREADY AND WE, I SEE CHANGE COMING AS WELL.
AND THE FOLKS THAT ACTUALLY SAY I LOVE AND EMBRACE CHANGE ARE ACTUALLY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN, SO THANK YOU.
YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS WILL BE HELPFUL.
MY ROLE IS THE CHIEF OF POLICE.
UM, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY A LITTLE OVER TWO AND A HALF YEARS.
SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION ABOUT WHAT MOTIVATES ME, THAT'S THE DIFFICULT PROCESS.
NOT THAT I CAN'T ANSWER IT, BUT CAN I DO IT IN THE TIME THAT YOU WOULD WANT? SO I'LL SAY IT LIKE THIS, IT'S TWOFOLD.
ONE, AND I THINK THAT EVERY POLICE CHIEF SHOULD SAY THE FOLLOWING, AND I MEAN IT WHEN I SAY IT.
AND THE FEAR OF CRIME EQUALLY AS MUCH IS I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WE AS GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS ACHIEVE THE PRIMARY ROLE OF GOVERNMENT, AND THAT IS TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE CAN ACHIEVE THE INABLE RIGHTS OF LIFE, LIBERTY AND SOUP HAPPINESS.
I COULD GO INTO A DISSERTATION JUST ABOUT THAT, BUT I'LL LEAVE IT THERE.
I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS.
I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR FOUR YEARS.
UM, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN NEWBURN PRIOR TO WORKING WITH THE CITY, I WAS IN THE CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING FIELD IN THE AREA FOR 25 YEARS.
AND THE OPPORTUNITY PRESENTED ITSELF FOR ME TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY THAT, UH, HAS GIVEN SO MUCH TO ME THROUGHOUT MY LIFE.
SO IT MAINLY ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE SIDE IS WHERE I'M LOOKING AT.
I APPRECIATE THAT OPPORTUNITY.
AND, UM, ANY OBSERV? I DIDN'T MISS ANYBODY, DID I? OKAY.
ANY OBSERVATIONS OR REFLECTIONS ON WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, WHAT THE TALENT IS IN THE ROOM, THE PERSPECTIVE IN THE ROOM, THAT WHOLE BUNCH OVER THERE.
YOU COULDN'T DO IT WITHOUT 'EM.
ALL QUITE A BIT OF A EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY ON THE PROFESSIONAL SIDE AS WELL.
I, I I THINK YOU HAVE A LOT OF SELFLESS SERVICE THAT ARE DOING WORK THAT ISN'T ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGED, BUT, UH, THEY GET A GREAT DEAL OF SATISFACTION OUT OF IT.
I, I DO LIKE TO SORT OF START NORMALLY IF I DIDN'T ASK THIS QUESTION ABOUT MOTIVATION, ABOUT CELEBRATION OF THE GOOD WORK, BECAUSE HONESTLY, YOU ALL HAVE YOUR NOSE TO THE GRINDSTONE EVERY DAY.
UM, AND YOU PROBABLY DON'T HEAR, THANK YOU, UH, AS MUCH.
AND THAT GOES FOR EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, UM, AS YOU REALLY SHOULD BE THANKED FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
UM, IT IS, IT IS, UH, SOMETIMES THANKLESS WORK, BUT IT IS GREAT WORK.
UM, AND THE THINGS, THE MAKE THE DIFFERENCE THAT YOU'RE MAKING FOR FOLKS IS SIGNIFICANTLY.
UM, THANK YOU FOR, UM, HELPING ORIENT ME AND I HOPE, DID ANYBODY LEARN ANYTHING NEW ABOUT ANYONE IN THE ROOM? SAY, JORDAN, I DIDN'T KNOW YOU GOT A COUPLE OF PROBLEM SOLVERS.
UM, A SERVANT HEARTS ALL OF THAT IN THE ROOM, SO THAT'S GREAT.
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WANNA SPEND, AND I DON'T WANNA SPEND A LONG TIME, BUT I DO WANNA GO OVER JUST A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS.I KNOW I'VE HAD A CHANCE TO TALK WITH SOME FOLKS.
UM, I THINK MAYBE EVEN, UH, THERE WAS A LINK TO A VIDEO, SO YOU MAY BE HAVE SEEN SOME OF THIS ALREADY, BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO KIND OF DO A BIT OF A LEVEL SET.
I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE, UM, SUBGROUP OF THE, OF THE BOARD THAT WAS DOING SOME PLANNING, HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MANAGER AND SOME OF HIS KEY STAFF THAT WILL HELP HIM DO THIS.
UM, BUT JUST THOUGHT REAL QUICKLY, WE WOULD GO OVER AND SAY, YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE WANNA BOTHER MAKING A PLAN? UM, WELL, OBVIOUSLY WE THINK, I THINK THAT IT WILL PROVIDE A PATH TO SUCCESS.
ONCE YOU'VE DECIDED WHAT'S IMPORTANT, THEN, UH, IT, AND IT MAY BE A BIT OF GO SLOW TO GO FAST, BUT ONCE YOU'VE DECIDED WHAT THOSE PRIORITIES ARE, THEN YOU CAN SPEED THESE UP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, HAVE THOSE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT IN YOUR MIND.
I, I'D SAY IT'S, IT'S NOT ONLY IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANNA SAY YES TO, BUT QUITE FRANKLY, IT ALSO HELPS YOU SAY NO.
AND THERE'S PROBABLY LOTS OF PEOPLE ASKING FOR THINGS.
AND IT'S, UH, GIVES YOU, AFFORDS YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT'S IMPORTANT.
BUT WE'VE SET THIS AS A BODY, AS AS THE PRIORITY.
UM, AND THIS THINKING ABOUT THE REDUCING CONFLICT, I'VE ACTUALLY GOT A SLIDE A LITTLE BIT LATER AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND WHAT THAT DOES.
UM, IN THE END, I HOPE THAT WHAT IT DOES IS SAVE MONEY, BUT IT GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO STAY FOCUSED, BUT ALSO TO, UM, IDENTIFY WAYS IN WHICH YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE BEING SUCCESSFUL, UH, IN THIS ENDEAVOR.
UM, I HEARD PEOPLE TALK ABOUT EFFICIENCY.
ONE HOPE IS WITH ONE FOCUS THAT YOU WILL BE GAINING EFFICIENCIES BY HAVING A PLAN.
AND THE LAST PIECE HERE ABOUT STABILITY, UM, I'LL NOT FORGET, DOING WORK IN A SMALL TOWN IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
AND THE, UM, COUNCIL PERSON SAID, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO THIS RIGHT, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, THAT POINT AND AT THIS PLAN REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY'S WILL AND NOT JUST THE WILL OF THIS PARTICULAR SITTING BODY.
THEN OUR PLAN WILL BE, UH, TRANSCEND THE NEXT ELECTION.
AND SO I HOPE THAT THIS, THIS WILL OFFER SOME STABILITY FOR YOU ALL IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE PRIORITIES ARE.
UM, AND THAT IS ONE REASON, SEVERAL REASONS WHY I THINK IT MAKES SOME SENSE TO DO SOME PLANNING.
UM, AND YET THOSE THEN NEED TO BE TIED TO RESULTS.
SO HOW, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THAT PLAN MAKE? UM, YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING AT IT WHEN YOU'RE SETTING YOUR AGENDAS.
UH, YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING AT IT WHEN YOU'RE SETTING YOUR BUDGET REQUESTS OR ALLOCATIONS.
UM, AND WHEN YOU DELIVER SERVICES, IT'S REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHICH KIND OF SERVICES ARE IMPORTANT FOR US TO DELIVER TO WHOM? AND HOW MUCH.
UM, THOSE ARE THE SORT OF KEY THINGS THAT SHOULD COME OUT OF THIS.
UM, I, I'D LIKE TO ALSO SUGGEST THAT SOME KIND OF MEASUREMENT, MAYBE A DASHBOARD, THINKING ABOUT WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AND HOW DO YOU WANT TO TRACK THE RESULTS OF THIS, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL GET TO AT SOME POINT, UM, IN, IN THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, AND THEN REALLY, HAVE YOU ACTUALLY GOTTEN THE RESULTS THAT YOU'RE AFTER? AND IF NOT, WHY NOT? NOT IN A PUNITIVE WAY, BUT REALLY IN, IN A CURIOUS WAY.
SO DID WE MEASURE THE RIGHT THING? HAVE WE CREATED THE RIGHT THEORY OF CHANGE? UM, SO JUST MAKING SURE THAT YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOTTEN WHERE YOU NEED, WHERE YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO GO.
I'M HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY.
THE OTHER PIECE I THOUGHT I PUT UP FRONT IS CREATING CULTURE.
AND IF YOU USE A PLAN IN ALL OF THE WAYS, WHICH I THINK YOU CAN USE A PLAN, WHAT YOU'RE REALLY TALKING ABOUT THEN IS CREATING A CULTURE WITHIN YOUR ORGANIZATION TO SAY, WE BELIEVE IN SETTING SOME PRIORITIES.
WE BELIEVE IN TRACKING THOSE PRIORITIES.
WE BELIEVE IN, IN FOCUSING ON THAT.
AND, AND RESOURCING AND BY RESOURCES, NOT JUST THE MONEY PART, BUT THE PEOPLE PART, UH, AND RALLYING BEHIND THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL TALK ABOUT IS THE ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES, WHICH WE PROBABLY WON'T GET TO TODAY.
UM, BUT THOSE VALUES I THINK ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND THAT REALLY HELPS YOUR WORKFORCE UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU EXPECT, UM, FROM THEM AND, UM, HOW THIS, HOW THEY NEED TO BE DOING BUSINESS AND WHAT BEHAVIORS THEN WILL DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY'RE LIVING INTO THOSE VALUES.
UM, SO IN THAT SENSE, AND THEN SOME OTHER WAYS YOU CAN DIG INTO REALLY SHAPE THE CULTURE OF YOUR ORGANIZATION.
UM, SO MANY OF YOU ALL AS ELECTED OFFICIALS ARE RELATIVELY NEW.
UH, AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY THEN I THINK TO SET THE TONE, UH, AND FOR THE, FOR THE ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND WHERE IT HAS THE PLAN ELEMENTS, SORT OF BASIC, THIS IS SOMETHING MAYBE YOU'VE SEEN IN OTHER, LIKE IN OTHER SETTINGS, UH, IN GOVERNMENT.
IT'S JUST A TAD DIFFERENT, I THINK, IN TERMS OF HOW WE ACTUALLY GO ABOUT THE WORK.
BUT THE ELEMENTS ARE PROBABLY STILL THE SAME AS IN ANY STRATEGIC PLAN.
[00:30:01]
VISION, IT'S A LONG TERM, IT'S IDEALISTIC, YOU MAY NEVER REACH THAT YOU HAVE A MISSION STATEMENT.WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS, THIS ORGANIZATION THAT'S DISTINCTIVE IN ACHIEVING THAT VISION? YOU HAVE GOALS, UM, AND GOALS I THINK ARE OR END FOCUSED, BUT THEY'RE ALSO RESULTS FOCUSED.
SO I THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT YOU WANT TO BE CREATING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND THEN OBJECTIVES, WHICH WILL GET MUCH MORE SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF HOW YOU'RE GONNA GET THERE, WHEN YOU'RE GONNA GET THERE, ET CETERA.
AND THEN MUCH MORE OF THE ACTION, UH, AGENDA.
UM, THERE'S A ROLE I THINK FOR, FOR EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IN ALL OF THAT.
BUT THE ROLE I THINK DIFFERS DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU'RE IN THE POLICY ARENA OR THE EXECUTION ARENA.
UM, AND SO, UM, I WOULD SUSPECT THAT THE ELECTED OFFICIALS, LET'S SEE IF I HAVE IT HEARING IN THE CORNER, THAT THE ELECTED OFFICIALS WOULD BE MUCH MORE INVOLVED UP HERE AND MAYBE WITH THIS CORE VALUES AND NOT SO MUCH, UH, DOWN HERE IN TERMS OF THE DETAILS THAT WILL BE STAFF ROLE OR AS JENNIFER, JESSICA, SORRY, I WAS GONNA CALL YOU JENNIFER, JESSICA.
BUT IF SHE LOVES TO TAKE A STRATEGY AND BASICALLY EXECUTE, RIGHT? SO THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE THINK EXACT ROLE SHOULD BE.
UM, THIS IS JUST A STRATEGIC PLAN.
IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM A PLAN THAT, UM, WE DID WITH THE LUMBER RIVER COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS.
THIS WAS A MUCH, UH, VERY MUCH OF AN INTERNAL FACING, UM, PLAN THAT I HAD IT IN THE SET SLIDE, SO I THOUGHT I'D JUST THROW IT UP THERE.
UM, BUT THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT I WOULD SAY ARE IMPORTANT TO PUT IN YOUR PLAN.
UM, AND AGAIN, WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING ALL THAT, I THINK IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE CONTENT THAT YOU SEE IN YOUR PLAN.
UM, THIS IS A STRATEGIC PLANNING MODEL.
WE TALK ABOUT PUBLIC LEADERSHIP, UM, BECAUSE IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT HOW YOU ACTUALLY DEVELOP THIS.
UM, THIS IS, AGAIN, NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, BUT JUST TO REITERATE, THIS IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED, UM, AT, AT FIRST REALLY THINKING ABOUT ENVISIONING YOUR COMMUNITY, THINKING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON NOW THAT WE NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO, AND WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT WE'RE HOPING TO STRIVE FOR.
UM, THE NEXT PIECE OF THAT WOULD BE AN ACT, RIGHT? HOW ARE WE GONNA ACTUALLY EXECUTE THAT? WHAT ARE THE SPECIFIC TACTICS, ACTION PLANS, AND HOW DO WE ALLOCATE OUR RESOURCES? AGAIN, THOSE ARE PEOPLE AND MONEY.
UM, AND TIE THOSE TO THE PLAN AND THEN EVALUATE HOW CAN WE MANAGE PROGRESS TOWARDS THOSE GOALS? UM, AND HOW CAN WE EVALUATE HOW WELL WE WORKED? UM, SO THIS MAY LOOK LIKE OTHER MODELS THAT YOU'VE HAD THE PLAN.
I THINK THE ONE HUGE DIFFERENCE HERE IS THE, UH, PUBLIC PUBLICNESS OF THIS, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, ENGAGEMENT.
AND IT'S ACTUALLY OBVIOUSLY REFLECTING YOUR PRIORITIES, BUT THESE, YOUR PRIORITIES AS I BELIEVE YOU UNDERSTAND THEM TO BE FROM THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT YOU SERVE.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT I WANT TO GO INTO ALL OF THIS, BUT, UM, WE, WE HAVE PROVIDED SORT OF A SET OF QUESTIONS.
THESE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA REALLY BE DIGGING INTO TODAY.
WHAT IS IT THAT WE LOOK LIKE THAT YOU ALL LOOK LIKE, UM, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANNA LOOK LIKE? WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND WHAT PLANS AND DATA ALREADY EXISTS? SO THIS MORNING WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE PEAL ACTIVITY AND ALSO, UH, JESSICA WILL SHARE SOME DEMOGRAPHIC DATA THAT SHE HAS ABOUT PROJECTIONS.
UM, AND WE WERE HOPING TO GET TO THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF WHAT NEW CONDITIONS ARE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? WHAT CHANGES? WHAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT IF YOU COULD ACTUALLY CREATE THAT? WHAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT FOR, FOR NEWBORN? UM, AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE ACTIVITIES THAT, UM, ACCOMPANY THAT.
AND I THINK YOU'VE GOT, UM, WE, YOU'VE GOT SOME OF THESE IN TERMS OF THERE'S EVEN A GLOSSARY OR KEY TERMS THAT, UM, ARE IN YOUR PACKET TODAY.
AND SOME GOAL, GOAL DEVELOPMENT.
THE VALUES WE ARE NOT GONNA GET TO TODAY.
BUT THOSE ARE REALLY, I THINK, CORE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE THE, THE LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT STYLE AND HELP PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY FROM YOUR ORGANIZATION REALLY, UM, THINK ABOUT HOW THEIR BEHAVIORS, UM, HELP FURTHER THE VISION.
AND WHAT YOU'LL SEE IS WHEN YOU PUT UP COLLABORATION, WELL, THAT'S A GREAT WORD, EVERYBODY I THINK LOVES THE, I THINK WE'RE ALL COLLABORATORS ON THINGS.
I WOULD CHALLENGE THAT TO SAY, DO YOU NEED COLLABORATION ON EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME? I WOULD SAY THE ANSWER IS NO.
BUT IN THIS REGARD, WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A DEFINITION ABOUT WHAT THESE VALUES MEAN.
AND THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO ENCOURAGE ALSO IS NOT JUST A WORD, BUT MAYBE A SENTENCE THAT DESCRIBES THAT.
'CAUSE I THINK THAT HELPS OTHERS UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU HAVE IN MIND, OTHERS IN THIS ROOM, BUT ALSO OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY
[00:35:01]
THAT YOU'RE GONNA BE SHARING YOUR PLANS WITH AND HELPING THEM UNDERSTAND WHAT, WHAT ARE THE VALUES OR WHAT ARE THE GOALS THAT YOU HAVE? SO, UM, ENCOURAGING YOU TODAY TO KIND OF PUT ENOUGH WORDS AROUND YOUR THOUGHTS SO THAT WE CAN DOCUMENT IT AND THAT IT COULD BE, UM, SHARED WITH OTHERS, PARTICULARLY SINCE YOU'RE MISSING, UH, ONE OF YOUR MEMBERS TODAY AS WELL.UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS BLUE DOESN'T SHOW UP ALL THAT WELL.
UM, BUT THIS IS A VISION STATEMENT.
UM, AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A LONG TERM, UM, PRIORITY AND IT'S A SORT OF A, AN ATTAINABLE MAYBE DIRECTION, BUT MAYBE NOT, UM, MUCH MORE ASPIRATIONAL.
THESE ARE DEFINITIONS, THESE ARE EXAMPLES, RIGHT? UH, UH, VISION IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ENGAGEMENT, GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGHOUT THE REGION.
UM, THAT'S PRETTY ASPIRATIONAL AND HIGH LEVEL, UH, THE MISSION IS THE ROLE OF THIS PARTICULAR COG, UM, TO BE PROACTIVE AND IDENTIFYING LOCAL AND REGIONAL NEEDS AND THE RESOURCES TO ADDRESS THOSE IN AN EFFECTIVE AND FAIR MANNER.
SO REALLY, AGAIN, WHAT'S THE, WHAT MAKES THAT ORGANIZATION DISTINCT IN ACHIEVING THAT VISION? UM, AND WE, UH, HOPE TO GET TO THAT, THAT CONVERSATION FOR YOU ALL IN TERMS OF WHAT'S, WHAT DO YOU, WHAT BEAUTY YOU HAVE OF THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN ACHIEVING THE VISION THAT YOU HAVE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UM, WE'LL PROBABLY NOT GET TO THIS, BUT I THINK I'M GONNA SKIP THROUGH.
UM, THESE, I WILL SAY THAT THESE GOALS MAY HAVE THE GOAL BUCKET OF A SIX, SUSTAINABLE FUNDING, BUT THE DEFINITION HERE, OR THE CONDITION THAT YOU'RE HOPING TO ACHIEVE IS TO ENSURE THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF THE CLOUD BY INCREASING INCOME AND OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES.
UM, SO THAT IS CLEARLY THEN A STATEMENT OF WHERE THEY WANT TO BE, NOT JUST, UM, A FEW WORDS ABOUT SUSTAINABLE FUNDING.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? JUST ENCOURAGING KIND OF A FURTHER DESCRIPTION OF, OF WHERE YOU WANT TO BE WITH THAT.
UM, I THINK WE'RE GOING TO JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH THIS ONE PRETTY QUICKLY BECAUSE I THINK THESE QUESTIONS, UM, WE WILL NOT GET TO TODAY.
UM, BUT TO THINKING ABOUT, AGAIN, PUTTING THE DETAILS ON HOW WE ACTUALLY EXECUTE, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT YOU ALL, AS COUNSEL AND ELECTED OFFICIALS, SPEND A TON OF TIME.
ALTHOUGH I WILL SAY THAT YOU WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AFFIRM THAT THESE OBJECTIVES, UM, ARE THE RIGHT TONE AND THE RIGHT TIMELINES FOR YOU ALL.
UM, AND THEN THINKING ABOUT RESOURCES.
SO ONE QUESTION I GET A LOT IS, WELL, WHAT IF WE JUST DON'T THE MONEY TO DO ANYTHING? SHOULD WE JUST PLAN FOR THE MONEY THAT WE HAVE? AND I SAY NO, UM, BECAUSE IT, YOU NEED TO REALLY BE THINKING BIGGER THAN THAT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.
UM, AS AN ORGANIZATION, YOU ALL AS ELECTED LEADERS, THIS IS SORT OF THE TONE THAT YOU SET.
THIS IS YOUR ROLE TO THINK ABOUT THE VISION FOR THE COMMUNITY AND LONG TERM.
UM, AND, AND I, I FEEL AS IF YOU, UH, IF YOU PUT BLINDERS ON BY SAYING, THIS IS ALL THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, THIS IS ALL WE CAN DO, AND YOU'RE NOT REALLY THINKING UP AND LONG AND BROAD ENOUGH BECAUSE OPPORTUNITIES ARISE.
I MEAN, WHO WOULD'VE THOUGHT OUT OF THE PANDEMIC, UM, THAT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ARPA FUNDS, FOR INSTANCE, CAME AVAILABLE? UM, AND YET THEY WERE, AND SO COMMUNITIES THAT REALLY HAD A SENSE OF WHAT THEIR PRIORITIES ARE, WERE FAIRLY POISED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE ARPA FUNDS.
THAT'S JUST SORT OF A SERENDIPITOUS THING THAT HAPPENED.
UM, YOU DIDN'T PLAN FOR IT, UM, BUT THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE HAPPEN, SO IF THOSE THINGS COME AVAILABLE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHICH DIRECTION TO MOVE I THINK WOULD BE, UM, REALLY HELPFUL.
UM, DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA GET TO THIS, UH, TODAY OR TOMORROW.
UM, ANYTHING THAT YOU WRITE IN TERMS OF AN OBJECTIVE JUST SHOULD BE, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN THIS BEFORE.
I'VE SEEN THESE NEW ONES BE SMART.
E SO SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, AND I'VE PUT AGGRESSIVE, BUT ATTAINABLE.
SO NOT SO EASY THAT YOU CAN GET THERE IN TWO YEARS.
UH, NOT SO AGGRESSIVE THAT YOU CAN'T MAKE PROGRESS.
SO YOU CAN'T SEE AND DEMONSTRATE PROGRESS, MAYBE BE RESULTS ORIENTED, TIME BOUND, INCLUSIVE, AND EQUITABLE.
UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING YOU PROBABLY SEE.
UM, AND I HAD AN IDEA THAT WE WOULD GET TO THIS TOMORROW, BUT WE WON'T.
UM, SO SOME, SOME SUGGESTIONS ABOUT HOW TO ACTUALLY PUT TOGETHER A WELL-WRITTEN OBJECTIVE, BECAUSE AFTER ALL, WE DO TEACH THIS STUFF.
UH, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SAY FOR GOAL NUMBER FOUR THAT THEY HAD A REGIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING, THEY HAD A SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE.
AND THEN, UH, GET MORE SPECIFIC AROUND THE TASKS.
THE WAY I THINK ABOUT THIS IS LIKE A SET OF NESTING DOLLS.
SO WHEREVER YOU START WITH THE GOAL, UM, YOU CAN KIND OF KEEP GETTING MORE SPECIFIC AS YOU GO.
UH, AND THAT'S, THAT'S JUST HELPS THEN CREATE A REAL MO
[00:40:01]
ROADMAP FOR YOU ALL AT A HIGHER LEVEL AND FOR THE STAFF AT A VERY SPECIFIC LEVEL.UM, AND AS DEPARTMENTS, YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF IN, IN THE PLAN IN THAT REGARD.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, JUST THINKING ABOUT THE EVALUATION AND MANAGING YOUR PERFORMANCE.
WHAT, HOW DO YOU LINE PEOPLE UP? UM, WHAT DO YOU TRACK? UM, WHO, WHO HAS THE DATA? THIS IS, UM, UH, AND THEN WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WANNA MAKE CHANGES? WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS THAT? SO, UM, THINGS LIKE TIMELINES AND, UM, UH, CONVERSATIONS THAT FEED INTO BUDGET PROCESSES OF OUR EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU MOVE INTO THAT.
UM, AND THEN AGAIN, TAKING A LOOK AT THE PERFORMANCE.
UM, AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN? ENCOURAGING FOLKS TO REALLY LEARN AS YOU GO.
UM, IF YOU'VE COLLECTED DATA AND YOU'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING WITH IT EXCEPT LOOKING AT IT, WHY DO YOU HAVE IT? UM, UH, AND AGAIN, THESE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU WOULD DO THAT WORK.
UM, PRODUCING A CALENDAR PROJECT REPORTS, ANNUAL REPORTS, PERFORMANCE REVIEWS, AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF ANNUAL REPORTS.
IT'S ALSO A PROMPT FOR ME TO SAY THAT I BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING AT YOUR PLANS REGULARLY AND BY REGULARLY.
UM, WHAT'S CHANGED SINCE THE, SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU LOOKED AT THIS PLAN, OR SINCE YOU PUT IT TOGETHER, IS THE CONTEXT DIFFERENT.
WHEN I 40 GETS CLOSER TO BEING A REALITY, UH, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT FOR YOU? AND SO AN ANNUAL LOOK AT IT, UM, IN, IN SOME RESPECTS WOULD BE, I THINK, A VERY GOOD PRACTICE.
UM, AND THESE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU KIND OF KEEP YOUR PLAN ACTIVE AND ALIVE AND NOT SITTING ON THE SHELF.
UM, YOU COULD USE IT TO, TO BENCHMARK.
UH, I WOULD IMAGINE THAT, UM, CHIEF, YOU PROBABLY HAVE A AN INTERNAL PLAN FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION, THAT KIND OF BENCHMARKS AGAINST OTHER PLACES LIKE YOURS, LIKE NEWBURN, AND YOU ALL CAN DO THE SAME WITH YOUR ORGANIZATIONAL PLAN.
UM, THINKING ABOUT PERFORMANCE, AGAIN, ARE YOU GETTING THE RESULTS THAT YOU WANT? EVERY TIME YOU PUT A BUDGET REQUEST TOGETHER? IT SHOULD BE REFLECTIVE IN MY OPINION, OF WHAT YOU SAID IS A PRIORITY IN YOUR PLAN.
UM, AND THOSE REQUESTS SHOULD TIE TO THAT PLAN, UM, USING IT AS AN INTERNAL COMMUNICATION, UM, ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT, EITHER IN MY DEPARTMENT, HOW DOES MY DEPARTMENT WORK, PUT INTO THIS PLAN, USING IT TO TALK TO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS, SOME OF YOUR KEY RELATIONSHIPS, WHETHER IT'S THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OR, UM, SCHOOL SYSTEM, OR, UM, WHOEVER IT IS.
UH, JUST EVERYONE IN GENERAL, THE CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION.
UM, SO OFTENTIMES THINKING ABOUT THIS AS ENGAGEMENT AND, AND EDUCATION, BECAUSE THERE ARE TIMES, AT LEAST UNLESS YOU'RE DIFFERENT THAN OTHER PLACES, UM, THAT PEOPLE REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT LOCAL GOVERNMENT DOES.
UM, AND SO IF, IF YOU'RE ASKING THEM TO WEIGH IN ON SOME OF THIS, YOU MAY HAVE TO START WITH, WELL, HERE'S SOME SET OF RESPONSIBILITIES, UM, AND HERE'S THE WAY WE DO IT HERE.
UM, AND THEN IF YOU WANNA ENGAGE, THEY CAN OFFER SOME THOUGHTFUL INPUT INTO, INTO WHAT YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT.
SO IT'S JUST A REALLY GOOD, UM, GREAT CONVERSATION STARTER TO BE ABLE TO TAKE YOUR PLAN OUT TO THE LIONS CLUB OR THE CHURCH CONVERSATION THAT YOU WANNA HAVE OR WHOEVER.
UM, AND THEN USING IT REALLY AS AN EMPLOYEE ORIENTATION.
THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO WORK FOR THE CITY OF NEW BERN.
THESE ARE THE VALUES, THIS IS THE KIND OF CULTURE THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WE ARE DRIVING TO, TO, UM, STRIVING TO HAVE.
UM, AND THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE WAY IN WHICH YOUR WORK CAN HELP US FURTHER THAT PLAN.
SO THAT THOSE ARE WAYS WHICH, UM, IF YOU HAVE A PLAN, YOU SHOULD BE USING IT.
AND THAT'S REALLY THEN HELPS IT KIND OF STAY ALIVE.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO FOLKS? I REALLY FEEL LIKE I DON'T WANT TO GO, I WANNA GO TO A MINI LECTURE HERE, NOT A GIANT LECTURE, UM, BUT SOME KEY POINTS TO MAKE.
AND THIS ALSO IN TERMS OF COORDINATING WITH GOALS.
SO WHO ELSE HAS PLANS IN YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION TO? AND I THINK JESSICA'S GOT A COUPLE PLANS IN HERS THAT, THAT MAYBE TIE TO SOME OF THIS WORK.
UM, AND THEN WHO DO YOU NEED TO BE TALKING WITH? WHO ARE YOUR STAKEHOLDERS THAT MAY BE, UH, COULD BE INFLUENCED BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN AND BY THE PLAN ITSELF? UM, AND, AND I'M THINKING A LOT ABOUT COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE.
UM, AND, AND AT SOME POINT WE'LL HAVE TO GET INTO THAT CONVERSATION OF HOW, HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH ENGAGEMENT AND WHERE YOU WANT TO BE AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
SO, UM, THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE TOMORROW.
WE'LL SEE WHERE WE GO WITH THAT.
UM, AND FINALLY, UM, SINCE YOU HAVE COLLEEN WHO LOVES TO COMMUNICATE,
[00:45:01]
UM, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.AGAIN, HAVING A PLAN, BUT NOT HAVING ANYBODY KNOW WHAT IT IS OR WHAT THE KEY MESSAGES ARE, UM, OR HOW THEY CAN BE INVOLVED IN LEARNING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
UM, THOSE ARE ALL, AND THEN ALSO THIS IDEA OF DASHBOARD.
UM, WHAT'S AN EASY WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FIND INDICATORS OF SUCCESS? WHAT IS IT YOU'RE WORKING ON? HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT YOU'RE BEING SUCCESSFUL? UM, AND I WOULD SAY THAT THESE DON'T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED.
UM, THERE ARE SOME REALLY BEAUTIFUL LOOKING DASHBOARDS OUT THERE, BUT THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO TRACK AND WHO WANTS TO TRACK IT, UM, WHAT'S INVOLVED IN ACTUALLY DEVELOPING THOSE INDICATORS IN, IN THE DASHBOARD IS SOMETHING.
AND, AND I'LL SAY ALSO THAT EVERYBODY, NO MATTER THE SIZE OF THEIR LOCAL GOVERNMENT CAN DO THIS.
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE, UM, A BIG GIANT THING.
UM, BUT PAYING ATTENTION TO SOME KEY INDICATORS IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
UM, STICKING WITH IT, STATUS REPORTS, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT, BUDGETS, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT.
UM, REFERENCES TO YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
PRIORITIES IN ANY OF THE DISCUSSIONS.
UH, TO ME, THIS PLAN SHOULD HELP DRIVE YOUR WORK SESSIONS, UM, AND YOUR DISCUSS IN YOUR BOARD MEETINGS, UM, INCORPORATING SOME OF THIS INTO YOUR CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE FOR EMPLOYEES.
AND THEN REALLY JUST REMIND, IT'S A REMINDER ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID WAS IMPORTANT.
UM, YOU KNOW, DISCIPLINE IS REMEMBERING WHAT YOU SAID IS IMPORTANT.
UM, SO HELPING TO DEVELOP THAT DISCIPLINE, THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU CAN USE THIS PLAN.
UH, AGAIN, WE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT WITH THE STAFF WAS, UM, HELPING BUILD INTERNAL CAPACITY AND USING FOLKS THAT YOU HAVE, UM, TO HELP DO SOME OF THE PIECES OF THIS PLAN.
AND, UM, SO THAT'S THE WAY WE WROTE THIS PROPOSAL IS, IS TO DO THAT.
UM, SO I'M, I'M NOT COMING IN AND DOING FOR YOU.
THAT'S ANOTHER IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
UM, AND WE'RE, WE'RE DOING IT TOGETHER.
UM, AND STAFF HAS A ROLE IN, IN DEVELOPING, UM, SOME OF THEIR CAPACITY, BUT ALSO DEVELOPING USES AS A PLAN.
AND JUST IN GENERAL, YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THIS, UM, I NEVER REALLY SAID MUCH ABOUT ME OR THE SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT.
SO HOPEFULLY FOLKS HAVE HEARD FROM US ABOUT THE SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AND THE LITERALLY 2000 COURSES OF, OF 2000 PEOPLE A MONTH THAT WE SERVE.
UM, EITHER AS ELECTED OFFICIALS OR AS STAFF.
WE HAVE A BUILDING, UH, FULL OF ATTORNEYS.
THEY HAVE A, A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.
UM, AND THIS SLIDE I ACTUALLY TOOK FROM, UM, AN ESSENTIALS OF, UM, MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, UM, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE OFFER TO NEWLY ELECTED FOLKS.
AND SO IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN, I'D HIGHLY ENCOURAGE THAT.
THIS SLIDE REALLY TALKS ABOUT, UM, THIS ANALOGY HERE OF THE, OF THE WORK PLAN, THAT THE PURPOSE AND VISION AT THE 50,000 FOOT LEVEL REALLY IS, UM, A BIG, UM, PART OF THE ROLE OF COUNCIL.
UM, AND AS THE MANAGER, UM, APTLY SAID, HIS ROLE IS TO SUPPORT THAT, UM, TO MOVING DOWN A LITTLE BIT TO ESTABLISHING GOALS.
YES, THAT'S A ABSOLUTELY A, UH, COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITY.
UM, ALIGNING THOSE GOALS WITH RESOURCES AND MAKING SURE THAT YOU'VE GOT THE MONEY AND THE PEOPLE TO DO THAT WORK WOULD BE A STAFF ROLE.
UM, ESTABLISHING AND PRIORITIZING THOSE ACTION ITEMS, UM, AGAIN, WITH HELP AND INPUT FROM, UM, FROM YOUR STAFF AND REDU, REVIEWING, ADOPTING, UM, BUDGETS AND, AND THEN PREPARING PLANS TO OVERSEE FUNCTION.
SO YOU'LL SEE BASICALLY THAT THE, THAT THE ROLE OF COUNCIL IS, UM, HEAVY ON THIS END AND DIMINISHES SOMEWHAT WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE DAY TO DAY.
UH, THAT REALLY IS THE STAFF RESPONSIBILITY TO CARRY OUT THOSE DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES.
SO THIS IS JUST, I THINK, A HELPFUL PIECE IN TERMS OF THINKING ABOUT THE LONG RANGE PLANNING.
THIS, THIS IS THE BULK OF WHAT YOU, WHAT YOUR FOCUS NEEDS TO BE.
ANY QUESTIONS, CHALLENGES, PUSHBACK TO THAT? GOT A QUIET GROUP.
UM, I'M GONNA SHARE THESE WITH YOU LATER.
UM, I THINK WE'VE PROBABLY TALKED ABOUT MOST OF THESE ALREADY.
UM, I'D LIKE TO JUST CALL OUT THIS ONE ACTIVE WITH INTENTION, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT THE PURPOSE OF TODAY.
UH, AND THIS PARTICULAR PLANNING EFFORT AFTER WITH INTENTION TO SET A COURSE OR DIRECTION THAT MOVES YOUR COMMUNITY FORWARD TOWARDS YOUR VISION.
IF YOU DO NOTHING, YOU MIGHT HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN.
IS THAT WHERE YOU WANT IT TO BE? OR DO YOU WANT ACTUALLY CRAFT AND CREATE AND INFLUENCE THE WAY IN WHICH THIS COMMUNITY
[00:50:01]
DEVELOPS, UM, AND THE VISION THAT YOU HAVE.UM, SO THESE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU ENGAGE IN THE
AND I PROMISED A BIT OF RESEARCH.
SO, UM, WE DID SOME RESEARCH AT THIS POINT, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO.
OUR THOUGHT WAS, UM, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHEN WE HAVE PLANS IN PLACE BETWEEN RELATIONSHIPS, PARTICULARLY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN COUNCIL AND STAFF? UM, AND WE DIDN'T SEE A HUGE DIFFERENCE, TO BE HONEST, BUT WE DID SEE SOME DIFFERENCE, PARTICULARLY IN MUNICIPALITIES.
UM, AND WE BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU HAD, UM, PLANS IN PLACE, RELATIONSHIPS TENDED TO BE BETTER BECAUSE YOU HAD MORE CLARITY AROUND WHERE YOU'RE HEADED, UH, WHAT YOUR PRIORITIES WERE AND WHOSE ROLE IT WAS TO ACTUALLY GET THERE.
UM, SO ANOTHER REASON THAT WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT, UM, AND AGAIN, WHEN YOU HAVE THAT, IT'S EASIER TO FOCUS ON THE BIGGER PICTURE.
UM, AND IT'S EASIER TO LET STAFF KIND OF GET THAT DAY-TO-DAY STUFF DONE.
UM, AND NOT A LOT OF BOARDS ACTUALLY DO DO A SELF-EVALUATION, BUT IF THEY DID, IT WAS USUALLY BASED ON THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
UM, AND THAT HIGH LEVEL VISION AND MAYBE SOME OF THOSE KEY INDICATORS IN THE DASHBOARDS.
UM, SO, AND, AND THEN FINALLY, IF YOU HAVE A PLAN EMBEDDED IN ONE DECISION MAKING PROCESS, IT'S LIKELY TO BE IN THE OTHERS, LIKE I MENTIONED, AROUND THE, AROUND THE BUDGETS, FOR INSTANCE.
SO THERE'S SOME REALLY GOOD RESEARCH, I'D SAY TO SUGGEST THAT THIS IS A GREAT THING THAT YOU'RE EMBARKING ON.
THIS IS A LOT OF CHATTING, AND I DIDN'T REALLY WANNA TALK AT YOU FOR VERY LONG.
UM, AND, AND YET I WANTED KIND LAY THIS GROUNDWORK, UM, FOR THE PROCESS.
AND I GUESS IT'S, TO ME, THIS IS A GOOD TIME.
UM, I KNOW I HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF YOU, BUT IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS, THE WAY IN WHICH WE WOULD BE DOING THIS WORK, UM, OR WHAT THE OUTCOMES WOULD BE AT THE END, THIS WOULD BE A REALLY GREAT TIME TO HEAR.
IF YOU HAVE THOSE QUESTIONS, YOU'RE DOING REAL WELL.
I MEAN, FROM THE EVALUATION IT THREW ME, BUT NOW I'M BEGAN TO BE REAL IMPRESSED WITH WHAT I'M SEEING.
UH, I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD A LITTLE WHILE AND, UM, I, I, I LOVE COMMUNICATION AND, AND I, I THINK THAT THIS HERE SHOULD STRENGTHEN US.
WE HAVE A NEW, WE HAVE NEW MEMBERS THAT JUST COME ABOARD.
A LOT OF COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO BE DONE.
UM, UH, I MEAN, IT IS CONSTANTLY TALK, TALK, TALK, RESPOND, RESPOND, RESPOND TO MAKE IT WORK, TO BRING EVERYBODY TOGETHER TO HAVE STRENGTH.
THE LONGER THE CHANGE, THE STRONGER THE CHAIN, THE SHORTER THE CHAIN, THE WEAKER THE CHANGE.
SO WE NEED TO MAKE OUR CHANGE STRONGER, COMMUNICATE MORE, WORK MORE, HAVE MORE HONESTY, MORE INTEGRITY, AND WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM.
YOU KNOW? AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THAT.
BUT YOU KNOW, TO ME, I DON'T CARE THE THING THAT IT IS.
I LIKE TO SEE STRONG LEADERSHIP, OKAY? I LIKE TO SEE EVERYBODY GO GET IT.
I LIKE TO KNOW THAT IF I CALL ONE PERSON UP, THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A COMMUNICATION SKILL THAT'S BUILT UP.
ONE PERSON IS TRYING TO RIDE THE BOAT BY THEMSELVES, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S MORE THAN ONE PERSON ON THE BOAT, YOU KNOW? AND GOVERNANCE ACTUALLY IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, UM, FOR SURE.
AND, AND THIS IS THE TIME TO MAKE IT WORK WELL, AND, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE RELATIVELY NEW, SOME NEW MEMBERS ON, IS THE, THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, AS A BOARD, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US THAT COULD AT TIMES BE A DIFFICULT CONVERSATION.
'CAUSE YOU WON'T HAVE, YOU WILL NOT HAVE UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT ON THAT.
IT'S ALWAYS, UM, AND YET, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO SAY, THIS IS WHERE WE WANNA HEAD AND THIS IS WHAT WE'VE ACTUALLY ACHIEVED.
SO THAT WHOLE EVALUATION PIECE HELPS YOU ACTUALLY SAY, AND THIS IS WHAT WE'VE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? I THINK THAT ONE OF THE GREATEST BARRIERS TO THAT IS THE INABILITY FOR THE BOARD TO MEET TOGETHER AND HAVE A CONVERSATION WITHOUT BEING A CALL.
AND, UM, THAT, THAT IS A HUGE BARRIER TO COMMUNICATION AND JUST SITTING DOWN SAYING, THIS IS THE PLAN.
YOU KNOW, WE NEED THOSE SESSIONS, WE NEED THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN ORDER FOR ALL OF US TO GET ON THE SAME BOARD, TO GET ON BOARD.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE BARRIER.
WELL, AND THAT'S THE OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU HAVE TODAY.
UM, BECAUSE I, I DON'T INTEND TO TALK AT YOU FOR MUCH LONGER.
I, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO BE MOVING INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH EACH OTHER, UM, ABOUT SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT ARE, THAT YOU SEE ARE THE CONTEXT WITH WHICH YOU'RE OPERATING AND THEN JUMPING INTO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'D REALLY LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN,
[00:55:01]
UM, IN YOUR COMMUNITY.UM, SO I'M CONSTANTLY SCANNING A ROOM AND LOOKING FOR HEAD NODS OR WHATEVER.
AND IF I DO THAT AND I PRESS, IT'S BECAUSE I'M TRYING TO CHECK FOR CONSENSUS ALONG THE WAY.
UM, SO JUST BE AWARE THAT I'M NOT TRYING TO BE THE OBNOXIOUS ONE, BUT I AM TRYING TO KIND OF MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL GETTING IN AGREEMENT WHERE THERE'S NO ONE THAT REALLY HAS A QUESTION.
THIS ACTUALLY, THANK YOU FOR THIS ALDERMAN, WHILE THAT KIND OF LED ME TO THIS NEXT SLIDE.
AND YOU HAVE ON THE, YOUR AGENDA, THESE DISCUSSION GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE CONVERSATION.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO PICK OUT A COUPLE BECAUSE I'D LOVE FOR US TO SEE IF YOU ARE, ARE WILLING TO PRACTICE THESE TODAY.
I WILL TRY AND MODEL THESE FOR YOU, UM, AND USE THIS IN OUR DISCUSSIONS.
BUT AS WE GO INTO THE DISCUSSION AND YOU'RE SHARING THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS TO, UM, SHARE, EXPLAIN YOUR REASONING.
I FAVOR X AND I FAVOR IT BECAUSE THIS IS WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, OR THIS IS WHAT I'M INTERESTED IN HAVING HAPPEN.
UM, THAT REALLY HELPS ME UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR VIEWPOINT IS.
AND, UM, MAYBE IF I JUST HEARD THE FIRST PART OF YOUR SENTENCE, I'M NOT SURE I AGREE, BUT NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT WHY YOU'RE SHARING THAT, I'M LIKE, YEAH, ACTUALLY I, I AGREE WITH MAYBE NOT ALL OF THAT, BUT PART OF IT, AND HERE'S SOME CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT I, ABOUT WHAT I THINK YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, AND THIS MAY BE A WAY THAT WE COULD, WE COULD RESOLVE SOME OF THOSE CONCERNS.
SO JUST THINKING ABOUT REALLY KIND OF GIVING THE MORE FULLER PICTURE OF YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES TO YOUR, TO YOUR, UM, TO YOUR COLLEAGUES WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, IT IS ABSOLUTELY FINE TO DISAGREE.
I'D BE WORRIED IF YOU ALL AGREED ON EVERYTHING.
UM, BUT DOING SO IN KIND OF A RESPECTFUL WAY, UM, IT WOULD HELP YOU ALL REALLY HAVE GOOD CONVERSATION.
SO, UM, I WOULD ALSO SAY SHARING ALL RELEVANT INFORMATION THAT IS NOT EVERY PIECE OF INFORMATION, BUT EVERY PIECE THAT MAY BE RELEVANT TO THIS CONVERSATION.
UM, AND THIS IS AN, THIS IS AN EASY ONE TO SAY.
IT'S KIND OF A JARGONY ONE, BALANCING ADVOCACY WITH INQUIRY.
ALL THAT SIMPLY SAYS IS, I HAVE A VIEWPOINT I'D LIKE TO ADVOCATE, BUT I'M ALSO VERY CURIOUS IN YOUR VIEWPOINT.
AND SO I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU, HERE'S HOW I SEE IT.
WHAT DO YOU SEE? UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS? OR WHAT, WHAT ARE THE THOUGHTS THAT YOU HAVE ON THIS? SO REALLY JUST TRYING TO DIG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER WITH YOUR FOLKS, BECAUSE THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, UM, OUTSIDE OF FORMAL MEETINGS, UM, IN WAYS THAT ARE JUST DIFFERENT.
UM, WHEN YOU HAVE A RETREAT SETTING, UM, CHECKING OUT SOME ASSUMPTIONS, WE ALL MAKE THEM.
WE HAVE TO, TO GET THROUGH THE DAY.
UM, AND WE ALL THINK WE KNOW WHY WE'RE MAKING THOSE ASSUMPTIONS.
THEY MAY OR MAY NOT BE ACCURATE.
UM, AND SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD TO JUST PAUSE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE AND SAY, I'M GONNA JUST CHECK.
'CAUSE HERE'S WHAT I, HERE'S WHAT I HEAR YOU SAYING.
IS THAT ACCURATE? UM, AND HERE'S WHY I, I THINK YOU MAY BE HOLDING THAT VIEWPOINT.
IS THAT ACCURATE? WELL, OH, NO, NO, NO.
THAT'S NOT COMPLETELY, THAT'S COMPLETELY NOT WHAT I MEANT.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA OFFER THESE AS, UM, AND HERE'S ANOTHER ONE, SORRY, THIS LAST ONE, READING ON WHAT IMPORTANT WORDS MEAN.
UM, SO OFTENTIMES I'M GONNA HEAR THESE AND I'LL MAKE A NOTE TO MYSELF ON THE FLIP CHART TO COME BACK TO THAT BECAUSE IT'S A WORD THAT IF, IF, IF YOU, UH, THAT THAT WOULD BE REALLY PIVOTAL IN A CONVERSATION AS IT GOES FORWARD TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SHARED MEANING, OR AT LEAST UNDERSTAND IF THERE ARE DIFFERENCES IN, IN THE WAY IN WHICH WORDS ARE USED.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE WORKING, UH, WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS IS I WANNA BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.
NEVER EVER HEARD ONE THAT SAID, I WANNA BE FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE.
HOWEVER, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY HAS AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX, IF NOT MORE, SHADES OF MEANING ABOUT WHAT THAT IS.
AND SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WHERE I'D SAY, LET'S DIG IN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.
HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE THAT? WHAT ARE THE WAYS IN WHICH WE WOULD KNOW WE WOULD BE FIC FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE? UM, SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF, OF DEFINING KIND OF WHAT IMPORTANT WORDS MEAN.
UM, SO DO, DO THESE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS? DO YOU HAVE ANY GROUND RULES, DISCUSSION GUIDELINES THAT YOU USE THAT ARE EFFECTIVE? OR ARE YOU WILLING TO, UM, SEE IF WE CAN USE THESE TODAY? I SEE TWO, I'VE SEE THREE NOS IN THE ROOM SO FAR.
WELL, BUT IT'S YOUR DISCUSSION.
IF WE DECIDE WE DON'T LIKE IT, I'M SURE WE'LL SPEAK UP.
UM, I THINK SHARING THE INFORMATION YEAH, THAT'S THAT WE NEED TO SHARE THE INFORMATION.
AS
SO WE NEED TO, TO WORK HARDER ON THAT.
WHEREAS I'M CONCERNED WE NEED TO WORK HARDER ON SHARING THE INFORMATION.
[01:00:02]
WELL THIS, AND THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.WELL, I, I THINK WHAT I HEAR IS, UM, WILLING TO GIVE IT A SHOT ONE.
UM, AND THAT ACTUALLY BRINGS ME, UM, ME,
MAYBE IT'S 'CAUSE I WAS JUST SO NERVOUS THAT I WAS ALREADY PUTTING YOU BEHIND.
UM, WHAT I THINK I'D LIKE TO DO IS, YOU ALL PROBABLY, CAN WE TAKE AN EARLY BREAK? SO LET ME SET UP THE NEXT CONVERSATION.
UM, ARE THERE THINGS ABOUT HERE THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT? EVERYBODY KNOWS WHERE, WHERE THE BATHROOMS ARE RIGHT IN HERE.
WATER IS SOMEWHERE, SOMEBODY THANKFULLY GOT YOU WATER.
I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE PHONE STACK IS.
THAT'S PROBABLY A STATE SECRET, NOT A ALLOWED TO BE SHARED WITH ANYONE.
UM, SO CAN WE TAKE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE COULD BE 10 30.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE WANDERED THROUGH THE GETTING STARTED PART, UM, AND GOTTEN NOW TO THE PART WHERE IT'S REALLY HELPING US THINK ABOUT SOME OF THE CONTEXT, UM, IN, IN THINKING ABOUT THE CIRCLE.
THIS IS IN THE ENVISION AND WHAT'S THE CONTEXT WITH WHICH YOU'RE OPERATING.
AND SOME OF THAT IS HISTORICAL AND MUCH OF IT IS WHAT WE THINK THE TRENDS ARE GONNA BE AND WHAT'S HAPPENING.
AND SO IN THIS NEXT, UH, LITTLE BIT, WE'RE GONNA HEAR, UH, FROM JESSICA A PRESENTATION ABOUT SOME OF THE PROJECTED DEMOGRAPHICS AND KIND OF WHAT WE THINK WILL BE SHIFTING.
AND THEN WE'LL MOVE INTO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT, UM, THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN THAT I ASKED YOU TO DO IN THE SURVEY, WHICH I HAD AT LEAST 25 RESPONSES.
UM, AND WE'LL DO THAT AT THE TABLETOP EXERCISE, BUT I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO JESSICA TO KIND OF GET US IN THE MOOD OF, UH, THINKING ABOUT OUR CONTEXT.
SO I'VE BEEN ASKED TO SPEND FIVE OR 10 MINUTES JUST GOING THROUGH SOME OF OUR GROWTH PATTERNS.
I THINK THE BEST WAY TO LOOK AT WHERE WE'RE GOING FORWARD IS TO LOOK AT WHERE WE'VE BEEN AND WHERE WE ARE.
SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME SLIDES THAT SHOW THOSE THINGS AND REFERENCE BACK TO SOME OF OUR LAND USE PLANS.
OF COURSE, STRATEGIC PLAN IS SORT OF A PLAN FOR HOW WE EVOLVE AS A COMMUNITY, WHEREAS DAY TO DAY, MY DAY JOB IS HOW WE EVOLVE PHYSICALLY.
AND SO OUR MOST RECENT, UH, CENSUS DATA HERE, OF COURSE IS 2020.
AND, UH, FROM THE 10 YEAR COUNT, OUR POPULATION DID GO UP A BIT, UM, TO 31 2 9 1, WHICH I, YOU KNOW, THE WAY WE FEEL LIKE WE'RE GROWING, I DON'T THINK THOSE NUMBERS ARE ACTUALLY DEMONSTRATING MASSIVE, MASSIVE GROWTH, BUT IT IS DEMONSTRATING A STEADY INCREASE.
OUR MEDIAN AGE OF SOMEONE THAT LIVES HERE.
AND I MENTIONED THIS BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF SERVICES THAT WE NEED TO PROVIDE AND GROW INTO IS 42, UM, YEARS.
AND THAT IS BROKEN DOWN IN A GREAT DEAL OF DETAIL.
PROBABLY HARD TO SEE THERE AT THE BOTTOM.
BUT WE DO ALSO HAVE AN INCREASING AGING POPULATION.
AND I MENTIONED THAT BECAUSE NEWBURN IS NOT PREPARED WITH THE TYPE OF AGE IN PLACE FACILITIES RIGHT NOW THAT WE WOULD NEED TO SEE TO KEEP ACCOMMODATING AN AGING POPULATION.
AND SO WHEN WE LOOK AT REDOING OUR ZONING MAP, WHEN WE START DOING OUR, UM, LAND USE ORDINANCE UPDATE THAT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY A MAP UPDATE, WE'RE GONNA NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, PROVIDING ZONES WHERE WE CAN ACCOMMODATE SOME OF THESE TYPES OF USES AND HOUSING TYPES.
THIS IS JUST SHOWING ON A GRAPH FROM 2010 TO 2020.
AND THEN HERE, THIS IS LOOKING AT SOME OF OUR HOUSING.
UM, YOU WILL NOTE THAT WE HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF RENTER OCCUPIED HOUSING IN THE CITY OF NEWBURG, AND THAT'S A LITTLE BIT HIGHER THAN MOST COMMUNITIES.
AND THE IMAGE ON THE LEFT SHOWS OUR OWNER OCCUPIED AND THEN OUR OWNER PAID OFF HOUSES.
AND THEN THE REMAINDER OF THAT ON THE RIGHT THERE IS RENT OCCUPIED HOUSING AND THE NEXT IMAGE ON THE RIGHT SHOWS OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS AND THEN VACANT HOUSING UNITS.
AND, UH, WELL THAT'S JUST NOT HOUSES RAISED BY OR MOVE INTO VACANT HOUSING UNITS.
MANY OF THOSE ARE, ARE STORE DAMAGE STILL FROM FLORENCE AND OTHERWISE OUT INHABITABLE HOUSING UNIT.
UM, MEDIUM VALUE OF OCCUPIED HOUSING UNITS THAT, UM, FROM THE LAST FIVE YEARS, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S VERY LOW.
THIS DOES NOT ACCOMMODATE THE MASSIVE INFLATION THAT'S HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO TO THREE YEARS ON, ON OUR HOUSING STOCK.
[01:05:01]
THIS LOOKS A LITTLE BIT DEEPER INTO WHO COMPOSING OUR POPULATION.AND RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE 378 PEOPLE IN A NURSING HOME TYPE ENVIRONMENT.
HOWEVER, WE DO ANTICIPATE THAT WOULD LIKELY GO UP AS WE ATTRACT MORE AND MORE RETIREES, PARTICULARLY FROM OUT OF STATE.
AND OUR HOUSEHOLDS HERE, MARY KAY, WITH NO CHILDREN, UM, UNDER 18, THAT'S ABOUT HALF OF OUR POPULATION.
AND THE, THE REST OF IT BROKEN DOWN THERE, UH, BY HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD FOR 8,225 FAMILIES.
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE'VE ISSUED 1,236 SINGLE FAMILY HOME PERMITS.
IT'S A LITTLE BIT SLOWER THAN SOME OF OUR NEIGHBORING COMMUNITY.
IF YOU LOOK UP HERE, YOU'LL SEE WHERE THOSE AREAS ARE.
WE POINT OUT THOSE HEAT MAPS, THAT'S WHERE WE EITHER NEED OR WILL NEED MORE FACILITIES, UH, PUBLIC FACILITIES, WHICH IS, UH, PLANNING FOR THOSE AS PART OF STRATEGIC PLANNING.
AND THEN ON THE VACANT SINGLE FAMILY HOME PARCELS, THESE ARE PARCELS THAT ARE PLOTTED AND APPROVED SUBDIVISIONS BUT NOT YET BUILT.
SO LET'S, LET'S CALL ATTENTION TO THOSE HEAT MAPS.
AGAIN, CALL ATTENTION FOR FACILITY AND SERVICE PLANNING REASONS, MULTIFAMILY PROJECTS.
WE ARE HEARING A LOT ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOW WE NEED AFFORDABLE PLACES FOR, FOR, UH, FAMILIES JUST KIND OF STARTING OUT IN YOUR CAREER TO LIVE.
AND SO FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE HAVE ADDED 1,253 OF THOSE UNITS IN THESE AREAS.
JESSICA, WHAT'S THE AVERAGE OCCUPANCY THAT YOU LOOK AT FOR A UNIT? BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THERE'S ONE BEDROOM OF THE FOUR BEDROOM, I ASSUME I DON'T, I I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION HONESTLY.
SO IF WE JUST ASSUME THAT TWO, THAT WOULD BE, I WOULD ASSUME, I WOULD ASSUME TWO.
NOW SURPRISINGLY, MANY OF THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS WE'RE BUILDING RIGHT NOW ARE TWO AND THREE BEDROOMS, SO I THINK TWO'S A SAFE ASSUMPTION.
SO THAT WOULD, WE'VE SENT, AND WHAT MY POINT IS THAT WE'VE ESSENTIALLY ISSUE PERMITS FOR ENOUGH HOUSING TO HANDLE ALL OF OUR GROWTH OF THE CENSUS.
IF YOU GO BY THIS DATA, YES, WE COULD ASSUME THAT.
DID YOU SAY THAT WAS AFFORDABLE HOUSING? WE'VE ADDED 1253 IF YOU WANT TO CONSIDER AN APARTMENT UNIT IN AFFORDABLE, I WOULD SAY APARTMENT IS AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPTION.
I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT LOW INCOME OR GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIZED HOUSING, BUT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT BE AFFORDABLE TO YOUR AVERAGE PERSON JUST STARTING OUT IN THEIR CAREER OR A YOUNG FAMILY.
SO 1,253 APARTMENT UNITS WE OR PER, UH, WE ISSUED PERMITS FOR OVER I THINK THREE, THREE PROJECTS OR MAYBE FOUR.
I I WOULD ACTUALLY CAUTION MAKING THAT ASSUMPTION
AND THEN YOU MERIDIAN DOWN THERE, WHICH IS THE IN PLACE, WHICH IS QUITE EXPENSIVE, UM, FOR THAT DEMOGRAPHIC.
UM, PEOPLE ARE STILL INTERESTED IN, UH, BRINGING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY TO THE CITY OF NEWBURG 137, UH, COMMERCIAL PERMITS, AT LEAST ALL FOR NEW BUSINESSES KNOW AND DO SIGNIFICANT WORK.
YOU ALSO NEED TO HAVE A PERMIT, BUT 137 OF THOSE PERMITS ISSUED.
THIS IS IF YOU'RE TRACKING OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, YOU CAN SEE, UH, 20 20, 20 21 DURING THAT PANDEMIC BUILDING BOOM, THAT WAS THE HIGHEST.
AND WE TAPERED OFF SIGNIFICANTLY THE LAST FISCAL YEAR ON A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL.
AND THOSE ARE FOR ISSUED PERMITS, NOT FOR PLOTTED TRACKS.
THAT'S WHY WE'RE SEEING A LITTLE BIT OF A DIFFERENCE WHEN WE COMPARE THOSE NUMBERS.
THIS IS SIMILAR GRAPH FOR COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION, UM, THAT IN LINE WITH OUR NEIGHBORS.
WE HAVE SEVERAL RELATIVELY RECENT ADOPTED, UH, PHYSICAL LAND USE PLANS.
THE MTP FOR TRANSPORTATION PLANNING RESILIENCY PLAN.
UM, THREE AREAS OF THE CITY WERE UPDATED WITH THAT UPDATE TO THE LAND USE PLAN.
AND THEN OF COURSE, LAST YEAR, OUR BICYCLE AND
[01:10:01]
PEDESTRIAN PLAN.AND THE COUNTY ALSO HAS A COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE CTP, WHICH IS RELATIVELY RECENT LAST YEAR.
SO THESE AREAS, UH, THE CITY ELECTED TO FOCUS IN ON SOME AREAS.
THAT'S WHY WHEN WE LOOK AT A REZONING AND WE COMPARE THE ZONING DISTRICT TO, UH, WHAT'S IN THE LAND USE PLAN, YOU SEE OUR 2010 LAND USE PLAN REFERENCE AND ALSO THE 2022 LAND USE PLAN.
SO IF A REZONING IS IN ONE OF THESE THREE AREAS, WE ALSO POINT OUT THAT HOW WE, UH, SAID WE WANTED TO GROW IN THIS PLAN.
AND IT'S IN THOSE THREE AREAS, WHICH ARE INDICATIVE OF WHERE WE'RE GROWING AS WELL.
AND THEN WE HAVE OUR FUNDED TRANSPORTATION PRO PROJECTS.
SO THESE ARE ON DOT'S SCHEDULE TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN.
TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS ARE TYPICALLY PLANNED 20 TO 30 YEARS OUT.
THESE ARE THE ONES COMING THE FASTEST.
UH, SHOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE THAT ANYONE HERE ON THESE THREE PROJECTS, BUT THEY CERTAINLY WILL IMPACT WHERE GROWTH HAPPENS AS WE MAKE IT EASIER TO GET AROUND.
AND THEN THESE ARE ON THE WISHLIST, BUT MOVING FORWARD HERE, UM, I THEON YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THIS LIST, SO LOOK IT UP IN CASE ANYONE ELSE ISN'T.
WE ARE SEEING AN INCREASE IN THE DESIRE FOR, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
IN 2019, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF INCREASE.
NOBODY WAS GOING ANYWHERE FOR TWO YEARS THAT DIPPED DOWN, BUT THE DESIRE FOR THAT FIXED ROUTE RIDERSHIP IS GOING BACK UP.
THIS WAS PROVIDED BY OUR NEW MPO ADMINISTRATOR.
UM, AND SHE'S WORKING REALLY HARD TO GET FUNDING TO EXPAND AND, AND PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES FOR US.
AND THEN WE RECENTLY DID OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STUDY, WHICH DID GIVE A NUMBER OF, I WON'T GO INTO THIS TOO MUCH, YOU JUST GOT A DEEPER DIVE ON IT LAST MONTH.
BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BUSINESSES THAT PEOPLE, UH, WOULD UTILIZE IN NEW BERN IF THEY WERE HERE.
AND SO OF COURSE OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENTS LOOKING AT METHODS OF RECRUITING THOSE TYPES OF BUSINESSES.
SO THAT BUSINESS IS DONE IN NEW BERN AND NOT ONLINE OR IN KINGSTON OR JACKSONVILLE OR GREENVILLE OR MOREHEAD.
AND LASTLY, THIS IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT MORE RECENTLY HAS COME UP, BUT WE HAVE STAFF IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN PARTICIPATING IN A LOT OF MEETINGS ABOUT FIRE WILDFIRE MITIGATION.
AND YOU'LL SEE THESE AREAS ARE THE TARGET AREAS WHERE IT IS LIKELY THAT WILDFIRE COULD IMPACT.
AND WE ARE GROWING INTO THESE AREAS.
AND SO THIS IS, THEY TELL US, YOU KNOW, LIKE A MAJOR HURRICANE SHOWS UP EVERY FIVE OR 10 YEARS, WE'RE USED TO THAT, THAT WE NEED TO START PLANNING THE CITY OF NEWBURG AND THE CITY OF HADLOCK AS WELL, THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE A MAJOR WILDFIRE LIKE WE HAD PROBABLY EVERY 10 YEARS MOVING FORWARD DUE TO CHANGED WEATHER PATTERN.
ANY QUESTIONS FOR, FOR JASON? JESSICA, I ASSUME YOUR INFORMATION IS ALL WITH RESPECT TO IBLE.
UH, SO THERE'S PRESSURES ON THE UTILITY THAT GO BEYOND NOT JUST THE CITY LIMITS.
SO, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT, THAT I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO KIND OF GIVE A A BIT OF CONTEXT.
THE, UM, THE EXERCISE THAT I ASKED YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHEN, UM, AND DID THE SURVEY ONLINE WAS, UH, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE DOING AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN AND USING THE ACRONYM PESTLE TO DO IT.
UM, I LIKE THE PESTLE BECAUSE IT'S, UH, SOMEWHAT EASY TO REMEMBER, UM, THINKING ABOUT THE VARIOUS CHANGINGS THAT, UM, ARE HAPPENING AND WHETHER THAT HAS A, UH, IN THE, IN THE POLITICAL REALM, IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL REALM, IN THE SOCIETAL REALM, IN THE TECHNOLOGY REALM, IN THE LEGAL, AND ALSO IN THE, DID I JUST SAY ENVIRONMENTAL? IN THE ECONOMICS, THERE'S TWO E'S.
SO THAT TRIPS ME UP A LITTLE BIT.
UM, AND THERE WAS A QUITE A LOT OF CONVERSATION, UH, AND INPUT ON THE SURVEY, UM, WHICH WAS, WHICH IS GREAT.
AND WHAT I WANTED TO DO NOW IS TO GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY HAVE
[01:15:01]
SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT THESE CHANGES, UM, ARE.WHETHER THERE'S A QUESTION THAT YOU HAVE OR YOU SEE, I I'VE ACTUALLY GOT THEM ON INDEX CARDS AND I'LL TELL YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU THE DIRECTIONS IN JUST A SECOND.
UM, WONDERED IF THERE WERE QUESTIONS THAT, UM, YOU HAVE ABOUT KIND OF WHAT THESE THINGS MEAN AND THEN REALLY THINKING ABOUT, UM, OR WHAT THE TREND MEANS, WHAT THE IMPLICATION IS, WHAT'S THE IMPACT OF THAT LIKELY TO BE, UH, ON, ON NEW BERN? AND I'LL JUST PICK ONE FOR AN EXAMPLE.
UM, SO THIS IS THE ONE ON ENVIRONMENT, UM, AND IT SAYS, I'M JUST GONNA PICK ONE.
SO THAT, I ASSUME THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT MORE FLOODING GOING ON THAN THERE HAS BEEN.
UM, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THIS, I'M GONNA PUT YOU IN TABLES AND REALLY THINKING ABOUT, WELL WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? UM, AND WHAT DOES THE IMPACT THAT WE HAVE THEN THINKING FORWARD OF HOW THE CITY NEEDS TO RESPOND TO THAT.
UM, AND WHAT'S THE TIMELINE IN TERMS OF THE SENSE OF URGENCY ABOUT WHEN WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING AROUND THAT.
UM, AND THERE MAY BE OTHERS IN HERE.
THERE PROBABLY LIKELY ARE AROUND STORM WATER OR OTHER FLOODING ISSUES.
I KNOW THAT THERE'S ONE AROUND WILDFIRES BECAUSE THAT, THAT SLIDE CAUGHT MY EYE.
OBVIOUSLY WITH MAUI ON OUR MINDS, IT'S GONNA BE, UM, SOMETHING THAT, UM, MAYBE WE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT EVEN TWO MONTHS AGO, UM, THAT WE'RE DEFINITELY THINKING ABOUT.
SOMETHING I WILL SAY THAT LAST, ONE OF THE LAST TIMES I DID THIS EVEN JUST TWO YEARS AGO, UM, THE NUMBER OF FOLKS THAT HAVE SAID CLIMATE CHANGE HAS GONE UP DRAMATICALLY BECAUSE WE'RE ALL NOW EXPERIENCING THIS IN WAYS THAT WE DIDN'T BEFORE OR WE DIDN'T, MAYBE IT WAS A THEORETICAL THING AND NOW IT'S A REAL THING THAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING.
UM, SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TO PUT YOU IN GROUPS.
I'M GOING TO ASK THAT, UM, EACH OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS TAKE A GROUP AND I'LL TELL YOU WHICH TABLE IT IS, AND YOU MAY NOT GET SEATED AT THE TABLE THAT YOU WANT, BUT WE'RE ALL GONNA HAVE CONVERSATIONS ON THIS.
UM, AND THEN SPLIT UP AND SEE, UM, HAVE SOME CONVERSATION AT THE TABLE ABOUT WHERE DO YOU SEE THINGS THAT ARE SIMILAR.
SO YOU MIGHT SEE SEVERAL FOLKS THAT HAD THE SAME RESPONSE OR SIMILAR RESPONSE, AND MAYBE YOU CAN GROUP THEM ON YOUR TABLE, LAY 'EM ALL OUT, AND THEN GROUP THEM WITH THE SIMILAR, UM, SIMILAR ITEMS ON THE TABLE.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF, AND YOU'LL, YOU'LL SAY, WELL, WHY DID WE PRINT THINGS IF EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, FIVE OR SIX PEOPLE SAID IT? WELL, I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT WE WANNA DO IS TO SEE WHERE ARE, WHERE'S THE ENERGY, WHERE IS THERE COMMON KNOWLEDGE OR INFORMATION AROUND SOME OF THESE THINGS THAT ARE GONNA BE IMPACTING NEW BERN? UM, AND SO I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO DO THAT FIRST AND JUST KIND OF SEE WHAT'S ON THE TABLE.
WHAT, WHERE ARE THERE, LIKE THINGS THAT YOU CAN GROUP ON YOUR TABLE.
AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO WALK AROUND A LITTLE BIT, THEN GO BACK TO YOUR TABLE AND SEE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE PUT, GO BACK TO YOUR TABLE AND THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT, LIKE WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO IF, IF THERE'S MORE, UM, FLOODING, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE DOING DIFFERENTLY? AND I'D LIKE YOU TO KIND OF JUST MAKE A LIST OF THAT.
YOU CAN DO A SET OF STICKIES AND THEN WE CAN PLACE IT ON THE TIMELINE OVER THERE.
OR YOU CAN JUST MAKE A LIST ON YOUR, UM, ON A PIECE OF PAPER.
AND I CAN PUT A PIECE OF, UM, FLIP CHART PAPER AT EACH TABLE.
UM, SO JUST TRYING TO GET A SENSE OF, AGAIN, ENGAGING, TALKING WITH ONE ANOTHER, UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE ISSUES ARE AND UM, POTENTIALLY WHAT THE IMPACTS ARE.
SO IS THAT CLEAR WHAT WE'RE GONNA GONNA DO? I GIVE YOU MAYBE 25, 30 MINUTES TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION.
THIS IS THE PROBLEM WITH THE THERMOSTAT.
UH, WELL FOR ME IT'S WARM HOT, BUT YES, FOR SOME PEOPLE IT'S COLD.
UM, SO THIS ONE IS, THIS ONE SHOULD BE POLITICAL.
THIS ONE SHOULD BE ECONOMIC, THIS ONE SHOULD BE SOCIETAL, THIS ONE SHOULD BE TECHNOLOGY.
UM, THIS ONE'S LEGAL AND UH, THIS IS MARIAH, MY GRADUATE ASSISTANT.
SHE'S IN THE MPA PROGRAM, UH, WILL BE GRADUATING SOON LOOKING FOR WORK, BUT MAYBE WE'VE GOT FOUR.
UM, AND THEN THIS ONE IS ENVIRONMENTAL.
UM, AND SO OTHER THAN I'M GONNA ASK EACH OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SIT AT ONE OF THOSE TABLES, I DON'T REALLY CARE HOW YOU BREAK UP IF YOU WANNA DO IT JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT A TABLE.
BUT I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SORT OF EQUAL REPRESENTATION AT THE TABLE.
SO I DON'T WANNA MAKE YOU COUNT OFF IF WE DON'T HAVE TO
[01:20:25]
YOU.SO YEAH, TO, UM, MAKE A LIST OF THE IMPACTS, CAN YOU TOUCH ME HERE FOR A MINUTE? SORT OUT IN AREAS OF INTEREST THAT LOOK SIMILAR, YOU THEM, BUT WHAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR IS A ON YOUR TABLE SO THAT OTHERS CAN AROUND SEE WHAT ARE JUMPING OUT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A CONVERSATION.
SO SOME OF THIS IS A COMBINATION OF IMPACT AND DOESN'T, THESE ARE JUST LITERALLY EVERYBODY'S THAT'S EXACTLY.
SO, UM, AS I'VE SAID THAT ABOUT THE IMPACT.
[01:26:23]
OH, LEADERSHIP.I, SOCIAL MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE, LACK OF BIPARTISAN,
[01:30:09]
DO ONE COLORS WILL ALLOW US TO, WHEN EVERYBODY SAYS WE'RE[01:35:03]
WE HAVE NOW, RIGHT? SO THAT AN EXAMPLE OF, I DIDN'T, TO ME THIS IS NOT WHAT I EXPECT.WHAT I'M LOOKING AT IS THIS IS JUST MY OPINION WHEN I, THAT'S THAT'S, THAT'S MY TERM KNOWLEDGE OF,
[01:42:05]
SO YOU GOT SOME, WELL, UM, SO RIGHT CATEGORY.SO I THINK WHAT WE, AND SOME OF THESE THINGS OUT LATER ARE THINGS THAT YOU HAVE PUT YOURSELF IN.
I CAN'T FOLLOW THIS, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T CARE.
[01:45:04]
THIS IS NOT WHAT THIS NEEDS TO.I, I WONDER IF WE'RE AT A STOPPING POINT NOW THAT I'VE GOT TO TALKING.
I HATE TO JUST HAVE YOU ASK TO STOP TALKING, BUT I, WHAT I LOVE THOUGH IS YOU CAN DO GREAT WORK GOING ON AT THE TABLE, IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE THEMES AND TRYING TO MAKE SOME SENSE OF ALL OF THESE RESPONSES.
UM, AND CAN WE JUST GET LIKE A BRIEF REPORT OUT, LIKE WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU FINDING IN THESE CATEGORIES? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING? UM, AND MAYBE THERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM OTHER TABLES ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING.
UM, AND, AND THEN WE'LL REALLY KIND OF GET INTO THE CONVERSATION ABOUT, SO WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN THEN FOR NEW BERN? UM, BUT I WONDER IF WE COULD JUST HAVE A BRIEF, UM, REPORT OUT FROM EACH TABLE AND THEN AGAIN THINKING ARE THERE QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE BASED ON THAT? OKAY.
UM, WE'RE AT ENVIRONMENTAL TABLE UP.
OKAY, WE'RE AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL TABLE AND LOOKING THROUGH ALL OF THE LITTLE COMMENTS, I MEAN, PEOPLE REPORTED BACK IN ON THE SURVEY OF THE WORK THAT IS NEEDED OR FEEL LIKE IS NEEDED.
WE COME UP WITH FLOODING, WILDFIRES, CLIMATE CHANGE, WATER QUALITY, RESILIENCY OF SYSTEMS, AND THE IMPACT OF GROWTH.
SO YOU WANT ALSO ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON, ON THAT AS WELL.
YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES ABOUT WHY YOU MOVED IT THAT WAY.
WELL, BASIC BASED ON THE NUMBER OF CARDS HERE IN EACH CATEGORY.
AND FOR, AS GIVING OUT THE INFORMATION, I'M GONNA LET THESE TWO EXPERTS HERE,
SO JUST ON HOW WE GROUPED EVERYTHING.
WELL, I THINK I KNOW HOW YOU GROUPED.
I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THE FREQUENCY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT.
AND SO WHAT YOU'VE GOT ARE THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE THE THEMES.
LET'S GO TO THE OTHER PLACES AND THEN WE'LL MOVE INTO THE NEXT PART.
SO YOUR TABLE HERE WAS WHICH CATEGORY AND WHAT'D YOU FIND THAT EVERYBODY THINKS SOMETHING HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH LEGAL
SO WE GROUPED IT TOGETHER BASICALLY.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, LAND USE, THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE'VE GOT SOME POLICE, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS.
AND THEN WE'VE GOT THREE THAT WE FELT LIKE PROBABLY WAS RELEVANT, BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE PERSON MEANT, SO WE LEFT THEM IN HERE.
SO WHEN WE ALL GO AROUND AND ONE WAS FLSA, UH, NEW OVERTIME RULES, I ASSUME THIS WAS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I THINK THEY HAVE SOME ODD SCHEDULING WITH OVERTIME.
UM, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, WE DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT MEANT FOR EMPLOYEES OR WHETHER THAT WAS THE PUBLIC.
AND THEN PROGRAM PARTICIPATION LIABILITY.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST SORTED BY TABLE.
SO IF THERE'S ANYBODY THAT RECOGNIZES, UM, YOUR RESPONSE AND WANTS TO CLARIFY, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
I WAS THE ONE THAT DID, OH, I SHOULD.
AND THE REASON I PUT THAT IN THERE IS BECAUSE IF THAT DOES PASS, AND IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON THIS, WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, PAY OVERTIME TO VERSUS NOT, WE MAY HAVE TO DO SOME REGROUPING AND RECLASSIFICATION, SO IT COULD AFFECT THE QUESTION ANY OTHER TWO OR FIRST AMENDMENT, RIGHT? AND THEN PROGRAM PARTICIPATION IN LIABILITY, THAT WAS AS FAR AS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAMS THAT WE OFFER AT THAT.
SO ARE THERE ANY, UH, OTHER QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS HAVE ABOUT THE LEGAL OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT POPPED UP? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS A, THE ABILITY TO ANSWER THIS IN A WIDE VARIETY OF WAYS.
SOME OF THEM COULD BE, UM, AT THE VERY LEVEL, LEVEL OF THE ORGANIZATION, COMMUNITY, STATE, FEDERAL, YOU KNOW, WORLD CLIMATE CHANGE.
I MEAN, SO, YOU KNOW, IT IS ALL RELEVANT.
UM, IT'S ALL HAPPENING OR ALL FIXING TO HAPPEN.
[01:50:01]
STARTING TO SORT OF SORT THEN BY THE NEXT LAYER, WHICH IS, AND WHAT WILL THE IMPACT GLOBALLY BE? AND HOW DO WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR THAT? SO THAT'LL BE THE NEXT STEP IN THE CONVERSATION.UM, SO YOU'RE ALREADY DOING SOME SORTING AROUND THAT.
AND WE NOTICED THAT SOME OF THE ANSWERS WERE MORE FEDERAL OR NATIONAL THEMES.
ONE OF 'EM WAS THE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA.
I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH OF PART THE CITY HAS IN THAT.
UM, ANOTHER WAS, UM, CRITICAL RACE THEORY IN SCHOOLS.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE TO THROW OVER SYSTEM IMPORTANT LEGAL THEMES, BUT, UH, MAYBE NOT SOMETHING AT OUR MUNICIPAL LEVEL THAT MEANS THANK YOU.
AND FIRST TABLE WAS TECHNOLOGY.
SO WE HAD, UH, SEVERAL THEMES WHICH WE BROKE INTO.
ONE OF 'EM BEING INTERNAL TECHNOLOGY, UH, SUCH SOME OF 'EM, POLICY BASICALLY, UH, ELECTRONIC AND DIGITAL SIGNATURES ALL THE WAY UP TO SMART DEVICE CAPABILITIES, ROBOTS, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, UM, OPTIMIZING, INTEGRATING LEGACY SYSTEMS. SO WE CLASSIFIED ALL OF THOSE AS INTERNAL.
WE TALKED ABOUT FIBER OPTIC CONNECTIVITY, RELIABLE INTERNET, AND, UH, 5G TECHNOLOGY, SMART CITY SORT OF THINGS.
AND THEN THERE WAS A THEME ON SECURITY CAMERAS.
AND THEN, UH, COMMUNICATIONS WAS A BIG ONE WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ANYTHING FROM UPDATED COMMU, UH, CUSTOMER INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO, UM, KIOSK FOR CUSTOMERS, VISITORS TO SOCIAL MEDIA, REAL TIME INFORMATION.
AND THEN THE LAST ONE KIND OF DIDN'T REALLY FIT IN OUR CATEGORY, WE DON'T THINK, BUT, UH, LOOKING AT EVERYTHING ELSE, IT REALLY DIDN'T FIT ANYWHERE ELSE.
THERE WAS WORKFORCE AND WORKPLACE, AND THOSE WERE, UH, WORK FROM HOME OPTIONS, WHICH IS PROBABLY TECHNOLOGY, BUT THEN THERE WERE SOME INADEQUATE SUCCESSION PLANS, DEPARTMENT OF DEATH AND APPEARANCE, UH, DISINTEREST IN HIRING STAFF TO SUPPORT TECHNOLOGY.
SO A LITTLE MORE PERSONNEL RELATED.
AND DID YOU ALL HAVE ALL OF THE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE YES.
CARDS, WHICH THAT WAS THE ONE THAT STRUCK ME AS I WAS LIKE, I'M GONNA LIE, MY CARDS, UH, BECAUSE EVERYBODY HAD AN AI.
SO THAT MIGHT BE A TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, BUT THAT MIGHT HAVE IMPLICATIONS FOR EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM IN TERMS OF HOW THINGS GO.
UM, SO THAT, THAT QUESTION ABOUT IMPACT IS GONNA BE BIG.
ANY QUESTIONS YOU ALL HAVE ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, THOUGHTS THAT YOU'VE GOTTEN THAT OFFERED THAT AREN'T REFLECTED IN WHAT'S BEEN DISCUSSED SO FAR? ONE THAT KIND OF, UH, ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THERE WAS ONE, UH, SCHOOL OF THOUGHT OF HOW WOULD WE USE ELECTRONIC VEHICLES FOR THE CITY VERSUS HAVING THE, UH, CAPABILITY FOR FOLKS TO PLUG IN THOSE TYPES OF VEHICLES AS YOU SEE MORE AND MORE OF THOSE THINGS BEING USED BY OUR CITIZENS.
AND THAT IS, YOU KNOW, REAL REALISTICALLY, THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL SEE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PLAN, IS THAT THE INTERNAL FOCUS, WHAT WE BE LOOKING AT OUR WORK FROM HOME POLICIES OR WHAT DO WE NEED TO BE ENCOURAGING OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN TERMS OF WORK FROM CRIMINAL POLICIES AND OR INFRASTRUCTURE TO DO THAT, OR IMPLICATIONS FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SO ALMOST EVERYTHING MIGHT HAVE AN INTERNAL FOCUS AS WELL AS AN EXTERNAL FOCUS.
SO WE'RE KIND OF JUST GETTING STARTED ON THIS CONVERSATIONS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT.
IN THIS BACK TABLE, SO OURS IS SOCIETAL, AND WE HAVE THREE COMMON THINGS THAT WE SEE IN HERE WAS CULTURE AND VALUES, AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT CULTURE VALUES, WE TALKED ABOUT THE PEOPLE MOVING HERE, GENERATION GAPS, PEOPLE BIGGER SOCIAL INEQUALITY, SENSITIVE NEEDS, AND LACK OF SUPPORT AND TRUST ON THAT PORTION.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHICH GOES BACK TO WHAT WE SEEN ON THE POWERPOINT EARLIER, IS AVAILABLE HOUSING, UM, TO ADJUST TO THE NEWER AGE OF PEOPLE, THE RATES, INCREASED, RENTAL PROPERTIES, HOMELESSNESS.
AND ONCE AGAIN, THE RATES CAME UP WITH S TWO.
WE ALSO GO GET HEALTH AND WELLNESS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, MENTAL HEALTH, HEALTHCARE NEEDS FOR THE FUTURE.
AND LONG TERM, UM, HOMELESSNESS, AGAIN, CAME BACK UP.
AND, UM, ARE THERE ANY THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH, OR YOU HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT, UH, THEY, THEY MORE OR LESS COME OUT FROM THE THREE MAJOR GROUPS? WE HAD SOME ABNORMALITIES OF SOME OF THEM, BUT UM, AS WE TALKED WITH YOU AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY SEEN THROUGH STUDIES AND RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS TO HER AND HER BACKGROUND AND HER RESEARCH, THIS, BY THE WAY, IS MARIAH
[01:55:01]
MARIAH IS THE RESEARCH ASSISTANT THAT THAT HAS, IS GONNA BE WORKING WITH ME, UM, THIS YEAR.
AND, UH, SO THIS IS THE ROOM
SO I THINK I MIGHT ACTUALLY ASK YOU TO RUN THROUGH AND SEE, AND SEE IF THIS WORKS, SEE IF IT RINGS TRUE BASED ON WHAT YOU PUT TOGETHER FOR THE SLIDES.
SO WE HAD A COUPLE OF OUTLIERS, BUT THE NUMBER ONE THEME THAT KEPT COMING UP WAS INFLATION, GENERAL INFLATION COMMENTS.
OUR SECOND HIGHEST THEME WAS AFFORDABILITY, UH, AND SUSTAINABILITY.
AND THAT WAS KIND OF REGARDING LIFE IN GENERAL.
AND THEN KIND OF TIED WITH THAT WAS AVAILABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY OF HOUSING.
AND OUR FOURTH HIGHEST STACK CLOSE CLOSELY, UH, IN NUMBERS ANYWAYS, WAS OUR LABOR FORCE.
UH, FLEXIBLE WORK OPTIONS, REMOTE WORK OPTIONS, AND PEOPLE JUST NOT WANTING TO WORK OR NOT BE TRAINED TO WORK IN GENERAL.
WE, WE GROUPED ALL THOSE TOGETHER IN LABOR FORCE ISSUES, BUT OTHER RECURRING THEMES THAT HAD ENOUGH TO MENTION WERE THE RAPID GROWTH, THE IMPACTS OF ONLINE COMMERCE, LACK OF COMPETITIVE SALARIES IN THE AREA, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AND THE GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR WIDENING.
SO EVEN THOUGH THAT'S ECONOMIC, IT'S ALMOST SOCIETAL.
SO THESE ALSO LEADS FOR SORT OF INTERRELATED AND INTERDEPENDENT IN SOME WAYS.
UM, AND YOU'LL FIND THAT IN THE DEVELOP DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR PLAN, THAT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE TRUE AS WELL, IS YOU'LL HAVE GOALS THAT ARE GONNA HIT MULTIPLE PIECE, MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF WHERE YOU WANNA SEE THINGS BE, DIFFERENT QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL HAVE FOR THE GROUP OR THAT THE GROUP HAS FOR YOUR TABLE.
UM, AND THEN YOU ALL HAD THE POLITICAL YEAH, I THINK, UM, BEING A POLITICAL AS, AS YOU SORT POINTED OUT, THEN THE FIRST GROUP, I THINK WE HAD SOME, IT WAS AN ORIGINAL DUMPING GROUND.
SO WE HAD, UM, THINGS IN THERE OUT LIKE CYBER ISSUES.
UM, WE HAD SOME, SOME CONCERNS HERE WITH, UH, POLICING AND, AND, UH, FUNDING OF POLICING AND, AND ISSUES LIKE THAT.
THE NUMBER ONE CONCERN, UH, CATEGORY SEEMS TO BE, UH, CITIZENS INPUT AND TRANSPARENCY, UM, WITH SEVERAL CONCERNS FOR THAT.
WE ALSO GOT, UM, SEVERAL ON THE LEADERSHIP.
WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING NEW LEADERSHIP TO TURN OVER THE LACK OF, UH, I OR, UH, BACK OF BIPARTISANSHIP, UM, UM, UM, TRANSPARENCY WITH ELECTIONS AND STUFF.
THEY, THEY HAD, UH, SEVERAL, UH, COMMENTS ABOUT THAT.
UM, SO I'M CURIOUS BECAUSE I, WHEN I WAS DOING THIS, AND I SAW SEVERAL ON TRANSPARENCY AS LIKE, WHAT ABOUT TRANSPARENCY? BECAUSE AGAIN, WITH ONE WORD, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WITH THE CONTEXT FOR THAT.
THAT MEAN THERE'S A LACK OF, OR Y'ALL ARE DOING A GREAT JOB ON BEING TRANSPARENT.
UM, AND THAT'S, WE WERE SEEING TRANSPARENCY, THAT'S ONE WORD.
THEN YOU HAVE ONE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY, INPUT BY DECISION MAKERS.
UM, SO, UM, RECURRING MORE, UH, I MEAN RECRUITING MORE, UH, COMMUNITY INPUT.
SO I, WHAT WAS, I GUESS WHAT PARENT DOES WAS THERE'S A PERCEPTION THAT THE TRANSPARENCY OF WHERE THE DECISION MAKERS ARE GETTING THEIR INFORMATION FROM TO, TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS IS NOT ALWAYS CLEAR.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR OTHERS OR DO OTHERS HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THIS TABLE? I, I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT WE HAD, WE HAVE IT IN OUR GROUPINGS AND SEVERAL THAT IT HAD TO DO WITH A LOT OF FEDERAL DECISION, FEDERAL STATE DECISIONS THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE FEDERAL INCOME, TAXING ENVIRONMENT DECISIONS BE ON THAT LEVEL WE HAVE TO IMPLEMENT, I THINK.
AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT ALL THE WAY AROUND FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM THE LOCAL LEVEL ON UP.
UM, AND EVEN IF THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY ANY DIRECT IMPACT NOW, TO BE AWARE OF THAT AND TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT WHAT BEDS IMPLICATIONS COULD BE, LIKE THE FL SA STUFF, UM, IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PLANNING PROCESS NEEDS TO KIND OF KEEP YOU NIMBLE IN TERMS OF WHERE DO YOU NEED TO FLEX AND MOVE INTO POTENTIALLY.
[02:00:01]
TOO SURPRISED THERE'S A, A MIX OF THAT.SO WHAT I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO DO, MARIAH TOOK A LOOK AT THIS STUFF LAST NIGHT.
UM, IT'S BEEN, IF YOU MIGHT KNOW, KIND OF A TRAUMATIC COUPLE OF DAYS ON CAMPUS.
UM, SO LAST NIGHT SHE TOOK A LOOK AT THIS INFORMATION AND PUT TOGETHER A COUPLE SLIDES THAT I'D LIKE FOR HER TO SHOW IF YOU, UM, WANNA DO THAT AND JUST TALK THROUGH WHAT YOU SAW.
AND SO I THINK THEN FROM YOUR TABLE'S PERSPECTIVE, DID, IS THERE STUFF THAT YOU SEE THAT YOU DIDN'T SEE ORIGINALLY OR THINGS THAT YOU SAW THAT SHE DIDN'T SEE? ARE WE ON THE RIGHT TRACK BY DEVELOPING THE NEEDS? UM, AND THEN I WANT YOU TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT THE IMPACT MIGHT BE LOCALLY BEFORE LUNCH.
SO, UM, I STARTED WITH POLITICAL, UM, AS THE FIRST LETTER AND HUSTLE.
UM, SO, UM, SOME OF THE COMMENTS WERE AROUND MEDIA AND SOCIAL MEDIA.
UM, I, I THINK WHAT YOU GUYS WERE TOUCHING ON WAS, UM, LIKE WHAT CAN WE DO IN THIS COMMUNITY AS, UM, TOWN LEADERSHIP AND TOWN STAFF? AND I THINK A LOT OF THE TIMES IT IS HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THINGS AS WELL? UM, SO BEING, YOU KNOW, PROACTIVE IN SOME WAYS, YES, BUT ALSO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO REACT TO THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE MEDIA, THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING ON LIKE THE NATIONAL LEVEL, LIKE YOU'RE SAYING.
UM, THERE ARE SOME COMMENTS ABOUT LIKE NON-PARTISANSHIP, POLARIZATION, UH, POLITICAL VIEWS.
AND MAYBE THIS IS HAPPENING ON A LOCAL LEVEL, MAYBE THEY'RE REFERRING TO FEDERAL LEVEL.
THAT WASN'T PARTICULARLY CLEAR, I THINK.
UM, AND THEN JUST ELECTION LEADERSHIP TRANSITION.
UM, YOU KNOW, ANYTIME THERE'S ELECTION, HAVING NEW ELECTED OFFICIALS COMING IN, POTENTIALLY, HOW DO YOU JUST MAKE THAT AS SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE AND MAKE SURE EVERYBODY'S ON THE SAME PAGE? UM, I JUST WANNA FEW COMMENTS ON POLICING, AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THOSE OF WHERE DOES THIS FALL INTO THE FESTIVAL ANALYSIS OF, YOU KNOW, UM, IS IT A POLITICAL THING? IS IT POLICY THING, YOU KNOW, UM, IT KIND OF TOUCHES IN A FEW DIFFERENT AREAS.
AND ALSO POLITICAL WAS, UH, AS YOU HAD SAID, THE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT DEMANDS ACTIVISM, YOU KNOW, BRINGING IN INFORMATION FROM CITIZENS, BUT ALSO BEING TRANSPARENT AND PUTTING OUT INFORMATION.
AND THEN AGAIN, STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS, RELATIONSHIPS, UM, MAYBE NOT SOMETHING THE TOWN HAS COMPLETE CONTROL OVER, BUT DOES HAVE TO RESPOND TO IN SOME WAY.
UM, YEAH, SO I THINK IT WAS A, I DEFINITELY PICKED UP A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS.
OH, AND IF ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS, THE POLICE ROLE IN BONDING PRETTY GOOD DECISIONS, I THINK GROUP THOSE TOGETHER AND SAY, HEY, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING STAFFING AND FUNDING, IT'S A BALANCE OF WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD.
YEAH, AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE, LIKE, IS IT MORE POLITICAL? IS IT MORE LIKE SOCIETAL, SOCIAL, LIKE IT'S KIND OF A, NOT A FAIR THOUGHT OF GOES IN THIS CATEGORY.
I HAD ECONOMIC CONNECTS, SO INFLATION, INTEREST RATES, I THINK WE'VE ALL HEARD A LOT ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND EXPERIENCED IT AS WELL.
UM, INCOME DISPARITY, COMPETITIVE WAGES THAT WAS TOUCHED ON ALREADY.
RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, THAT KIND OF GOES INTO SOME OF THE INCOME AND SALARIES AS WELL.
UM, POPULATION CHANGES IN GROWTH.
UM, I REALLY LOVED HOW THE SOCIETAL SOCIAL, UH, GROUP WAS TALKING ABOUT CULTURES AND VALUES AND HOW THAT TIES INTO THAT AS WELL.
UM, AND YEAH, HOUSING PORTABILITY, AGAIN, IT'S LIKE SHOWING INTEREST RATES VERY CONNECTED.
THAT AND JUST OVERALL THE STRENGTHENING ECONOMY AND REVENUE EXPECTATIONS.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN TALK ABOUT INFLATION RATES AND THAT'S NOTHING THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OVER.
UM, BUT HOW WILL THAT IMPACT REVENUE AND HOW WILL WE, UM, GO FORWARD WITH THAT? ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT ECONOMICS? AND THEN FOR SOCIAL, UH, OR SOCIETAL? I THINK THIS IS THE PHRASE, THE REASON YOU DON'T WANT IS TOTALLY FINE.
UM, IT, IT COVERED THIS CATEGORY COVERED SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS.
I THINK IT WAS HARD TO CHOOSE CATEGORIES.
UM, SO WE HAVE LIKE UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS IS KIND OF HOW I, UH, DESCRIBED IT, OF LIKE THE HOMELESSNESS, MENTAL HEALTH, HISTORICALLY MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS A VERY DIVERSE COMMUNITY AND LIKE HOW DO YOU SERVE EVERYBODY AND REACH THEIR NEEDS? AND AGAIN, HOUSING, UM, COMES UP AND NOT JUST IN NEWBURG.
THIS IS A OVERALL IN NORTH CAROLINA, LIVING IN THE TRIANGLE, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT COMES UP IN OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AS WELL.
UH, DEFINITELY A TREND AND TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.
SO THIS, AGAIN, TALKING ABOUT IT IS MAYBE A LOCAL PROBLEM.
THIS MAYBE A NATIONAL PROBLEM, NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT CLEAR FROM THE COMMENTS.
UH, SO SOME OF THESE, YEAH, THE CATEGORIES WEREN'T AS CLEAR OF LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA, REMOTE WORK CAME UNDER THE SOCIAL SOCIETAL, SOME OF THE COMMENTS, BUT I WAS LIKE, MAYBE THAT'S MORE TECHNOLOGY.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SOCIAL AND SOCIETAL THINGS?
[02:05:01]
ANYTHING THAT STOOD UP AT ANY POINT, FEEL FREE TO RAISE YOUR HAND AND INTERRUPT ME IF YA ME, ANYTHING TO ADD OR ANY QUESTIONS? UM, TECHNOLOGICAL, THERE WERE QUITE A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND I THINK I AGREE WITH THE TABLE THAT WAS WORKING ON THAT.LIKE HOW RELEVANT IS THAT TO OUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND HOW I, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S SO NEW, WE MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO RESPOND TO IT YET.
AND SO IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN EASILY PUSH ASIDE, BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD FOCUS MORE ON IT.
IT IS SOMETHING NEW THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE THE RELIANCE OF TECHNOLOGY VERSUS GOING PAPERLESS.
THERE WAS A FEW COMMENTS ABOUT, OH, WE SHOULD GO PAPERLESS.
AND I WAS LIKE, WE USE TECHNOLOGY TOO MUCH, WE RELY ON IT TOO MUCH.
SO THAT KIND OF LIKE INTERNAL STRUGGLE I THINK AS WELL.
AND, UM, CYBERSECURITY, UM, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE INTERNAL SERVICES THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT INTERNET FOR RESIDENTS CAME UP A FEW TIMES.
UM, I THINK IT WAS LIKE TWO OF YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT LIKE, NOT ALL RESIDENTS HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNET AND WHAT IMPACT DOES THAT HAVE ON, YOU KNOW, COMMUNICATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
AND THEN JUST IT STAFFING AND TRAINING.
UM, I THINK IN GENERAL, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, THIS IS SOMETHING THEY STRUGGLE WITH IS RECRUITING, YOU KNOW, TOP TIER IT TALENT AND MAKING SURE THEY'RE TRAINING AND STAYING, UM, ON PAR WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR IS SOMETHING, SOMETHING THAT I'VE NOTICED IN OTHER C AS WELL.
UM, YEAH, AND I THINK YOU ALL ACTUALLY EVEN PARSED IT OUT AT YOUR TABLE IN A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC WAYS THAN, AND SO BETWEEN THE TWO, THIS IS GREAT.
YEAH, AND I THINK FROM THE LEGAL PERSPECTIVE, I TOOK THIS, UM, I INTERPRETED THIS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN THE, OTHER THAN THE TABLE THAT WAS WORKING ON THAT.
UM, SOME OF THE COMMENTS WERE, LIKE THEY SAID, NOT PARTICULARLY LOCAL GOVERNMENT RELATED, UM, BUT IT COULD HAVE SOME IMPACT EVENTUALLY.
UH, JUST HAVING A RELIGIOUS SOCIETY.
SO A LOT OF THE COMMENTS WERE LIKE, PEOPLE WILL SUE ANYBODY OVER ANYTHING AND MAYBE THAT'S NOT A LOCAL GOVERNMENT, SOMETHING THEY CAN CHANGE, BUT THEN MAYBE SOMETHING THEY HAVE TO RESPOND TO IF INVOLVED IN ONE OF THESE SITUATIONS.
UM, THERE WAS SOME TALK OF ORDINANCES AND LAND USE, UM, NOT MY SPECIALTY.
AND I THINK THIS IS, UM, ONE THAT COULD BE TALKED MORE ABOUT, UM, FROM A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH, UM, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE.
AND THEN JUST THERE WAS TALK OF SUPREME COURT, UH, RULINGS, CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGES, THAT KIND OF STUFF.
THAT'S DEFINITELY FEDERAL LEVEL, BUT HOW DOES THE, YOU KNOW, UM, LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL RESPOND TO THESE THINGS OR DO THEY HAVE A ROLE IN THESE THINGS AT ALL? UM, SO IF I COULD COMMENT ON THAT, ON THAT SUPREME COURT CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE IS YES, IT IS, IT IS A FEDERAL ISSUE THAT MAKES OR CREATES MANDATES AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
SO SIMPLY BECAUSE THE CASE LAW IS GENERATED IN WASHINGTON DC DOES NOT MEAN THE IMPACT IS HUGE IN NEWBURGH.
SO THAT'S THE POINT THAT I, I I WANTED TO MAKE ON THAT, ON THAT PART.
AND I DEFINITELY THINK THAT'S, UM, SOMETIMES IT'S ONE OF THOSE CONFUSING THINGS LIKE WORKING LOCAL GOVERNMENT EVEN IS WHAT IS THE PURVIEW OF BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND WHAT ISN'T? AND I THINK THAT FINDS NEW BLUR SOMETIMES OF HOW, HOW RELEVANT IS IT TO THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND UNDERSTANDING THAT.
AND THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE BEING PROACTIVE AND REACTIVE.
THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE CAN BE PROACTIVE AND DO THINGS.
AND THEN THERE ARE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS WHERE WE HAVE TO BE REACTIVE, YOU KNOW, IF WE RULING COMES DOWN, WE HAVE TO ADJUST YOUR BUDGET, YOU HAVE TO DO CERTAIN THINGS MANDATED TO SOME DEGREE.
UM, SO JUST BEING AWARE OF WHAT'S COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE I THINK CAN BE VERY HELPFUL.
AND THEN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WERE LIKE, THAT COULD BE INTERNAL TO THE FOUND, BUT ALSO MORE LIKE JUST OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TALKING ABOUT LIKE CARBON REDUCTIONS, RENEWABLE FUEL, ELECTRIC CARS.
I'M NOT SURE TO WHAT EXTENT WE BRING, UM, AS A TOWN PARTICIPATES IN THIS.
UM, I KNOW LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, I'M ENTERING FOR THE TOWN OF APEX AND THEY DO A LOT OF THIS, UH, INTERNALLY FOR THEIR FLEET AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, BUT I'VE NOTICED IN NORTH CAROLINA IT'S A WIDE VARIETY OF HOW ENGAGED COMMUNITIES ARE TO THIS, UH, CAN VARY.
UM, THERE'S SOME TOP OF HURRICANE FLOOD RESILIENCY.
I THINK IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, COULD BE A FEDERAL THING, COULD BE A SAFE, BE EVERYBODY TO SOME DEGREE, WILDFIRES, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY BROAD TOPICS.
SO JUST BEING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, I THINK THIS ALL FALLS INTO THAT.
AND IN A LOT OF WAYS, YOU KNOW, SOME STORM WATER COMMENTS AS WELL.
SO YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I FOUND BY LOOKING THROUGH IT AND JUST BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE.
MAYBE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NEW BRAND PERSPECTIVE, BUT WHAT I'VE SEEN.
YEAH, SO THE, THE DETAIL THAT YOU ALL HAVE, I, IT'S GONNA BE VERY HELPFUL AS WE, UM, PICK UP THESE AND THEN FLESH THESE OUT, UH, IN TERMS OF, UH, UM, ANALYSIS, WHAT I THINK
[02:10:01]
SOME GROUPS HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO MOVE INTO.AND WHAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO DO BETWEEN NOW AND LUNCH IS, SO WHAT
LIKE ARE THEY SHORT TERM, ARE THEY LONG TERM, ARE THEY ON ONGOING OR JUST MAKE A LIST OF SOME OF THOSE IMPACTS.
YOU JUST DO THAT AND YOU'VE GOT SOME, SOME, UM, POSTERS SHOT, POSTER SHOT, UH, POSTER PAPER FOR EACH TABLE, UM, IF YOU'D LIKE TO MAKE THE LIST.
SO, UM, MOVING INTO THAT DISCUSSION NEXT, UM, ABOUT THE IMPACTS IS WHAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO DO.
SO WE HAVE ABOUT 20 MINUTES FOR THAT.
SO OF THE THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT IN THIS, IN THIS CATEGORY, WHAT, LIKE, DIFFICULT IN THIS, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU, ABOUT WHAT DOES GOVERNMENT DO? SO JUST THINKING, JUST THINKING ABOUT WHAT THIS IS, THIS IS NEXT TO AN ORGANIZATION THAT
[02:15:24]
MY JOB IS TO DO IS TO SIT DOWN, MAKE A DECISION BASED TO MY DISCUSSION IS STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES TO NICK THAT'S TALKED ABOUT, BUT YOU, I MEAN TO[02:20:54]
NO WITH ALL, UM, ARE YOU OUT AND ABOUT, CAN YOU TAKE IT TO K ROAD? AND CHRISTINA, CHRISTINA, THANK YOU SO MUCH.WHERE ARE YOU WEAK? THE I I YOU GOTTA BE CRAZY.
YEAH, YOU GOTTA BE CRAZY, YOU KNOW, BUT I JUST, I CAN'T GET THIS, THIS DOESN'T TELL ME THAT
[02:26:23]
THE EQUATION TO START WITH, THEY WERE PUSHED, THEY'RE NOT ARGUING.[02:30:05]
SO YOU GATHERING, YOU GATHERING PEOPLE ARE ON CAMPUS.UM, WE HAD A, A GOOD MORNING THAT WE GOT STARTED WITH, UM, A, A DISCUSSION ABOUT GETTING STARTED LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR WHAT WE WERE GONNA BE DOING WITH REGARD TO STRATEGIC PLANNING, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT A PLAN COULD LOOK LIKE, UM, AND WILL LOOK LIKE A BIT ABOUT WHAT THESE DISCUSSIONS WILL BE LIKE, WHAT THE ROLE OF STAFF VERSUS COUNCIL OR ALL BOARD OF ALL OF THEM WOULD BE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE, UM, PLAN AND SOME SORTING OF GOALS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.
SO ALL OF THAT HAPPENED THIS MORNING BEFORE LUNCH.
AND UH, THEN WE HEARD SOME GROWTH AND TREND SLIDES FROM JESSICA IN TERMS OF KIND OF WHAT ARE SOME OF THE PROJECTIONS, WHAT ARE THE CHANGES THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN HAPPENING FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, UH, AND WHAT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU THINK WILL BE HAPPENING OR, UM, AND I THINK THIS IS A PERFECTLY GOOD TERM OR FIXING TO HAPPEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY THAT YOU BE PAYING ATTENTION TO.
UH, AND SO WE THEN TERMS THE RESPONSES THAT YOU ALL OFFERED IN THE, UM, PRE-RETREAT SURVEY.
UM, HAD A CHANCE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT THOSE THINGS AT YOUR TABLES AND REALLY HAVE CONVERSATION WITH, UM, WITH YOUR TABLE MATES ABOUT WHAT THOSE THINGS, UM, MEAN AND WHAT THEY COULD MEAN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO I'LL JUST NOTE THAT I'VE HUNG PIECES OF PAPER OVER HERE ABOUT THE, UH, IMPACTS, BECAUSE THEN YOU SWITCH TO THINKING ABOUT SOME OF THOSE POTENTIAL IMPACTS.
AND I KNOW WE HAVE SOME ON THE TIMELINE, UM, BUT I DON'T WANNA LOSE SOME OF THE NOTES THAT YOU MADE.
SO FOR THE VARIOUS TABLES, IF WE'VE GOT STICKY NOTES TO, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAPTURE THEM OVER HERE BEFORE WE LEAVE TODAY.
SO JUST DON'T WANT TO FORGET THOSE NOTES.
THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT.
UM, SOME OF THEM WERE POTENTIALLY NEGATIVE IMPACTS, SOME OF THEM WERE MAYBE NEUTRAL IMPACTS, SOME OF THEM COULD BE POSITIVE IMPACTS, UM, BUT ALL OF THEM, UH, HAVE A, UH, POTENTIAL IMPLICATION FOR YOUR COMMUNITY.
SOME OF THEM, I WOULD WONDER IF YOU DID NOTHING, IS THAT WHERE YOU, IS THAT WHERE YOU WANNA END UP? OR DO YOU WANT TO REALLY KIND OF THINK ABOUT CHANGING THE TRAJECTORY, UH, OF SOME OF THOSE TRENDS INTO A VISION THAT IS MORE CONSISTENT WITH THE ONE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO DEVELOP? UM, AND SO WE'RE SWITCHING A LITTLE BIT TO, UM, GO FROM THE TRENDS, WHETHER THEY'RE LOCAL, WHETHER THEY'RE NATIONAL, UM, OR EVEN
[02:35:01]
INTERNATIONAL OR WORLDWIDE, UM, TO SOMETHING MORE SPECIFIC.AND I ASKED YOU AS HOMEWORK, UM, TO FILL OUT YOUR A SOAR ANALYSIS, WHICH IS REALLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT WHAT KIND OF ASSETS DO YOU HAVE HERE, WHAT ARE THE STRENGTHS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY, UM, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT YOU HAVE GOING ON? IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN A SWOT ANALYSIS WHERE YOU MIGHT DO STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS.
THIS, UM, I ASK YOU TO SPEND ATTENTION ON THE STRENGTHS, OPPORTUNITIES, ASPIRATIONS, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU REALLY ASPIRE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND THEN WHAT RESULTS WILL YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE? UM, NOW I MAY HAVE COMPLICATED THINGS A LITTLE BIT.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DIDN'T GET THEM ALL CHANNELED IN ONE PARTICULAR AREA.
SO I GAVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT EITHER WHAT, WHAT YOU DO, HOW YOU DO IT, OR WHO IS DOING THAT KIND OF WORK.
IT'S OKAY IF YOU PUT THEM ALL IN ONE, ONE PAGE VERSUS ANOTHER PAGE.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TRYING TO MAKE SURE YOU GET A BROADER PERSPECTIVE THAN JUST, UM, EVERYTHING'S ABOUT HOW YOU DO OR WHAT YOU, THE WORK THAT YOU DO, WHAT YOU DO WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU DO IT.
SO FOR INSTANCE, THAT MIGHT BE A, THE TECHNOLOGY GROUP THAT WAS UP HERE, SOME OF THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS MIGHT HAVE A, UH, AN INFLUENCE ON HOW, ON HOW YOU DO YOUR BUSINESS, UM, USING TECHNOLOGY.
THAT COULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU DO YOUR WORK.
UM, THE, THE WHAT WORK YOU DO MIGHT BE, UM, EVEN SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, TO PREPARE FOR HURRICANES, HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS, UM, WHO YOU WORK WITH MIGHT BE, UH, AN EXAMPLE MIGHT BE THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
THAT WAS A DISCUSSION THAT WAS AT THE BACK TABLE.
UM, THINKING ABOUT, UM, HOW TO ENGAGE THE PUBLIC IN THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
UM, SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO NOW IS GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO REALLY DIG INTO YOUR RESPONSES.
SO FAR THEY'VE BEEN YOUR OWN PERSONAL RESPONSES AND I HOPE THAT YOU BROUGHT YOUR HOMEWORK WITH YOU.
UM, AND BECAUSE I, YES, YES, MOSTLY.
UM, UH, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY TALK THROUGH WITH YOUR TABLEMATES.
I'M GONNA PUT YOU BACK IN FOUR DIFFERENT TABLES, UM, ABOUT THOSE RESPONSES.
WHAT, WHAT WERE THE RESPONSES, UM, AND, AND WHAT ARE THE THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING FROM THOSE RESPONSES? UM, AND AGAIN, IN THAT SOAR, SO THE STRENGTH, OPPORTUNITIES, ASPIRATIONS AND RESULTS, UM, WHAT I'D LOVE TO HEAR IS WHAT ARE THE THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING AT YOUR TABLE IN TERMS OF THOSE PARTICULAR ASPECTS? UM, AND THEN THINKING, JUST AS YOU GO THROUGH THAT CONVERSATION, IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THOSE RESPONSES THAT SURPRISE YOU? UM, OR JUST GENERATE AN AWFUL LOT OF ENERGY.
UM, SO KIND OF WHAT'S BUBBLING UP, UM, FROM YOUR INDIVIDUAL IDEAS INTO YOUR GROUP IDEAS.
UM, SO THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO WITH YOU FOR THE NEXT, UH, LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW MANY MINUTES.
I'LL DO A TIME CHECK AND COME AROUND AND TELL YOU.
UM, BUT AGAIN, WHAT I WOULD ASK IS, SO WE HAVE, LOOKS LIKE THERE'S MAYBE TWO TABLES HERE THAT ARE STILL FULL OF STUFF.
MAYBE WE TAKE THESE OTHER FOUR TABLES, THE BACK ONE THERE, AND THEN THESE, THESE THREE TABLES HERE, UM, AND SPLIT UP.
AND AGAIN, WHAT I'M UH, WANTING YOU TO DO IS EVERYBODY GO THROUGH THE SOAR, RIGHT? SOAR, UM, AND JUST SEE WHAT THE RESPONSES THERE ARE.
PART OF WHAT, UM, THIS IS, IS AN OPPORTUNITY AGAIN, TO REALLY HEAR FROM THE STAFF THAT HAVE, UH, IDEAS AND PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SOME OF THIS FROM THE ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT HAVE, UM, A RESPONSIBILITY TO GOVERN AND SET A LONGER TERM, UH, VIEW, UH, AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER AND ENGAGE, UM, WITH ONE ANOTHER IN DIALOGUE.
SO THIS WILL BE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO DO THAT BEFORE WE THEN SHIFT AFTER AN HOUR INTO SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SO, UM, SINCE WE HAVE SIX 11TH OFFICIALS, TWO OF AT LEAST I LIKE AT LEAST ONE AT EACH TABLE, NO MORE THAN TWO.
UM, AND AGAIN, I'M NOT GONNA ASSIGN YOU A TABLE BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME TOPIC.
UM, BUT SO AS EVENLY AS YOU CAN TO DISTRIBUTE YOURSELF WOULD BE GREAT.
I'M GONNA PROBABLY SAY IT'S GONNA BE ABOUT 30 MINUTES FOR THIS DISCUSSION BEFORE I INTERJECT, BUT I'LL WALK AROUND AND MONITOR TIME YOUR HOMEWORK WITH YOU.
[02:40:17]
OH YES.I THINK WE NEED TO NOT MORE THAN FIVE THE TABLE.
I THINK THIS TABLE OVER HERE NEEDS.
SO LET'S, LET'S DO OUR HOMEWORK THAT, UM, DRAKE ASPIRATION ANALYSIS.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS AND JUST TALK CATEGORY BY CATEGORY.
HOW DID YOU RESPOND? HOW DID YOU CHANGE RESPOND? BE LISTENING FOR THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING IN EACH CATEGORY BECAUSE THAT'S, AGAIN, IF THERE'S AN ENERGY AROUND A CERTAIN TOPIC THAT'S WE WANT TO CAPTURE.
SO I'M GONNA SEE IF I CAN'T FIND DIFFERENT COLORS, DO NOTES 'CAUSE THE RED ONES ARE OBNOXIOUS.
UM, AND WHEN, AND SO THE THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING FOR THE STRIPES, THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING FOR THE OPPORTUNITIES, THEMES FROM THE ASPIRATIONS AND THEMES FROM THE RESULTS.
UM, AND THEN I'M GONNA FLIP THAT BOARD AROUND AND WE'LL, I THINK THAT SHOULD, THIS IS, THIS IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG.
YEAH, WE CAN, IT'S OKAY GENERATION, SO WE DON'T,
[02:45:34]
AND THEN THAT'S FINE.SO I ASKED YOU TO WHAT I LIKE ABOUT WHAT
[02:50:18]
SO GOOD TO, SO THE OPPORTUNITIES DO WE HAVE OH NO, WE CAN GO TO, IS THAT NO? YEAH.AND THEN I THINK THE, OKAY, ALRIGHT.
AND THEN I THINK WE, WE HERE PUT IT BACK IN A MORE LIKE COHESIVE MANNER, POTENTIALLY DO SOME SUPPORT WORK.
AGAIN, GETTING PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT DEVELOPING VISION MISSION.
I'VE GOT SOME SENSE OF THAT, THAT I'M JUST FEELING BIT RUSHED ANYWAY, BUT IT THEN I THINK WE'LL HAVE, WHAT WE ALSO DO IS THE DIRECTION.
AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE JUST SOME OF THE COMMENTS ABOUT TRANSPARENCY,
[02:56:01]
SO ASPIRATIONS FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ENHANCE COMMUNITY RISK REDUCTION IN TEST PROGRAMS, SERVICE STRENGTH, RELATIONSHIPS, INTERNAL.SO I HAD ALREADY WRITTEN SOMETHING SO I I
[03:00:28]
WE DON'T DO THIS AND I, MY TWO, WELL I WANTED THEM, I WANTED THEM TO, SO I'M NOT SURE HOW THEY'RE DOING IT.IF THEY'RE DOING PAGES THEY'RE DOING.
[03:09:36]
IF YOU HAVE,[03:10:05]
SO SOME OF THEM ACTUALLY HAVE, WELL IT, IT'S, YES, WE DO HAVE[03:15:49]
THURSDAY[03:24:35]
STARTED OUR ATTENTION TO.SO I HAVE TO ASK, UM, HOW, HOW WAS THAT TO TALK AT YOUR TABLE? INTERESTING.
[03:25:01]
WE ARE GONNA GIVE YOU, I'M GONNA THEN GIVE YOU MORE OPPORTUNITIES, BUT I THINK YOU DON'T GET A CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES ALL THAT OFTEN.UM, SO, UH, WE, WE WILL CONTINUE ALONG THAT LINE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA GO AND CAPTURE SOME OF THIS.
SO BEFORE I, I FORGET AGAIN, OUR EMAILS ARE UP HERE.
UM, MINE IS LIVING@SOG.UNC.EDU AND MARIAH IS M-K-C-A-N-U P@UNC.EDU.
SO IF YOU HAVE AN ELECTRONIC VERSION, THAT'D BE GREAT TO SEND IT.
IF YOU DON'T AND YOU HAVE A PAPER VERSION, WANT TO LEAVE IT, WE'LL TAKE THAT.
SO REST ASSURED ONE THING, THERE'S A LOT OF DATA WE ARE GENERATING TODAY AND WE'RE GONNA CAPTURE IT AND IT'S GONNA COME BACK TO YOU IN A FORMAT THAT I THINK I HOPE WILL NOT OVERWHELM YOU.
SO IT IS A LOT OF DATA GENERATION, UM, AND IT'S A GOOD START AND WE'LL, WE'LL WORK ON MAKING MORE SENSES THAT BRINGING BACK TO YOU.
SO, BUT THOSE TWO THINGS WOULD REALLY HELP US IF YOU HAVE IT ELECTRONICALLY GRAY.
AND IF NOT, JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT A PAPER COPY JUST FOR THE SAKE OF, I THINK IT'S GREAT WISDOM THAT YOU'VE GENERATED AND YOU'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN'T CAPTURE SOME OF IT.
SO WE CAN BEGIN TO KIND OF FILL UP THE BOARD A LITTLE BIT AND SEE WHAT THE THEMES ARE EMERGING EVEN ACROSS GROUPS.
SO I'M GONNA ASK FOR, UM, STARTING WITH THE STRENGTHS THREE THAT CAME UP AS THEMES IN YOUR GROUP AND THEN THREE MORE AND THEN THREE MORE AND THEN THREE MORE UNTIL WE BUILD, BUILD UP THE STRENGTHS.
UM, SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS GROUP, OKAY, I'LL GIVE YOU THREE OF OURS.
UH, RELIABILITY, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WELL-TRAINED PROFESSIONAL STAFF.
OKAY, SO YOU MAY HAVE SOME THAT SAME, I DON'T KNOW, BUT DO YOU HAVE THREE DIFFERENT, UH, WE HAVE UH, PROVIDE A FULL SERVICE AT A LOW COST, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS PRETTY GOOD.
UM, SIMILAR TO WHAT JORDAN SAID.
UH, GREAT PEOPLE, BUT WE ALSO INCLUDED CITIZENS, NOT JUST EMPLOYEES.
UM, WE ARE ABLE TO REACH CONSENSUS THAT IS A STRENGTH.
AND BY WE WHO DO YOU MEAN BY WE? THAT'S ONE OF THE, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? I BELIEVE IT WAS THE BOARD OF ALDERMEN.
HE WAS ABLE TO REACH CONSENSUS.
AND READ ADDITIONAL ONES UNDER STRENGTHS FROM THAT TABLE.
UM, DEPARTMENT'S WORKING WELL TOGETHER.
WE HAVE LIKE FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, THE CULTURE STRENGTH, FIBER, TRUCTURE, FIBER STRUCTURE, LIKE VISIBLE.
HOLD YOU READY AT THREE? I HAVE THROWN THAT ONE.
SO WHAT ABOUT FOR THIS TABLE? WE HAD EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID, BUT WE HAD, UM, GOOD AT COMMUNITY OUTREACH, PROTECTING THE PUBLIC FROM EMERGENCIES AND BEING ADAPTABLE.
OKAY, SO COMMUNITY OUTREACH, PROTECTING FROM EMERGENCIES AND, AND ADAPTABILITY.
CHARLIE WOULD LIKE, WE ALREADY THREE, BUT CHARLIE WORKS ON A DIFFERENT KIND OF BUDGET, BUT HE SAID HE'S GREAT AT CREATING A, HE'S VERY PROFIT'S.
ALRIGHT, WELL THEN LET'S JUST, WE'LL TAKE ONE EXIT THERE THEN WE'LL GO BACK TO THIS ONE.
SO DID YOU REALLY SAY, SO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY IS ANOTHER STRENGTH ALSO YOU SAID GREAT AT CREATING REVENUE.
IS THAT, AND THAT'S DIFFERENT.
WHAT DOES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY MEANS? THIS TABLE ON JUST BEING CAREFUL OF UH, HOW WE SPEND OUR, OUR MONEY.
AND WAS THERE ANOTHER STRENGTH HERE? UM, YES.
WE PROVIDE VIABLE SOLUTIONS TO COMMUNITY PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS.
ANYTHING ELSE TO ADD HERE? RESPONSE RESPONS.
SO SCHOOL GOVERNOR, WE BROUGHT OURSELVES IN THAT AND FRANKLY, SOMETIMES THAT FEELS LIKE BURNOUT TOO.
[03:30:01]
ANYTHING ELSE THAT BUBBLED UP IN YOUR, IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS AROUND STRENGTHS THAT YOU DON'T SEE UP HERE? ALL RIGHT, WONDERFUL.NOW THE QUESTION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES, SO I'M GONNA START HERE AND GO BACKWARDS AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK SO YOU ALL GET THREE.
WHAT ARE SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT USED BE BEFORE YOU AT THIS POINT? UM, THERE IS A HIGH VOLUME OF GRANT FUNDING OUT THERE RIGHT NOW AND I'M GONNA BUMP THAT THREE YEARS AGO.
WE ALSO HAVE THAT, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTNERS.
AND DID YOU SEE HOW I'VE JUST MADE THAT, THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY, RIGHT? THAT'S GREAT.
UH, I DON'T LIKE THE DEFICIT THINKING.
I THINK THAT IS AN OPPORTUNITY.
UH, UH, PARTNERSHIPS FOR COST SHARING, UM, IN IMPLEMENTING FIBER, UM, SHARE FIBER SYSTEM AGREEMENT.
I'LL USE FOR SHARED FIBER SYSTEM AGREEMENT.
WILL THAT GENERATE REVENUE? YES.
UM, OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAMS TO SOLVE ISSUES.
OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP A CULTURE OF COMMUNICATION.
THE THIRD ONE YOU ALREADY SAID, UM, INVOLVING OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
WELL, WE HAVE DEVELOPED A, UM, ONE STOP SHOP MODEL IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS FOR PROCESSES.
LIKE IN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES OR SOMETHING? YEAH.
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF PROJECTED URBAN GROWTH.
AND OVER HERE, UM, WE HAVE NEW BURNS, GEOGRAPHY AND LOCATION AS AN OPPORTUNITY.
THE, THE FUTURE I 42 WE'RE HALFWAY BETWEEN RALEIGH AND THE COAST, UM, GROWING OUR TAX BASE.
WE ALSO HAD, UH, GRANT FUNDING LIKE THE TABLE OVER HERE.
UM, AND ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS THAT CAME UP WAS FOR OUR TAGLINE, EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER HERE TO BECOME MORE GENUINE.
AND WHAT, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY MORE GENDER? EVERYTHING DOES, IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S A STORY BEHIND THAT.
EVERYTHING THAT IS NOT, I MEAN, EVERYTHING, MEANING WHATEVER OUR CITY PROVIDES, WHATEVER WE OFFER, THAT IT IS ACROSS ALL SOCIAL ECONOMICS TO ALL PEOPLE, EVERYTHING COMES TOGETHER HERE.
THE ECONOMICS, THE, SO NOW I THINK I UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE YOU'RE EARLIER IN THE CONVERSATION, UH, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WAS, UH, ABOUT INEQUITY, SO YOU'RE SAYING EVERY, EVERY ONE HAS EVERYTHING OPPORTUNITY.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
AND FROM THIS TABLE, YOU HAVE THREE TO ADD.
UH, ADOPT AND UTILIZE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES.
UH, EXPAND AND, AND IMPROVE, UH, SERVICES OFFERED.
WAS IT PARTICULAR SERVICES OR KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD? THAT COULD BE A CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE THROUGH OUR, OUR ENTERPRISE FUNDS.
THAT COULD BE A RECREATION PROGRAM.
NEW SERVICE BANK, UM, AND REHABILITATION AND EXPANSION OF INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEM.
UM, AND DO YOU HAVE ANY, I CAN HEAR YOU.
UM, TAKING ADVANTAGE OF TURNOVER TO FRESH PERSPECTIVE AND SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM LEGACY
[03:35:01]
A WAVE EVAPORATING.SO THE NEW, THE NEW FOLKS ARE NOT NECESSARILY EXPERIENCED, BUT THEY FRESH EYES.
WHO HAS ANOTHER ONE TO ADD? DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.
SO PAPER IN A PARTICULAR AREA OR GETTING RID OF PAPER.
I SAW THAT SEVERAL TIMES IN THE, CAN I, CAN I ADD TO THIS? YEAH.
UM, OPTIMIZE OUR PREVIOUS INVESTMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY.
OPTIMIZE PREVIOUS INVESTMENTS.
ARE YOU THINKING SOMETHING SPECIFIC? UH, LEGACY SYSTEMS. UM, UTILIZING THEM, OPTIMIZING THEM, THINGS WE'VE ALREADY INVESTED IN ANOTHER ONE.
WHEN YOU SAY OPTIMIZE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LIKE CONDUCTING DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OR SOMETHING? NOT INTEGRATING SO MUCH, BUT, UM, UTILIZING, MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
JUST SOME OF THE THINGS THAT'S IN MICROSOFT OFFICE, THE TOOLS THAT ARE ACTUALLY EXIST, WE ACTUALLY ARE ALL USING WHAT WE'VE ALREADY SPENT MONEY ON, NOT MAKE UP REASONS TO USE 'EM, NOT MAKE UP REASONS TO USE THEM, BUT SETTING AN EXPECTATION ABOUT USING 'EM.
BUT REALLY, UM, USING THOSE TOOLS THAT ARE ALREADY AVAILABLE TO US.
I THINK A BIG PART IS JUST MAKING PEOPLE AWARE THAT ACTUAL TOOLS EXIST THAT CAN HELP THEM DO WHATEVER THEY'RE DOING.
AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAME UP AT YOUR TABLES.
THEN THE SHIFT THEN INTO ASPIRATIONS.
I'M GONNA START WITH THIS TABLE NOW AND THEN MOVE.
ONE OF OURS WAS KEEP OUR CHARM.
WHEN YOU SAY THAT, DOES EVERYBODY UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS? HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR CHARM? YOU CAN'T TURN? I THINK IT MEANS A LOT OF THINGS TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A QUALITY OF LIFE HERE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT IS OUR GEOGRAPHY, IT IS OUR LEVEL OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MOST OFTEN WHEN YOU CALL THE CITY, THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, A DIGITAL VOICE.
YOU KNOW, YOU GET TO A PERSON AND, UM, THAT SMALL TOWN FEEL.
MAYBE WE'LL HOLD ON THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE'LL HAVE CHECKS TO EXPLORE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE IN THAT, UM, IN THIS CONVERSATION.
DO YOU HAVE TWO TO ADD? DO, UM, CROSS TRAINING AND SUCCESSION PAYMENT? THAT'S WHAT YOU ASPIRE TO? THAT WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE.
WHAT ABOUT FOR HERE? YOU HAVE THE LIST TWO FROM YOUR LIST.
UH, INVEST MORE HUMAN CAPITAL.
AND IS THAT AN INSPIRATION? IS THAT, UH, IN SPECIFIC OR JUST IN GENERAL? UH, IN EMPLOYEES.
BUT I MEAN PAY, IS IT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? IS IT, IT'S COMMUNICATION TRAINING CAME UP SPECIFICALLY.
SO I GUESS WE COULD, THEY INVEST MORE IN COMMUNICATION TRAINING FOR, FOR STAFF.
UM, WE, WE ALL HAVE REALLY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, SO SOME OF THESE ARE VERY SPECIFIC.
UM, CREATED A SHARED VISION THAT EVERYONE CAN BUY INTO, MEANING EVERYONE THAT WORKS HERE CAN BUY INTO.
AND TWO, FROM THE STAND, UH, WE GOTTA BUILD STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CITIZENS AND ENHANCE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF WORKFORCE.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT LIKE WHAT YOU SAID, UM, BUT MAYBE A TWO, TWO FROM THE TABLE.
UH, IN FOR ASPIRATIONS STILL, RIGHT? YEAH.
UM, KIND OF SIMILAR TO WHAT JESSE WAS SAYING, ADVANCED LEADERSHIP TRAINING.
I HAVE, UM, COORDINATED EFFORTS WITH PLANNING AND KNOWING WHEN TO INVOLVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
[03:40:01]
ABILITY, DIVERSITY ISSUES, PROBLEMS. PROACTIVE.YOU HAVE A SECOND? NO, I, I SAID ALL NOW.
WHO ELSE HAS MORE TO ADD? YES.
JUST ONE THAT WE DID HAVE WAS TO REMAIN TRANSPARENT.
AND WHAT DOES THAT, THIS IS, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE BUZZ WORDS.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU? AT LEAST FOR ME, IT IS THAT WHOLE THING THAT OUR CITIZENS, UH, HOW WE OPERATE IS OPEN AND HONEST TO OUR CITIZENS.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE A TAKE ON THAT? SIX.
AND YOU HAVE, THIS IS VERY ENTERPRISE SPECIFIC, BUT BASICALLY FINANCIAL ENTERPRISE INCREASING REVENUE.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.
INCREASE REVENUES, ALL THOUGHTS AND REVENUES.
UM, ANY OTHER ASPIRATIONS? YES, I, I THREW THIS IN RIGHT AT THE END OF OUR SESSION, SO WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO DISCUSS IT.
UM, BUT AS AN ELECTED OFFICIAL, SOMEONE COMING OUT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, ONE OF MY ASPIRATIONS IS, IS THE CITY OPERATES UNDER A COUNCIL MANAGE FORM OF GOVERNMENT, BUT ARE WE TRULY OPERATING AS A COUNCIL MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT? AND SAY MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT LAST PART.
ARE YOU OPERATING WELL, IT'S ONE THING TO SAY THAT YES, WE'RE A COUNCIL MANAGER, FORMER GOVERNMENT, BUT THE QUESTION THAT I'M RAISING IS, ARE WE ACTUALLY OPERATING TRULY AS A COUNCIL MANAGER FOR THE GOVERNMENT? AND THEN IF NOT, WHY NOT? WHY AREN'T WE, WHERE ARE WE? AND IS THERE A DESIRE TO MAKE CHANGES? WHY DO YOU RAISE, WHAT, WHAT LEADS YOU TO RAISE THE QUESTION? IT, IT IS A BELIEF THAT I HAVE THAT A COUNCIL MANAGER FORM OF GOVERNMENT IS THE SINGLE BEST FORM OF GOVERNMENT FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
NOW THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU HAVE 5,000, 10,000, OUR MANY COMMUNITIES WE HAVE IN THE UNITED STATES, IT'S NOT FOR EVERY COMMUNITY, BUT THAT'S, YOU KNOW, LARGELY IT IS THE MOST PROFESSIONAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT THAT WE CAN HAVE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
AND I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THAT COMING FROM THAT INDUSTRY.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE NEW GOVERNMENT OPERATING, TRULY HAVE THE COUNCIL MANAGEMENT FROM GOVERNMENT.
I DON'T THINK WE'RE THERE NOW, SO I JUST KIND WHETHER OR NOT ANYBODY ELSE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AND IDENTIFY WHERE WE'RE FALLING SHORT AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO ELEVATE OURSELVES AS AN ORGANIZATION.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WHAT THIS, IF I'M ASKING A QUESTION THAT'S STEPPING IN IT OR NOT, BUT IT, SEE, IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THERE'S AN ASSUMPTION THAT THERE'S SOMETHING MISSING FROM WHAT YOU WOULD SAY IS ACTUALLY OPERATING IN THAT WAY.
AND A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO THOSE OF US WHO ARE ELECTED OFFICIALS.
I'M NOT SURE WHERE ELSE SHE NEEDS RAISE THIS QUESTION.
I JUST BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE I WAS INTERESTED IN HEARING FROM THE PROFESSIONAL STAFF, YOU KNOW, AS TO HOW THEY DO THAT, THAT QUESTION.
AND I ONLY HAD AN OPPORTUNITY, YOU KNOW, JUST TO RAISE IN A COUPLE MINUTES TIME, SO WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO DISCUSS THAT, BUT YES, THERE.
YEAH, I JUST, FROM A, FROM A CITY PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF AN INSPIRATION ASPIRATION ON MENTAL HEALTH FROM WITHIN THE WORKFORCE FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AS IT SPURS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY.
BECAUSE IF WE GET A CONTROL OF A LOT OF THE MENTAL
[03:45:01]
HEALTH ISSUES, WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.AND, AND I MEAN, IT GOES FOR POLICE, FIRE, ALL, ALL, UM, AGENCIES WITHIN THE CITY AND KNOW MENTAL HEALTH IS, IS BECOMING, I MEAN, RIGHT ON DOWN TO DRUG OVERDOSE, EVERYTHING.
THANK YOU FOR THAT, THAT ADDITION.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE ON ASPIRATIONS BEFORE YOU MOVE TO RESULTS? YOU HAVE ONE MORE.
WE HAVE OUR EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND, UM, SO YOU ASPIRE TO RETAIN MORE THAN YOU CURRENTLY DO? MM-HMM.
AND THEN THE, THE, THE LAST QUESTION IS AROUND RESOLVE.
UM, I'M GONNA LET THAT BACK TABLE GO FIRST.
THIS TIME WE HAD TWO, RIGHT? TWO.
UM, LONG TERM PLANNING WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS.
AND COORDINATED EFFORTS WITH PLANNING AND KNOWING WHEN TO INVOLVE OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUSINESSES AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
ADDRESSING IT IN A MORE PROACTIVE APPROACH, BASICALLY.
SO SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH LONG TERM PLANNING THAN OTHERS.
WHY OTHERS? YOU MEAN OUTSIDE OF THE ORGANIZATION? YEAH.
AND SOME OF IT IS MORE OF AN INTERNAL MM-HMM,
UM, SHARE CAME AT THE TABLE WAS BETTER ACCESS TO DATA AND INFORMATION SHARING AND SOME QUALITY BENCHMARKING AND CLEAR GUIDANCE PROVIDED FOR ALL FOR RESULTS, LIKE TO GET OUT THIS EXERCISE.
UM, HOW ABOUT FOR THIS TABLE? WE HAD, UH, BECOME MORE PROACTIVE INSTEAD OF REACTIVE ON OPERATIONAL ISSUES.
IS THAT THE SAME AS WHAT YOU HAVE UP AT THERE ALREADY? PROACTIVE APPROACH? YES.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE GOT A SUCCESSION PLAN AND BUILDING A SUCCESSION PLAN IN CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLANS.
WE DID NOT GET TO FINISH RESULTS, SO WE REALLY DON'T HAVE VERY MUCH.
BUT, UM, INCREMENTAL POPULATION IN ECONOMIC GROWTH.
INCREMENTAL POPULATION NOT GROWING TOO FAST.
I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA BE SLATE.
HOW DO YOU SPELL THAT? I TOTALLY A-S-T-H-E-T-S-C-S
UM, MORE LUCRATIVE JOB OPPORTUNITIES.
AND ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITYWIDE COMMUNITY? YES.
SINCE I'M KIND OF LOST TRACK OF WHERE I'M NOW, WHO WANTS TO GO NEXT?
REVENUES BEING EXPENSE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, ANY OTHER RESULTS? WE WERE DISCUSSED AT YOUR TABLE? JUST TO BRING UP ONE THING, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT LONG TERM PLANNING AND PROACTIVE APPROACH, WE, I ACTUALLY TALKED ABOUT URBAN PLANNING, UM, SPECIFICALLY INTERDISCIPLINARY, YOU KNOW, INCLUDES INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVE TO.
SO WHEN YOU SAY URBAN PLANNING, BEYOND THE ICE STRUCTURE, THE INFRASTRUCTURE, WELL THERE, I MEAN THERE'S A OBVIOUS, YOU KNOW, WATER, SEWER, ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION, NOT JUST ROADS, BUT BUSING AND UH, BIKE PATHS, SIDEWALKS, THOSE SORTS.
AND NOT JUST BY DEVELOPMENT, BUT A CITYWIDE SOLUTION.
WE ALSO FOR RESULTS FOR, BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE, UH, HISTORIC PRESERVATION
[03:50:02]
ALONG WITH THE PEOPLE THAT LIKE PART OF THAT CHARM.AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAME UP? I'M SENSING ENERGY LU IN THE ROOM.
FROM YOUR TABLE CONVERSATIONS, WHICH, WHAT OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'VE LISTED UP HERE, WHICH ONES SEEM TO GENERATE THE MOST ENERGY IN YOUR CONVERSATIONS?
WE GOT YOUR FEE AT YOUR TABLE.
TALKING ABOUT THE STRENGTHS OF THE, IT'S EASY TO SEE THE GOOD THINGS THAT YOU HAVE ALL YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES, YOU GOTTA ACCEPT THAT YOU ARE FALLING SHORT SOMEWHERE.
SO, AND THAT'S NOT THE, SO OPPORTUNITIES I WOULD SAY ARE NOT JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WEAKNESSES NECESSARILY, BUT I DO THINK THAT THEY ARE REALLY TIMED OPPORTUNITIES, PLACE OPPORTUNITIES, JUST, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THAT IS BEING CREATED FOR YOU.
UM, WERE THERE PARTICULAR TOPICS THAT WERE ENERGIZING OR THAT YOU FELT WERE COMPELLING THAT CAME OUT OF THIS CONVERSATION? I MEAN, LIKE, YEAH, REVENUES, UH, BUT, BUT, BUT LIKE, YOU'D WANNA GO PUT AN ASTERISK UP NEXT TO IT TO SAY THIS WAS REALLY A GOOD, GREAT THING AT OUR TABLE.
WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME OR ENERGY OR WE SAID A LOT ABOUT STAFF DEVELOPMENT, LIKE MAKING SURE ALL OUR STAFF ARE GROWING WITH KNOWLEDGE AND PROFESSIONALISM.
LIKE THAT WAS A COMMON THING AND ALL STUFF.
WE, I THINK USING TECHNOLOGY, UH, FOR CAME UP OR FOR EVERYTHING FROM EVERYONE SOMEHOW.
INFORMATION SHARING AND COMMUNICATION IS A LOT OF DISCUSSION AROUND THAT.
SO, UH, YEAH, I CAN REMEMBER ALL.
SO, INVESTMENT IN YOUR PEOPLE.
UM, I FORGOT WHAT YOU JUST SAID.
AND YOU GONNA RAISE YOUR HAND, GIVE ANOTHER ONE? NO, I WAS JUST GONNA SUM IT UP AND PUT FIVE STARS UP THERE.
WE TRAINED OUR PEOPLE, UH, WE COMMUNICATE WITH THEM, WE HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM, WE CROSS TRAIN ALL OF THAT, THEN LET'S TRY AND KEEP 'EM AND LET'S PROMOTE FROM WITHIN.
AND THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT RETENTION FOR SURE.
UM, I HOPE THAT THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO REALLY THINK THROUGH AND LAY GROUNDWORK BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT A LOT TO WORK WITH.
YOU HAVE, UM, UH, SOME COMMON VISIONS HERE.
I MEAN THAT, THOSE SEEM TO BE EVIDENT.
WERE THEY NOT? LIKE A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS KEPT COMING UP IN YOUR, IN YOUR GROUPS.
UM, AND THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF ENERGY AND A LOT TO WORK WITH HERE.
I'M GONNA, I THINK, TAKE A LITTLE BREAK FOR SOME REASON.
DIDN'T PUT IT IN THE AFTERNOON.
UM, BUT WHEN YOU COME BACK, LET ME JUST SAY THAT WHAT I WANNA DO IS PUT YOU IN TWO CARES TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONVERSATION THAN ABOUT ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT ALREADY THIS MORNING.
THINKING ABOUT THE, THE, THE TRENDS THAT ARE OUT THERE, BOTH AT THE LOCAL LEVEL AND AT THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LEVEL.
THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THAT YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH AND THE THINGS THAT YOU ASPIRE TO.
I'M GONNA, WE'LL DO IT WHEN WE GET BACK.
I REALLY GONNA PUT YOU FORWARD THINKING INTO THE FUTURE AND, AND KNOWING ALL OF THIS, THEN WHAT'S THE FUTURE THAT YOU WOULD DESIGN FOR YOUR COMMUNITY? SO, UM, THAT'S WHERE WE'LL PICK UP.
UM, AND I ALSO WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT PAIRING UP WITH SOMEONE WHO YOU JUST DON'T HAVE A CHANCE TO GET TO TALK TO VERY OFTEN TODAY, UH, OR OVER THE COURSE OF WHATEVER.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL END TODAY ON THAT, WITH THAT CONVERSATION AND SOME, SOME DEBRIEFING ON THAT.
UM, SO I'M GONNA SAY ABOUT, I HAVE FIVE AFTER ISH, SO ABOUT TWO 17.
IT, I, BEFORE YOU DO THAT, I WANNA BASICALLY SET UP THIS LAST CONVERSATION.
UM, IT'S, IT'S BEEN A LOT TODAY AND I'M GONNA, UH, WE'RE GONNA END AGAIN WITH A LOT.
SO I WILL JUST REPEAT, I WANT YOU TO, TO, UH, LEAD INTO THESE CONVERSATIONS.
YOU MAY WANNA TAKE SOME NOTES FOR YOURSELF BECAUSE I'M GONNA PAIR YOU UP WITH SOMEONE.
AND IF WE WERE A PAIR, I WOULD ASK ALL THE THRILL MY QUESTIONS ON MY INTERVIEW AND I WOULD HAVE ON WHAT I AFFECTIONATELY FOLLOWED MY KIDS, MY LISTENING EARS BECAUSE, AND I MIGHT TAKE SOME NOTES BECAUSE I'M GONNA THEN BE RESPONSIBLE
[03:55:01]
FOR REPRESENTING HIS VIEWPOINT IN ANOTHER SMALL GROUP CONVERSATION AFTER THIS INTERVIEW.AND THEN WE'LL SWITCH AND HE'LL GET A CHANCE TO ASK ME QUESTIONS.
AND THE REASON I'M ASKING YOU TO DO IT THIS WAY IS I REALLY WANT YOU TO LISTEN INTENTLY.
I HAVE TO SAY, SOMETIMES WE, UH, MIGHT BE HAVING A CONVERSATION AND I'M HALF LISTENING TO MAYBE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY, BUT REALLY I'M THINKING ABOUT WHAT I WANNA SAY NEXT.
AND I'M SAYING SUSPEND THAT TEMPTATION.
PLEASE REALLY LISTEN AND ENGAGE WITH WHAT YOUR PARTNER IS TELLING YOU, BECAUSE I'M ASKING YOU TO THINK REALLY FORWARD AND LONG TERM.
UM, AND SETTING THIS CONVERSATION UP AS IF IT WERE HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE, WHICH IS A DIFFICULT SPOT TO BE, IS TO IMAGINE THE FUTURE, UM, THAT WE'VE NOT SEEN YET.
UM, BUT WE'VE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FUTURE THAT IT, THAT COULD BE, LET'S DREAM A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FUTURE THAT YOU WANNA HAVE.
UM, AND SO IN YOUR PAIRS, UM, OF ALL OF THE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU REALLY HOLD DEAR ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO RE, RE RE RE RETAIN FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS? SO, AND HAVING JUST MARRIED OFF A DAUGHTER AND HAVE ONE ALREADY MARRIED, AND I'M THINKING, OH, GRANDKIDS, THAT'D BE FUN.
SO IN 20 YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WOULD I, AND IF THEY LIVED HERE IN NEWBURGH, WHAT WOULD I WANT THAT TO LOOK LIKE FOR THEM? YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOUR 20 YEAR LANDLORD, YOU KNOW, UH, UH, BENCHMARK IS THINKING ABOUT THAT.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'D LIKE TO PRESERVE FOR FU FUTURE FOLKS GOING FORWARD? AND THEN I WANT YOU TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE WOULD BE LIKE IN SAY, 15 YEARS.
THAT'S 2038, RIGHT? I'M NOT GOING TO MATH, BUT I THINK I GOT THAT.
WHAT DO YOU SEE, AND I WANT YOU TO REALLY THINK ABOUT QUITE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
SO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHAT SUCCESSES HAVE YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS YIELDED FOR YOU? UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF THE COMMUNITY 15 YEARS FROM NOW? WHAT IS THE PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE GROUND AND BELOW GROUND? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT'S THE STATE OF THAT? AND WHAT, IN, IN 15 YEARS, WHAT ARE YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS SAYING ABOUT HOW YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT DOES ITS WORK? UM, WHAT DO YOU WANNA HEAR THEM SAY? WHAT'S THE PREVAILING MOVE AMONGST YOUR EMPLOYEES? UM, AND THEN SHIFT A LITTLE BIT, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE CITY'S ROLE IN CREATING THE VISION THAT YOU DESCRIBED? UM, BECAUSE THAT I THINK, SPEAKS A LITTLE BIT TO THE SPECIFICS OF THE, OF THE MISSION OF YOUR, OF YOUR ORGANIZATION.
AND THEN LET'S JUST IMAGINE THAT IT'S 10 YEARS FROM TODAY.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, SOMEBODY FROM OUR STATE MAGAZINE COMES TO INTERVIEW YOU BECAUSE NEW BERN IS THE HOT NEW PLACE TO BE.
I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT YOU WOULD DESCRIBE, UH, IN NORTH CAROLINA AS THAT, UH, NOW, BUT IN, IN 10 YEARS FROM NOW, LET'S ASSUME IT'S NEW BERN AND EVERYBODY'S CLAMORING TO FIGURE OUT HOW ALL THAT VIBRANCY CAME TO HAPPEN.
AND YOU'RE GIVING AN INTERVIEW AND YOU'RE, AND SOMEBODY SAYS, WELL, WELL, WHAT IS IT THAT THE STAFF AND THE ELECTED OFFICIALS DID BACK IN 2023 OR 2024, BUT IN THE NEAR TERM TO MAKE ALL THAT HAPPEN? SO IT'S A FILL IN THE BLANK.
YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT BIG ROCK DECISIONS THEY MADE OR THE ACTIONS THEY TOOK OR THE POLICIES THEY PUT IN PLACE AND BY BIG ROCK.
AND I DON'T KNOW IF EVERYBODY'S FAMILIAR WITH THAT, BUT YOU KNOW, LET'S ASSUME YOU HAVE A CONTAINER AND YOU HAVE BIG, SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE ROCKS AND YOU PUT ALL OF YOUR, UM, LITTLE ROCKS IN AND THEN TRY TO GET THE MEDIUM AND THE BIG ONES IN.
THE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO PUT YOUR BIG ONES IN FIRST.
FILL IN AROUND THE EDGES WITH THE MEDIUM AND THE SMALL ONES, AND THEN YOU CAN GET THEM TO FIT.
AND THIS IS THE SAME THING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
MAYBE IT'S A FORK IN THE ROAD.
WHAT ARE THE BIG THINGS YOU NEED TO DO NOW? AND THAT'S WHAT THE FOCUS IS.
AND YOU CAN FILL IN WITH THE FLOODING IN SOME PARTICULAR AREA OF THE COMMUNITY OR THE THIS OR THE THAT, WHATEVER.
THOSE SMALLER ROCK ARE BIG TO SOME PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY.
BUT FOR THE SCHEME OF THINGS IN YOUR ENTIRE CITY, NOT JUST A WARD, NOT JUST TWO WARDS, BUT THE ENTIRE CITY.
WHAT ARE THE BIG ROCK THINGS THAT YOU, THAT YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE HAPPENED NOW? AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE TELLING THIS REPORTER ABOUT, RIGHT? SO IT'S A, IT IS REALLY A TRY TO THINK FORWARD ABOUT HOW YOU'VE CREATED THE SUCCESS.
WHAT IS THE SUCCESS YOU WANT AND HOW DO YOU CREATE THAT SUCCESS? OKAY? SO, UM, THIS IS THE HARDEST THING ALL DAY.
GO FIND A PARTNER, ONE THAT YOU DON'T, DON'T GET A CHANCE TO TALK TO OR WOULD LIKE TO JUST HAVE MORE CONVERSATION WITH.
AND I'M GONNA SUGGEST THAT YOU HAVE 20 MINUTES EACH.
SO THIS IS A CHUNK OF TIME TODAY, 20 MINUTES EACH OR THEREABOUTS FOR THIS CONVERSATION.
AGAIN, AN INTERVIEW, LOOK, AN INTERVIEW, YOU CAN DO IT IN HERE.
[04:00:01]
CAN DO IT OUT THERE.I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE OTHER SPACES.
UM, BUT LET'S SEE IF WE CAN RECONVENE IN HERE AT 3 0 5.
YOU, AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, YOU, YOU CAN DO IT ANYWAY.
YOU COULD DO A, AN ELECTIVE CONVERSATION, A STAFF CONVERSATION, JUST IS IT A REAL OPPORTUNITY TO KIND SHARE YOUR VISION? SO I MIGHT EVEN ENCOURAGE YOU TO DO IT WITH YOUR FELLOW FOLKS WHERE SOMEONE ELSE IS NOT HERE.
TAKE I'M, I CAN ONLY, ONLY YOU CAN DO.
HOPEFULLY THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU TELL.
[04:07:25]
WHAT DO YOU SEE? IT REALLY DEPENDS.[04:11:10]
HAVE SPECIFIC,[04:16:20]
I THINK[04:21:56]
THAT'S THE, I THINK[04:27:21]
THE VEGETATION, I THINK THAT YEAH.[04:30:35]
AND IT LOOKS ALL DAY 12 AND IT TAKES SOMEBODY, THERE'S TWO BIG, YEAH, I HEARD YOU SAY BECAUSE HE WAS RECREATION STUFF, THEY PRETTY, PRETTY MUCH THE SAME SATURDAY AND THEN AND WORKING HAVE,[04:35:27]
SO THE, AN PART OF FILL BLANK, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS OR ACTIONS POLICIES, Y'ALL, YOU HAVE TO SHARE WITH OTHER GROUPS.SO HOW Y'ALL, UM, I'M NOT SURE.
I THINK HERE'S WHAT I PROBABLY AWAY.
I THINK, AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE HAVE THE TIME TO DO HOMEWORK THAT'LL SHIFT MAJOR PARTS.
WE STILL HAVE ALL OF WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TOMORROW AND MAYBE SOME VALUE, YOU SAY THE INCREASE, BUT IT IS A REALLY BIG,
[04:41:03]
I APPRECIATE, I KNOW PEOPLE WORK IN DIFFERENT PLACES, BUT I THINK WE'RE ALL DONE.UM, WE'RE GONNA PULL BACK TOGETHER FOR JUST A MINUTE AND THEN I KNOW THIS FEELS A LITTLE BIT REPETITIVE.
THIS IS A PROCESSES WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR MUCH OF TODAY, WHICH IS TO THEN DEBRIEF IN SMALL GROUPS.
BUT I TOLD YOU WHAT, WHAT I WANTED YOU TO DO IS REALLY LISTEN TO YOUR PARTNER AND I WANT YOU TO BE IN A SMALL GROUP WITHOUT YOUR PARTNER.
THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS, JUST LIKE WE, UM, PUT UP ALL OF THE VARIOUS RESPONSES IS TO SEE KIND OF HOW MUCH COMMONALITY THERE IS IN THE ROOM.
UM, SO OUR INTENTION NEXT IS TO PUT YOU IN A SMALL GROUP WITHOUT YOUR PARTNER, AND THAT YOU ARE THEN GONNA BE SHARING YOUR PARTNER'S VIEWPOINT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU, THREE OF YOU'RE GONNA WORK THIS OUT, THAT'S UP TO YOU.
UM, YOUR VIEWPOINT WILL PROBABLY COME OUT ANYWAY, BUT I REALLY DO WANT YOU TO TRY AND REPRESENT YOUR, YOUR PARTNER'S VIEWPOINT, UM, IN THIS PERSPECTIVE.
AND, AND THAT WAY THEN YOUR VOICE CAN BE MULTIPLIED BEYOND THE ONE PERSON THAT YOU SPOKE WITH TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE NEXT GROUP.
SO, UM, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, I GUESS I WANTED TO ASK, UH, A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THAT CONVERSATION WAS LIKE FOR YOU AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO REALLY HAVE AN IN-DEPTH CONVERSATION ABOUT THE FUTURE OF YOUR COMMUNITY WITH PEOPLE WHO YOU WORK WITH EVERY DAY? WE HOPE TO SHAPE THAT FUTURE.
WELL, YOU MIGHT HAVE MORE OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT, BUT FOR SOME FOLKS IT'S NOT THAT, NOT THAT OFTEN.
SO WHAT, WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU? VERY DIFFERENT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, GEORGE IS VERY ENGINEERING BASED, UM, VERY MUCH INTO INFRASTRUCTURE AND, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC STREETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND I THINK MORE, UM, ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE AND THE EXPERIENCE VERSUS THE INFRASTRUCTURE.
SO TO ME THAT WAS, THAT WAS REALLY DIFFERENT TO GET A PEEK INSIDE THE WAY HE THINKS DAY TO DAY, UM, IN SUCH A TECHNICAL FIELD.
SO, UM, A NEW PERSPECTIVE FOR SURE.
A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING, INTRODUCTION TO A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING.
DID ANYBODY LEARN SOMETHING NEW TODAY? OOH, THAT'S AMAZING.
SO HIGHLIGHTING
UM, ANYTHING ELSE IN TERMS OF JUST REFLECTING ON THAT REAL, UM, INTENSE, LET'S SAY THAT CONVERSATION? NO, BUT IT, IT, IT REALLY DOES GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY, LIKE YOU SAID, THAT YOU DON'T NORMALLY HAVE.
WE THINK WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME GROUP AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOALS AND WE SEE THINGS FROM THE SAME LENS, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE DISCUSSIONS, YOU START FINDING OUT LIKE, OH, WELL I WASN'T THINKING OF THAT, THAT WAY.
ALMOST LIKE THROWING OUT INFRASTRUCTURE.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME? AND WHEN YOU START TALKING LIKE, OKAY, I GET IT, I GET IT NOW, HOW DECISIONS CAN BE MADE WITH DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, BUT YOU NEED THE DIFFERENT ONES TO MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION.
WELL, AND, AND THIS GROUP I WOULD IMAGINE IS SOMEWHAT REPRESENTATIVE OF, UH, VARIOUS FOLKS THAT LIVE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND STILL THERE'LL BE OTHER PERSPECTIVES THAT YOU DON'T HAVE, UM, IN THIS ROOM AND IN THIS CONVERSATION THAT COULD BE VALUABLE IN TERMS OF SHAPING THE, UM, SORRY, WHAT'S THIS GOING ON? CHARLIE'S OVER THERE SHAKING HIS HEAD.
WHEN YOU SAY COMMUNITY THOUGHT I, WHAT? WHAT'S, OKAY, NEVERMIND.
UM, WELL, AND, AND I COULD GO INTO WHAT THAT PROCESS AND WHY THAT PROCESS, BUT I, I HOPE THAT IT'S, THAT IT, AGAIN, JUST LIKE TODAY HAS BEEN ABOUT GENERATING INFORMATION, GENERATING DATA, AND THEN THINKING ABOUT HOW TO USE IT.
THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONVERSATION.
[04:45:01]
WANNA PUT YOU AGAIN IN ANOTHER SMALL GROUP, NOT WITH YOUR PARTNER.AND THERE WERE REALLY FOUR KEY QUESTIONS THAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU TO THINK OF.
YOU KNOW, AGAIN, DEBRIEF QUESTION BY QUESTION AND KIND OF SEE WHERE'S THE ENERGY, WHERE'S THE THEMES AND HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND TO THESE QUESTIONS? LIKE WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS THAT YOU, THAT YOU REALLY WANNA PRESERVE THAT MAKE THIS THE CHARM THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, RIGHT? FOR, FOR THIS COMMUNITY.
UM, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE PIECES OF THE FUTURE VISION? YOU KNOW, I HAD SOME GOOD PROMPTING QUESTIONS IN THERE OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM AROUND THE ORGANIZATION, SOME OF THEM AROUND THE INFRASTRUCTURE, ET CETERA.
SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THESE ELEMENTS THAT YOU WANT TO KEEP IN, IN THE FUTURE THAT YOU SEE IN THE FUTURE? UM, AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ROLE, RIGHT? WHAT IS THE CITY'S ROLE IN GETTING YOU TO THAT? UM, AND THAT COULD BE A PHILOSOPHICAL ANSWER, IT COULD BE SOMETHING VERY SPECIFIC, I DON'T KNOW.
AND THEN THE LAST QUESTION, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, THINKING FORWARD, UH, TO THE SUCCESS THAT YOU'RE GONNA PULL IN WITH THIS THOUGHT AND VISION THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, HOW'D YOU GET THERE? WHAT WERE THE BIG THINGS FOR THE ROAD? BIG ROCK THINGS THAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN NOW? UM, AND SO I AM GONNA ASK YOU, I'LL GIVE YOU SOME STICKY NOTES.
I'M GONNA ASK YOU TO GENERATE THOSE.
WE'RE NOT GONNA REPORT OUT, BUT I'LL GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO READ EVERYBODY'S, UH, RESPONSES AND THEN WE'LL CAPTURE THESE IN THE NOTES AND GET THEM BACK TO YOU.
SO, UM, ONE PERSON MAYBE CAN GENERATE SOME ONE PER STICKY.
UM, AND ANY OF THESE FOUR QUESTIONS, RIGHT? AGAIN, AFTER, AFTER I SAID THAT, I THOUGHT, DID I SAY THAT IN RIGHT WAY? UM, IN YOUR GROUPS, GO THROUGH THE QUESTIONS, RIGHT? WHAT ARE THE CONVERSATIONS, WHAT DID YOUR PARTNER HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS? AND HAVE ONE PERSON IN YOUR GROUP, JUST LIKE SOMEBODY'S BEEN SCRIBING BEFORE, UM, GENERATE THE THEMES THAT ARE EMERGING, UM, AROUND THESE FOUR ELEMENTS, WHICH WERE REALLY THE FOUR QUESTIONS AT B, C, D.
OKAY? SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ABOUT, UM, 25 MINUTES TO DO THAT.
NOT WITH YOUR PARTNER, DID YOU? OH, YOU HAD, YOU HAD A WAY TO SET THIS UP WITH YOUR PARTNER.
SO THE FIRST QUESTION, WHAT? I'M TRYING TO THINK OF HOW FAR WE ARE.
[04:50:16]
OKAY.FAST FORWARD TO, WELL, THIS WAS IN, YEAH, I WAS THINKING CONVERSATIONS DERAILED DIRECTLY.
DID YOU A PICTURE OF THIS? I DID NOT.
AND THIS, SOME OF IT AND SOME OF IT'S ACCOMMODATION HERE.
[04:55:35]
I CAN'T.[05:00:10]
APEX IT USED TO BE KIND SMALL, BIGGER CITY STATUS TO LIKE,[05:05:03]
SO SORRY.[05:11:00]
THAT'S WHAT I'M ALL RIGHT.I'M GLAD YOU'RE STILL CHITCHAT.
UM, WHAT I, RATHER THAN TRYING TO RE, UM, REPORT OUT, WHAT I'D LIKE FOR YOU ALL TO DO IS TO LOOK AT THE BOARD AND THEN JUST TO THINK OF ANYTHING THAT FEELS REALLY EXCITING OUT THERE FOR YOU, OR SURPRISING OR COMPELLING, OR WHAT DO YOU, WHAT ARE OBSERVATIONS THAT YOU MIGHT OFFER AFTER KIND OF READING THROUGH.
UM, SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU ABOUT JUST FIVE MINUTES AND KIND OF READ IT AND THEN WE'LL BEGIN TO CLOSE THINGS OUT TODAY.
AND SO I THINK ONCE YOU SEE IT BACK IN A WRITTEN FORM AND I'LL OF TODAY, IT'LL MAKE A LITTLE MORE SENSE.
BUT ALREADY WE'RE BEGINNING TO SEE SOME QUESTIONS UP THERE.
IF YOU SEE A STICKY AND YOU WANNA KNOW MORE ABOUT IT, LET'S, LET'S ASK YOUR, LET'S ASK THE FOLKS.
SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU FIVE MINUTES TO JUST KIND OF READ THROUGH AND THEN ASK THE QUESTIONS AND THEN WE'LL WRAP UP.
I, I IF TRY THAT'D BE GREAT COLORS.
UM, IT'S A RECURRING THING OF RETAINED DOWN DOWNTOWN.
DOWNTOWN CHARM, UH, RETAINED SMALL TOWN.
MODERN CITY, UH, PRESERVE NEW BERN, UH, HISTORY AND HERITAGE, AND THEN AGAIN TO PRESERVE HISTORY, CHARM, GEOGRAPHICAL LANDSCAPE, YEARLY, PROVIDE VALUABLE SERVICES AT AFFORDABLE COST.
SYSTEMS ARE NUMBER ONE, UH, PRESERVE DOWNTOWN HISTORIC, UH, SPECIFIC BUILDING, REVITALIZATION DOWN HOME CHARM, UTILITIES, RELIABLE AND STABLE FAMILY AND COMMUNITY VALUES IN A SMALL TOWN FIELD.
CHARM, ACTIVITIES OF CHARACTER, SENSE OF COMMUNITY PRIDE, FUTURE VISION, ANNEXATION OF OTHER COMMUNITIES.
WOW, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND GOING ON? YEAH.
[05:15:02]
CONSOLIDATION OF CITY OFFICES BECOME MORE OF A CULINARY DESTINATION.EXPANSION OF SERVICES AND QUALITY OF LIFE OFFERINGS.
IMPROVED GATEWAY EMPHASIS THROUGH WALKABILITY AND TRANSPORTATION.
GREATER FOCUS ON ENTER MOBILE TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITIES.
FUTURE VISION, UM, SIDEWALK CONNECTIVITY, RE-IMAGE REDEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITY HOUSING MIX.
TRANSPARENT, COLLABORATIVE GOVERNMENT ATTRACT HIGH PAYING TECH JOBS AND LARGE INDUSTRIES.
UH, FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION DEVELOPMENT OF THE TIMBER MILL.
UH, TEAM ENVIRONMENT, EMPLOYEES IN NEW PROVISIONS.
EFFECTIVE RESILIENCY, IMPLEMENTATION, INCREASED COMMERCE ACROSS TOWN, NOT JUST DOWNTOWN GATEWAY, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN PLAN, IMPLEMENTATION, STAFF KNOWLEDGE, DEVELOP AND RETENTION.
UH, GREATER FLOOD, LET'S SEE ON THE LINE IS, UH, EQUITABLE.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES.
WE HAVE GROWTH POPULATION EXPANSION, MORE SERVICES, MORE TRAFFIC, MORE HOUSING LIGHTED COMMUNITIES.
AGE INFRASTRUCTURE, CORE OF ENGINEERED FLOOD CONTROL.
UH, HUMAN INVOLVEMENT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FIELD, UH, RETAIL GAPS FROM GAP ANALYSIS.
EXTRACT MORE TECHNO, UH, TECHNOL, TECHNOLOGICAL INDUSTRY AID INFRASTRUCTURE, FINANCIAL PLANS TO REINVEST INFORMATION.
UM, REINVEST INTO INFRASTRUCTURE.
NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVE SANITATION OPTIONS, INCREASE AND CITY'S MISSION.
MULTIPLE COMMERCE CENTERS, UH, UTILITY EXPANSIONS TO ACCOMMODATE GROWTH.
COMMUNITY BASED ENGAGEMENT TOWARDS GROWTH CITY'S ROLE AND MISSION.
UH, LISTEN TO THE CITIZENS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS, COMMIT, SUPPORT AND LIVE, CREATE POLICIES, ORDINANCE AND INTERNAL PRACTICES TO SUPPORT CITY'S PRIORITIES.
PROVIDE GUIDANCE IN A POSITIVE DIRECTION, I GUESS POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTION, AND, UM, CREATING CONSISTENCY AMONG STAFF AND BOARD OF ALL OF THEM.
UH, DEVELOPED VISION AND STEPS TO GET THERE.
ACTIONS COORDINATE WITH CORPS OF ENGINEERS.
INVESTIGATE TAX CREDITS FOR HOUSING, RETAIL MARKET ANALYSIS, COMMITMENT TO VISION, MAINTAIN STABILITY, MAINTAIN QUALITY OF COMMUNITY INVESTMENT IN PEOPLE.
NO COMMUNITY WAS LEFT BEHIND, WE WERE ABLE TO ATTRACT.
AND A MAJOR CORPORATION THAT ATTRACTED 5,000 WELL PAYING JOBS, WHICH, UH, DECREASED UNEMPLOYMENT PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES, INCREASED TAX BASE DEVELOPMENT OF POLICIES ROOTED IN POSITIVE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR HISTORY AND OUR COMMUNITY RESOURCES.
TALK TO THE STAFF, I DUNNO WHAT THIS WORD IS.
UH, LISTENING, UH, LISTENING AND TRUSTING STAFF, RECOGNIZING POLITICAL IMPLI, IMPLICATIONS OF DECISIONS.
AND THAT'S SOME WRITING SKILLS RIGHT THERE.
AGAIN, I'LL TELL YOU BETTER WRITING SKILLS THAN READING SKILLS FOR ME, I WOULD'VE DONE BETTER BEEN IN SPANISH.
SO WHAT, WHAT STRIKES YOU ABOUT THOSE, ABOUT THIS LIST? A LOT OF SIMILARITIES ON PRESERVATION, CHARM, HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, THE THINGS THAT MAKE NEW MM-HMM.
[05:20:01]
COMMUTER AS A WHOLE.THAT'S MENTIONED IT ACTUALLY A COUPLE TIMES.
UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT OUR NEXT SESSION WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE MORE DETAILS OF THIS, BUT WE CONTINUE TO HEAR HOUSING AND I'M CURIOUS TO FIND OUT WHAT EVERYONE HOUSING IS BECAUSE WE'VE NEVER BEEN INVOLVED WITH HOUSING BEFORE, SO WE HEAR AT OVER AND NOVEMBER, AND I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S WHY THAT'S ON THE LINE.
ISN'T THAT THE ONE THAT'S ON THE LINE? YEAH, IT'S IN BETWEEN FUTURE VISION AND THE CITY'S ROLE.
UM, THAT'S AN ISSUE, BUT WHAT CAN'T, OTHER OBSERVATIONS? I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THIS ANNEXATION.
IF ANYBODY WANTS TO PROVIDE ANY CONTEXT FOR SOMEONE WHO'S NOT FAMILIAR.
NO, THAT WAS NOT MY SUGGESTION BY THE WAY.
AND AS WE GROW AND, AND OTHERS GROW, YOU WANT TO START LOOKING AT OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE RESOURCES.
AND WE, WE ALREADY SHARE A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, LIKE OUR WATER AND SEWER AND STUFF.
SO I GUESS THAT THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES.
LIKE ARE WE REALLY FOUR DIFFERENT CITIES OR ARE WE JUST ONE CITY THAT WANT TO OPERATE INDEPENDENTLY? WHAT DO YOU, DO YOU SEE ANYTHING, UM, DISTINCTIVE ABOUT THESE LISTS IN THIS CONVERSATION THAN THE PREVIOUS ONES? MY OBSERVATION IS THAT IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE BEGINNING TO GET AT SOME OF THOSE CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT END UP AS GOALS.
UM, LIKE HIGHER LEVEL THINGS ARE KIND OF EMERGING ON THOSE LISTS.
YEAH, I THINK WHAT I WAS, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF A SHIFT TO LIKE THE FUTURE VISION, UH, ASPECT OF IT.
UM, EARLIER SAY THE ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN AND THE, IT WAS VERY MUCH LIKE WHAT EXISTS NOW, HOW ARE THINGS NOW? AND I THINK TALKING ABOUT LIKE IN THE FUTURE VISION, LIKE MAKING A DESTINATION, HAVING THE CULINARY DESTINATION, THINGS LIKE THAT OF, UM, WHAT COULD IT BE? UM, KIND OF NURTURING FROM WHAT IS TO WHAT COULD, SO ANYTHING ELSE FROM THIS? THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THEN SORT OF THE BRIDGE TO DAY TWO, WHICH IS NOW NOT TOMORROW.
UM, BUT I BELIEVE OCTOBER 10TH FIFTH IS TEN FIVE IS WHEN WE THOUGHT MAYBE WE'D TRY TO PICK THIS UP.
UM, AND I, I, WE WILL, UH, GATHER THIS INFORMATION AND THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW TO USE THAT DAY.
CERTAINLY I THINK TO DO SOME GOAL DEVELOPMENT, UM, TO ALSO PROBABLY TALK ABOUT THE, UH, ENGAGEMENT EFFORT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? WHAT DO YOU, HOW BROAD AND, AND HOW MUCH AND WHERE'S THE BALANCE? AND HOW MIGHT WE, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS WE WANT TO DO THAT? UM, AND ALSO PICKING UP ON COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES.
WHAT, WHAT ARE THE, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO BE SAYING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE DOING THIS WORK TO OTHER PEOPLE? UM, SO BEYOND THOSE FOLKS IN THIS ROOM, UM, AND THOSE I KNOW WILL BE ELEMENTS AND I THINK WE MAY BE ABLE TO ADD, UM, SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES POTENTIALLY BACK INTO THE AGENDA.
UM, I WOULD LIKE FOR US TO GATHER A LITTLE BIT OF REAL TIME FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT WORKED REALLY WELL ABOUT TODAY, UM, OR WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME WE GET TOGETHER, UM, OR IN THE FUTURE, BECAUSE THAT'LL REALLY HELP US UNDERSTAND, UM, MAKING SURE THIS WORK FEELS RIGHT FOR YOU ALL IN, IN THE WAY THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU.
SO, UM, I'M GOING TO SCRIBE AND LET, UM, MARIAH ACTUALLY LEAVE THIS PART.
WHAT DID I MISS ANYTHING? UM, DO YOU WANNA DO IT OVER THE OTHER TIMELINE? YES, I DID.
I KNEW THERE WAS, SO, SO HERE'S, UM, AND WE'LL SEND THESE SLIDES.
BRENDA, UM, NOW HAS THESE, THIS IS THE TIMELINE IN A NUTSHELL OF WHAT WE HAD ENVISIONED.
UM, OBVIOUSLY HAVING TO BE A LITTLE FLEXIBLE.
UM, WE BEGAN THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, WITH FOLKS, UM, FROM THE ELECTED AND THE STAFF GROUPS, UH, BACK IN JUNE.
AND SO DOING THAT TO DESIGN TO WHERE WE GOT TODAY,
[05:25:01]
UM, TODAY WE DISCUSSED SOME OF THE CONTEXT, UM, AND THE, SOME OF THE VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES THINKING ABOUT GETTING GROUNDED AND BEGINNING TO GET STARTED INTO THIS DRAFTING OF THE VISION MISSION AND GOALS.I THINK THAT SOME OF THAT WILL COME FROM EVEN, UM, THIS WORK HERE ON THE BOARD, UH, THAT WILL PROBABLY HELP, WELL, THAT WILL INFORM SOME OF THE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.
WHAT WE'RE THE INTENTION IS TO KIND OF HAVE A FRAMEWORK TO BE ABLE TO TAKE OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE'RE THINKING SO FAR.
HAVE WE GOT IT RIGHT? ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE'RE MISSING? UM, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS, UH, UH, ABOUT, UH, EITHER POTENTIAL GOLD BUCKET AREAS OR, UM, OTHER PIECES, UM, THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REFINED, UM, PROBABLY EARLY IN THE YEAR.
UH, AND, AND THEN I THINK TESTING SOME OF THAT WITH EMPLOYEES TO AGAIN, KIND OF GET A SENSE OF ARE WE DOING THE RIGHT THING? HAVE WE, HAVE WE GOT IT RIGHT? WHAT ARE WE MISSING? UM, WITH SOME SENSE I THINK OF WHERE YOU'RE HEADED WITH THE GOALS BY BUDGET DEVELOPMENT TIME.
I, I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF OUR INTENTIONS.
UH, AND THEN FINALIZE, UM, THE ACTION PLANS, THE MORE DETAILS, THE WHO, WHAT, WHY, UH, THE WHY, BUT THE, THE WHO, WHAT TO WHEN, UH, IN, IN THE SPRING INTO, INTO MAY.
SO THAT'S GENERALLY THE TIMELINE AND HOW WE HAVE LAID OUT THE WORK.
UM, SO WE'RE ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO BE, UM, RUNNING INTO ALMOST SEPTEMBER, UM, AT THIS POINT.
UH, SO I THINK THAT IF WE CAN COME BACK TOGETHER IN, IN OCTOBER, WE'LL BE ABOUT RIGHT WHERE WE NEED TO BE.
SO ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT THAT? THEN IN THE SPIRIT OF CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT, UM, I'D LIKE TO SEE IF WE CAN GET A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK ON WHAT YOU THOUGHT, UM, WORKED WELL TODAY.
SO, OR NOT, SO WE'RE GONNA DO LIKE A PLUS DELTA TYPE EXERCISE.
SO WE'RE GONNA START WITH THINGS DO WENT WELL, UM, TODAY OR PREPARING FOR TODAY AS WELL.
UM, ANYTHING, ANY HOMEWORK, ANYTHING, ANY COMMUNICATIONS, UM, INCLUDED IN THAT.
UM, SO YEAH, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU THINK THAT WOULD EXCEPTIONALLY WELL SAY OR IN THIS PROCESS? ANYTHING THAT'S, THAT AS A HIGHLIGHT FOR YOU? I THOUGHT TO SMALL GROUPS, GETTING, GETTING ELECTED OFFICIAL, SEVERAL STAFF MEMBERS AROUND AND HAVING DISCUSSION ON WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, I THINK THAT WAS BENEFICIAL FOR, FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED WITH THAT.
YEAH, AND WHATEVER WE THINK WENT WELL OR WHATEVER WE DO NEED TO CHANGE, IT KIND OF INFORMS OUR NEXT SESSION.
SO DEFINITELY ANY FEEDBACK? UM, UH, ANYTHING THAT YOU WOULD DEFINITELY WANT TO KEEP? I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT AS OUR TIME'S LIMITED IS THINGS THAT WE CAN DO BEFOREHAND.
SO WE'RE NOT SPENDING TIME HERE DOING THINGS THAT WE COULD HAVE DONE PRIOR TO ARRIVING.
IS THAT PLUS OR DELTA, HOWEVER YOU WANNA PUT IT.
WELL, I MEAN WE, WE DID GIVE YOU THINGS IN THE BANK, SO I'M NOT SURE IF THAT'S MORE WE SAY YOU WANT MORE TO DO ANYTHING.
I, I MEAN SOME OF THE STUFF THAT WE DID THAT WE WENT OVER TODAY, IF WE WOULD'VE HAD TO WAITED UNTIL WE GOT HERE TO START PUTTING THAT TOGETHER WOULD'VE BEEN MORE TIME SPENT.
SO THEREFORE WE WERE AHEAD THE GAME.
I THINK THE DOWNSIDE OF THAT IS WE DIDN'T HAVE THE CONTEXT OF WHAT WE WERE DOING.
WE WERE PUTTING TOGETHER THE WHO, WHAT, HOW.
AND YOU KNOW, YOU, YOUR QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, POLITICS, WELL, THERE WAS A LOT OF FEEDBACK ON NATIONAL POLITICS THAT IS NOT WITHIN OUR PURVIEW.
THAT TO ME WAS KIND OF A WASTE OF TIME.
SO YOU COULD PUT THAT EVEN THE PLUS OR DELTA.
SO I'M HEARING THE PLUS IS THAT THERE WAS PROPER YES.
AND THAT HAS TO MOVE QUICKLY, BUT A DELTA WOULD MAYBE BE, UM, LIKE MORE CLEAR DIRECTION.
ANYTHING ELSE THAT'S A POSITIVE OR, OR WE CAN MOVE ON TO DELTAS AS WELL, IS IF THERE'S ANYTHING THAT DIDN'T QUITE LAND TODAY OR DO YOU THINK WE COULD DO IT LITTLE DIFFERENTLY? I LIKED PARTNERING UP FOR THE, THE LITTLE MINI INTERVIEW.
UM, MOST OF OUR ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTION IS, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FIND THE ANSWER TO A QUESTION, TRYING TO RETRIEVE A PUBLIC RECORD OR RESEARCH SOME DATA COMPONENT.
SO, UM, THAT WAS NEAT AND DIFFERENT AND UM, SORT OF PUT YOU IN SOMEBODY ELSE'S BRAIN AS TO HOW THEY THINK IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES.
AND, BUT EVEN THE BREAKDOWN THAT YOU ALL HAD OF THE, UH, THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, INFRASTRUCTURE, POLITICIANS, EITHER YOU WANT IT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.
MEANING YOU CAN COMBINE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN THOSE GROUPS AND EVERYONE ELSE GOES SOMEWHERE
[05:30:01]
ELSE.BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY DIRECTION, PEOPLE TEND TO GRAVITATE, GRAVITATE TOWARDS WHAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH.
'CAUSE I CAN TELL YOU WHEN WE LOOKED UP AND THERE WAS NO ONE SITTING AT THE POLITICAL TABLE THAT BASICALLY SHOWS YOU THAT, THAT MAYBE A LITTLE BIT MORE GUIDANCE OR DIRECTION AS TO HOW TO DIVIDE UP THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS.
DOING THAT INITIAL THING WOULD'VE PROBABLY BEEN A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
SO A LITTLE MORE GUIDANCE TO MIX THE GROUPS.
BUT THEN WE'LL MAKE ASSIGNMENTS AND THEN WE WILL SAY, I'D LIKE MORE FLEXIBILITY, BUT WE'LL TRY
ANY OTHER FEEDBACK AS WE THINK ABOUT HOW TO DESIGN THE NEXT, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO GET TOGETHER? LOCATION? YEAH.
WAS THIS A GOOD SPACE FOR EVERYBODY? LIKE YOU HAD ENOUGH ROOM AND LAYOUT AND ALL OF THAT FOOD.
ANY, ANY COMMENTS ON THAT
UH, YEAH, JUST A COUPLE THINGS.
SO, UM, CLERK, I THINK POLLED EVERYONE AND FOUND THAT OCTOBER THE FIFTH FROM 9:00 AM TO 4:00 PM HERE AT THE PLEASANT HILL COMMUNITY CENTER FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF THIS WOULD BE APPROPRIATE AND AMENABLE FOR EVERYONE.
SO WE WOULD NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND TO, UM, SET THIS DATE FOR OUR MEETING.
AGAIN, IT'S OCTOBER THE FIFTH, 9:00 AM THE 4:00 PM HERE AT THE PLEASANT HILL COMMUNITY CENTER.
A MOTION? NO, WE'LL DO A QUESTION.
HOW DID IT GO FROM NINE TO 12 TO NINE? UM, IN, IN PART, BECAUSE TODAY, UH, WAS A DIFFERENT, WAS HARD TO GET AS MUCH AS WE COULD DONE.
UM, AND I THINK THAT ONE, ONE CAUTION I'LL OFFER IS THAT WHEN WE DO THE GOAL DEVELOPMENT, WHAT YOU'LL NOTICE IS IT'S NOT A LINEAR PROCESS THAT WE'RE GONNA GO DO GOAL DEVELOPMENT, COME BACK A LITTLE BIT.
SO I WAS HOPING TO GET AS MUCH TIME AS WE COULD.
UM, IF I CRAFT AN AGENDA THAT'S MAYBE MORE LIKE THREE QUARTERS OF A DAY, UM, THEN YOU'LL, WE COULD, WE COULD DO THAT.
BUT I'D LIKE AS MUCH OF YOUR TIME AS WE CAN JUST BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT TO WORK TO THEN GO ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY ABOUT AND A QUARTER OF, OF, EXCUSE ME, A THIRD OF THE DAY WITH BREAKFAST.
WHAT TIME, WHAT TIME DID YOU SAY, DID YOU SAY A QUARTER OR? OH, I'M SAYING THIS LIKE THREE, LIKE IF WE ADJOURN AT 2, 2 30 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, IF THAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT.
THE, THE OTHER PIECE THAT WE TOOK OUT, 'CAUSE WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE TIME, WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES.
SO YOU DIDN'T EVEN SEE THAT ON THE AGENDA.
I HAD TO TAKE IT OUT BECAUSE IT JUST WASN'T TIME TO GET TO IT.
SO THAT'S WHAT I WAS HOPING TO ADD BACK.
WOULD THAT BE THE LAST TIME THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO CONVENE THE GOVERNING BOARD FOR THIS PROCESS? I WOULD THINK THAT YOU ALL WOULD WANT TO SEE A DRAFT, UM, OR SOMETHING LIKE, OR EVEN, I'M SORRY, FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME LIKE THIS, PROBABLY.
WHAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE COURT FOR OCTOBER THE FIFTH, FROM NINE TO FOUR HERE, OR FOUR EARLIER HERE AT THE PLEASANT HILL COMMUNITY CENTER.
HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION, RECOGNIZING THAT BOYLE AND I WOULDN'T MIND GETTING DENY HERE EARLIER AS WELL, IF WE CAN.
AND IS THERE ANYTHING ANYBODY HAS THAT THEY WANT TO SAY? OKAY.
UM, I'LL NEED, UH, I'LL MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT SHE SCHEDULED MEETING FOR HERE TOMORROW, AUGUST 31ST FROM AUGUST THE 31ST FROM NINE TO 12 HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO THE WEATHER.
UH, SO THAT MEETING BE CANCELED.
SO WE WOULD NEED A MOTION TO ADJOURN THIS MEETING TODAY.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? HEARING NONE.
[05:35:02]
THANK YOU.