At Tuesday evening’s meeting, the council unanimously approved designating the “grassy lot across from the Daily News Record” as a park.  This space, which is by the Farmer’s Marker Pavilion and is where Fund Fest and Blacks Run Clean Day happens, has never officially been designated a park area, and thus has been managed as, well, a grassy lot.  

The city council agreed that designating this space as a park will help preserve it as one of the few green spaces downtown.  A tentative site plan, including stage and permanent bathrooms, was also agreed upon in concept, however no city funds were allocated to adding these capital improvements. If and when funds become available, these structures will be added.  Also left open is the name of the park, which we will determine at a later date.

I know green space and recreation areas are important to city residents, and am pleased we were able to take this action to designate a new park in downtown Harrisonburg.  Any suggestions for names?

There’s no better way to get insight into the commitments of your government than looking at the current and proposed budgets. At Tuesday’s City Council meeting (full agenda), there will be a public hearing on the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Have a look. I encourage everyone to read the City Manager Budget Letter for an overview on how the budget reflects adjustments for the economic conditions.

Some highlights, all quoted from the draft budget: Read Full Post

Updated April 21, 2009   Click Here For Full Information on Mayor’s Sustainability Summit

The Sustainability Summit scheduled for May 30 is gathering support and interested. I am still accepting partner organizations, which can be businesses, organizations, departments, clubs, or groups that agree to be represented at the event and advertise it as they deem appropriate. Email me if you would like to become a partner. Here’s the good company you’ll join: Read Full Post

The issue of allowing residents in Harrisonburg to have chickens in their backyard has been documented on blogs and the newspaper. While I have had few people contact me directly, I am interested in learning more what I can about the issue before it comes before council. Contrary to what has been reported, there will NOT be an agenda item on this topic at Tuesday’s (April 14) council because information wasn’t provided in time by the citizens interested in allowing chickens to be in the backyard.

Feel free to post your thoughts and comments here – thanks!

The city’s website has just been updated with a catalog of ongoing sustainability-related and “green” projects that currently exist.  I share it here to highlight these efforts and underscore the shared commitment of the city and its residents for a more sustainable future.  Many of these efforts – if not all – have been inspired and supported by city residents partnering with the city.  Check it out!

Updated!  See below for a long list of initiatives put together by Thanh Dang. Read Full Post

Our community is rich with people, organizations, businesses, and projects committed to environmental and energy sustainability. As mayor, I have received more comments, questions, and ideas that fit into this larger theme than any other. Renewable energy, local foods, preparing for a post peak-oil world, green space, bike share programs, energy conservation initiatives, climate change – they’re all part of this conversation. What would be possible by connecting projects, people, businesses, and ideas to intentionally focus on more sustainable living in Harrisonburg and the central Shenandoah Valley? Let’s find out.

Saturday May 30, 2009 is slated for the first Mayor’s Sustainability Summit for Harrisonburg and the central Shenandoah Valley.  More information will be available here as we move forward in the planning.

Currently, I am seeking partner organizations for the event.  Partners commit to being represented at the event and advertising it as they deem appropriate.  I also need a few more positions filled on the steering committee – contact me!

Citizens can be eyes and ears and their feedback is vital for working partnership with government at all levels.

If citizens have a complaint, suggestion, idea, question, or comment related to city utilities, services, open process, staff, council, public safety, ordinances, zoning, policies, environmental stewardship, traffic, or anything else, there is one important way to share it: directly with a city representative.

Blogs, letters to the editor, newspaper websites, and radio shows (without city guests) are all wonderful and important ways to communicate, but do not take the place of contacting the city directly.

I mention this because last night’s public hearing on ABC Cab’s license is fresh in my mind.  There were a lot of people who spoke about a lot of  past problems and complaints that were not directed to the city or the police at the time.

There is contact information for city personnel and departments at www.HarrisonburgVA.gov.  If you’re not sure who to contact, take your best guess and someone will help you get to the right person.   If that doesn’t work, contact me!

Yesterday, I voted with the rest of City Council to approve a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for ABC Cab (see the DN-R article).   All taxi companies operating in the city must have such a certificate issued by city council in order to operate a cab, according to the City Code.  Read Full Post

This election, citizens asked for further steps towards a more transparent government and better enabling citizens to be more informed participants in decisions facing the city council.  Here’s a step:

Beginning with last night’s meeting, all the supporting documentation for agenda items that city council members receive in their packets prior to a meeting are now available to citizens via download in PDF format here.  This information can include staff and commission reports, contracts, maps and schematics, and more.

So, rather than a one- or two-page agenda, citizens can - prior to the meeting - review the details and documentation placed in the hands of their elected officials.  This information was previously on display, and will remain on display, in the halls of the Municipal Building. 

For last night’s meeting, the file contains 125 pages of additional information that provides context and background for discussion like this one. 

Look for the next meeting’s information towards the end of next week.  I encourage the media, bloggers, and citizens to use this as a primary source of information moving forward.  I hope it allows people to answer many factual questions on their own and ultimately result in an even more constructive community conversation moving forward.

As is posted on the agenda for the upcoming Harrisonburg City Council meeting on Tuesday (7pm 409 South Main St), the council will consider the sale of the former Harrisonburg Police Department property to Rosetta Stone.  The consideration of this sale has sparked a lot of healthy and constructive conversation about the direction of downtown Harrisonburg, including an online dialogue at HBurgNews.com, which raises a number of relevant questions in a rather constructive manner.

For this decision, there will be a public hearing.  That means when we reach that agenda item, we will open the floor for the public.  People are invited to come in front of the city council and comment for or against the proposed sale. 

Public hearings are an important part of our local decision-making process, and very often few people show up to participate.  I hear from many people that they would like to see more participation in the decisions facing the direction of the city, and sharing opinions at a public hearing is great opportunity to do just that.  I invite you to come and share your opinion about what to consider in this sale.

I believe this is a valuable opportunity for the city for a number of reasons.  I support incentivizing and supporting a locally-grown business when its track record suggests its ability to successfully fulfill a pledge of 100 new jobs.   Having jobs of this type in the heart of downtown is a tremendous asset towards continuing the downtown revitalization, and should be a boon to downtown living and working.  Putting available property back into the private sector is preferable to me, in general, especially with a commitment to add $500,000 in improvements.  The combined increased property taxes and spending will make up for the lower sales price in the short term.  Long-term considerations about the future growth and expansion of services, like the jail, should be considered, as many have pointed out.  It is my judgment at this time that this project aligns with the economic and smart growth goals for the city, is properly located according to the Comprehensive Plan, and does not unduly compromise future needs of providing government services.

Whether you agree or not with my assessment, I again encourage your input.  If you agree, remember every decision needs at least three votes, so you can share your agreement with me and the other council members.  If you don’t agree, I’ve shared with you some of my thinking above and hope it helps provide you a little insight to what I’m valuing at the moment and what an effective counter-argument would need to address.

If attending Tuesday’s public hearing is not a possibility, individual council members can be emailed using the “Contact” links on each of our bio pages.