The times they are a-changin'

You may or may not be a Bob Dylan fan but the title is certainly a topical one as here in Mantorville as we bid the old council a farewell and with the first city council meeting in January bring in new faces. I do look forward to Sarah Leitzen and Nancy Bauman coming on board as well as working with Bill Reding and Annie Brannan.

So what's ahead?

There's a long and lengthy list of things that need the council's time. Even the discussion about prioritizing all those items could fill several evenings. We do have exciting times ahead. Personally I have a list of about 54 items. Some are complex and will take a long time others not so. Like most things in life, tackling what's most important and not taking on too much at one time are some guiding principles I'll be keeping in mind.

Some (but not all) of what's ahead that I'm thinking about:

1) Establishment and action on a CIP (Capital Improvement Plan)
Ex: attention to city streets, potential improvement projects (like 5th and 7th streets), addressing drainage issues
2) Grants
Waste Water Treatment Plant
Welcome Center
Trails
Zumbro Shoreline
3) Continued progress on Comprehensive Plan
4) Water & Sewer funds (both are running in the red)

There is more and it's certainly more than what I want to scribe at this hour of the night. An important thing to keep in mind while these may be items I will be pushing, I'm just one person. Our city council is a team, and as a team we'll need to agree and move forward on what we as a team deem appropriate. The first few meetings in January will certainly be weighing these items and more! (As a citizen of Mantorville, it's a great time to speak up at a council meeting or even outside of a council meeting to voice your suggestions for priorities!)

Last I will mention that we did get the 2007 budget passed this evening. It was a 3-2 vote in the end (Annie Brannan, Luke Nash, and Ross Able for and Bill Reding and myself against). This vote raised the levy by approx 9%. A great deal of work goes into a budget and certainly I want to thank Cami Reber our city clerk, Roger Nolte from the fire department, Matt Breke city streets and last Nancy Bauman for all their involvement, hard work, ideas for possible ways to reduce the budget and patience bringing me up to speed.