Council asks public to help set goals

Petaluma’s Mayor David Glass and the city council will be holding an all-day session Saturday, Jan. 31, asking voters what their priorities are for 2015 and 2016.

Working with city staff, the council will conduct workshops and establish policy goals that are based in large part on communications from Petaluma residents.

“Individual city council members and city administrators receive correspondence and phone calls from city residents about things not being done, or things being done incorrectly,” said Councilman Chris Albertson. “Hopefully, our local citizens will choose to participate in the public process, engage in the discussion and lend their individual and collective ideas towards finding solutions to our local challenges.”

The goals’ meeting will take place at the Lucchesi Community Center, located at 320 North McDowell Boulevard, on Saturday, Jan. 31, starting at 8:30 a.m.

It will run until 4:30 p.m. The session is free and open to the public, who can come-and-go through out the day. The public is encouraged to offer their input on any topics discussed.

“I’m expecting it will start with reviewing the goals from last year and updating that, and then we’ll talk about what can and should be added,” said Councilman Mike Healy. “The hard part is always prioritizing.”

Glass said he was looking forward to the dialogue without prejudging it.

“This is the opportunity for individuals from the city council, to the public, to city staff, to articulate a case for what needs to be prioritized,” said Glass.

The mayor said the process worked best when he and the council listened to the publics’ view of where the needs are, what the consensus is, and what could be achieved. He cited the desire for a new Highway 101 on and off ramp at Rainier Avenue, which has been debated and discussed in Petaluma for more then 50 years, but “has not been achievable due to the financial shortfall.”

“Therefore at goal setting it is best to focus on the achievable which is how we were able to achieve the East Washington freeway improvements, and soon will be completed with Old Redwood Highway,” said Glass. “So traffic relief and street repair remain top priorities. Fiscal responsibility dictates that we focus on what we can get done, while maintaining respect for the long term desire to achieve Rainier, when indeed it becomes a realistically achievable project.”

Healy and Albertson both said the topic they wanted to tackle was where to go after the failure of Measure Q. Measure Q was a sales tax plan which would have raised revenues for the city’s general fund. Voters rejected the measure by double digits at the polls last November.

“We need to discuss alternatives for funding infrastructure projects, including surface roads, Rainier Cross-town (and) municipal buildings that have long passed their planned life spans,” said Albertson.

Albertson added that among his priorities are stopping any development of an Indian Casino on the Kastania property, and providing “the vehicles and apparatus necessary” for city employees to provide public services, including more money for police cars, fire trucks, public works tractors and trucks.

“Where will this money come from?” asked Albertson, who added that another project included looking at the Petaluma Fairgrounds Master Plan, and coming up with new ideas on how to utilize that 60-acre plot of land in the center of town.

“What, if anything can the city do to extract more money from this property but still allow for the educational and agricultural directives that meet the Fair Board’s objectives?” asked Albertson.

(Contact E.A. Barrera at Ernest.Barrera@arguscou rier.com)