The city council’s list of goals, strategies and policies for 2012 look more like a list of chores that have to be accomplished than a lofty, ideal-laden tally of dreams or ambitions.
One reason for that is no one knows what will happen with the economy and public revenues this year, even though sales tax revenues are starting to climb up to a more normal level after the freefall that happened starting with the 2008 recession. Another key reason for such grounded goals this year is the city no longer has its redevelopment agency, a tool for public investment, economic development, blight improvement and a private investment enabler that served the city for 30 years before the state eliminated the RDA Feb. 1.
Mayor Steve Tate said the council’s goals are “really not that different” than those of previous years.
“We haven’t totally accomplished (the 2011 goals) with our limited resources, but that’s all we can do,” Tate said. “We’re working our way through the whole RDA thing, and trying to keep things going the way they’re going.” That includes the ongoing efforts to develop downtown Morgan Hill and the largely agricultural southeast quadrant, continuing to engage the city’s youth through the “41 developmental assets,” reducing crime and traffic accidents, encouraging participation by the community in civic life, pursuing flood protection along Llagas Creek and through downtown, ensuring the infrastructure is maintained and residential growth is controlled.
The council set the annual list of 11 goals, each accompanied by a series of “policies and strategies,” at its two-day retreat one weekend last month. One goal from last year that Tate said was not met, but which the city plans to start working by the end of April, is an update of the city’s general plan – a lengthy process that city hall typically undertakes every 10 years. The city was unable to embark on a comprehensive general plan update last year due to a lack of funding and staff.
The council also hopes to update its growth control system this year, Tate said.
That ordinance, which provides population targets the city does not want to exceed before a given timeline of future years, has become outdated and cumbersome with the housing slump. City staff and council members over the last several months have discussed the need to update or streamline that system, which combined with the recession has created a staff-time-consuming backlog of housing allocations. A revised system would likely have to go to the voters as the original growth control ordinance did, Tate said.
Another important aspect of the city’s ambitions this year will be to enhance efforts to reach out and “educate” the public about important budget constraints in the coming weeks, Tate said. That includes informing people of the city’s fiscal disability of having the second-lowest per capita revenues of all Santa Clara County’s 15 cities. Morgan Hill does not have a utility or special local tax like most other cities do, and the only reason Saratoga has lower per capita public income than Morgan Hill is that city does not pay for fire services like Morgan Hill does.
And while the mayor added the city couldn’t achieve its goal of keeping the RDA fully intact in 2011, it has done an “outstanding job” of “maintaining the capabilities of the redevelopment agency as much as we possibly could.” One way the city did that was by forming the nonprofit Downtown Economic Development Corporation, an agency that is independent of the but which houses about $20 million in cash and a number of properties formerly held by the RDA.
Other council members agreed the loss of redevelopment, which brought in about $23 million in property tax revenue annually, was the biggest cloud over 2011, and a chief inspiration for the 2012 objectives.
“I believe we were all focused (during the goal setting retreat) on how we can maintain the city’s services and provide improvements to services we would like to do for our residents with the challenge of redevelopment going away,” councilman Gordon Siebert said.
And councilman Rich Constantine said the 2012 goals are basically “built off the goals of last year.”
“The core goals of economic development, public engagement, public safety, the initiative with the youth – those were carried over because I think they’re still important,” Constantine said. “There’s always room for improvement and you can never say you’ve done everything to the satisfaction of everyone. We’ve made great strides and I believe we will continue to.”
The list of the city council’s goals for 2012 is below:
Financing infrastructure goal: Revise the city’s business model for financing city operations and maintenance of infrastructure in order to ensure sustainability in the future without relying on investments by the RDA or on continuous production of high value housing.
Redevelopment goal: As successor agency, responsibly administer the dissolution of the RDA by meeting all the former RDA’s obligations on the Enforceable Obligation schedule; completing bond projects; and protecting assets of the former RDA to be used for the benefit of Morgan Hill.
Public safety goal: Improve the quality of life and attract new investment by continuing to reduce crime and traffic accidents.
Economic development goal: Expand the local economy in order to improve the quality of life of Morgan Hill residents and provide the tax base necessary to support basic city services and maintenance of infrastructure.
Community engagement and diversity
Goal: Expand opportunities for the community to engage in public decision making and in community based problem solving.
Goal: Strengthen community through greater awareness and appreciation of community diversity.
Youth goal: Build a stronger community by providing greater opportunities for young people to succeed and develop their potential.
Flood control goal: Provide 100-year flood protection for the watershed of West Little Llagas Creek including downtown Morgan Hill.
Infrastructure and community growth
Goal: Provide a well maintained public infrastructure in order to achieve all the city’s goals.
Goal: Continue the community’s commitment to managed growth.
Environment goal: The city government and the Morgan Hill community will contribute to an enhanced environment by reducing their “carbon footprint,” protecting natural resources and encouraging “smart growth.”
