Mayor Steve Tate a radical risk taker? He says so. And for 2009,
so is the rest of the council, councilmembers said. During his
State of the City address Monday night, Morgan Hill’s top elected
official talked about thinking outside the box and making the most
of the trying year to come.
Mayor Steve Tate a radical risk taker? He says so. And for 2009, so is the rest of the council, councilmembers said.
During his State of the City address Monday night, Morgan Hill’s top elected official talked about thinking outside the box and making the most of the trying year to come.
“The times are not good, we’ve got to admit that right off the bat,” Tate told the crowd of about 65 city staff and active residents in the Community and Cultural Center’s El Toro Room. “Let’s face those challenges and turn them into opportunities wherever and whenever we can.”
One of those challenges is keeping the city’s vision for a vibrant, eclectic downtown a reality, he said. This includes fixing the council’s mishandling of Measure H.
“We kind of screwed up,” Tate said. “Politically, the right thing to do is admit it.”
*Measure H, which along with a utility tax measure failed in the November General Election, asked voters to exempt 500 residential units downtown from the city’s growth control system while still upholding its intent — a population cap of 48,000 by 2020.
Tate maintained that the city measure itself was not flawed, it was the Morgan Hill City Council’s execution of the measure, Tate said. That’s why the council is moving forward with a near-identical version of it for a special city election in May at a cost of about $113,000.
Measure H is just one part of a council goal carried over from 2008 into 2009 – downtown redevelopment. Already this year, the council has made fast-tracking a theater downtown a priority and has directed staff to keep a lookout for viable options to temporarily re-open the Granada Theater. The council has directed City Attorney Danny Wan to explore their options for using Redevelopment Agency funds, too.
But to make the new Measure H a success, the council has got to support it with more enthusiasm, Tate said. The council assumed that voters would support the council’s measures.
*”We thought if we said it was right” that residents would listen, Tate said.
Even with organized support, the utility tax measure failed with nearly two-thirds of voters against it. And without organized support, just under half of Morgan Hill’s voting public did agree Measure H – it failed by only 10 votes.
“Even if we won by 10 votes, I wouldn’t be that comfortable,” Tate said. “We would do much better to have overwhelming support. We’re going to be working very hard to make sure that we communicate on this one.”
Measures H and G both underscored the council’s 2008 goals, which included economic development, downtown redevelopment, public safety, environmental sustainability and flood protection.
The Upper Llagas Creek Flood Control project is still a challenge for the city as well. The multi-million dollar project is held up at the federal level, with just $287,000 being approved in this year’s budget.
*During the election season and after, city staff chugged along working on the Downtown Specific Plan, which will detail the city’s vision for a vibrant downtown. The report should be released in the spring.
Another 2008 goal, exploring county fire annexation, has also carried into this year. The city is currently working on a study of the idea. The city’s contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Department expires in September.
The city council decided in late January to make economic development a key goal for 2009. To that end, the council is taking an outside-the-box, even “radical,” approach to goal-making for 2009, including using redevelopment agency money to boost sales tax and jobs.
“The city is a team of contributors,” Tate said. “Everyone is a member of the economic development team.”
One of the keys to bettering Morgan Hill’s economic outlook is streamlining services. The city will take a hard look at how Morgan Hill does business with businesses, he said, making the process for locating in the city cheaper and quicker. One major step forward in this arena was the Jan. 5 opening of the Development Services Center, which brought business processing and permitting under one roof.
Recognizing that the city can’t make economic development a priority in these times without looking at the budget, Tate said the council will re-examine its budget principles and change them as needed.
Tate also touched on the council’s late January meeting with the City of Gilroy. They’re expecting to outline a work plan in March for the two cities to discuss cooperation on fire, recreation, dispatch, emergency preparedness and environmental services.*
