Agenda - Council Work Session - 02/17/2015 - Strategy Session

Home

Page 3, Q5. 5. Flow effective is the City Council in providing leadership and guidance to the commissions? 1 Commissions may rarely hear from Council Members either directly or indirectly. 2 Past council was not engaged or discounted role of commissions on many situations. 3 Our commission has heard little from the city council 4 I don't know about all the commissions. 1 can say the EPB comes up with its own work plan, own review, prod for Council approval, and then disappear into the shadows. Seems everything is a good idea, but there is no implementation, review, funding... But the EPB is to work at the direction of Council. It feels more like the EPB is akin to getting a flu shot. Get it out of the way quick until next year. If not, get hounded until you get it done. Not the best example of a working relationship. Part of the leadership role of the Council I imagined would be requesting input into City activities that could benefit from the EPB's defined role. Take a look at the new multi -family and business construction requirements for landscaping. An irrigation system is required, although there is nothing stipulating the system must be used??? And as a City on the Met -Council's hit list for water usage... why are there no listed examples for exemption? I would rather have drought tolerant grass than the red -orange circles on all the impervious surfaces due to high iron content. I would prefer to have a rain - garden in the middle of my parking lot instead of trying to run a sprinkler line under the pavement to water a tree. Native grasses can look wonderful surrounding a brick building. And how about an exemption for flat lots instead of curbing? Save the water for the soil and not the storm sewer to St. Paul. Why does City Hall not have any rain -barrels with the size of its roof? Where is all the water from the parking ramp going? It would be nice if somebody asked the EPB for some input. The EPB is beyond the last to know. By the time the EPB asks a question, the response is always, "It's too late, done deal". Be nice to put the horse back in front of the cart. Basically, to me, it looks like the EPB is more for show. If the City Council disbanded the EPB it would take another publicity hit. l would really like to be proven wrong. 5 I don't think the Council should be leading the commissions visions. The council should be listening to the input being provided not just the recommended action. There are 7 sometimes differing opinions out there. 6 Most recent council was not interested in commission input, they would tell you what they wanted you to approve. 7 l have had a council member attend 1 meeting in the past 8 months. 8 Our direction comes more form teh city staff. It might be coming from the City Council through staff, but we don't really see much directly form the Council. 9 Nothing so far • 33 of 40 Jan 23, 2013 1:48 PM Jan 22, 2013 9:06 PM Jan 22, 2013 10:42 AM Jan 17, 2013 12:00 PM Jan 16, 2013 11:17 AM Jan 16, 2013 10:14 AM Jan 15, 2013 11:42 AM Jan 14, 2013 3:54 PM Jan 14, 2013 3:44 PM