We are fortunate to have a Town government that, for the most part, works. Nonetheless there are at least three areas that we can improve upon:
- We need to do a better job of maintaining our existing infrastructure. When we had the major flooding two years ago, we saw how fallen limbs and branches in creeks exacerbated and already serious problem. Similarly, many of our sidewalks are in serious disrepair and need to be fixed. We need to be more proactive in addressing these problems.
- Our permitting and inspection processes need to be fixed. It takes too long and is too expensive for homeowners to start and finish renovations and upgrades.
- We need to find better ways to encourage citizen input and participation in our government. Our Boards and Commissions lack diversity, in spite of some efforts to address this challenge. And we have heard repeatedly how many of our citizens feel that their opinions are not heard by Council and staff. We need to create new mechanisms for securing this input and creating meaningful dialogue between residents and our elected officials, perhaps through a variety of “Town Hall” sessions conducted at a variety of locations around town.
With some additional effort on the part of Council and staff I believe that our good Town government can become great.