...
Below you
will find my Vision for a Greater Garrett in more detail.
Be
sure to also look at the more condensed version in my
Ten Point Plan.
Also know that I welcome your input, so
please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions or comments.
Administration
| Law & Order | Economic Development
| Fiscal Discipline Supporting Scholarship
| Transportation | Community Outreach
| City Website
Administration
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I believe the position of City
Planner should be replaced with the position of City Manager
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The City manager should be the
Chief Administrative Officer to oversee and work with Departments and Staff
that provide services to our City’s residents and businesses, in addition to
the other tasks associated with the current position of City Planner
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The City Manager’s Office would be
on the first floor of City Hall to enable greater access to citizens
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I also believe that our City
manager would better serve our community as a Garrett resident, one who holds a
personal stake in the City’s future
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As a councilmember, I realize the
need for our city's Council members to have detailed information on
issues within our city to make informed decisions
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Ensure that City Staff and
Employees provide our city’s services with courtesy and respect
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Our administration and employees
should be willing to go the extra mile to see that all residents and
businesses are satisfied with the service they are receiving.
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I will involve more decision
making to the members of city council and department heads so that more
ideas may be brought to the table through their various expertise
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Eliminate Inefficiency
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Streamline operations, reduce
duplicate staff, reevaluate every operation and expenditure to save the
people of Garrett money
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Implement an appeals process
regarding utility billing
Law & Order
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We should look into the
possibility of having our own city court, as other cities of our size have
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That court would
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Enable a larger share of ticket
fines to support our local police force
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Would allow local residence to pay
fines in Garrett, rather than traveling outside the city
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Our city only
makes $5 per traffic violation in our city. Having our own City
Court would allow us to keep the entire fine.
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Setting up a Neighborhood
Emergency Liaison in various parts of the City to help citizens in cases of
crises,
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such as tornados, natural
disasters, train derailment, ice storms, boil-water advisory, etc.
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In partnership with the
possibility of partnering with the Police and Fire Department, we should
have a training session for high school and young adult residents willing to
be trained in crowd control and first aid relief
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Currently, if our city was to
experience a crisis, our city would not have the resources to properly
stabilize the situation
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Webcams in the parks for parents
to monitor their children
Economic Development: “Grow Garrett
Initiatives”
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We need to move toward a
comprehensive plan to encourage growth and development in a logical pattern
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By aggressively pursuing new
funding from state and federal sources
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There are businesses and
resources in our community that we can work to better advertise and make
known
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Our city should connect Forest
Park Drive from Taylor Road to North Randolph Street
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That could add a major
possibilities for development, industry, and new jobs
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We should have available a
“Garrett Fact Sheet” to promote Garrett and to have available to prospective
developers
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Work more closely with our local
Chamber of Commerce and The Office of DeKalb County Economic Development
Partnership to plan strategies to bring more business and industry into
Garrett.
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Additional lighting on the south
and north ends of town to not only provide additional security, but also to
allow travelers on 205 and 8 know there is a thriving city down the road
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Would partner with our Chamber of
Commerce as well as the Garrett Historical Society to incorporate a welcome
to Garrett informative newsletter or welcome letter to new businesses or
residents to share the Garrett Spirit!
Fiscal Discipline
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Financial Advantage
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It is of utmost importance that
our city departments have the necessary and proper equipment to properly,
effectively, and efficiently do their jobs
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One way to do this so to actively
update and be aware of all needs of city departments
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One suggestion
is a 5
to 10 year plan of assessing the needs and conditions of city vehicles and
equipment
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The first step in this process
would be a complete inventory of current conditions and age of vehicles and
equipment
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In favor of numbering both
city-owned utility polls and transformers so that repairs and maintenance
can be more efficient and so that citizens may more easily report problems
(such as light outages in alleys)
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No pay hikes for public officials
when Garrett is in a budget crunch
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We should only grant tax abatements
(exemption from paying local taxes) to businesses and industries that
will provide good paying jobs
Supporting Scholarship and Literacy
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“Garrett: The City that Reads”
Initiative
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Implementing literacy programs
provided by our schools and the Garrett Public Library
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I believe there should be public
reading centers in the city, featuring city news and our local news sources
Transportation
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Continue to work on my proposed idea
of connecting
North Pointe Crossing and Iron Horse with a sidewalk along the west side of the
Golf Course, in which we would make a “Garrett Greenway”
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It would benefit residents by both
having a safe pathway into town and also by providing a scenic walking trail
Community Outreach
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Introduce the idea of inviting trick-or-treaters
to City Hall to encourage Downtown
businesses to also participate, from noon to 5pm
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Move the Board
of Works meeting to 4:00pm so not only City Employees may attend,
but also community members. (Currently the meeting is at the inconvenient
time of 8am, during the workday)
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Would have a monthly “Night in
with the Mayor” at City Hall with Council members invited to speak to
citizens about their concerns or to share information on current projects
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With a collaborate effort of all
citizens of Garrett, our community should create a Vision Statement, which
summarizes what our City’s vision for its citizens
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Looks to work with the city to
update our downtown Christmas lights and decorations.
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Implement volunteer and
neighborhood associations to give citizens a greater collective voice
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Also, appointments to fill board
and commission vacancies should be open to the public
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Thus, I plan to make applications
available to any Garrett Citizen who is interested, via paper application in
City Hall or electronic on the City’s website
City
Website Improvements
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Our website should have links to
charitable and service organizations so our citizens may have better access
to these resources
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We should have in place a
community wide calendar available to view in City Hall as well as our City’s
website
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We should have an “Action Center”
section on our website for citizens to submit concerns and questions
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Our City should make all financial
transactions and expenditures available to residents on our City Website
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