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FEBRUARY 4, 2013 - February 10, 2013 | 7
Monrovia reviews its status and works on plans for its future On two successive evenings Monrovia reviewed its current situation and then worked on plans for its future. First on Monday, Monrovia’s mayor Mary Ann Lutz delivered the State of the City address. On Tuesday, the council held its first study session on PlanMonrovia, a goal setting process for the future of the city. At the Krikorian Theatre on Monday, the mayor reviewed the accomplishments of the city in the recent past. As she cited accomplishment after accomplishment there were numerous breaks for applause. She listed several specific goals the city had set for itself over the last ten years including the new library, securing the Gold Line, reviving Old Town, bringing in new businesses and homes, revitalizing the neighborhoods, and preserving the hillside. And after each goal, Lutz proudly proclaimed: “Done!” And each drew applause. Perhaps one of the most sustained ovations occurred when the mayor praised and thanked the retiring member of the council for his dedication to the city and for his many years of service saying it had been her “privilege to work with a great leader, my friend, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Garcia.” Lutz listed Garcia’s many accomplishments including the establishment of the skate park, the reverse
By Susan Motander 911 system, and 24-hour access to city hall via the Internet. She noted, “He has also left an indelible mark on our City landscape through his patronage of the Arts in Public Places Program.” The speech with its numerous interruptions lasted approximately 45 minutes. The entire text of the speech is available for review on the city’s website: www. ci.monrovia.ca.us The mayor concluded her address saying: “Our city may face unprecedented financial challenges, but our capacity is not determined by our bottom line. “We are determined by the resourcefulness, passion, and innovation of our community. “Monrovia’s capacity is determined by you.” Earlier in the speech she had also engaged those present to become involved by pointing out that the city would be electing new members of the city council in April. “We have a chance to participate in the democratic process of choosing who will lead our great City in the years to come, and I encourage everyone here to take part.” Part of the process of planning the city’s future recently has been a program called PlanMonrovia through which the council reached out to members of the community to assist in setting goals for the city. For the last
several months the consulting firm of Hampian, Statler and Multari, known as the HSM Team, has been working with a city on this project. The project has been put out to bid with HSM bid coming in at $38,000. On Tuesday, the council held a special meeting, a study session on the project. The HSM Team presented its Community Outreach Results (this entire report is available on line at the city’s website under the City Government Section, Agendas, January 29 – special session. To read the entire report of HSM and the city staff’s summary of the current status of the city’s programs and budget, click on the agenda item: “Overview and Presentation of the PlanMonrovia GoalSetting Input Stage,” on the agenda of that special meeting. The report details all the results of the several methods HSM used to determine the goals of the public including outreach including surveys sent out in utility bills, workshops held with both the public (on two occasions) and the city’s own board and commission members, and MindMixer, an on-line discussion site. Based on this information, the council was given a list of what Team HSM called the top fifteen “themes” represented. They pointed out that Public Safety was cited twice as often as any other
Joe Garcia received an ovation when Mayor Lutz said it was a “privilege to work with a great leader, my friend, Mayor Pro Tem Joe Garcia.” -Photo by Terry Miller
item even Economic Development which was the next more frequent “theme.” Public Safety was listed by more than 80% of those involved. They also noted that the Police Department was noted twice as often as the Fire Department. The Team also noted that the interest levels fell into three distinct groups after Public Safety. The next three were grouped closely, Economic Development, Education (which the team pointed out was largely not within the purview of the city) and Street and Sidewalk Maintenance. These themes were mentioned by between thirty and forty per cent of those surveyed. The next tier had themes cited by more than 20%, but
less than 30% of those who were involves. These areas are Old Town, Parks & Recreation, and the Gold Line. The balance were noted by less than twenty per cent and were (in order) Code Enforcement/Community Appearance, Traffic Safety/ Congestion, Environmental Protection/Open Space, Youth Services, Tree Trimming, Neighborhood Parking, Balanced Budget and Tax & Fee Reductions. The consulting firm noted that even within these themes there were large differences of opinion. As an example they noted the theme “Tree Trimming.” In this area some wanted trees trimmed more often, others less often and others wanted trees removed. Some re-
quested the existing tree be replaced with native or with less invasive trees. They also noted that some “theme” such as a balanced budget were a given issue, while others such as Education were not principally the responsibility of the city. After the review of the summary, the city council was given what the HSM team called its “homework.” Each council member was asked to make a list of the goals he or she felt was most important and be prepared to discuss those goals and the goals of the other council member at the next study session scheduled for February 9 at 9 am in the Community Policing Room at the Police Department.