Before I start today, one final reminder that the 2021 spring elections are this Tuesday, April 6. If you live in the 13th district, your polling location is Celebration Ministry Center (Faith Lutheran Church) at 3100 E Evergreen Drive. If you're not sure if you live in the 13th district (or unsure where to vote in general), follow this link to find your polling place.
I am on the ballot this week seeking a fifth term on the Common Council. I'm proud of the work I've done in this role and I humbly ask for your consideration to remain for another two years. Last week I shared my responses to five questionnaires I've received this spring, which have a lot more on what I've accomplished and my thoughts on issues facing the city.
In the meantime, however, it's a normal council week with a meeting scheduled on Wednesday. Two items of interest on the agenda are things we've discussed before:
Broadway Hills Estates Rezoning
As noted in previous updates, this week the council is expected to act on a City Plan Commission recommendation to approve a rezoning of property recently annexed into the city near the intersection of French Road and Broadway Drive. The property was annexed into the city under temporary agricultural zoning (which is normal), and the request is to re-zone it to R-1B (single family, detached homes on medium sized lots).
Along with that rezoning, council will also be asked to approve a preliminary plat for the new subdivision. A map of the plat can be seen via the attachment at this link. It includes six single family lots along a new cul de sac, with slightly more than eight acres at the end of the street left unplatted at this time.
Carryover Budget Requests
Two weeks ago the Finance Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of two sets of carryover requests from the 2020 budget for projects to be completed in 2021. I have details on this process in my March 22 update.
While a longstanding city policy requires that most of our unspent budget dollars go to debt reduction (a process which directly reduces property taxes), this year's carryover requests include about $7 million in projects that were delayed in 2020, $2 million in routine carryover of contingency fund balances and $500,000 in requests for "special consideration," where the savings from a project that came in under budget are being requested for another project.
The ongoing pandemic makes it increasingly difficult for us to safely allow large groups to participate in our governmental meetings, making it all the more valuable to have the tools for residents to contact alderpersons online and view our meetings remotely. If you have thoughts on these or any other action items on our agendas this week I would encourage you to use those links to remain engaged and active in the safest way possible.You can see all of this week's meeting agendas and the full schedule at the city's Legistar page.
Keeping you informed on issues that may impact you around the city is one of my primary goals as an alderman. Good governance happens in the open, and I remain committed to raising awareness on the issues coming before us.
