AGENDA
DUNWOODY CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL CALLED MEETING
9:30 AM - CITY OF SUWANEE - CITY HALL
8:30 AM - FORREST HILLS MOUNTAIN RESORT BOARDROOM
The Dunwoody City Council will be holding our annual planning "retreat" to come together as a Council to set Strategic Planning for the coming year. Retreats are a powerful management tool for local government leaders to refocus on a city's mission and develop priorities that are in line with a City’s core values. They are opportunities for elected officials and city staff to step back from the day-to-day routine and organize around the foundational elements of our service – who we serve, what values we uphold, and what direction we are headed.
With two new Council members it is an opportunity for existing Council & staff to get to know them as we all discuss our priorities. The first session is usually a recap of the year's challenges & accomplishments, special presentations, updates from staff and
eventually we move into setting goals/priorities for the future. This retreat seems a little different as we are heading to Suwanee City Hall for the morning meeting followed by a trip up to Dahlonega for an overnight stay & a second day of meetings. Last year we had special training and discussions on re-zonings (probably because we had the Dunwoody Village and other rezonings in the works) and then talked about City Operations in the time of Covid.
There are no read-ahead documents for the meeting, which I believe will be recorded but unsure if it will be live-streamed. City Council members have no real advanced notice of the retreat conversations but I am guessing both short and long term city finances will be a huge topic. The City has American Rescue Plan funds to spend and we want to make sure we follow the appropriate rules. The 2022 budget is set but we now have escalating operational, material and personnel costs with more desired services like events, concerts and quality of life improvements while we are also adding additional park infrastructure to maintain. Long term, these circumstances of rising costs and service increases along with the residents continued desire for high level of service are not long term sustainable on our fixed revenue streams without some future adjustments.
Some might suggest an infrastructure bond referendum is needed to cover capital improvements (intersection / trail / park improvements (including Nature Center, Spruill Arts Center, Austin, Vermack) and others) so that our residents can enjoy the use of those improvements short term while also paying for them vs us saving for those improvements for many years so that future residents can enjoy them at a later date. With inflationary pressures making material costs rise faster than the bond funding cost, I am sure this topic may be discussed but then again we are attempting to sell a property whereby those funds could be reinvested into the capital needs if that sale were to go through (which is not a guaranteed as there still contingency hurdles to overcome).
With the City of Dunwoody having a residential property tax assessment freeze in place, a one mil credit to homeowners and a mileage rate that hasn't increased since incorporation 13 years ago, the typical Dunwoody Homeowner is now paying about the same for sanitation ($265) than they are for city taxes that funds all other city services.
We have known of these budgetary issues for years (and placed cautionary statements directly into our budget documents as shown below) but we have worked around the issues by setting priorities & reducing costs but with inflationary pressures now hitting the city, I am guessing this item will be discussed.
Hi, John. As you most likely will not have time for a bike ride in Suwannee, I offer you this virtual Artsy Downtown Suwannee tour: https://travelingatthespeedofbike.com/2021/01/13/artsy-downtown-suwanee/. I am glad we are starting to see some art in Dunwoody. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteNote: if the subject of being "bike-friendly" comes up at the retreat, I am sorry that the City of Dunwoody was recently turned down by the League of American Bicyclists for Bicycle Friendly Community designation. When asked for my input, I recommend Bronze level to the League, as some good things have happened/are happening. However, I was not surprised at the outcome because almost all the "bike lanes" in Dunwoody do not meet access-for-all standards and require a known unreasonable assumption of risk.
(Note: No one should be encouraged to assume unreasonable risk on known dangerous-by-design roads with subpar infrastructure that doesn’t meet NACTO guidelines. No amount of education, expertise, or enforcement makes up for false and/or misleading “bike friendliness.” Please do not "greenwash" these dangerous conditions in city communications, especially as we are about to have National Bike Month.)
I have created this user's guide for people who may be interested in riding a bike for transportation in Dunwoody ( ride 5-15 miles per day for that purpose): https://travelingatthespeedofbike.com/2022/03/10/users-guide-to-riding-a-bike-for-transportation-in-dunwoody-ga-usa/
FYI, I do appreciate the parks improvements and I use them daily as part of my daily travels.
To many, the fact that Dunwoody kept it's "No Increase in Taxes" pledge for thirteen years surpassed expectations.
ReplyDeleteYou do a great job in explaining increases in residents expectations (beyond the original Charter,) increases in costs, and finite revenue streams in straight forward terms.
This will be a topic of robust discussion!