– Following is a press release from the Town of Mammoth Lakes – a summary of the decisions reached in Monday’s and Tuesday’s Town Council strategic planning sessions.
Town Council / staff strategic planning sessions on July 8-9,
2013: Summary of Decisions and Directions
A) Agreement has been reached on the following priorities:
1. Fund Political Commitment Areas: Keep political commitments and current
baseline funding (per the FY 2013-14 budget) to Tourism / Marketing; Transit and
Housing.
2. Revenue Generation: Focus on revenue generation, through:
a. Support Economic Development financially and otherwise, at least at the
FY 2013-14 level, including: (a) filling a permanent Community &
Economic Development Director position; and (b) finalizing the Zoning
Code Update.
b. TOT education and enforcement (a funded effort)
c. Additional revenue raising through the proposed TBID effort.
3. Recreation: See the MLR process through completion in the summer / fall 2013.
4. Effective Management: Provide sufficient resources and support to the Town
staff to effectively do their work:
a. Continue commitment to IT funding of no less than the FY 2013-14
baseline. (Sufficient for an IT maintenance contract and limited
replacement funds.)
b. Support additional funding for the finance system replacement. (Staff will
provide recommendations to the Town Council in the fall of 2013.)
c. Fund sufficient staffing in the Town’s departments that provide critical
services:
i. Finance: Currently fully staffed, but the organizational structure is
currently being evaluated. (Staff expects to provide
recommendations to the Town Council in the fall of 2013.)
ii. Public Safety: Increase uniform staffing when ongoing resources
become available; do not reduce further.
d. Encourage increase in productivity without reducing service levels.
5. Infrastructure: Enhance road maintenance budget to $750,000 in FY 2013-14
when funding becomes available. Enhance funding to at least $1 million annually
once funding becomes available.
B) The following direction has been given to to staff through the Town
Manager:
1. All future requests for Council decision and/or funding must be evaluated
against: (a) the Council’s established priorities and (b) mandates. Staff
recommends adding a section to each Town Council agenda bill with
this filter information, prominently displayed in the beginning.
2. Publicly state / post the Town Council priorities on the website, and in
the Town Council Chambers.
3. Develop a schedule for the Town’s annual budget process, to start with the
Council’s annual strategic planning sessions, no later than February of each
year.
4. At the end of each fiscal year, the Town should report on its accomplishments
publicly, preferably no later than August.
5. The Town Manager would like to hold a staff-level strategic planning session with
the management staff in September-October 2013, as soon as incumbents for
the CED and PW director positions are selected. Based on the strategic planning
sessions with staff, the Town Manager will return to the Town Council in the
fall of 2013 – preferably in conjunction with the 1st quarter financial report,
planned for November 20 2013 – with the following Strategic Plan:
a. Discussion of programs, efforts and services that will not be provided /
delivered, or will be reduced, in the status quo situation: i.e., there are
no significant changes in revenues or expenditures from the FY 2013-14
budget.
b. Recommended long-term fiscal planning measures:
i. Balancing measures in the case of a projected shortfall in FY 13-
14, and future years. (The five-year forecast currently includes
shortfalls in fiscal years 2014-15 and beyond.)
ii. Add-backs in the case of a projected surplus in FY 13-14, and
future years.
c. Identification of the most critical items that must be tracked and
reported on, quarterly. Consideration will be given to the deliverables
identified in the five-year plan approved on December 5, 2012.
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The complaints about the MTC I read hear are no different than the complaints about my own city council, or those of a hundred town and city councils across this state. In fact I would say that globally, elected government is producing representatives that are more responsive to the desires of those entities with money than they are to the voters by and large. Pick up some overseas news papers (on line of course, we don’t have the cool bookstores filled with foreign papers to buy) or read some overseas news blogs and you will see what I mean. It seems to me that pretty much everywhere governments are elected, businesses with money have found ways to co-opt the process to their benefit, at the expense of everyone else. I might be wrong about this, but I don’t think so.
The Town Leadership hasn’t lied to us — they just don’t know what to do. They are trying to make money with wishes.
And it’s really the town’s electorate that is responsible. We elected those people. And the really capable people didn’t even try to get on the TC. There’s some really smart, capable, honest people in town who won’t even try to lead. Who would want to step into the existing mess?
It is what it is.
Correction:
Only 3 TC people were elected.
The other two ran unopposed/appointed.
Any cronyism or other behind-the-scenes stuff going on? Who knows?
Ken
You could not have stated it any clearer. I don’t live in your town but I do have vested interest. I am absolutely amazed the villagers haven’t gathered with the torches and the tar. I have heard that if the TBid goes through it will put another 4+ million into the tourism fund. Why would you do that and not try to help with the bills that are dragging the town down now. Councilman Lehman says it will come back in revenues when the people come to town. I think they made a film about it called “FIELD OF DREAMS”. It was a fantasy just like that is. Say people do start coming to town because you have used all that money for advertising. What are they going to see? The run down infrastructure or the dilapidated buildings along 203. it will be quite an experience they will never forget and probably not ever see again. Are all of the people who live in the beautiful Town of Mammoth Lakes happy with the lack of leadership or the lack of direction? To watch the live stream of each Council meeting makes me wonder who in their right mind would want to live in your town. The arrogance and pampas attitude of what I can only describe as unqualified Council Members is comical at best. I have never seen a Town self implode before. All of the highly professional staff is jumping ship and the council looks happy about it. I am going to keep watching to see how this Soap Opera unfolds. I hear the abandon ship horns sounding louder and louder.
clusterfudge
I am so disgusted with this town. They have lied to us and lied to us. They treat us like Children ” seen but not heard” They think we are complete morons.
They tell us we have a surplus then a few weeks later we have a deficit. This week they are telling us that we will have shortfall for maybe 5 years.
Triple M continues to talk as though TBID is a done deal ( Yea I know It is also) but the vote is not in yet. I just wait for the lawsuits as this town does not learn nor will they.
I know who the morons are.
How is it the guy who lost 30 – 50 million dollars of Mammoth money is now the mayor???
=
Exactly, MJA!!!
I’m so confused by this “strategic planning” by our new mayor. Wasn’t this all done months ago? He just loves to inflate his ego, doesn’t he?
c.” Additional revenue raising through the proposed TBID effort.”
Get out your waders folks, these job creators are about to give the eastern Sierras an enema since their bloodletting reorganization plan has failed. We’re just starting to see and feel the additional ailments these incompetents have caused this town.
Trust them with millions of more marketing and subsidy “effort” dollars to float your boat?
You’d have to be out of your minds!
Vote with your cash, the only vote you really have and the only thing they seem to have a plan for. Trickle down didn’t work, let’s try trickle up? Brilliant !
Its that time again! Everybodies favorite game in Mammoth. “Lets make a plan”.
Followed by – “Let’s get puplic comments”
Followed by – “Where do we get the money?”
Followed by – “New tax?
Followed by – “What happened to the money?”
Followed by – “What was the plan again?”
Followed by – “Let’s blame Rusty”
Followed by – “We need a new plan”
….and the hits just keep coming.