Jacob Smith for Golden
| My 2008 Priorities |
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My vision for Golden: We maintain Golden's historic and small town character while ensuring that our economy thrives. We continue nurturing our arts and cultural communities. Golden becomes a national leader in renewable energy and energy efficiency (and saves taxpayer dollars along the way) and we remain a model of effective, inclusive, and fiscally responsible city government.
These are my top priorities for 2008: 1. Golden Sustainability Initiative
In 2007 we adopted the Golden Sustainability Initiative with ambitious ten-year city and community goals for increasing energy efficiency, increasing our use of renewable energy, reducing the city's energy costs, creating economic opportunities, improving our quality of life, and reducing our environmental impact. Our challenge in 2008 is to appoint a Sustainability Advisory Board, hire a Sustainability Manager, and begin making progress toward those ten-year goals.
Status: The Sustainability Advisory Board is expected to present recommendations to City Council by this fall. Also by the end of the year they are expected to lay out their plan for the next several years.
2. Update Golden's Bicycle Master Plan and Establish Community Walkability Priorities
Through the work of two community task forces, both scheduled to complete their work in fall of 2008, City Council is planning to establish capital investment priorities for improving both walkability and bikeability in Golden. We are also planning to consider policy updates with the same purpose, and we should continue to make other improvements to our bike and pedestrian trail systems.
Status: Both the Walkability Task Force and the Bicycle Master Plan Update Task Force are schedule to present their reports to City Council in September 2008. City Council will consider their capital investment recommendations as part of the process for adopting our 2009-2010 budget by the end of the year, and will begin considering their policy recommendations late in 2008 and in early 2009. We also have two new trail projects underway. One is the creation of a bike/pedestrian trail connecting our southernmost neighborhoods - Golden Hills and Golden Heights - with the rest of the community, since they are both separated from the main part of Golden by I-70 and 6th Avenue. The other is the construction of the missing trail link on the south side of Clear Creek. In addition, adoption of the Downtown Golden Character Plan, which includes pedestrian friendly improvements, should help as well.
3. Housing Affordability
Adopt an affordable housing plan that improves the availability of housing across the entire economic spectrum while being careful to protect our community character.
Status: The Housing Affordability Task Force is scheduled to make recommendations to City Council by this fall, and City Council is expected to make a decision about adopting one or more programs by the end of the year. In addition, the city is working with the Jefferson County Housing Authority on specific potential projects.
4. Neighborhood Plans
We completed one neighborhood plan already, for the 8th & 9th Street Neighborhood, and have three more underway: North Neighborhoods, South Area Neighborhoods, and the East Street Neighborhood. My hope is that we will adopt neighborhood plans - with strong support from those neighborhoods - by the end of 2008 or early in 2009.
Status: All three of the ongoing planning efforts are underway with public meetings, open houses, and walking tours.
5. Downtown Golden Character Plan
Adopt a Downtown Golden Character Plan and revised Golden Urban Renewal Plan that emphasizes the following goals:
Status: We are about midway through this effort.
6. Responsible Transportation Solutions in the Northwest Quadrant
Protect our community from the plan for a high-speed superhighway through Golden and advance a responsible transportation solution that addresses regional transportation challenges while protecting the impacted communities.
Status: The toll highway proponents - Jefferson County, Arvada, and Broomfield - have created a Public Highway Authority in an effort to raise private capital to build their desired toll highway. This Public Highway Authority is not directly accountable to the public but has the ability to condemn private property. Golden continues to work hard to promote responsible and effective transportation solutions in the northwest part of the Denver Metro region. Golden opposes the plans of the Public Highway Authority to construct a new tolled highway across the region because it will do little to solve the area's congestion and safety challenges, it will harm the Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge and the area's open space, and it will require local governments to sign congestion guarantees to private investors, guaranteeing that public roads becoming increasingly congested in order to force local residents onto the private toll highway. Golden strongly supports improvements to the existing roads that fix congestion, solve safety problems, preserve open space, and protect local communities.
7. Good Stewardship of the City and its Resources
Ensure that we invest the community's resources thoughtfully and responsibly. Maintain the highest accounting and financial reporting standards. Continue prioritizing an assertive maintenance schedule and an appropriate replacement schedule for all of our infrastructure (e.g., roads, water system, wastewater system) to ensure good stewardship of the city's resources.
Status: The City of Golden again received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 18th year in a row. We are now discussing and working on our 2008-2009 budget and ten-year Capital Improvement Plan. Both should prioritize prudent spending and careful community investment.
8. Open and Inclusive Government
Remain committed to the goal of making the City of Golden government as open, transparent, and accessible as possible. Continue broadcasting city council meetings, ensuring that documents and information are readily accessible, and making it as easy as possible for community members to meaningfully participate in their local government.
Status: We just underwent a major upgrade of our video and audio equipment at City Hall, which should significantly improve the quality of our City Council meeting broadcasts. We will continue to look for ways to improve.
9. Historic Preservation
Update our historic preservation code and ensure that the Historic Preservation Board adopts preservation plans for each of its Endangered Sites. Effectively utilize our Historic Preservation Fund to facilitate the protection and restoration of key historic sites in Golden.
Status: City Council adopted some modest improvements to our historic preservation code. The Historic Preservation Board is working on preservation plans for each of the community's most endangered historic sites.
10. Improving Golden's Air and Water Quality
Golden suffers from some of the worst ozone pollution in Colorado, resulting from the growing number of vehicles on the roads, coal-fired power plants, and oil and gas wells east of the Front Range. Golden also suffers from other forms of air pollution, such as particulate matter (PM). Through my role on the Denver Regional Council of Governments board of directors and other opportunities, I will continue working to improve the quality of our air in Golden and the Denver Metro region. Golden enjoys a very high quality of water, fortunately, but as opportunities arise to further improve it I will work with City Council and staff to take advantage of those opportunities. |
