HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-13-2015 BW1 SmithSubject: FW: Goal Setting Forum - Tuesday, January 13, 2014 - Ludwick Center
Attachments: Annual Noise Complaint 2011-14.pdf; Street sweeping 6-4 jpg; Street sweeping 8-3 jpg
COUNCIL MEETING.—
ITEM NO.:---� --Seo JAN 12 2015
From•.Carolyn
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2015 10:49 AM
To: Ashbaugh, John, Carpenter, Dan, Christianson, Carlen, Codron, Michael, Dietrick, Christine, LichtiQ,
Katie, Marx, Jan, Anthony Meiia, Rivoire, Dan
Dear Mayor Marx and Council Members:
I am unable to attend Tuesday night's community forum but I would like to submit my suggestions and
requests toward goal setting for the 2015-17 Financial Plan.
I request that NEIGHBORHOOD WELLNESS continue to be at the top of the City's List of Major City
Goals. While progress has been made, we are still a long way from healthy neighborhoods. Problems
continue to plague our neighborhoods due to the high percentage of rentals in many of our
neighborhoods.
NOISE: Noise continues to be a problem in many of our neighborhoods and continues to be a
significant reason why residents move. They can't live with noise from parties (and all the
accompanying crimes resulting from these parties) continually disturbing their sleep. While we saw an
initial reduction in our noise complaints after the modification of the Noise Ordinance in 2010, the
complaints are again rising. As you know, Frank and I have been monitoring and recording noise data
from the City's daily online police log. I am attaching a chart reflecting the number of complaints
recorded for the past several years. As you can see, after a reduction in 2012, the number of
complaints increased in 2013 and again in 2014. Thorough investigation as to why the noise
complaints are rising and exploration into effective actions to reduce the complaints even below the
2012 level, needs to occur. Reversing the rising trend and setting goals is vital if we ever intend to
resolve our noise problem. If funds are needed to accomplish this, then I request that funds be
provided. We have not resolved our noise problem and just sitting back and watching complaints
continue to rise and plague our residents will only cause more residents to move out of our city.
STREET SWEEPER: As the attached photos reflect, the voluntary removal of vehicles on street
sweeping day has not been successful in some neighborhoods that are heavily impacted with parked
cars. Vehicles remain parked on sweeping day causing the street sweeper to zig zag around cars
and/or just drive down the center of the street. This is very ineffective and a waste of money. When
the current street sweeping policy was presented to Council in 2013, the plan included the return of
this program to Council in the spring of 2014 for review to see if "voluntary compliance" was working
before further enforcement was implemented. Unless I missed it on Council's agenda, this plan has
not been publicly reviewed to assess its success. It is time to give this problem the attention and
money it needs to properly remove rubbish from our gutters and streets. This will help reduce the
amount of debris that gets washed into our storm drains when it rains from the lack of proper street
sweeping maintenance. Additional funds may be needed for signage and enforcement, therefore,
am requesting that funds be allocated for whatever is needed to implement an effective street
sweeping plan.
NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIALISTS: While our neighborhood specialists have done a good job in
dealing with neighborhood blight problems, there is still much to be done. I am concerned about the
frequent turnover of these positions. Perhaps it is time to review their salaries and provide an
increase in order to encourage staffing consistency. I believe the continual turnover of these positions
has created inconsistency and loss of enforcement.
RENTAL HOME INSPECTION ORDINANCE: I encourage Council to continue to support a Rental
Home Inspection Ordinance and provide whatever funding might be needed to get this program off
the ground.
STREET AND SIDEWALK REPAIRS: Our residential neighborhood streets and sidewalks continue
to need repair. There needs to be a comprehensive assessment of our residential streets and
sidewalks to see if the current plan for repairs is sufficient. Residents feel neighborhoods have been
given low priority for repairs and that downtown and other tourist areas get more attention than
residential neighborhoods.
Thank you for your consideration.
Carolyn Smith
San Luis Obispo, CA
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
www.avast.com
2500
2,014
Annual Noise Complaint Comparison
2011-2014
t4ftk
to , -
Alm'
=a
' :Mfr' � _� +.,• •,,y, F 'rte, ''� 'w.
y !'
4.4
fR l�
,y--
tt
y
iY
r
=a
' :Mfr' � _� +.,• •,,y, F 'rte, ''� 'w.
y !'
4.4
fR l�
,y--