HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-08-2013 pc schmidtGoodwin, Heather
RECEIVE D
JAN 08 201 3
rom :Grimes, Maeve
Sent:Tuesday, January 08, 2013 1 :16 P M
To :Goodwin, Heather
Subject:FW: Budget priorities
Another piece of correspondence for the Community Forum tonight .
Thank you .
Maeve Kennedy Grime s
City Cler k
City of San Luis Obisp o
990 Palm Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1
Phone : (805) 781-710 2
Email :mgrimes@slocitvor g
Original Message
From : Carter, Andrew
Sent : Tuesday, January 08, 2013 1 :13 P M
Oro :Grimes, Maeve
Subject : FW : Budget prioritie s
Public file .
Andrew Carte r
Council Membe r
City of San Luis Obispo
From :rschmidt@rain .org [rschmidt@rain .org]
Sent : Tuesday, January 08, 2013 11 :30 A M
To : Marx, Jan ; Carter, Andrew ;dcarpen@slocitvorg ;Ashbaugh, John ; Smith, Kath y
Subject : Budget prioritie s
Dear Council Members ,
You will undoubtedly be besieged tonight by organized vocal segments of the community wanting various handouts an d
free lunches at taxpayer expense .
Let me remind you again that you have a huge backlog of life safety and property issues that previous councils hav e
negligently not funded, and that THESE MUST BE ANY GOOD CITY'S FIRST PRIORITY .
eSo,I am once again asking the following two items be given top priority :
SLO CITY CLER K
COUNCIL MEETING :IIg l i-3
ITEM NO .:
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1 . That you immediately fund, and direct staff to implement, a vigorous maintenance program for neighborhood floo d
control structures such as culverts and bridges, which will, on an on-going basis, deal with the following (which used t o
be normal annual city activities):
maintenance of the interiors of culverts to make certain their flow capacity is maximized . This involves cleaning the m
~ut on a REGULAR basis, not pretending that such cleaning is a capital improvement project to be done once in 20 years .
•removal of excess vegetation at entrances and exits that blocks optimal flow through culverts and beneath bridges . If
done annually, this is like trimming your hedge . Postponed, as it has been for more than a decade, it becomes a mor e
major undertaking . You need to get back to hedge trimming .
•restoration of the annual staff creek walk-through each August to spot blockages that will become a problem if left
unattended . This is also a good way to crack down on trash dumping, which is still a problem in our waterways .
As things stand, you are holding a ticking time bomb of life and property damage and loss . Do-Nothing has gone on fa r
too long . A flood is long overdue, and if one occurs and nothing has been done in the way of preparation, it will be clea r
where blame and liability fall .
2 . That you immediately fund, and direct staff to implement, a vigorous neighborhood sidewalk repair program . It i s
shameful that with the General Plan calling for a transportation modal shift to modes like walk-commuting the city
maintains its sidewalks in such dreadful and unsafe condition .
Staff's notion that $20,000 for such repairs for each two-year budget cycle is "the right amount" is obscene given th e
condition of the sidewalks and the city's paying out more than $100,000 per year in trip and fall claims, and condemnin g
the majority of trip and fall victims, including persons like myself who don't choose to file such claims, to a lifetime o f
neck and head pain from falling on your city owned ineptly maintained sidewalks .
•I ask that your first project be rebuilding the Murray Median sidewalk, to make it safe, and to raise it enough that i t
isn't flooded or covered with mud for half the winter .
•There are thousands of sidewalk safety repairs all over town you should be doing before any more free lunch sidewalk s
for the Chamber people .
W e people will be watching to see what you do tonight . Your choices certainly could have ramifications for any renewa l
Measure Y .
Thank you .
Richard Schmidt
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