Testimony to Gresham Citizen Charter Review Committee

1. Campaign Citizen Champions
Building A New Relationship with Local
Government
Charter Review Champions
A Citizen‟s Reform Champion Platform

2. Outline of Champion Reform
Platform
 Champion Charter Values
 Champion Charter Priorities
 Champion Charter Issues
 Champion Charter Opportunities
 Champion Charter Challenges
 Metro Government, Multnomah County and City of Portland Relations
 Downtown Gresham Development Vision
 West Gresham and Rockwood Urban Renewal Progress
 Pleasant Valley
 Springwater Industrial Development Site
 Infrastructure Costs and Responsible Development
 A Citizen’s Charter Reform Campaign to Get Gresham Moving
 Champion Charter Citizen Spokesman's Coming forward and
inputting CRC prior to final recommendation to City Council
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3. Champion Values
 Sustainability
 Family and Children
 Public Safety Funding
 Job Creation, Retention and Economic Development
 Parks, Recreation and Quality of Life
 Citizen participation, interaction and influence systems
 Transparency in Governance
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4. Champion Priorities
 Citizen Engagement
 2011 City Charter Review
 Public Safety
 Adequate financial creativity for the development of new revenue
streams to support public services (No taxation without transparency)
 Economic and Community Development
 Provide Parks and Recreation operations and maintenance
 Effective City support and programs for entrepreneurial and small
businesses through grants, loans, and incentives for relocation and
retention
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5. Champion Issues
 Inadequate public safety funding
 City general fund revenue continues to deteriorate
 Current city election process encourages citizen apathy and disengagement
in government processes
 Inconsistent interpretation and enforcement of Gresham Charter
Ordinances and Codes
 Barriers to increased accessibility to government leaders
 Gresham Redevelopment Commission Leadership, Planning, Organization
and Citizen engagement in the urban renewal district fails to meet original
charter prescribed by voter pamphlet
 Current abuses of both the spirit and letter of our City Charter
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6. Champion Opportunities
 Opportunity to strengthen “Buy Local” program by “Marketing to Region” and support of “cluster
development” through a new Small Business Unit to implement citizen Charter initiatives
 Utilize regional strengths to leverage strategic economic growth and recruitment of major clean tech
companies to Gresham
 Engage neighborhood associations and council citizen advisory committees in deliberative discussions for
improved Charter reform for economic development strategy and its implementation
 Perform a SWOT Analysis to determine which Gresham Characteristics need to be significantly improved to
meet competitive industry site relocation criteria
 Establish a cross-jurisdictional leadership process to address regional and sub regional issues where “going
it alone” in Gresham no longer works
 The City of Gresham, a city of over 100,000 population, should by Charter establish its own Municipal Court
System to meet the local justice needs of our communities while generating revenue to pay for its operation
 By Charter Reform partnership with Rockwood Public Utility District for creation of a Public Electric Utility
District to significantly reduce electric utility rates and play a strong vital role in support of local business;
attract new premium businesses; provide energy efficiency resources; enable sensitive industries to secure
enhanced power quality; develops and delivers innovative technologies.
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7. Governance and Leadership
 Implement by Charter Reform the establish working relationships with all
neighborhoods of Gresham and not a favored few.
 Implement Charter directive on citizen involvement as detailed in Mayor‟s Annual
Report to insure effective ongoing communications and deliberation with citizen
community in their neighborhoods through frequent updates on the City‟s Web Site
and Council assigning City Councilors on a annual basis as Liaisons to specific active
neighborhood associations
 City Manager recommends to City Council priority citizen involvement projects to its
annual work plan for their approval in support of its strategic economic long range
planning
 The City of Gresham details its citizen involvement role in legislative and executive
implementation of regional and sub regional economic development plans
 The City of Gresham details its citizen involvement role in securing regional land and
transportation development to support its economic strategy and plan
 The City of Gresham convenes a annual neighborhoods planning summit where each
neighborhood with support of city staff drafts each neighborhood unique quality of life
improvement strategy and plans as a key citizen initiative in deliberation of city‟s future
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8. Gresham Charter Should Support
Strategic Direction
 By requiring the development of a single page document which
describe in clear language the city‟s vision and goals for economic
development and key actions, programs for achievement and
measurements of success
 By encouraging private and public partnerships to support the
delivery of the Gresham Economic Strategy and put in place
mechanisms to assist in resolving conflicting regional points of
view and approaches to issues
 Requiring the establishing job creation targets and supporting
housing stock to provide a balanced and realistic foundation for
rational growth and development so as not to burden any
neighborhood with a excess of jobless and poorly housed citizens
 Encouraging sub regional goal of 100,000 jobs for the Metro
Eastside with emphasis on new job creation and meeting the job
back fill demands of the retiring community
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9. City Charter Impact On Our
Economy
 Require an annual report to citizens on the development and maintenance of a
secure and productive resource base
 Ensure adequate and appropriate land is developed for commercial and
industrial use so the City of Gresham’s economy does not have to depend
primarily on residential property tax base for community services
 Promote the quality of life connection between people, jobs, recreation and
environment through mixed land use and good transport linkages
 Protect and enhance strategic regional infrastructure and service hubs, town
centers, regional centers and corridors, including Portland International
Airport, Port of Portland, road and rail connection
 Maintain a balance between small retail businesses and large retail “discount”
businesses in order to support a healthy economy and encourage family wage
jobs and discourage predatory pricing to drive out “local” business
establishments
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10. Preparing for Gresham City
Charter Review
 Sustainable prosperity is the overarching principle of the upcoming charter
review and requires having a clear understanding of the public and private
development systems that in concert increase quality of life for all citizens
in our community
 This goal requires broad view, which recognizes how our city‟s day to day
activities affect our economy, environment and community
 Determine if our current form of government Manager/Council process and
election procedure (city wide non district elections) is adequately suited to
support positive citizen participation and long term sustainability
 Review the roles of Mayor, City Councilors, City Manager, City Attorney and
City Auditor for efficiency, effectiveness and accountability
 Recommend that City Auditor Position be an elected position
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11. Should Charter Impact
Multnomah County Relations
 Support, promote and facilitate a county wide coordination committee
to insure a united strategy for our sector in the Portland metropolitan
region policy formulation
 Convene Multnomah County Commission and Gresham City Council in
annual meetings to collaborate on common issues and solutions
 Provide the legislative leadership necessary to change the business
income tax structure to ensure that local dollars stay in Gresham
 As partner, be a leader in economic and community development
decision making process with Portland, Multnomah County and Metro
Government
 Engage Multnomah County and its municipalities in cross-jurisdiction
economic development planning focusing on job creation and private
sector companies recruitment and retention
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12. Why is Downtown Gresham Stuck
in the Status Quo
 Failed to build on 2020 Downtown Vision and Long Term Plan
 Failed to Establish Downtown/Civic Center Urban Renewal District
 Failed to broaden the engagement of downtown property owners
and businesses to include city wide citizen input, collaboration
and commitment
Potential Charter Solutions - Support Professional Change Agents:
 Continue the positive and creative input of best thinking of the new Council
Citizen Design Committee
 Support the new City Urban Design Department expertise and innovative
staff to support this best thinking and practices to city wide development
 Foster integration of transportation, land use, housing, quality of life and
workforce development for job growth and job creation within the eastside
metro regional and town center concept and economic development strategy
 The basic question is how many jobs will this current development strategy
add to the Gresham economy?
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13. Charter Reform and Rockwood
Urban Renewal Progress
 Cross-jurisdictional leadership and collaboration is critical to the economic and
development goals of the Rockwood Town Center and all parts of the urban
redevelopment district
Questions:
 How will the planned County Justice Facility increase Rockwood Town
Center economic development and capital investment?
 Will the Urban Renewal Catalyst Site generate new job creation and
stimulate development and investment in the Rockwood community?
 Should the Urban Renewal Commission establish a cross jurisdiction
mixed use development design team to follow up on the University of
Oregon Sustainability Initiative leverage Rockwood Town Center
Development ?
 Rockwood residents and businesses need to directly participate as partners in
the creation of jobs and the economic wealth of the renewal district
 Questions:
 How would the they do that?
 What is the Gresham Redevelopment Commission‟s target for new job
creation and economic development?
 What is the Gresham Redevelopment Commission‟s target for creating new
partnerships; both private and non profit along with public agencies in
support of the Rockwood Town Center Redevelopment efforts?
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14. Charter Directives for Infrastructure
and Responsible Development
 Housing, Transportation, Land Use, Parks and Recreation
 Reverse the current trend of Gresham becoming the “Tale of Two Cities”
 Be a leader at the joint metro transportation committee and insure
eastside metro‟s fair share of economic and transportation capital
projects and program dollars
 Lead campaign for development of the critical North/South I-84 and Hwy
26 connector
 Work with Clackamas County as another option for connector to Hwy 26
corridor for Springwater industrial and job development center
 Work across jurisdictional boundaries to develop a leadership group for
the development of an “eastside metro sub-regional economic strategy”
and seek federal, state and private sources of funding/investment for
infrastructure growth and development
 Extend the design commission standards for quality development and
sustainability on a city-wide basis
 Commit to and support the creation of a Metro Eastside Parks and
Recreation Regional Service District
 Explore the creation of a Metro Eastside Regional Fire Service District
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15. Key Charter Questions to
Keep Gresham Moving
 What say and participation should neighborhoods have in community livability
decisions?
 What is the City‟s Long Term Strategic Plan and how does it impact our
economy and neighborhoods?
 Is the Mayor and City Council following both the spirit and letter of the City
Charter, Code, and Council Rules?
 What leadership role should the Mayor, Council and the City Manager play in
the community and neighborhood development and especially new job
creation?
 Does the current requirements of the City Charter„s Election Process make it
financially impossible for 95% of its citizens to run for elected office?
 Why did the Citizen Initiative make Charter changes in support of District
Elections and then eliminate District Elections for City Council? Whose
interests did that serve?
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16. Charter Actions to Keep Gresham
Moving!
 City and Neighborhood Association Accountability Scorecard
 Pipeline of Projects
 Citizen Advisory Coordinating Committees
 Establish Neighborhood Councils
 Work with Police Department to utilize “Block Clubs” to reduce
neighborhood crime levels
 Reform City Election Process by returning to District Elections for
City Council while retaining City Wide Elections for Mayor
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