The Bellevue City Council wants to hear from you.
City Council members voted unanimously Thursday night to gather opinions from citizens of Bellevue on the progress and goals of city government. The decision followed a presentation by Mike Pepper of Twin Falls-based KMP Planning on the ins and outs of "strategic planning."
"This would be a collaborative process," said Pepper, whose strategic plans have been used by the cities of Twin Falls and Mountain Home to bring increased communication, clearly defined goals and well-defined priorities to those city governments.
"A strategic plan should identify both where a city will focus its efforts and where it won't," he said.
Pepper outlined a potential 2- to 5-year strategic planning process, which would begin by gathering information from city staff, council members and the public on immediate goals of city government. Strategic plans are designed to follow a city's long-term comprehensive plan.
"This is an opportunity to clarify objectives," Pepper said.
Pepper suggested the council conduct a community survey to determine the priorities of the citizens of Bellevue. His suggestion was greeted with enthusiasm by Councilman Shaun Mahoney.
"People have all kinds of creative ideas, things we might never consider," he said. "You never know what they might have in mind until you ask them."
Councilman Chris Koch agreed, saying surveys could keep the council aware of public sentiment over issues like bonds and the Safe Routes to School programs, which have proven to be contentious in recent months.
Pepper's services were not engaged by the council last week, but they agreed to revisit his proposal and get figures on the costs of his services after the city's spring budgeting process.
However, the council will begin an inquiry into the concerns of Bellevue citizens this week by gathering sample survey questions regarding city policies from all council members. The questions will be presented at the next council meeting on May 22. The questions will provide a framework for community surveys that will be distributed to Bellevue citizens this summer.
The survey results will then be used to establish priorities for the City Council.
In other Bellevue news:
- The City Council, following Blaine County's lead, made a motion to direct legal council to draft a repeal ordinance of its inclusionary housing ordinance. The actions by both Bellevue and the county were based on a recent court decision ruling illegal a similar ordinance in McCall.
