JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce recently sent out a questionnaire to individuals running for City Council seats to find out how they feel about certain issues and what they bring to the table.

Each candidate was given the same question and their chance to share their views, opinions and ideas. Each candidate was given up to 500 words and asked to have their answers in before Friday, May 20th. Four candidates responded including current council members Dan Buchanan and Steve Brubakken and candidates Phillip Wallace and Pam Phillips. Jeff Schwind did not turn in answers to the questions.

You can find the questions and each members response below.

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What is the one thing you bring to this position that the other candidates do not? Please give some background of your experiences that would uniquely qualify you for a position on the city council.

Dan Buchanan – Years of legal experience have given me the ability to read, understand and critique complex matters. Attention to detail and thorough preparation are part of what I do on a daily basis, and which I have consistently demonstrated at council and committee meetings. I’m often told I ask good questions, something I regularly do to get to the heart of the matters and to allow the public to understand better what’s being considered, and at what cost or benefit, to them. I have also served as Jamestown municipal judge and as an assistant attorney general for several state agencies.

A part of my professional experience has involved dealing with several aspects of the city council’s work. A few examples: a. worked with city in negotiations with an electric utility when service was to be discontinued; b. court proceedings over annexation and zoning; c. worked with the Chamber of Commerce and others in the establishment of the Quiet Zone through an initiated measure.

Steve Brubakken – Having served on the City Council for the past four years I have gained valuable experience and knowledge that is beneficial in working on the city’s budget, reviewing construction projects and contracts, dealing with zoning and development projects and working on other issues that affect the city’s ongoing operation.

Phillip Wallace – What I bring to the table that is unique in comparison to other candidates is a fresh set of eyes to look at the issues that Jamestown currently has. This allows me to be open to new ideas and to challenge conformity or business as usual practices. I first moved to Jamestown to attend college in 1999 and after several years in Fargo returned to Jamestown as a new resident in 2009. This allows me to see Jamestown from a different perspective than those who currently serve on the city council. This perspective has allowed me to see all the changes that the city has accomplished and shine a light on the things that need to be done.

Pam Phillips – I bring experience to this position. I served 8 years on the Council. During that time I attended the meetings, met with City Departments to understand how they work, and talked to the public about concerns and problems. I visited back yards and alleys with drainage problems, and talked to neighbors having disputes. While on the Council I served as Chairman of the Council under Mayor Charlie Kourajian, I held the portfolio for the Civic Center, was a member of the Library Board, and a member of the Renaissance Authority Board (which included members of the Council and local citizens).

I was the catalyst for the formation of the Buffalo City Tourism Foundation, which is now known as Jamestown Tourism. Tourism has an annual economic impact on this community of roughly $60 Million.

Over the years, I have been involved in many community groups, either as an officer, a member, or an active volunteer, always supporting the betterment of our quality of life. My involvement has included: Jaycees, Jayceettes, Jaycee Women, Women of Today; Lincoln School 5th Grade Just Say No program-adult volunteer coordinator; National Association of Legal Secretaries; American Cancer Society Relay for Life steering committee; Land Use and Transportation Plan (LUTP) Advisory Committee; TRAC Publicity Committee.

Currently: Jamestown Tourism Board member, Buffalo Museum volunteer for annual auction; Jamestown Zonta Club-Immediate Past President, Zonta International District 6 Parliamentarian(7 states), Zonta is an international women’s leadership organization dedicated to improving the status of women worldwide; Chairperson of Local and Regional Issues Committee of the Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce; Church Administration Board-former Chair, current Secretary and Worship and Music Committee-current Chair, member of church choir; South Central Homeless Coalition committee member; Central Valley Health’s Community Health Partnership ; Jamestown Speedway concessions; community member of Jamestown Community Corrections Program; Member of Sweet Adelines International and Tenor in Cheaper Than Therapy quartet.

I am fully involved in this community. I have a passion for the many experiences available here. I believe in Jamestown’s future. My involvement in the life of this community has contributed to my development as a person and a community leader. I have come to appreciate the individual contributions we all make, and how they strengthen our community because we work together.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

2. Establishing a proactive leadership base within Jamestown has been identified as a concern in our community. As a member of the city council, what would be your priority in developing a detailed strategic plan (not a comprehensive infrastructure plan, but an overall community strategic plan) to help the community identify a vision for the future, and what steps would you take for its implementation from a stakeholder and financial standpoint?

Dan Buchanan – I subscribe to this vision statement, namely: “To be the most desirable community to live, work and play, supported by a proactive, efficient and transparent municipal government.” (City of Jamestown web site at Government—Strategic Planning).

I would work to see that the city makes a real effort to partner with other groups and citizens, much as we did in developing the Land Use and Transportation Plan, so that the people affected or to be benefited are involved, heard, and their ideas and concerns considered appropriately. The comprehensive storm water management plan, now being done in conjunction with the surrounding townships, is a good example of what may be accomplished. Too often I hear from citizens that their views are routinely brushed off or ignored by city government personnel, including council members. Whether that is true or not, I see the need for the city to be more involved with the views of stakeholders (the city’s residents and other entities) in developing an overall strategic plan. As was the case with the LUTP, having public meetings or forums outside of regular council sessions is an important part of an overall community strategic plan. In short, we need to be, and not just say we are, open and transparent.

Steve Brubakken – First, I believe that Jamestown has had a very proactive leadership during the four years that I have been on the city council. Jamestown has had considerable growth and development in many areas that aid the citizens (a large retail store, new hotels, low income housing units, new apartment complexes, upgrades to the cities sanitary lift stations, developments at the Spirit Energy Park, and other improvements). Any strategic plan needs to involve the council, mayor, city administrator, other entities utilizing city funding (library, airport, etc.) and be inclusive to promote a friendly business development environment, continued infrastructure upgrades and maintenance, and keeping taxes at responsible levels.

Phillip Wallace – The first step is to develop a strategic plan based on the goals and needs of Jamestown. This will include future goals and current areas of struggle. In my opinion, you cannot move to a proactive planning model without addressing current areas of struggle. The two must move hand in hand if any new visions are to become to a reality. This stage of planning should also identify areas where money is needed or where money is being used inefficiently should be identified. A proactive model results from having the money to allocate to potential problems. At this point in time, Jamestown does not have that luxury, but with some fiscal responsibility it is something that I would like to work towards. As for implementation, specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time bound goals can help the city move towards what is valued by the community. Transparency will important for community buy in and support.

Pam Phillips – Our community is fortunate, we all do strategic planning for our businesses, our churches, our schools, our community groups, and sometimes even our families. Planning helps us to concentrate our efforts for positive growth and development. All of this planning was evident when listening to citizens’ comments on the LUTP development.

Everyone was very specific about what they wanted, and how they wanted their quality of life to be defined. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. If we apply what we know to what we want to do, implementation becomes a community experience with community involvement. We just need to get together, compare our plans, recognize the common themes, and move forward to develop a city-wide plan. Then as things develop, continue to hold public meetings to assess the progress made. This would not be a stagnant plan, but would ebb and flow with development. I am inspired by the thinkers and doers in this community. It’s possible that some ideas won’t need money, but those that do will need a plan for implementation. A shared vision is a positive thing, a living thing. I can’t wait to get started.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

3. How would you, as a city council member, use the approved Forward Jamestown Land Use and Transportation Plan to improve the community? What would be your first priority and why; and what funding would/could be identified to be used for the projects?

Dan Buchanan – First, I would make reference to it on a regular basis as new projects, land use, building permits, and zone changes are sought, and when funds are allocated. The LUTP went into detail in describing existing conditions that reflect both favorably or unfavorably on the community. It also added many helpful suggestions for enhancing current uses to make the community a better place to live, study, work and play.

During the development of the LUTP, covering some 18 months, I served as a city member of the steering committee. Others included representatives of the state highway department, the federal highway administration, city planning commission and members of the public.

“Forward Jamestown” is very comprehensive, but in response to this question, I turned to chapter (5) on future land use. Under the topic Growth Sectors, two of the areas identified are of immediate concern, namely, the Southwest and Northeast sections of the city where the most growth and development is occurring and planned.

My first priority, however, is the issue of access to the Jamestown Regional Medical Center. At this time, the JRMC (and related clinics) may only be accessed from I-94, or from the access road north of 17th St. SW. The district engineer for NDDOT has made it clear that I-94 is not intended to serve as a city street, a use now required. The access road is in need of major improvements, but even with improvements, it still requires crossing I-94 at Exit 256 to access JRMC. Its primary local access, 20th St. SW, has no eastward access.

We need early planning, a sense of urgency and collaboration with JRMC, affected landowners and others to change that situation. Too much is at risk. A facility providing emergency services should never be difficult to access. We need to recognize that fact and act.

Steve Brubakken – The Forward Jamestown plan is 233 pages and provides goals for the city to work on over the next number of years. My priority would be to review available funding sources to complete the construction of the road between the JRMC and the Buffalo Mall (southwest development area) to address the traffic congestion, provide a second means of access/egress to these areas and to help promote future development.

Phillip Wallace – The Jamestown Forward and Transportation plan is a great blueprint and guideline on how the Jamestown is succeeding and problem areas that need to be addressed. My first priority are the roads and sewage issues causing unsightly and financial issues; being proactive I’d like to be able to allocate funds to fix these problems before major reconstruction needs to be done costing Jamestown money it doesn’t have. Secondly, downtown buildings remain empty and unsightly housing need to be dealt with (either by helping owner or community reallocate the space). Lastly, the current budget should be reevaluated for inefficacies or reduction in areas that frivolous spending is happening. We need to look at the ways we allocate money so that we make the best use of the community’s taxes instead of raising them time and time again.

Pam Phillips – The LUTP study identifies 5 priority areas:
1.) Road connecting JRMC to Highway 281
Additional overpass over BNSF tracks
Improvements to downtown streets
Replace bridge over James River on 4th Ave NE
Upgrades to 3rd St SE
In addition, there are bike trail signage, and other signage issues

We should start with those things that would show immediate results with minimal financial investment. Such as signage of bike trails that wind through the city, and different striping of downtown streets to provide a lane each way and a center turning lane. These would take minimal investment. I understand that the Planning Commission has already identified other areas that could be done. Funding will take planning and working with the half percent sales tax identified for infrastructure, special assessments, NDDOT funding, and possibly BNSF funding for the overpass. The price tag is estimated at $98 Million through 2040, plus an additional $40 Million to upgrade the existing street system during that same time frame. What we do with the LUTP is a matter of establishing priorities and making the hard decisions to move forward and get it done. The study pointed out a lot of areas we already knew existed, but we have been kicking the can down the road hoping that the problems would go away. Well, they aren’t and we need to recognize that and work to improve our city. These issues are also quality of life issues that need to be addressed for the next generations.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

4. Describe the ideas you have and ways you would work to bring a stronger quality of life to residents in Jamestown? What specific projects and new initiatives will you spearhead to make our community a better place to live, in order to encourage growth?

Dan Buchanan – One new initiative I will continue to do work for is passage of an ordinance requiring a traffic impact study when certain kinds of new developments are being planned. The planning commission has previously recommended passage, but the council said no. The commission is now reworking the proposal with the help of our planning and zoning consultants SRF Consulting. I strongly support what the planning commission is doing on that issue. Why a traffic impact study?

Other cities in the state have long recognized that some new developments generate much more traffic on existing city streets. That increased traffic often has widespread impacts. The southwest and northeast growth areas of town demonstrate the need for future traffic impact studies. Such studies let us know what to expect and what improvements or changes may need to be made to accommodate that growth.

In the southwest we now have Menards, two new hotels and an extended stay hotel, Dacotah Bank, all operating and a new assisted living center/memory facility under construction. In the northeast, think Deer Ridge, Garden Hill II and TRAC, just for starters. The need to have information up front is long overdue.

Another is citywide curbside recycling. The city recently paid a Bismarck consulting firm for a study of our solid waste management, to include recycling. Recycling diverts many tons of material from the city landfill, thus extending the life of the existing facility while saving a portion of the cost of maintaining and expanding it. Landfill costs are very expensive, requiring the city to maintain funds even after closure of a cell. That study showed that curbside recycling may be accomplished by the city at reasonable cost to homeowners and businesses without the need for substantial investment by the city in collection and handling equipment. A recent meeting of the council’s public works committee authorized the chamber’s city beautification committee to work with it in developing a Request for Proposal to seek proposals from private contractors to handle Jamestown’s recycling effort. A number of North Dakota cities already use private collectors and are well satisfied with the results. I will work to see the implementation of curbside recycling in Jamestown. Both of these initiatives send a message to prospective new residents and investors that Jamestown is a progressive, up-to-date city.

Steve Brubakken – My belief is that “quality of life” has different meanings to individuals depending on where they are in their life. To some it means having a safe secure environment in which to raise their families – which involves maintaining proper police and fire departments. To some it means having a strong business environment that offers job opportunities – which requires a business friendly development process to entice businesses to locate and build in Jamestown. To others it means having appropriate health care and long-term care providers – which involves working with the medical providers and long-term care providers to ensure that the city and these entities work together to meet the ongoing and varied needs of the citizens.

Phillip Wallace – The project I would like to spearhead is improving Jamestown’s infrastructure. Infrastructure is important to businesses and to the community at large. Presenting a modern and well maintained infrastructure is attractive to businesses. Having a modern and attractive infrastructure affords us a key advantage in attracting new businesses and maintaining existing ones. Having a modern and attractive infrastructure will also attract residents to Jamestown and maintain current residents. New jobs plus new businesses equals more tax revenue. More tax revenue allows the City to maintain and be proactive about infrastructure projects. Together these ideas will allow us to maintain a cycle of growth.

Pam Phillips – I feel there is a disconnect between city government and the citizens. If people feel that they are not being heard and their problems aren’t being recognized, then they shut down and are angry. We can’t be happy all the time, we don’t live in a perfect world, but respect for individual ideas, problems, and challenges goes a long way to provide solutions, and make people feel valued. I haven’t always been able to get to the meetings, but I do watch them on CSI, and very often I can hear the frustration from those who speak and from the Council members too. I know that government needs to be timely and efficient, but I also know that there have been times when decisions were made without the Council knowing fully what the implications of that decision would be. For example, the Council uses a consent agenda at the monthly meeting, and while I understand it makes the meeting move along faster, I don’t think that most citizens realize how it works. Any citizen can request that an item be taken off of the consent agenda and discussed. The Council does most of its work in the committee meetings each month, where each item is discussed, but most citizens don’t come to those meeting. As I mentioned in Question #2, I would like to see groups come together to discuss problems in “Town Hall” style meetings where ideas can be freely discussed and solutions developed. One of my contributions to the Council would be to foster open and respectful communication. There are lots of smart people in our community who would never be on the Council, but would be happy to discuss problems and offer solutions. We need to recognize that everybody has a stake in our community and its development. The City needs to find ways to speed up the City and Planning and Zoning decisions. The Planning and Zoning Committee needs to have more authority to execute the decisions they make. Local contractors are frustrated by the City’s permit processes.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

5. What is the role of local government in helping create quality of life for the community, and how will you provide leadership and vision on the City Council to improve the quality of life in our community?

Dan Buchanan – A wise person once said that government is the great teacher. It sets an example, good or bad, for the population. Maintaining and improving quality of life takes many forms. Local government has a duty to assure public order and safety through law enforcement and fire and rescue services. I believe we do that well, and I make an effort to recognize what they do for us, often unseen but for our well-being.

Properly functioning and safe water and sewer systems are essential. The city recently invested more than $11 million to replace/upgrade the sanitary sewer system in the northern half of Jamestown. The city has partnered with the park district by making our full-time professional city forester available for assistance in maintaining and improving the selection and care of trees in city parks. It is now well known that Dutch Elm disease has taken a toll on many city trees, requiring their removal. Our forestry department is also watching carefully for any signs of the Emerald Ash Borer, a new threat to the large number of Green Ash trees in the city. In the recent past, the city forester’s office has accomplished major tree planting on the Business Loop East and in Solien and DeNault park in northeast Jamestown, to name just two projects. Another program involves assisting homeowners with proper tree selection for boulevard trees through a cooperative program with the Jamestown Community Foundation.

The LUTP pointed out that pedestrian safety, particularly downtown, is an important need we haven’t seriously addressed. There are no bike lanes on streets. A recent bike-truck accident causing injury underscores what can and does happen. Many motorists are confused at busy intersections because of the lack of modern traffic control devices. Storm water management in the city is beginning to be looked at seriously. Snow removal is often days late on less busy streets, creating inconvenient and sometimes dangerous conditions for residents. The city allows boats and large recreational vehicles to be parked for long periods on city streets and even in residential yards, thus degrading the quality of life for other homeowners, to accommodate a few. These things have no place on city streets, often creating blind spots for motorists and others by blocking their line of sight.

These are a few of the quality of life issues I want to address. We can easily fix them without excessive cost or undue hardship on the citizens, but we also need to make people understand the importance of doing so. Consultants often tell us that there is an educational function the city needs to perform to get acceptance of changes and to convince people that the benefits outweigh the costs.

When all is said, it is the city council that makes things happen. Or allows things to be delayed or denied in favor of other priorities. Quality of life for community residents and visitors must be foremost in our minds as we deal with the many issues that come before us.

Steve Brubakken – Local governments role in creating a good community quality of life involves maintaining a business friendly environment that looks at utilizing various incentives to bring businesses to the community, maintains sound infrastructure practices, keeps taxes at responsible rates, and encourages citizen involvement. I will continue to work with JSDC and other groups to promote Jamestown as a good place for businesses to locate and operate in.

Phillip Wallace – To me, quality of life relates to jobs, infrastructure, and entertainment. Citizens want a nice job that will provide for their household, a nice and safe place to live, and recreation facilities. The local government’s responsibility is to have an attractive city that will draw in new business and be open to new recreation and entertainment venues.

Pam Phillips – The Council has a responsibility to oversee the workings of the city. To keep the lights on, the sewers functioning, garbage collected, the streets plowed, blighted areas cleaned up, and the police and fire departments fully staffed and fully equipped. These are basic quality of life and safety issues that are important to our citizens. In addition, improvements need to always be anticipated. The Council has a responsibility to be visionary and not always reactionary. We are proud of our community. We keep our lawns mowed, houses painted, and yards clean as outward signs of pride, but we also show pride by inviting people to visit our community for conferences, vacations, school.

I also think that we should expand the relationship we have with the University of Jamestown. This is a quality institution with much to offer the community. But all we do right now is sponsor the annual fall block party to welcome the students to our city. Having a university here is an asset to this community, and a boost to our quality of life.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

6. Affordable housing is defined that a household spends no more than thirty percent (30%) of their income on housing costs. What role and responsibility does the local government have in developing a proper housing mix for our community – i.e. market-rate, low-to-moderate income, senior, and handicap accessible housing? What tools should the local government explore in helping create affordable housing solutions?

Dan Buchanan – Sad to say, we have too few suitable and affordable housing units in the city. Various funding mechanisms are potentially available to address this unmet need. A number of financing tools were used in the development of Jamestown Court Rowhomes (Metro Plains). They include: Renaissance Zone designation by the city council, allowing property tax avoidance for several years, Flex PACE Program interest buy down (Bank of ND), Housing Incentive Fund (ND Housing Finance Agency), Low Income Housing Tax Credit (NDHFA). They should be considered and potential developers need to be made aware of them. This brings into play again the need for public education by the city to assist this process.

Another program to assist in providing affordable housing is offered through United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development housing programs. That agency was involved in the funding of JRMC and should be well known to decision makers in this city. The city has forgiven real estate taxes on some facilities, for example, Fairfield Inn (5 years) and in some cases Tax Increment Financing may be an option. Garden Hills II in northeast Jamestown received funding from the state and federal governments.

Steve Brubakken – The council’s responsibility is to support and encourage prospective developers to build additional housing opportunities in Jamestown by offering local tax incentives in conjunction with utilizing available state government programs and resources that would encourage businesses to construct affordable housing in Jamestown, while still making it feasibly affordable for these businesses to operate and make a profit.

Phillip Wallace – The city has a role regarding senior and handicap accessible housing. Giving incentives for these kind of buildings to developers should be a priority. Market values seems to dictate the others. The city council should help to bring in stronger industry to help those afford housing at market value. For example, better paying jobs means better wages and in turn allows for citizens to afford better housing.

Pam Phillips – As a member of the South Central Homeless Coalition which serves the counties of Stutsman, Foster, Eddy, Dickey, Sargent, and Wells, my eyes have been opened about the housing problems in our area. We have seen rental rates and building costs go up over the last few years, and people unable to find housing that is affordable. Thirty percent of your income can be a fortune if you are working a minimum wage job with no benefits, if you are a senior citizen on a fixed income, or if you are disabled and have special requirements. There are no $400.00 per month rentals available. Some of the housing available to lower wage earners is substandard and some landlords are not motivated to make improvements. The dream of owning a home seems to be slipping away because of the cost. All of this combines to make it hard for people to find housing, stay here, and work. How does this reflect on Jamestown? People move on. Jobs remain open because people can’t find affordable housing. There has to be a combination of market-rate/ moderate/and lower affordable housing.

So what can the City do? The Bank of North Dakota has a program called Flex-PACE, which is a loan buy-down matched by the JSDC, and was used on the row houses at the old clinic site. There is a Housing Incentive Fund sponsored by the State legislature which doesn’t require funding locally, but requires a letter of support from the City. TIF financing can be used for housing, which delays taxing for 5 years. It was used for Menards and Fairfield Inn. When it comes to local development, the city doesn’t have much it can use, but it could waive taxes for two years like the county does. There is a program which Grand Forks is using called the Community Land Trust. It is a local program with some grant sponsorship and some state funding, and requires investing in properties, and recouping the investment from the homeowners over a period of time. I think Jamestown could also develop a similar program. There are federal programs available to developers if they incorporate lower rental units in their building plans. Also owners of buildings in the downtown area can do renovation and redevelopment of their properties and receive tax incentives.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE

7. Jamestown has many properties that are considered in blighted condition, yet the city and county health dept. are not condemning these properties. It affects the appearance, property values, and options for decent housing in our community. How would you enforce code and poor quality issues, and how would you prefer these areas get redeveloped?

Dan Buchanan – There is authority in state law dealing with this issue. Section 40-58-18 provides:

“If a municipality finds that there exist in the municipality dwellings which are unfit for human habitation due to dilapidation, defects increasing the hazards of fire, accidents or other calamities, lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities, or due to other conditions, including those set forth in subsection 3, rendering those dwellings unsafe or unsanitary, or dangerous or detrimental to the health, safety, or morals, or otherwise inimical to the welfare of the residents of the municipality, the municipality may require or cause the repair, closing, or demolition or removal of those dwellings in the manner provided by this section.” Underlining added.

The law sets out the requirements for the content of the ordinance. Another portion of the law allows a more limited standard to be enacted. “The governing body of a city may adopt ordinances prescribing minimum standards for the use and occupancy of dwellings throughout the city and to prevent the use or occupancy of any dwelling which is injurious to the public health, safety, morals, or welfare.” Underlining added.

I believe the city should consider at least one of these options if such authority is now lacking. As for stricter enforcement of existing ordinances, and potential new ones addressing some issue here, that should be the responsibility of the city staff, but perhaps the council needs to make it known that it expects it to be done. My preference for redevelopment is to require necessary repairs and as a last resort, order demolition, but not until we have a proper ordinance in place.

Steve Brubakken – The council was recently approached by citizen groups about this issue. I will continue to work with these groups and local law enforcement to insure that we address these concerns in a timely manner. The council will be reviewing other cities policies and codes relating to this topic. We will consider ways to strengthen or develop more defined policies and codes that allow for better enforcement to address this issue. The council must, however, insure that the property owners’ rights are respected with any policy or code that is developed.

Phillip Wallace – Regarding, blighted condition buildings, code enforcement is the responsibility of City. The city council writes the laws that affect the city. The branch that enforces those laws needs to be held accountable. If city and county health department are unwilling to enforce the laws then it is the city council’s responsibility to hold them accountable.

Pam Phillips – The City does have ordinances in place dealing with blighted properties. However, they may not be specific enough to deal with the problems we currently have. The codes have to be reviewed, and a specific plan for enforcement developed, then we must work with the owner to resolve the situation. The City Beautification Committee recently sent letters to the City Council requesting a review of the ordinances. Enforcement of the code is key. It isn’t just a matter for law enforcement or the fire department, the health department and building inspector must also be involved. Specific duties should be given to each of these agencies to help them enforce the requirements of the City. Without enforcement, nothing will happen. Blighted properties could be redeveloped for townhouses, duplexes, or small homes. Redevelopment in the downtown area could take advantage of Renaissance Zone funding.

Jeff Schwind – NO RESPONSE