Contemplating Tucson: Kozachik releases city’s Strategic Work Plan

In a recent e-mail blast, Ward 6 City Councilman Steve Kozachik released a long and varied list of projects that the City Council will be contemplating and potentially voting upon in the coming months. The list is below. In addition, rumor has it that the City Council is considering scrapping or at least knee-capping the Sign Code. If you hate billboards as much as I do, go tell the City Council that you want to see the mountains and sunsets– not the Clear Channel advertising!

There is a City Council Meeting today— May 24, 2011. As always, the meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. and include a call to audience, when you and everyone else can voice their opinions.

In last week’s newsletter I promised to share with you the Strategic Work Plan items that the city is contemplating. These are projects with varying levels of urgency and funding. We will be discussing them over the next several weeks. I’m interested in your thoughts about the items on the list.

1. City/County Courthouse – build a new courthouse to house both City and County operations
2. Expand City Court self-serve kiosks program – to allow remote filing of court documents
3. Graffiti Reduction Pilot Program – has already begun in the downtown area with purpose of identifying taggers and bringing charges
4. Implement PCWIN Project – interconnected communications system for and in between public safety agencies
5. Wireless data communication for Public Safety – new proprietary data communications system
6. Replace Public Safety computer aided dispatch – relates to 911 call center.The intent is to streamline that operation
7. Partner with UA for downtown development – has already begun with Roy Place Building and more plans are being developed
8. Downtown Civic Events coordinator – comprehensive plan for coordinating the planning and staging of community events
9. Management of downtown performing arts centers – consider options for how to manage and co-promote performing arts venues
10. Downtown links overlay zone – optional overlay for zoning of properties located within the downtown links urban overlay district
11. Create downtown entertainment district – meant to designate an Entertainment District primarily to ease restrictions on sale of alcohol
12. Ronstadt Transit Center redesign – consider adding retail/mixed use to the southern border of the RTC
13. Create plan for City owned facilities and land downtown – to create both short and long term returns to the General Fund, HURF and CDBG programs to the community.
14. Westside projects / Mission Garden – seek out funding and continue in conceptual design on the properties.
15. Implement new Clean Renewable Energy Bonds – full debt service is dependent on approval from the Rio Board.
16. Aerospace and Defense corridor – continue working with TREO to create cluster development in this sector.
17. Implement energy efficiency and conservation block grants.
18. Revise Small Business Enterprise programs – create program for giving incentives to local businesses bidding on City work
19. 2012 Bond Election – earmarked at this time to fund projects in police, fire and other core services.
20. Procurement Card program – expand use of PCards in operating departments to save City processing costs and receive rebates for their use
21. Identify economic incentive package for attracting businesses – identify appropriate incentives the City can offer prospects
22. Expenditure limitation – create a permanent expenditure cap, a level beyond our projection capabilities that is fixed, unless changed by a simple majority from the council.
23. Marketing, communication web strategy – put out through social media some positive news stories and other City news worthy items.
24. Extend public pensions TSRS end of service plan – provide an incentive for people to retire if they have met certain criteria.
25. Retiree wellness program – offered to retirees as an option within their health plan coverage
26. Develop Health Insurance RFP – put out on the street provision of health insurance to all City employees
27. Consolidation of Boards, Committees and Commissions – streamline BCC process in order to save volunteers’ time and hopefully expand volunteer pool.
28. Community services dialogues – hear Budget 101 from staff and offer input
29. ERP I.T. Technology – upgrade the software being used by the City and enhance the communication processes.
30. Comply with recent State mandates relating to maintenance of financial data – keeping records per State statute
31. Deferred maintenance plan – put together a comprehensive deferred maintenance plan and begin to perform work under the plan to protect taxpayer assets
32. Comply with recent State and Federal mandates regarding technology and personal data – identity theft protection measures
33. P4 program – allows virtual meeting option through upgrade to City communications system
34. 792-CITY – citizen virtual information center
35. Update building code – more user friendly code system
36. Environmental Services and Tucson Water greenhouse gas inventories – conduct greenhouse gas inventories in ES and TW
37. Plan Tucson – General plan for Tucson, as per State mandate
38. Greater Southlands habitat conservation plan – plan to protect habitat and provide for responsible growth in undeveloped lands south and east of Tucson
39. Modern Streetcar – design has begun and work on the tracks will begin soon
40. City/County water-wastewater study – program to set goals and recommendations related to water supply, integrate planning, demand management and respect for the environment
41. Seawater Foundation – provide alternatives to use of CAP water in Yuma region – crops grown in seawater freeing up CAP for jurisdictions.
42. Complete Land Use Code parking amendments
43. Continue to amend Land Use Code – should have Clarion Study done this year.
44. Sustainable Land Use Code amendments – should have additions to LUC in the area of sustainability later this year
45. Zoning along streetcar route to facilitate development – mixed use, residential, and commercial
46. Houghton Road – change from Scenic Corridor to a Gateway Corridor
47. Expand Houghton Road Area master plan to include areas southeast on State Land
48. Parks and Recreation 10 year growth plan
49. Planning for future events at Hi Corbett field
50. Clean City initiative – multi-departmental program to address pot-holes, graffiti, landscaping, etc.
51. Barrio Viejo drainage project – determine funding sources for this project that was placed on hold when Rio Nuevo pulled funding.
52. West University “transition area” plan amendment – land use code alterations
53. Transit Fare shift to use of Smart Cards
54. Five year financing plan for Sun Tran/Transit
55. Update Chapter 25 – relates to neighborhood cleanliness – landscaping, removal of unsightly items from private property, etc
56. Riparian Preservation and Restoration – revise the City’s existing riparian preservation ordinances
57. Urban landscape/heat island management – Land Use Code changes to address urban landscape issues
58. Net Zero Energy Program – energy conservation program
59. Planning & Development Services stakeholder group to be formed
60. Developmental Services to adopt “best practices” as found in researching other progressive localities
61. Sign Code program administration improvements
62. Update Tucson Floodplain Ordinance
63. Catalina High School Skate Park fencing project

Staff will be making presentation of these proposed Work Plan projects over the next several weeks. Council meetings are always open to the public, so come on down to 255 W. Alameda, Council Chambers, on Tuesday at 2 p.m. for our study session or wait until after 5:30 p.m. to get your time at the microphone during Call to the Audience.