Nevada City Advocate - A free news & entertainment Newspaper Serving Nevada City & Greater Nevada County: Editorial: The next Nevada City Council needs to confront tough issues

Editorial: The next Nevada City Council needs to confront tough issues
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Pat Butler on Apr 11 07:57am
 
It turns out we’re not having a City Council election this year.
And that’s unfortunate. It deprives us of a debate we need to have about the
future of Nevada City.
Sally Harris and Duane Strawser are outstanding candidates for the two spots on
the Nevada City Council and we will be well-served by them.
Harris, the incumbent, brings six years of experience to the job. She supports
sustainability, trails, open space and smart growth. She’s thoughtful, steady
and embraces the values that in many ways define Nevada City.
Strawser owns a bicycle store, just finished a year as the chamber board
president, runs the Nevada City Classic that brought Lance Armstrong here in
2009, and now is the local organizer of Stage 1 of the 2010 Amgen Tour of
California bicycle race, an event that puts Nevada City on an international
stage.
Those two will join Reinette Senum, David McKay and Robert Bergman on the City
Council as we head into 2011.
The biggest issue, of course, is money. While the economy is showing signs of
picking up, it’s unlikely that sales tax collections will match the levels of
2006 and 2007 for some time.
The next City Council will likely face the temptation to increase fees or find
new funding sources to balance the budget. Let’s hope the lack of a
competitive election doesn’t persuade city government that we are indifferent
to further intrusions into our pocket books.
Instead, city officials need to find creative ways to help residents, the
business community, and historic and revenue-generating buildings like Miners
Foundry and the Nevada Theatre.
The City Council needs to be willing to discuss whether Nevada City can afford
to continue spending nearly 33 percent of its $4.5 million annual budget on
public safety when less costly options might be available.
Then there are the dreamy ideas like whether the city should invest in the
development of the community in bold ways.
Will Nevada City use its parking mitigation fees and parking-meter collections
to build a parking garage? Will the City Council tap into the many conversations
about the future of Nevada City and help make it happen? Can the city find any
money for Calanan Park?
Will the City Council lead in this time of need or just hunker down and try to
survive the economic challenges that nearly everyone faces?
These are questions the ncxt City Council needs to face. Otherwise, it
relegates itself to a caretaker’s role at a time when we can ill afford it.