Encinitas council debates goal-setting format

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer
Annual workshop absent from council's calendar | Thursday, January 24, 2008 12:11 AM PST ∞

ENCINITAS -- The annual review of city goals presented as a single agenda item at Wednesday's City Council meeting is a change that short-changes Encinitas residents, two council members said.

Councilwomen Teresa Barth and Maggie Houlihan told their colleagues the city should stick to its previous practice of discussing the goals at annual workshops, where council members, department managers and residents can exchange information and ideas.

"This is the smallest amount of public we have had to discuss goals," Houlihan said in a council chamber filled with empty seats. "We've never done it like this ... this change is something we never discussed."

One year ago, the council hosted two goal-setting sessions on back-to-back evenings. The roundtable format put council members eye to eye with their constituents and staff members. Ideas flowed freely and, at times, informally.

"This is an awkward situation," Barth said Wednesday from her position on the dais. "Last year, the goal-setting was much more of an open dialogue with our community and staff. As a workshop, that's not what this is."

No action was taken Wednesday, although Councilman James Bond said he would support the call from Houlihan and Barth to schedule a goal-setting workshop.

Mayor Jerome Stocks said he had asked City Manager Phil Cotton to include a status report on city goals on Wednesday's agenda. He said Encinitas is in the middle of a two-year budget cycle.

"The big (budget) adoption was last year," Stocks said. "That's when we set our goals. What I asked for was a midyear review and update."

"I think this worked pretty well," Stocks continued. "Change is difficult sometimes."

Councilman Dan Dalager stayed clear of the discussion.

While supportive of a workshop, Bond said there was logic in setting goals one year and reviewing them the next.

"The whole point of a two-year budget is not to unzip it every year and start all over again," he said.

-- Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 901-4074 or akaye@nctimes.com.

Next Previous

More Stories

Tags:

Bookmark and Share

Ads by Yahoo!

Advertisement

Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

voting resident wrote on Jan 24, 2008 7:29 AM:More of Jerome Stocks trying to keep Transparency and open government to a minimum. He is the classic Bushite republican.... Uggg.... I hope he goes away in November. Please vote for anyone but him.

Whatajoke wrote on Jan 24, 2008 7:29 AM:Those two ... on the Encinitas Council want to have a full blown waste of taxpayer staff time to preen?
The budget is set every two years and Mayor Stocks asked for an update. Very appropriate in my opinion. Pretending to have a "goal setting" in the middle of an ongoing budget would be disingenuous at best.

Encinitas Resident wrote on Jan 24, 2008 7:31 AM:Hey, Stocks! It "worked well", huh? Not hardly. Sounds like three of the council think that the public's participation/comments are not only unneeded but also unwelcome. Kinda of like Trent Lott's criticism during last year's immigration reform debate. Pack your bags.

Transparency Crazy wrote on Jan 24, 2008 8:24 AM:I am growing very tired of this whole transparency thing, especially when it means breaking apart a previously agreed to plan. Like many businesses, the City makes a 2-year budget and has for years. They are mid-cycle now, so while it was good that Stocks asked for a public update on how they where doing, it allowed two council members to try to rewrite the plan midway. ..., I guess no good deed goes unpunished. Maybe this transparency things isn't so bad after all, as we are slowly beginning to see who are truly the disruptive members of the council (Maggie and Teresa).

Workshop is good wrote on Jan 24, 2008 9:10 AM:Even if the budget is run on a two year cycle, an annual opportunity for feedback is a good idea. If nothing else, it can set the stage for the next budget planning meeting. It's also a good way for the council/citizens to be updated on progress towards the goals set at last year's meeting, and to see if there are any bumps in the road (pun intended). I don't see how this is political, it just makes sense.And it cost a lot less than all of the consultants that our city is always paying for.

Whoa! wrote on Jan 24, 2008 9:53 AM:The two year budget was a creature put into place by the previous city manager who was here from 2000 to 2006. The current city manager "introduced" reviewing each budget as a new budget not dependent on allocations from previous years. Capital improvement projects should never be cast in stone. Money problems, inflation, recession, lack of need are factors that should be considered EACH YEAR for the proposed projects.

Trev wrote on Jan 24, 2008 12:42 PM:There are many things other than capitol improvements to be done in the city. This makes sense when you realize only 5% of the budget goes to capitol projects. Who says you can't reprioritize. Things change. In business priorities are constantly reevaluated. Nothing wrong with the city affirming they have their priorities straight, so what is Jerome afraid of?

gil wrote on Jan 24, 2008 1:37 PM:i have to admit i prefer goal setting and goal review done with more community input and more community/staff/council interaction. as a community it can only be more beneficial for all parties imho. i think trev, whoa, and workshop each point out that an annual review is in the best interest of the community and that altho the budget is a two year cycle item, a yearly review and another chance to interact with the community to reaffirm the priorities and get staff input on the current economic realities is prudent. plus, i always bring cookies and donuts from VG's, it's kind of a community party. i look forward to the informality of it, unlike an agenda item. as to maggie and teresa being disruptive?(gil makes raspberry sound.)

Future wrote on Jan 24, 2008 10:27 PM:It's clear that Houlihan and Barth are stuck in the past while Mayor Stocks is willing to look to beneficial cost reducing change and the future.

An encinitas American wrote on Jan 24, 2008 11:17 PM:If you love Encinitas and America, vote for someone other than Jerome Stocks and Learn about Ron Paul.

HI Ho wrote on Jan 24, 2008 11:18 PM:Duke Cunningham looked to cost reducing change and the future.

Rude wrote on Jan 25, 2008 11:19 AM:is the only word to describe Jerome Stocks. Teresa and Maggie are a breath of fresh air. Bond has been around too long (as he loves to remind us all) ---time to go. What are Cotton and Stocks afraid of. They are public servants and should welcome the public's input.

Registered Comments[-]Go to Top

Advertisement

Videos

Advertisement