Quality of life, economic vitality on Pasco council’s 2-year list of goals

Enhancing Pasco’s image, improving traffic flow on major roads and promoting the community as a desirable place for commercial and industrial growth are just some of the objectives city officials have set for the next two years.

Pasco City Council members approved their 2016-17 goals at a recent meeting with a vote of 6-1.

They developed the list after holding several community forums, reviewing the results of the 2015 National Citizens Survey and meeting with city staff at the council’s biennial retreat in mid-March.

In previous years, council members have chosen up to 20 detailed goals. This time they opted to do six broad categories: quality of life; financial sustainability; community safety; multi-modal transportation network; economic vitality; and community identity.

Each topic includes what City Manager Dave Zabell described as an “overarching goal statement” with several specific objectives.

“The city council was very deliberative and listened to what is important to the community via the public forums, surveys, and formal and informal input over the past year or so,” Zabell said.

The council uses the biennial goals and objectives “in communicating to the public their priorities, and to staff it’s provided direction in implementing the will of the council,” he said

The goals should “have a significant impact on the overall health of the Pasco community.”

Councilman Tom Larsen had the lone vote against, saying “We didn’t cover everything that we agreed to cover.”

Larsen wanted staff to research fluoride in the city’s water supply and determine whether “it is good for people or not. … That is something that really we should not ignore.”

Zabell told Larsen during the council discussion that he doesn’t believe Pasco has the “staff level expertise to top what is being provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Councilman Saul Martinez said he likes the broader categories because they hit the highlights.

“I think it’s going to be a benefit to make sure that not only us as a council adhere to all these different bullets and each one of these main goals, but also to make sure that we’re guiding staff,” he told his colleagues.

“I think this gives us some specific areas, and then it blankets the city better than we’ve been doing in the past,” added Councilman Al Yenney. “Our goals in the past have been good to work with, but I think this is basically the next step in the evolution of our goals.”

Here are the goals they came up with:

Promote high-quality of life through quality programs, services, appropriate investment and re-investment in community infrastructure by:

▪  Use of Community Development Block Grants and other public and private capital to re-revitalize older neighborhoods.

▪  Acquisition of an adequate site for new community center, community park and more soccer fields.

▪  Coordinate with the Pasco Public Facilities District on feasibility of constructing/maintaining aquatic/community recreation facility.

▪  Complete site designation process and agreements on construction and operation of new animal control facility.

▪  Efficient and effective use of public resources in the delivery of municipal services, programs and long-term maintenance and viability of public facilities.

Evaluate long-term financial viability, value and service levels of services and programs, including:

▪  Importance to community.

▪  Cost of recovery targets.

▪  Evaluation of costs associated with delivery including staffing, facilities and partnership opportunities.

Preserve past improvements and promote future gains in community safety by:

▪  Enhancing proactive community policing efforts.

▪  Continue efforts to improve police/community relations.

▪  Work to maintain/achieve target fire response times.

▪  Focus on a long-term goal of improving the Washington State Ratings Bureau community rating to Class 4.

▪  Efforts to realize full implementation of a consolidated dispatch center.

Promote transportation network through:

▪  Complete Lewis Street Overpass design concept process, secure gap funding for construction and achievement and maintenance of “shovel-ready” status.

▪  Complete Road 68/Interstate 182 interchange improvements.

▪  Facilitate traffic flow in major corridors.

▪  Proactive traffic management (calming) within neighborhoods.

▪  Complete planned improvements on Oregon Avenue.

▪  Collaborate with Ben-Franklin Transit to enhance mobility.

▪  Comprehensive planning, analysis and execution on pedestrian, bicycle and other non-vehicular means of transportation.

Encourage economic vitality by supporting:

▪  Downtown revitalization efforts of Downtown Pasco Development Authority.

▪  Implement downtown infrastructure improvements, including Peanuts Park, Farmers Market, Pasco Specialty Kitchen and streetscape upgrades.

▪  Complete Broadmoor sub-area plan and environmental analysis, including plans for needed utilities and transportation improvements.

▪  Promote community as a desirable place for commercial and industrial development — strengthening existing partnerships and coordinating efforts.

▪  Continue Department of Natural Resources efforts to sell/develop state property at Road 68/I-182.

▪  Identify alternatives for city/Port of Pasco coordination on waterfront plan implementation.

Identify opportunities to enhance community identity, cohesion and image through:

▪  Community surveying.

▪  Providing opportunities for community engagement through boards, commissions, volunteer opportunities, social media, forums and other outlets.

▪  Coordinated messaging.

▪  Identification and celebration of successes.

▪  Implementation of a community identity/image enhancement campaign.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 6:36 PM with the headline "Quality of life, economic vitality on Pasco council’s 2-year list of goals."