!@#$ politics & comprehensive planning

[SGB]

From yesterday's local paper: The City council is now seeking proposals that address the city’s existing community development programs, the housing program and the public facility and economic programs. Interested consultants will also have to provide an analysis of the city’s problems, needs and long-term goals.

What the article failed to mention is that this City just adopted a comprehensive plan a little over a month ago that provides the analysis asked for in the RFP.

This is what happens when a plan is adopted at the end of one Mayor's term, and the new Mayor did not participate in creating the comprehensive plan.

 

[mendelman]

Well, that should make the work for the consultants much easier. They just get a copy of the Comp. Plan and reuse the analysis. :-D

 

[H]

That is interesting, depressing and not surprising.

 

[Mud Princess]

Well, how GOOD was that comprehensive plan at analyzing the city's long-term needs, etc.?

 

[SGB]

Given the process used, the expertise involved, the composition of the steering committee that oversaw the process, and the level of public participation - I'd have to say the analysis and policies in the plan were very good.

Admission of bias: I was on the steering committee.

 

[Gedunker]

Your first post made me wonder if the community was starting their Consolidated Planning process (specifically housing, public facilities, and economic opportunity) as a requirement for CDBG funding from HUD. The two planning processes are similar but not identical, and regardless of the vintage of Comp Plan, the Cons Plan (one-year action plan) must be done annually.

Having written our Comp Plan and the last eight Cons Plans, I can tell you that I would not ever consider re-inventing the wheel. If the data are good, I'm reusing them.

 

[Mud Princess]

I'd have to agree with you on the Consolidated Plans, which are required for CDBG Entitlement communities. Some of the data for them is Census-based and not updated more than every 10 years.

SGB, why isn't the company that did the plan being hired as the city's community development consultant? Seems odd. I would think it would be more cost-effective to go with a consultant that already knows the city.

 

[SGB]

SGB, why isn't the company that did the plan being hired as the city's community development consultant? Seems odd. I would think it would be more cost-effective to go with a consultant that already knows the city.

There's a new Mayor who had no involvement in the comp plan revision process. He attended one presenation by the consultant at a public hearing. Who knows - maybe he was unimpressed...... :-\

 

[Rumpy Tunanator]

There's a new Mayor who had no involvement in the comp plan revision process. He attended one presenation by the consultant at a public hearing. Who knows - maybe he was unimpressed...... :-\

-No offense SGB, but if I was the newly elected mayor I would probally do the same (I guess its out of spite for the former). But I could understand why you would feel that way from the planning position. Once again its all based on politics.

 

[donk]

Was the rest of Council tossed also? We had a dominantly new council come in, with many who hated planning, but were able to keep the existing plan.

Scared and counting the days until May (our next election).