Join Ross for a Town Hall Zoom Meeting discussing important issues for the City of High Springs.
Tuesday September 15 @ 8 AM to 9:30 AM - What is a City Commissioner's job? How is the City organized to support its residents? How is our city managed? What City decisions are impacted by State and County laws and which ones are managed locally? Unfortunately, this event was not recorded.
Saturday September 19 @ 9 AM to 10 AM - City Budget - how to read a municipal budget, line by line. Where does the money go? Let’s talk about the city budget. LISTEN TO THE RECORDING: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/IKjVVBg8I2DfkMQULz_tCSnxylsf59_F3_R1kjZZL_D5EghLSVZ7wLd-RV-5RpIY.CFD07dt7YYmOsjvX Passcode: 2522E#!r
Sunday September 20 @ 6 PM - Water, sewer and infrastructure - Nobody cares about infrastructure until the water does not flow or the toilet does not drain. These systems also make it possible for businesses to move to High Springs. Without a good water and sewer system our tax base relies more heavily on growing residential growth. Is this a problem? Let’s talk about our water and sewer systems. LISTEN TO THE RECORDING: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/80JI0xxxgSWkbKpTxmq8NwQsotmpCw2OS61n9-caQEm7fwGCgLvHocqZpAngBfSN.7Ofbuckq9gRoXfAN Passcode: 7J3^S6ee Passcode: 7J3^S6ee
Wednesday October 14 @ 7 PM - Parks & Recreation - a big piece of any city’s economic development and more importantly our quality of life. Did you know one of our parks is a designated life flight landing zone? Check in to learn more about what our city has and what is involved in maintaining our parks.
Our city has done an amazing job of securing grants to support our parks. At one point, we had more lit ball fields in our parks than the City of Gainesville did. The City’s insurance company says that we have facilities for a city more than twice our size. We provide space for High Springs BMX to operate a track that has held national and state sanctioned competitions. We just added a frisbee golf course and, prior to COVID, offered a range of seasonal sports activities for youth. We are currently in the process of constructing what will be one of the only two all-inclusive playgrounds in the region. We can be proud of all the fields and upgraded playgrounds these parks have. However, are we protecting the citizen investment of millions, literally, and maximizing the use of the facilities?
Securing grants is a wonderful way to bring value to the community. The improved and expansive facilities offer a lot to residents. Data from the national Chamber of Commerce indicates that the number one reason businesses locate in an area is that the owner or CEO wants to live in the area. Parks contribute to our quality of life and support planned economic development. Youth team sports are important. The number of youth participating has grown tremendously in the last five years. But, why won’t the City fund staff to be able to properly maintain our facilities and create programming that is attractive to senior citizens, young adults and individuals of all ages?
In 2016 voters approved a county sales tax that would fund “Wild Spaces, Public Places”. At a minimum, this tax will contribute over 2.7 MILLION dollars to be spent on our facilities here in High Springs. This type of investment is an amazing opportunity for our community to leverage the value of well-maintained and programmed public spaces. Are we?
During our fourth virtual town hall, let’s talk about our parks program and the opportunities we have capitalized on and those we are missing that are needed to protect the investment of grant funds and serve a broader range of ages and needs in our wonderful little town. I look forward to meeting you and listening to your thoughts, questions and ideas.
Watch this space for weekly blog posts about issues that are important to you.
Click Here To View The 2020-2021High Springs City Budget