Ok, sports fans. Now what? The people raised sand, and the city council listened. What (who) was considered the greatest roadblock to progress in our town is gone.
That begs the question, now what?
Before we jump on social media and do our rendition of ‘ding dong the problem is gone,’ actually stop and think. Carefully consider what are the issues you believe are facing the town. Maybe write them down.
Just guessing from some of the posts recently, let’s say it is the garbage collection situation. OK, issue identified.
Now, offer a solution. It can’t be as simple as ‘Go back to the city garbage department.’ Why? Well, do your research. There are a lot of reasons. Lack of a truck (they cost about a quarter of a million dollars and up, used) and a shortage of CDL drivers. A simple one- or twoword solution is not a solution.
Some issues do have a simple solution. Weeds in the streets are pretty simple to correct. So is dirt filling the gutters. Unleash the city workers to get after it. They are a great crew and if allowed to do their jobs, they excel.
But the bigger need here is for we, the people, to let the city council know what we want. What do we want changed? What can we do to help them make the change? Remember, these are five people, most of whom have full time jobs or who were happily retired before answering the call to serve.
So show up. Call. Write, email, text. Be at the meetings. Ask your rep about the budget. Heck, read the budget and educate yourself on what the terms mean. What is unrestricted cash?
Offer to serve on a board and or committees. Make some noise, only this time, let it be a joyful noise about the good changes going on.
For example, did you know a strong partnership is being forged between the city and the Plains Collective to revitalize the Cheese Festival by adding an arts, film, fashion and culture facet to it, celebrating the abilities of the people right here, many of whom have the rich tradition of Native heritage behind them?
Our council is searching for a company to rewrite the ordinances and codes for the town and bring it up to current standards and in line with our current form of government.
This would be the perfect time to address some of the codes that help keep the town looking shabby. Ask the council to put teeth in the ordinances about falling in buildings, burned out hulks and old homes, once beautiful, too far gone to be used for anything other than architectural salvage material.
What bothers you? What would you change? Address it personally. It isn’t someone else’s job. Come up with a solution. Then take it to the council, who now fully understands it works for us, and the city management works for them. We have things in the right order now. Let’s run with the ball.