Strategic Plan Advisory Committee

City of Geneva Strategic Plan Advisory Committee minutes Geneva City Hall Geneva, IL 60134 Wednesday September 18, 2013 7:00 pm 1. Call to Order-Meeting called to order by Chairman Brault at 7:00 pm 2. Roll Call-Backus, Brault, Juby, Main, Ploppert, Walsma. Also present-Stephanie Dawkins. Absent- Dispensa, Lingham, Merrill. 3. Amendments to the Agenda-Chairman Brault amended to remove item 8 and place on next meeting’s agenda. 4. Approval of Submitted Reports a. Approval of Minutes –Motion to approve-Juby; second-Main. Ayes-5. Abstain-1(Ploppert) Motion carried. b. Approval of Budget- Motion to approve-Ploppert; second-Walsma. Discussion included encumbered funds for Bike-Ped’s Bike to Metra Guide, marketing expenses for business cards for committee members, and future expenditures for NRC with their generous $10000.00 donation to replace parkway trees on 3rd Street. 5. Sub-Committee Reports A. Bike-Ped- Bike-Ped participated in a photo op for their Bike to Metra Guide. Backus reported that three people attended the last meeting, prompting a discussion about meeting frequency and even relevance of sub committee. Bike-Ped fulfilled its goal of developing a plan that is now to be carried out by Public Works as funds become available. SPAC discussion included Bike-Ped’s relevance in the upcoming Strategic Plan, their time and effort spent in developing their plan, and their continued expertise in identifying additional areas for future bike trails. Dawkins suggested they continue to participate in the Earth Day festivities and other relevant events. Chairman Brault suggested that the chair of Bike-Ped (Dave Peterson) attend the next meeting and discuss how SPAC can assist them with the implementation of their plan outside of Public Works (be it through fundraising, advising, etc.)  ICEC- Ploppert reported that ICEC is preparing for their visit to the sister city in Croissey, France October 11-15th. Participants will be bringing gifts. Also, two students recently arrived via the exchange program and were given tours of the high school and the downtown area. Members are also working on a new logo for the website and PR handouts. Dawkins reminded Ploppert that he needed to convey that ICEC’s website will become part of the City of Geneva’s new website. NRC- At the last City Council meeting, NRC donated $10,000 to replace parkway trees on 3rd Street. Walsma reported that NRC is looking at several options for different, less expensive rain barrels. Also that they were working with local business George Kay to purchase trees. NRC is seeking volunteers for public garden maintenance and river clean up, possibly occurring next year. Juby reported that Jay Womak participated in the Western Avenue Garden dedication, mentioning that NRC and Western Avenue had partnered in the Wine, Cheese, and Trees fundraisers. Student Government- In staid of Dispensa, who is rightfully studying for her ACTs, Dawkins reported that she will be meeting with the high school sponsor to go over the fall program that will occur the third week of November. 6. Update on City Website development- GOOD NEWS! Dawkins reported that city website will go live October 1st. SPAC’s page will also have pages for each individual subcommittee. Dawkins will upload historical documents and create language for the homepage. Kevin Stahr, in charge of all media relations for the City, will upload SPAC’s communications, such as minutes to meetings, agenda, etc. Also available on the website for our viewing pleasure are the City Council meetings. Also noted was SPAC’s request to have Kevin attend the next meeting in October. (See below) 7. Discussion regarding meeting dates and frequency-Chairman Brault provided historical background on why SPAC meets every other month (due to diminished need) and suggested that with the implementation of the new Strategic Plan, there would be increased need to meet more frequently. Motion to change meeting dates from every other month to every month-Ploppert; second-Backus. Motion carried unanimously with the next meeting being set for October 16th. 8. Discussion regarding fund raising-agenda item removed to be placed on next month’s agenda when Merrill can be present. 9. Discussion regarding Town Hall meeting-Dawkins gave brief summation of process for creation of the formal Strategic Plan and reminded members that Chairman Brault will attend budget planning meeting November 1st from 8:30-3 as SPAC representative. Members decided that it was advantageous to move the Town Hall meeting to February so that Town Hall topic could include the new plan, the objectives, and the department budgets. During the discussion of plan process, Walsma noted that SPAC’s input had not been sought in developing the RFP for the Strategic Plan and asked that in the future, there would be more input upfront in the process. 10. Additional business a. Calendar review- Dawkins noted that the calendar will need to be updated to reflect the monthly meeting schedule. Next meeting October 16th with members noting that there will be a meeting November 20th and December 18th. Town Hall meeting will be set in February after new Strategic Plan is announced. b. Additional business-Dawkins presented members with personalized business cards bearing the City logo, website address, phone number, info line number, member name, email address, and member phone number. SPAC members agreed that they are not agents of the City of Geneva, and will only provide information to or gather information from community members and NOT MAKE ANY NON-BINDING PROMISES OR REPRESENT THEMSELVES AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN VOLUNTEER MEMBERS OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE. c. Additional business- After being approached by a local architect, Walsma inquired about creating a walk to learn about historic buildings in Geneva. It was suggested that any questions about history should be directed to the Geneva History Center or the Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley. 9. Adjournment-Motion to adjourn -Ploppert; second-Main. Unanimous to adjourn at 8:13.