Run The City Like a Business

"Run the city like a business!" I'd heard this more times since we'd been working on our tax levy than ever before. I do think we try to do this and I think we can make good argument for when we can't because the city is NOT like always like a business. Since our form of govenment had been established by our forefathers this argument has raged. I'd spent my last 22 years in IBM making business decisions in marketing and the development lab.

This short year of 2006 has already brought forward several opportunities to make "business" decisions. Already in this short period some of the very same people who've criticised us for not running the city as a business then have spoken out against our doing or even looking into some "business" opportunities. Can't have it both ways folks!

Consider the Graham IV Hockey Arena; the proposed Hawthorne Hills Executive Golf Course; the proposed new Biotechnology Building downtown; the UCR Soccer Dome; and even the consideration of renaming the Mayo Civic Center or anywhere else. All proposals would bring in revenue in business, additional taxes, jobs, savings to our residents in time and expense traveling outside of Rochester (UCR Dome and Hockey Arena), and many other benefits. Closing the swimming pool at Silver Lake early a couple of years ago was a pure business decision by the Park Board and most of you must remember the backlash that caused.

Anyway, I'm open to discussion on these and other issues but need your input BEFORE we make the decision. Would be nice.

I taped a segment again on Clear Channel generally discussing a couple of the issues - Graham IV and the Hawthorne Hills proposal.

It'll be played Sunday morning, Jan. 29:

Fox Country 102.5 FM -- 7 to 7:30 am
Laser 1270 AM --------- 6 to 6:30 am
KWEB 970 AM ---------- 6 to 6:30 am

I'm working on getting the audio file attached to this blog or the RVOICES.org city wide blog page.

Keep in touch.

Bob

They Shoot! YOU Score!

Who won? We all did! YOU did! It was a “Win, win, win, win decision!”

At last night’s city council meeting approval for the three major agreements needed as a first step toward the construction of a fourth hockey arena, Graham IV, passed unanimously.

WIN! The Rochester School district and Lourdes: This facility will provide much needed practice and play time and allow for expansion of girls hockey. “Kids on ice stay out of hot water!”

WIN! Rochester Youth Hockey Association: Allows them to expand their operation and provide the opportunity for more youth to learn and participate in the sport. Will bring in tournaments to Rochester not now possible. Opportunity for more home play.

WIN! County and County Fair Grounds: Improvements to the present roadway and Graham arena complex will provide for venues that up to now have eluded Rochester not only for the Fair but for events throughout the year.

WIN! The business community: Visitors to Rochester spend money in hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, and , yes, even relocate themselves and business after experiencing Rochester. Keeping our business community healthy and growing means jobs, growth, a larger tax base, sales tax and in general a healthier community.

WIN! YOU: The above affect you even if you don’t play hockey or have a kid in the program. Kids playing sports are an asset to our community. Jobs, taxes, a healthy business community helps all of us as they pay the bulk of our property tax, storm water fees, etc.

We’re constantly asked to run the city more like a business. Here is an example of a merger of city, county, and an independent entity – Rochester Youth Hockey Association – resulting in a truly good business decision with a return on investment (ROI) that goes through the roof! ... and we may see results this year yet and not pay a penny until next year!

Congrats! You won again!

Northern Heights Traffic Signal

Every once in a while I get a complaint about the timing of the traffic signal exiting Northern Heights Drive onto Broadway. The problem has been that the sensing device that would sense your car on N. Heights was very close to the cross-walk and many drivers would not go that close so the light would not change as it should have for them.

MN-DOT controls the light and has been made aware of the problem.

GOOD NEWS! As of the first of the year they have released this as a free running light, that is, it's on a 55 seconds for North/SOuth Broadway and 45 seconds for Northern Heights cycle.

In spring, as weather permits, MN-Dot will cut a new sensing loop at the intersection and will then return it to the "on-demand" light we probably would prefer.

Bob

HELP! I STILL Need Some Advice

I could still use some help. Some advice.

Last February the Rochester Youth Hockey Association (RYHA) came to the council proposing a fourth hockey arena for the Fairgrounds – Graham IV. They made a proposal and submitted rationale to support their proposal. Made a lot of sense then but they still had to get County Board approval and do other homework. Surprisingly, I hadn't heard from anyone speaking out against the proposal. They were offering to spend over 60% of their own money for something that would bring in revenue to the county and city for many years to come and would address some problems they'd recognized for several years.

Nothing much happened until a few weeks ago when they returned with a revised proposal and plan. Their request to the city of Rochester was the same – commit to $75,000 a year for 12 years ($900,000) towards the $5.3 million building.

That’s a lot of money but what were the benefits for this partnership between the County, City, and the Rochester Youth Hockey Association (RYHA)? What are the needs?

There’s a shortage of ice time for RYHA and High School teams. RYHA needs about 156 hours of ice time per week, Before the high school hockey season they have approximately 138 hours available for their 52 teams of boys and girls aged 4 to 18. After the school season they have on the average 94 hours of prime time available. Their teams skate at 5:30 am prior to the start of school and until 10:45 PM on school nights. The high schools start at 2:45 PM during 8th period and still do not have enough hours to provide every JV team with a regular proactive time.

Girls high school hockey cannot expand to 3 Varsity and/or a JV until additional weekday practice hours become available.

I have been a supporter of our Kiwanis’ fund raiser the Kiwanis/Wells Fargo Hockey Festival for the last 10 years and co-chair for the last 7. We have returned over $430,000 to deserving community and selected Kiwanis charities in the last 12 years. I attribute our success to the quality of competition our local hockey players provide – play that I attribute to their RYHA training – play that provides us with a waiting list of teams that want to participate in our tournament when they have other attractive venues to choose from. So, yes, favor supporting a proposal that would help our young men and women develop their hockey skills (and would help others from having to get up at 4:30 to take a son or daughter to practice).

I made this point at our November 7th Committee of the Whole meeting. Perhaps I shouldn't vote on this issue I mused.

The rest of the proposal is that this private organization, RYHA, would provide the funding for around 66% of the $5.3 million - $4 million – which would benefit the county and city for years to come. The city and county would commit 12 years of debt service at $75,000 per year each. Spending $900,000 over 12 years for a $5.3 million facility doesn't seem like a bad deal. There are additional revenues to be brought in by RYHA tournaments not possible today with economic benefits to Rochester proposed to be in the area of $1,000,000 per year, additional benefits to local economy , hotel taxes, sales tax etc. In addition there are dry season advantages for fixing the arena area on the fairgrounds.

The other day I heard that the County wants us (the City) to help back the bond needed for the project instead of doin it themselves. I don't even know if this is possible. Should we still go for it or not?

That’s the short form of the proposal we've been presented.

My problem is, well, I haven't had a cohesive presentation from the opposing side. If you're out there let me know. Let’s discuss the matter. I need your input to help me make a good decision. I know there are some of you opposing this proposal.

What I have received are a couple of e-mails with no supporting discussion about my stupidity for supporting this proposal. I agree that my openness at the COW in stating that anyone with a brain would support this proposal based on the facts I was given and my experience as mentioned earlier. This could have been taken and apparently was taken as a put down to those opposed to this proposal. I apologize for this. I’m pretty open and sometimes say my mind without being “politically correct”. I’ve only been in this political game 3 years and am still learning. One person did come to my Friday morning coffee at Grandma's Kitchen (7 to about 8:30 am) and we had a very good exchange about a lot of city related concerns. I appreciated his spending time with me.

I'd also been confronted with a threat to not vote for me and even work for anyone who opposes me should I support this dumb idea ... but I didn't get any facts to support the "smart" side of the argument.

So, those of you out there with strong feelings against this proposal – speak up! Where are you?

Give me some rationale to suppoort your position. I swear I’ll listen. I always have. I promised to do so when I ran for office and tried to do so for the last 3 years. If any of you who read this know someone who has rationale against this arena give them my number and have them get to me. We’ll have to make a decision in December.

I will make the best decision for our greatest good with your help – with the hope that those who threaten me will understand that if I decide in their favor I’m doing so because of the facts in their favor and not the threat and, vice versa, if I support the proposal the other way it’s also because of the facts and not to spite them.

Thanks,

Bob Nowicki --- 285-0295 bnowicki@ci.rochester.mn.us

Resolutions for 2006

So many ways I could and should do better in this next year that my New year's resolution list would probably exceed the capacity of this blog site. So I'll do what I've been trying to do since my election 3 years ago (already 3 years? WOW), that is, live up to my campaign promises. Here they are:

To promote communication and cooperation between city government, its citizens, and its neighbors. Worked hard on this. Have invited constituents to meet with gov't workers and department heads whenever possible. Tried to keep you informed as to anything and everything affecting you and have always returned calls and had personal visits when possible.

To ask, listen and learn so I can better serve you. Hae to work on the listening and especially the learning part.

To promote and support community youth who will be our future. Been a member of the Rochester Youth Commission, Diversity Council's Predjudice Reduction Workshop faciltation team, teach Junior Achievement, and volunteer in the Read Around the World program. Bring kids to the gov't center whenever possible.

To be accessible and lend support to the citizens of Rochester. You need to be the judge of this but I've attended and hosted Friday morning coffee at Grandma's Kitchen every Friday that I've been in town since my election, have never turned down an invitation to attend a neighborhood meeting, an informational meeting, or a get-together. I have a blog site (you're reading it), take calls at all hours of the day or night, and knock on doors at random in my ward.

To work closely as a team member with all areas of city government. My 32 years of working with a wide variety of IBM support staff, engineers, finance, and field marketing have prepared me and taught me the value of team work--even though, technically, we on the council do make the final decisions on many matters.

To effectively and efficiently manage our tax dollars. One of my biggest hot buttons! This is an area that we try to watch all year long as we make operational decisions but it's not apparent. I will simply state that if you have any concerns about what I've done in this are or have any suggestions then contact me immediately.

Thanks for your patience. Have my marching orders and need to get cracking again!