A shelter for homeless, traffic improvements, a general plan updated and a brand change of the city were among the ideas of the Escondido municipal council on how to use the income of a new sales tax.
In November, voters adopted measure I to create a hundred sales tax which should raise $ 28 million a year for 20 years.
During a vision workshop with the Council on Wednesday, the municipal director Sean McGlynn said that the sales tax was cut on April 1 and that the city should start to see the product in mid-summer.
Although the new money is good news for the city, McGlynn has also recognized that it is a finished source of income and does not solve the problem of long -term structural deficit of the city.
“We still have work to do,” he said.
After meeting earlier with consultants to create a list of areas to be discussed, the members of the workshop council have thought of ways to use new income to improve public security and security, make the city more suitable for businesses, expand community development and respond to organizational and financial stewardship.
Under public security, the members of the council suggested cameras that read license plates to catch off-traffic offenders, flashing lights on pedestrian crossings, better recruitment of experienced police officers, more police operations and a homeless refuge.
“Regarding homelessness, what people want to see is less homeless in the street and being planned in a safe and productive neighborhood,” said Mayor Dane White about the need for a refuge. “This is really the next step in the process.”
Other members of the Council also said they had heard of their voters that the city was to do more on homelessness.
The members of the council have agreed that the city should be more respectful of business, some suggesting that they rationalize the license process. The member of the Consuelo Martinez council suggested creating a position to help people navigate the process of opening and operating a company, and the member of the Council Christian Garcia said that the city should have more communication with business owners, who should also update the general plan update.
In other general discussions, which White called the city’s road map, the members of the council agreed that an update was expected for a long time.
“The road map to the city points directly to the 80s,” said White.
The mayor and other members of the council also suggested that the city is doing a better marketing job in areas outside of Escondido.
“And a brand change of the city?” White said.
“I do not know when this flag was done,” he continued, referring to the flag of the blue city which contains the words “Escondido” and “City of Choice”. “Let’s update and modernize and have a beautiful flag and an excellent motto and update it. How do we want everyone to see the city of Escondido?
Community development suggestions included improving public transport, exploring a district of business improvement and more events sponsored by the city which highlight the various escondido cultures.
McGlynn said that the City should also consider more members of the city staff to manage new projects, as some staff members had to carry out double tasks due to shortages.
In addition to new projects, the city also has a delayed maintenance backlog. On Wednesday, the members of the council received a binder which includes a list of seven pages of repairs necessary for the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, the central factory, the town hall, the fire station, the police station, the court of public works and other regions.
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