Folks, we want our cake and eat it too ...
Cedar Rapids is a vibrant urban hometown - a beacon for people and businesses invested in building a greater community for the next generation. - City of Cedar Rapids
The key word of concern is "urban" ...
By the way, the Federal Government classifies "urban" as
populations of 500,000 people or more.
A good resource to discuss some of our current and future challenges is the League of Cities and Counties in the State of Iowa. Prior to the change in the Form of Government vote in June 2005, The Gazette held a good forum with the League of Cities and Counties in 2005.
How many U.S. House members does our "urban" community have in Washington D.C. representing us today? How many does the City of Chicago have? Are we really "urban" folks?
How many U.S. House members does our "urban" community have in Washington D.C. representing us today? How many does the City of Chicago have? Are we really "urban" folks?
But, go no further than our most recent "Conflict of Interest" story unfolding in the City of Cedar Rapids right now ...
"It’s a small town. It’s no different from all the other people that come before
the council that I know or have some relationship with.” - Council member Pat
Shey
Say, what? Could this be part of our branding problem that the City of Cedar Rapids has right now? Maybe, we need to rethink our "urban" thing we are trying to force down our public. Maybe we need to look at our hometown culture and determine what really exists today in our community?
"It's a small town." No, we would say Algona is a small town. While, Cedar Rapids isn't "urban" in the true sense. Suggesting Cedar Rapids is a "rural" community like Algona isn't the direction we should turn to either. But, the words of one of our council members says a lot of the disjointed messages we hear in our community often these days.
"It's a small town." No, we would say Algona is a small town. While, Cedar Rapids isn't "urban" in the true sense. Suggesting Cedar Rapids is a "rural" community like Algona isn't the direction we should turn to either. But, the words of one of our council members says a lot of the disjointed messages we hear in our community often these days.
Actually, the banking model (Urban, Community or Rural) would seem most appropriate for Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids is in the middle.
We should stop branding Cedar Rapids as an "urban" community; when in fact, we are more like that "small town" of Algona, Anamosa or Marion, than clearly Kansas City, Charlotte, Memphis or whatever "urban" community one of City Council or City Consultants want to think up next?
Council’s $540,000 yard-cart fix raises appearances of conflict - The Gazette
It’s a small world. It didn’t seem so much so Thursday evening when only one of eight City Council members at a budget hearing ...
It’s a small world. It didn’t seem so much so Thursday evening when only one of eight City Council members at a budget hearing ...
The Parlor City needs to get back on track. The "City of Five Seasons" went through some outstanding times with Urban Renewal in the 1960s and 1970s, but the Farm Crisis of the 1980s created a chic in the armour of our fine community.
We lost some of our industrial base in the 1980s, with losses in heavy manufacturing. We didn't lose our step immediately, but a variety of factors have slowly arisen over the past 15 years. Now, the Flood of 2008 and the recent economic and financial crisis have seen another round of losses in our manufacturing sector.
As a neighbor often says: Pay Taxes! Our economic engine in Cedar Rapids is hammered hard with the burden placed on industrial and commercial property taxes right now in the State of Iowa. There is current pressure to increase property taxes again for new infrastructure and the cost of government services ...
- Rising salaries of city and county employees
- A proposed new $45 million downtown library
- The new Cedar Rapids Community School District board building
- Expansion and recovery of Linn County infrastructure - post Flood
- Expansion and recovery of City of Cedar Rapids infrastructure - post Flood
When, we formed our new Council-Manager form of government in 2004-05, we identified the need for an Ethics component. Sadly, the original members of the City Council, stalled in the creation of Article VI of our City Charter.
Both the transition from the Commission form of government and now the Flood of 2008, has our City Government at times stuck in the mud. Could more mud be in the forecast? Let's hope not.
peace
P.S. - How much does our local government plan to get into commercial operations, such as yard-cart devise? The City of Cedar Rapids has expanded into housing and development over the past four years. Now, we hear this from the "Council’s $540,000 yard-cart fix raises appearances of conflict" story ...
"Gulick said he has an interest in Brokaw’s invention if it holds out the
potential of making the city some money, adding that the council has not cast a
final vote on the purchase." - The Gazette
