Guest Column

Local government is yours, so get to know it

By MARILYNN DECHANT
Published October 22, 2007

This week is proclaimed City Government Week, a time to celebrate open government and the pride we take in our Florida cities.

"Why I Love Living in New Port Richey" is the topic of this year's essay contest, with information about it on our city Web site: www.cityofnewportrichey.org. Also, tours of the city's new recreation and aquatic center as well as our library in downtown have been arranged for schoolchildren. It's never too early to learn what government means in your life, and no other level affects its citizens more than their local government.

I also encourage residents to attend our meetings from time to time. It's different up close and personal. You can see how your city leaders interact with the staff of City Hall. On the first and third Tuesdays of each month, the council of five elected residents of the city convenes with city department heads, the city attorney, the city clerk and the city manager to do the city's business.

Also, at each of these meetings our residents have an opportunity to speak about matters of importance to them during a time we call "vox pop." It means "voice of the people," when items not on the agenda can be brought to the attention of the City Council.

At City Council meetings, public hearings are held, the council discusses ordinances, land use and zoning, and makes decisions about how the city allocates its money. Much of the time it can seem unusually complex, but that disappears once you attend a few meetings and learn the language.

I know I am grateful to those residents who attend meetings on a regular basis. We we listen to their ideas and concerns, because we're all trying to do the right thing by our city. Of course we want to listen, and we appreciate any citizen's active participation.

On the second Tuesday of the month, the council serves as the Community Redevelopment Agency, or CRA, at which we discuss plans for the city's ongoing redevelopment. The entire city of New Port Richey is designated as a Community Redevelopment Area and with that comes a set of legal responsibilities to the city's property owners, including the city itself. It also makes a difference in how money coming into the city is appropriated between the CRA and the city's general fund. So, the elected officials in New Port Richey actually have two jobs: council members and directors of the CRA.

On the fourth Tuesday of each month, council members gather at an informal work session to discuss items not quite ready for the council agenda. For instance, quite often much more discussion is required before an item becomes an ordinance, which is another way of saying, a new law. It is important to take the time necessary for reflective consideration of each item.

Making decisions that affect people is not an easy task. We had a difficult summer this year with the Legislature telling cities and counties to roll back property tax rates. Being one step ahead, the council had already asked the city manager to cut the current millage so that we would be in a position to better handle any additional edicts from Tallahassee, and we did.

The City Council is motivated and committed to finding solutions to problems, and by remaining open and accessible to the constituents of this city. We strive to make decisions that allow our city to develop under careful observation while maintaining its unique historic character.

To become a council member, you need to be at least 18 years old and a city resident. To be an effective council member, though, means dedicating the time necessary to make decisions for the highest and best reasons for the city and its people.

We have so many natural amenities for which to be grateful in this city, such as Sims Park on the banks of the meandering Cotee River and the lovely Orange Lake across the street. We have an early 20th century downtown that after 20 years of revitalization continues to evolve on its way to becoming a core of pedestrian activity and commerce. The crown jewel of downtown, the Richey Suncoast Theatre, along with the upcoming refurbishing of the Hacienda, encourage us as we make redevelopment progress while appreciating what came before. Our award-winning library at the eastern edge of downtown does much to offer cultural events and activities not only to our residents but for anyone who wishes to come and enjoy the resources at the peoples' university.

Our proclamation recognizing city government notes that the city government is the governing body closest to its citizens and the one with the most direct daily impact upon its residents. It is dependent upon public commitment and plays a significant role in all our lives. Remember, we public officials are residents in this fair city, too, and are subject to all its rules and taxes as well as its wonderful services and benefits.

If you wake up in the middle of the night and smell smoke, would you call the governor? If your car is stolen, would you call your congressman? If your street needs repair, is it the state senator to whom you'd bring this problem? Of course you wouldn't because they can't help you with essential city services.

This city has 19 named neighborhoods, we are a Tree City USA and a designated Florida Main Street City. Just this spring we opened the brand-new recreation and aquatic center for all our families to enjoy, and it has exceeded our attendance expectations.

City government exists to serve and protect our citizenry, preserve our history and find sensitive yet viable opportunities for economic development. Government does not have all the answers and that's where you, as residents and citizens, come in: Know your government, your City Hall, your elected officials and, by all means, vote to make your voice heard.

Let us remember the words of President Abraham Lincoln, who said, "This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it."

That goes for our city, too.

Marilynn deChant is a member of the New Port Richey City Council.

[Last modified October 21, 2007, 21:15:47]