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Home My Public Portal AboutMinutes, Mayor's Town Hall Meeting, January 21, 2018 With Notes Mayor's Town Hall Meeting 01/21/2018— 1:00 pm Riverdale City Hall Attending: Mayor Mike Bawden, Councilman Anthony Heddleston, Councilman Paul DCamp, Sue Griswold, Ann Shoultz, Teri Stickler, Maggie Iverson (with daughter Anya), Gloria Gierke, Don Fisher, Pat Fisher, Kelly Krell Agenda/Notes 1. Introductions Mayor Bawden summarized the purpose of the town hall meeting and explained that he intended to hold one every month (with the exception of June and July). The next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 25 at 1pm. Mayor Bawden also explained the town hall meetings were open to the public and that "official" notices would be posted to the bulletin boards at City Hall and in the minutes of City Council meetings but that people would also be informed of the meetings informally through social media, email and other means. Minutes from the meetings would be posted to social media and emailed to the Asst. City Clerk to file as a public record. 2. Summer Activities(esp. Fourth of July) The group discussed the challenges facing Riverdale with regard to this year's Fourth of July event. Interest has been diminishing over the last few years and the city is no longer able to have an official fireworks display due to a lack of room. Alternatives to the traditional celebration were discussed although several citizens present expressed concern that young kids would miss out if there wasn't some kind of celebration (e.g. parade, bounce houses, etc.). Several residents suggested skipping the July 4th date, specifically, since it fell mid-week and picking a different date entirely. Others asked what we should do about families who come in from out-of-town. Someone suggested that Riverdale participate in Bettendorf's 4th of July celebration (e.g. a float in the parade, fire trucks in the parade, our own seating area for the fireworks display, etc.). The idea of holding some kind of Riverdale "Homecoming" event on a weekend unrelated to Independence Day was also discussed. The possibility of sharing a fireworks display with the City of East Moline was brought up. The fireworks would be launched from the middle of the Mississippi River. There is no estimated cost for this for now and there was some concern as to how or where local residents would be able to see the show. Some suggested contacting Arconic to see if Kelly Cottage might be available for an evening event. Riverdale's 50-year celebration event was held there. Kelly Krell and Maggie Iverson both offered to head up some kind of event/organizing committee but asked if there was money in the city's budget for something. Activities other than a Fourth of July event were discussed and there was some interest in exploring the possibility of a "Riverdale Night at the Ballpark" in August. 3. Easter Eqq Hunt Kelly Krell provided a run-down of what she knew about how the Easter Egg Hunt (traditionally held in Peggy's Park in the Haven's Acres neighborhood) worked. It is largely a production of the Halsey family. About 50 kids participated last year. There were some questions about the City's involvement in this event and there was some interest in supporting it as a community event. Some additional research needs to go into finding out what's being done and if any help is required. 4. Welch Farm Update Mayor Bawden advised that the City has been in touch with the Developer (Seth Woods) and asked for a meeting with the Developer and his team the week of February 5th to review the construction plans/timeline for the project. No specific date has been set for the meeting. Mayor Bawden promised to follow up again this week. 5. Other "Community"Initiatives There were questions asked about holiday decorations at City Hall (why they weren't put up). No one was able to answer this question or identify the person responsible for this activity. Mayor Bawden provided an overview of the work he's been doing with regard to clarifying the organization and essential operating processes of the Council. Many of the questions asked by citizens at the town hall had to go unanswered because there was not a good process in place to lead to a reliable answer. Some of those questions are summarized below: 6. Open Discussion of Interest a. City Staff: Residents asked if there were job descriptions for the city staff. Some discussion was held regarding concerns raised about how residents were treated in the past. The Mayor reiterated his belief in setting clear expectations for performance and encouraging staff members to live into those expectations. In several of the examples discussed with the group, the Mayor pointed out the importance of having an established process for addressing concerns and providing requested services. Only by making sure people had clear direction and reliable resources can their performance be monitored and managed. b. Fiscal Management: Residents asked about how much the city was spending for certain services and if any thought had been given to re-assigning some services to city personnel to avoid having to pay an outside contractor. The Mayor pointed out that much of the work the City Clerk is currently doing will enable the Budget/Finance Committee of the Council and members of the public to review and evaluate the cost benefit of different activities currently conducted by city staff and/or outside parties. c. Improved Website: A request was made to improve the City's website. The Mayor advised that he has spoken to Bi-State about the site and that we would have the ability to re-point the city's URL to a site of our own design/construction. A budget and timeline for such a project will be presented to the Council for their review and approval at a later date. d. Increased Correspondence with Citizens: Several of the citizens present made a case for increased/improved communication between City Hall and the residents. More frequent mailings and the use of an electronic newsletter were discussed as two possible alternatives. e. City Directory: Kelly Krell volunteered to assist with the next City Directory project if an when it is undertaken. f. City Hunt(Deer/Coyotes): Several residents expressed concern about the number of coyotes seen in the area. Maggie Iverson also asked for an update on the city hunt (i.e. is it still going on, what was caught/killed, etc.). g. Fiber Optic Service: Several residents asked about the possibility of getting broadband, fiber optic service in Riverdale. Clearly, this is an issue that needs to be explored by the City. Future updates will be provided as this progresses. h. Bike Path Connection at Haven's Acres: Concerns were raised about the way the bike paths (one along the river and one coming from Devils Glen Park) seem to put the Haven's Acres neighborhood in the middle of all the bike traffic. There are safety and privacy concerns with this and the matter needs to be more closely examined by the Council so a plan can be developed for addressing these concerns. i. City Involvement/Interest in the Chrissy House: This was brought up as a "rumor" that was circulated during the election. No one knew any specifics about it. Mayor Bawden promised to ask city staff to try and determine what actions/facts may have given rise to the rumor. Meeting adjourned at 3pm. 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