HomeMy Public PortalAboutOpen Space Committee Tei
iENDA ITEM
TOWN OF
TRktICIE
MEETING
DATE: July 3, 2003
TO: Honorable Mayor & Councilmembers
FROM: Ted Owens, Mayor
Beth Ingalls, Council Member
SUBJECT: Open Space Initiative Committee
RECOMMENDATION: Council review and modify/approve the proposed Mission, Role
and Membership of the proposed Open Space Initiative Committee as outlined in this staff
report and direct staff to solicit members and applications for membership as proposed.
DISCUSSION: During the Council annual priority setting workshop, Mayor Owens
proposed consideration of a possible Town-wide open space initiative to be considered by
Truckee voters and Councilmember Ingalls volunteered to serve on a Council committee to
help facilitate this concept. This committee has now met several times to discuss the issue
and has developed a concept proposal for Council consideration at this time. Overall, the
purpose of an initiative on this subject is as follows—conceptually, most citizens believe in
the preservation of open space; the question is whether or not they would actually want to
tax themselves to acquire and maintain that open space?
The Council committee believes that in order to place a measure on the ballot, a broad
based citizens committee should first be established to discuss/evaluate the wide variety of
issues that may need to be considered in crafting such a measure. The Council committee
believes that the effort should be a facilitated process; that the new Committee should
have a specific Mission and some defined Roles and Responsibilities that are set by the
Town Council. Finally, the new Committee should be advisory in nature to the Town
Council and that members should be appointed by the Council.
Advisory Committee Purpose/Mission
The Council committee has drafted a specific proposed Committee Purpose/Mission as
follows:
"To develop a ballot measure that could establish a funding source to allow the Town to
Town Council Staff Report
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acquire, access and maintain permanent open space." Should the Council wish to proceed
with this concept, then the first step in deliberations should be to concur on the
Purpose/Mission.
Advisory Committee Roles and Responsibilities
The Council committee feels that further Council direction would help the Committee stay
on track for this task. The following are proposed for Council consideration:
• The Committee is advisory to the Council only and the final decision as to
proceeding on this issue including any ballot measure wording, election timing and
election funding would be reserved to the Council
• The Committee should identify and evaluate financing options for this ballot
measure and part of that analysis should include recommendations for what is the
"right" amount revenue to be raised for both acquisition and maintenance of open
space. Prioritized alternatives for Council consideration would also be helpful.
• The Committee should create an "opportunities list of open space acquisition,
access and maintenance" for both public and Council consideration of how these
funds could be utilized by future Councils should the public approve the initiative.
• The Committee should draft sample ballot language for Council consideration.
• The Committee should consider the possibility of including a sunset clause in the
initiative, keeping in mind the need to have a permanent funding source for
maintenance for any permanent open space acquired.
• The Committee should consider the issue of election timing and make
recommendations to the Council accordingly. The Council committee feels that the
Committee should conduct its deliberations and have recommendations back to the
Town Council in time to enable the Council to place a measure on the ballot in
March of 2004 if the Council so desires.
Advisory Committee Makeup
The Council committee believes that the Advisory Committee should have a relatively
small membership to allow for effective decision making, while still representing a broad
cross section of this community. For that reason the following organizations are proposed
to be named by the Council and the organizations themselves would select their own
representative:
• Truckee Donner Land Trust
• Truckee Trails Foundation
• Mountain Area Preservation Foundation
• CABPRO
• GATT
• Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce
• TSBOR
• 2 at large appointees
For the at large members, the committee suggests that the Council solicit applications from
interested citizens (similar to other Town commission appointments) and the Council will
make the final selection.
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It is also proposed that the Council solicit a representative from the Sierra Business
Council to assist the Council committee in facilitating this process. In addition, it is
suggested that both Town staff and a representative from the Truckee Donner Recreation
and Park District also provide support and advisory services to the Committee.
FISCAL IMPACT: The combined cost of meeting facilitation (est. $5,000) and a special
election (est. $10,000) have been added to this year's Annual Operating Budget in
anticipation of these activities.
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS: The purpose of this effort is to encourage full community
participation through the ballot box on this issue.
Town Council Staff Report
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