One changes discussed in the CN&R included having an elected major rather than an appointed one by the Council, which is now the method of selecting the mayor. The second discussion included electing Council members by districts.

It will be interesting if there will be any discussion of changes in the City Charter during the campaign for 3 Council member in November. I disagree with both changes discussed in the CN&R, but I do think the registered voters may wish to establish term limits for Council members.

If these changes become of interest to the Chico voters, I know that there will be a great deal of discussing pro and con on any change in the City Charter.

It would be stupid for the City Council to be considering any recommendation of the Art Commission to establish mandatory Public Art Fees for new residential and commercial development.

Establishing a mandatory Public Art Fee for new development would abrogate the resolution outlining its policy to assist economic development. Most developers are trying to "stay alive" paying existing heavy fees and the costs because of delays in having their projects approved.

The Council must understand that considering new fees, laws and rules relating to new development will discourage anyone from wanting to develop in our city?

After eliminating or leaving unfilled nearly 40 positions, squeezing to the bone maintenance materials and supplies, securing from its unions and administrative staff salary and benefits reductions for 2 years, reducing reserve funds substantially, and now with a need to reduce its next years budget by $4,000,000, Mr. Holcombe should understand that the City is approaching bankruptcy unless there is substantial layoffs or another reduction in salary and benefits.

The Finance Officer's reports estimates that the City's structural deficit for this fiscal year is approximately $3,000,000, continuing the year after year financial plight of the City.

The City has covered its financial structural deficit for years by reducing its personal, making minor reductions in employee pay and benefits, and reducing other general fund items; still a $3,000,000 structural deficit.

The only way to keep the City from bankruptcy is to negotiate additional reductions in employee pay and benefits or to lay-off additional employees. It's no wonder why the Council doesn't like to discuss in public the City Finance Officers 2nd Quarter Financial Update.

The Wall Street Journal (February 13/14th, 2010) in an article entitled "Even Boulder (Colorado) Finds It Isn't Easy Gong Green" As an example , "the city officials never dreamed they'd have to play nanny when they set out in 2006 to make Boulder a role model in the fight against global warming".

Even to unscrew light bulbs and replace them with energy-efficient models, it had to send contractors around the city to do the replacements at city expense.

After reading the article, our City Council might think twice about trying some of the sustainable things tried in Boulder.

As I walked recently along Annie Bidwell's new Bike Path, adjacent to Big Chico Creek, it is obvious that there are a number of large downed trees across the Creek. I can't believe that it is the City's policy to allow this situation to remain.

If we get a real heavy rainfall, and the creek rises as it has in many past years, these trees will act as barriers and will create erosion along the banks, washing more trees into the creek.

If there are not enough City employees to do the clearing job, I'm certain a call for volunteers and equipment owners would be on the job immediately to assist the City.

Unless the employee unions continue to accept reductions is salary and benefits, or the City substantially reduces the number of employees, the City may have to file for bankruptcy.

Revenues receipts have continued to show substantial reductions, while its annual expenditures continue to be many millions above its revenues. This annual structural deficit cannot continue without a change in the City's understanding of its disastrous financial programs.

There seems to be hope that there would be "manna from heaven" (somebody else's money) to make the needed repairs and rebuilding. That just isn't going to happen; locally the city needs to raise funds to make the improvements (that the way it was done in the "olden days).

The City should consider developing a plan to determine the cost of making the improvements and then working out a financing plan to be presented to the voter for their approval.

The City can consider several alternative methods of financing including General Obligation Bond, Assessment Districts and contributions from the City's Redevelopment Fund. Other alternative methods of financing should also be considered.

A better and less expensive project will resolve the congestion on 2nd Street by changing 2nd Street to one-way westbound, from the Camellia Way Bridge to Orange Street. This section of 2nd Street would accommodate 2 lanes of traffic, a bike path, parallel parking on one side of the street and diagonal on the other. 1st Street would remain as it is at present. Portions of 3rd Street may be return to a two-way street.

This suggested project would substantially reduce the cost of the project and could be implemented without waiting around for a grant or getting some money from the University; not easy in this day of financial woes of the State. The project would also eliminate the need for those little so-called expensive traffic circles at each end of the project as suggested by the City staff.

Ignoring the needs of businesses on 1st Street, the project has been supported by the DCBA Board of Directors, which has lost its way when making recommendations concerning Downtown.

The City Council has been properly criticized for spending two or three times the cost of a recently approved low and moderate income housing complex (including a swimming pool and other goodies), while many of the property home owners who pay the property taxes for these units, can barely pay for their mortgages and minimum housing needs.

What the City Council should be doing is to follow the original concept of the Redevelopment Funds for neighborhood conservation, which included helping home owners in the older neighborhoods improve their homes by bringing them updated to meet the housing code requirements and to bring the public facilities up to a reasonable standard.

The City can easily identify the low and moderate income homeowner areas in the older portions of the city since they have spent substantial sums of money and time to identify these areas. A homeowner may be able to finance an additional bedroom, bathroom, or an updated heating and air conditioning systems to meet the minimum needs for the size of the family.

Neighborhood conservation may not appear to the majority of the City Council as glamorous as a shinning new apartment housing complex (which they can name after one of their friends), but it would certainly provide a much needed service for the older areas of the community and serve to establish real neighborhood conservation.

I don't normally blog about the FEDS, but I couldn't pass-up this information.

The Federal Department of Energy was established in August 1977 to lessen the U.S.A. need for dependence on foreign oil.
Now, 32 year later the budget for the department is approximate 24 Billion a year.
The department has approximately 16,000 Federal and 100,000 contract employees.
And, we have substantially increased the amount of foreign oil imported each year.

Can we really trust the Federal Government to undertake any essential program for its citizens??

Get the Public Works Departments to figure out how to fix our miles and miles of street that are falling-apart and developing new chuck-holes each time it rains; to straighten-up the street signs along Main and Broadway Streets; to repaint the light and signal poles along Main and Broadway Streets. Let's do everything you can to keep Downtown in a pristine shape.

Develop a long-range plan to keep the City from ending-up in bankruptcy. Since your expenditure problem relates to personnel, you may have to consider reducing the number of employees; including retirees and perhaps others.

One way to reduce the number of personnel may be to finally eliminate the dumping of street tree leaves in the streets; requiring residents to place them in recycling garbage cans. This might be "tough"; but absolutely necessary.

Discontinuing doing any project unless you have determined that the maintain work will not require addition personnel.

There are many other Resolutions I can think of; but these are enough for the present.

The cost of the project at approximately $200,000 per unit is not only outrageous when compared to other private quality projects, but is at least twice as expensive.

In addition, the project includes a swimming pool, an outdoor playing field, a recreation building with a computer lab and fitness center.

Much of the above costs of the project are paid for local property owners and residents, many of whom live in private housing project that can't afford the luxuries that the majority of the Council approved for the project.

Using reasonable costs for this type of project would allow the City to build many, many more low and moderate income housing units that are needed in the Chico area.

My observations of Bicyclists cycling throughout our streets are that many of them seem to think that they are not required to follow the rules of the road.

Now that we are well into the winter season, it is more essential that the Bicyclist carefully follow the rules since the streets are slippery, with rain, fog and ice.

The violation of rules that I have observed daily include not stopping at stop signs, not signally when making turning movements, not showing lights at night..

In addition, a substantial number of our Bicyclist hasn't licensed their bikes. My estimates, that with some 20,000 bikes in the City, few have been licensed; which has denied the City of several hundred of thousand of dollars. With the City spending millions for bike facilities, it seems that Bicyclists would like to help in, at least, a small portion of the costs.

You may enjoy looking at Downtown's spectacular building exterior remodeling of the 4 story Waterland/Breslauer Building (N/E corner of 4th and Broadway Sts.), perhaps one of the oldest buildings in Downtown Chico. It's an interesting exterior remodeling project; so when you're Downtown you may want to park your auto and glance at the project across the street from the Plaza.

Remember, during the past several years we watched the successful and attractive building improvements in Downtown Chico; a new 4 Story Building at 555 Main St, Diamond Hotel (4th Street between Salem and Broadway Sts.), GRAND VIEW ( former M. Osers & Co. building), (N/W corner of 3rd St and Main Sts), Municipal Building (N/W corner of 5th and Main Sts.), Nantucket Store &Tin Roof Bakery (Eastside of Broadway St. between 6th and 7th Sts.), along with many other store fronts & interior remodels.

The City could help a renaissance of new buildings Downtown if they would move ahead with a new parking structure at 2nd and Wall Sts; recognizing that the vacant properties in Downtown are too small to provide adequate parking and substantial building structures for commercial and/or residential uses. The Downtown Plans approved by the City, for many years, understood the need for the parking structures. It's time for the City to get going, if they want to see their vision of Downtown and the future renaissance that they always speak about when they are moving ahead on the General Plan.