First Year

Well, I’ve completed my first year on Oil City Council.

There’s nothing like on-the-job training.

I spent a lot of years covering municipal government in my former life as a reporter. I thought I was well prepared with a good understanding of the workings, the possibilities, the limitations and the difficulties of local government.

I soon learned you never know what to expect and that it is a lot harder and far more time consuming than I ever imagined.

It is also often quite frustrating. At the same time in can be invigorating and incredibly fulfilling.

High on my list of frustrations, and one I think is shared by everyone on council, is knowing what you would like to do and what would be good for the city and not having the money to do it. This is a somewhat THE all-encompassing problem/frustration.

I will also admit to having become quite frustrated with the critics and naysayers who only offer criticism and no real solutions, or even solid suggestions.

It is not enough to tell me or any other member of council that we need to “bring jobs” to Oil City, or “grow the tax base.” Tell us how you think that can be done, and realistically. Believe me; all of us on council want to hear those ideas.

So what is the flip side, what invigorates me and makes it so fulfilling?

At the top of the list is seeing so many people work so hard to make Oil City a better place and seeing their successes. There are too many to list, but Venice Lewis is certainly one shining example.

Another is truly believing that we are making progress, perhaps only incremental at times, but good things are happening.

We are an interesting lot; varied backgrounds, varied beliefs and heaven knows great differences in personalities. The good Lord also knows we don’t always agree, and some of our disagreements have been pointed. But that has not prevented us from working cooperatively. I think that says a lot for the other people around the table from me.

I wonder how I and we are viewed from the outside. What is my freshman GPA?

Budget Discussions

Council’s budget discussions and ultimately our decisions will have an impact on the city and all of its residents.

Already it has generated a great deal of discussion and more than a few comments to posts on this blog. I thought it would be appropriate to put up a post dedicated to that discussion. I would like to hear from all of you.

These are troubling times for the nation’s and world’s economy, perhaps the most precarious since the Great Depression according to some commentators. Many people are fearful, nearly everyone unsettled.

It is not easy trying to balance a budget and meet the city’s needs in any year, let alone in a year like this. Yet we must.

There has been some criticism of council’s request to get an idea of the cost to taxpayers of putting some money aside for paving, emergency demolition and marketing/economic development beyond the current spending level. I think all of us are looking to the future in asking that, but I don’t know of any yet committed to taking that step. We are still sorting through things. We don’t even know yet what it will take to balance a status quo budget.

I don’t know of anything left to cut in city operations, but I’m willing to look. However, I also think we need to very carefully consider the future in what we do and not just today. I also think in today’s economic climate and given the needs of the city we need to be very careful we don’t make any rash decisions. Of course, rash, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

And finally, I will tell you I think there are worse things than a tax increase, and that would be allowing the city to decline to the point where resurrection is all but impossible.

New Comments on Trick or Treat

Many of you might be interested in the new comments recently posted on the Trick or Treat column from a few weeks back.
An AP story carried nationwide about Oil City's returning to nighttime trick or treating prompted several people to write.

So much going, so little has been said.

It doesn’t seem possible, but it has been nearly five weeks since I last posted.

I know that is no way to attract and keep readers. When I started this blog I thought there would be more comment and feedback, leading to my having more to say and the introduction of new topics.

I encourage everyone to participate. My intent was to foster discussion.

So, where do we go from here; well a lot has gone on.

There is an effort to create an Oil City Main Street program. Perhaps of greatest interest is that the Main Street steering committee explored and is trying to work out some details of taking an innovative approach for a Main Street program by partnering with the Oil Region Alliance. This could get the program off and running a year or two earlier than if the traditional approach was taken, meaning we could have a Main Street program up and running in 2009.

Outdoor furnaces are under discussion and there’s likely to be a proposed ordinance in the near future that will establish a number of restrictions on them. There’s also some work on updating our dog/animal control ordinances.

A consultant has been chosen to undertake a new joint comprehensive plan with Cornplanter and Rouseville, which will include a look at Oil City’s zoning regulations.

A consultant will soon be selected to undertake the Comprehensive Waterways Plan.

And of course the 2009 budget is on everyone’s mind. It is going to be a tough year. In my mind, there is absolutely nothing left to cut in city operations, although there might be a few efficiencies in operations yet to be found that would give us more bang for the buck. I also strongly believe, as I believe other members of council do, that we need to invest in the future..

What are your thoughts on these and the many other programs and issues facing the city?

Municipal Consolidation?

At Monday’s Oil City Council meeting I brought up the idea of exploring a municipal consolidation or merger with Cornplanter Township and Rouseville Borough.

More than a few people told me I was crazy.

I learned early in life that not every idea I have is a good idea. A few times that lesson was painful.

Over time I also discovered that ideas others have had that I dismissed out of hand as being about the dumbest thing I ever heard were in fact brilliant. Sometimes that proved painful as well.

It’s taken me a while, but now I try to fully investigate an idea or proposal and learn as much as I can before passing judgment one way or another. That’s my take on the question of municipal consolidation.

On the surface municipal consolidation sounds to me like it would be a good idea. But I could not cast a vote for municipal consolidation at this point because I don’t know enough.

Still, I think it is something well worth taking a look at. Finding new and better ways to do business in this changing and troubling world is something we owe our children and grandchildren.

The first step would be to learn all we can about the process for municipal consolidation; what is involved, how it is done, etc. City council agreed in principle to invite representatives from the state Department of Community and Economic Development and PA Futures, a consulting firm specializing in municipal government cooperation and management, to a public meeting to discuss those issues.

The next step after that would be to fully evaluate the potential benefits and pitfalls and take a hard look at the impacts, gathering as much information as possible. There is a possibility the state would fund an independent study to help provide the needed information. Only then would we be in a position to weigh the question of whether to move towards a ballot referendum.

Taking a serious, studied look at municipal consolidation has no downside. There is nothing to lose, but perhaps a lot to gain. The reality is municipal consolidation will only happen if it carries benefits that outweigh any negatives for each municipality.

Let’s at least see where things would shake out.

Trick or Treat -- Should darkness reign?

On the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting is discussion of returning trick-or-treat hours to the evening.

What brought the question back before council was a petition presented by an 11-year-old, whose name escapes me this evening. If you ever doubt one person can make a difference, give her a call.

I have no idea which way my fellow council members are leaning. I won’t be at Monday’s meeting, which in the interest of domestic tranquility is probably a good thing.

I favor returning trick-or-treat hours to the evening. My wife Kathy does not.

To me, it is just the way it should be. And while I’m on that kick, I also personally thing trick-or-treat should be on Halloween proper.

Oil City moved trick or treat to daylight hours in the wake of the Shauna Howe kidnapping and murder. At the time it made perfect sense. Pedophilic killers were somewhere among us.

It was a tragedy where evil triumphed, but it was a tragedy that could have happened anywhere for evil is found everywhere. Unfortunately, Shauna’s tragedy seemed to define Oil City for many years.

It’s time to move on.

In my mind, trick or treat is just meant to be done by the light of the moon, with a little help from street lamps, porch lights and the flashlights of hovering parents. It might not technically be the witching hour, but for the kids it sure seems like it. I can’t imagine daylight trick or treating leaving nearly the same memories I gained 50 years ago schlepping a pillow case along darkened streets in the neighborhood where I was brought up.

I know there are advantages to daylight hours. I’m sure they will be enumerated Monday. Certainly, it is easier for motorists and from that sense safer for kids. It probably discourages some of teens who are or should be too old for door-to-door looting. And it probably results in less vandalism.

Still, I don’t remember huge problems when trick or treat was carried out in darkness.

So, do you favor the forces of light or the shadows of night?

(My ability to add your comments might be limited for the next week, but I will try to get them up as best I can)

Of identity, marketing and economic development

A recent comment on this blog challenged me and other members of council to find a way to focus on economic development. The challenge has not escaped us.

Right now there is no entity that’s sole focus is on the marketing, promotion and economic development of Oil City.

All of us on council have commented on this in numerous conversations over the past eight months I’ve been on council. It is something Lee Mehlburger noted a week ago in his call for developing a marketing strategy.

True, city government has a role to play, but certainly that is not its sole function or purpose. Traditionally, marketing, promotion and related economic development have been undertaken by partners in the private sector (often nonprofits established for that purpose) and allied quasi public agencies, such as industrial development authorities.

Oil City’s Community Development Corporation merged into the Oil Region Alliance with the formation of that agency. The CDC served as the primary economic development agency working to bring businesses and jobs to the downtown, renovate buildings for new uses and attract developers.

I’ve been told by the former leadership of the CDC that there were several reasons they agreed to merge into the ORA. Foremost was the idea that the ORA would provide the strength of many and enable it to be more successful. (The original vision was that all the economic development groups in the county would join the ORA. That did not happen.)

Some former leaders of the CDC also frankly said there were concerns about the CDC’s long-term financial viability and whether it would have sufficient funding to do what would be necessary to continue its mission.

The Oil City Chamber of Commerce, whose focus, promotion and marketing was geared primarily to Oil City, became the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce, with a wider view and interest. I believe that was the right move for the chamber and the region. The chamber continues to promote the city – continued management of the Oil Heritage Festival is just one example – and works diligently in hopes the community prospers. Chamber Executive Director Susan Williams and her staff deserve nothing but praise and thanks for all they do.

Still, the Venango Area Chamber cannot like its predecessor put nearly all its emphasis on Oil City alone, nor should it. Its role has changed.

As supportive as I am of the regional approach to economic development and promotion, I also firmly believe we need some entity that’s only concern is Oil City. An organization that can promote what we have in the city; our events, our arts program, our festivals, our businesses and downtown. An organization that’s sole purpose is to grow and attract businesses and residents to Oil City.

The Franklin Industrial and Commercial Development Authority declined to merge into the ORA. The Franklin Chamber of Commerce declined to merge into the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce. I believe Franklin has benefited by having organizations that’s purpose remains solely the one community. One example is the very nice tourism brochure for Franklin put out by its chamber.

Oil City has some very active and involved groups – Take Pride in Oil City, the neighborhood associations and the north side and south side business associations. Perhaps someday they can become the primary promoters of the city.

We need to do something. As it is, Oil City is lost in the whole. We have no identity.

I’m not sure where city government fits in this. I do know we don’t have the money to do much, or the staff.

So share your ideas of how we go about growing or creating entities that partner with city government to market and promote Oil City and take the lead in the non-government side of economic development.