This past Spring the City of Victor applied for a very coveted Heart and Soul grant with the help of VARD and Stephanie Thomas (Grant Writer). What do you know, we won! Check out the press release below and keep coming back to this blog for more info about the upcoming process.
ORTON FOUNDATION BEGINS $10 MILLION HEART & SOUL COMMUNITY PLANNING INITIATIVE
Four towns in New England and Rocky Mountain regions selected for a program moving community planning back into the hands of citizens
July 25, 2008
Middlebury, VT -- The Orton Family Foundation has committed $10 million in cash and staff over the next five years in a major new initiative to stem the tide of “anywhere USA” development and help communities strengthen their unique spirit of place as they face growth and change.
Biddeford, ME; Damariscotta, ME; Golden, CO; and Victor, ID (all under 23,000 in population) are the first communities to be awarded $100,000 each plus Foundation staff support to help them tap into their own citizens’ wisdom about what is best for their towns.
For decades, most planning has been top down, with economic growth a driving force behind many land use decisions. “We should challenge the single-minded notion that if it’s good for the economy, approve it,” said Lyman Orton, Board Chair and Founder of the Foundation. “After all, are we just an economy, or are we a society?” Values-based Heart & Soul Community Planning entrusts the future of a town to those who know it best—its citizens.
While growth sustains towns, it can lead to disastrous results without the awareness of an empowered citizenry with a strong identity. In a Heart & Soul planning approach, as many local people as possible first identify the qualities that make their town special. Then those qualities and places most valued are broadly acknowledged and used as touchstones in revising ordinances, reviewing projects and making decisions.
In a series of gatherings, events, meetings, interviews and polling, the four towns will learn to take action to protect and strengthen those assets for the future. In addition to its grants, the Foundation contributes expertise and training on using innovative tools such as CommuntyViz™ visioning and analysis software, keypad polling, online surveys and other ways to increase citizen participation.
“We believe a diversity of citizens have the wisdom and ability to steer the change in their communities,” said Bill Roper, President and CEO of the Foundation. “Through our Heart & Soul initiative, we’re giving people the power and confidence to engage and enhance their unique places for many years to come.
In a collaborative effort with citizen’s groups, non-profits, developers, municipal governments, the planning community and others across the country, the Orton Family Foundation aims to transform planning so that residents can live, work and play in the places they cherish, and ensure that their towns are thriving and livable for their grandchildren.
”We build partnerships to build and sustain community,” said Roper. “We’ve found that when towns have some skin in the game, they are even more determined to work hard for lasting results.” That means each town provides matching funding in a combination of dollars and in-kind contributions. Volunteers, every town’s greatest asset, bring hours of their time and talent to the table, and other partnerships are formed to bring as many views and abilities to the table as possible. The communities were chosen after responding to the Foundation's Request for Proposals.
Nationally, the Foundation is working with many other individuals and organizations to build a Community Heart & Soul network of practitioners, citizens and towns to share ideas, lessons and successes and seed the kind of change that will put the future back into the hands of local residents.
The Orton Family Foundation, based in Middlebury, Vermont, serves cities and towns under 50,000 in population in the Northeast and Rocky Mountain West. It was created in 1995 by Lyman Orton, owner of the Vermont Country Store, and is supported with profits from the Store.
For more information contact:
Joh Barstow, Director of Communications
The Orton Family Foundation
802.388.6336
PO Box 111
Middlebury, VT 05753
communications@orton.org
www.orton.org
Friday, July 25, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Budget Process Cometh
The following is an op-ed to appear in the TVN on July 31st.
What an exciting time of the year this is! Fourth of July celebrations, music festivals, bbq's and most importantly it's time to work through your City's budget process once again. You've waited patiently all year to review last year's budget against the actual numbers like a kid on Christmas Eve tossing and turning frantically in bed waiting to finally run down stairs and rip into the new toys under the tree. Or maybe you're like most people and haven't actually found the thrill of the budget process yet and just read a blurb about it in the paper every year.
Ok, I must admit that as a new Council member I am very new to the budget process and I actually wasn't eagerly anticipating the extra budget meetings I've been sitting through. In fact I was dreading the whole affair quite frankly. I wasn't sure where to begin, how to formulate my opinions, and have no previous municipal budgeting experience to draw upon. Luckily, at this year's Association of Idaho Cities conference I sat in on a budgeting workshop and learned about a great book called “The Price of Government” which advocates a process called Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO). Although I wouldn't exactly call it a page turner, it did get me excited about actively participating in the budget process. It made me realize that the budget is where it all goes down. This is where the action is, where the look and feel of your City is decided, and where YOUR money gets spent.
Of course the budget process can be boring, frustrating, draining, and painstakingly slow. That's where BFO comes in. This methodology guides the process with a level of common sense and transparency that takes away the sting of the whole experience. While budgeting might not be for everyone, this certainly makes it way more bareable.
It will take a few years to fully utilize BFO in Victor, but we have opportunity this year to take the first steps. Step one: actively engage the public more in the process. So here I am asking all the citizens of Victor to email me your wish list and come to our budget hearing on August 27th. It's an opportunity for every citizen to come forth and let us know where we did well, where we screwed up, and how you want the City to operate in the future. The budget process is a lot like voting. If you don't go to the polls, you can't complain about the results.
What an exciting time of the year this is! Fourth of July celebrations, music festivals, bbq's and most importantly it's time to work through your City's budget process once again. You've waited patiently all year to review last year's budget against the actual numbers like a kid on Christmas Eve tossing and turning frantically in bed waiting to finally run down stairs and rip into the new toys under the tree. Or maybe you're like most people and haven't actually found the thrill of the budget process yet and just read a blurb about it in the paper every year.
Ok, I must admit that as a new Council member I am very new to the budget process and I actually wasn't eagerly anticipating the extra budget meetings I've been sitting through. In fact I was dreading the whole affair quite frankly. I wasn't sure where to begin, how to formulate my opinions, and have no previous municipal budgeting experience to draw upon. Luckily, at this year's Association of Idaho Cities conference I sat in on a budgeting workshop and learned about a great book called “The Price of Government” which advocates a process called Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO). Although I wouldn't exactly call it a page turner, it did get me excited about actively participating in the budget process. It made me realize that the budget is where it all goes down. This is where the action is, where the look and feel of your City is decided, and where YOUR money gets spent.
Of course the budget process can be boring, frustrating, draining, and painstakingly slow. That's where BFO comes in. This methodology guides the process with a level of common sense and transparency that takes away the sting of the whole experience. While budgeting might not be for everyone, this certainly makes it way more bareable.
It will take a few years to fully utilize BFO in Victor, but we have opportunity this year to take the first steps. Step one: actively engage the public more in the process. So here I am asking all the citizens of Victor to email me your wish list and come to our budget hearing on August 27th. It's an opportunity for every citizen to come forth and let us know where we did well, where we screwed up, and how you want the City to operate in the future. The budget process is a lot like voting. If you don't go to the polls, you can't complain about the results.
Councilmen Attend AIC Conference
This post is a little outdated, but just to let the general public know what's going on I thought I'd share the info. From June 24th - 27th Councilmen Kearsley, Bergart, and Fitzgerald attended the Association of Idaho Cities Conference in Boise, ID. Here's a quick breakdown of a few seminars we attended:
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention
- Transportation Funding
- Water Issues Affecting Idaho Cities
- Effective City Council Meetings
- Understanding Access Management
- Water Hot Topics
- Environmental Forum
- Grants for Street Projects
- Best Practices in Municipal Budgeting
- Grants from the Dept of Commerce
- Developing Capital Improvements Plans
- City and County Relationships
- The EFC Financial Dashboard
Other highlights included a speech by Governor Otter on Transportation funding, and a speech by political analyst David Gergen on the state of the Presidential Election. Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the conference and it's relevance to Victor. I look forward to going back next year.
PS. Had a chance to ride the Idaho VeloPark. Pioneer Park perhaps?
- Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention
- Transportation Funding
- Water Issues Affecting Idaho Cities
- Effective City Council Meetings
- Understanding Access Management
- Water Hot Topics
- Environmental Forum
- Grants for Street Projects
- Best Practices in Municipal Budgeting
- Grants from the Dept of Commerce
- Developing Capital Improvements Plans
- City and County Relationships
- The EFC Financial Dashboard
Other highlights included a speech by Governor Otter on Transportation funding, and a speech by political analyst David Gergen on the state of the Presidential Election. Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the conference and it's relevance to Victor. I look forward to going back next year.
PS. Had a chance to ride the Idaho VeloPark. Pioneer Park perhaps?
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