When you look at this image, what do you see: an unacceptably flooded street, or a cost-effective use of the right-of-way to protect structures from flooding? What measure of improvement are we trying to achieve, with what kinds of projects, over what timeframe, how prioritized, and how funded? These are among the policy questions on which the City Council seeks your input in refining our approach to flood risk management.
Having last month initiated this latest round of discussions with an introductory presentation, followed by two workshop sessions, we’ll next host a town hall meeting on May 16. Similar to a public hearing, the purpose of a town hall is two-fold: to present information concerning matters of public interest, and to receive public comment on them. Questions from the public may be referred to staff as appropriate.
Flooding is obviously an ongoing, long-term challenge, and we don’t intend the outcome of these current discussions to be the final word. Rather, the objective is to provide clear and actionable direction to staff that will inform the continued development of a well-thought-out and comprehensive infrastructure improvement program. While further study will be necessary in evaluating potential solutions and fleshing out our plans, we must also be prepared to act quickly on constructing high-yield, near-term projects that could be implemented in collaboration with regional partners, and to take advantage of outside funding opportunities as they arise.
Our goal is to reach consensus on the high-level policy questions soon, as budget season is now getting underway. This will allow us to plan activities that represent real and tangible steps toward reducing flood risk for our residents, whether that means identifying specific projects for funding, or at least setting expectations for how staff time and resources should be spent over the coming year. Public input is essential to the process, and we look forward to your participation.
