Erie's State Of The Town: Looking Long-Term

Mayor Andrew Moore is hosting a State of the Town meeting tonight in Erie, and earlier this week the Erie Board of Trustees approved not only $114,900 to "identify land with environmental significance according to specific criteria", but they also approved buying into the revenue sharing study. Once they find the land of significance, then what? The Natural Areas Inventory was a stated 2007 goal that will help prioritize land for protection from development, with no significant financial method of protection available. Perhaps the impact fees can be raised. (That's sarcasm. More below on that)

Unfortunately I can't tell you where the State of the Town takes place; my MooreInfo email update didn't say and neither does the town's website. Probably town hall. Maybe the porch at Mina's or in the shadow of the re center's foundation.
6:15 - 6:30 Networking, Pre-meeting Refreshments
Meeting Officially Starts
6:30 - 6:40 Community Leader Intros
6:40 - 6:50 Erie Facts, Pre-submitted HOA Questions
6:50 - 7:00 Traffic Safety, Library, Community Center Updates
7:00 - 7:15 Economic Development Update
7:15 - 7:20 Accomplishments 2004 - Current
7:20 - 7:25 In Progress/Future Projects
7:25 - 7:30 Erie Awards
7:30 - 7:35 CAPP
7:35 - 7:40 Tree Program
7:40 - 8:30 Q&AMeeting Officially Adjourns
8:30-9:00 Additional Individual Q&A as Needed

I notice the longest chunk of time- at 15 minutes - is set aside for Economic Development discussion.

Plus next Tuesday, August 21, the Board will have a study session on the impact of Impact Fees. They have an impact - mostly negative. If they're markedly higher than neighboring communities, and you don't have anything significant to make people think your town is special, impact fees are not helping your cause. It isn't about covering cost of service, that's myopic. It's one of several factors at play when enticing and retaining revenue/job/service providers for your town. Want the means to acquire the "natural lands" the study finds? Don't worry about impact fees and entice sales tax generators to your town. That or pass the hat for straight-up donations.

Hopefully their meeting will last about as long as it took to write this.