Title
Report on the June 1-2, 2006 Meeting of the New Cities Project (B)
Explanation
In February 2006, The New Cities Project asked Mayor Hanrahan to serve as one of seven steering committee members for its organization. The other steering committee members are as follows:
· Mayor Rocky Anderson of Salt Lake City
· Mayor Tom Bates of Berkeley, California
· Mayor Dave Cieslewicz of Madison, Wisconsin
· Mayor Rosemarie Ives of Redmond, Washington
· Randy Primas, Chief Operating Officer of Camden, New Jersey, and
· Joel Rogers who is the Director of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (which staffs the group).
Conceived and organized by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz of Madison, Wisconsin, the past four New Cities Project meetings have been held just before or after the bi-annual meetings of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (in Washington in January and in other city during the summer). Steering Committee members are asked to participate in monthly conference calls and to attend in-person meetings twice per year to the degree possible.
The introductory information from the New Cities Project reads, in part, "Cities can take steps right now to improve their schools, economic and workforce development, housing and transit, energy use, land use and recreation, and government administration. There are things they can do right now to get more support from businesses and the community, and to shape state and federal policies to greater public advantage. The New Cities Project helps mayors identify these opportunities and take advantage of them."
On June 1st and 2nd, Mayor Hanrahan joined the mayors of peer cities including most of those mentioned above as well as Mayor Heidi Davison of Athens, Georgia; Mayor Dave Bieter of Boise, Idaho; Mayor Dan Coody of Fayetteville, Arkansas; Mayor Kevin Foy of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Former Mayor Bob Knight of Wichita, Kansas; Mayor Mary Lib Saleh of Euless, Texas; Mayor T.M. Franklin of Des Moines, Iowa; Mayor Heather Fargo of Sacramento, CA; Mayor Kitty Piercy of Eugene, Oregon, and dozens of other elected officials, experts and staff to discuss the critical issues that urban areas face across the U.S. These individuals come from a variety of political affiliations and perspectives. The New Cities Project is a non-partisan organization and is focused entirely on urban policy and hand-on application of it. Most participating cities send not only their highest elected official but also their chief appointed official and/or key department heads.
The June 1-2 sessions covered the following topics (see agenda included in the backup):
· Demystifying Federal Funding for Local Economic Development
· Affordable Housing and Homelessness (moderated by Mayor Hanrahan)
· Race and Community Relations
· New Energy for America
· Renewable Energy for Cities
Fiscal Note
None
Recommendation
(1) Hear a presentation from Mayor Hanrahan on lessons learned regarding federal tax credit programs, successes from some of the more than 200 cities that have adopted 10 year plans to end homelessness, programs to improve race relations, and information on renewable energy and energy efficiency.
(2) Request that City Manager's staff research federal tax credit programs including but not limited to the Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the New Markets Tax Credit, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and the Energy Efficiency Tax Credit to determine whether any would be useful tools for encouraging redevelopment, economic development, or energy efficiency retrofits in Gainesville. Also request that the Manager, Attorney and Auditor develop a process for obtaining the maximum return for the existing state brownfield tax credits held by the city, considering transfer to a tax-paying entity for cash or as part of a property transaction or redevelopment incentive. Refer this matter to the Audit and Finance Committee for review, and report back to the City Commission within 90 days.
(3) Request that the Homelessness Implementation Committee receive information obtained during the New Cities Project meeting from the City of San Francisco and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Request that the City Manager's staff review programs used elsewhere that may be applicable to addressing homeless problems in Gainesville, particularly: (a) The San Francisco "Homeward Bound" Family Reunification Program that pays to transport homeless individuals back to willing family members; (b) Advocacy for obtaining social security benefits for homeless individuals and recovering 12 months of retroactive social security and Medicaid reimbursements for those eligible; (c) Use of Food Stamp Employment Training Program (FSET) to provide supportive housing services for those individuals eligible for foodstamps. Refer this matter to the Community Development Committee for review and report back to the City Commission within 90 days.
(4) Request that the City Manager and General Manager of Utilities review the current standards for construction, retrofit and maintenance of city buildings to determine whether a policy requiring greater energy efficiency measures should be adopted. Review whether we are tracking our own energy usage and adopting policies to ensure wise use of resources. Also request a review of the city's Greenhouse Gas inventory, U.S. Conference of Mayors' Climate Protection Resolution, and Cities for Climate Protection agreement to assess what actions are needed to move Gainesville toward a more energy efficient future. Request that the City Attorney review the legality of adopting a requirement to bring rental properties into better condition with respect to energy efficiency as part as existing efforts (such as landlord licensing) intended to assure quality housing for renters. Review the City of Austin's request that Gainesville join the Plug-in-Hybrid campaign to encourage U.S. automakers to develop a hybrid car powered in part by electricity. Refer these matters to the Regional Utilities Committee for review and report back to the City Commission within 90 days.
(5) Request that the Equal Opportunity Director review the Rochester, NY program to match people with different backgrounds to get to know one another on a personal basis to break down barriers and misconceptions. Also request a review of Rochester's "Neighbors Building Neighborhoods" program that divided the city into diverse sectors and encouraged an assessment of area strengths as well as identified opportunities for improvement. Refer this matter to the Equal Opportunity Committee for review and report back to the City Commission within 60 days.