Candidates Responses to Your Questions

2. What are your opinions related to urban growth boundaries and what do you see as the future development of Folsom?
Morin: Urban growth boundaries are at best a weak and usually ineffective tool when set by only one jurisdiction in the multi-jurisdictional metropolitan area. For example, in our region, Sacramento County has attempted to utilize this tool but none of the other counties in our 6 county region have adopted the same philosophy. Even with this tool in place it simply gets walked over when population pressures become too great. The better growth methodology is to intelligently control what will happen instead of pretending it will not. By this I mean preserve and dedicate open space inside and outside the growth areas. Examples of this are the 30 percent open space mandate south of highway 50 inside Folsom’s sphere of influence and the 4000 acre Deer Creek Hills preserve between Folsom and Rancho Murieta.
Gordon: SACOG, a professional and certified organization that evaluates economic growth through demands and needs, has made their professional recommendation for the five county region and has determined the need for Folsom to expand their SOI to the southern side of High way 50 to assist with needs of this region in which I support, as long as Measure W is honored.
Miklos: The future of Folsom is south of highway 50. SACOG has identified that area as the #1 area to be developed once the infill of the east region is complete. It is not agriculture land, wetland preserve or ranch land. It is the type of property SACOG has pursued in the region to make sure the region does not take ag., wetlands, or ranch land from our natural resources.
Howell: The City spent nearly 20 years trying to reach some agreement with the County, and ultimately LAFCO in the City gaining the “Sphere of Influence”. I played a significant role in the City achieving our objective, ultimate development of the 3,600 acres will be controlled by the City, not the County, once we have a plan for development in place. That plan, will be finalized with significant public input. The City has committed to maintained at least 30 percent of the acreage as open space – that means open space, not parks, and front and back yards. The City has also committed to maintain the Oak Trees and to ensure that development occurs in an orderly, and well planned manner, and that the infrastructure is in place before the businesses and residents are. I have spent a significant amount of time over the last 8 years on this issue, and I will continue to ensure that the City lives up to our commitment to the County, LAFCO and the residents of Folsom to do what we agreed to do with this land. It will one day be a part of the City and we should control the development, whenever that occurs.

3. As build-out looms ever closer, sales tax dollars become more valuable to long-term sustainability. Currently city support for programming and facilities that generate sales tax revenue (throughout the city) is minimal compared to similar cities. Only about 10% of the Park and Rec Budget, very little of the hotel tax and almost nothing from tourism is used to support and promote prime activities: “historical sites,” art/history museums and galleries as well as a full range of cultural and fine arts events and amenities.
What will you do to aggressively increase city support for activities that historically generate sales tax and provide the balanced program residents and visitors expect to find in a city the size and character of Folsom?
Morin: We currently support many arts and cultural programs inside the city of Folsom. We just recently broke ground on our Senior and Arts Center and continue to preserve, promote and subsidize historical and arts programming in the community. I believe for a community of our size with relatively limited resources we compare favorably to other communities in this area of interest and this is why the city was recently rated 34th in the country for quality of life considerations.
Gordon: I believe city council continuously needs to listen to the residents and community organizations to what their wants and needs are. Activities that assemble in our city boundaries need to meet criteria:
1. Are they safe for the community?
2. Are they fiscally intelligent?
3. Do they meet the needs, but most importantly the interests of the citizens?
As a director for the Folsom Tourism Bureau I will continually endorse activities that generate sales tax dollars.
Miklos: Staff and the Arts and Cultural Commission are in the process of completing the Arts and Cultural Master Plan. I am hopeful the end product will give us the true facts of the how/what/when/where and why to grow and sustain the programs that are needed in this community. From there, the community, the elected's and staff can all get on the same page.
Howell: As many of you are aware, I have long been a supporter of ensuring that Folsom maintains a focus on our history – you can’t be a historical town if you don’t take care of your historical sites, including the rail road. I have also been very supportive of our arts and cultural commission, events and amenities. At the same time, I have been critical of the meager financial support that has been given to both our history and arts and culture. And to ensure that I never forget our relative lack of financial support, I get frequent reminders from Valrie Jensen.
We need to increase financial support for the Museum, Interpretive Center, rail roads, arts and culture and seniors too. If we can’t find a way to do that through the parks and rec budget, we need to put all of these groups into a separate category and find a way to provide reasonable funding. I would be supportive of dedicating funding from parks and rec and TOT to this effort.

4. Why do you, the city council, generally ignore the residential blight in the historic district and nearby neighborhoods?
Morin: We pour millions of dollars into our redevelopment areas. We are aggressively revitalizing the historic district and have enacted many grant and loan programs for business and home improvements in the district. Property owners have to want to participate. These generally cannot be mandated and requiring home or business improvement because “it looks bad” is a slippery slope of government intervention. The areas mentioned are actually improved from 15 years ago and we do contact property owners to make them aware of the assistance programs. I am unaware of the garbage can issue but at apartments there are unique challenges. You can forward me any reports of code violations that have remained unaddressed.
Gordon: If elected I would not ignore the residents anywhere in the city.
Miklos: The question is somewhat tainted to ones opinion. The council has been working for years to keep the historic district vibrant. Recently we just approved the contract to redevelop the commercial historic district in the area
around the turntable. Previously, and currently ongoing, the redevelopment agency has assisted folks in repairing and refurbishing their residential property, as well as some of the commercial properties in the area. The city however CANNOT force someone to clean up their property, such as: paint, yard work, general repairs, unless it becomes a safety issue. If that occurs, the code enforcement department works with the homeowner to bring the property up to living standards. Again, however, we cannot force anyone in the city to "doll their home out" like most of us wish some of our neighbors would do.
Howell: I think there are a variety of ways to describe blight – and it is also in the eye of the beholder. The City can not force people to paint their property colors appealing to me or you, nor can we force them to do anything unless it is a health and safety concern. Those properties that are located within the redevelopment agency boundaries are eligible for low interest loans, depending upon the income levels of the owners, for repairs to their homes. Unfortunately, not a lot of people have applied for them. I will contact the Utilities Department again on the trash cans – I have not heard back from them since the last time you asked. I will email you directly on that one CV.

4b. Why are owners of apartment buildings on Montrose, Talisman, and Alezane permitted to let their properties fall into utter disrepair?
Morin: (see above)
Gordon: Property owners have certain rights, rights that fall under certain parameters. As long as these rights don’t contradict city regulations neighbors should be respectful. However, the city must enforce violations of regulations, because these regulations are put in place for the safety and well-being of the citizens of Folsom.
Miklos: See the answer above for the same response. As an additional note, however, those buildings are not in utter disrepair. The conditions of those buildings were the target of code enforcement a couple of years ago.. They have been cleaned up, and have reduced crime and increased the attendance of the children who live in there from years past.
Howell: (see above)

4c .Why is the garbage can ordinance not being enforced? See said apartments for daily examples.
Morin: (see above)
Gordon: It should be.
Miklos: In order for code enforcement to act, the community needs to let them know where the violators are. The code enforcement folks can't be everywhere, so the community needs to help communicate to the city the offenders. From there, the appropriate department will deal with getting the corrective action.
See said apartments for daily examples.
Howell: (see above)

5. I've noticed a lot of businesses creeping "up the hill" and away from their original locations. What would you do to ensure that once well-established locations in Folsom remain vibrant? (example, former Food Source, Ralph's @ Greenback/Madison)
Morin: This is typical community maturation and one that we do periodically confront. Many years ago it was the movement of business from Sutter Street to East Bidwell. I am confident that we can devise any needed incentives to attract tenants for these vacant sites. The very successful Kohl’s moving into the vacant Kmart building is an example. One of the delaying frustrations is the large corporate ownership of these recently vacated sites. Kroger’s in the case of the Ralph’s sites. They are very slow and are not desperate to respond to vacant assets. I am confident that most will be leased within the next year.
Gordon: It is important to find the right business to fulfill the economic need of the community. That is why it’s important to go through the process of hiring an economic consultant to identify the need of the right business in the right location. Those particular locations mentioned have already been bought and the current owners are aggressively looking to fill those buildings with the right business.
Miklos: First, nobody can force a business to stay. They will always pursue the optimum return on their investment, and that is chasing the population centers. However, we have been working hard to back fill the vacancies referred to above. Part of our plan actually has these area becoming more mixed use type centers. If agreed upon by the owners, this will help shield these centers from large devastating losses if the main anchor leaves.
Howell: Unfortunately, Food Source and Ralph’s, both at Greenback and at Blue Ravine were not cases of “creeping up the hill”. These were corporate decisions that were not related to anything in Folsom. The former Ralph’s location at Blue Ravine is currently being marketed by the new owners of the building. The owners are specialists at reworking former grocery stores, where the building is effectively split to accommodate more than one tenant. When I was contacted by Wal Mart, with regard to their desire to build a super Wal Mart near Highway 50, I suggested that, if they feel that they really need a grocery component, they should locate it at the existing Wal Mart center, in the former Food Source location. If this were to happen, I would have serious concerns for the existing Albertson’s store at Blue Ravine and East Bidwell. The Greenback location has been problematic for some time, as has the Wal Mart location on Riley, with respect to retaining tenants. Both of these sites should be the focus of economic development efforts.

6. Direct Election of Mayor and Vice-Mayor: Are you willing to initiate and/or support changes to the Folsom City Charter to provide for direct election of Mayor and Vice Mayor based on City Council election results, as is currently done in Roseville and other comparable cities? If not, please explain how Folsom's current practice of having only the 5 City Council members decide in special meeting who will be Mayor and Vice Mayor is of greater benefit to the residents than having the residents elect the City's leaders.
Morin: These are all elements that are part of the annexation planning process. This is an incredibly complex issue. We are basically embarking on building a new city from scratch. When the final annexation documents are prepared, everyone will have an opportunity to review, comment and support or oppose the plan. We will all be able to judge for ourselves if we truly are keeping the best interests of Folsom residents at heart. One critical element not mentioned above will be sales or property tax sharing expectations by the county that are different from our existing city. I am committed to making sure all of these growth stipulations are clearly discernible by everyone.
Gordon: An elected Mayor’s position should warrant executive power. With this said, the Folsom charter would need to be amended. With a restructuring of the charter which identifies executive power for the mayor, I would support a direct election.
Miklos: Our current system I believe is the best, short of direct election of the Mayor by the people at the ballot box. First of all, the council members are elected by the people to do the people's business. Having the council elect the mayor/vice mayor is the best system available, for it requires members to learn to build consensus, decorum, and collegiality. An automatic rotation, or highest vote getter, in my opinion, does not accomplish the above. At this point, I would keep the system the way it is, or change the charter to have the
Mayor directly elected by the people.
Howell: Several years ago, I requested that the City convene a Charter Review Committee, on which I served for 9 months. We suggested a number of changes to the Charter, none of which were supported by a majority of the Council at that time. This issue was one of the items that the Charter Review Committee discussed, at great length. We discussed numerous alternatives for changing the manner in which the Mayor is selected. Unfortunately, as much as I do not particularly care for the way in which the Mayor is chosen, even with the wide range of opinions that were represented on the Charter Review Committee, we were not able to come up with a method of selection of the Mayor that is better than the mechanism that is used now – at least not one that 20 people could agree on. In reality, the selection of the Mayor is even more unpleasant to at least some of the Council members than it is to the public. Having said that, the method proposed would lead to the Mayor and Vice Mayor changing every year. Every 2 years, it would be the top 2 vote getters and 2 years later, the top 2 of 3, like this year. During the last election cycle, where 2 seats were filled, the 2 people elected would serve as Mayor and Vice Mayor. That would mean that Council Members Starsky and King would have served as Mayor over the past 2 years, with Council Members Morin and Miklos having served the 2 years prior to that. Since I have been the third highest vote getter in my 2 terms on the Council – I would not have served as Mayor, which is true to the model, as I have never served as the Mayor. I also would not have served as Vice Mayor, which I have done twice now – so, at least in my opinion, the short answer is, be careful what you wish for.

7. Folsom will be working over the next few years to annex land south of 50. Landowners will reap hundreds of millions (if not billions!) in profit from the change in zoning from current agricultural to residential, commercial, etc. What will you as a councilmember do, prior to the annex and rezoning, to ensure land for public facilities (schools, parks, branch library, etc) is both zoned for public uses and reasonably priced? In other words, how will you ensure both the city and school district have options to buy annexed property within a reasonable time frame at prices that are not inflated due to the rezoning?
Morin: These are all elements that are part of the annexation planning process. This is an incredibly complex issue. We are basically embarking on building a new city from scratch. When the final annexation documents are prepared, everyone will have an opportunity to review, comment and support or oppose the plan. We will all be able to judge for ourselves if we truly are keeping the best interests of Folsom residents at heart. One critical element not mentioned above will be sales or property tax sharing expectations by the county that are different from our existing city. I am committed to making sure all of these growth stipulations are clearly discernible by everyone.
Gordon: The City of has already created a blue print/ general plan for the land south of Highway 50 in which they submitted to LAFCO for the annexing process. This blue print was drafted based on the visioning process by city employees, contracted consultants, and residents of the city.
The purchasing of this land will be designated by fare market value, and administered in a timely manner based on need.
Miklos: Look at the November ballot for the answer for the school district part of this question. It lays in place the financing plan for the property owners to follow for the facilities the district believes to be needed on that area. Measure W, guaranteed by the charter, sets aside at least 30% of natural open space. The community, through workshops, and hearing, (at many levels), will help us plan for the rest. Knowing what we know now, and the effects of what we learned when things were missed in the past general plan, I agree that we put into place the parks, library, schools, etc. BEFORE any rezones or development agreements. I do not want to see this city make the same mistake that was made in 1988.
Howell: As indicated in a previous question, any development will be required to ensure that the required infrastructure is in place, before the businesses and residents are there. The School Board is moving forward with a bond to provide for the schools that will be required, once the development is planned. Current City ordinances require that park land be provided at the time the development is approved. Ultimate development of this property is all about planning and ensuring public input to the process.

8. Folsom is a great place to live, but it is becoming more expensive by the minute. What will the candidates do to create more affordable housing? We need low-income housing, but we also need housing for those starting out. What are your plans for creating more diverse housing in Folsom?
Morin: The only thing we can do is ensure enough multifamily zoning is present in our land use plans to encourage construction of smaller entry levels housing options. It is an ironic twist that our enthusiastic efforts to make Folsom a great place to live works against affordable housing. We are victims of our own success in that we create increased demand in Folsom by providing many great reasons to choose to live here.
Gordon: The city is currently bound by California law to provide a certain percent of affordable housing within its boundaries. This can be done through on site or off site development. A way of diversifying the current affordable mix is to build mixed-use buildings; retail on the bottom level, commercial in the middle, and smaller residential on top.
Miklos: Mixed use is the best answer to this. All types of product needs to be generated to help assist all of the income categories. Of great challenge, is to provide the low income housing. Every time a project is proposed, it is met with opposition from the neighbors most closest to it. On that end, we will continue to educate folks on what low-income housing means. Additionally, I believe the process of how the government can assist in building these properties, or acquiring these properties needs to be review and changed: e.g. Prevailing wage, Defect liability, etc. Once overhauled, more product for all income categories will thrive.
Howell: As a result of the litigation against the City, the City rezoned acreage to allow for the construction of affordable housing, and created an ordinance for the provision of affordable units or payment to the housing trust fund (where the total number of housing units to be constructed is small) so that money will be available to buyers or for decreasing purchase prices to make units more affordable. In the last several years, the City has approved projects that provide more diversity in housing. Examples include townhomes, condos, condo conversions, zero lot line homes and other ownership opportunities that are typically less expensive than single family homes on standard size lots. Pricing of units that are not deed restricted as affordable housing is dictated by the market and the City has no ability to control pricing. The flip side of this discussion is that existing homeowners expect the City to do whatever it takes to protect the value of existing homes – with the assumption that values will continue to increase. Folsom has the highest median income and associated home prices in Sacramento County.

9. How do you plan on working with RT to increase running times on the light rail, specifically having trains from downtown run later than they currently do? Do you plan on allocating money to have a turn-around installed on the Folsom run so that we have trains run more often?
Morin: There are actually 3 phases of improvements to the Folsom Gold line that are being considered or implemented. First are express trains to downtown Sacramento that skip some stops and shave 5 to 10 minutes off the trip time. Ground was recently broken on the Watt Avenue overpass that will help facilitate the appropriate track configuration. Second is specific to the question of extending service particularly into the evening hours. This is simply a budget issue of about $200,000 to $300,000 per year and we will probably begin to attempt to identify this funding during the next year. Lastly would be 15 minute runs instead of 30 minutes runs between trains. This is a capital issue of probably $25M to $35M dollars to construct the necessary double tracking at critical line segments. Funding has not been identified but is being pursued.
Gordon: (no answer)
Miklos: I have been working with El Dorado and Placer Counties to assist in the operational funding for the Folsom line. Statistics show that over 50 % of the folks on light rail in our area are from those two counties. There contribution
would allow these trains to run 7 days a week until 11:00 PM if they participated at the levels we have been requesting. Short of that, the city is currently working on a plan that we can fund this extension until 11:00 PM Thursday through Sunday. Therefore the turnaround would not be necessary.
Howell: The frequency of RT to Folsom is dependent upon the completion of double tracking in Downtown Sacramento, which will be completed next year (if I remember correctly). With regard to the operating hours, the City is working with RT to extend the hours into the later evening. At present, RT does not have the funding to extend the hours and they have not yet presented the City with detailed information on the cost to extend the hours. At that time, the City would need to determine if we are willing to provide the financial subsidy required.

10. Is there a plan to time the street lights to the train crossings?
Morin: It appears they are timed now but not as precisely or efficiently as possible. There are some very strict train/street operation provisions that need to be observed. Light rail into Folsom continues to be a work in progress and refinements will be commonplace for a number of years.
Gordon: Our engineers should already be timing our lights to make the circulating most efficient.
Miklos: The trains are on a fixed schedule. Our traffic lights are programmed to be the most efficient during commute/ non-commute times. Therefore, I do not think any changes are needed in our signalization timing.
Howell: To the extent possible, with the existing equipment, the lights along Folsom Blvd are timed to coincide with Light Rail. I travel Folsom Blvd on most days that I am in town, and I have not noticed any significant problems – but then I am relatively knowledgeable about timing of lights. If I had thought the lights were not properly timed, I would have contacted City Staff about it, right away – as I do whenever I see a traffic control problem that can (at least in my opinion) be fixed relatively easily.

11. What are your goals for revitalizing the Historic District? As well as the efforts by Fedcorp and others, what more do you think could be done to improve the vitality both commercially and residentially? and what could you do to help make it happen?
Morin: First and foremost is construction of the new bridge below the dam. We need to clear out as much of the commuter traffic as possible. The completion of the bridge at the end of 2008 will dramatically improve this congestion. We will be spending close to $25M of redevelopment money building a 320 space parking structure, plaza and historic area improvements and commercial building subsidies during the next 4 years. There is also a specific revitalization effort being directed by Jeff Fierra-Pro, a resident of the historic district. This includes landscape plans, traffic plans, fire safety plans and façade improvement plans. In short, all we need to do is continue to support the momentum in place.
Gordon: In relationship to commercial; an aggressive front should be formed to recruit attractive and successful businesses with diverse intentions. This will help with economic trends. This can be done by establishing quality relationships with business owners. In regards to residential; adding to the current traditional housing stock can be done by incorporating residential into multi-use buildings to attract a diverse interest into the community.
Miklos: See the comment about the new development we just approved Tuesday the 10 of this month. Additionally, staff is finalizing, with all of the stakeholders in the district, the final Master Plan for the Main St. program AND the overall revitalization plan.
As a founding member and current director of Fed Corp., we are pleased that our organization continues to be successful in the retention and expansion of our current businesses, and the recruitment of new ones. Our council role is to
actively engage our current businesses as often as possible to learn what the challenges and opportunities they have and how we might assist them to expand. By listening to what they have to say, this also enables us to learn how to attract others.
Howell: At present, there is no financial framework for the revitalization. Up to this point, the City has allocated funding to assist with the planning effort and there is an ongoing discussion about how to fund the construction phase of the way finding project. We need to come up with a mechanism for funding the remainder of the program, upon completion of the planning phase. We need for the planning effort to include the Sutter Street sub-area first, with the remainder of the 98-blocks incorporated into later phases. I would support funding for the program from the redevelopment agency and give serious consideration to the use of TOT money and grant applications.

12. What would you do to stop the cut through traffic in the historic district, stop the speeding on residential streets, what traffic calming solutions do you have and what ones are you willing to use, also how do you plan to stop the commercial traffic in the historic residential neighborhoods
Morin: First and foremost is construction of the new bridge below the dam. We need to clear out as much of the commuter traffic as possible. We have tried most options at our disposal. If commercial cut through is a problem, I am confident that signage and enforcement could quickly reduce that disturbing element. This is one of those frustrating issues that as an elected official you truly don’t have as much discretion as you would like. The closure of the dam road is simply something that was unanticipated but will be replaced in two years.
Gordon: Creative engineering of prevent barriers, i.e. large planter blocks, can prevent unwanted cut-throughs. To prevent excessive speeds the answer is actually a narrowing of the roads which gives the driver an uncomfortable feeling to run the automobile above the designated speed limit. The cut through will be prevented if the main arteries provide a better flow of circulation. Therefore, efforts and dollars should be focused on engineering these necessary roads.
Miklos: A city council member, or anyone else for that matter, cannot stop someone from driving they way they want to. If they chose to take a certain route, they will. We got criticized for changing street patterns already that were subject to excessive traffic but needed that change. Upon trying others, some residents like it, some did not. There is no one smoking gun answer out there. For speeding, we have used targeted enforcement with great results. However, after a few weeks those areas start to creep back up. The police department will tell you that over 80%, (some say higher than that), of all the speeding tickets are residents within 1 mile of their home. That is why I have said for years, the residents need to help the police put the pressure on their own neighbors to slow down. I will support additional calming actions, as identified in the report, and also look forward to the new bridge opening.
Howell: One thing that will help is construction of the new bridge below the dam. That will go out to bid before the end of the calendar year. Once the new traffic patterns are established, we can take another look at what needs to be done to reduce traffic through residential neighborhoods. I have met with the historic district residents at public meetings and at peoples homes to discuss the traffic issues. It is not possible to stop all commercial traffic in the Historic District, as there are businesses located there as well, but there are a variety of alternatives that can be looked at, on a case by case basis. Give me a call with any specific issues – I will be happy to chat about traffic engineering, from a Civil Engineer’s perspective, and my experience and background.

13. What do you anticipate the worst problems facing Folsom will be in the next 5-10 years? What can the city council do now in anticipation of these problems?
Morin: I believe it will be traffic, congestion and just the feeling of hustle and bustle that results. Even with the new bridge relieving the historic district we have other points of congestion that will not be relieved by this transportation addition. We need to make sure that the Empire Ranch and Oak Avenue interchanges are pursued aggressively and that we can continue building a bicycle and pedestrian network of trails that will encourage some non automotive trips. Folsom represents a regional transportation constriction point because of its proximity next to a large lake with no crossings. The challenge is to capture the commerce opportunities while mitigating the intrusions.
Gordon: Financial stability is always something that must be in the forefront of the city’s focus. A diverse economic base allows for financial success during economic trends. A quality balance of business and a diverse housing mix provides for successful fiscal outcome.
Miklos: Managing our services until the new growth starts to occur. Fortunately, we have a 5, 10 and 20 year plan in place, (updated regularly), so I am confident we know what/ and how to accomplish that task. AS the new residents move in south of 50, that additional property and sales tax revenue will allow the city to continue to provide even more services and programs.
Howell: Traffic, congestion, noise from autos and airplanes and the new bridge (planes, trains and automobiles)
Ensuring that we have adequate public services and public safety personnel to meet our needs as we reach build out.
Economic development to bring new business (and tax dollars) into Folsom.
Revitalization of the Historic District – starting with construction of the parking structure and the Railroad Block project.
Maintain healthy financial reserves for the future.
 

14. What will you, as a new city council member, do to ensure that public safety services are well planned, and future needs regarding both police and fire services will be kept up in a proper manner?
Morin: Fiasco is somewhat strong when considering all of the facts. We are not playing catch up. We spend what we have available and not more. Today $33M of our $58M general fund is dedicated to police and fire services. Our revenue streams grow with the city and we will not spend ahead of those limitations. Our surveys reflect very high satisfaction with police, fire, parks and public works. Our response times for police and fire emergencies are similar to response times for all of the regional public safety departments. In fact, specific to fire, Folsom provides more mutual aid to neighboring districts than they do to Folsom. The needs of public safety are continually evaluated and addressed. We just added a new 5 member drug and narcotics detail to the Police department. A new Empire Ranch fire station could not have been staffed with the required 12 or 13 professionals until $1.5M per year is available for operations. I support the need for a new Fire Station and Engine Company and we will add this capability during the next few years.
Gordon: The city of Folsom already possesses quality police and fire services, with an approval rating by the citizens of 88% and 89%. However, we need to continue to provide necessary resources to allow for the two departments to grow along with the increase in city size.
Miklos: Sticking to the FACT based Master Plans for the fire and police departments are vital. One cannot make emotionally based financial decisions. This causes more harm to the public than good. In any good business, cities included, a sound business plan covering a minimum of 5 years needs to be in place at all times. See the answer above for what we have in place. To the question below, see this answer.
Howell: Actually, I am not trying to be a new City Council member – I am shooting for being an Old City Council member. Yes, we need a new fire station in Empire Ranch, and we will get it built. We will also look into the existing dispatch system that is contributing to response time issues. At present, Empire Ranch is served by the Stations at Blue Ravine and Oak Avenue and the new station at Broadstone – nobody in Empire Ranch is in danger. We also need to increase staffing in the police department. I am not aware of any staffing shortages in parks and rec or in public works – though you can never have too many engineers.
 

14b. We can already see the fiasco that is currently in place with trying to play "catch up" in the Empire Ranch area with a new Fire Station. Wouldn't it be prudent to hire the adequate number of police/fire/parks&rec/public works people as build out is occurring, not 5 years after the fact????
Morin: (see above)
Gordon: I believe each service needs to be looked at independently and provide the necessary staffing that the city can afford.
Miklos: Same answer as the one above.
Howell: (see above)
 

15. What would you do to make the bus system in town more viable, usable and popular?
Morin: We are a city where bus service is somewhat ahead of the demographics and population size that drive this public transit need. At this time there is simply a paucity of demand. Funding for the bus service is a dedicated state revenue stream of about $2M. Spending and routing are continually evaluated. Recent changes include accommodation of light rail stations and help with college and high school student movements.
Gordon: I would reinvent public transportation by applying for grant money and purchasing clean air busses to excite the residents about utilizing a transportation mechanism that is better for the quality of life within our community.
Miklos: Our current bus system is very convenient, yet we cannot seem to attract riders. This system is well planned on routing, as well as timing, and allows residents to go all over Folsom with the greatest of ease. We have heavily publicized this system in our newsletter and during council meetings. However, like most municipalities, bus systems are just not popular enough with most people to get them our of their cars.
Howell: I would love to tell you that there is a magic pill that would make people ride the busses in Folsom – there is not. We live in California, where people nearly live in their cars. The bus system is usable, but will never be as convenient as driving, most locations in the region provide free parking, so no economic incentive there – but light rail has achieved significant ridership increases since last October, which is a good thing. So, at least there are some people using public transit. Transportation funding is a very complicated animal and we all need to think twice when choosing our modes of transportation, deciding how to consolidate our trips, when to make them and by what mode of travel. When was the last time you took a bus in Folsom? When we were doing our campaign tour of the parks last Saturday, and as we will do this Saturday, we rented the Trolley for the day, which saved us from driving several cars around town, provided us with sufficient space for lots of balloons and the ability to chat, and have a very enjoyable day, without driving. That and we thought it was about time that there was a bus driving around Folsom that had more than 3 people on it. If you are interested in taking a ride on Saturday Oct. 21, get in touch with me!