TO: Members of CouncilFROM: Mayor Shelley WelschDATE: November 26, 2012RE: Suggested Citizens’ Task Force on Crime Awareness and Prevention As we are all aware, the City of University City has recently seen an increase in violent crime in our community, while the rates of other types of crime have continued to decrease. Earlier this year, after the tragic shooting of Destinee Clemons, I said that I wanted to look into the possibility of having town hall meetings throughout the community, in all three wards, to discuss the situation. I felt there would be some benefit to bringing residents …

Forty years after Missouri became one of the first states with a Sunshine Law ensuring that government meetings are open and accessible to the public, I am concerned that the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not being honored here in University City. First some background and then some examples. The Missouri Sunshine Law mandates that a tentative agenda for every public meeting be posted at least 24 hours in advance of the start of the meeting. This agenda is tentative because, as I have been told, those drafting the legislation understood that not all the business a public body needs or wants …

Yesterday I shared my concerns about one of the proposed changes to the Council Rules of Order & Procedure. Today, I share my concern about another suggested change – about communications and the role of a spokesperson for the City. Right now, our Council rules are written so that members of Council – when speaking for the City or the Council – get the approval of the Mayor, as head of Council, or the Mayor Pro Tem in the Mayor’s absence from the City. In reality this would probably only happen in times of crisis or emergency – when a joint response is necessary – because on the day-to-day …

The actions of the City Council of University City are directed by the City Charter, City ordinances, and Council Rules of Order and Procedure. The current Council Rules of Order and Procedure have been under discussion since about 2007 – with each Council reviewing, updating, adopting and then reviewing again. It’s an on-going process. On Monday, Aug. 13 the City Council will discuss in study session the revisions to the Rules of Order and Procedure suggested by our newest Councilmember, Paulette Carr. I have strong concerns about two suggested revisions –because I believe these suggested …

Recently, sustainability has been on my mind, perhaps because: The Bike/Walk task force presented its report and recommendations to the City Council, along with a master plan for making streets safe for cyclists and pedestrians in U City; The City Manager asked me about a document I signed last year – a document that says we will share info on our efforts at sustainability with the world; My husband and I decided to put a green roof on a small addition we are adding to our home; and It’s been really, really hot which has made me think about climate change. With all this on my mind, I thought …

A vision for the long-term future of one part of our community is coming under strong, vocal attack. This concerns me greatly, and I think it should concern you, too. The Parkview Gardens Sustainability Plan recommends that the development in the Parkview Gardens area become much more dense – to attract hundreds of additional residents to our City who want to live in our diverse community; support the shops and restaurants in the Loop; enjoy being within walking distance of a Metro stop; and bring hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to our City coffers. The people who developed this …

As I hope you know, there is a public meeting on the Loop trolley project scheduled for Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the University City Public Library. This meeting was scheduled to give residents another opportunity to ask questions about and get details on the Loop trolley project. I will be running the meeting. Representatives of the Loop Trolley Company and the East-West Gateway Council of Governments will be on hand to discuss the project. Doug R. Campion, of the Campion Group, LLC, the project manager, will also be on hand. Mr. Campion, who formerly worked with the Federal …

At the regular City Council meeting on June 25, 2012 the Council will be voting on a budget for FY2013 which will start on July 1, 2012. I have told members of the Council that I, in good conscience, cannot vote the budget that we’ve been discussing recently. First, some background. When I came into office we were presented with a budget for FY2012 that, like multiple budgets in previous years, was not in balance – we were being asked to spend more money than we were bringing in. At that time the former Acting City Manager Janet Watson told me that she was projecting a more than $2 million …

On July 1, 2012 our new fiscal year begins. This will be FY2013. By that date the City Council is expected to have approved a new budget. The new budget will have an unexpected,  and quite honestly not totally welcome, addition in the public works budget. On Monday, April 23, St. Louis County advised us that it wants to divest itself of Delmar Boulevard from the Lion Gate east to the City limits. The County does not want to maintain any roadway where the trolley will run. The County says that this section will no longer be an arterial road – the County does maintain arterial roads throughout …

When I came into office in April of 2012 I had a number of goals. I wanted to work with the City Council to put our City finances on a better financial footing. We’ve done that. When we took office there was a projected deficit for FY2013 of about two million dollars. The draft budget we are now considering has a projected surplus of more than $400,000. I wanted to work with the Administration to make the changes needed in the structure of our government so that we would not face deficits every year. We’ve done that. Some long-overdue reorganization of City Hall and City services has occurred…

As I have looked out the window this weekend, at the torrents of rain; the fitful sun; the puddles in the yards and parks; and the clouds rolling in and out of the area, I find myself hoping that this weekend is not a precursor for spring weekends to come, because I am hoping for GREAT weather next weekend. On April 21, the 2012 Movies in the Parks series will be kicked on in Heman Park. This is a series of seven movies that will be shown once a month from April through October. A bit of background. Last year, after one very busy weekend in the Loop, University City resident Wilmetta Toliver-…

According to Wikipedia, the website that has something to say about almost EVERYTHING, an election is: A formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and corporations. Now is the time for…

On Monday, March 19, another public budget meeting will be held. This meeting is designed to give residents the opportunity to provide their feedback and ask questions on the DRAFT FY2013 budget, which was presented to Council on Feb. 25, 2012. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the McNair Administration building. Everyone is invited to attend. You can take a look at the draft budget before the meeting. It is published on-line at the City’s website at www.ucitymo.org. You can review a hard copy at the University City Public Library. This year’s budget document is leaner than past budgets…

I would like to thank the Historical Society of University City for the invitation to speak here this evening for the Second Annual State of the City address. I am honored to present this talk to try to convey the positive things that have been happening in our community over the past year. As I mentioned last year, I think this is a good way to honor the birth of E.G. Lewis, the founder of this great city. Who We Are I think it is always good to set the stage for a talk such as this. So, I will begin as I began last year, providing a bit of background on our community. This information has …

Back in my earlier life I worked in the broadcast news business, the last 10 years with ABC Network News. And in that life, my energy was spent covering governments – national and state. I was not involved in any way. In those days you stayed separate – no listener or viewer was supposed to know where you stood on any issue, what you thought about anything. You covered the government. You did not get involved. When I left the news business, I was living in University City, and for the first time I thought about getting active in the civic life of my town. I well remember the first time I …

I’m not a real fan of science fiction. For some reason, I find it hard to suspend my disbelief enough to become really engrossed in the story. But there is one part of science fiction that seems a “bit” possible, and those are the stories dealing with time, time travel, time warps – all of that. And I think that’s because in my own life, time seems fluid. It does not seem like the same “thing” every day. Waiting for a pot of water to boil? Time goes slowly. Trying to get everything ready before company arrives? Time moves fast. Standing in line at a grocery store, when you have another …

Part of what makes University City a great place to live is the active involvement of our residents in the day-to-day life of our community. I've always believed that it's the people who you DON'T hear about day-to-day who are the real building blocks of the strong foundation of a community. In University City's Unsung Heroes I would like to highlight some of those people. I will add new Unsung Heroes as I meet them or become aware of them. If you have someone you would like to nominate as one of our Unsung Heroes, let me know by e-mail us at ucitymo@gmail.com. Mayor Shelley Welsch In His Own…

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from University City Mayor Shelley Welsch's personal blog. To hear more about what the mayor has in store for U City go to www.ucitymo.com. Over the next few days I will be attending the Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. This annual meeting is held, specifically, to give mayors of larger cities around the country the opportunity to hear from administration and government officials whose work in D.C. has such a strong impact on our communities. (To be a member of this group, you must be a mayor in a city of 30,000 or more.) …

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from University City Mayor Shelley Welsch's personal blog. To hear more about what the mayor has in store for U City go to www.ucitymo.com. Memory is a funny thing to me. I don’t have a good one. And when I remember some event, happening, or tradition, I’m not sure if I am remember what really happened; what someone told me happened; or what I wish had happened. I’ve been thinking about the upcoming Martin Luther King holiday next Monday, Jan. 16. And that brought to mind other holidays, and how they are celebrated. I was raised in the fifties. I was born on …

To me, beginnings are the times when you look back at where you’ve been; consider where you are; and think about where you want to go. There are all types of beginnings, from little to large – from starting to bake a cake, to planning a new design for a garden, to figuring out how to build a new organization, to developing a plan for creating jobs for the country.  At some point you look back, then at the present, and then forward. With 2012 having now arrived, I’m at that “beginnings” point for the City of University City. And I would like to share some of my thoughts with you as our …