Candidate Robert Baird's action list, "items that have my current interest"

This is a current list of things that have my attention in this category. Either they are my ideas or ideas from others that I thought noteworthy and need pursued. Some are tiny non-important things, other are very comprehensive. This is just my current action list. Please comment or give me other suggestions as you see fit.

Neighborhoods

Graffiti problem
Neighborhood watch program effectiveness
Street lights
Storm Drain
Curb and gutter
Road quality
Utopia and high speed internet
Explore having a full time ambulance service rather than just an on call ambulance service which currently slows down our response time significantly in life or death situations. We have a large hospital.
New road striping at 800 S and Main street seems dangerous and off.

Government

Monitor key budget statistics better month to month. Currently we compare revenue from year to year. I am more interested in Revenue – Expenses = Net income.
I want to see Net Income in each department and venture compared over previous years.
I want to see monthly how close our accounts are, i.e. how much extra money do we have in the bank. Currently, I think we have the equivalent of a day and a half. It is over a hundred thousand but with a city that has a budget in the millions that is not enough.
Review areas which might be cut like unnecessary employee cars rather than having to consider wage, position, or retirement cuts. Have third party/ consultant review city for possible cost savings, efficiencies, synergies which we can more fully take advantage of.
Update yearly rather than on a five year basis our goals and master vision for our community.
Increase communications with citizens by more fully using the monthly newsletter, website, or forums like found in OurPayson.org
Find out more about regular city staff meetings for strategizing.
Fix projector in City council meetings so we can all see it.
Make sure our City Manger feels free to do his job. We need to not tie his hands but utilize him as the city councils best tool. Currently at several city council meetings he has not been listened to. Some council members are antagonistic towards him and don’t listen to what he says. Rather they want themselves to be heard saying just what he has said. We need to work better as team!!!!!! Not one of us has all of the answers; though we sometime think we do. We need diversity and outside ideas.

Local Business

Make/Reform our Economic Business department to be more friendly and helpful
It needs to be perceived as a resource not a blockage to development
They may be trying hard: make sure they have the support, vision, training, and resources they need to make it happen.
Face lift the city so business and their people will want to locate here
   Decorations on more main city roads.
   Have banners over the street, The one off to the side has low visibility
   Explore making main street two way again which will more than double the traffic.
   Address parking issues in historic downtown
   Find ways to motivate city facelift, we have thousands of youth & groups always looking for service projects.
   Have city clean up day? Debris removal like Sandy
   Landscape meticulously city and business entrances.
   Peteetneet, the cemetery, city parks, new pool, and baseball fields, look inviting and great!
   Improve this at 800 South and Wal-Mart intersection, Main Street off-ramp, Business park entrance, etc.
Update our sign ordinance
Find out more about future of Huish Theatre, other vacant buildings
Keep building standards high, improve communication between building inspector, other related departments. Make sure atmosphere and culture of openness, fairness, is portrayed rather than of a front of rules, limitations, and blockages.