We Need Neighborhoods to Organize!
One thing that has really impressed me while in office is the ability of the City to rally in support of neighborhood issues. I can't think of one time that a neighborhood has brought forward an issue that we have not been able to help them resolve. I believe the key is in getting our neighborhoods organized and empowering individuals to get together and talk about what issues may exist and develop plans to remedy them. The City wants to be helpful in this process. From enforcement to new infrastructure, the City has many different resources to offer.
Every neighborhood should be improving over time. If this is not the case, let's make it so. We have the ordinances in place to keep our neighborhoods attractive and quiet. If not we would be happy to look into new ordinances where ever there may be a gap.
Council Member Kent Jorgensen and I have recently been working together to put in place Neighborhood Councils. These Councils will meet together to establish priorities and issues in their neighborhood. When needed, Community Police Officers and other City officials can attend these meetings. We will look to these Councils for recommendations on where new infrastructure dollars should be spent.
The groups will also work to beautify their neighborhoods and eliminate blight and crime. This will provide a forum for a strong partnership between the city officials and the people we are here to serve. It will provide an opportunity for greater community input by spreading local government throughout the entire community.
These Councils can also be used to help voice concerns and suggestions to the school system. It will provide an opportunity for dialogue among parents, grandparents and neighbors about the school system and where it needs to go in the future.
We need to find people who would be interested in heading up these organizations. These people will need to be committed to seeing their neighborhoods improve anywhere there is a deficiency. We need people who know how to organize, lead and work cooperatively.
If you are interested in helping us get this started please call us at 629-8948 or send an e-mail to jonathanmidget@ci.ogden.ut.us. Ogden is a great place to work, live and play. We need you help to make it better yet.
Sincerely,
Matthew R. Godfrey
Mayor of Ogden
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