Priorities
Strong Neighborhoods
It is important when discussing affordable housing to look at the full spectrum or housing needs. This includes renters and first time homeowners but it also means those needing a larger home for a growing family, empty nesters looking to downsize and seniors looking to stay in Roseville with some assistance. Fortunately Roseville currently has many housing options and exceeds the Met Council's guidelines for housing diversity. It is just as important to offer options while maintaining our highly desirable neighborhoods to ensure affordability to all.
Public Safety
The demands for our Police and Fire Departments continue to rise. Our police perform multiple roles from community outreach to apprehension. Additionally demand for officers has steadily grown with a variety of businesses paying for their presence. This is positive in offsetting costs but it does increase the need for more officers. I support continued funding of our Police Explorer and Cadet programs which has been a great pathway for hiring more Roseville police officers. I also support the Police Department’s request for a Staff Allocation Study to determine how best to staff the department. This includes opportunities to use more civilians for various roles such as outreach and prevention.
Our Fire Department continues to see increased call volume for both fire and medical emergencies. The Fire Department also has an Explorer and Cadet program which I support for hiring. This is important as Roseville's large older population is expected to need more emergency medical services.
Parks
The success of our parks requires continual effort. In 2010, the Parks & Recreation Master Plan Update was adopted after much feedback from residents. There is still work to do implementing this plan.
Roseville's newest park, Sunset Park, is another step toward ensuring all residents can easily walk to a park. With this new park, approximately 96% of Roseville residents have access to a park within a ten-minute walk. The HarMar area of Roseville has been identified as an area underserved by parks. The Parks Department hasn't identified a solution but continues to investigate one, which I support.
Along with Parks, there are the large and wide variety of programs offered by our Parks Department. Last year, there were ten thousand registrations for classes. The department continues to adjust to residents' interests, such as converting a few tennis courts to pickleball courts. Additionally, the Parks Department is currently exploring new software to manage these programs. The current system lacks some participation and engagement features, and using it to register online is a familiar complaint heard from residents. I support the Parks Department and their continued efforts.
Well-Managed Budgets
Roseville is unique as it looks twenty-years out for its Capital Improvement Plan. Looking further ahead has allowed the city to better prepare fiscally for the future. There are additional opportunities for being better prepared for the future fiscally. One example is taking advantage of a recent MN Statute allowing cities to place a small portion of their funds in equities and not just bonds. This is also something the Finance Commission has suggested. This diversification would further improve Roseville's fiscal resilience while still maintaining our premium credit rating.