This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Policy Matters and Collaboration

The need to develop policy with stakeholders and other policy bodies.

Every individual and organization that achieves success does so by setting a series of goals that lead to their desired end-result. The threshold issue is that the goals should be consistent with the organization or individual’s mission statement or ultimate purpose. In this way, the organization can choose to allocate its time, resources, and budget accordingly.

Foster City and its Council have a clear understanding on the City’s mission statement. The challenge is that in many situations the mission statement and our ability to fulfill it are dependent on other entities that we have little or no control over. In these cases, the Council is faced with the difficult task of designing policy that will allow us to fulfill our mission in spite of our ability to directly impact the path our partners take.

As the Council addresses several issues before it, it has become apparent that many are complicated by the City’s ability to directly affect the policy of its partner organizations. In particular the recent San Mateo-Foster City School District position regarding Foster City Elementary Schools has illustrated the need for a Council Policy that will facilitate solutions to the betterment of the community as a whole.

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I offer the following as commentary on this issue, not to cast blame or credit but rather to broaden the conversation and to explore alternatives that foster solutions.

No citizen or resident wants to hear that the Council is not responsible to find a solution to alleviate our overcrowded schools. While it may be a legal reality that our City cannot build a school or choose its placement we can certainly participate in the discussion, evaluation of the issue, and cooperate in the eventual solution. The initial question is whether or not this matter in within the purview of the Council and the City’s mission statement? I proffer that it is.

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The City and its policy arm have an obligation to maintain the quality of life that Foster City has promised. That includes a safe environment for our families and schools that will prepare our children for the rigors of adult life. We pride ourselves on the safe community our families create and the police and fire departments maintain. We enjoy the infrastructure of our excellent Park and Recreation department. We invest in our property based upon the strength of perpetual value that is created by these fundamental premises.

The consensus seemed to be that we need to remain committed to our promise of the Foster City quality of life, while being mindful of the related associated cost. This promise includes a commitment to public safety, quality schools, and responsible development that is sustainable and profitable. All of this in the face of the latest set of challenges and the end of redevelopment agencies and its funding will create.

It was interesting to listen to the varying points of views presented and the differing degrees of magnitude that some of policy matters represent. Each participant offers issues and rationale as to their relative importance of the greater scheme of things. These perspectives were shaped by personal or historical experiences as well as conversation with our citizens.

In my humble opinion, the health of the city and its economic health and vitality are dependent on the achievement of city-wide sustainability in an economic, environmental, and social sense. The city must plan and execute a series of policy decisions based on the direction of the Council that will insure that our business and commercial sectors will drive revenue and fuel our economic engine. This must be well-planned and implemented after analyzing the current commercial and retail inventory stock in a local and countywide sense. We can then plan our future developments and how they will be unique to drive our (and surrounding) cities’ residents to shop locally or locate their businesses here in our city.

Councilmember Bronitsky has some terrific ideas on how we can build relationships between the staff and other organizations to insure sustainability. I believe that we need to utilize and partner with the Chamber of Commerce and its CEO Chris Messina to encourage and support current businesses while soliciting new business to build the fortitude of our economic health.  Chris is a passionate and talented professional who brings a breath of fresh air and professionalism to our business environment.

Finally, we must deliver on our promise to our families and find a path to communication and cooperation with the San Mateo- Foster City School District to jointly provide a solution to our over-crowded Foster City classrooms. This is a priority and must be addressed in real-time. Overcrowded schools affect our children, our community, and the value of our property both in residential and commercial zones.

In closing, the need to address the structural budgetary deficit is paramount. This cannot and must not be done through a slash and cut process. We must develop new revenue streams and maximize our use of Foster City facilities and service to build new profit-centers. Both budget cuts and new revenue generation must be used to address the deficit.

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