State of the Valley

Yesterday was the Chamber's Government Affairs Committee hosted Annual State of the Valley address at the Hampton Inn. It is a time for business people in the community to hear from Elected officials what is going on in our community. School Board Presidents, Drew Lyon of Gering and Bob Kinsey of Scottsbluff, County Board Chair Mark Masterton, and Mayors, Kent Greenwalt of Terrytown, Randy Meininger of Scottsbluff and me all gave the highlights of the past year.

It was good to see a nice crowd again this year. Last year there were about 90 and the event was sold out, so it moved to the Hampton where there were around 110 people. I was appreciative to see people attend, since no one was at our public hearings for our budget. I know that people do care, but they just don't show up to meetings.

I know they care when they send mail, however, if it is not signed it is difficult to address and therefore not credible. Also it is frustrating for me when I hear complaints with no solutions. We hear a lot of negative, but at the State of the Valley you hear a lot of positive. You hear directly from those you serve you not the rumor mill.

Sure not everything is positive, however, there is a lot of positive happening. Between the cities, the county and the school districts millions of dollars are being spent to upgrade facilities. Those dollars go to LOCAL contractors and subcontractors that live in this valley. They have kept their employees working, when the construction industry as a whole as been flat.

We have to continue to move forward or we won't be progressive and grow. What attracts younger people to move back to our area? Seeing things HAPPEN! There is a lot happening in our community and for that we are blessed.

One more thing, please attend the Gering School Board's meeting on Monday night, Spetember 21st, at 7pm at the High School auditorium. "What to do with Lincoln Elementary School" is the topic. They are asking for YOUR INPUT! Please be proactive and be there. Offer your opinions in a venue where they will count and have an impact.

Until next time.....

Blending Services

On Tuesday, September 8th, the Gering City Council met jointly with the Scottsbluff City Council during their regular meeting. The main focus is where to look for additional blending of services between the two cities.

I realize the concept of one city is controversial, but we should be able to work together and help each other in departments we both have, especially those that are funded by the General Fund.

This is where the blending of the two police departments comes in. Gering Police Chief Mel Griggs, Scottsbluff Police Chief Alex Moreno, and Gering City Administrator Lane Danielzuk have been meeting the last couple of months and have made some impressive headway.

They are now charged with coming up with a model for the combined police force that then could be applied in other areas.

I know there is concern about losing jobs, however I believe this will happen through attrition and not reduction in force. Working together should provide for better communication. I also believe it is a matter of working smarter rather than harder.

A Scottsbluff citizen recommended we set up citizen committees to discuss the possibility of one city. As of right now, we may not be there, but that certainly is in the future. However, we will need people that are open to possibilities and not find fault with everything.

We have been lucky that the economic downturn has not hurt us that much, YET. But it will come to that. If you want the services at the same high level, then we need to make changes in the way we run the business of running the city.



Here are a couple of links from KNEB and the Star Herald about the meeting.



http://www.kneb.com/news/index/0c483e0f-862b-4d97-a091-b99310506651



http://www.starherald.com/articles/2009/09/10/news/local_news/doc4aa7293546734685030852.txt



Until next time......