Community Cafe Bainbridge

From BCB:

In this podcast episode, Bainbridge Island City Finance Director Ellen Schroer explains to BCB host Barry Peters the highlights of the City’s proposed budget for the next two-year biennium (2015-2016). 

Public meetings on the budget occur on Tuesdays in October. The Council must approve the budget by December.

Topics discussed by the Finance Director during this interview are the following:

- What’s new about this budget exercise for the City?  0:38

- How does this budget identify City Department performance measures: accomplishments and goals?  1:33

- Is a good example of a performance measure how many days it takes to obtain a planning or building approval?  3:43

- How do you compare City staffing in pre-recession years (when there were as many as 152 full-time equivalent employees) versus a recent year (when staffed dropped to 104)?  4:16

- What are examples of key goals and priorities for 2015-16?  5:54

- What is the size of the City’s operating budget, and its capital budget?  7:43

- What capital projects are shaping up as priorities for the next two years?  8:17

- What are examples of capital projects accomplished recently? 9:08

- For the preservation and resurfacing of roads, is the budgeted $600,000 sufficient?  9:42

- Does the Council contemplate issuing debt to tackle major capital projects? 10:56

- The budget exercise, for the first time, uses an approach called “Priority-Based Budgeting”. What is that? 12:02

- One priority is “Reliable Infrastructure and Connected Mobility”. What is ‘connected mobility’? 13:36

- Another priority is a “Healthy and Attractive Community”?  How does the budget address that? 14:46

- Another priority is “Vibrant Economy”? How does the budget address that? 15:40

- Has the Council asked for the budget to address the need for improvements in cellular service? 16:22

- Does the budget address the needs for improved parking in Winslow in connection with the goal of Vibrant Economy?  16:58

- How does the budget define the sixth priority: “Good Governance”? 17:18

- Do you have a comment on the awards recently received by Bainbridge Island for active citizen engagement?  17:44

- Is the City looking for ways to improve citizen engagement for groups like daily ferry commuters; young busy families; and youth in the 18-25 age group? 18:26

- What does the budget have to say about maintaining opportunities for local residents to volunteer? 20:17

- Do you have a final thought about the openness of the budget process to Bainbridge residents? 20:52

The City Council is conducting public meetings for budget review on Tuesday evenings in October in City Hall. Meetings typically begin at 7pm with a public comment period being at the beginning of a business meeting, or occurring in response to topics raised at a Study Session.

Credits: BCB host, editor and publisher: Barry Peters; BCB intro music: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; BCB podcast art: artopia creative.

From BCB...

In this 22-minute interview, Bainbridge Island City Manager Doug Schulze shares his thoughts on local economic vitality and development of our island, as the City starts the two-year public process to update the City’s multi-faceted Comprehensive Plan.

Doug Schulze became our City Manager almost two years ago and he’s made himself accessible to community members, local organizations and the media. Amidst controversy about the Visconsi development, he recently published 3 articles to the community offering his views on local economic development.

Questions answered by the City Manager in this podcast are:

Credits: BCB host, audio editor and publisher: Barry Peters; BCB music intro: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; BCB podcast art: artopia creative.

Fifteen months ago, the City of Bainbridge Island swore in new Police Chief Matt Hamner.

In this 29-minute podcast interview, BCB’s Barry Peters explores in detail with the Chief the policing needs of our community, and how the Chief sees the issues that pertain to community policing for Bainbridge Island.

The interview is an open, personable and candid conversation with Chief Hamner and explores many current issues facing the City, the Chief and the police department.

The questions answered by Chief Hamner in this Community Cafe conversation are:

Looking back on 15 months as Chief in Bainbridge, what is a typical favorite experience  :45

How are you doing on your goal of building community trust for the police department 1:30

When you applied for the job, what were your initial impressions of Bainbridge as a community 2:44

Do you see a sense of community among Bainbridge residents 3:50

What are your comments on Officer Ziemba’s nomination for a crisis intervention award 5:28

How did you cope with staffing challenges — 4 retirements and two injured officers with limited duty 7:45

What do you look for in an applicant for the Bainbridge police department  9:01

What does “community policing”mean for your department 11:56

Is it about officers being on bike and on foot? 13:45

How do Bainbridge policing and crime rates compare to Mercer Island 15:36

What are the factors that shape how many police are needed for Bainbridge 17:58

Do we have an officer specializing in relationships with the schools?  19:22

How many police officers should Bainbridge have?  20:54

What is the status of the effort to create a more adequate police headquarters building 22:02

What is a good model for citizen feedback, oversight and citizen advice?  23:54

What were the goals when hiring a Deputy and a front desk person for the public 27:30

If a resident wants to give feedback to the Chief, how should they contact you ?  28:10

Thanks and extro 28:38

Credits: BCB host and editor: Barry Peters; BCB intro music: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; BCB podcast art: artopia creative.

Fifteen months ago, the City of Bainbridge Island swore in new Police Chief Matt Hamner.

In this 29-minute podcast interview, BCB’s Barry Peters explores in detail with the Chief the policing needs of our community, and how the Chief sees the issues that pertain to community policing for Bainbridge Island.

The interview is an open, personable and candid conversation with Chief Hamner and explores many current issues facing the City, the Chief and the police department.

The questions answered by Chief Hamner in this Community Cafe conversation are:

Looking back on 15 months as Chief in Bainbridge, what is a typical favorite experience  :45

How are you doing on your goal of building community trust for the police department 1:30

When you applied for the job, what were your initial impressions of Bainbridge as a community 2:44

Do you see a sense of community among Bainbridge residents 3:50

What are your comments on Officer Ziemba’s nomination for a crisis intervention award 5:28

How did you cope with staffing challenges — 4 retirements and two injured officers with limited duty 7:45

What do you look for in an applicant for the Bainbridge police department  9:01

What does “community policing”mean for your department 11:56

Is it about officers being on bike and on foot? 13:45

How do Bainbridge policing and crime rates compare to Mercer Island 15:36

What are the factors that shape how many police are needed for Bainbridge 17:58

Do we have an officer specializing in relationships with the schools?  19:22

How many police officers should Bainbridge have?  20:54

What is the status of the effort to create a more adequate police headquarters building 22:02

What is a good model for citizen feedback, oversight and citizen advice?  23:54

What were the goals when hiring a Deputy and a front desk person for the public 27:30

If a resident wants to give feedback to the Chief, how should they contact you ?  28:10

Thanks and extro 28:38

Credits: BCB host and editor: Barry Peters; BCB intro music: Tim Bird; BCB ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studios; BCB podcast art: artopia creative.

Community Cafe is BCB's newest podcast radio show for Bainbridge Island.  Each episode is like a 15 to 25-minute conversation over coffee with a friend describing a community need or issue that matters.

On this first episode of Community Cafe Bainbridge, Kathy Cook, the very experienced Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Bainbridge Island explains the City's Comprehensive Plan and the 2-year public process that is now starting to update the Comp Plan for the first time since 2004.

The City has named the Comp Plan long-term update process: "Navigate Bainbridge: Charting our Future Together".  The title emphasizes the City's view that the process will benefit from many constituencies working together, including island residents, the Planning Commission, City staff and the City Council.

Kathy describes the two public meetings that will mark the start of the process:

 - Tuesday, July 22, 7-9pm, an open public meeting called "Comprehensive Plan 101", located at Bainbridge High School Commons

 - Thursday, Aug 28 (tentative date): Planning Commission public meeting to determine how the public process for the Comp Plan update should work, located at City Hall

In this 22-minute interview with BCB host Barry Peters, Kathy Cook also describes the range and scope of the existing Comp Plan -- element by element.

Credits: BCB host and editor: Barry Peters; Theme music: Tim Bird; Ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studio; Logo art: artopia creative

Community Cafe is BCB's newest podcast radio show for Bainbridge Island.  Each episode is like a 15 to 25-minute conversation over coffee with a friend describing a community need or issue that matters.

On this first episode of Community Cafe Bainbridge, Kathy Cook, the very experienced Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Bainbridge Island explains the City's Comprehensive Plan and the 2-year public process that is now starting to update the Comp Plan for the first time since 2004.

The City has named the Comp Plan long-term update process: "Navigate Bainbridge: Charting our Future Together".  The title emphasizes the City's view that the process will benefit from many constituencies working together, including island residents, the Planning Commission, City staff and the City Council.

Kathy describes the two public meetings that will mark the start of the process:

 - Tuesday, July 22, 7-9pm, an open public meeting called "Comprehensive Plan 101", located at Bainbridge High School Commons

 - Thursday, Aug 28 (tentative date): Planning Commission public meeting to determine how the public process for the Comp Plan update should work, located at City Hall

In this 22-minute interview with BCB host Barry Peters, Kathy Cook also describes the range and scope of the existing Comp Plan -- element by element.

Credits: BCB host and editor: Barry Peters; Theme music: Tim Bird; Ferry music: Dogfish Bay Studio; Logo art: artopia creative