Culver Action Plan

In October I pressed the Town Council to move forward with an Action Plan to start implementation of the Comprehensive Plan.  Unfortunately the first meeting scheduled was a bust and at the next Council meeting discussion of another meeting got tabled until after the first of the year.  I understood why the Action Plan meeting was put off until after the first of the year, but I think there are discussions that can be had now.  The Town Board, Plan Commission and Redevelopment Commissions are the ultimate arbitrators of how this moves forward.  I put the following thoughts down in an email to chairs of those entities in hopes of getting this moving forward.

  • I pushed this last month because I thought we should develop an interim plan, with the goal of reviewing an action plan in late May or June before budgets are prepared.  I think the Action Plan needs to relate to the budgets, but there are also things that could happen in the next six months that would require time rather than dollars.  The Action Plan should be reviewed and updated annually before budgets.
  • The Action Plan should be part of the jumping off point for the Capital Improvement Plan.  Having a rudimentary Action Plan in place will give Bob and the new Town Manager a jumping off point at the first of the year.
  • The Redevelopment Commission isn’t hamstrung by the annual budget timing, so they could possibly move forward on some spending items that fall in their purview and are suggested by the Action Plan.

Low/No Dollar Action Plan for the next six months: 

Items cherry-picked/modified from the Comp Plan Preliminary Action Plan:

  1. Establish a Capital Improvement Plan.
  2. Research the needs for a new Town Hall/Emergency Facilities Building vs. Renovation.  (This is somewhat dependent on finding what is available and appropriate as relocation options which will take time.)
  3. Update the Town website.  (I understand that Karen is working on this, but it would be worth reviewing and considering options for improvement that might require budget dollars next year.)
  4. Research Low Impact Development Standards
  5. Research a Parkland Dedication Ordinance.
  6. Support LMEC as they update the watershed management plan.  (Probably not a lot to do, but provide cooperation where appropriate.)
  7. Research a Complete Streets policy.
  8. Research a Right-of-Way Dedication policy.
  9. Research realignment of S.R. 10 with MACOG.  (This has been removed from MACOG’s current long range plan, but the merits and problems should be discussed with them as it could come up again.  Also this would help put Culver on their radar for other potential projects such as the additional connections to S.R. 17 proposed in the Comp Plan.)
  10. Establish an Affordable Housing/Entry Level Housing Task Force to move housing issues forward.  (This was promised to Elkay during their abatement hearing almost 6 months ago.)
  11. Research a rental property registry.  (This would give a lot of good information to the Housing Task Force.)
  12. Begin negotiations with County for expansion of our zoning boundary to take in our allowed extra-territorial authority area.  (This will not happen quickly, so we need to kick this off with baby steps.)
  13. Update the Zoning Ordinance to reflect the changes in the Comprehensive Plan.  (I am not sure what needs changed, but there should be a comparison made to make sure the two documents remain in sync.)
  14. Research the mid-town crossing island.  (This is listed in the Comp Plan as needing a grant.  There were people for this and others spoke against it.  Before a grant is pursued, a concensus on this should be garnered.)
  15. Research a parking lot ordinance.  (The Comp Plan suggests green space requirements.  These should be compared to the current Zoning Ordinance requirements to determine if they are compatible and whether changes to the Zoning Ordinance are warranted.)
  16. Research a “Shop Local” promotion.
  17. Research Development Incentives and make decisions on what can/should be offered including criteria for a decision.
  18. Join the Indiana Main Street Program.   (Chamber or Second Century has been pursuing this.  Investigate if Public support is needed or warranted to get this moving forward.)
  19. Research pursuing a Shovel Ready Site.  (This would require a property owner with interest in development or property to sell.)

Other items discussed in various meetings not in the Comp Plan Preliminary Action Plan:

  1.  Review the current job description, chain-of-command, etc. for the Town Manager position prior to filling the position.  Clarifying expectations on both sides may help Town Manager Performance and Town Board Management of the position.
  2. Begin education process and property owner conversations regarding annexation of the property northwest of the current Town limits out to the northwest corner of 10 & 17.  Identify obstacles and possible solutions.  Review infrastructure requirements.
  3. Research a “Welcome to the _____________” document for the various commissions and boards so new volunteers have some sense of history, authority and expectations when they take an appointed position.  (I think this might be best combined into a single document with specifics for each commission or board.  It would probably be good for everyone in each position to know what their responsibilities are as well as who to contact for things outside their responsibility.)

I sent this off as a starting off point.  I know this needs to be tailored by the groups involved, but I thought this might work as a draft to get conversations started.

Source:  Action Plan image borrowed from Howtoblogabook.com

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