As your City Council At-Large rep, I'd push to revisit the concept of 'neighborhood associations' in Cedar Falls, to establish a stronger framework that represents all neighborhoods. Why is this needed? Because currently, the city only recognizes four neighborhood associations:
- North Cedar Neighborhood Association (NCNA)
- Overman Park Neighborhood Association (OPNA)
- College Hill Partnership (CHP)
- Community Main Street (CMS)
These groups meet annually with City Council to discuss their goals and needs; while it's a great service (and these are terrific organizations), the existing structure leaves the majority of Cedar Falls residents (who don't have associations) out of the discussion. To address this gap -- and to bring all neighborhoods equally into City Hall -- I will push for the following two initiatives as your At-Large rep:
1. City recognition of official neighborhood districts, serving as the boundaries of the Neighborhood Associations. These districts would form the basis of future neighborhood associations, which would be chartered by and officially recognized by the city. The Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitors Bureau has already done this unofficially at http://www.cedarfallstourism.org/tools-for-travel/neighborhoods.aspx, so the precedent exists. For the official version, a task force of volunteers could recommend the final boundaries and names. This draft neighborhood districts map gives a general idea of what I'm thinking (and Greenwood could fit in either the Central or Northwest districts).
2. Creation of a Neighborhood Advisory Committee. This committee would be made up of the elected leader of each neighborhood association (I'm anticipating perhaps eight or nine) or their proxy, along with a city staff member and public safety official. It could meet quarterly (or monthly if that had value). The main purpose of the group would be to foster communication and best practices between neighborhoods, enhance government / neighborhood interaction, and address neighborhood-related issues. Great examples of this exist nationally, including:
- Roanoke Neighborhood Advocates (Roanoke, Virginia)
- Neighborhood Advisory Commission (Columbia, Maryland)
- Neighborhood Advisory Committee (Asheville, NC)
- Neighborhood Advisory Council (Frederick, MD)
- Mayor's Neighborhood Advisory Council (Bellingham, Washington)
- Neighbors of Chapman (Orange, CA - an university-area group)
- Neighborhood Advisory Commission (Scottsdale, Arizona)
This initiative would actually accomplish part of the 2025 Community-Wide Strategic Plan: "6b: Establish an advisory committee of neighborhood association members to oversee collaboration between associations and the formalization of new neighborhoods within Cedar Falls."
Overall, I believe that these initiatives will give residents a greater voice in local government, by providing one more channel to interact with the city on meaningful ways, through their neighborhood associations.
As your Cedar Falls Ciity Council At-Large rep, I'll work to make it happen.