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October 21, 1993 <br />The Honorable Mayor Ray Hanson <br />and Council Members <br />City of Little Canada <br />515 East Little Canada Road <br />Little Canada, MN 55109 <br />Dear Mayor Hanson and. Council Members: <br />I read recently in the paper that the Council is considering spending $8,000 to conduct <br />a survey of what residents like or don't like about the city. I am writing in opposition <br />to the proposed expenditure of $8,000 for such survey. <br />Why should we spend $8,000 on a survey? To seek citizen input? There has been <br />no shortage of citizen input available to the Council. The Council holds public hear- <br />ings on all important issues such as improvements, re- zoning, variances, conditional <br />use permits, etc. It also solicits public opinion on "hot" topics at workshops, for exam- <br />ple, charitable gambling. The City Planner and Engineer are competent professionals <br />who provide strategic input and long range planning services to the Council on issues <br />in their specialty areas. This regular input, and the combined experiences of our <br />Council and staff, should readily point to the key issues facing our city in the future. <br />Our police, fire and municipal services are functioning well and cost effectively. Park <br />and recreation areas have been acquired and our programs are comprehensive and <br />well run. We've remodeled city buildings. What's left? <br />I suggest that our principal focus should be on creating a positive business climate <br />and on revitalizing and improving our commercial - industrial areas (e.g., the market- <br />place). 1 would much rather see the Council spend $8,000 on a consultant to assist <br />us in addressing business attraction and retention issues in a creative way than on <br />issues with much less long -term impact, such as measuring whether we should spend <br />more dollars on gymnastics than hockey. <br />Someone once said - - "If you don't know where you're going, you'll surely get there." <br />No survey will produce the obvious results our city needs -- sustained and improved <br />economic growth which provides the tax base we need for the services and high stan- <br />dard of living we enjoy in our city. This Council needs to set the direction for our city <br />on the major issues we face, which I believe are fairly clear and similar to what other <br />cities face. <br />Page 1 <br />