Upper Gwynedd sets goals for 2020
Facebook chats, offsite meetings on to-do list
Township officials’ lengthy to-do list includes Facebook chats and offsite meetings.
UPPER GWYNEDD » Township staff and the board of commissioners now have a lengthy to-do list to tackle for the rest of 2020 and beyond.
That to-do list includes setting up several new volunteer boards and commissions, holding public meetings away from the township municipal complex and live chats online, and several steps meant to improve transparency and bring residents closer to local government.
“It’s an exciting time in Upper Gwynedd — a lot of changes, and new things to roll out,” said Township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell.
In January the newly-elected commissioners and staff hosted a day-long goal- setting meeting to discuss and develop goals and priories for the upcoming year. Zadell outlined the main takeaways Monday night, detailing which goals look likely to be finished this year, which look likely to run into or be budgeted for 2021, and others that may go beyond both years.
The goals list is broken down into several main categories: transparency and engagement, environmental issues, combating discrimination and encouraging diversity, mobility issues, and staff and employee retention, with additional goals for the township’s planning, zoning and code enforcement and for township facilities and emergency services.
Most visible to the public early on will be several of the transparency goals, including having commissioners meet and greet residents before public meetings begin, and taking those meetings offsite to reach certain communities.
“The whole point of the ‘transparency and citizen engagement’ piece of the goals was to make meetings more approachable to residents, and make residents feel like they’re part of our meetings,” Zadell said.
Anyone interested in learning more about the township and its staff should save the dates of March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 at 8 p.m., Zadell said: she’s planning two interactive chats on Facebook Live to field and answer any questions from residents.
“Basically, we’ll just go live to answer any questions that residents might have. When I did it in the past, it was really well-received” in another municipality, Zadell said.
Those who take part can do so via the township’s Facebook page, where Zadell and other staff members will field questions as they’re submitted, and take down information to contact those whose questions they can’t answer right away.
“It’s really fun, and it’s a great way to engage the public, and
make sure they have direct access, just from their homes,” she said.
Staff are working on adding more contact info for local officials to the township’s newsletter and scheduling open hours for residents to meet with the management team and expand certain office hours, the manager told the board. They’ve also tentatively identified the date of Sept. 29 as a meeting that could be optimal to hold offsite, outside of the township building, and Zadell asked the board for ideas on where to hold it.
“I thought tonight we can nail that down, and staff can work on scheduling. We’ll have to advertise it as being in a new location, make sure we have sound, and things like that,” she said.
Board President Liz McNaney suggested staff look into meeting at the Brittany Pointe complex on Valley Forge Road, to reach seniors who reside there, and Commissioner Ruth Damsker said she knows the complex has a large auditorium that could hold a big crowd.
“I like the idea that we would probably have an audience, and a lot of them probably don’t come here, to see what we do. They might really learn from it,” Commissioner Denise Hull said.
Zadell also asked for feedback on informational events or seminars staff could schedule to build resident engagement.
Commissioner Martha Simelaro suggested a health fair and/or STEM-focused events for women, Hull suggested info from local water authorities on their infrastructure, commissioner Katherine Carter suggested presentations like a recent “department spotlight” on the township wastewater treatment plant, and McNaney said 2019’s information sessions on the spotted lanternfly drew large crowds.
Other suggestions included presentations on township park and trail facilities, details on local senior facilities and activities, and educational sessions about the North Penn School District’s real estate tax discount for low-income seniors.
“I think we’ve got plenty of ideas: plenty to fill up a two-year calendar,” Zadell said.
Under the ‘environmental’ header, goals included establishing a township environmental advisory committee and shade tree commission to field feedback and make recommendations, both possible by the end of 2020, and developing a township-wide stormwater master plan to address drainage issues by the end of 2021.
Another volunteer group could be created under the ‘combating discrimination’ header: a township human relations commission, to field and rule on any complaints of discrimination, could be created with an accompanying anti-discrimination ordinance or policy. Other goals include continuing sensitivity training for township police to handle issues that arise with a diverse population, exploring options to help communication for citizens who don’t speak English, and holding public ‘community conversations’ on inclusivity, race, and LGTBQ issues.
“This would be an event you can attend, to talk about your experiences, maybe as a person of foreign birth, a foreign resident, or something like that,” Zadell said.
Under the mobility category, the township’s traffic engineer has been tasked with identifying spots for traffic calming in 2020, while requests for proposals could be issued to perform a transportation master plan in 2021 and then a master trail plan the following year. In the staff and employee category, staff will work to update and standardize all employee job descriptions, review salary levels, and hold regular staff meetings along with quarterly department head updates for the commissioners and public.
“We do have job descriptions, but they’re not very uniform,” Zadell said.
Planning and zoning goals include developing a township-wide sign inventory, creating notifications for residents to remove cars from streets during snow emergencies, and implementing new code department software to track code issues and work orders. Under the township facilities category, staff are identifying and removing dead ash trees in need of removal from township parks, developing a needs assessment for the public works department, and beginning the process of developing a parks and recreation master plan, according to the manager.
“Stay tuned: I’m sure in each of my manager’s reports over the next few months, there will be new things to report about all of these goals,” she said.