Dorinda Cottle

The City of Ashland's accomplishments report outlines significant progress across key municipal services and community initiatives from 2023 to 2025. The city focused on strengthening public safety through the re-establishment of the School Resource Officer program, developing comprehensive wildfire protection strategies including community-wide evacuation drills, and improving emergency medical response times. Significant investments were made in modernizing essential infrastructure, specifically wastewater treatment, a new water treatment plant, and enhancing electrical grid resiliency. Addressing the need for attainable living, the city implemented forward-thinking affordable housing strategies. Additionally, it supported cultural programs to foster community engagement and vibrancy. These efforts collectively aim to improve the quality of life, ensure safety, and maintain a sustainable and thriving community for all residents.

The City of Ashland's 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan serves as a five-year strategic roadmap to address housing and community development needs, particularly for low- and moderate-income and special needs households. The plan prioritizes creating and maintaining affordable housing, providing comprehensive support services for homelessness and individuals experiencing mental health issues or crises, enhancing transportation options for vulnerable populations, and promoting economic development to alleviate poverty. Its overarching goal is to foster viable urban communities by ensuring decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities.

The Parks, Recreation, Open Space & Senior Services Plan (PROS) is a strategic plan that will direct the Department's trajectory for the next decade. The plan will develop levels of service goals for parks, recreation and senior services. The plan relies on public input to prioritize the operations and development.

This document outlines the kickoff meeting for the Ashland Parks and Recreation Department's 10-year strategic plan. It includes a review of planning objectives, demographics, community survey summary, and next steps. The plan aims to establish goals and community values for programs and services, assess needs, and develop a level of service model. It also focuses on long-range vision, implementation strategy, and public review to meet the recreational and senior service needs of the community.

The committee meeting focused on the review of the budget process and roles. Key discussion points included a recap of the budget development process, which involved a team effort from various staff members and department heads. The committee reviewed the budget documents, available online and in a binder, and discussed the process for submitting questions. The meeting also covered the committee's role in reviewing the proposed budget, holding public hearings, and making recommendations to the city council. A significant portion of the discussion involved the budget's sources and uses, including revenues (taxes, fees) and sources (existing funds, rollovers). The committee also addressed the economic realities of the current climate, including inflation and rising costs, particularly in construction and utilities. The proposed budget's allocation across various funds (general fund, tourism, housing, etc.) was reviewed, along with the capital budget's allocation to Public Works, Parks, and other departments. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the city's vision, values, and priorities as reflected in the budget.