Elections 2012: Q&A with Stillwater City Council Ward 3 Candidate Jim Roush

Stillwater Patch recently submitted the following questions to all four of the candidates running for seats on the Stillwater City Council. The candidates were asked to keep their responses below 350 words each.

Here are the answers provided by Ward 3 Candidate Jim Roush:

Browns Creek Trail

The Brown’s Creek Trail will have an obvious impact on the future of Stillwater, but the DNR has stated there is not enough funding to complete the trail. If elected, would you push to get the trails completed sooner or later? How would you go about doing that? Would you see this as a prudent use of city funds to hire a lobbyist? 

I believe the city has resources within its residents, staff and current Council members to work with the State on finding funding to complete the trail. There are State grants available for projects like this; all we have to do is apply for them.

Levy Project Funding

The levy project in Lowell Park has been going on for years. The Army Corps of Engineers have recently said they will begin the final phase next spring. The city has said it will go with the Army Corps plan now, but if ground isn’t broken by next spring, they will consider doing the project internally. City staff states the project can be completed cheaper if the city does the work. If this project is delayed again, would you support working with the Corps to complete the project, or having city staff work on it? Why? 

The Army Corp is farther along this process than it has ever been. By letting the Army Corp complete the project, the city will save $500,000. If the Army delays the project, at that point it would be in the cities best interest to complete the project on its own.

Employee Health and Retirement Benefits

What is your position on the city paying for employee health and retirement benefits? Do you believe the city should continue to pay 100 percent of the benefits or negotiate for greater employee participation? 

The city has contractual obligations to current and former employees. Those contracts must be honored and possibly grand fathered on future changes. Going forward, the city should be competitive and in-line with other employment sectors on employee/employer health benefit splits.

Distressed Housing

Residents have raised concerns about an increase in distressed housing in Stillwater. Do you see distressed homes as an issue in Stillwater, and if so, how would you go about addressing it? 

The current City Council passed an ordinance related to Nuisance Properties. This has already been an effective tool to help clean up many of the distressed properties. In regards to abandoned properties, we must weigh the rights of the property owners on both sides of the issue, as well as public health & safety to fine-tune the ordinance.

Ordinance Scofflaws

With the chicken and bee ordinances came discussion about the enforcement of scofflaws. How would you suggest addressing issues that may arise with the enforcement of noise, problem properties ordinances and the various provisions written into ordinances such as keeping bees and backyard chickens?

The integrity of responsible bee and poultry keepers are not in question. Those who choose to disregard responsibilities outlined in the ordinances, however, should be subject to fines and revocation of their permit, ensuring compliance.

Dog Park / Swimming Pool

There are groups in Stillwater trying to gain city support for an off-leash dog park and a municipal pool. If elected, how would you address these two proposals? Are you in favor of a dog park? A municipal pool? Why or why not? 

I have already been working with both groups, exploring the feasibility of these projects. I don’t think public funds should be used. The pool could be built by partnering with the YMCA or other entities. Regarding the dog park, the city is already partnering with surrounding communities, looking for potential locations.

Budget Management

What do you think about city spending? How would you work to keep amenities and services residents want and expect up to par while managing a budget? What areas would you consider cutting? Is there any circumstance in which you’d be in favor of increasing city budgets?

Despite these tough economic times, the city budget has been essentially flat for the past 4 years and we’ve been able to maintain the high level of services and amenities our residents expect. We’ve not increased our long-term debt load, but rather, paid much of it down. Bonding is part of normal municipal finances, so as these bonds are being paid off, new bonds may be used to finance future projects that the residents/city needs, instead of drastic tax increases.

Police Department Expansion

With the proposal to move the fire station to the new armory location, there is talk about expanding the police department into the fire station space. If elected, would you support expanding the police department? If so, how would you suggest paying for it?

Planning for the expansion is prudent and a good use of the space. The city should break the proposed expansion into phases and build only what it can afford to do.

New Liquor License Ordinance

The city council is currently considering an amendment to tighten the city’s liquor ordinance in an attempt to “improve conduct” at Stillwater bars. How would you propose the city moves forward with this issue?

The city has tabled this issue to allow further discussion with the community and business owners. By working together, a win-win solution will be attained.