Fiscally Conservative Budgeting and Low Taxes
It is time to end abrupt tax increases and special assessments. Whether it is poor planning or frequently changing priorities, we need a mayor who will fight for the rights of taxpayers rather than fighting for the rights and growth of government. The way we accomplish that is by implementing best industry practices to prioritize, organize, budget, and fund Groveland’s Strategic Plan initiatives.
- Implement Zero-based budgeting. ZBB is a budgeting standard in which all expenses must be justified for a new year starting from zero. No more automatic line-item increases.
- Transparency and easy access to information on the fiscal health of Groveland with Quarterly & yearly financial reports.
Control Growth and Protect Groveland’s Quality of Life
- We need a mayor who will look out for the rights of all Citizen’s and Taxpayers embracing our culture of Natural Charm!
- Make Growth Pay for Itself - 25,000 new homes have been approved with no infrastructure to back it up. Infrastructure cannot be an afterthought with the city left “holding the bag.” We must address traffic & roads, Utilities, Parks, and greenspaces with the benefiting parties paying their proportionate share.
- Recruit a Health & Wellness Center and develop localized and neighborhood educational opportunities, partnering with select team to bring additional services into strategic locations around Groveland. Make Groveland Walkable!
- Embrace a Business-friendly culture that fosters more home-grown businesses, Farm-to-Table restaurants, Expanded Farmer’s Market, and similar opportunities near the Downtown area.
- Adopt a Citizens and Property Owners Bill of Rights – recognize that the rights of our tax paying Citizens are not subordinate to outside business interests. Citizens should be engaged early in the planning process to allow public input to insure we are adhering to our Strategic Plan.
Improve Communication and Increase Citizen Involvement
A responsive, “customer friendly” government requires excellent communication. As your next mayor, Keith’s priorities will include:
Citizen Engagement - Host District Meetings or Round Tables, once per quarter, where Keith will personally hear the Community’s needs and concerns. He will also encourage the city to assist in setting up Council member meetings with the districts they represent. This feedback will be added to the Council Member report at City Council meetings. We must allocate adequate resources to communicate with the public via all means available utilizing the best technology, and provide access to the City Calendar, Public Records, forms, etc.
Implementation of the Groveland Strategic Plan – Chartered by The City Council, the ten-member Strategic Plan Committee was tasked with partnering the Citizens of Groveland with City Officials and Employees to craft a vision for what our community desires. This plan was adopted on June 21, 2022 culminating thousands of Team hours spanning almost 3 years. Mission & Vision Statements were developed to reflect our core values of: Intentionality, Connectivity, Vitality, Knowledge & Heart. The Plan sets Strategic Priorities with measurable goals.
Incorporate portions of STRONG Towns approach to growth, https://www.strongtowns.org/. This National movement is helping Cities grow WISELY utilizing the principles of Financial Solvency, proper use of our land resources, creating a strong local economy and Citizen involvement!
Build Community with family events
Groveland’s greatest assets are our citizens. Because we are a growing community with new families moving in every year, we can bring people together and transform residents into neighbors. “Chef Keith” has relied on his culinary skills to bring people together to get things done. As our next Mayor, he plans to do the same.