A sub-set of Dan's vision for the City of O'Fallon and how he would address the issues it faces can be seen below. For a full review of his opinions about the present and ideas for the future feel free to call or email him directly.
Remember to check back often to this page. It is interesting how many of the opinions expressed on this page are starting to make their way into conversations during council meetings. Remember, you saw the ideas here first. Also, ask yourself why the council is discussing these issues now. Remember that we are in an election cycle. What you must ask yourself is whether or not you believe these issues will still be important to the council after April 8th. I can guarantee you they will still be important to me.
$2 Million 2008 O'Fallon Budget Deficit
I assure the electorate of O'Fallon, I will never vote for a budget that includes a deficit. Our number 1 job as elected officials is to spend the money of our citizens wisely. Going into a year knowing that you are going to spend more than you are going to take in, is unacceptable. I am in the process of obtaining the 2008 budget. Once I do, I will go through the budget and come up with my suggestions on where the $2 million deficit could have been made up.
Water and Sewer System
The Water and Sewer system is much like a technology network. Both the Water and Sewer system and a technology network carry traffic. When the traffic on either system reaches a critical point more capacity is added. In the technology industry, we set triggers, or flags, on capacity around 50% to 60%. This way we can add capacity slowly, as opposed to adding a large amount of capacity all at one time. This stair step approach allows us to spread the cost over a much longer time period, and not incur the cost all at once. Along with reduced cost this method allows us to correct the problem long before it become a crisis. I can guarantee I will ensure that issues, such as, these are addressed long before they hit a crisis level. I will ensure that our city's infrastructure is treated with the highest priority. We are the 8th largest city in Missouri, and still growing, we need to have an infrastructure that will continue to support us well into the future.
40% understaffed Police Department
I understand that the lack of funding received by the Police Department, ordinarily, does not make headlines but I believe down the road we will be talking about this problem in much the same way that we are, today, with the Water and Sewer System. I am a husband and a father, so the lack of Police funds greatly concerns me, as it should all of us. Many will tell you the Police Department is funded at an adequate level. They point to the fact that our officers are paid comparable, or better than, other officers in the area. While this maybe true, it omits how we are able to fund the department at such a low level. The FBI suggests that cities employ 2.5 officers for every 1000 residents. At last population and officer check the city has only 1.5 officers per 1000 residents. This means that the department is 40% understaffed. As alarming as this fact is, it is only the tip of the iceberg. The communications system is completely outdated and extremely unreliable and the vehicle fleet continues to age. The bottom line is that although our officers do an outstanding job with what they have; they simply do not have enough.
Live Entertainment Ordinance
The council continues to have "discussions" about what should be done with this issue. We are missing the mark by discussing the noise issue under the heading of the "Live Entertainment Ordinance". While live entertainment is an issue we have an issue with general entertainment, otherwise known as noise. If an establishment is playing music via an amplified system any change we make to the live Entertainment Ordinance will not affect this problem. Because of this issue we need to address the noise problem via our Noise Ordinance. If we tighten our Noise Ordinance the Live Entertainment Ordinance must follow suit. Many people have expressed the opinion that increasing the distance that entertainment establishments can operate, in reference to residential homes, will solve this problem. While this will help future developments, and I do support it, I want to do something to help our current residents. Increasing the distance requirement will not affect current businesses because, by law, they will be grandfathered. Many believe if the business closes then the new establishment must abide by the new ordinance, but this may not be the case. If the old establishment transfers the license to the new one then they too would be grandfathered. In order to address this issue immediately, and cover all situations, the O'Fallon noise problem must be address via the Noise Ordinance.
Responsible Growth
I believe that there are workable solutions considering the vacant strip malls and the need for tax dollars that these establishments provide. A strip mall that is 10% occupied generates more tax revenue than an empty plot of land. With that being said, we need to become more responsible with our growth. First, if a developer comes to us with a development that has a large percent of spots already pre-sold then we should approve the development. If they are building a development with no presales then we should allow them to return for approval after they have increased the percentage of presales. I would also like to look into a "vacancy tax" on these developments. Addressing this issue is going to take a lot of creativity. However we get there, we need to think about our growth as we move into the future.
Redistricting
I support redistricting. My plan would be to add one ward one calendar year and then waiting two years before adding a second ward. My main reason for this method is because, by adding two new wards to the city, the size of the council then doubles. Imagine adding 50% more people at one time to any meeting you attend. Its adds chaos and disorganization. While this plan would take additional work, it would allow for a much needed smooth transition which is my main objective.
Property Tax Rates
I, like most Americans, don't like paying taxes. Now that you know where I stand I must be honest. I agree that our tax rate is too high, higher than other cities in the area, but coming into a term with a pre-existing deficit makes it difficult to promise a tax cut in 2008. However, what I can promise is that I will never support a tax increase and I will work to cut our tax rate as soon as I am able to return the city to non-deficit spending.
Illegal Immigration
I have many friends and family that are legal immigrants, so when I talk of immigration I support legal immigration 100%. As you know, this issue has been left to the state and federal government to handle, however, as neither of these two bodies are willing to do anything about this, it is up to us to deal with the issue. I would like to develop a plan that would address the housing and business use of illegal immigrants. The plan I support is two fold. Any business operating in O'Fallon found using illegal immigrants will incur a fine for the first offense. For the second occurrence the fine will increase substantially. For the third offense, the company will lose the ability to operate in O'Fallon for 1 year. If they return and are cited for another offense they will never be able to do business in O'Fallon again. The second part of the plan addresses housing. If a landlord is found to be renting housing to an illegal immigrant then they will incur a fine. Unfortunately, as a third class city the maximum fine we can levy is $500, so this would the fine, for each and every occurrence. If and when we move to a Charter city the fine amount can me adjusted as needed.
The cities relationship with the HBA
The HBA builds the wonderful homes that we all live in here in O'Fallon and I am extremely thankful to the hard workers of the companies that make up the HBA. On the other hand, the residents of the city are the ones that "own" the city and thus are the authority to which we answer. I believe that the city government should have a good relationship with all organizations and companies doing business in our city, but this relationship should never come above the best interests of the citizens of the city of O'Fallon. I will judge all the decision I make regarding all companies and organizations with a simple thought; "Does this change or request benefit the residences of O'Fallon" because it is the residence that call O'Fallon home and in the end, I must make O'Fallon the best place to live that I can.
Governmental Transparency
I support governmental transparency. It is our job as elected officials to ensure that the citizens that elected us feel as if their government is being honest and open. As your elected official, I will do what ever I can to change the direction of the city in this area.
