West Valley goes to Washington

Last week I was able to represent West Valley City to Congressional members and staff while presenting the federal goals and priorities of the City. I also attended and represented West Valley at the National League of Cities Conference. There I met for the first time with as a full steering member with the FTS committee. Below is the written report of this trip that I presented to other members of the City Council:

COUNCILMEMBER RUSHTON
COUNCIL REPORT
MARCH 22, 2010
NLC CONFERENCE & CONGRESSIONAL VISITS
SUMMARY

During March 12-18 I attended and represented West Valley City at the National League of Cities Conference and made Congressional visits to the Utah delegation in Washington D.C. The conference major speakers and presenters included a senior White House advisor and three members of the President’s cabinet, among others. The conference at the Marriott Wardman began on Saturday and concluded Wednesday. The committee that I was appointed to convened breakfast and lunch meetings on Sunday. The conference featured more than 30 workshops focused on economic development, safety, policy and programs. The seminars I attended this week included “The Broadband Connection” and “Successful Neighborhood Stabilization Programs” among others. The Congressional visits with both staff and members of Congress were received well and West Valley City earned praise for their partnerships and long term outlook.

VISIT HIGHLIGHTS

1. Administration Heads from respective Transportation, Education, and Energy Departments spoke on the need for quality communities and partnering roles. NLC President Loveridge expressed need for Job Creation.
2. Committee work consisted of plans and discussions about:
a. Many traditional development rules lead to social and economic segregation
b. Offering housing choices provides greater incentive for people to stay and invest in the community.
c. Impact of the recession on redevelopment initiatives.
d. Better local actions than Code Enforcement to combat blight (i.e. Rancho Cordova “Strong Neighborhoods”).
e. New trends in form based and technical zoning were presented by leading experts.
3. Both Senate offices generally approved of all the projects requested for funding and will begin further vetting and exploration of funding options. Congressman Matheson expressed strong support for the regional projects and agreed to use his committee post to look for telecom options.
4. The Utah League of Cities and Towns arranged a dinner for Utah delegates. Additionally, a breakfast was held with members of Congress featuring a question and answer period.