Each year the governing body sets broad goals to help guide City administration and departments as they plan for the upcoming budget year.  The Council considered the Community Vision Statement, gathered citizen input at the Annual Town Meeting in January, and held a Council retreat in February to discuss and identify goal priorities for the fiscal year July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009, budget process.  The City Council approved the following goals for fiscal year 2008-09 at the council meeting on March 10, 2008: 

GOAL 1:  PROMOTE SAFE, LIVABLE, AND SUSTAINABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND A PROSPEROUS DYNAMIC GREEN CITY.

GOAL 2:  PROMOTE A PRUDENT FINANCIAL PLAN TO MAINTAIN EFFECTIVE SERVICE LEVELS.

GOAL 3:  PROMOTE THE INTEREST AND NEEDS OF FOREST GROVE IN REGIONAL AFFAIRS.

In support of all three goals, Mayor Kidd has been selected as one of eight mayors to present a City project to the Mayors' Institute on City Design in May.  The presentation will be evaluated by the Institute and the City will be given a report on the project's feasibility.  Metro is providing staff assistance for this presentation.  More information on the Institute can be found at http://www.micd.org/.  

Becoming a "green" city is the essence of the City's new Vision Statement.  One part of that effort is access to public transportation within the City. This issue was mentioned more than once during the Annual Town Meeting discussions.  There are two upcoming events for Forest Grove residents to participate in that would enhance these goals and objectives:

• Earth Hour 2008 at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 29, and
• Public Transportation Open House at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 31, 2008. 

Earth Hour 2008 is bringing the world together to fight climate change.  Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, and San Francisco are uniting with other cities around the world in switching off their lights for one hour on March 29, 2008, in a symbolic action on climate change.  More information about Earth Hour 2008 and other ways to reduce your carbon footprint can be found at http://www.earthhour.org.

The Public Transportation Open House will be held at the Community Auditorium, 1915 Main Street, prior to the regular City Council meeting.  Representatives from Tri-Met, Ride Connection, American Red Cross, Metro, and the City Council will come together to discuss public transportation within the City and adjacent areas.  This is an excellent opportunity for residents to voice their concerns and needs regarding public transportation.  Public comments and questions may also be submitted online at http://www.forestgrove-or.gov/city-government/contact-form.html.

Objectives to meet these goals were also discussed and will be considered during the budget process as available resources are reviewed.