HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDApacket__07-27-22_0706_367
NOTICE OF MEETING
REGULAR MEETING
STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION
Chairman Patrick Garman
Vice Chairman Bernie Hoenle
Commissioner Kevin Beck
Commissioner John Craft
Commissioner Mary Edman
Commissioner Cynthia Magazine
Commissioner Geoff Yazzetta
TIME:4:00 P.M. – REGULAR MEETING
WHEN:WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 2022
WHERE:FOUNTAIN HILLS COUNCIL CHAMBERS
16705 E. AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ
Commissioners of the Town of Fountain Hills will attend either in person or by telephone conference call; a quorum of the
Town’s Council, various Commission, Committee or Board members may be in attendance at the Commission meeting.
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to A.R.S. §1-602.A.9, subject to certain specified statutory exceptions, parents have a
right to consent before the State or any of its political subdivisions make a video or audio recording of a minor child. Meetings
of the Commission are audio and/or video recorded and, as a result, proceedings in which children are present may be subject
to such recording. Parents, in order to exercise their rights may either file written consent with the Town Clerk to such
recording, or take personal action to ensure that their child or children are not present when a recording may be made. If a
child is present at the time a recording is made, the Town will assume that the rights afforded parents pursuant to A.R.S.
§1-602.A.9 have been waived.
REQUEST TO COMMENT
The public is welcome to participate in Commission meetings.
TO SPEAK TO AN AGENDA ITEM, please complete a Request to Comment card, located in the back of
the Council Chambers, and hand it to the Executive Assistant prior to discussion of that item, if
possible. Include the agenda item on which you wish to comment. Speakers will be allowed three
contiguous minutes to address the Commission. Verbal comments should be directed through the
Presiding Officer and not to individual Commissioners.
TO COMMENT ON AN AGENDA ITEM IN WRITING ONLY, please complete a Request to Comment card,
indicating it is a written comment, and check the box on whether you are FOR or AGAINST and agenda
item, and hand it to the Executive Assistant prior to discussion, if possible.
1.CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Garman
2.ROLL CALL – Chairman Garman
3.CALL TO THE PUBLIC
Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the agenda.
Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and (ii) is subject to reasonable time,
place, and manner restrictions. The Commission will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during Call
to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of the Call to
the Public, individual commissioners may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to review a matter, or (iii) ask that
the matter be placed on a future Commission agenda.
4.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of
June 22, 2022.
5.REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
6.UPDATE on the Strategic Plan from Amanda Jacobs, Economic Development Director for the
Town of Fountain Hills.
7.PRESENTATION from Doug Dunham, Water Resources Manager with EPCOR on Water
Conservation.
8.COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN
9.ADJOURNMENT
CERTIFICATE OF POSTING OF NOTICE
The undersigned hereby certifies that a copy of the foregoing notice was duly posted in accordance with the statement filed
by the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission with the Town Clerk.
Dated this 20th day of July 2022.
_____________________________________________
Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant
The Town of Fountain Hills endeavors to make all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. Please call 480-816-5199 (voice) or
1-800-367-8939 (TDD) 48 hours prior to the meeting to request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting or to obtain
agenda information in large print format. Supporting documentation and staff reports furnished the Commission with this agenda are
available for review in the Town Manager's Office.
Strategic Planning Advisory Commission Meeting of July 27, 2022 2 of 2
ITEM 4.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 07/27/2022 Meeting Type: Strategic Planning Advisory Commission
Agenda Type: Submitting Department: Administration
Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council
Staff Contact Information: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager,
Mayor/Council
Request to Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (Agenda Language): CONSIDERATION
AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of June 22, 2022.
Staff Summary (Background)
The intent of approving meeting minutes is to ensure an accurate account of the discussion and action
that took place at the meeting for archival purposes. Approved minutes are placed on the Town's
website and maintained as permanent records in compliance with state law.
Staff Recommendation(s)
Staff recommends approving the minutes of the regular meeting on June 22, 2022.
SUGGESTED MOTION MOVE to approve the minutes of the regular meeting on June 22, 2022.
Attachments
June 22, 2022 Meeting Minutes
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 06/15/2022 12:37 PM
Final Approval Date: 06/15/2022
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY COMMISSION
JUNE 22, 2022
1.CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Garman
Chairman Garman called to order the meeting of the Strategic Planning Advisory
Commission at 4:09 p.m.
2.ROLL CALL – Chairman Garman
Present: Chairman Patrick Garman; Vice Chairman Bernie Hoenle; Commissioner
Kevin Beck; Commissioner Geoffrey Yazzetta
Absent: Commissioner John W. Craft, Jr.; Commissioner Mary Edman; Commissioner
Cynthia Magazine
Staff
Present:
Finance Director David Pock; Town Manager Grady Miller; Executive
Assistant Angela Padgett-Espiritu
3.CALL TO THE PUBLIC
Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H), public comment is permitted (not required) on matters NOT listed on the
agenda. Any such comment (i) must be within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and (ii) is subject to
reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions. The Commission will not discuss or take legal action on
matters raised during Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action.
At the conclusion of the Call to the Public, individual commissioners may (i) respond to criticism, (ii) ask staff to
review a matter, or (iii) ask that the matter be placed on a future Commission agenda.
No one from the public spoke.
4.CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of the minutes of the Regular
Meeting of May 25, 2022.
MOVED BY Vice Chairman Bernie Hoenle, SECONDED BY Commissioner Geoffrey
Yazzetta to APPROVE the meeting minutes of the May 25, 2022, Strategic Planning
Advisory Commission.
Vote: 4 - 0 - Unanimously
5.REPORTS BY COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
Chairman Garman reported that the commission would have three standing items for each
meeting.
He stated that each agenda would have the following agenda items:
Reports by the Commissioners and Town Manager1.
Update on Strategic Plan Implementation2.
Discussion or Awareness of Strategic Issues that may be affecting Fountain Hills in
the Future
3.
Commissioner Yazzetta reported observing the expansion of the Parkview Tap
House. He indicated that he had gone there several times prior to the expansion, but not
afterward. He said that Phil's celebrated its 25th year in business. He remarked that it is
encouraging to see businesses expanding and thriving in this area. He said that he was a
member of a young professionals association in Los Angeles and believes that it would be
worthwhile to investigate ways to utilize the youth in this town.
Commissioner Beck stated that he had visited multiple cities and towns over the past
month. Some of the town's and communities' infrastructure, such as golf cart communities
and bike routes that traveled through parks instead of around roadways, were noteworthy,
according to him. He stated that he would gladly show the commission photographs of
what other cities are doing as examples.
Vice Chairman Hoenle reported that he belongs to the Arizona Coalition of Bicyclists and
the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals and that they had several
meetings in the last couple of months about many things happening in the valley. He
reported that he met with Jenny Davis and that they would be meeting with Town Manager
Miller and Community Services Director Goodwin to talk about an agreement between the
Biophilic Organization and the town.
Town Manager Miller commented that he thinks the town is ready to become a Biophilic
Certified Community and that he supports moving in that direction.
6.UPDATE ON Strategic Plan Items from David Pock, Chief Financial Officer for the Town of
Fountain Hills.
Chairman Garman announced that David Pock, Finance Director of the Town, is here to
provide an update on the financial aspects of the Strategic Plan for Fountain Hills.
David Pock, Finance Director, then gave a PowerPoint presentation referencing the
following:
Strategic Priority: Promote the Long-Term Financial Stability of Town Infrastructure,
Environmental and Social Resources
Signature Strategy 1: Maintain transparency by communicating the Town’s finances to
the public
Supporting Task A: Hold public meetings twice a year, separate from Council
meetings, to present the Town’s finances
Signature Strategy 2: Promote the long-term financial health and stability of the Town
Supporting Task A: Produce and publish a five-year financial plan with revenue
and expenditure forecasts
Supporting Task B: Update the current Facilities Reserve study to identify lifecycle
replacement and repair of facilities and infrastructure
Supporting Task C: Utilize the services of an experienced grant researcher and
writer
Finance Director Pock provided an update to the commission in regard to Signature
Strategy 1, Supporting Task A. He reported that the town holds a public open house
during the budget season in the Spring for the upcoming fiscal year, but that they wanted
to expand on that by holding another public open house in the Fall to review the results of
the ending fiscal year.
He stated that the town's current fiscal year would come to a close at the end of the month
of June. He stated that after that, the town would undergo a mandatory audit that will be
carried out by an outside firm and will be completed in October. He stated that he plans to
discuss those results during a public meeting that will either take place at the end of the
month of October or the beginning of the month of November.
He noted that the Council Retreat would be the first public event of the budget process in
2023. Here, the town receives direction and input from the Council over next year's
budget. He stated that once this is complete, the town will have an open house for the
public to provide feedback on the budgeted items and provide input on what the public
would like the town to prioritize for the fiscal year 2024.
Chairman Garman inquired about the future format of the two public meetings and
whether the information presented would vary from session to session.
Finance Director Pock said that he anticipates each meeting to be educational and
informative. He stated that he expects the meeting to be a brief discussion or presentation
on the outcomes comparing the budgeted amounts to the actual amounts, followed by an
opportunity for the public to ask questions. He said the meeting should provide an
understanding of the town's finances and the interpretation of the results.
In addition, he disclosed that for the 2023 fiscal year, the town began utilizing a new
budgeting program called Clear.gov. He stated that it is available online and allows the
public to delve far further than previously. He said that he will be working on a
transparency portal that will enable the public to view the town’s account payables.
Town Manager Miller made the statement that within the next couple of years, the town will
have established more comprehensive administrative performance measures that will
support more outcome-driven budget decisions.
Finance Director Pock updated the commission on Signature Strategy 2 and Supporting
Task A. He said that he envisions this being part of the fiscal year 2024 budget.
He stated that this is now occurring for Supporting Task B. The current inventory of the
town's assets and infrastructure that are included in the facilities reserve plan has already
been compiled by an outside firm, which is examining life cycles. He commented that the
present plan is highly regimented and strict. He said they would like the plan to be more
flexible for movements involving assets that may need to be drawn into or pushed out of
the initial plan. He added that staff meetings will be held during the summer, and the plan
will be completed in the fall or early winter.
Commissioner Yazzetta stated that during his time on the City Council in Los Angeles,
delayed maintenance was a significant problem that caused many facilities to be shut
down completely. He expressed his satisfaction that this issue is being addressed now
rather than later.
Finance Director Pock stated, that with Supporting Task C, we discussed using the
services of an experienced grant researcher and writer. He stated that they must first
develop the responsibilities for the role before seeking to fill a position that has not yet
been defined.
Chairman Garman said that he has been to a few places and read the newspaper, and it
seems that we are not the only ones looking for a grant writer with experience.
Town Manager Miller commented that with the limited size of the town staff, they do very
well with the grants and we agree that having a grant writer on staff would assist us with
the administrative aspects of the grants, such as the compliance and reporting
requirements.
7.DISCUSSION ON Awareness of Strategic Issues affecting Fountain Hills.
Chairman Garman reported that future meetings might accommodate two presentations.
In addition to the presentation on the Strategic Plan's implementation, he suggested there
may be one on a strategic issue of interest. He stated that he would invite someone to give
a presentation before the commission on a subject of local importance. He recalled
Commissioner Edman emphasizing water conservation at the last meeting. He added that
he did research and was able to locate Doug Dunham, Water Resource Manager for
EPCOR and resident of Fountain Hills, who had previously addressed the Town Council.
He stated that Mr. Dunham agreed to attend the meeting in July and brief the commission
on this matter.
He noted that Betsy LaVoie, president and chief executive officer of the Fountain Hills
Chamber of Commerce, would brief the commission in August on strategic issues for
business, private business, and issues presented by members. In addition, he stated that
he is communicating with Ms. LaVoie to ensure that she informs them on issues that will
be relevant in five to 10 years.
Chairman Garman indicated that he would request that Jenny Davis, a biophilic expert,
talk about the environment and explain biophilic and requested that the commissioners
inform him of any future strategic issues they would like to see addressed.
8.COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Chairman Garman stated that the Fountain Hills Leadership Academy continues to accept
applications. He reported that they have received six applications and are seeking fifteen
or sixteen in total. He requested that they inform their neighbors and friends about the
Leadership Academy. He stated that it is a great approach to educate citizens and assist
them in becoming the next generation of community volunteers and leaders.
Chairman Garman asked the commissioners to make sure they respond quickly to
Executive Assistant Espiritu when she reaches out to them. He said that we need to make
sure we have a quorum for these meetings or a way for you to participate by phone.
Chairman Garman noted that one candidate for council stated in the newspaper that they
borrowed heavily from the strategic plan for future initiatives and that they cited the
Strategic Plan as items that they believed were necessary to implement in Fountain Hills.
This, according to Chairman Garman, demonstrates that the Strategic Plan has been
posted and that individuals are reading and discussing it.
9.ADJOURNMENT
MOVED BY Commissioner Geoffrey Yazzetta, SECONDED BY Commissioner Kevin
Beck to ADJOURN the meeting of the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission at 5:06
p.m.
Vote: 4 - 0 - Unanimously
STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISORY
COMMISSION
____________________________
Patrick Garman, Chairman
ATTEST AND PREPARED BY:
______________________________
Angela Espiritu, Executive Assistant
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular
Meeting held by the Fountain Hills Strategic Planning Advisory Commission in the Town Hall Council
Chambers on the 22 day of June, 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a
quorum was present.
DATED this 27 day of July, 2022.
_________________________________
Angela Espiritu, Executive Assistant
ITEM 5.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 07/27/2022 Meeting Type: Strategic Planning Advisory Commission
Agenda Type: Submitting Department: Administration
Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council
Staff Contact Information: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager,
Mayor/Council
Request to Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (Agenda Language): REPORTS BY
COMMISSIONERS AND TOWN MANAGER
Staff Summary (Background)
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 06/15/2022 12:40 PM
Final Approval Date: 06/15/2022
ITEM 6.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 07/27/2022 Meeting Type: Strategic Planning Advisory Commission
Agenda Type: Submitting Department: Administration
Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council
Staff Contact Information: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager,
Mayor/Council
Request to Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (Agenda Language): UPDATE on
the Strategic Plan from Amanda Jacobs, Economic Development Director for the Town of Fountain Hills.
Staff Summary (Background)
Attachments
Strategic Plan 2022 Update - Economic Development Director Amanda Jacobs
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 06/15/2022 12:41 PM
Final Approval Date: 06/15/2022
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Strategic Plan Update
Presented by: Amanda Jacobs, Economic Development Director
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Targeted Collaborative Economic Development
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Brand Image
•Community Brand
•Request for Proposal (RFP)
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Business Retention and Expansion
•Business Retention and Expansion Program
•Downtown Walk
•Shop Local Social Media/Print Campaign
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Business Attraction
•Honor Health
•Mathnasium
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Webpage and Business Metrics
•Economic Development webpage
•Experience webpage
•Bludot Open
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Partnerships
•Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
•Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce
•Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Business Advisory Group
•Develop Scope of Work
•Convene in Fall/Winter
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Continue to Improve the Public Health, Well-Being and Safety of our Town
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Health and Wellness
•Fountain Hills Medical Center and 24/7 Emergency Room
•Honor Health Primary Care and Urgent Care
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
WWW.FOUNTAINHILLSAZ.GOV
Questions?
ITEM 7.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 07/27/2022 Meeting Type: Strategic Planning Advisory Commission
Agenda Type: Submitting Department: Administration
Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council
Staff Contact Information:
Request to Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (Agenda Language): PRESENTATION from
Doug Dunham, Water Resources Manager with EPCOR on Water Conservation.
Staff Summary (Background)
As part of bringing awareness of strategic issues affecting Fountain Hills, Doug Dunham, Water
Resources Manager with EPCOR will address water conservation.
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 06/22/2022 05:42 PM
Final Approval Date: 06/22/2022
ITEM 8.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: 07/27/2022 Meeting Type: Strategic Planning Advisory Commission
Agenda Type: Submitting Department: Administration
Prepared by: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager, Mayor/Council
Staff Contact Information: Angela Padgett-Espiritu, Executive Assistant to Manager,
Mayor/Council
Request to Strategic Planning Advisory Commission (Agenda Language): COMMENTS FROM
THE CHAIRMAN
Staff Summary (Background)
Attachments
Handout
Form Review
Form Started By: Angela Padgett-Espiritu Started On: 06/15/2022 03:22 PM
Final Approval Date: 06/15/2022
PH. 587.335.0013
EM. DOUG@13WAYS.CA
13WAYS.CA
13 Ways to Kill Your Community - Synopsis
We all do things that undermine our opportunity for success, whether we are
consciously aware of it or not. When Doug spoke to high school students he realized
they had all been told time and again how to be successful. The challenge for them, like
so many of us, is to realize the consequences of some of our choices, and how they
undermine our success. Communities are no different. Many want success, make plans
for it, and work hard to be successful, but daily they make decisions or display attitudes
that work counter to their long range goals. If we simply stop doing what encourages
failure, and ensure our attitude is aligned with our goals, our communities can and will
prosper well into the next generation. The first step in producing a healthy community
comes in the realization that a community’s success or failure depends on the members
of that community possessing a deep and real willingness to change, and a desire to
fight for success. If a community doesn’t truly desire it, nothing will change. Below are
summaries of each chapter outlining the attitudes that are causing our communities to
wither and die.
1. Don’t have Quality Water
The first of 13 Ways that you can do to ensure the failure of your community is to have poor
quality and quantity of water. A sensory analysis of a glass of tap water is an accurate
reflection of the state of affairs in a community. If the quality of water is good, you will
most often see new subdivisions, new businesses, and a clean shopping district. If the water
quality is poor you will most often see businesses are closing, the shopping core looks
decrepit, and there are many old houses for sale. Likewise, the quantity of water available
determines if we can grow our town, our businesses, and our industries. Failure comes in
ensuring you don’t have good quality or quantities of water.
2. Don’t Attract Business
To kill your community, do not entice new businesses especially if they may be competing
with existing businesses. Analysis demonstrates that in a community where there is only
one grocery store, that grocery store owner is usually barely making a living. If there are
two grocery stores in a similar sized community, however, both store owners do quite well.
With three the potential and realized success of the owners was even larger. The reason is
that people like choice, variety, and quality, and they like to feel they are purchasing in a
competitive environment that assures the best price. In communities where competition is
limited, people choose to drive where there is more choice, more variety and better prices
due to competition. When they do that money leaves your community forever, businesses
and the local economy wanes, and death is inevitable.
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3. Ignore Youth
It’s very important to push youth away, and I don’t just mean kids, I mean young families,
young couples and single folks under 40. Youth have energy and ideas, are great
volunteers, and are the future of your community. They chose to live there for a reason and
want to see it grow, and want to help it be prosperous. So if failure is what you seek, it is
important to chase them away and then wonder why they are gone. Better yet, you could
try to keep them from ever leaving to get an education or new experiences they can bring
back to your community, and they can become non-contributing members of your
community who don’t know anything but what has always been done. There are many
exceptional ways to ensure your youth leave or don’t care, but the critical thing is to stay
focused on sucking the energy and life out of them so the future of your community can
vanish as fast as its youth does.
4. Don’t Assess Your Community’s Need or Values
Every community lacks something. Whether it is a small town that lacks daycare services or
a hardware store, or it is a large city that lacks community spirit or has traffic issues, every
community has needs. Every community has values too, that are core to what its future is
going to be about. Assessing needs and values gives you the foundation on how to improve
your community and ensure its success. So, don’t do that. Every community has
competitive advantages over other communities that would make people want to move to
or live there. Every other community has disadvantages that deter people from locating
there, as well. Accomplishing failure means you need to focus on keeping the
disadvantages while ignoring the competitive advantages.
5. Shop Elsewhere
Shopping locally will keep dollars in your community, and every dollar spent within a
community reaches seven other hands before it leaves the community, which keeps the
local economy advancing. Each dollar spent outside the community is gone forever. It isn’t
just about the public needing to support business, however. Businesses have grown to
expect people to shop locally and don’t always provide the price, quality, selection, or
service that folks demand. Drive your community’s economy into the ground by ensuring
that businesses and consumers demand from each other, instead of supporting each other,
and your future will leave town as fast as the dollars.
6. Don’t Paint
Slow and painful destruction can be summed up in two words: “don’t paint.” It also
includes not sweeping, dusting, planting flowers, or anything that makes a community
attractive. A community’s appearance is the most telling sign of its own pride, it’s the
clearest indication of faith in itself and it is the clearest outward sign of its future. I know
that saying a community’s appearance is critical to its success is like saying we should
3
judge a book by its cover, but in reality, we do exactly that. Failure may take a concerted
effort to turn your town ugly, and of course that will only create the façade of failure, it will
only create the illusion that your town is dying, and in essence it will only put an ugly
cover on your book. With patience, however, no one will pick up that book to read, no one
will be attracted to your community, and eventually that illusion of failure will become a
reality.
7. Don’t Cooperate
One of the essential requirements for success, in anything, is cooperation. What you can do
right now is to refuse to meaningfully cooperate with other organizations, businesses,
agencies, boards or other communities. That is a purely passive way to try to kill your
community. If you want to be more proactive your group should actively fight others.
Compete with them on similar projects, fight for the same grants, the same volunteers and
the same fundraising dollars, until energy is depleted and nothing has been accomplished.
However, others may catch on and avoid you like the plague, so there are even more
devious methods to consider. The most effective way is not to avoid partnerships, but to
enter into them and destroy them from the inside. Join forces under the guise of
cooperation and then undermine all work that goes on. You can be assured of leading your
community to failure if you are cunning enough.
8. Live in the Past
To destroy a community takes the right attitude. Living in the past is absolutely an essential
attitude to kill your community. You could be a happy person that just thinks the future is
fraught with peril and we should never move forward, but return to the glory days of old,
or you could be one of those that dwell on past problems, mistakes, and failures. They
either long for the glory days of old, or they dwell on the things that went wrong yesterday.
They want everything to return yesterday or complain about past injustices that can never
be fixed. In every community, there are plenty with this attitude. They speak first and are
the angriest, or they are kind and soft spoken. Either way, at all costs, they never let the
conversation turn to the future, and without a future, your community has only a past.
9. Ignore Your Seniors
One group you must relegate to the back-rooms and side streets because they are a
dangerous group that could cause a riot of success is seniors. They are often viewed as
uninterested, but don’t be fooled. Seniors typically have more time and money than people
still raising a family or working full-time jobs. They have worked for, and are about to
invest in, having a quality of life, but if you don’t give it to them, they can move away and
take their time and money with them. Some communities think it is best to warehouse
them in ‘old folks’ homes, assuming they will play shuffleboard and crib harmlessly until
they die. They are wrong. They will get out and do things like volunteer and spend
4
money. As long as they are in the community they call home they are dangerous. You are
best to give them nothing of what they want and need so they must leave and then, and
only then, can your community enjoy its slow and inevitable death.
10. Be Short Sighted
Confine your thoughts to only local issues and local problems, or be short sighted. You
need to stay in sight of the water tower both figuratively and literally in the way you think.
Don’t look outside your community for new ideas or emerging trends. Few communities
actually succeed with their own creative, unique ideas because there are so few original
ideas, and the mistakes that accompany them are costly. Most borrow ideas from other
successful groups that will most often happily share what worked for them. Ensuring
failure, however, requires trying the same thing you have always done, those things that
have never worked, again and again and again. Communities that seek out ideas and find
partners that extend beyond the sight of the water tower, find an entire new world of
opportunities. They find the future. They succeed. Keep your ideas within reach of the
water tower and you can ensure you can fail without ever having to fret over the world of
opportunities available just out of sight.
11. Ignore Immigrants and Newcomers
Newcomers and immigrants bring an entrepreneurial attitude and community spirit that
make them a threat to the failure of your community. They come from places where they
never had what we have, and so they see our communities as a world of open possibilities
and a fantastic life, with just a little work. Immigrants have the same attitude and drive
that our fore-fathers had. We don’t have it anymore and it is frightening and intimidating
to us now. To ensure failure you need to shut those people out of all community and
economic development organizations, leadership opportunities, and business ventures.
They will only cause trouble and be infectious at building success. Consider spending time
in the local coffee shop talking about them and their strange ways. Make them feel
excluded and different. If you are lucky they will not only feel excluded but may in fact
change their mind about your community and decide to leave, then, finally, your
community can fail in peace.
12. Become Complacent
Success can happen to anybody. Once you have some success, the best way to ensure it
goes away is to assume it will always come to you and will require no effort on your part.
Assuming you are miles ahead, and always will be, is the fastest way to ensure everyone
else passes right by you. In reality everything is either healthy or dying. Many people say
they want to have a ‘sustainable’ community, but what they really mean is that they want
the ‘status quo.’ In this world there is no such thing. Everything changes and it takes a lot
of work to just hold your ground. In the words of Wayne Gretzky, “it takes a lot to get to
the top, it takes even more to stay on top.” Seeking to be vibrant, dynamic, responsive,
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adaptive, and enterprising can give you what your community needs to keep from dying,
but seeking the status quo immediately becomes complacency, and complacency is the
perfect way to ensure that your community will end in good time.
13. Don’t take Responsibility
Ensuring failure is easy if you can recruit the type of people that blame everything, every
wrong and every challenge, on someone else. Positive thinking, enterprising, and
entrepreneurial people recognize a void as an opportunity to make money, to develop new
skills, or experience a new challenge. Negative people see challenges as impossible
obstacles to overcome, and will always pass on the responsibility and the challenge to
someone else. To kill a community, you and everyone you know must not take
responsibility for anything that is wrong. Convince others that everything wrong is
someone else’s fault and someone else’s responsibility, that way, you will not feel
compelled to fix the problems, and your community can perish with pride, and guilt free.
In the non-fiction book, 13 Ways to Kill Your Community, we outline 13 ways that
communities sabotage themselves, often without knowing it. Now that you’ve learned the
13 Ways, as a community, as an individual, you have the ability to change yourself and the
future of your community. Go out and fight the attitudes that sabotage success. Our
communities are worth fighting for, if anything ever was worth a fight . . . and remember
that you are not alone. You will face criticism and negativity, but our advice is to simply
smile and remind the critics that, “those who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt
those who are doing it.” And if all else fails . . . give us a call.
DOUG GRIFFITHS
PRINCIPAL – 13 Ways, Inc.