Part II of two parts

Timeliness is what Thousand Oaks city council members considered in creating a list of top goals for this year. Issues seen as most pressing were moved up.

In forming a priority list, city council members first made their own lists, each choosing 10 goals for the coming year. City staff then compiled the five lists into one, resulting in an initial 23 goals. At a goal-setting workshop last week, the council cut down the goals to 11, combining some of the 23 objectives into others higher on the list, at the suggestion of Councilmember Jacqui Irwin.

“What I like about these goals is that they’re very clear cut and easy to measure,” Councilmember Andy Fox said.

Affordable housing was the only issue that made every council member’s list. Next came the revitalization of Thousand Oaks Boulevard, The Oaks mall renovation and open space/Mount Clef parcels, each with four votes. The remainder of goals on the top 11 list had two or three votes.

Issues that didn’t make the top list included recreational vehicle parking, Thousand Oaks Auto Mall parking, budget/fiscal management, land-use planning, open/ethical government, emergency directional signs and improving public relations/media contact.

Public safety was the top priority for Mayor Dennis Gillette. Another issue of utmost concern to the mayor is retaining the Mount Clef Ridge parcels as open space, an especially sensitive subject because of existing development applications.

“We are still working very hard on it. I don’t feel we can let it go,” Gillette said.

Councilmember Claudia Billde la Pena agreed, also questioning the amount of grant money the city is receiving to help purchase additional open space. The city is aggressively pursuing state and federal open space grants, according to City Manager Scott Mitnick.

Traffic on Lynn Road was another concern for Gillette, who foresees the problem getting even worse after the 23 Freeway widening-project begins.

Fox brought up the issue of the swimming pool complex being built at California Lutheran University as something that couldn’t be delayed. The city has committed $500,000 toward construction of the pool but Mitnick said the city will be asked to contribute more money “in order to do it right” and to cover the escalating costs of building materials.

Besides setting goals, the council also agreed to continue following norms established by a goal-setting workshop held in July, including avoiding criticizing fellow council members or city staff directly or to the media, and not encouraging supporters to criticize fellow council members during meetings.

“I think it’s been very productive,” Councilmember Jacqui Irwin said.