Welcome to my homepage and online office

I am serving my first term representing the citizens of Sun Valley on the City Council.

This is my personal website which I created as an opportunity to share timely information with the citizens, stakeholders, visitors and those interested in the well being of Sun Valley. You will find a great deal information about my efforts on the City Council here and on my Blog by clicking on the tabs above and to the left. I appreciate hearing from you about issues that concern to you. I am always open to your thoughts and feedback. It is an honor to serve you. Great thanks.

City Council Meeting Schedule:

September 11, 2008 - City Council Special Meeting - 4:00 p.m. - City Hall, Sun Valley (Gun Club Final Plat)

September 18, 2008 - City Council Regular Meeting - 4:00 p.m. - City Hall, Sun Valley

City of Sun Valley FY 2009 Budget:

Update - 8/26/08 9:00 am: Several constituents have asked this morning for a copy of the financial analysis I prepared and presented last night on the Budget which shows the City in a very strong financial position. I have posted a copy of the analysis on my website and you can view it by clicking here. You can also listen to the on-line audio of my presentation by clicking here. My full PowerPoint presentation is now on-line and you can view it on my Blog by clicking here. 

As I pointed out at the meeting, we reached a compromise on the budget that allowed those who thought it was fiscally irresponsible to actually vote for it in the end. My proposed change was to add $25,000 to economic development and to pay for it by taking it out of the recreation line-item. The rest of the Council was opposed to that idea, but in the end we found the money for economic development in the road budget. I am a great supporter of recreation, but if the City is going to consider floating a bond issue in the future to finance street repairs, spending money on recreation outside the City will make passage of the bond much more difficult.

Update - 8/25/08 10:00 pm: We were able to finalize the FY 2009 Budget this evening with a few small changes to the Tentative Budget. I am very pleased with this final budget. We added $35,000 to our Economic Development efforts; $150,000 to purchase two smaller busses for around-town service (something I am very happy about), and adjusted the street repavement budget downward by $185,000. As always, these things are a compromise, and it is good to have this finished and we can now move on to other important City business.

Since we concluded the budget process tonight, we have cancelled the Tuesday, August 26th meeting.

I will post the Final FY 2009 Budget here as soon as staff has had the time to put it together. To download the Tentative Fiscal Year 2009 Budget, click here.

Listen to Council Meetings Live (NEW):

A little over a year ago, I attended a presentation by the company "Granicus", whose product allows cities such as ours to broadcast Council and P&Z meetings live over the internet, as well as archive them for later listening by the public. I saw this as an excellent opportunity to help make our local government more transparent and open, so I pitched the concept to our Council and they agreed to proceed with it.

As with all things in government, it took some time to get it purchased and installed. We needed to upgrade our sound system and be able to connect it to the City computer system. Fortunately it is now here and working. I couldn't be happier that Sun Valley is the first city in Idaho to have this system of live audio Council broadcasts. Before long we hope to add live video as well.

The City and Granicus put out this press release announcing the new system.

To listen to the City of Sun Valley live Council broadcasts or the archive of past meetings, click here. 

Elkhorn Springs Market Now Open:

Great news for Sun Valley and Elkhorn residents - the new Elkhorn Springs Market opened its doors June 18th. Click here to see my blog entry about the new market.

Current Issues and Topics:

Wood River Electrical Plan  ***Citizen Advisory Committee Final Report now available***

Clean Water   ***USGS Phase I Report now available***

My Blog:

My interactive Blog is loaded with information and news on current topics related to Sun Valley. It also has links to numerous Sun Valley related websites. Click on the link below to visit the Blog which is hosted by WordPress.

Click here to visit my Blog