County governments exist to serve its citizens by providing services that they need. The main responsibilities are:
- Protect the health and safety of it's citizens.
- Providing and maintaining public services through the collection of taxes.
- Providing a system of justice.
- Protecting the rights of individuals.
- Promoting the common welfare of the people
On NACO's website, the National Association of Counties, issues that are covered by county governments are listed. They are the following:
- Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- Community and Economic Development
- Human Services and Education
- Environment, Energy, and Land Use
- Finance and Taxes
- Health
- Justice and Public Safety
- Labor and Employment
- Public Land
- Rural Affairs
- Telecommunications and Technology
- Transportation
- Urban Affairs
http://www.naco.org/legislation/policies/Pages/default.aspx
http://www.franklincountyohio.gov/commissioners/EdSite/purposeOf.cfm
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issues that Generally Fall Under City/Town Governments
Municipal governments (city/town governments) are given their power by state governments. A city government provides political direction and exercises control over the organization of a city. City governments make local laws and may supply emergency services.
- Urban Planning/Zoning
- Economic Development
- Public Works (construction or maintanence, including water supply system, sewer, streets, buildings, and so on)
- Parks and Recreations
- Police and Fire Departments
- Housing
- Municipal Court
- Transportation
- Emergency Medical Services
- Accounting/Finance
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5311406_primary-purpose-city-government.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_government_in_the_United_States
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Issues In Oklahoma City- Parking in Oklahoma City's Bricktown
Parking in Oklahoma City's Bricktown: Along the Canal
Bricktown in Oklahoma City has become a great tourist attraction in the state. Holding events, sports, and commerce, this area continues to grow each year. The problem is that new constructions of buildings, restaurants, and hotels has reduced parking space. Also, free parkings have begun charging. This has led to a growing displeasure among not only residents, but also visitors, who difficultly find parking and who do not wish to pay for them. A 2006 survey commissioned by Downtown Oklahoma City Inc and the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority revealed 64 percent of OKC residents felt dissatisfied with Bricktown parking and more than 50 percent of respondents admitted to avoiding Bricktown activities due to parking issue.
On the other side of the debate, most of the parking lots are owned by current businesses, which causes a lack in free market. Also people believe that it is more of a perception than anything else. Some say that parking in Bricktown is as easy and affordable as many other cities throughput the United States. Jim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association, recently
told the Oklahoman the public hasn't been truly informed that far less
expensive parking options are often available. Another argument against this issue is that it will cause a rise in taxes in order to pay for this construction.
After much research, I have not yet been able to find any responses by interest groups or politicians. However, the Oklahoman or NewsOK provides many articles explaining the clash. This issues has been turned down many times by Oklahoma City's Urban Design Committee since 2007. They have made it clear that they do not support building any more surface parking along the canal. One of the articles on this issue is below. It presents Jim Cowan to be a bit defensive on his stand of building parkings.
By Steve Lackmeyer
Business Writer
Business Writer
"The debate over whether parking in Bricktown needs a "fix” is heating up again in the entertainment district, with a group of merchants backing creation of a Web site urging the city to offset control by a handful of property owners.At least a half dozen merchants have told The Oklahoman they support the mission of the Web site, Fix Bricktown Parking but asked that they not be identified to avoid retaliation by landlords. The site was launched by the Bricktown Marketing Group, whose director, Frank Sims, was director of the Bricktown Association between 2001 and 2006.Who owns lots?"One of the biggest misconceptions merchants face is that the large percentage of the public thinks the merchants own the parking lots,” said John Maisch, attorney for the Bricktown Marketing Group. "That's simply not true. Less than 1 percent of merchants have any interest in parking lots. The situation with parking is hurting the merchants as much as it's hurting the consumers.”The Web site asks the city to review agreements with private operators who currently control city-owned lots in the district, arguing the same individuals control most of the area's private surface lots. It also provides visitors links to give their opinions to city leaders."We don't have any objections with parking lots any private citizen has acquired over the years. But we do question the city's decision to lease city owned lots to a private citizen who already owns a large majority of private spaces,” Maisch said. "If he already owns private lots and then turn over the keys to public lots to this same citizen, then the ability for the free market to flourish, for there to be competition, has been stifled. You have one entity controlling pricing for lots he owns, and for lots he leases from the city.”Bricktown Comprehensive Strategy is basically the blueprint for future parking construction of Bricktown. It outlines the problems faced by citizens and how expansions will help resolve them. I will update this post as soon as I find something. Regardless of what the media puts out on this issue, many residents and visitors continue to support building a parking.This is probably because the circumstances now probably hurt them, or at the very least, displease them. So although this plan has been rejected numerous times over the years, Jim Cowan and his team continue to fight to benefit the citizens in OKC.
Web site questionedJim Cowan, executive director of the Bricktown Association thinks the Web site is not a productive response to the area's parking concerns."Parking is not broken,” Cowan said. "What surprises me is that the people behind this Web site weren't better informed. If they did any research, they would have a better feel for what's going on in Bricktown instead of just doing something that's an attention grabber.”Cowan said he welcomes a move by city hall to hire a consultant to look at Bricktown parking, and whether it's really a problem. He acknowledges a survey ordered by Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. and the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority last year paints a grim picture of community opinion on Bricktown parking.The survey, completed by Insight Market Research and Consulting in October but never publicly released, reported 64 percent of residents polled were dissatisfied with parking in Bricktown, and that 65 percent said they have trouble finding convenient parking spaces in the entertainment district. The survey also showed 52 percent avoid events or activities in Bricktown due to parking, while 51 percent said they avoid the area because of the cost of parking.Cowan said Bricktown has done a poor job educating the public that whenever they see a $10 parking sign, less expensive alternatives can always be found nearby — including at the city's Santa Fe Parking Garage, where night and weekend rates are kept at $2.
Agreement foundDon Karchmer has been in Bricktown since the mid-1980s and has listened to parking debates since the opening of Spaghetti Warehouse in 1989. As controlling partner of Bricktown Parking Investors, which operates several hundred city-owned spaces north of Main Street, he has maintained one set of pricing that remained at $5 even when the entertainment district was flooded with thousands of Big 12 basketball fans in March.But Karchmer agrees with Cowan that Bricktown hasn't made the best impression with visitors when it comes to parking."When people come to Bricktown, people should know what they're going to pay for parking,” Karchmer said. "I've seen people start charging $10, then drop to $8, then to $4 or $5."Karchmer said he's also heard plenty of references to free parking in Lower Bricktown. Karchmer thinks the public needs to be informed that merchants in Lower Bricktown are paying $6 more per square foot for that "free” parking. He offers validated $1 parking to employees of restaurants in the association, and is in talks with Cowan to provide discounts to lunchtime patrons.
Efforts praisedMaisch said he'll applaud any effort to improve parking rates in Bricktown, but would still like to see the city reconsider its agreements for city-owned lots leased to Jim Brewer and the Main Street parking controlled by Karchmer. Maisch said Brewer charged the highest rates — $20 a day in some spaces — during the Big 12 conference. Brewer, who is also a partner in Bricktown Parking Investors, declined to comment on Maisch's complaints or about the district's parking arrangements."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Mayor Mick Cornett,
I have recently heard about the ongoing debate on the construction of additional parking lots over the canal in Bricktown, Oklahoma. What I find surprising is that this issue had risen back in 2006, and yet, this construction plan has not been approved. Why is this so? Our country was built to help and serve the needs of its citizens. Then, if the residents of Oklahoma City wish for additional parking, why are they not granted it? According to a 2006 survey commissioned by Downtown Oklahoma City Inc and the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority, 64 percent of OKC residents felt dissatisfied with Bricktown parking and more than 50 percent of respondents admitted to avoiding Bricktown activities due to parking issue.
Bricktown has become a center of attraction here in Oklahoma, and thankfully, our state has grown substantially and continues to do so. Visitors, in large numbers, have arrived from different parts of the United States to visit our beloved state. If they have a hard time here, then we cannot expect them to praise Oklahoma. Therefore, in order to make it less difficult on our residents as well as visitors, this construction should be approved.
Thank You,
Nida Safdar
No comments:
Post a Comment