Info

We will strive to govern proactively by attempting to develop our city's financial base so that needed resources will be available in the future. We must weigh the needs and desires of the public against state and federal mandates which drain available resources. We must balance the ever increasing costs of financing existing services and growing capital improvements needs with the desire to make the city more livable. We will continue to search for revenue sources which will allow us to meet these needs while keeping local taxes and other charges reasonable. We will therefore seek to: Provide safe and decent housing in pleasant neighborhoods in all areas of the city. Encourage a variety of high quality housing located throughout the community. Provide efficient and effective delivery of public services including public safety and storm drainage. Maintain city infrastructure at the highest level possible given limited resources. Encourage a transportation network promoting efficient, rapid and safe movement though the community. Provide an attractive environment for all residents, enhancing the physical appearance of the community. Provide abundant open space, parks and recreational facilities in pleasant, safe, and healthy surroundings accessible to all residents, while preserving our natural landscape. Identify and preserve appropriate areas for future parks and open space. Provide diversity in recreational programs to meet the needs and desires of persons of all ages, income levels, and physical abilities. Work with the school districts to develop long-range plans for school locations. Increase the proportion of local income spent locally. Provide for a vital and stable downtown Shawnee, developing a downtown which is a center of commerce and activity as well as a source of pride for all citizens. Encourage good quality development and ensure timely and orderly growth in the city. Support efforts to attract clean industries into appropriately designated areas to broaden the economic base of the city. Encourage adequate sewer and water for commercial and industrial development. Promote the city as having a high quality of life. How should we respond to our key Constituents? City government is strengthened when citizens feel they have a strong voice in our decisions. We need to work together with our constituents whenever possible to find answers we can all live with since ultimately our decisions will affect everyone. We shall seek their suggestions on how to improve services and work together to solve problems and improve the community. We will try to be open-minded and listen carefully in order to more closely align city services with the needs and desires of our citizens. We recognize that our decisions will not always please everyone but we will strive to treat similar situations similarly, and avoid favoritism. We will strive to keep our constituents informed and encourage citizen participation on citizen advisory boards or appointments to boards and commissions. We will both expect and respect citizen complaints, and consider this a healthy means for the city to gauge the job we are doing. What is our Philosophy and What are our Core Values? We are residents of Shawnee by choice. We are proud of our city and those who work to make it better. We believe that positive growth for the city is good. We will work towards building enthusiasm and excitement for the future. We want to make decisions which will endure the test of time. Therefore, we will try not to rush our decisions, avoiding crisis management whenever possible. We will strive for excellence, professionalism and pride in everything we do. We support the principle of voluntary cooperation among all levels of government on a county and regional basis as well as in conjunction with other local governmental units to best serve the interests of the public and make the best use of our resources. We believe the governing of public affairs should be as close to the people as possible and that home rule is essential to vigorous, effective, and responsible local government. We will attempt to find appropriate solutions to problems based upon the greatest need of the community and not our own personal interests or gain. We believe our actions should be reliable and consistent. Fairness, fiscal responsibility and accountability will always be important while good basic services will always be a necessity. We will strive for a record of honesty and approachability. We will try not to be swayed by the strong demands of special interest groups but instead will consider the long-range public interest of the community as a whole. We are not afraid of challenges. We have been asked to serve and we are ready to make those tough decisions which won't always be understood by the public. We will not always be content just to follow the routine of our predecessors. We will review new ideas, seek better ways of doing things, and encourage imaginative and innovative solutions or alternative courses of action, so that we may leave the city a better place than it was when we took office. We strongly believe our community is a good place to live, raise children and to retire. We are committed to the idea of telling others about the high quality of life residents enjoy in our community.