Current Problems

The Report Team considered these ideas to be current problems, or administrative issues to be dealt with short term rather than long term (see also The Complete List and Other Issues).

  • Lower property taxes. Remodeling project results in higher taxes despite lower overall utility cost and otherwise no additional impact on the city. Upset that higher taxes will go to fund school system that he/she has no children in.
  • Stop spending $$ on multi-colored city newsletter - spend on environment instead.
  • Larger police force; full time fire and rescue.
  • City Council is uncreative, still and dull. They seem pushy in getting rid of businesses that do not bring in enough city revenue. Protect green space. Solicit more than one company's opinion on water system. Company that recently redid the roads and driveways did a low quality job
  • Maintain and strengthen the Human Rights Commission.
  • Better looking website
  • More community get-togethers and events.
  • Better snow removal regulations for commercial building parking lots - no more piles so high you can't see over them - causes accidents
  • Take responsibility for destroying water quality of Sweeny Lake.
  • Website to communicate with residents and business owners
  • Lessen the tax burden and limit the growth of government spending to that of the CPI inflation index. Continue to purchase water from Minneapolis
  • Cannot get the Sunday Post regularly delivered
  • Limit Tiff money and PUDs. PUDs sometimes used to by-pass city codes
  • Improved website - council minutes posted in more timely way, on-demand streaming video of council meetings. Better relations with neighboring towns - Luce Line trail.
  • Use email more frequently to update people about the city and to solicit their opinion. Find better ways to work with commercial developers and solicit residents input
  • More information on what is before the city council and more information on candidates for office
  • Enhance image of governing bodies and communities by featuring stories and member profiles in newsletter and on website. GV has a reputation of not being consumer friendly.
  • Pass codes to clear the front-setback along streets for safety and aesthetic reasons. Inspections department needs to be backed up with intent, budget and manpower.
  • No parking on any street if it snows more than 2 inches is silly and extreme. Why not odd/even or north/south parking. Why are taxes twice as high as Minneapolis
  • City government meetings should be at night instead of during the day
  • Ongoing leaf pickup in the fall. More enforcement of junk cars, expired tabs, excess vehicles. No overnight parking on the streets. More enforcement of overall house upkeep, yard cutting. Make sure remodels are aesthetically pleasing. Enforce building permits for the number of units originally approved.
  • Building inspectors are not as helpful as they could be, particularly with phoned in questions. Their attitude is antagonistic. Residents at council meetings not treated with respect.
  • Dark streets - add lighting without charging residents for it.
  • Newsletter is difficult to read because of high number of graphics. Email response is slow, if at all. Website should have more information and be more timely. City is not a partner with residents but an enforcer
  • More web-based interaction/input.
  • Council meetings should have an open mike time - comments are too controlled. Far too much caution with the city council - stodgy old community that doesn't appeal to young people.
  • Promote friendly neighborhoods. More ticketing for speeding in neighborhoods rather than just digital speed reading signs. Work with businesses to communicate with their employees about keeping speed down in neighborhoods.
  • Use outsourcing
  • Better integration of services to provide one stop shopping.
  • Use effective communications beyond print.
  • Be consistent and adopt municipal best practices.
  • Recruit and retain best people for city employment. Demonstrate clear and direct link between taxes and quality of services
  • Employee information accessible via the internet
  • Online voting.
  • Encourage/enable telecommuting
  • Website that is database driven, interactive and keeps track of visitors, customizing to their repeat visits
  • Golden Valley citizens thoroughly understand city government, processes, issues.
  • GV measures the expectations of citizens so that city services can reflect those expectations. There is an improved system for matching city staffing to workloads.
  • GV government and city staff has a common means of communication through radio or similar means.
  • Enforcement is not so negative that it makes home improvements difficult.
  • Mayor term changed from 2 to 3 years. Mayor term changed to 4 years.
  • Train and cross-train employees to provide appropriate services to meet community needs and share abilities across the city departments.
  • Enforce existing ordinances around parking of multiple vehicles, RVs commercial vehicles on residential property.
  • Don't rush into new water system
  • Create a marketing plan and action for regular city meetings to get better citizen participation
  • Require city council members to interact more with citizens.
  • Increase code enforcement by the inspection department
  • Protect current quality of the police department
  • Create a more welcoming city hall.
  • Expand city website.
  • Stick with Minneapolis water
  • Appropriate, friendly responses from city officials when citizens register a complaint
  • Added visibility where taxes are spent