Morgantown City Government

Components, Questions and Issues March 13, 2013

Directional Foundations for Emerging Governance

John Howard Kunsler:

The 20th Century was about getting around. The 21st Century will be about staying in a place worth staying in. The future will require us to build better places or the future will belong to other societies.

More sustainable, more biophilic, more walkable, more just and more savvy and participatory in our common life.

Government is what we do together. Jennifer Pelkirk

Pulling away vs. pulling together Dysfunction vs. reinvention Intergenerational gifting

Our city government: How does it work? What makes it work? How can it change? Components, Questions relating to those components, Some issues along the way.

Teamwork, Transparency and Trust

A Learning Stool Its legs and its size Its colors A city Its components Its colors green, red, yellow, white Its glue The unexpected, the misunderstood, the hidden

Components, Coordination, and Complexities

Questions relating to the four components (see blue sheet) An overview of Morgantown City Government Reinvention: Increasing participation, adding voices who can speak to the unaddressed issues new directions, changing ordinances, collaborating with other organizations, changing state enabling legislation, etc., etc.

Decentralization vs. Centralization

Period of Decentralization Fee Based Svs. Parking, BOPARC, MUB, Solid Waste Core Services: Accounting, Purchasing, Duplication/Printing, Fuels, Information Technology, Landscaping, Mappings, Public Information/Education, Snow Removal, Building Maintenance, Signs, Vehicle Garaging and Maintenance, etc.

Closing Thoughts

Show me a corporation that has been successful that has not invested in own growth. To continue to grow and improve as a community, we must do the same.

- Chris Matthews, Hardball, MSNBC