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Update: The City just sent out a new “My Gaithersburg” email update with the following statement:

NOTICE 1/8/2007:
The backgound material for tonight’s Mayor and City Council Work Session to receive citizen input on the City’s 2007 Draft Strategic Plan has been revised. Detail are posted on the link below -
http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/poi/default.asp?POIID=309&TOC=311;309;&id=2834

I’ve taken a look and the changes indeed appear to be minor.

As mentioned in a previous post, the City is soliciting input on their annual strategic plan. The first significant event in this process, and the one that is likely to attract the widest participation, as it is the primary opportunity for citizen input to the plan, is the Pre-Retreat Work Session that will be held tomorrow night (Monday, January 8, 2006). There is but a single item on the agenda for this work session:

Receive Citizen Input on the City’s 2007 Draft Strategic Plan

Now, while I expect that they will listen to anything anyone has to say about the strategic direction of the City, I believe that they will be most interested in input which directly addresses the draft strategic plan that has recently been published. There are two documents of interest, both PDFs that are internally dated last Thursday. The first is a copy of the PowerPoint slides that will probably be used in their initial presentation. This document is 21 pages of bulleted lists and charts, and gives a pretty good idea of their plans for the coming year; it would be useful to look through this if you are planning to attend the meeting tomorrow, or are preparing written input to be sent in separately. The other document is the draft strategic plan itself, which is 89 pages of tables and far more detailed bulleted lists. If you are a data/policy junkie this is the document you want.

The top level Strategic Directions are:

1. Ensure that all planning and development considers and responds to the City’s environmental, transportation, economic, social, and civic needs.
2. Implement traffic and transportation planning and management strategies to improve the safety, structure and function of streets, transit, bikeways, and sidewalks within the City.
3. Actively pursue Gaithersburg Olde Towne District Master Plan.
4. Maintain and enhance priority City services.
5. Implement programs that improve current housing stock and pursue development and redevelopment opportunities that provide an appropriate mix of housing types and affordability.
6. Maintain support of neighborhood Community Policing programs.
7. Provide quality parks, diverse cultural, artistic, and recreational opportunities for all ages and interests.
8. Implement recommendations from ongoing evaluations of natural resources and encourage protection and enhancement of the environment (streams, parks, stormwater management, and other CIP projects).
9. Actively pursue economic development programs and strategies.
10. Ensure effective and consistent communication activities and implement progams that promote citizen involvement.
11. Ensure the City of Gaithersburg is prepared to respond to disasters and emergencies in cooperation with other levels of government and others.

If you can’t make it to the meeting, send an email with your input to cityhall@gaithersburgmd.gov. I know for a fact that messages sent to that address get distributed to the Mayor and Council members as well as senior staff, and if it directly addresses a public hearing or work session topic, the message will be included in the public record for that issue.

The next step in this process after this meeting is the Strategic Planning “Retreat”, this year to be held at a hotel in Annapolis on Friday and Saturday, January 19-20. While the public is welcome to attend this meeting, they may only do so silently — there will be no opportunity during that meeting for public input, that’s what Monday’s meeting is for. After the retreat, revisions will be made to the document, and it will be put up for approval at a future Council meeting; last year this happened in March. And once the plan is approved, staff will prepare a budget that will implement this plan, and this budget process will be the next opportunity for input. Last year, their budget hearing was held in May at the Casey Community Center, and was not televised (as far as I can tell it was held at the Casey center in part because of the lack of cameras there). The budget, similar to the Strategic Plan, will eventually be presented to the Council and put up for a vote.

The following is from the Gaithersburg Crime Summary. In this case the robbers weren’t caught:

Friday, January 05, 2007
Armed Robbery
Victim was exiting their vehicle in the 400 block of North Summit Avenue and was approached by two suspects, one armed with a handgun. They demanded victim’s purse and left on foot. Purse, suspect’s clothing and handgun recovered short distance away. Investigation to continue.
Suspects described as black males, 20’s, 5 06- 507, medium build, wearing all dark clothing with hooded sweatshirts.

Also, a few selected items from MCPD District 6 January 3 Crime Update (PDF format):

• A strong-armed robbery occurred at 17000 block of King James Way on Wednesday 12/27 at 1455 hours. The suspect came from behind, knocked the victim down and grabbed her purse. He fled on foot and a witness saw a possible suspect go into a building on King James Way. The victim could not be positive on a show-up and none of the victim’s property was found.

King James Way is in the southwest corner of Muddy Branch & West Diamond.

• A robbery occurred near the Lakelands Middle School on Tuesday 1/2 at 1540 hours. The 11-year-old victim stated they were ‘jumped’ at the school bus stop.
• A GCPD officer saw a ’01 Honda CRV that was just stolen from the 5th District, in the area of the Gaitherstowne Plaza on Sunday 1/1 at 2040 hours. The suspect bailed out of the vehicle at Maryland Avenue and North Frederick Avenue but was soon arrested nearby. Defendant: Justo Hernandez-Garcia, H/M, 38 yrs. old, 5’11”/180 lbs.,, goatee

According to court records, Mr. Hernandez-Garcia, of Germantown, was charged with several violations including resisting arrest, stealing the car and destruction of property, and released on $10,000 bond.

The next couple of items make a sad postscript to the previously-reported strong-arm robbery on New Year’s Eve:

• A strong-armed robbery occurred on E. Diamond Avenue on Sunday 12/31 at 2141 hours. The suspects approached the victim, beat him and took between $200 and $300 and a six pack of beer. The victim went to the GCPD station to report it and the suspects were arrested nearby. The first suspect was also involved in an non-related aggravated assault (see next bullet item)
  Defendant: Mauricio Castillo, H/M, 20 yrs. old, 5’8”/150 lbs., shaved head, homeless
  Defendant: Jaime Granados, H/M, 27 yrs. old, 5’7”/180 lbs.
• An aggravated assault occurred on Girard Street, on Tuesday 12/26 at 2139 hours. The suspect is the ex-boyfriend of the victim’s girlfriend. He knocked on the front door and when the victim’s girlfriend wouldn’t open the door, he climbed onto the balcony and entered through the sliding glass door. They all got into an argument and the suspect held a screwdriver to the victim’s neck. The suspect fled before police arrived, but was arrested for the above robbery on 12/31.

In addition, there continues to be a steady stream of reports of items stolen from vehicles; all too often from unlocked vehicles. Everyone, please: lock your cars!