Appointees to the Blue Ribbon Bond Committee were revealed at the July 1 meeting.
The background
A council agenda memo states 22 years have passed since the last Blue Ribbon Bond Committee was formed for a general obligation bond election. The previous committee's focus was the creation of the Community Activity Center and two additional parks, the memo states.
The details
The town is now facing capital demands that necessitate the engagement of a bond committee to package the projects before sending the decision to council, a council agenda memo states. A Blue Ribbon Bond Committee is one of the few means under state law to evaluate requests, receive feedback from residents and gauge public support. The committee needed to be established this summer so council can receive the recommendations by the end of the year, have time to process them and call for a May election by early February, town officials said.
The committee is appointed by council, with each member nominating two members. The mayor typically appoints two members and designates the chairperson.
Members who were approved are:
- Sandeep Sharma (chair, nonvoting)
- Ron Hogue
- Rick Kenyon
- Scott Langley
- Todd Bayuk
- Murthy Mantha
- Clare Harris
- Laverne Amsterdam
- Michelle Jackson
- Steve Lyda
- Ann Martin
- Teresa Thomason
What they’re saying
“Our existing infrastructure is aging and requires significant expenditures to maintain,” Mayor Cheryl Moore said in an email. “In addition to this, we have a growing population who are using the parks and the [Community Activity Center], which also requires renovations and improvements for those growing needs. Therefore, the Town Council and I appointed a Blue Ribbon Committee to facilitate community engagement in identifying the most important needs to place on our bond election ballot next year for the improvements that our residents want and need.”
