 | | | "Orinda is volunteer wealthy, but revenue poor," said Mayor Sue Severson recently. The city is allowed to keep just roughly 7 cents for each dollar of property tax paid. Photos Andy Scheck | | | | | | "Service above Self" - the motto of Rotarians worldwide, that simple phrase was the undercurrent running beneath Orinda's 2014 State of the City Address in late March. Delivered by Mayor Sue Severson before an audience of business leaders and Orinda residents at an Orinda Rotary-Orinda Chamber of Commerce sponsored luncheon - and again the following evening in the library auditorium before another community crowd, the speech by the former two-term Orinda Union School District board president offered a mini-tutorial on city operations, and illuminated the importance of civic engagement and teamwork.
Of note, this year's address included an uplifting video of geese flying in formation, calling to mind the values of kindness and cooperation and generating sustained applause by many in attendance. "People who share a sense of community can help each other," read one slide. "In groups where there is encouragement production is much greater," read another.
Severson also talked turkey - about city finances, crime and the challenges to come. "We continue to keep an extremely tight rein on expenditures," she said. "Our city budget is lean" - less than $11.5 million in 2014.
"Police and public safety is our largest expenditure, taking about one third of our budget," she said when recalling Orinda's "mini-crime wave" in 2013. "While our capable police force handled the situation," she stressed, it takes more to keep a town safe. "Citizens are an important part of our public safety team." Orindans, she reminded the crowd, now have another tool to help make life better - an email tip line for reporting crimes and other concerns about suspicious behavior: orindatip@cityoforinda.org.
"In evaluating where we are today, it's clear that many of the challenges of the past are still with us," she continued. Groans from the crowd issued forth at her slides showing the most perilous of Orinda's current potholes. Asked by an audience member how long it will take to repair everything, Severson replied, "My dream is that we can get them done in the near term." Adding that progress is starting to be made thanks to the increased funding from Measure L, a half-cent sales tax hike passed by voters in 2012, she cited June's Measure J ballot initiative as another opportunity to generate additional needed funding. Saying it will be up to voters to decide how quickly to effect change, she explained that "there really was no one perfect vehicle" and that repairs could only be achieved via "a multi-phased, multi-pronged approach," before cautioning that maintenance will always be an issue. "Roads and drains are not static; they continue to deteriorate."
Proclaiming 2014 "a year of teamwork and collaboration, Severson reiterated that Orindans must come together to strengthen public safety across the community, finalize the city's roads and drains plan and improve communications. Severson then announced the launch of a Mayor's Brown Bag Lunch series to enable residents to meet with her informally. She also encouraged Orindans to actively engage by volunteering for city commissions, attending CERT classes, and turning out for 2014's Orinda Action Day of Community Service, which kicks off at the Orinda Library Plaza at 9 a.m. on April 19. To learn more and sign up, click on the volunteer tab at the Orinda Community Foundation's website: www.orindafoundation.org/.
In closing, Severson quoted Henry Ford, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA