In the urban planning world, sustainability is a three-legged stool that includes financial sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability. All three legs must be present, or the stool will topple over.
The City of Dexter has done the best with financial sustainability. We are in better position than many other communities when it comes to funding our legacy obligations (retirement and healthcare) and funding infrastructure, such as streets, water, and sewer.
Still, we need to continue to look forward. Our water and sewer improvements have been paid primarily through new tap fees, which will no longer provide a source of sustainable funding in the future. We must begin to prepare for these changes today.
We should strive invest in opportunities and processes that foster a strong sense of community. Our citizens and business owners should have opportunities to share their concerns and ideas, beyond our typical comment section of public meetings.
We should strive for responsible environmental stewardship, not just to be green, but because it is often financially responsible and it improves quality of life. We should view our investments in public infrastructure holistically. For example, planting appropriate street trees will improve the character of the neighborhood (I may be biased growing up in a village that hosts a maple syrup festival…), reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that must be managed, and improves air quality and temperatures.
I would work with Council towards the development of a Dexter-appropriate climate action plan.