Starting in May of 2011, there were several council meetings
that dealt with the issues facing our city; crime, homelessness and lack of job creation and
industry. Have you ever wondered why so
many dollar stores came into town? You
can check the minutes from the Planning Commission Meetings. The City Manager, at that time (per the minutes), stated that having the dollar stores is better than having nothing at
all and that they are doing well in areas like Temecula and Murrieta. With the renovation of the old Wal-Mart
building, the south end of town will be left with not one, but two, large
vacant buildings across the street from each other. The vacant Kmart on the north side of Stetson
and what will be the vacant Sprouts, on the south side of Stetson.
There was a special meeting to discuss the direction of the city and
economic development on Friday, April 15, 2016 at Simpson Park at 9am. This was announced at the end of the April 12th council
meeting. There were only a handful of
Hemet residents present. A PowerPoint
presentation was supposed to be given at a council meeting in May regarding
what was discussed during the April meeting at Simpson Park. It is now July and no update or
presentation. At the meeting, they established a
timeline with target dates. It was stated at the May 23rd council
meeting by Youssef that they were already behind on their target dates. There is another community Strategic Planning
meeting planned at the library on Saturday, July 16th at 8am. Meyerhoff said that there will be a brief
overview of the April 15th meeting.
As an FYI: We are discussing economic development and our city does not
have an economic development department.
We did up to a year ago, but it had been reduced to one person at that
point, John Jansons. He is now the City
Manager of Farmersville and his position was never filled.
April 15th
Strategic Planning Meeting: taken from the minutes
The April 15th meeting began by Meyerhoff
reviewing the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats). Please see the attached agenda with the
meeting minutes for more on this. I will
only list a few.
Let’s start with the last recorded vision statement, which
was October 18, 2005. The vision was,
“By 2009, the City of Hemet will be a vibrant community recognized for its
diverse cultural, recreational, educational and economic opportunities”. The previous statement and the following are
taken directly from this meeting’s minutes.
Strengths: Affordable and available land (#1), Optimal climate Scenic, surrounded by mountains Diamond Valley Lake and other recreational assets, Western Science Center, Volunteerism, Ramona Bowl Identity – 100+ year history, Agricultural lands, Diverse demographic, senior communities, Attractions for “snowbirds”, Available workforce, Improving infrastructure, better access Clean air, Affordable housing (also listed as a weakness), Hospital ,Airport, Railroad, Good schools, Proximity to other attractions – mountains, deserts, beaches, Casino, Affordable living, Agriculture, Industry, Medical Industry, Walkable Downtown, Responsive Local Government, Street Grid, Engaged Community, Younger Community, Labor Affordability, Executive Team, Realistic Assessment, Status quo – No go, Willingness to engage Faith Community, Core Values, Volunteerism, Willingness of City Council to work together
Weaknesses: Perception of Crime, Aging Infrastructure, lack
of access to the interstate, low median income, lack of retail opportunities,
lack of industry, low employment, affordable housing (also listed as a strength), lack of
university/college, dilapidated downtown district, lack of an identity, poor
“curb appeal”, perception of being a regional dumping ground, limited direction
for physical growth, isolation, losing attractiveness for retirees, “old money”
not being replenished with new money, limited entertainment options (theatres,
clubs), lack of enough quality hotels, lack of San Jacinto Valley Economic
Strategy, transportation, identity crisis, growing obsolescence in housing
stock, lack of vision, disconnect between skills and employment, lack of
political will, gap between supply and demand, revenues, meeting needs of all
demographics, business community perception of local government, inability to
market effectively, negative press, lack of economic development strategy.
Threats: State Government (AB109), Regional competition
(Temecula, Moreno Valley, Perris, Menifee), County Government, Cost of Living
in California, environmental issues, illegal immigration, crime, neighboring
cities, state and federal government.
City Council
Elections 2016
As a side note, we had council elections in 2012 (Youssef
re-elected, Milne and Wright), 2014 (Krupa re-elected and Raver) and we will have
elections this year. Three council seats
are up, District 1 (Milne), District 3 (Youssef) and District 4 (Wright). I confirmed with the City Clerk, Sarah McComas,
via phone call that a councilmember is unable to run for their council seat if
they are running for County Supervisor. This
means that Milne will not be able to run for re-election on council.
http://www.cityofhemet.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/297 - October 9, 2012: Supervisor Stone tells Chief Brown (page 13) that he would assist with funding.
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