Now You See What I See

This week concludes my fourth as Mayor of Carmel. While I began with a solid understanding of local government, deeper involvement has amplified my appreciation for the dedication it takes to keep Carmel exceptional, the challenges we face, and the opportunities for improvement. Here are a few thoughts.

A Small City with Big Responsibilities

Carmel’s size belies the complexity of its operations. Managing infrastructure, services, and public safety demands constant attention. These efforts are detailed in monthly reports attached to city council and commission agendas. I encourage you to review them to better understand city operations. If you are having problems finding them you can e-mail me and I’ll share the links. With the leadership of our elected and appointed officials and your involvement, we will identify opportunities for improving process efficiency and effectiveness.

City Sidewalks & Roads

Improving sidewalks and roads is a priority for me and many residents. I’ve clearly emphasized its importance in weekly meetings with city leadership. Progress is underway, though not at the pace I’d like. Information is being gathered about sidewalks and roads by residents and independent councilmember efforts and your ideas are always welcome. These improvements not only enhance safety but also add to the charm and accessibility of our city, benefiting both residents and visitors.

Improving Access to Information

Carmel’s guiding documents—our city’s “constitution”—comprise over 2,600 pages of plans, codes, and regulations and many are outdated and challenging to access. To address this, a volunteer and I created a prototype to analyze, organize, and digitize these resources. This initiative hopes to spark discussions about updating and streamlining access to these essential documents. This can empower residents and decision-makers with the information needed to make proper decisions.

Collaboration at Its Core

Councilmembers are always conducting research and each have scheduled weekly meetings with City Administrator Rerig and Assistant Administrator Swanson. These meetings enhance collaboration, address concerns, and guide city operations. Collaboration extends to residents, business owners, and visitors whose perspectives enrich our shared decision-making. Please take the opportunity to meet with your city leadership whenever you can.

Prioritizing Transparency

Transparency is critical to democratic governance. The Brown Act ensures open decision-making by requiring public notice of meetings and limiting informal discussions among officials. This can be challenging, especially with emails and social media. To better inform everyone, we are exploring community training sessions on the Brown Act with our city attorney. Educating both officials and residents on transparency laws fosters trust and accountability.

Streamlining Council Meetings

One of my campaign commitments was to make council meetings more efficient and engaging. Working with the council, my goal is to increase the frequency of regular and special council meetings, hold town halls on key topics, and encourage focused public comments. The agenda for the January 7th meeting was discussed in last week’s Pine Cone and other meetings are scheduled for January 13th and 14th.  A town hall is in the planning stages. I urge you to attend and share detailed input by email (cityclerk@cbts.us). There is much to do and efficient meetings help ensure that every voice is heard and our discussions lead to timely action.

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we step into 2025, I am dedicated to collaboration and results as we are faced with great opportunities and big challenges. Together, we can make this year one of progress and pride for Carmel and I look forward to working with you to ensure our city thrives. Let us embrace the new year with a shared commitment to improvement and a vision for a brighter future.

Happy New Year!

Dale Byrne, Carmel Mayor

dbyrne@cbts.us.