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The City of Fremont has announced the launch of its Community Speakers Bureau Program, the next phase of an ambitious public outreach and communications effort designed to hear from Fremont's constituents about their priorities, needs, and ideas for addressing the City's fiscal and community service challenges. Members of the Ad Hoc Community Task Force, established by City Manager Fred Diaz early this past summer, will engage in a dialogue with a wide array of diverse community groups, stakeholders, and City staff, with the goal of assessing neighborhood priorities and evaluating whether to proceed with a potential municipal finance measure next year.
"We have received fantastic response to our initial outreach – more than 2,500 citizens have already written in with their ideas – but we want to hear even more," said Diaz. "At this stage, we are seeking person-to-person feedback from people who are active in Fremont, and we also want an opportunity to inform people about some of the issues our City is facing right now. This next phase in the effort really allows us to engage in dialogue about these critical issues."
"Through participation on the Task Force, I have been able to learn about how the State's fiscal crisis has affected us locally, the City's financial outlook for the future, and the tough budget cuts that have already been made," explained Dr. Moses Taghioff, a Task Force member and volunteer participating in the Speakers Bureau. "I think it is important for people to know and understand what is happening in their community – in our City. I am happy that I am doing my part to help Fremont be the City we all want."
Recently, Fremont has been forced to make drastic cuts in several essential services. The City will be unable to maintain current services without additional funds. In just the last three years, the City has been forced to make significant reductions to services across the board, including road repairs and maintenance, crime prevention programs, senior services, fire safety, and park and recreation programs.
"This is a great opportunity for us, as residents, to really help the City solve the problems in our own neighborhoods," said Gaby Machuca, another volunteer and Task Force member. "I am looking forward to hearing what my neighbors have to say about the situation here in Fremont."
If your organization would like a Community Presentation scheduled, please contact Lisa Goldman at (510) 284-4012.
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