Frequently Asked Questions

What should be the top priorities for the City Council?

  • Public safety - safer neighborhoods,
  • Prosperity - good jobs, better roads and improved city services
  • Responsive city government - open, transparent, accountable & representative

There is an important principle underlying all three priorities -- the council should be proactive and remember the adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” 

Public safety is a priority -- We need to emphasize proactive neighborhood policing, since 85% of all crimes in Columbia are committed outside the downtown area.  Other things that help prevent crime are youth intervention and mentoring, and activities that help neighbors get to know each other and work together, such as Neighborhood Watch. Background screening of tenants by landlords is also needed to keep criminals out of our neighborhoods. I believe we should use our limited taxpayer dollars to fully staff and equip the Police Department, not for expensive surveillance cameras that have not proven effective in other cities.

Prosperity is a priority -- Columbia needs to attract high quality, well-paying jobs.  To do this, we need to retain and support homegrown high-tech businesses and develop new ones.  We can attract new employers by developing shovel-ready sites. Partnering with the University and its Life Sciences Incubator will help.  Vocational training should also be strengthened.  Finally, a local food initiative designed to connect local farmers with restaurants and grocers would help our food dollars stimulate the local economy, while enhancing food safety and security.

For too long, we have equated real estate development with economic development, and they are not the same thing.  Overbuilding in the real estate market has hurt, not helped, Columbia’s economy.

Responsive city government is a priority -- I have been listening to my constituents when they say they want Columbia’s governance to be a model of “transparency, efficiency and citizen participation that enjoys the strong confidence of its residents.”  (From: Imagine Columbia’s Future Final Report, October 2007, J. Governance and Decision Making, Vision Statement, pp. 82-85.) Go to that report here.

We need to modernize city management and e-record keeping systems to increase efficiency, so our city workers can apply their considerable talents to the tasks for which they were hired.  We need to keep working to assure that complaints and problems are addressed, promptly, courteously and effectively.

The council should also enact a “truth in government” city ordinance in order to insure honest, open, transparent, accountable and representative governance.

Proactive regional planning is also part of responsive government, and helps to prevent problems as the city grows.  We need to avoid unnecessary and expensive duplication of infrastructure like roads, sewers and power lines, while ensuring transparency and public trust.  We also need to assure that new development does not diminish the quality of life or decrease property values in existing neighborhoods.

The Columbia Planning and Development Staff provided a report to the City Council in May 2004, entitled Growth Management Planning of the Urban Fringe, that was accepted by a previous Council, but never acted upon. Go to that report here.  In fiscal year 2009, I successfully introduced a motion to appropriate funds for the development of a comprehensive plan and a growth management plan. Proactive growth planning is finally becoming a Columbia reality.

What have you accomplished in your first term on the City Council?
Significant Accomplishments:

  • Ongoing improvements to Clark Ln. (Lake of the Woods Rd. To Ballenger Ln.) and Mexico Gravel Rd. (Vandiver Rd. to Ballenger Ln.) In addition, improvements to the remainder of Ballenger/Clark Lane from Mexico Gravel Rd. to just west of Hanover Blvd. have now been added to the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP)
  • Hominy Branch Trail phases 1 and 2 are scheduled for completion FY 2011
  • Supported addition of two police officers in the FY 2009 budget
  • Supported adoption of Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Standards and Accreditation of Columbia Police Department by Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)
  • Encouraged increased attention to crime problems in Ward 3, including more frequent police patrols and the deployment of Columbia Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit to areas experiencing spikes in crime
  • Graduated from Columbia Police Department Citizens Academy, May 2009
  • Attended Columbia Police Department’s eight hour TASER Certification Program 2008 & 2009
  • Supported adoption of Columbia Northeast Area Plan (NECAP) and Columbia East Area Plan (ECAP)
  • Led the effort to appropriate funds for and begin work on the Comprehensive Plan & Growth Management Plan
  • Supported efforts to establish the only State Certified shovel-ready site in Missouri in Northeast Columbia, the proposed Ewing Industrial Park
  • Participated in the “Imagine Columbia’s Future” Visioning process and supported implementation planning to carry out the community recommendations
  • Helped several neighborhoods get desired city services, for example, speed humps in the Eastland Hills Subdivision and a crosswalk at Boone Landing on Keene Street (now in the engineering stage)
  • Encouraged the Council to adopt “paperless” procedures, saving thousands of taxpayer dollars

National Awards & Panels:

  • 2008 NLC-LTI Achievement in Leadership Excellence, Bronze Certificate-Leadership Fellow
  • 2009 National League of Cities (NLC) CityFutures Panel on Democratic Governance (appointed member)
  • 2009 NLC-LTI Achievement in Leadership Excellence, Silver Certificate-Leadership Executive
  • 2010 National League of Cities (NLC) CityFutures Panel on Democratic Governance (reappointed member)
  • 2010 NLC University Communities Council (nominated)
  • 2010 NLC-LTI Leadership Training Council (nominated)
  • 2010 NLC-LTI Achievement in Leadership Excellence, Gold Certificate-Leadership Ambassador (to be awarded 3/14/10)

Training Received:

  • Attended National League of Cities Leadership Training Institute (NLC-LTI) National Training Program (2007, 2008 & 2009)
  • Attended Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference (2009 & 2010)

Why do you want a second term on the Council?
We have come a long way on the Council in the last three years. I am proud to have “raised the bar” with regard to work habits, meeting attendance, representation of constituents, and reasoned deliberation.  We need to continue those efforts on behalf of all who live and work in Columbia.

How do you keep in touch with constituents?
I welcome anyone to contact me by phone (573-474-2195), by e-mail (Ward3@gocolumbiamo.com), or by letter (Ward 3, City Hall, P. O. Box 6015, Columbia, MO  65205).

In April 2007, I began holding bimonthly “Office Hours” to allow Third Ward constituents and citizens across Columbia to join in a conversation with their neighbors and their Council Representative at a local coffee shop, and I am still listening. This helps provide a clear channel for inquiries and the resolution of complaints. The tradition continues on Saturdays before each Council meeting.  Here is a sample bimonthly announcement:
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Subject:  Councilman Karl Skala continues 3rd Ward "Office Hours" at Sven's Kafe′ this Sat 1/16/10

Saturday morning OFFICE HOURS at SVEN'S KAFE′ & GALLERY,

Third Ward City Councilman Karl Skala invites you to join him in conversation at Sven's Kafe′ this Saturday, November 21st. Please stop by and share your ideas, concerns, comments and/or questions, 3rd ward and/or citywide.

WHERE?                 Sven's Kafe′ & Gallery, 110 Orr Street, Suite 101, Northern Art District; Sven's website: <www.svenskafegallery.com>

WHEN?                    8:30-11:00 a.m. or later as necessary

DAY?                        All Saturdays before regular Council Meetings, held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month.

WHO?                       Everyone is Welcome!

ANNOUNCEMENTS!
Lots of issues these days, e.g., the Mayoral race, two City Council races (including my own), and an assortment of civic controversies.  I would love to have your opinions or feedback.  Stop by for a cup of coffee and some engaging conversation!

In addition to holding regular office hours, I have attended numerous Neighborhood Association and Homeowners Association functions (picnics, Neighborhood Watch meetings, etc.) and welcome any invitations to such functions.  I also convened a Neighborhood Crime Summit for the Third Ward, which gave residents the opportunity to talk with the new Police Chief and his command staff.
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What do you see as the City Council’s role in city government?
The City Council is a deliberative and policymaking body that sets the overall direction for city government and priorities for the city budget.  The Council appropriates funds that the city receives from local, state and federal tax dollars and other sources.  The Council proposes and debates new city ordinances and changes to existing ordinances, based on the needs of citizens and the desire to make our city a better place to live.  The Council also hires the City Manager, City Clerk and Municipal Judge.

I believe that the City Council should also have the role of “advice and consent” for the selection and removal of city department heads, through a confirmation process similar to that in the federal and state Constitutions.  Involvement of the Council in recruiting and hiring department heads was a recommended action step in the Imagine Columbia’s Future Community Vision and Action Plan, published in 2007.  Specifically, [we must] must “Increase the accountability of the City administration to the City Council and the public.” (Imagine Columbia’s Future Final Report, October 2007, J. Governance and Decision Making, Strategy 8, p. 85.)  Go to that report (pdf) here.
Paid for by Skala for Council, Clyde Wilson, Treasurer