Neighborhood leaders tell McCanna: prioritize parks, code enforcement and affordable housing in city budget

McCanna members used part of their meeting to list neighborhood priorities for the city budget. Attendees said their top concerns are better-maintained parks, faster and more forceful code enforcement, affordable housing and more services for seniors and youth.

Kathy Burton framed the budget conversation by saying elected officials should hear from neighborhood leaders: “The people who really know that are the people who are not in the offices. They're the people who talk to their neighbors and deal with their neighborhood issues,” Burton said, explaining McCanna’s intent to compile input and send it to the mayor’s office and city-county councilors.

Speakers from different townships reiterated recurring problems. A Near Eastside representative pointed to long-standing redevelopment promises that have not materialized, and others said road repair and sidewalks remain highly visible quality-of-life problems. One member urged more investment in parks and park-ranger staffing, noting parks serve as gathering places that require maintenance and safety staffing.

Code enforcement and permitting drew sustained attention. Participants argued that fee increases should be matched by faster permit processing, more enforcement staff and stiffer penalties for chronic violators. Several said the current citation and court process is slow and often produces minimal deterrents.

Affordable housing and services for seniors were raised repeatedly. One speaker said many residents fall into income gaps that do not qualify them for existing programs, and several members urged county and city leaders to identify ways to support aging in place and property repairs for long-time residents.

Other issues discussed included streetlight outages, sidewalk damage from tree roots and concerns about electric rates and regional power supply tied to data-center growth. McCanna members agreed to draft a letter summarizing the neighborhood priorities and to forward it to city and county officials for the ongoing budget process.