Summer Update — Vision Zero and More
Dear friends,
Wishing everyone a happy Independence Day! With the summer heating up, I encourage everyone to utilize the incredible amenities in this community including “Cool Sweep.”
I want to share a few legislative updates, starting with the huge announcement we made a few weeks ago about Rochester becoming a “Vision Zero” city. See coverage in the Rochester Beacon and on WXXI Connections.
Driving, walking, and biking in Rochester has become markedly more dangerous in the last several years, reflecting national trends. Fatal crashes and serious injuries are happening more often, and there are a number of reasons why.
My friend Edgar Santa Cruz and his dog Rosie were killed while walking on Park Ave in December 2022. They were following all pedestrian rules when a car ran a red light and tragically took their lives. Since then, I have studied many cities across the country to understand what steps we can take to make our streets safer.
I convened a small work team of concerned citizens from every quadrant. We talked a lot about automated enforcement, but recognized that is only one part of the solution. Working with the Evans administration and Reconnect Rochester, we put together the Rochester Vision Zero plan.
In addition to Vision Zero, we had our busiest legislative month of the season in June, as I joined four of my colleagues in passing the next City budget. This is a “good news” budget that dramatically reduces the tax rate, keeps the tax levy (the overall amount of tax revenue we collect) flat, weened us off of ARPA funding, and saw no significant cuts in service. You can see any and all of the budget hearings that we held here: City Council YouTube Channel (May 29th through 31st), and the finalized budget, which will soon be posted here: Budget Documents. Finally, here is a link to a new tool to understand the changes in taxes to individual properties: Property Tax Estimate Tool.
Have a wonderful summer! Whatever the season, please know that I am glad to hear your ideas and concerns.
In service,
