The Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood Council meets tonight (Wednesday, September 11) for its first regular meeting since June. (There was no meeting in July, and August was an informal potluck.)

This meeting departs from the usual format in that it’s a city-wide town hall with Mayor Condon (or his emissary) on the 2014 budget, so the EGNC agenda is relatively brief on account of the shortened meeting. A few items we will be considering:

• The city has proposed changes in neighborhood council mailings due to — surprise! — funding shifts and cutbacks. As things stand the EGNC will have to decide between a monthly print mailing of meeting materials to all voting members (which is our status quo) or a bi-annual postcard mailing to the entire neighborhood.
• The EGNC needs additional volunteers to sustain its current momentum in terms of neighborhood events (like the Concerts in the Park and the farmers’ market), outreach (like social media and flyers), and Neighborhood Planning. If your involvement is minimal, infrequent, or nonexistent, it’s time to help lighten the load on those who’re doing more than their fair share to make Emerson-Garfield better for everyone. A list of suggested volunteer niches will be posted online soon.
• Fall dump passes will be available in October. We’ll divulge when and where at tonight’s meeting.
• Emerson-Garfield Steering Committee (i.e., the voting members of the neighborhood council) has just over $57k in Community Development Block Grant funds to allocate for 2014. The application and allocation process is similar to last year’s heavily altered process, but there have been some changes based on community feedback. Those will be addressed briefly.

Save a tree — or prepare for the forthcoming mailing cutbacks — by downloading tonight’s agenda and minutes for approval here:

• Agenda for the September 11, 2013 meeting
• Minutes from the August 14, 2013 meeting (pending approval)
• Minutes from the June 12, 2013 meeting (pending approval)

We look forward to seeing you tonight!