What Does A Community Council Mean For Victory Heights?

On one of the local e-mail lists, there has been some discussion about what the revived Victory Heights Community Council will and will not do.  Inadvertently I poured fuel on the fire when I jokingly suggested that if I were drafted as an officer I would run on a platform of seceding from the city of Seattle and imposing a $5000 assessment on every house to pay for new sidewalks.  THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! A Community Council can no more make demands on residents than a Boy Scout troop can. The Council is merely a way for neighbors to get involved with their area, get to know each other, and provide that great sense of “community.”
Although the new Community Council will have a token annual membership fee (probably $5), in fact it is already flush with cash from the previous Council which was active in the area 10 years ago. So rather than asking for money all the time, the Council will be able to pay for and sponsor events like Easter egg hunts in the park, block parties, and other community building events. Even better, the city has small grants available to help support activities like this but they prefer to give these to recognized organizations with proper by-laws, officers, regular meetings, etc. In addition, it carries a lot of weight with the North District Council to have an official Community Council when looking for grants to pay for things like traffic circles.
The only real work most people have to do is to get involved. Typically that might mean coming to monthly meetings (tentatively planned for the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM at the Preschool in Victory Heights Park, beginning January 15th), listening to proposals and then voting. The more people who participate, the more reflective of the community the Council will be. And nobody is going get taxed, and no sidewalks are going to be built without a lot of public comment and a huge financial commitment by the city which is now virtually non-existent.
Please attend our organizational meeting on January 15th, 2013. The By-laws (essentially, our constitution) will be discussed and voted upon, and officers elected (President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary).
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