City to Prioritize This Year’s Goals

City officials Monday will set priorities for meeting 16 goals set by the City Council and its staff for 1996.

Mayor John W. Hedges’ recent State of the City Address included some ideas. Council members will consider those, too, then take a straw vote to pick the top half-dozen.

“We would like to work on all 16 goals, but physically we can’t do all of them in one year,” City Manager Kevin J. Murphy said.

Some council goals coincide with the mayor’s. Among them:

* To review the cost-effectiveness of all city-run services and determine if any should be eliminated.

* To expand outreach to residents by using technology, such as the Internet.

* To continue to support the conversion of the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station to a commercial airport.

* To maintain the city’s commitment to infrastructure improvements.

For that last goal, Councilman John C. Cox Jr. suggested outlining a comprehensive transportation plan that would promote reduced vehicle emissions, including increased mass transit and encouraging the use of clean-fuel vehicles.

Other goals developed by city staff include increasing police enforcement, improving paramedic and ambulance response time, and continuing economic development.

In other action, the City Council is scheduled Monday to vote on an ordinance that would stiffen parking codes for recreational vehicles.

The council meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.