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The industrial revolution changed the habitation patterns of the world. Rural residents needed to live around cities where the jobs and services were located. As we continue along in today's technical revolution, the pace of technology is shifting those patterns once again.

Transportation, the internet and new business practices allow residents to commute to their jobs from further distances. Many can telecommute and have the ability to work from essentially anywhere. That advancement of technology means the more rural communities where people are choosing to live, like Tehachapi, must advance as well. To support the demands of tomorrow, we work on the issues today.

As a community, we continue to mature. We are bigger, and with that comes the necessity to change the way we do business. We can't rely on policies from the 1970s to steer the decisions for Tehachapi's future. This is not your grandfather's Tehachapi, the focus then was short-term, and it was on the "now" with little thought into future planning. However, today's business climate as a City means we're spending less time on the "now" and more time building Tehachapi for our children and grandchildren.

Our City staff includes several young families, they have children that will be inheriting the planning and development decisions we make today. I have staff members who weigh the decisions they make on a daily basis against what Tehachapi will look like in 20 years for their children. I can't speak for other cities but I'm fortunate to have that level of logic in City Hall.

Those efforts result in attractive qualities for our community. I've mentioned in the past the new individuals and businesses we're attracting that bring a unique skillset to our community. We are seeing tangible results today in the healthcare, specialty services, retail and small business options available in Tehachapi.

Recently, the City was a guest at an event sponsored by Smart Growth Tehachapi. This group of residents have been heavily involved in projects, both for and against, in our City. If this meeting was any indication of our appropriate planning, all the questions submitted were informative, educated and a great dialogue was had as questions were answered. It was a very positive engagement that included Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner and Tehachapi Cummings County Water District general manager Tom Neisler.

It's through that interaction, both with other agencies like the County of Kern and TCCWD, that we can make these long-term decisions appropriately. We align the general plan of the City with the wishes of the County, we want the entire area, not just the City limits, to be a successful community of tomorrow as well.

We will continue to address the needs required to embrace the future; this includes planning, budgeting, managing growth, utilities and public safety. We hope you will join with us in providing feedback, involvement and cooperation with what we are building. Geography determines destiny and we are fortunate that we are in a place where that destiny is successful.

If you have any questions or concerns, I welcome your feedback to ggarrett@tehachapicityhall.com or stop by City Hall at 115 S. Robinson Street.