New home permits hit record; sales revenue up so far this year
3/30/04
MADISON - The last year has been "a roller coaster ride filled with dizzying highs and stomach-churning lows," but the city is in fine shape and ready to face the future, Mayor Jan Wells said Monday night in her annual State of the City address.
"We were sworn in, sworn at and sworn over," Wells said. "And through it all, we just kept working. Progress continues its slow march forward. Never fast enough, but always moving."
Wells delivered the 30-minute speech reviewing the major events of last year and what's to come. A standing-room-only crowd filled the City Council's 125-seat chambers for the address, sponsored by the Madison Chamber of Commerce.
A booming residential locale for a couple of decades, the city issued a record 671 residential building permits last year, she said. The population is an estimated 35,000, with a projected population of 36,000 by the end of the year.
Wells listed these notable developments: New businesses that generate sales tax revenue to pay for city projects and services opened in the past year, and other commercial projects are under construction. Downtown redevelopment will remain a priority.
"These essential commercial and residential ventures bind the community together with the silken thread of economic development, adding strength and color to the fabric for our daily lives," Wells said. "One cannot exist without the other."
Sales tax revenue is up 6.7 percent for the first five months of the fiscal year, which is 2 percent over projections. For February, sales tax revenue is up 10 percent from February 2003.
Wells said there is still much to be done.
The city has contributed $50,000 to the local Base Realignment and Closure committee formed to watch out for the area's interests in the next round of military base closures. Wells said Madison benefited "tremendously" from the last round of base closures. Many people moved to town when the Army transferred its Aviation Command from St. Louis to Redstone Arsenal several years ago.
Wells said she and city planners will work with the chamber's retail recruiter to seek new business, and she and the council will work with the chamber and Water and Wastewater Board to develop incentive packages for landing new business.
"The building blocks of success are in place, but it will require patience and careful planning to reach our full potential," she said. "We will continue to expand our retail base so that the revenue streams needed to fund infrastructure (public) improvements will be strong enough to support future growth."
The city plans a major bond issue next year to pay for capital improvements.
Wells said projects to be considered include a new Public Works Services Department building, a new senior center, at least three soccer fields at Dublin Park, completion of the Palmer Park master plan and the purchase of vehicles such as police cars, dump trucks and possibly a street sweeper.
As for public safety, she said, the city has added a heavy rescue truck for the Fire Department, thanks partly to a $693,000 federal grant; a wellness and fitness program is being developed for city police and firefighters; Fire Station No. 3 has opened; and automatic defibrillators were placed in several public buildings.
The City Hall basement will be renovated to house the Police Department, saving the cost of expanding City Hall to accommodate growth in the department.
Priorities were changed to move drainage projects to the top of the list in place of sidewalks, she said. Several road and drainage projects were completed, some are in progress, and others are on the way.
Work continues on extensions of Gillespie Road and Eastview Drive, and Wells said she will continue to look for state and federal money to improve Balch Road and build a full interchange at Interstate 565 and County Line Road.
She listed these other developments: Parks have been improved, and youth recreation participation is among the highest in the state. The city received a $936,000 federal grant to build the first three miles of the Bradford Creek Greenway, and it has a $100,000 application submitted to build a Japanese Garden in Dublin Park.
The city's Web site was redesigned, including the addition of maps along with other information about city operations. Council meeting agendas and minutes are on the Web site, and soon a word search capability will be added.
City employees displaced by a sewage overflow in the City Hall basement adapted and provided services with little delay, she said. All city departments have increased efficiency and reduced costs.