Mayor delivers State of the City; cites fiscal strength, public-safety investments and major development wins

Mayor delivered the State of the City address during the February council meeting, outlining the city’s financial position, public-safety initiatives, infrastructure projects and recent economic-development announcements.

The mayor reported strong fiscal reserves: a rainy-day fund of $9,230,586, unallocated EDIT reserves of $7,351,138 and total reserves of $16,581,724 (about 30% of the general fund, the mayor said). He said the city lowered its tax rate from 1.0586 to 1.0461 this year and has reduced the rate over the past three years.

On public safety the mayor credited a range of organizational changes and new resources: hiring additional police officers, creating civilian positions (including criminal analysts and crime-scene investigators), launching a drone unit and opening a new public safety building. The mayor reported UCR-reported crime totals have declined from 3,400 in 2022 to 1,957 in 2024 and highlighted investments in fire apparatus planning and ISO-2 fire rating maintenance.

The address listed major infrastructure and development projects in progress or planned: Park East Boulevard construction, new well fields and solar fields, $21.5 million public-works campus, investments to open service-area acreage for growth (11A and 11B), a rapid-treatment facility as part of the CSO long-term control plan, the John Purdue block construction downtown, streetscape work and several affordable-housing projects. The mayor also summarized recent private-sector investments announced in 2024, citing projects including major investments by Tate & Lyle, SIA, Caterpillar, and a $400 million biobased chemical facility creating nearly 200 jobs.

The mayor closed by framing the city’s position as financially stable and poised for continued growth, and he thanked city staff, volunteer boards and residents for their contributions.