Mayor Haley delivered the State of the City address during the Wilmington City Council's first meeting of 2025, praising recent economic and public-safety improvements and highlighting partnerships that city leaders say have driven job and health-care development.

Haley said the Ohio Department of Development had named “Clinton County Of Wilmington as a prime priority investment area,” and described a partnership with Kettering that led to an announced hospital on Ronback Avenue. "Within 60 days after our conversation, Kettering announced their plans for a new hospital on Ronback Avenue," Haley said.

The mayor pointed to several quality-of-life and public-safety indicators as evidence of progress. "Our improved transit system transported between 8 to 10,000 people a month getting them where they need to go safely and on time," Haley said. She also credited visible police patrols, street and water crews, and other city employees for improving downtown activity and residents' sense of safety.

Haley described the city's relationship with regional employers as part of a broader strategy. "Our partnership with Honda's plant in Fayette County isn't just a water contract. It's a bridge to regional prosperity," she said. The address included several on-the-ground examples — a transit driver assisting an elderly rider, crews clearing snow before morning commutes and other frontline work — that the mayor used to illustrate daily municipal services.

Council and staff reports that followed the address were brief; committee chairs reported no substantive actions on most committee agendas at this meeting. No formal city council action was taken in response to Haley's remarks during the meeting record provided.

Looking ahead, Haley concluded the address by saying, "the state of our city is strong," and closed with thanks to residents and city employees.