City manager presents 2024 annual report highlighting infrastructure projects, staffing stability and water main fund

City Manager David Kennedy presented the 2024 annual report to Loveland City Council, summarizing the city's finances, capital projects and personnel changes during a year the manager characterized as “one heck of a year when it comes to construction projects.”

Kennedy told council the city ended 2024 with total fund balances of more than $11,000,000 and highlighted the new water-main-replacement (WMR) fund as a key tool for completing sidewalk and water-main work without issuing new debt. He described the WMR fund as “a saving grace” that allowed the city to proceed with the Lehi–Miamiville Road sidewalk Phase 3 and Cherokee Water Main Project without borrowing.

Kennedy also emphasized the role of a stable finance director and staff continuity in delivering grants and capital projects. He noted the city’s investment in budgeting software to increase financial transparency and said the city operates its police department from the general fund without a dedicated levy. “It’s a privilege to get to serve you,” Kennedy told council near the close of his presentation.

The report reviewed major capital projects completed or underway: the new fire station (Station 63) design and ground breaking, delivery of a new Quint ladder truck purchased with federal relief funds, West Loveland (Paxton) Bridge lighting and downtown parking-lot improvements, Love of Madeira Road corridor planning, environmental remediation and a $4,000,000 remediation purchase that cleared barriers to redevelopment on Chestnut Street. The city manager also discussed sidewalk projects, stormwater and sewer partnerships with Hamilton and Clermont counties and the Metropolitan Sewer District, and the city’s work to secure multiple grants to fund projects.

Kennedy reviewed personnel matters including retirements, promotions and new hires, and he praised human-resources leadership that moved the department from part-time to full-time coverage. He described public-safety investments — the expanded SRO program, traffic-signal emergency preemption at intersections, and use of camera and digital evidence tools — as contributors to improved response times and crime-fighting capacity.

Council members and the mayor thanked Kennedy and staff for the report and the breadth of projects completed in 2024. No formal council action was required on the annual report; it served as an annual informational presentation required by the city charter.