City official says Ashland stabilized finances, cut taxes and advanced infrastructure in 2025 address

A city official delivered Ashland’s 2025 State of the City address, saying the commission acted quickly after taking office to stabilize a “financially fragile” city and protect frontline services.

The presenter said the administration implemented approximately $1.4 million in personnel adjustments focused on management and administrative roles and consolidated some duties “to preserve frontline services while building a more efficient organization.” They listed specific cost controls — limiting travel and training, eliminating cell phone allowances (saving roughly $80,000 a year), and restricting purchasing to essentials — and said these steps, along with partnership-driven savings for cemetery maintenance and the parking garage, improved the city’s fiscal position.

The official said the city established a $3.5 million line of credit as a temporary safeguard; by September, improved revenues and cost reductions had reduced the need to rely on that credit. To rebuild reserves, finance proposed creating a dedicated general fund account seeded with $500,000 and quarterly deposits of $150,000.

On infrastructure, the presenter highlighted several projects: an in-house IT team that replaced an outside contractor (reducing costs from about $1.1 million and yielding annual savings of more than $300,000), a multi-disciplinary effort to reduce long-standing water loss (including replacement of 13 high-consumption meters and correction of a billing misalignment that cut reported loss by about 5%), and a Catlettsburg water-line upgrade that will add four hydrants and replace two others, at an estimated in-house savings of $50,000.

The official described a major wastewater treatment plant upgrade awarded at $99 million and scheduled for completion in 2029, saying funding will combine loans, grants, federal support and bonds as part of the city’s long-term control plan.

The address also covered public safety and services: the fire department responded to 2,350 calls this year and the city has secured about $1,830,000 in fire grants since 2015; the city welcomed a new pumper truck purchased for just under $1 million. The police department answered more than 31,000 calls, a 28% increase, and the city cited community-policing initiatives and a new electronic storage detection canine supporting regional investigations.

Other items included professional management for the Paramount Theater supported with interest earnings from a $25 million state appropriation and a $2 million AMELER grant to fund furniture, equipment and technology; nearly 10,000 residents used the recycling program; crews filled over 3,600 potholes; and a new 24-hour service line handled more than 159 calls, routing emergencies to on-call staff.

The presenter closed by saying the commission had reduced property taxes by 20%, lowered garbage rates from $27.59 to $22.07, and generated $1.7 million from occupational net profit adjustments to support essential services, concluding that the "state of our city is strong" and that the administration has positioned Ashland for a stronger future.

No formal votes or ordinance actions were reported during the address.