STATE OF THE CITY - 2019
Congratulations to the Mayor, Department heads, employees and the production staff who produced the 2019 State of the City booklet. The State of the City was presented by the Mayor last night in the civic center. It was not just a speech but an expo. Tables lined the walls representing different departments, with department heads and employees present to answer questions. The atmosphere was positive, the employees moral was high and their sense of pride was obvious.
The booklet produced, State of the City 2019, is an excellent window for citizens to review the City’s operations, financial position and projections. It also lists departments and staff and provides a wealth of statistical data.
The Ripp Report suggests that you drop by city hall and pick up a copy. Compare it to the 2018 State of the City report and you can see the progress Fairhope has made in the last year.
Since 2014 I have attended countless public meetings, last night’s meeting should make citizens of Fairhope very proud. It was the best public meeting I have had the pleasure of attending and the booklet is the most comprehensive report Fairhope has ever produced.
A few facts in the booklet stand out:
The City Debt of 6.83 million will be paid in full by June 2019
The budget includes the purchase of the K-1 Center. If the council’s plan of using applied grants fail.
Population of 22,320, medium age 45.82, medium income $66,237, with 1486 businesses.
Fairhope first female Police Chief Stephanie Hollinghead. The Chief has 65 employees that cover 88 miles of police jurisdiction that received 24,178 calls in 2018.
Fairhope Fire and Emergency management, has 50 Firefighters on the roster with 10 explorers from the Boy Scot learning for life Program, they made 1041 total calls in 2018
Public Utilities has a 5 year, 32 million dollar, Capital improvement and Utility upgrade plan.
Decreased the utility Department debt by 21%, 4 Million Dollars. In the past the previous Mayor and Council used the utility fund as their own piggy bank to pay off lawsuits or plug holes in a fractured Book keeping system. The previous Mayor drew a second city paycheck from the utility of $60,000 a year, that is now history. Mayor Wilson, a public servant, found this second check unethical and refused the additional salary.
Economic and Community development secured 21 million in Grant funding.
Fairhope secured 18 Million in BP Restore Act Funded Projects, with 10 million going to sewer upgrades, that had been overlooked by the previous administration. Extra Congratulations are in order for the staff who worked for over a year on the project.
Get the booklet, there is much more information available.
Congratulations to the Mayor, Department Heads, Employees, First Responders and volunteers that made last night a fantastic success. The 292 full time employees and 101 part time employees are the best assembled staff Fairhope has ever employed.