HomeMy WebLinkAboutState of the City AddressThank you for inviting me here today. This is the first State of the City address of my
administration.
I am pleased to report that the State of The City is good. We are a growing thriving
community. We are a community of high expectations.
On January 1, 1996, the keys to City Hall and the Mayor's office were placed in my hand,
and I was pointed to the file cabinets.
There was no Operators Manual for running the City of Carmel.
What I brought to the office was a campaign that promised change.
This administration is one of high expectations.
We believe that change is a positi:ve thing when it exists in an atmosphere of high
expectations. Change opens opportunities to do good. Change provides the impetus
for new thinking, individual achievement, and collective accomplishment.
High expectations have set a high standard of performance and responsibility in
our departments.
One of our first acts was to issue an ethics policy.
Then, we turned to performance.
Some would say that we are moving very fast--too fast for some, but we have much
we want to accomplish in a very short period of time.
Government likes to talk about a problem--o~n talking the problem into a study
committee or a task force. Too often government rejects a path of action out of
convenience, out of fear, or out of lack of conviction.
So, we decided early on to take action. That meant that public participation wasn't
diminished or ignored. We are granted our job by the public, and we take care to make
sure that the public is consulted. The only difference is that we are no longer willing to
work slowly on problems with obvious necessity or need. We ask the public to match our
desire to solve problems and meet opportunities.
What we won't do is make a decision that can hurt our city or cripple our progress for the
sake of politics or pacification.
Government must work as a partner in the community. I have come to the conclusion that
government's failure is not so much the result of misdirection, but rather the failure to
manage.
Let's look at some of the ways we've changed the management of government at
City Hall.
We have consolidated the responsibilities that were often contracted out or dispersed
between departments under previous administrations to redesign the way our government
functions.
The city has the benefit ora City Legal Department, headed by attorney, Deb Grisham.
We are realizing savings through careful contract review and substantial streamlining of
the city's legal procedures. For the first half of 1996 the average cost of an hour of legal
service declined by over one-third.
We moved immediately to change our city's Utility Department. Today, the Department
has a new customer-driven focus, new management procedures in billing to be
implemented over the next six months, and new customer response and customer
information. John Duffy, our dedicated head of Utilities reminded us last summer that, for
the first time in years, we have the capacity to deliver more water than we need. The days
of lawn watering bans are in the past. These improvements are the result of prior
administrations, and they are to be commended. Our municipal water company has
embarked on a $3.6 million dollar system improvement plan that will ensure that we never
again have water rationing in the City of Carmel.
Our new Police Chief, Mike Fogarty, has moved quickly to build morale and
professional pride in our Police Department. The Department has worked to address
specific citizen concerns to assure that the Department is focused on the delivery of
professional, high-quality police efforts. These efforts have resulted in the addition of a
second full time officer to the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program. We
are now able to reach students in the Junior High Schools to further build student self-
esteem by encouraging them to take responsibility for their own behavior, teaching them
ways to, hopefully, resist peer pressure and make responsible choices. The Department is
now accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies,
having complied with over 800 recognized law-enforcement standards.
Our Police Department has reached out to our public schools through a program of
enhanced communications to identify and assist troubled students. The neighborhood
crime watch program continues to grow with 13 neighborhoods now involved.
Let's switch gears for just a moment. One thing about a State of the City address is that
they can be pretty long and dry.
So, in an attempt to wake up a few of you, let's discuss the Sunshine Coalition.
Government is an open process. The people who criticize this administration provide a
valuable role in governing. They have actually made us work harder to test every idea, to
reach out to the coramunity and invite new ways to solve problems. The Web page that
exists to criticize our every move is not Our enemy, it is an instructive lesson in the politics
of the past, and a weathervane for our actions in the future. As long as criticism is
constructive, we will all benefit. In reaction to the challenges of the Sunshine Coalition,
which I have met with and will continue to meet with, we will continue to invite their
members, as we do the public, to participate on task forces and committees, and in public
debates.
We have tried to be more accessible to the public. It occurred to us that we could extend
the hours of City Hall by staggering the hours of our employees. As a cooperative effort
that didn't cost the taxpayers a dime, we've added two and one half hours a week to the
onen schedule at City Hall.
exists to criticize our every move is not our enemy, it is an knstructive lesson in the politics
of the past, and a weathervane for our actions in the future. As long as criticism is
constructive, we will all benefit. In reaction to the challenges of the Sunshine Coalition,
which I have met with and will continue to meet with, we will continue to invite their
members, as we do the public, to participate on task forces and committees, and in public
debates.
We have tried to be more accessible to the public. It occurred to us that we could emend
the hours of City Hall by staggering the hours of our employees. As a cooperative effort
that didn't cost the taxpayers a dime, we've added two and one half hours a week to the
open schedule at City Hall.
And, we've addressed the social fabric of this community. Domestic violence has attracted
public attention and is a serious problem. I have appointed a task force to address this
problem and am pleased to announce that they have energetically worked to raise private
funds to support an awareness campaign. They have also worked with our Police
Department to start a Workplace Awareness Campaign to address the growing problem of
workplace and domestic violence.
Let's return to the operation and management of our departments.
We have consolidated the personnel function that existed in every department of city
government. Under the qualified leadership of Barb Lamb we've realized greater
efficiency, improved our ability to identify, train, and employ quality individuals, and have
improved employee communication and morale. We have implemented a program of
random drug testing of city workers to ensure that the City of Carmel is a safe place to
work and to ensure that all of our employees operating vehicles and heavy equipment are
drug free:
Our Fire Department, under the leadership of our new Fire Chief, Doug Callahan
has established a new system of merit-based promotions designed to recognize ability
and dedication. The Department has reorganized its safety programs, and has
improved the management of our Hazardous Materials Program under the leadership of
Rick Dufek.
One of the new management approaches of this administration has been the development
ora Department of Administration. When we took office, we knew that each department
of city government had been handling its own purchasing. We found opportunities to save
money. For example, the same item from the same vendor was being sold to one
department for $3 and to another department for $15. We've implemented contracts with
vendors for office supplies to reduce our costs. We learned that the city was buying fuel
for its police cars and fleet at retail pump prices. We've coordinated a fuel depot with the
School Corporation that will yield savings of up to $35,000 a year.
To ensure better service to our citizen§ and bett~f coordination with related departments
we've completely reorganized the Department of Community Services. This department is
headed by Steve Engelking, one of our MBA's with real life experience in planning and
management. The Department has completed its comprehensive plan, the VISION 20/20
project. Its permit functions have been consolidated into a one-stop shop, operating on
the first floor of City Hall. Our new City Engineer, Kate Boyle brings the qualifications of
a professional engineer to the City with the energy and enthusiasm that is indicative of the
Department's responsiveness to community needs.
We have recently completed a comprehensive Emergency Management Plan--a first
for the City and an important document to direct the operations of all public departments
in the event of an emergency.
We are actively working on new parks, new trails, and new recreational facilities for our
City. Major announcements will be forthcoming on these new plans as well as the long-
awaited Monon Trail project. We are very close to completing the acquisition of the
corridor, and believe that it will be an asset to the City. You may want to walk the
corridor in Indianapolis to see how it looks and works. I highly recommend the
experience and suggest you make it a family affair.
We are keeping a commitment to the residents of the Old Town area, as new turn-of-the-
century street lights, storm sewers, paved streets and brick trimmed sidewalks will soon be
completed on First Avenue Northwest.
116th street is completed and the 96th Street Bridge Project is on schedule for opening in
November, 1997. The Hazel Dell Road Project--building a new road running south from
146th street between Gray and River Roads to 96th street is well underway and will be
completed in time to handle projected growth on the east side of Carmel.
We are getting more people involved in government. From our beginnings, with a
Transition Team that involved over 100 volunteers, to the appointment of specific
working groups such as the Water Sale Task Force, we are seeking new ways to
involve individuals in the review and design of our programs.
We've appointed more women to management positions in this administration and
have made more appgintments of women to Boards and Cotmnissions than all previous
administrations of this City combined.
Next week, we will begin a series of neighborhood walks that will continue through next
summer to enable me to meet with homeowners and local business owners face to face.
As you have probably read, I am continuing to work on the expansion issues that face our
city. Over the past 10 months, I have met with many neighborhood associations to discuss
the advantages of expanding our borders.
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This report would not be complete without a brief mention of the one critical element that
must be present for any city to progress--the private sector and its resources must forge a
partnership with the government and its leaders to work together to solve our problems
and challenges. I am pleased to report that this essential partnership is taking place in
Carmel at a scale never before approached. Additionally, our Council and units of
government am working together in a way that has not always been present in our City..
How did we get so much done? I might add that we have much yet to do.
Critical to our success was the creation of a solid Fiscal Plan for the City. That Plan
answered basic questions such as what does it take to run the City? What is our expected
income? Where can we enhance or improve our fiscal position? And, most importantly,
can we afford our growth?
I am pleased to announce that our Plan includes tax reductions for each of the four years
that we will submit the budget. We've used the Fiscal Plan to identify ways to enhance
revenues without taxing our businesses and property owners. As a result, the City has
approved a water sale of excess capacity to the Indianapolis Water Company. We are
undertaking a new census which will allow for increases in certain state funds based on
our increased population. We have addressed a fair program of impact fees for
development.
With all that is underway, it is fair to ask if we have a vision for the future of our City.
With a commitment to fiscal responsibility, and a desire to enhance our quality of life here
in Carmel, we are firmly committed to the develop.ment of our economic base through the
active development of our business corridor and technology parks. Currently, our US 31
corridor contains the second largest concentration of office space in the State of Indiana
and it is only 25% built out. We will participate with the Hamilton County Alliance, but
are implementing a separate aggressive economic development effort to seek new
companies and new growth in our business community.
Our retail base in Carmel will continue to improve as the Merchants Square project is
completed. We are actively planning a new city core that will deliver a re-energized and
revitalized retail corridor that will follow Range Line Road and the Monon Trail from Old
Town south to 116th Street.
IfI were to envision the City of Carmel in three years, I would describe it this way:
Carmel will have grown into Indiana's premier location for business headquarters. It
will be home to a university and have significant cultural amenities. The City will have a
good street system without major traffic problems. The new City will host new parks,
trails, and community recreation facilities.
The Carmel of 1999 will host a government that is customer driven, more efficient, and
well managed. The costs of government will be borne equally by the residents of the area
that benefit from the community today.
The Carmel of 1999 will have a new civic center, a square that focuses our City with a
new identity and a sense of community. We will continue to enjoy phenomenal growth in
our business and technology parks. Carmel will have a restored "old town" area that rivals
any historic preservation district in the area. The Carmel of 1999 will be a City of high
expectations. High expectations of its schools, its people, its businesses and of its
government.
We can realize this vision. We have the ability to continue to excel in the future. We have
the capacity and spirit to improve on our strength as a community and meet the challenges
of the future.
The state of our City is better today, I believe, than ever before. Our charge is
to continue on that path for the future.
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