HomeMy WebLinkAboutState of the City 1998 State of the City Speech
A Partnership for Tomorrow
delivered by Mayor James Brainard
to the Ca~hiel Clay Chamber of Commerce
Thank you for letting me address the chamber group today. It's always a
pleasure to discuss the State of the City of Carmel with you. And I am always
glad to report to you that the State of the City of Carmel is good.
Carmel is a unique place. It has the second largest concentration of office
workers in the state, some of the highest school achievement scores in the
state, and an unbeatable quality of life. There is such a strong sense of
community here where residents, businesses and city government work in
partnership. I'm not always sure we all appreciate how much we can achieve
and have achieved with the partnerships we've formed.
Picture the Target Mall at 116th Street and Keystone just a few years ago. You'll
remember that the retail area was an eye sore in general and a detriment to
development. But now, because of the partnerships City government formed
with developers, we have one of the most beautiful and successful retail centers
in the area. National chains, local retailers and restaurants have found the
renovated project to be a very desirable business address.
01d Town Carmel is another area where the City partnered.
We're not only one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, but our growth is
quality growth that makes Carmel one of the best places anywhere to work, live
and raise a family.
I pledge to do my best to maintain a high quality of life in our city. The
contract I made with Carmel during my election campaign was intended to do
just that. That detailed agenda has helped focus my attention since I took
office in January of 1996. At the same time, I pledged to report on the progress
we were making on that agenda. I would like to take this opportunity to
update you on the Contract terms
1. REPEAL THE TAX INCREASES: I pledged to return our city to the rates we
enjoyed before 1992. I'm pleased to report that over a three-year period, we
have been able to lower taxes 14 percent. We lowered rates three percent the
In-st year, three percent the second year and eight percent this year. This
gives the City of Carmel the lowest district tax rate of any city or town in
Hamilton or Marion County. We have been able to do this through sound
management practices. We have also hired the best government
accountants available who have helped us model our fiscal position so that
we can tell the community with certainty that not only will rates not go up
but that they should come down each year for the foreseeable future. It is
important in doing good planning that we keep a close eye on the ratio
between business and residential taxpayers. Accordingly, we have looked at
our zoning laws and projected our tax situation at full build-out of this area
as part of this planning process.
Part of having a well-managed City is being aware of what opportunities are
available for the City. We have been able to capitalize on various grants,
which will assist our City in many infrastructure improvements. Earlier this
spring I was able to work with Congressman Dan Burton to allow Carmel to
receive 86 willion for road improvements from the federal Transportation
Equity Act. You pay eighteen and a half cents into this federal fund each
time you buy a gallon of gas. In other words, about three dollars every time
you fill-up your car with gasoline. Indiana has traditionally received only
about 70 cents back for each dollar paid in. I would prefer that we not have
to pay this money to Washington and then beg to get it back; however, I was
determined that Carmel get back at least what our taxpayers have paid into
the system. Thanks to Congressman Burton's help Carmel is the only city
or town in Hamilton County receiving any of these funds over the next six
years.
2. FIND WAYS TO ACQUIRE NEW PARK LAND AND IMPROVE FAMILY-
BASES RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: When I took office the Parks
Department had only 21 acres. During my term, we've added 220 acres of
few park land, not to mention the miles of multi-use pathways that parallel
many of our new roadways. New parks include: Hazel Dell Landing, River
Trail, Wellhead 21, and River Heritage Park and the River Trail. In addition
there is an east and west park site awaiting development. Acquiring these
lands now has ensured that the city will have green space even as the City
grows. The fact that much of this land was donated for park purposes
speaks well of the vision and support the community has behind the Parks
initiative. About three-quarters of this parkland has been donated by
businesses and individuals who recognize the importance of a park system
to the quality of life in our community.
Another new family-based recreation opportunity that we brought to the
City of Carmel was the in-st International Arts Festival. Held the last
weekend in September, the festival brought more than 7,000 visitors to see
a wide-variety of cultural artists to the grounds of Civic Square. Our sister
city, Kawachinagano, Japan even flew over to participate.
The City has also increased its support for the Fourth of July Carmelfest
Celebration and the Family Concert series held at the Gazebo throughout
the summer.
The development of the City Center will also bring a wealth of educational
and entertainment opportunities to our doorstep with the Museum and
Performing Arts Center.
3. CUT OUT WASTE: The city of Carmel today differs significantly from the
city four years ago. There are more people, more streets and with that
change comes the added responsibility of providing improved safety for the
community. There are also more challenges associated with holding down
the costs of government. But we've kept our priorities straight in cutting out
wasteful spending and at the same time maintaining active communication
with our citizens and working diligently to improve the quality of life.
Through active fiscal planning, we've not only experienced the greatest
infrastructure improvements our city has ever experienced but we've
reduced the tax rate 14% over three years. That record is irrefutable. We
have decided to be a leader in the Midwest with a progressive attentive and
energetic administration.
We've implemented centralized purchasing for supplies, fuel, zero-based
budgeting within our departments all designed to attack wasteful spending
and save money. We have saved about 8200,000 on our centralized
purchasing of both fuel and supplies for a total of 8400,000 in savings.
4. CUT TIlE COST OF GOVERNMENT THROUGH PRIVATIZATION: We have
and will continue to benchmark on major items and determine if it is in the
best interest of the City to use government or private sector resources for
the job. So far, we have discovered that for the items we have benchmarked,
our City employees have been able to deliver a superior product or more
cost-effective service. This has not been the case for other cities, but it has
been for us. This speaks well of our City employees.
We will continue to look at privatization for certain major items and if and
when our benchmarking determines that the private sector may offer a
better product or service for the city we will let the people decide.
5. STOP THE PETTY IN-FIGHTING IN CITY HALL: While the Mayor, Council
and Clerk-Treasurer each have their respective responsibilities to protect
the interests of the citizens of Carmel, there is a cooperative spirit in City
Hall. The Clerk-Treasurer has been able to produce the Comprehensive
Annual Financial Report. This is the in:st time this has ever been done for
the City and is only the second in the state for a city our size. The Clerk-
Treasurer has also improved the technology in her office making it easier to
work with and becoming year 2000 compatible. We have a good,
considerate and caring City Council that while, never hesitant to debate
issues of importance, work well together in the best interests of our city.
It is clear that because there is a spirit of teamwork, progress is being made
which truly benefits the citizens of Carmel.
6. PROPOSE BUDGETS THAT ARE REALISTIC, FRUGAL, AND GOAL-
OI~IR-NTED: The budget for each department in Carmel was determined
using zero-based budgeting. This allows us to look at current projects and
determine their costs instead of just adding to budgets that already existed.
As the City grows the needs also grow. Some budget items are necessary to
maintain a safe environment to live and work. We have added firefighters
and police officers to ensure that our response time within the City of
Carmel remains at our goal of four minutes or less. However, we have found
that the cost per person of government in Carmel has actually gone down.
And, a higher and higher percentage of City expenses are going into
infrastructure and less into administration.
7. WORK CLOSELY WITH OUR SCHOOLS TO ACI-IIRVE A PARTNERSHIP
THAT FOCUSES OUR RESOURCES ON OUR MOST IMPORTANT ASSET,
OUR CHILDREN: While it is very clear that the School Board and the
Mayor's office are different parts of City government, it is also clear that we
want to do all we can to assist the schools in their efforts to provide the best
educational environment for our children. Through the police department
the City has actively supported the drug education program in schools, has
encouraged active participation by members of government to be available
for classroom visits and tours of the many city facilities. We've worked
together with schools to provide single source fuel program that allows the
police, fire, and other city vehicles to share gas pumps at the Transportation
Center with Carmel/Clay Schools. This has saved the taxpayers money as
the various agencies realize large-volume discount price savings. The City
street department has worked closely with the schools where they have had
to make intersection and road improvements near schools. My staff has a
continuing dialogue with their counterparts in the school system and that is
good for our city. The city is currently in the early stages of designing a new
street department and vehicle maintenance facility and we are exploring
with school officials whether building a combined facility will save money for
the taxpayers.
We have also partnered with Carmel High School and initiated an internship
program with students participating in DECCA. Those students come to
work at the Mayor's office each day after school and fmd out more about city
government, learn job skills, and help with special projects.
8. MANAGE GROWTH PROPERLY AND RESPONSIBLY: I promised to
manage the basics, to build sidewalks and curbs ... to get back to the basics
of what local government should be doing for the taxpayers. One of the first
things I noticed on a snowy day in January was a citizen who had to take
care of some business at about 4:40 in the afternoon, only to find the doors
of City Hall closed. As I went to open the doors for him, I found that he had
left work early to try and get this errand done. I then decided that City Hall,
like most private sector businesses, should be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To
accommodate this, city workers were allowed to stagger their schedules.
Now, some work 8 - 4:30 while others work 8:30 - 5. We accomplished this
increase in service without any additional staff cost to the taxpayers. One of
the fn-st things we did upon taking office was to put together an
infrastructure improvement plan that predicts what roads, streets, sewers,
water lines and other infrastructure requirements the city will have over the
next twenty years and tie the cost of those improvements into our fiscal
planning so that we don't have any surprises down the road.
We have put curbs and sidewalk in the Old Town residential neighborhoods.
We are also constructing a new multiuse path along 106th Street and Gray
Road, which will give children in several neighborhoods better access to
Carmelot Park. I have reinstated the citizens sidewalk committee who has
prioritized several other sidewalk projects throughout the city.
We have expanded the capacity of the main water station to pump up to 15
million gallons of water during peak periods. This will improve the water
pressure for peak demand periods and in case of major fire. Never again
will we allow our city to be put into a position where water restrictions have
to be imposed due to lack of sufficient water pressure.
We are in the process of a $2.75 million expansion of the wastewater
treatment plant, doubling its primary treatment capacity to 12 million
gallons a day. All of these improvements in our utility systems are being
made out of cash surpluses. This will improve the plant's ability to treat
wastewater, especially during heavy rains. Even before the expansion,
employees at our wastewater treatment facility won the best in class award
for the State of Indiana by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency.
The City has developed a Geographic Information System that catalogues
and maps a vast amount of information about the City's infrastructure such
as where utility and property lines are located. This system will assist City
departments, civic leaders and public safety agencies in planning and
troubleshooting.
The Department of Community Services has also streamlined the permitting
process by creating a one-stop permit shop for builders and developers in
the community. We have also been able to reduce the turn-around time for
building and construction inspections.
A much-needed and often overlooked improvement within City goverrnnent
has been the development of our Civilian Personnel Policy Handbook and
the implementation of employee drug testing. This has improved the
efficiency of City government.
We've improved the safety or our community by adding fire fighters where
they are needed. We have recently asked the fire rating agency to rerate our
fire department which will very likely result in a better rating which will
mean lower property and insurance rates for every resident of the City of
Carmel. We have also added mobile data systems on laptop computers and
in-car cameras to 45 Carmel patrol cars to assist officers in checking
Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles' data base for law violators and
outstanding warrant information to better protect our community. As a
result of this technology, for which we received a state grant, we will never
have to add another dispatcher to the city's payroll, even at full build out.
We have also developed Carmel's ftrst emergency plan and provided training
on implementing that plan to each city department.
Another way to help make our City a healthier place to live is by providing a
way to dispose of household hazardous waste materials such as paints and
cleaning chemicals. We now have a site that is being used by more than
twice the number of people that had been projected.
9. NO PAY RAISE FOR MAYOR: I have not accepted a pay raise since I have
been in office. While the official salary level for the position has been
increased to keep up with inflation and cost of living increase, I have
requested that my pay remain the same as when I started.
10.GET STREET IMPROVEMENTS BACK ON TRACK: During my campaign, I
promised to get the 96th Street Bridge project completed and to move other
street improvements along. Many of you have driven across the beautiful
new 96th Street Bridge that opened earlier this summer. We also have
broken ground and begun construction on the 126th Street expansion,
which has been on the City's thoroughfare plan since 1961. Hazel Dell
Parkway is also another top-rate new parkway that allows Carmel residents
to travel smoothly along the 4-lane parkway bordered by multi-use paths
and beautiful landscaping. When complete, Hazel Dell will come in under
budget by several willion dollars.
Improvements in the 01d Town area are adding to the real estate value in
that neighborhood. The renovations also make it a more attractive long-term
investment for residents and businesses because they know they have the
support of the City. Before the improvements were made, residents had a
serious problem every time it rained. Water would fill their yards and some
garages and basements as well. We developed an overall plan for the area so
there would be consistent use of curbs, storm sewers, and sidewalks. We
are now working on Main Street between the new Library and Range Line
Road. The section of West Main Street crossing the Monon Trail opened up
yesterday. You will see a lower road grade where the hump used to be for
the railroad tracks and a beautiful section of inlaid brickwork. We are
working hard with shop owners on East Main Street to see that any
inconvenience to them is kept at a minimum. The charm of the brick
sidewalks along Main Street is further enhanced by new street and traffic
signs that have been designed with an historic look.
We are also making improvements to Pennsylvania and Old Meridian Street
to relieve congestion around the Meridian Street Corridor. That area boasts
the second largest concentration of office workers in the State of Indiana
and we are doing all we can to make sure that traffic can continue to flow
smoothly through that area and that office workers have easy access to
Carmel's retail shops and restaurant.
At this point I would like to divert from my text for a moment and discuss
an exciting new initiative that will benefit Carmel's older seniors. On
Veteran's Day I proposed that the state use a small portion of its surplus to
effectively eliminate property taxes for those 75 years old or older who have
owned a home 10 of the 11 years prior to the tax year. Because Carmel can't
legally change this law, I must seek the help of the state legislature. This
proposal has met with favorable response and I look forward to its
development. It is an idea that deserves to be discussed and acted upon at
the Statehouse.
CONCLUSION - My biggest concern when I took office was to manage with a
sense of fairness and to maintain a vision, not only for the Carmel of tomorrow,
but the Carmel of 5-10 years away, to not be afraid to propose bold new ideas,
to pay attention to the voices of our citizens, and to deliver a local government
that our citizens could take pride in. One initiative that Carmel needs to bring
a center focus to the community is the Carmel City Center.
As you can see, we have an ambitious agenda, which will require not only a
strong public/private partnership effort, but also a community-based spirit of
cooperation and teamwork. It is the things that we build together that will
mean the most.
Will Rogers once said:
'~l'he fellow that can only see a week ahead is always the popular fellow, for he
is looking with the crowd. But one that can see years ahead, he has a
telescope but he can't make anybody believe that he has it."
I would like for all of you to discover your own telescope and envision the
Carmel of the future. A Carmel rich with cultural opportunities and family-
oriented focused around its City Center. A Carmel that continues to be a safe
vibrant place to live, work and raise a family.
END