Saline Mayor Delivers State of the City Address

At the Jan. 9 meeting of Saline City Council, Mayor Gretchen Driskell delivered the State of the message.

Below is the full text of the speech. Here are five highlights from a speech was largely positive and optimistic about the state of the city.

Downtown Vibrance

Driskell pointed to the opening of several downtown businesses, a new music series and several successful events as signs of a healthy downtown. She also noted improvements at the former eyesore at 147 W. Michigan Ave. Driskell also pointed to the efforts to make Saline a select level member of Michigan Main Street as an effort that would give the community more "time-tested tools" to strengthen downtown.

Turned the Corner?

Driskell noted that residential property values have stabilized and that Saline's businesses are "growing, hiring and investing."

Slimmed Down City

Driskell said that years of cuts to revenue sharing and reduced property taxes have forced the city to scale back. Driskell noted that the city has reduced or cut 15 percent of its workforce. She said the city continues to look for ways to cut costs and expects future labor negotiations to bring more savings.

Personal Property Tax Issue Looms

Driskell said it was disconcerting that the state is considering the elimination of personal property tax revenues. She noted that tax revenues make up 22 percent of the city's revenue. "Eliminating this local revenue source would severely hamper our ability to provide quality services to you," Driskell said, adding that any decision to eliminate the tax should come with a guaranteed revenue replacement.

Quality of Life

Driskell began and ended her speech by calling Saline a great place to live, work and play. She said the city continues to work on quality of life issues, pointing to the installation of the Seats of Our Heritage street furniture art installation downtown and the inaugural Winterfest event last year. Driskell said this year's completion of the trail linking the library and railroad depot is another example of the city's efforts to enhance quality of life in the city.

Here is the full text of Driskell's address:

It is an honor to have the opportunity to report on the state of affairs of our fine city. We have all been experiencing challenging times with our economy, however this provides an opportunity for new ideas and energy. As you will see in this address, your council and staff are in partnership with our residents, schools and local businesses, to provide a great place to live, work, and play.

City council has worked diligently to identify the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. We will be formalizing the update to our strategic plan in the next few months and putting this information on our website. Our goals are similar to last year, supporting our ability to be a successful city in the 21st century.

Our goal to sustain a vibrant downtown has had multiple successes in the past year. Several new businesses opened: restaurant, , and the Tuxedo Shop, among others. The winter music series at the was so successful last year that there will be another series starting January 19. Multiple downtown events, such as the / and , greeted visitors from near and far. The vacant parcel at 147 Michigan Avenue has been transferred to new ownership that has cleaned up and is aggressively marketing the property.

The city is in the final stages of adopting a form based code for our downtown. Our objectives for this next year also include partnering with business and property owners by quadrant to develop any underutilized space. Most importantly, an application has been made to the state for the Select level status in the program. Receiving this award will give our downtown and the greater community time tested tools for a solid foundation. (To follow the progress on the applications status please check the website route12tomainstreet.com). We will learn whether we have been accepted at the Select level in March.

Our goal to maintain financial stability has been going through severe stresses in the last few years. The combination of the decline in property values, the decline in revenue sharing from the state, and the cap on valuation increases implemented by the state greatly reduces our revenue. We have reduced or cut more than 15 percent of our workforce and are continually looking for other opportunities to decrease our costs. The most recent discussions at the state level to eliminate or replace are very disconcerting. Personal property tax revenue is 22 percent of the city’s total revenue, and eliminating this local revenue source would severely hamper our ability to provide quality services to you. Replacement with a reliable guaranteed source would be looked upon favorably, but no such proposal has been brought forward. We hope you will be watching this scenario very closely as it progresses, as it will significantly impact all aspects of your community services (schools, library, city and county services).

Our city operations are under continual review. We have had several employees retiring this fiscal year and we will be looking for opportunities for additional savings as we reorganize. We continually analyze benefits for cost savings and expect future labor negotiations to identify other areas for savings. Our residential property values have stabilized and our businesses are growing, hiring and investing. While we will need to identify a new funding source for future road improvements, we have made substantial investments in our infrastructure over the past decade and our facilities are in excellent condition.

Another strategic goal for the city is to intensify economic development opportunities. We have always been considered a pro-business community, as evidenced by the investments made to develop our 300 acres of business parks. We recognize the need to develop a formal economic development plan and work with our business partners in the community to identify barriers to entrepreneurial success. We will be putting together a task force of stakeholders in the next few months and finalize the plan by the end of the calendar year.

Our city council also believes that building a sustainable community is crucial to our success. As community leaders we have a responsibility to make decisions that impact our environment in a sustainable manner. Our Environmental Commission will be offering education to our residents, and we hope to develop strategies that promote alternative energy savings throughout our community. Check the website or our FYI for helpful tips on how to live sustainably.

We are always working on improving communication with our residents and businesses, because an informed community makes the best decisions and is vested in our future. Building community spirit and civic engagement is another vital goal. The sense of pride that Saline residents feel is formed by participation in our community. We greatly value all the volunteers that contribute to our commissions and events. Our city would be nothing but a shell without the wonderful energy our volunteers bring to their tasks.

Enhancing our excellent quality of life is a goal that is constantly being reviewed for new ideas. In the next year we will be finishing the linear trail between the library and the railroad depot. Additionally, we have representing our agricultural heritage on the 100 block of North Ann Arbor Street. The , held this year on Jan. 28, is a great opportunity to come out and play with your friends and family. Think snow so we can win the 2nd annual again this year.

Our city council is looking forward to an exciting and challenging year ahead. We welcome two new council members, Jim Peters and Jim Roth. Additionally we have seasoned councilmembers, Dean Girbach, Brian Marl, David Rhoads, and Linda TerHaar. I look forward to working with them as we implement the programs we have developed during our planning processes.

Despite the challenges we face, Saline is well positioned to move successfully into the future. We have a team of dedicated employees, thoughtful elected leadership and your support and participation in our community. Thank you for helping us make Saline a great place to live, work and play.