The 2014 State of the City Address at the Masonic Hall.
As given to the Lakewood Observer by City of Lakewood.
The Power Point Presentation
• Welcome thank you for your civic interest
• Hoping to be celebrating the arrival of Spring-
1
2013 in Review
Actual expenses matched 2002 city budget
Reached 3-year agreement with our unions
Invested in new technology at multiple levels
Continued Housing Forward progress
Significant private commercial investments
1. Right sized the city to meet 2002 budget levels caused by state revenue loss
• Grateful our workforce who agreed to a wage freeze while we worked through the pressures and uncertainty.
• As of last night, we have reached 3 year agreements with our unions through dec 2016
Affordable, fair, and provide flexibility to meet the challenges ahead.
2. Invested in new technology at multiple levels-
• Today- our opportunity is to use what we have- no need to add more
3. Housing Forward
• 1700 to 900 to 450 today
• Private investment in home improvements exceed $12 million
• Repurposed two challenging and disruptive boarding houses to set them on
path to be great Lakewood family homes
• Partnership with lakewood Alive and Detroit shoreway
4. Also experienced over $12 million commercial investments-
• Welcomed discount Drug East and West, Family dollar, Humble Wine Bar,
Streat Burger, Campbell Popcorn, some thin Smokin, and a host of others
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The job of local government has many, many facets. This is not unique to Lakewood.
Let's take a look at the range challenges and opportunities facing me and mayors like
me across the land:
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[/img]2014 Primary Focus Areas
Sound Governance
Safe and Secure City
Economic Development
Vibrant Neighborhoods
In a city like lakewood, as this video shows, things come at you hard and fast. Making
it all the more important that create focus on things that keep our city moving
forward In light of this variety and complexity, We have developed a robust
strategic plan that focuses these four themes.
Reference themes:
In our government, if your work does not advance at least one of these themes, you
had better ask your self just what you are doing
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Sound Governance
Goal: Remain fiscally sound and sustainable
1. To become fiscally sound and sustainable
2. by continuously improving,
3. by living within our means
4. By living within the means of our citizens
5. To be effective investors of hard earned tax dollars on things that matter
6. Over 30 actions identified that will improve our governance
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Defend our bond rating
• A challenge for us today to defend our credit rating of AA2 by our credit rating agency - moody's
• Interest rates on our debt is very important to our financial future
• National pension concerns have placed focus on all cities
• We must tell our very exciting and unique story.
6
Invest estate tax wisely
• You might be aware of our $7.6 million estate windfall- on its way to zero $ since estate taxes were eliminated last year.
• We plan to Fund a rainy day fund- which will allow us to set aside $1.5 million into reserve fund.
• We must Make thoughtful capital investments- the parameters set up by city council
and this administration
• It would be prudent to expect each of these rare dollars to leverage other dollars
and earn a return to Lakewood decades into the future
7
Expand Lean initiative
Our lean initiative - many small changes for the better, has proven to be very
effective
• 100% of our employees introduced to LEAN
• 16 successful lean projects all over our government including Human Services, Public Works, and Public Safety
• 8 projects have launched or are prepared to launch in 2014
• Lots More work to come- Our government is a very complex organization
• 20 different service platforms
• There isn't any thing we do that we that could not to better
8
Recycle 40% of refuse tonnage
• Currently, the city is recycling 30% of it's tonnage.
• We have set a goal of recycling 40% of our tonnage by the end of 2015
• This will put Lakewood in the very upper echelons of recycling in the country.
• Phase 2 & 3 of automation are set to launch in 2014 and 2015.
• The city has invested in a New lift/packer trucks plus 6000 more recycling bins
9
Communicate through new media
Improved our use of social media:
• Twitter -2, 811 followers
• facebook 4,943 friends
• Youtube Video's
• More to come
10
Safe and Secure City
• Goal: Safest city in the region
• Our Goal- to be the safest city in the region
• Big challenge
• Very important challenge
• despite our budget pressures- city council and I have affirmed and maintained full strength of public safety forces
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Advanced public safety infrastructure
• Holey grail since 9-11 is interoperability among all public safety agencies.
• Today, Lakewood is on the most compatible platform in our State-
• Our Westshore neighbors, the city of Cleveland, State Police, metro
parks, eventually all cities will be on this platform
• state of the art dispatch center
• Increased surveillance in public cameras- currently, have 17 surveillance cameras with 6 additional cameras in 2014
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Reduce untreated sewer discharges into the lake
• Protecting our waterways is National challenge
• Not only is the Clean Water Act of 1972 the law of the land,
• we have an obligations stewards of our environment, to do our part
• Big, complex, expensive challenge
• We must redesign portions of our 100 year old, 160 mile sewer system
• 2014 will make several important investments to advance our compliance with the law
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Enhance transportation safety and options
One our great strengths is the fact that our city was designed for a non automotive era
• -it was designed for walking and mass transit
• Our opportunity to roll back the 50 year focus on automobiles and make safer
ways for bikes and pedestrians
• Decrease auto speeds through Design/enforcement/education
• Woodward traffic calming design implementation
• Used parked cars- to create S curve called "chicane"
• Visual effect
• Physical effect
• Exploring New pedestrian crossing technology such as
• manor park and detroit
• Clarence and madison
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Economic Development
Goal: Liveliest local economy
Our goal- liveliest local economy in the region
• improves our quality of life by making more local options to shop and play
• It creates a capacity to invest in our future
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Set Madison into motion
• $2.4 million Resurfacing the entire street - no local funds
• New traffic signalization
• Madison Park Skatehouse Improvements
• Birdtown streetscape and housing projects
• $250,000 storefront improvement funds
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Finish Clifton transit improvements
• This year we will finish the Clifton Blvd Transit improvements
• $50,000 of local funds leverages over $600,000 in federal transportation funds
• Architecturally designed stations complement our historic architecture along Clifton Blvd.
• Up to the minute communication of bus arrival times
• Dedicated transit corridor in rush hour
• Surveillance cameras and hot line to RTA Police
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Capitalize on development opportunities
We still have signficant redevelopment opportunities:
• Former Spitzer car dealership offers prime redevelopment opportunities near downtown
• The city will be exploring opportunities to jumpstart development at the Rockport site-
• (former Fairchild Chevrolet site)
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Vibrant Neighborhoods
Goal: The envy of the region
in quality of life and housing
Provide a quality of life and housing stock that is the envy of the region.
19
Continue progress with Housing Forward
1. Our Housing Forward initiative begain in 2011
• We made great strides with our 1 & 2 family houese
• Begin to focus Multi-family housing ( 4 + units)
• Continue to Connect our residents to resources to help improve their
house- and our neighborhoods
2. Time to celebrate our century homes-
• by launching a century home certification, with a plaque to be
placed on the front of every century home.
• By 2020- 50% of Our homes will proudly bear this plaque
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Redevelop McKinley School site
We have a once a century opportunity to redevelop almost 3 acres for residential use
• This picture show a concept- not the actual plan Multi- million townhouse/single floor living options
• We have worked collaboratively with the school board to offer these n housing designs in Lakewood
21
Shift to a modern healthcare delivery system
1. There are tremendous changes occurring in Healthcare today and even more so in the future
2. Every day we read and hear about the dramatic shift from activity based care and costs to outcome based care and costs
3. Technology is rapidly changing the landscape of not only how care is delivered, but also where it will be delivered
4. Lakewood Hospital Trustees are preparing for these changes
5. The trustees are being proactive, not reactive by looking ahead 13 years when the current lease expires with The Cleveland Clinic
6. I am confident that Lakewood citizens will be well served by a modern, sustainable healthcare system that will serve our needs now and decades from now
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Encourage active healthy living
• A very big part of improved health and lower health care costs is increased active and healthy living
• We plan to make Significant park enhancement and investments
• We need to think long term to explore how active and healthy living should be incorporated into our plans and lifestyles
• city council and I look forward to working with our School Board and citizens through a soon to be formed task force on this subject
• A great opportunity is to improve our heralded Walkability-
• we need to be able to walk 365 days of the year -snow or no snow
• We need Safe side walks-
• year 2 of 10 program to improve our 180 miles of sidewalks
• $500,000 budget to create a revolving fund to allow for annual progress
• We need to revitalize and improve our Tree Canopy- trees improve our health and quality is many ways.
• Our very hardworking tree task force has created focus on a range of efforts that will help us improve our tree canopy from its current 29% coverage of our city to a stretch goal of 40% coverage
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Provide excellent services to those in need
As a mayor, I too frequently find that some of our neighbors find themselves in difficult circumstances that require extra help.
• our Human Services programs and initiatives are designed to serve these special needs
• I view these efforts as vital to addressing the fundamental concept of human dignity
-Our local role:
To be an Assessor of our local need- no one will understand lakewood residents better than lakewood
To be an Advocate of our needs to others who can best serve and help us serve
Convener and lead collaborator to harmonize and leverage and
eliminate overlapping services and fill gaps among the multitude of service providers
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2014 Investments
Madison Avenue Resurfacing $2.3 million
Madison Park Skate house $400,000
Madison Storefront Renovation Funding $250,000
Madison Avenue Traffic Light Signalization $2 million
Kids Cove Playground Upgrade $150,000
Kauffman Park Walking Path $100,000
Clifton Boulevard Transit Improvements $650,000
McKinley School Demolition $600,000
Edgewater and West End Sewer Improvements $5 million
Lakewood Park Waterfront $1.5 million
As you can see, this is a very, very big year to invest in our vision
Let's not forget the very exciting Phase 3 School investment that will bring $100 million
of school construction over the next several years.
This will begin with demolition this Fall.
City hall will do what ever it takes to support our Board of Education to ensure
successful outcomes of this massive project. We will all work hard to minimize the
impact these projects will have on our neighborhoods.
Madison Ave Resurfacing 2.3 million (Federal, State, and county $$$
Madison park restrooms- $400,000 ( Federal CDBG)
Madison Storefront- $250,000 (Federal CDBG)
Madison Traffic signals $2 million (80% federal transportation, 20% local)
Kids cove play ground update $150,000 (local capital $)
Kaufman park walking path $100,000 (local capital $)
RTA Bus Transit $50,000 local- $600,000 federal transpertation $)
McKinley Demolition $600,000 (local shared with school board and land bank- hope to
recoup from development
Lakewood park lakefront $1.5 million (local capital $)
Summer Solstice Celebration - June 21, 2015
• Lakewood has 3 miles of coastline but less than 3,000 feet of publicly accessible waterfront at Lakewood Park
• Wile our lakefront is limited, it is unique to our region. We have a plan to make our park even more of a gem that it is today
• Today, we stand at the top and look through a cyclone fence as if to say" stay away"
I am very excited to share how we can celebrate and connect to OUR great lake in
ways we never imagined
I invite you to join me on June 21st of next year on our new Solstice steps on the northwest corner
The End
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