STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS Mayor Jon Costas Harre Union, Valparaiso January 25, 2011
Chamber members and guests, fellow citizens of Valparaiso. Thank you again for the privilege of this podium and the opportunity report on the state of our city at your annual meeting. What a fantastic turnout again this year. Whose chamber of commerce is as vibrant and effective as the Valparaiso chamber? I have yet to find a rival in my travels. Our chamber is a reflection of our community at large: engaged, self-motivated and collaborative. Rex Richards and his talented staff always seem to be raising the bar and hitting new heights. They deserve another round of applause. The other day I was reflecting on the benefits of spending almost my entire life here in Valpo. My life has been shaped and nurtured by so many inspiring and talented people. Our city is full of them. People of character and quite a few characters too. Some of you here today, like me, lived the adventure of having Sid Reggie as your coach and government teacher. For the last 41 years Sid has left an indelible mark on our students at VHS. If fact I still have an indelible mark on my head from his class ring that he would turn around and apply to your head as a reminder that you needed some behavioral modification. He was straight up, Lebaneese loud, and in your face. But this gruff demeanor could not mask his love for his students and the desire for their success. When he yelled “Costas you stink” on the football field, we all knew what he really meant was “Jon you need to do better next time.” But the great thing about growing up and becoming an adult in the same city is the beauty of long term relationships. I’ll never forget when I was fresh out of college, looking for my first apartment and called a phone number on a building. I said who I was and asked about the rent. There was a pause and then the man on the line blurted out “Costas, I wouldn’t rent to you if you were the last person on earth”. I was speechless then a light went on and I said “Mr. Reggie?” He was a great landlord. Sid, to you and all of your dedicated colleagues in the Valparaiso school system, thanks for a job very well done. Any business or organization knows that to succeed in today’s world you need to be both an optimist and a realist. Acknowledging challenges and reaching for opportunity. One foot in Kansas and the other in Oz. The careful balancing of resources and planning is also important for effective local government. We must work to build a city that meets the needs of a diverse group of people. We must not cater to the haves and ignore the have nots. We cannot neglect the seniors as we seek a better city for our young people. Speaking of seniors, we are honored to have with us here today the oldest living Valparaiso resident. Elsie Wathne is 106 years young. Over the years I have visited Elsie in her home on Center Street many times and am always blessed by her wit, her optimism and her faith. She is an extraordinary woman and a grand example of the true Valpo spirit. Elsie loves to tell stories
about how life has changed since 1904, the year she was born. Back then the average life expectancy was 47, only 14% of homes had a bath tub. There were only about 8000 cars in the U.S. and just 144 miles of paved roads (less than the amount in our city alone). And most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. We’ve come a long way Elsie. I think Elsie deserves a standing ovation for being here today. And seated near Elsie is the Daisy Girl Scout Troop 149. These spirited young ladies are led by scoutmothers Jessica Gloyd and Toni Sanchez and are planning a “Make the World a Better Place Day” in April by helping the city with spring cleanup activities. They are just beginning their Valpo adventure and they are the reason we plan and invest in our city. Thank you for partnering with your city Daisy Scouts. So there is the critical balance as we make decisions about out city. We must continue to invest in our schools, roads, parks and pipes so that the young ladies of Troop 149 will enjoy the quality of life we do and will want to call Valpo home as they build their lives and raise their families. At the same time we have to make sure that our citizens on fixed budgets like Elise can afford to live here comfortably by keeping our taxes low and property values strong. That is our objective as your city administration. And that is my pledge to you: To achieve that balance of bold investment and fiscal soundness. There is another principle that holds true for both government and business. Teamwork and a spirit of collaboration are absolutely necessary for success. The desire to see others succeed and the willingness to help them along the way pays big dividends. Partnerships among local governments, schools and universities and non profits are the way of the future, and those communities who build bridges of cooperation will the ones who thrive in the new economy. Teamwork and partnerships are the Valpo way. I am fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented and motivated public servants ever compiled into one team. Believe me, this team is the fuel behind our engine of progress. Please join me in thanking our clerk treasure Sharon Swihart, our seven city council members and our fantastic leadership team. They, and our team of 240 city employees, are committed to excellence and serving you well. Often I am asked what my plans are for Valparaiso. My first thought is a better question is what are “our” plans for Valparaiso. This city belongs to its people and my charge is to steer it in the direction that best meets their goals. And that is why from day one we have relied upon strategic planning to make decisions. A plan that includes much input from community leaders, average citizens and elected officials is an effective compass for decisions. A plan creates unity and a common vision. We updated our strategic plan in 2009 and it continues to drive our decisions and spending. We are still catching our breath from last year’s agenda as we embark on 2011. Our downtown continues to transform into a vibrant destination spot for all of northwest Indiana. Who would have thought 8 years ago that you would have trouble finding a parking spot on the square on a Friday evening? Each year we add new events and more reasons to visit. The new central park plaza has risen from the ashes of an abandoned building and will be a terrific community
gathering place for generations. The new majestic pavilion was designed to enhance the downtown architecture and I’m sure you will all enjoy an outdoor concert there this summer. While many communities would raise taxes or borrow to construct such a magnificent park, we are paying cash for it with federal state grants, redevelopment funds and private donations. Now that’s a lasting gift to our children and grandchildren. Over the last seven years we have developed quite a taste for federal and state grants. And we are good at finding it. We will search high and low for grants to fund construction projects that benefit our city. In fact, in the last seven years we have earned grants in excess of $40M to fund such projects as the Eastgate renovations, roundabout construction, storm water projects and many others. Federal stimulus funds helped us step up our road recovery efforts this year. We improved 23.66 miles of city roads, almost 17% of our total inventory, and replaced or installed almost 2 ½ miles of sidewalks, much of which in neighborhoods that never had sidewalks. Also, we received stimulus funds to fully renovate our downtown fire station and install new solar powered school zone flashers. Last year our park department completed a new masterplan that will guide its course for the next 10 years. Working with funding from the redevelopment commission, we will add another three miles of pathways this year, bringing our total to 13 miles. Pathways is the number one park priority for our citizens based upon a recent survey. Also, we will be increasing our investment in current park buildings and grounds and conducting an analysis to enhance park safety. We reduced the cost of providing services in many ways in 2010. We achieved great savings in renegotiating our transportation services, the V-Line and the Chicago Dash. Our total savings for 2011 alone was 353,000. And our ridership for both services was up in 2010, 12% on the V line and 75% on the Chicago dash. Last week we broke a one day record of 102 riders to Chicago on the Dash. These cost-efficient transportation systems provide help our citizens get to jobs, stores and appointments while reducing the number of cars on the road. A key partner in the city’s progress is the redevelopment commission. Comprised of two city council members and three citizens appointed by the mayor, this commission has helped plan and fund many vital projects such as the Vale Park extension, the Eastgate redevelopment and roundabout, the transformation of the old county seat shopping plaza and the downtown streetscape and park plaza. Without the matching investment of TIF funds we would not be able to qualify for most federal and state grants. Looking ahead to 2011, we will build a new roundabout at the intersection of Vale Park and Silhavy roads and add two more private developments to the continued Eastgate redevelopment area. Everyone wants to live in a safe and peaceful city. We are taking measures to make sure Valpo stays that way. Last year the Valpo police department successfully completed a seven year plan to achieve accreditation by CALEA, the Commission for Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. As one of only 12 agencies in the state who have earned this distinction, we are poised for excellence now and into the future. Among the many benefits of accreditation are greater accountability and professionalism, reduced liability and risk of loss, and increased community policing and advocacy.
Our fire department is second to none and continues to expand its ambulance service while it reduces response times. In partnership with Chuck Conover, Center Township Trustee, and the redevelopment commission we purchased a new Quint fire truck. In 2011 we will be exploring the creation of a fire territory to consolidate services. For the last three years, every business, family and organization has been hammered by a deep and nagging economic recession. While Valpo has fared better than many communities, too many of our citizens are unemployed or under employed. Our unemployment rate is over twice it was just four years ago, making it hard for families to make ends meet. I’m sure each of has a friend or family member that is out of work and needing a job in the worst way. In the last three months, however, we have seen signs that this hard economic winter is beginning to thaw. More of our local employers like Task Force Tip, UGN and Urschel Laboratories have expanded recently, and the number of inquiries of businesses from Illinois and Michigan has increased substantially. As Indiana continues to position itself as a business friendly state, and as our city touts the vast benefits of growing or relocating your company right here, I sense that a great economic recovery is in store for us. As far as I am concerned it cannot happen fast enough. I plan to allocate more of my time during the next year on business expansion and job creation. This is our most important need at this hour. Our Daisy Scouts will one day need job opportunities to provide for their families, and so our efforts now will pave the way for their future. Over the last year we have seen and felt the political winds shift and gust almost violently as the American people once again speak out about the role of government in their lives. This American experiment in Democracy is a work in progress – a recipe that starts with the basic tenets of our Constitution, mixed with the values that have made us strong and garnished with generous proportions of citizen engagement. And while this American adventure has had its tenuous moments, it will continue to shine a beacon in a global world of change and opportunity and of uncertainty and promise. Fortunately the issues of local government are simpler and more pragmatic. Our charge is straightforward: to improve this city while keeping the costs of government low. Despite all the investments around the city, we are in the best financial shape in decades. In the midst of a recession we have built up a reserve of over 3.5M and have kept borrowing to a minimum. We employ the same number of people as we did a decade ago and have used technology and new procedures to increase out level of service despite our growth in households and businesses. That is the mark of effective local government, that is what the people of Valparaiso deserve and that is what we will continue to deliver. It is this commitment to fiscal restraint in tandem with progressive planning that honors our super seniors like Elsie, who left, for our enjoyment, that same legacy. And it is our duty to the young ladies of Daisy Troop 149, to leave them a city that is strong, vibrant and affordable. May God grant us success as we walk that journey together.