State of the City

For those of you who may have missed it, here is a brief summary of some of the areas Mayor Gray highlighted in his 2014 State of the City address.

In the area of employment:

Employment is increasing, unemployment is decreasing, and our economy is out-performing those of most similar size cities.  The city is continuing to invest in economic development with the JOBS fund, designed to provide incentives to attract start-ups already identified as innovative and likley to succeed.

In the city budget:

Reforms in health insurance and the pension have saved the city almost $62 million since 2012.  Other savings and efficiencies have occurred because of initiatives such as the new employee health center and pharmacy, energy-saving programs, newly negotiated contracts for jail services, and a revived plan for the needed Emergency Operations Center.

In Public Safety:

The Police, the Fire Department, and Corrections are close to having all of their current staffing positions filled.  There is a new ambulance and 27 new paramedics on the streets.  Crime is down 7.8% since 2012 and there were no fire-related deaths in 2013.  Lexington is one of the safest cities of its size in the country.

In Social Services:

The city is building a new Senior Citizen’s Center; has increased social service agencies funding by 20% since 2012; and is in the process of hiring the first coordinator for the newly established Office of Homeless Intervention and Prevention.

Development and funding:

In the next few days the new design for Rupp Arena, the convention center and parts of Town Branch Commons will be unveiled.  To create a new tool to generate revenue for projects like those proposed in relation to the renovation of the Rupp Arena, the city is pursuing state-level legislation that would allow local governments to initiate a public referendum for up to a 1% increase in the sales tax for specified projects.  In Lexington, a 1% sales tax would generate an estimated $34 million per year.  If approved, the increase would sunset when the project is complete.

 You can watch a video of Mayor Gray’s speech here.