State of the City 2009
Dec. 18, 2009
Thank you and I would like to thank each of you for being here today.
Congratulations to Frank Kelly and to the Danbury Hospital.
What an outstanding and wonderful organization.
Danbury Hospital has become a national leader in many areas of medicine. The facility has become an anchor of care and compassion for our residents.
A major employer in our city, Danbury Hospital is poised for growth and poised to provide even more services to our residents, we are lucky to have such a terrific health care provider in the City of Danbury.
I am blessed and honored to serve with outstanding elected officials who put the city first in their work and their deliberations.
Special thanks to Fran Wiatr and to Steve Bull for all of their hard work on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce-it is an honor to work with them on behalf of our business community.
What a difference a year makes….
While the events of the fall of 2008 and the subsequent crash of the stock market and the collapse of the housing market have changed the economic landscape forever.. Our city, the place that we all call home, has withstood some of the fiercest economic head winds since the Great Depression.
It’s rough out there, as the Chamber of Commerce; I know that you are well aware of the many difficulties that our economy faces.
As mayor I see it in the collapse of our revenues- things like building permit fees, real estate conveyance fees, and inactivity in the commercial real estate market.
I see it in a state budget that is close to collapse, and could take municipalities across the state down with it.
I see it in the desperate eyes of those who are the least among us, the homeless, and the downtrodden- who are just looking for hope.
I see it in the people who wait in my office scared that they may lose their homes, or have just lost their job and want advice and shoulder to lean on.
I see it in the eyes of our children who listen to their parents talk in quiet conversations late in the evening about their fears of losing their job or their home.
Yes, it’s rough out there.
I mention these things not because I want to depress you around the holidays, but because I want you know that this is one politician who gets it.
I understand that you, the private sector, are really the answer to many of our financial problems, yet in the current economic environment, too often our state and federal governments have treated you like the enemy, instead of our partner-that thinking must end.
So as I embark today on a brief description of the state of our city, I wanted you to understand the context in which I make my presentation.
First and foremost, Danbury continues to manage the economic crisis by practicing disciplined spending and strong internal financial controls.
I have frozen almost all accounts except, public safety and public works.
I have deferred all hiring unless; there is a critical need or an overtime impact to our budget.
I have banned all out of state travel, unless travel is paid for by an outside agency.
I have stepped up our tax collection efforts throughout the city.
I have worked cooperatively with our unions to reduce cost and eliminate the need for layoffs.
I have begun the civilianization of our police department to reduce administrative expenses.
With exception of bonding authorized by our City Charter, I will not be bringing forward any bond requests to voters for the foreseeable future.
Last year, we finished the fiscal year some 5 million dollars under budget, and I intend to do the same this year.
Our credit rating and our bond rating remain at an all time high, and amazingly the City of Danbury can borrow money at a lower interest than the State of Connecticut.
Unemployment has trended higher, but we are still the leader in the state and much of the country when comes to employment opportunities. Just yesterday we learned that Danbury’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.7% -once again the lowest in the State of Connecticut.
In May of 2009 we cut the ribbon on our new Police Station and for the second straight year, our crime rate is the lowest in the state and one of the lowest in the country-congratulations are in order to Chief Baker and his staff.
Danbury was recently rated by Connecticut Magazine as one of the top cities to live in- improving in every category measured in the study.
Our taxes are low, and our sewer and water rates remain the lowest in the state.
Our City Charter has been rewritten and adopted by our voters, and now our city constitution reflects the needs of a 21st century community with an updated and modernized organizational chart.
We have successfully tapped into the spirit and the skills of our seniors who have participated in our SAVE program and have earned a much needed property tax credit for their volunteerism.
In the fall of 2009 we opened Ellsworth Avenue Elementary School and completed dozens of drainage and road improvement projects across the city.
The Main Street Renaissance Task Force is completing its work and will issue its report sometime in the late spring.
Our Fire Department has begun the planning for merging and streamlining our Volunteer Fire Departments to become more efficient.
We have added a new multi-purpose field in Rogers Park for use by our athletic leagues.
The Connecticut Film Festival will be back for its third year, and yes, the Palace Theater is open for business..
Indeed it has been a busy year for your city government.
Last year, I discussed the need for us to develop alternative revenue streams to help ease the burden on our taxpayers. Specifically, I mentioned that the city will move forward with acquisition of the White Street Transfer Station through the newly created Danbury Solid Waste Authority- to turn our trash into cash.
After all, public ownership of the Transfer Station ensures that there will be a fair and level playing field for all haulers in the region. It ensures that there will be transparency of the operations, and that the public good will be served.
The City has met with the US Attorney’s Office as well as the US Marshalls over the past year and we have been encouraged by those discussions.
We have engaged in a strategic partnership with Hudson-Baylor a national leader in solid waste management to pursue the acquisition of the facility.
If successful, Hudson-Baylor will acquire all of the assets in the auction and then sell the Transfer Station to the Danbury Solid Waste Authority.
This public-private partnership will minimize the risk of acquisition for our taxpayers and leverage the knowledge and the finances of a national firm in acquiring the site.
Due to the complexity and nature of the auction process, the discussions and negotiations are ongoing, and I anticipate a final resolution sometime in the late spring.
We also look forward to a number of projects in Danbury to provide jobs and economic development opportunities.
Just yesterday, the Barden Corporation hosted a job fair- they are hiring.
In the coming year, I know of two large organizations that are planning for significant hiring.
The City is currently completing negotiations on the transfer of 13 acres adjacent to the Reserve that will be developed into a life style center. A 400 seat independent Film Theater, a 5,000 square foot production facility designed to be flexible space for lease by the film industry and several retail facilities will be located on this parcel.
I anticipate the final transfer will take place in the early summer of 010’.
We have also begun discussions of the old police department and the adjacent parcels that the city owns around it.
We have strong interest in developing commercial space integrated with senior housing on the site.
We have asked the architectural design of these new buildings emulate the new police station and the old jail.
In both cases, the city will leverage the dollars from the sale of these properties to offset the decline in revenue and potential cuts in state aid.
Within the next several months we will be rolling out our new city website called Danbury 2.0. Our new website will be more interactive for our residents and will take advantage of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate with our residents in real time.
In addition, our new website will specifically highlight economic development opportunities in our city.
Of course, the most challenging task we will have in the coming year will be developing our city budget. Both the city and our schools will be under significant financial pressure this year and for several years to come as we work our way through the current financial crisis.
My office and the City Council will work hard to provide the best services possible given the challenging economic climate. As always, we will make the tough decisions, with an eye on the bottom line.
Recently, I served on a Task Force appointed by Governor Rell. Our charge was to recommend cuts in state aid for cities and towns and make recommendations to the Legislature on costly unfunded state mandates.
It became clear in the process that there is no more room to cut municipal budgets. Remember, we can’t print money in the basement of City Hall, and we cannot run deficits. I have managed 8 straight balanced budgets- including this year.
The City of Danbury, and the cities and towns that surround us, are cut to the bone.
I will once again appeal to Legislature to give municipalities flexibility in revenue generation, incentivize us to work regionally, and to redefine the relationship that exists between the state government and local government.
You will be happy to know, pursuant to Connecticut law, that we are making preparations to begin the next state mandated reevaluation in the spring of 010’.
This is an example of an unfunded mandate that will cost the city approximately 1.2 million dollars. It’s a classic example of spending money when you don’t have to. If we conduct a statistical reevaluation and made the adjustments in real estate values reflecting the current market, it will only cost $400,000.
I will also be asking the Legislature for more flexibility in the reevaluation process.
The new property valuations will be used for the Oct 1st 2012 grand list and will accurately reflect current market conditions.
While I have laid out a full laundry list of projects that we will work on in the coming year, I am most proud of our continuing work in the area of homelessness.
The measure of our community, and the measure of my administration, should be how we care for the least among us.
The completion of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness was a milestone for my administration- we were one of the first cities in the state to develop one, the designation of the Danbury Housing Partnership as the lead agency in its implementation and the organization of our Dream Homes Center was an important step in its creation, and just last month we took a giant leap in bringing housing units online by cutting the ribbon on our first Veterans House for our homeless veterans.
There were a lot of strategic partners in the creation of the first bricks and mortar effort in addressing homelessness under the 10 Year Plan. The Housing Authority, Paul Valeri, State Senator Mike McLachlan, the list goes on and on. But the point is that we have moved beyond talk, and have started see real results from our plan by putting people in housing, and in the process restoring their dignity.
We have also had strong input and participation from our faith based partners in attacking the problem of homelessness, most notably from the Jericho Partnership, and Christian Communities Outreach Ministries, among many others.
One week ago today, we once again helped bring together Project Homeless Connect, a one day fair at Western Connecticut State University for our homeless population that connected people in need of services with all of our strategic partners.
I wish you were there to see this community work.
More than one person was deeply moved and brought to tears by the care and compassion shown at this event.
More than one client said to me that they thought no one cared about them-that they were forgotten of our community.
Yes, Danbury takes care of those in need.
It’s something we all should be proud of.
In this holiday season, we have a lot to be thankful for: A first class University with strengthening bonds with the city-including a new communiversity initiative, one of the best hospitals in the country with a dedicated and caring staff, a terrific Housing Authority, a superior quality of life, low crime rates that are the envy of the country, a vibrant business community, and we are becoming a leader in cultural and arts activities in the region.
We have a terrific Police Department and an outstanding Fire Department.
We have a great school system-just this week we received word that four Danbury High school seniors, all in the same family, received early admission to Yale University.
I am proud of Danbury.
Being the Mayor of this city has been, and will continue to be, the highest honor for me.
This is the city I grew up in, laughed in, cried in, and have lived my life in.
It is a place that you can meet people from all over the world, know them by name and share the joys of life with them- as one community, united in values and ideals that are uniquely American.
While Danbury is challenged in this time of the Great Recession, I know that the strength of our community resides within each of us.
So during this holiday season, enjoy your family, your friends, and our community.
I am particularly blessed to be with a life partner who also cares as much about our city as I do. My wife Phyllis. She has become a terrific advocate in her own right, and has worked to make a difference in our community.
This is a great city, in a wonderful state, in the greatest country in the world.
Feel good about America.
Yes, we have so much to be thankful for.
As we enter a new decade, may God hold our city in the palm of his hand.
May God bless you and your family.
And May God Bless America.
Thank you.