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State of the City

Mayor Sandy Decker presented her "State of the City" address at Tuesday night's council meeting.

Below are her comments:

We have been very busy this past year! City officials, staff, committee members and scores of volunteers worked diligently to accomplish necessary community work. I thank everyone for their service.

Since last year’s State of the City report, the Common Council has met 21 times. Two meetings were dedicated to planning. Last October a strategic planning meeting was held that included review of City departments, staffing and programs. A Committee of the Whole meeting last month dealt with specific City projects.

Evansville continues to make progress positioning City operations to accommodate future growth. EMS is in the process of moving into the Dean Community Center on Church Street. Groundbreaking has occurred for the new Fire District building on Water Street; current plans provide for completion of the station in November. An additional Water and Light Department building is under construction and the Marsh Road substation will go online next week.

The current fire station has been purchased by the City to again locate the Police Department in the center of the community. The City has also purchased the Post Office to secure the property for a future expansion of the Library. Preliminary design engineering is underway for a needed Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. Construction is expected to begin in 2009 with completion in 2010.

Reconstruction of downtown Main Street has been completed. The replacement of the East Main Street bridge over Allen Creek, after postponement by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, is currently scheduled for 2010. Infrastructure improvements on Madison Street are presently on schedule with expected completion by June 9. The WisDOT Madison Street reconstruction/resurfacing project will begin in mid-June. The roundabout at J. Lindemann Drive is budgeted for this year. A timeline for roundabout construction will take into account completion of the Madison Street project and the likely construction schedule of the soybean crushing facility.

Last fall the Dry Stone Conservancy of Lexington, Kentucky, held a week-long training in Evansville on the proper method of repairing the dry stone walls of Allen Creek in Leonard-Leota Park. Additional repairs will be budgeted over a number of years to restore the Creek walls.

Work continues on fine-tuning the costs associated with dredging Lake Leota. The Public Works Committee continues to gather information on a dredging project. It is awaiting results of soil borings to determine location, amounts and any required remediation of cadmium in the silt. Locations for depositing dredged materials are still being determined; transportation costs are dependent on distance from the Lake. The Common Council will consider next steps once it is provided complete information.

New playground equipment for the west side park has been delivered and will be installed shortly. Bids for paving the parking lot are due this week. Soccer fields continue to mature.

Record rainfall last summer resulted in a federal disaster declaration for Rock County. FEMA officials temporarily located at the Dean Community Center. Storm water improvements across the City are being addressed by the Public Works Committee. Development of a storm water management plan for inclusion in the Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan will provide needed long-term focus.

Lisa Novinska was recently appointed Evansville’s Finance Director and Treasurer. Procedural changes to streamline record keeping and improve information flow are already underway. The annual audit should be completed in the next few weeks. The Common Council was able to hold the line in developing the 2008 budget. On tonight’s agenda is the first reading of an ordinance to establish a room tax. The Common Council has indicated its intention to establish a storm water utility to better match costs to actual use. Council has been cognizant of debt capacity in its discussions of capital projects. Another Committee of the Whole meeting will be scheduled later this summer to focus in detail on the five-year Capital Improvement Plan prior to finalizing the 2009 budget.

Much effort has been spent on economic development in Evansville the past twelve months. Tax Incremental District #8 was established to provide incentive for Manor Heights, an assisted living facility under construction on North Fourth Street. The facility is expected to open this December. Construction of Cobblestone Inn and Suites, a TID #6 project, is progressing. A July 2008 opening is anticipated.

After months of groundwork by Landmark Services Cooperative with support from the City, Chamber of Commerce and our state legislative representatives, Governor Doyle recently delivered a $4 million grant for construction of a soybean crushing facility in Evansville. The foresight of the City in providing the framework for “crush” within TID #7 was important. Landmark is currently developing a business plan for the project. A tentative timeline includes construction beginning next year.

The outstanding restoration of the Eager Economy Building, a collaborative project that included TID #5 funds, a Community Development Block Grant awarded by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, historical tax credits and private investment, was completed last fall. Other Main Street building improvements are on the horizon.

In addition to the projects just mentioned, Evansville has been fortunate to have new businesses open in a challenging economic climate. Evansville Health Club, Surf4ink.com and Sugar River Motors and Transmission are new to the community. Evansville Floral, a long-time Main Street business, has a new owner.

The City engaged Whalen and Associates to assist with drafting an economic development strategy for Evansville. A 2007 action item in the Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan, successful economic development will provide better balance to our residentially-skewed tax base. Late last summer, business focus group meetings were held to provide guidance in planning for the January Economic Development Summit. Post-summit task forces were established to develop and recommend draft components of an economic plan. The draft plan will be discussed by the Economic Development Committee later this month. Upon completion of the Economic Development Plan, the Committee has committed to immediately begin Plan implementation.

The Common Council recently voted unanimously to become a Wisconsin Energy Independent Community. Our community’s growing “green” reputation and commitment will positively impact all of us.

To further intergovernmental cooperative efforts, the Evansville-Union Implementation Committee was recently established to address issues of relevance to Township and City. Regular communication will strengthen the ability to resolve differing needs and viewpoints.

On a number of recent occasions, Senator Jon Erpenbach and Representative Brett Davis have commented that Evansville is a “happening” community in their legislative districts. Ongoing activities in Evansville lend credence to their statements. It is due to the commitment and hard work of many individuals and organizations that we are an active, vibrant community. I am honored to work with all of you.