Let me begin by thanking the Madisonville/Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring this year's event.I also thank the First United Methodist Church for hosting the luncheon again this year.Today I promise to follow the three most basic rules in public speaking: Be sincere - be brief - and, be seated.
City/County Cooperation
I am pleased to share the stage with Judge/Executive Donnie Carroll again this year.I cannot say enough about what a pleasure it has been to work with Judge Carroll since we came into office together last January.Last year I joked that I was with him so much that people were starting to call me "Mini-Me."I don't have a joke to tell about our relationship this year - instead, I want to sincerely thank the Judge and the members of the Fiscal Court for their assistance and support of the City of Madisonville over the last twelve months.
Since we were here last year, the Fiscal Court has granted or allocated some $800,000 of single county coal severance monies to the City of Madisonville.The City and the County have worked together to make the South Main Sewer Project a reality - and we have worked together to bring our citizens together for the NewCities Initiative, which will serve as a roadmap for the improvement of the quality of life in Madisonville and Hopkins County for years to come.We have worked together on more fronts that I have the time to talk about today.Suffice it to say that the spirit of cooperation between the City and the County is alive and well - and I intend to do my part to keep it that way.
Accomplishments of the last year
To say the least, the last twelve months have been busy and exciting times inside the "The Best Town on Earth." Since we met in this same room a year ago, City of Madisonville employees have worked diligently delivering the necessary services that our citizens have come to expect - and deserve.To give you a view of what "A Year In The Life" of city government looks like from the inside, I submit to you the following:
In the last 369 days, city employees changed out some 1,454 electric meters - picked up over 10,000 tons of residential and commercial garbage - and laid somewhere around 7,635 feet of new water and sewer lines.We treated over 1.7 billion gallons of drinking water and over 2 billion gallons of wastewater (but not at the same facility).
We answered approximately 62,913 calls at the dispatch center - some 9,100 of those coming in as emergency 9-1-1 calls.We made 598 fire runs - of those, 175 turned out to be false alarms.Somewhere in there we found the time to put in 11,922 fire training hours, the highest total in the city's history and up from 7,300 hours the prior year.We implemented a Citizens Police Academy that is earning rave reviews from graduates and participants.We made approximately 3,497 misdemeanor arrests, 689 felony arrests, and wrote 4,787 tickets.On that last one, you need to know we also lowered by the number of traffic collisions in Madisonville by almost 10%.
We hosted around 25,000 rounds of golf at the City Park golf course - and we sold 600 pizza pockets and 336 pepperoni pizzas at the City Park Pool.At Oddfellows Cemetery, we opened 108 new gravesites to serve as the final resting place for the friends, family, and loved ones we lost since we last met.
We paved 2.5 miles of city streets - processed 268 building permits - tore down 40 dilapidated houses and buildings - and removed 101 junk vehicles.
We had 14 retirements - 13 resignations - and, we asked 10 people to go find a new job somewhere else.
We crisscrossed the Commonwealth attending training classes and seminars in places like Louisville, Lexington, Owensboro, Frankfort, Richmond, and Paducah.We also got necessary training in places like Evansville - Jacksonville - Orlando - Dallas - Houston - Philadelphia - Baltimore - and, Washington, DC.
We got a $223,000 grant for sidewalks on Grapevine Road - a $187,000 grant for new fire equipment and bunker clothes - a $5,000 grant for bullet proof vests - a $3,000 grant for new work-zone safety equipment -and $200,000 from the Fiscal Court for the South Main Sewer Project.
We renovated a new City Hall building - put a new roof on the main Fire Station - and built a championship disc golf course at the City Park.We got sued by Denny's - swamped by CSX - and settled a water issue with the City of Hanson.
As if all of that wasn't enough, we had a 90-day drought - a 3-day flood - 2 ice storms - one mild earthquake - and a visit from Hillary.And that's just from the stuff I found out about.
City employees work around the clock - 365 days a year - to bring you the best quality of life that we possibly can.I cannot thank them enough for their hard work over the last year - I commend them for their efforts and offer my sincerest thanks.
Now when lunch is over - get back to work!
Financial Condition
On the City's financial front, I am pleased to tell you that today the overall financial condition of city government is sound. The good news is that after meeting the payroll of $442,738 last Friday morning, the City of Madisonville has $6,305,473 dollars in the bank.The bad news is that I would not be doing my job as Mayor if I didn't also tell you that we are facing significant financial challenges in some areas in the not-so-distant future.
Sanitation Fund
On an individual fund basis, the Sanitation Fund is in its best condition in years, and is poised to finish the year under budget for the first time since it started operating outside the General Fund five years ago.In order to strengthen its financial position, the Fund has done without essential capital purchases, improved its safety program for employees, and developed a leaner and more efficient workforce.All of that hard work is paying off, and more improvements are on the way.
Sanitation Superintendent Freddie Stafford has worked over recent months with a consulting firm to design a new routing system that will bring new efficiencies to the department by reducing the overall number of garbage routes, deadhead driving miles, and packer turn-around time.These new routes will go into effect in July.Some pickup days will change, and we will be providing more information regarding these changes in the upcoming weeks.The department has also recently partnered with MidWest Recyclers to expand recycling services to city residents.
These improvements will free up the funds necessary to purchase two new much-needed garbage packers in the upcoming budget year, replacing two of the worn-out and costly packers currently in service.
I am exceptionally proud of Freddie Stafford and his efforts over the last year.His renewed commitment to worker safety and fiscal responsibility has set the stage for an improved level of service for the citizens of Madisonville.
Sewer Fund
At the opposite end of the financial spectrum is the Sewer Fund.
Under the excellent leadership of Wastewater Collection Superintendent Raymond Sanders, we have fought our way out from under state-imposed sewer sanctions to the point where sanctions only remain in force in one area of the City.We have addressed the state-imposed sanctions - performed the basic upgrades needed to keep the system in operating order - and absorbed the rising costs of materials and manpower without imposing a rate increase on our citizens since 1995.All of this has gone on at a time when demand for sanitary sewer services has increased.While our sewer treatment plant has excess capacity, the lines going to the plant are pushed to the limit, particularly along the eastern side of town - the very lines that serve most of the expected growth areas of Madisonville and Hanson.
We have cut our operating expenses in the Fund as far as it is prudent and responsible to cut them.We have refinanced outstanding sewer bonds - which will net savings of approximately $400,000 over the remaining life of the bonds.The Fund is at a point where something has to give.There is no more low-hanging fruit left to pick.Further cuts in operating expenses will not allow us to continue to provide the necessary capacity improvements for Madisonville residents - and further cuts will not allow us to continue our work of lifting the remaining state sanctions.
Simply put, the problems with the Sewer Fund are not expense problems - they are revenue problems.The Fund has experienced an operating loss in each of the last four fiscal years - with the loss last year being $960,418.The Fund made up these shortages by "borrowing" funds from the Water Fund - primarily to pay the required debt service.
To address those problems, the consulting engineering firm of HDR Quest has been commissioned to conduct a sewer rate study, and they will present their findings at the first city council meeting in June.As you might expect from my comments over the last few minutes, their report will recommend an increase in the monthly sewer rates to both Madisonville and wholesale customers.
Remaining Funds
In the Light Fund, the current situation is stable.The ice storms last winter showed the importance of our system upgrades and tree-trimming program, as we had power restored in our service area long before the other electric service providers in the surrounding areas.On the financial side, we have heard rumors of a possible wholesale rate increase from KU sometime next year, but we don't have any firm details to report yet.While we wait to see what KU does, we will continue to maintain the most reliable and efficient electric distribution system we reasonably and affordably can.
The City's General Fund is tight as always.The bulk of - and the most expensive - city employees are in the General Fund, so that Fund catches the brunt of the increase costs associated with CERS retirement contributions and health insurance.Our anticipated capital expenditures in the upcoming budget year will decrease in order to offset the projected rise in personnel costs and operating expenses.
Expanded revenue options are very limited in the General Fund, so we must continue to find ways to get leaner and more efficient in our general government operations.In the upcoming budget year, we will continue to provide all of the services currently provided, but we will not see much in the way of new or expanded services from the General Fund until the financial situation at the state and national levels improve.
Public Safety/Nuisance
Of particular note over the last twelve months in the General Fund are the efforts at the Madisonville Police and Fire Departments, and our efforts to change the appearance of our town.
Both the Police and Fire Departments have been through a period of change and rebirth, and both departments are better for it.Each department continues to face staffing shortages, despite year-round recruiting and hiring activities.The primary causes for the shortages are the retirement of officers and firefighters after 20 or more years of service to their respective departments, as well as the difficulty in finding high quality candidates.I understand the frustrations and concerns raised by the seemingly unending manpower shortages faced by those departments over recent years.I shared those same frustrations and concerns as a city councilmember, and I continue to share them as Mayor.At the same time, everyone needs to know and understand that we will not lower our hiring standards or compromise our core values simply for the sake of filling roster positions.I firmly believe that the citizens of Madisonville deserve the best trained, best equipped, and most professional fire and police departments that city government can reasonably provide.Meeting that standard will continue to be my goal for those departments as long as I am affiliated with the City of Madisonville in any capacity.
Our efforts to clean up our town are paying dividends.As I pointed out at the beginning of my remarks today, we are diligently and systematically addressing the problem with nuisance and abandoned properties.Most property owners we make contact with are getting on board and working with us to improve the condition and appearance of their properties.For those property owners that have not yet chosen to get on board, I can only say that we will not stop our efforts to improve the image and appearance of our community.
On the project side - in the next year, we will continue our efforts to remove the railroad tracks from the downtown - to keep the South Main Sewer Project moving forward - to build a spraypark at the Dr. Festus Claybon Park - and to restore credibility and integrity to our economic development efforts.
In what may be the best news of the day - I am extremely pleased to announce that as of 6 AM this morning, the new membrane filtration plant at Lake PeeWee went online and started putting water into the city's water distribution system.This project has been long and had its share of setbacks.My hat is off to Plant Superintendent Keith Curneal and City Engineer Bill Jackson for their diligence and perseverance in managing this project.
General Assembly
On the Frankfort side of things, Madisonville and Hopkins County faired pretty well in the recent session of the General Assembly.Despite the difficult financial condition at the state level, the upcoming state budget includes earmarks of $300,000 for the CSX railroad relocation project, and approximately $1.6 million dollars for the South Main Sewer Project.I applaud the efforts of State Representative Eddie Ballard and State Senator Jerry Rhoads to ensure sure that these funds were included in the new state budget.
I wish I could be as positive about the General Assembly's efforts to solve the state's retirement system financial crisis.While the actuaries have reduced the CERS contribution rate for local governments for the upcoming fiscal year, all of the projections show substantial increases in future years.The Governor and the General Assembly must find a bipartisan way to solve this problem - and they must find it before the City of Madisonville is forced to cut services and staffing levels any further.
Closing
There are 1461 days in one 4-year term as Mayor.Today is Day # 492.In closing, I want to repeat a section from last year's State of the City address:
Simply put - I will hide no problems - duck no challenges - dodge no political bullets - fail to ask necessary questions - or, fail to address important issues.I will be directed in my efforts by the firm commitment to do what is in the best interest of our City - not only for today and tomorrow - but for the future.I am quite willing to let time be the judge of my actions, as I hope that the decisions we make - and the work we do over the course of the next four years - will stand the test of time.I want - and need - the support of every citizen of our City.That being said, I will more easily accept loss of support if it is because I saw something broken and fixed it in a manner that did not suit some individuals, than if I lose support because I saw something broken and just looked the other way.
Those words are just as relevant and timely this year as they were last year.
People ask me all the time - "Will, why did you want this job?" For me that question can be answered in 3 simple statements:
#1 - I love working every day to make Madisonville a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
#2 - I love the satisfaction of helping solve the difficult problems that need to be solved.
And #3 - and most important - I love this town!
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Thank you for coming today and for letting me talk about the current state of the City of Madisonville.
May God continue to bless "The Best Town On Earth."
