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State of The City, 2007 Kentucky Statute requires that mayors of all cities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky annually report the "state of their city". While we have certainly done so over these past years in our annual audit and other financial reports presented by the city, I am happy to do so in greater detail in this letter. First of all, as demonstrated in the afore-mentioned annual audit of our city’s books, Villa Hills spent some $122,000 less than we had originally budgeted for fiscal year 2005/2006. This significant surplus is a result of the fiscal restraint always demonstrated by the department heads and elected officials of the city. While the city continues to provide excellent police and fire protection, a sound program for the maintenance of city streets and other infrastructure and a balance of city recreational programs for residents of all ages, city government keeps a watchful eye on the expenditure of your hard-earned investment in your city. We are also committed to keeping our tax-rate low. I am extremely proud of our fiscal stewardship. And, I hope for similar positive results in the current fiscal year. 2006 saw a continued growing co-operation between Villa Hills and its neighboring cities in the providing of services to its residents. Some examples are the continuing and highly successful contract with the City of Erlanger to provide Advanced Life Support Services and our work with Crescent Springs to continually improve fire and police protection and sharing the cost of recreation opportunities. Look for these efforts to not only continue but to accelerate. There are many innovative ideas being discussed and seriously considered. We can further maximize the use of your tax dollars with these regional efforts while still maintaining the individual personalities of our cities. The City also continues to work with other organizations and sponsors to put on several events throughout the year that provide recreational and entertainment opportunities and build civic pride. I am very proud of our very well-attended Florence Freedom Nights, Halloween Haunted Trail, Christmas Open House and the Concerts In the Park put on in partnership with the City of Crescent Springs. The City is also happy to work with the Civic Club on The Easter Egg Hunt, The Fishing Derby, The Senior Bingo and Fire In The Hills. It is important for you to know that much of the cost of all these events is underwritten through the solicitation of donations. Look for a fun celebration of the city’s 45th Birthday in 2007 as well. And, we will look for additional opportunities. 2006 was an election year. After sorting through the blue-smoke and mirrors of a campaign season complete with some high-energy surprises, the solid majority of voters chose to continue the path that we have been on since March, 2001. I look forward to working with the council to provide the best we can offer in one of the most family-friendly cities in our Commonwealth. If you have any issues you would to discuss, please contact me at the city building at 341-1515 or e-mail me at Mikesadouskas@aol.com.
Innovative Thinking Helps Solves Personnel Problems For The Crescent Springs Villa Hills Volunteer Fire Department For The Foreseeable Future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fire Chief Jeff Wendt and all the members of the committee looking into this issue for their efforts to develop a real, long-term solution to the staffing challenges faced by our fire department. Just like departments all over the country, our fire fighters are faced with the issue of declining volunteers during the all-important 6am to 6pm time period. Chief Wendt presented his proposal to hire five part-time staffers to man the firehouse from 6am to 6pm to city council at the January 20, 2007 meeting and it was unanimously approved. The additional paid personnel will insure that our department will be able to continue to effectively handle fire and squad runs 24/7 for many years to come. Chief Wendt delivered some more good news when he informed council that the fire department had to purchase nine new lockers because the number of new volunteers joining the department who would be available for evening and weekend runs. Please be sure to recognize their efforts whenever you get the opportunity.
On The Road(s) Again By Mike Sadouskas I’m sure you’ve noticed a great deal of work being done on our city’s streets these past several months. Through a combination of significant overall spending reductions, smarter use of in-house personnel and equipment, aggressive bidding by contractors and a generous grant from the State of Kentucky, we believe our residents have received an almost ear-splitting bang for their buck for street repair and replacement this year. And, we are confident that we have sufficient funding to complete the second half of the two-year list of street work we have identified for next construction season. Nearly sixty of Villa Hills’ streets have seen some work this year – anything from catch basin or concrete slab replacement to asphalt overlay. And, we will be crack-sealing for the next few weeks to protect the investment we have made this year. Many people deserve a great deal of credit for this success. Our three-man public works crew did yeoman’s work all year long. Dave Whitacre, our city engineer, helped us to secure competitive bids on all the work we contracted out and ably assisted our public works department in identifying the most efficient and economical methods of in-house repair. State rep Jon Draud and State senators Dick Roeding and Jack Westwood pushed very hard for us for the funding from Frankfort. The city council and public works committee strongly supported the road repair efforts and creatively tackled what was identified as by far the city’s biggest challenge at the beginning of this year. And, city administrator Corky Brown did exemplary work at the day-to-day helm of this flurry of activity and served as a very effective channel of communication and information between all of the many parties that made our road repair efforts so productive. They all deserve a hearty "thank you" for their dedicated efforts. With all this success, it is important to note that our city’s streets continue to age. The vast majority of the streets in our city were built twenty to thirty years ago and are reaching the end of their useful life. While every effort to direct more of our existing resources to the street effort will certainly continue, the city has still not completely addressed the need for creating a permanent, adequate fund for street repair and replacement. That is the next major challenge. A New (Fiscal) Year By Mayor Mike SadouskasIn November of last year, the residents of Villa Hills voted down a proposal to increase funding for street repair. The fact that the tax did not pass did not mean the challenge of our deteriorating streets went away. In fact, it made the task of fixing them much tougher. But, here is what we have done to free up more money for street repair since November’s vote. First and foremost, we have tightened our fiscal belts. We have always tried to be careful with your tax dollars. But, I believe by being a little smarter and tougher we’ve done even better. While it is a small amount in a $2 million-plus budget, we will run a $7,000 budget surplus for the year. This savings will occur even after the city stepped up its spending on the roads. City employees and elected officials have done a tremendous job pinching every penny in the closing months of this current fiscal year to make this happen. And, the city budget for FY2005/2006 is leaner still. Three changes will add up to real savings:
These three changes alone will lead to year over year savings of approximately $60,000. That represents about 3% of the over-all annual budget! And, we are committed to look for additional savings throughout the year. If you would like to discuss the budget or any other issue, please contact me at the city building at 341-1515 or e-mail me at Mikesadouskas@aol.com.
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| City of Villa Hills, Kentucky 41018 - Phone (859) 341-1515 Fax (859) 341-0012 |
