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2010 State of the City AddressMayor Hilliard L. Hampton, II
Thursday, March 11, 2010 Good Evening ~ To Inkster residents, our elected officials, dignitaries and guests…..It is an honor and a privilege to be your Mayor and report to you the State of the City of Inkster. Thank you for joining us this evening. I want to thank the citizens who serve on active boards and commissions for their dedication and commitment to serving this community. You understand the saying, "Service is the price we pay for the space we occupy". I want to recognize and thank the religious leaders in our community for your spiritual guidance and involvement in civic affairs. Our history is replete and clear that the presence of the Church in community affairs have been in the vanguard of social, civil and economic progress. I want to thank those who volunteer in their neighborhoods with Block Clubs, Community Association, Schools, Foundations and Sororities. Your public service creates the vitality of life in this community. Our hopes and aspirations of a strong and model community shared by all of us is only realized to be active participation of each. We can't expect others to do for us what we are unwilling to do for ourselves. Your elected officials must set the tone. As I enter my 11th year of service as your Mayor and 22nd year as an elected official, I am confident that this council has the visionary insight and the capacity to move our City forward and that’s why you have placed them in a leadership position.
Now, I like to introduce our Department Heads:
I would also like to recognize the Boards and Commissions. The Auditors recently gave the City a “clean” audit opinion. Our financial statements show that the City is in very good financial shape. The General Fund has a fund balance or a surplus of $2.7 million up from $1.4 million in the previous year. The surplus is 14% of revenues – 7% is considered to be very good. The City finished last fiscal year under budget thanks to Council budgetary over-site, good administration and careful spending by our City’s department heads. Last year, we were reimbursed $105,000.00 from an insurance carrier as a result of a closed file audit. We also realized a $50,000 savings when we renewed our citywide insurance plan, with increased coverage. But just because we came in under budget doesn’t mean we are neglecting the City’s needs. Last year, we made road repairs and purchased vehicles and equipment all together totaling $1.3 million. The City also made $4.9 million in water and sewer improvements. Of course, like all cities in Michigan, Inkster is faced with lower amounts of revenue sharing from the State and declining taxable property values. Last year, the City received $4.2 million from the State in revenue sharing. This year we expect to receive about $3.6 million. Taxable property values in the City of Inkster are expected to be down about 2.2%. While a decline in value is never good, the City is better off then most other cities. State wide, taxable property values have declined by an average of 3.5%. Westland had a decline in taxable value of 4.6%, The reduction of our operating revenues; revenue sharing and property taxes means that the City needs to reduce operating expenses to balance the budget. City administration is working to balance the budget for next year and we will balance the budget without a layoff of any police officers or firefighters. The economy in Michigan is in for some difficult times in the next few years. Last year, the Federal Economic Stimulus Package helped to offset the State deficit. This year, the State of Michigan is projecting a $1.2 billion deficit which most likely will be paid in part with additional cuts to cities. The City of Inkster’s strong financial position will provide the means for us to avoid a deficit and continue to provide services to our residents. Recently, the Michigan Commission on Services to the Aging approved recognizing the City of Inkster as being the first community in Wayne County designated as “Certified Elder Friendly-Livable Community”. I want to thank Cheryl Cushingberry from Wayne County Senior Service and Denise Campaign the Director of Inkster Senior Services for pursuing this prestigious recognition. The program provides recognition for communities and local government entities that have completed a community assessment for livability and/or implemented improvements recommended by a livable community assessment. Wayne County selected the City of Inkster as its pilot community for conducting a livability assessment. This was done in part because Inkster demonstrated its commitment to developing, maintaining and preserving a lifestyle for its residents that is familiar, safe, fiscally responsible and appreciative of its residents regardless of age, income or abilities. Let me site some initiatives or programming that earned Inkster the designation as Southeastern Michigan only Certified Elderly Friendly Community. The City is working hard to realize the vision of its new Senior Wellness Center. A challenge the residents of Inkster have championed through fundraising and personal sacrifices. Mayor and Council hired a firm to do the study and architectural drawings to make it a “shovel ready” project which, when funded, would allow for construction to begin within several months. We have made a request to fund this $3.5 Million Dollar project to Senators Levin and Stabenow, and Congressman Dingell, as well as State Elected officials. Through Inkster Senior Services and Parks & Recreation, we provide Senior Medical Transportation, Home Delivered Meals, Transportation for Shopping, Monthly Trips, Information Forums, Flu Shot Clinic and Enhanced Fitness class three times a week at the Recreation Complex in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. Computer training, Spanish classes, as well as Senior’s Water Aerobics were also offered. The value that seniors bring to our community is significant. Seniors volunteer in many roles and serve on Boards & Commissions bringing their knowledge and wisdom which is testimony of there value to our community and ~ "all they want is a senior wellness center". Well, it's obvious that they participate in this town and they rightfully run this town. Last year, there were 40 dangerous buildings demolished thus eliminating eyesores and increasing curb appeal in nearly every Inkster neighborhood. Another 31 have been targeted to be demolished in 2010. The Administrative Hearings Bureau, formed in 2007 as a civil version of the Michigan court system, has served to hold homeowners and tenants alike accountable for cleaning up their blighted properties. The Inkster Hearings Bureau has been very instrumental in reversing the spread of blight in our community. Last year, 259 blight violations came before the Administrative Hearings Bureau and the Bureau assessed a total of over $72,000.00 in fines. The primary intention of the Inkster Hearings Bureau is to compel people to correct their violation, while imposing fines are secondary. A few years ago the City administration traveled to Lansing with the intent to address the problem of safety enforcement in Mobile Home Parks in Inkster. Due to the fact that they were protected by a weak and complacent Mobile Home Commission Act, there was little we could do. Today I am proud to report that Legislation was signed into law last month that will give authority to local units of government to inspect mobile homes that are being rented in licensed mobile home parks. (Public Act 215). The new law is in effect for all building departments in the State of Michigan. This law was initiated by the City of Inkster with the help of our Lansing Lobbyist, Governmental Consulting Services, Incorporated (GCSI). Last year, the Council directed the Administration to move forward with an Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system to address the unbelievable problematic water meter readings that we have had in this city for far too long. The AMR system will also improve customer service. Fast accurate meter reads will be based on actual consumption and should eliminate the need for estimated usage. The AMR system will permit the City to react faster to abnormal usage and contact the citizens regarding excessive water usage before it becomes a huge problem. If you have a water issue you should know that Council set up a Citizen Water Hearing Board to assess your problem and offer remediation. In 2009, the City received $510,000.00 from stimulus money for its Farnum District Relief Sewer Project which is currently under construction. Separation of L-49 (combined sewer district) was completed last year in the South West area of the city. The $560,000.00 cost for this project was obtained from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grant. Construction continues on the Retention and Treatment Basin (RTB) for our western outfalls Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Project. This project is located outside - just south of this recreation complex. The construction of this $20,000,000.00 project is expected to be completed in November 2012. Our City was successful in capturing a $1,000,000.00 grant for this project. We still have at least one more to go, the eastern outfalls. Last year, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and the Inkster Summerfest Committee launched the 2nd annual "Inkster Summer Jazz Fest". It drew several thousand spectators and was the highlight event of the summer. Yes, last year Inkster sold itself as a close, convenient and safe destination for visitors and friends throughout Southeastern Michigan and Ohio for entertainment and leisure activity. We were able to positively showcase ourselves. Please put July 10th and 11th on your calendar now so that you won’t miss this year's event. Last year, our Parks and Recreation Department offered a free Instructional Golf Program for children from ages 8 to 17 in cooperation with the Inkster Valley Golf Course and Wayne County Parks. This was made possible due in part to an equipment grant that was obtained through the National Parks Recreation Association and Golf Course builders of America’s “Sticks for Kids” program. Last year, the City of Inkster's 45th Birthday Celebration was held. This event was hosted by the Commission on Aging and “Because Inkster Cares”. It was a delightful celebration with some impromptu comic relief by Inkster's own Georgia Miller. In cooperation with Senior Services, the Recreation Complex hosted the Friendship Club, a walking and exercise program and Senior Safe Day activities. Currently, they are raffling off an afghan and a quilt that were made and donated by two seniors in our community, Dorothy Taylor and Janice Kelly. Both items are on display tonight. The $500,000.00 Michigan Avenue Enhancement Grant will finish up this year. The streetscape activities started last year. When completed, it will includes landscaping, parking lot buffering, a Gateway Plaza at the Inkster Town Center, a bus shelter and stamped concrete. To enhance the project the DDA worked with the property owners of the Inkster Plaza to remove the old pole sign and build a new ground sign. The new sign was designed to coordinate with the Gateway Plaza to provide a park-like atmosphere for visitors. The design will create improvements and put emphasis on Downtown Inkster and encourage pedestrian traffic in the Corridor. The City of Inkster received a grant award of $730,000.00 from Wayne County for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The funds will be utilized to demolish blighted houses, commercial properties and two schools. The intent of the program is to assist communities that have suffered from foreclosures and abandonment. While our population downsizes, we must remove the least functional structures in preparation for future opportunities to redevelop neighborhoods. The DDA approved three Façade Improvement Program grants to local businesses. The recipients were Gracie See Pasta Ria, Dairy Queen and LA Insurance. The program provides matching grant funds toward eligible physical improvements to the structures which become visible, long-term improvements to the district, increase property values and spur additional economic development within the district. The most notable development in the City is the Department of Human Services Project at the former Rosenau Honda site. The project includes the demolition of several blighted structures and the construction of a 12,000 square foot “Class A” office facility for the Michigan Department of Human Services (MDHS) and a 10,000 square foot retail building. Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Planning and the TIFA all came together working with the Council and Administration on this Project. It is scheduled to open this year. Last year, the City Manager and TIFA formed a team to focus on a multiphased approach to redevelop Wheatley Park. The Team includes several city departments and representation from the Inkster and Westwood School District to implement the goals of the Redevelopment Plan. With the award of $75,000.00 from Commissioner Joan Gephardt and matching funds from the TIFA, the City anticipates breaking ground in a few months. The improvements will be the baseball diamond renovations, drainage and improvements to the basketball courts. The Inkster Police Department received over $872,000 in new grant funding from the Federal Government. The department hired three police officers, thus increasing its ranks to 63 police officers. They also purchased the necessary equipment to perform the essentials needed for a contemporary police department. The most significant purchase was that of a much needed state of the art Crime Scene Vehicle which cost $71,340.00. The vehicle allows our police department to respond to the scene of a major crime with all of the resources needed to do a thorough and immediate investigation of the circumstances of the crime. The vehicle is equipped with a generator, lights, communications capability, conference/ interview room and storage for barricades, etc. In December a Multi-jurisdictional Warrant Sweep was conducted in the City of Inkster. The purpose of the sweep was to arrest persons wanted on warrants that resided in the City. The participating agencies were the Michigan State Police, Wayne County Sheriff’s Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, United States Marshal’s Office and the Inkster Police Department. The three day sweep netted a total of Fifty-one (51) arrests on various charges. This sweep was a community response to a series of youth violence in our City. All were drug related. I cannot possibly, tonight, capture the community’s pain, anxiety and disappointment when our young people believe and behave in a manner with their life, that guarantees death, incarceration or impairment of your God given ability to succeed and be an asset to your family and Community. There's no single reason and no single answer, but I was proud to see this community stand-up in unison and engage in affirmative action to address this behavior. Let it be known that we control our lives and our conduct. We are responsible for the decision we make. I often think of the words to a song. Don't worry . . . I am not going to sing it. It came out in the 70`s, and like some of the songs of today, there were songs back then that had expressions of motivation and life. The late Teddy Pendergrass came out with a song that was a big hit and for me in my twenties it was a time in my life where I was making some corrections, adjustments and wake-up calls. Like some of you young folk, I was blaming everybody else for my shortcomings. The song was sort of therapeutic and it became my anthem. The song is "Life Is A Song Worth Singing". It went in part, "life is a song worth singing, so sing it. If you don’t like the way you’re living, too bad - change it. So, you sit around and wonder, talking about how life is treating you wrong. You’re a fool if you think you’re helpless, you decide what you do with your life." Or if you want to hear from a contemporary activist, Al Sharpton, who said something most profound, "If someone walks up to you and knocks you off your chair and you’re laying out on the floor, that’s on them. But, two weeks later you’re still on the floor that’s on you". Don't think for a moment that I believe that a Mayor reminiscing on old school or the eloquence of a prominent national figure is going to change your life. The point is, you have to change your life. During the past year, the Inkster Housing Commission has focused mainly on completing the $7,000.000.00 renovation project for Lemonye Gardens, Demby Terrace and Parkside Estates. To date, 363 families have transferred into newly renovated apartments. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included substantial funding for housing programs. The Inkster Housing Commission was awarded $1,772,518. The Housing Commission entered into agreements with construction companies last year to renovate the South Tower of the Twin Tower Development. The Twin Tower apartments provide housing for the elderly and the near elderly. Upon completion of the renovation activities, 60 luxury one-bedroom apartments will be created for our seniors. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2010. Every 10 years, as mandated by the U S Constitution, our nation conducts a census. The City of Inkster is committed to our success by hiring a Census Awareness Coordinator and forming the Complete Count Committee. This Complete Count Committee is made up of sub committees, elected officials, Education, Faith-based, media, Community based business and Recruiting. They are undertaking aggressive and creative outreach strategies to communicate the importance of a total Complete Census Count. This is a comprehensive snapshot of how our City is changing. $400 billion in federal money is at stake each year, along with a host of other variables which impact our community from political representation and education, to housing, infrastructure, improvements, senior services and many other factors that affect our quality of life. It is crucial to our future that we come together to educate our fellow citizens about what’s at stake and how answering 10 confidential questions can protect our stake by securing federal funding and service delivery for the next ten years. Starting the end of this month, you will receive your census form. It is the shortest form since the first census of 1790. Remember, 10 questions, 10 minutes, 10 years. You will never come across anything that will mean more and do more in less time for your City. SEMCOG has already indicated that Inkster will lose 8,000 residents from the 2000 census count and if this is true, we could lose over 12 million in State/Federal funding. If this happen, folks you will no longer enjoy the level of services that you have today. April 1 is Census Day, so I am putting out a call, a clarion call, to all residents, folks that are visiting, students out of town, snow-birds, transients, foster care, daycare…homeless, vagrants and yes dead heads and knuckleheads you need to be counted too. Because one day in the future, when you wake-up, straighten-up and fly right, and I believe you will, then you'll want to get a job or go to school to get an education or trade, only to find out in shock and amazement that public transportation to get there was eliminated due to a low census count. You’ll find out the adult education or college who only a few years ago offered career opportunities are no longer funded due to a low 2010 census count. To make matters worse, when you go raise holy hell to your new congressperson and/or state representative, but because of the low count in your City, the Government through reapportionment – Michigan – your state, has lost another Congressional seat, like we did in 2000, and have gerrymandered your City and you’re now represented by a "NO" Republican who doesn’t care about your healthcare or your welfare. As always - Inkster, "Seize the Time". To the seniors, baby-boomers and, Generation X, again, the vision of a vibrant and progressive Inkster is shared by all of us. It is only realized in the active participation of each of us. Thank you and May God Bless you!
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