Good morning. Thank you all for coming.
I'd like to pause for a few moments this morning in honor of Nevada Trooper and Sparks resident Kara Kelly-Borgognone, who remains on life support at this moment. Our thoughts are with her and her family.
I always have to take time out to acknowledge our City Council, along with some of the people that help us get things done:
I also want to thank Senator Reid, Senator Ensign, and Congressman Heller for their support to assure Sparks remains front and center for opportunities for federal appropriations.
Additionally, we are grateful for their recent efforts in working with the City to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency didn't revert the Sparks Marina Park and surrounding areas to the FEMA designated floodplain.
We also want to recognize our Governor and Sparks native, Jim Gibbons, along with all of our state legislators for their dedication to the communities across our great state.
This past year has been a year of remarkable progress and excitement in the City of Sparks. And this coming year will truly be a year of celebration.
And speaking of celebrating, I want to celebrate our city team and their tremendous efforts and dedication in their civic duties for our great city.
All of our departments have found ways to do more with less, and have streamlined current procedures or created new technology to improve the way we do business.
We are meeting tough times with tough decisions. So far, we have frozen or eliminated 30 positions.
With more than 130 acres of new park development, our Parks and Recreation Department continues to exceed expectations in providing the best services possible.
The Larry D. Johnson Community Center opened last spring, and became the second facility of its kind in the City. This beautiful building hosts the Boys and Girls Club, and has proven to be a success in the neighborhoods it serves. I am really proud of it.
I am also glad to see the re-opening of Deer Park Pool and the remodel of the Alf Sorensen Community Center this past year – both icons to our park system here in Sparks. And our special events continue to exceed expectations as Sparks has built a solid reputation for offering the best events in the region.
Our Public Works Department is as busy as ever. From traffic striping and road enhancement projects, to snow removal and improving road traction during icy conditions, this dedicated group of men and women have performed magnificently.
Whether it is the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility, or the Sparks Maintenance Yard, our city's public works team has been busy keeping our city open and operational. Few citizens realize the work they do behind the scenes that ensures our infrastructure is working.
It is no secret that road projects can create a headache for many, me included. I am pleased to report that the Sparks Boulevard sewer capacity project will be coming to an end in just a few weeks. This important project has been critical to allow us to increase our ability to provide for current and future sewer infrastructure needs. We appreciate everybody's patience this last year.
And if you haven't noticed, last year Public Works made a lot of progress downtown improving sidewalks, lighting and just simply making it more pedestrian friendly as we prepare for the future of downtown redevelopment.
One of the City teams that does not get the credit they deserve, are those in the Administrative Services Department. These devoted individuals are committed to providing excellent service to our city staff. Human Resources, Benefits & Risk Management, Information and Geographic Technology, all provide the internal services our city requires to stay afloat, and allow all of us to do the jobs we do today.
Whether it is working to minimize our insurance claims and saving the city thousands of dollars, improving the diversity of our workforce, creating innovative technology systems, or providing valuable maps to help plan for the future, the staff in the Administrative Services Department has brought the city to a new level of professionalism.
Other key functions in Admin Services include Emergency Management which helps us prepare for citywide emergencies through disaster planning and emergency notification. And I can't say enough about our Government Affairs staff that has gone a long way to cultivate and strengthen relationships with our elected officials at all levels of government.
This past year was a banner year for City Works, our Community Development and Planning Department. I appreciate the hard work of planners, inspectors, and code enforcement staff who keep our city progressing.
A few examples….at the new Sparks Crossing Retail Center, 39 businesses opened. Fourteen businesses opened at the Sparks Town Center, and 27 new businesses opened at the Sparks Galleria.
I've said in the past that the days of shopping in west Sparks will soon come to an end – that time has arrived.
We also have shown our compassion this last year by investing nearly $8,000 in the facilitation of the Northern Nevada Continuum of Care annual grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a result of our hard work, last December HUD announced the award of $1.4 million in grants for those in the Reno/Sparks/Washoe County area, which provides housing for those who are homeless.
And we are well underway on the Sparks Master Plan update which will help shape the future of our community. This critical document will guide Sparks' growth for the next 30 years.
We have taken extraordinary steps to obtain input from our citizens. Late last year, a weeklong community visioning workshop was held to gather information on how the public would like to see Sparks look in the next two decades.
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm. We need your help to plan for the future of our city.
The Finance Department continues to excel in keeping the gears of government moving efficiently. In addition to the considerable task of budgeting, receiving, spending and accounting for the funds entrusted to the City by its citizens, over the last year the Finance Department was directly responsible for the refinancing of revenue bonds that will result in a savings to the City of nearly $1.3 million.
The Finance Department continued to earn awards that celebrate their high level of excellence including their 7th Achievement of Excellence in Procurement and their 26th Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Over the coming year, this group will be instrumental in helping the City navigate through the financial issues that will face every local government in the region. The finance team has helped us reduce our budget by $8.7 million over a three year period to prepare for the fiscal challenges that lie ahead.
We celebrate the achievements of our fire department which has instituted a city wide campaign to raise awareness of how important it is to have a working smoke alarm in every bedroom in every home.
I am proud of our fire department under our new chief. In addition to fighting fires and saving lives in Sparks, they have responded to the call of duty and have supported fire fighting and rescue operations at the Angora fire at Lake Tahoe this past summer, and the tragic southern California fires last fall.
Our municipal court system through our Judges and their staff have worked hard to bring non-complying defendants before the court rather than relying on the traditional warrant process which can lead to delays of months to years before defendants come before the court.
The court is also actively involved with the "Drug Court" program which monitors high risk and repeat offenders with substance abuse issues and attempts to provide help and support. Our court has also implemented a senior court facilitator program to assist seniors in navigating through court procedures.
Our city attorney's office has worked hard to protect the city in a timely manner on issues large and small. Over the past year, the city attorney's office has successfully defended Sparks in state and federal lawsuits from litigants seeking millions of dollars. Their aggressive stance in misdemeanor prosecutions has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and court costs being collected through our municipal court.
I want to thank our Police Department for their dedication in keeping us safe and informed. The Department held a series of public workshops last year highlighting the dangers of Methamphetamine, how to protect our young ones from child predators, and how to protect yourself from identify theft. The Department also instituted a program that has reduced the number of police responses to false burglar alarms, saving thousands of dollars and allowing our police officers to spend more time fighting real crime.
And of course, I must commend our City Manager Shaun Carey, whose leadership and vision have kept our city moving forward.
Today, we celebrate our city team. Our citizens should be proud.
It is no secret that we are in tough economic times today.
Home Foreclosures in Washoe County increased more than 600 percent in 2007, and we have yet to weather this storm.
Consolidated taxes, which consist primarily of sales taxes, have decreased nearly 7 percent so far this fiscal year, a record for the state.
Many experts predict it will be the end of the year, or the beginning of next year, before a recovery in many aspects of industry, including the housing market. The best way to illustrate the fiscal challenges that lie ahead comes from the familiar words of a flight attendant … "Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a bumpy ride" … only to come upon a soft landing.
We all need to be hopeful and positive. All of us need to talk about the prosperity that our nation, state and city have to offer in order to build confidence in our economy.
The City Council has adopted a five point strategic plan to help create economic growth, and build opportunities for the future. Our goals are designed to help us become proactive and respond to the needs of today before we have to confront the challenges of tomorrow.
Our first strategic goal is to create a balanced community with attention to smart growth, community balance and the preservation of the small town atmosphere that we all love about Sparks. This includes having a say in planning for future and existing schools and emphasizing the critical need to have a workforce to meet the needs of the new century.
Our second strategic goal focuses on becoming a strong and influential leader in the formation of economic and political policy of the region and state. We will achieve this by building and strengthening our relationship with leaders at all levels of government, and seeking points of common interest to improve our way of life in Sparks.
Thirdly, establishing a strong presence of art, culture and history in order to enhance the Sparks experience, and celebrate our heritage which is near and dear to us all. Among the many tactics we will employ are building public-private partnerships to display art throughout the city, and documenting the history of our city through oral histories and other preservation. As an example, thanks to our fire department, Sparks original 1924 fire truck was restored and is now displayed at Fire Station #1.
Our fourth strategic goal is to form an economic development policy direction that encourages hi-tech, research and other business and corporate entities to do business in Sparks. Some tactics to achieve these objectives include ensuring that the proper infrastructure is in place to accommodate key technology such as WiFi. Additionally, we are underway with a branding campaign to provide Sparks a unique identity to better market our city as a destination.
And finally, providing for our transportation needs is our fifth strategic goal, and one of the most important to sustain our quality of life. We will continue to drive forward the "Sparks Road Ahead" program to meet current and future needs of transportation. This program enables us to extend the useful life of many of our local and neighborhood roads, thereby saving million of dollars by not reconstructing and repaving roads.
There are 665 lane miles in Sparks. Last year, we spent $1.3 million on rehabilitating 4.5 million square feet of roadway. This year, we will spend an additional $1 1⁄2 million.
With the growth of our community, coupled with increasing inflation costs of construction, the region is facing major challenges to secure funding for much needed roads in Sparks, let alone the entire County. There is a projected shortfall through the year 2040 that is expected to exceed $2.2 billion for much needed road projects - projects that will provide for safe and efficient travel, reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, and maintain the quality of life in the Truckee Meadows.
The average American vehicle burns an average of 28 gallons of fuel just idling in traffic. The high cost of gas has impacted us all. More roads will enable a long-term cost savings for families as well.
By partnering with the Regional Transportation Commission, we must engage and educate the public on solutions to our transportation problems.
That is why it is critical that Sparks citizens support the RTC's effort to build the southeast connector which will make it easier for Sparks citizens to travel to and from south Reno, and reduce roadway congestion for us all in the Truckee Meadows.
I do want to thank Washoe County Chairman Bob Larkin and the County Commission for their support in finding a way to designate a portion of the local fuel tax for Sparks to help improve and maintain our roads.
Our roadways are the backbone of our quality of life. From emergency services to commerce, nearly ever facet of our lives is touched by the paved surfaces that put tires to the asphalt. Without sufficient capacity of this vital infrastructure, our way of life rapidly deteriorates. The surface transportation network in our community brings us together each day to work, shop and play.
Funding for our roads must be a priority if we want to grow our economy, and see our city prosper. Community and business leaders need to come together and take action now.
This year, we will also spend some time educating our citizens on the fundamental issues of fiscal fairness.
For instance, despite more than 80 businesses opening in 2007, and more than 2 million square feet of commercial and retail growth in Sparks, sales taxes continue to fall.
One assumes that our city benefits from the added sales taxes and other fees that come back to the city. This is not always the case.
We have joined forces with the City of Reno to study the way in which taxes are generated and distributed in the Truckee Meadows, and to determine whether the state's current tax distribution system is equitable. The main idea behind Fairness in Reno and Sparks Taxes, or the "FIRST" program, is that residents should receive the services they need, and pay for the services they receive.
Many people don't realize that sales taxes generated in one city do not necessarily pay for services there. Rather, tax revenues are sent to the state and redistributed through a formula to Washoe County, Reno, Sparks and the School District.
Sparks provides 20 percent of Washoe County sales tax, yet receives only 13 percent. While the City of Reno generates 73 percent of all sales tax revenues, if receives only 28 percent. One has to ask, is the current system fair?
Make no mistake about it, we are not arguing about the critical regional services the county provides, but rather questioning what a regional service is that we are paying for.
The cities of Reno and Sparks have commissioned a blue ribbon task force to examine who pays for, and who receives, services throughout Washoe County, and how much disparity exists. We hope to have some possible solutions by the end of the year.
With these efforts, we also want to open a dialogue with the state to consider granting more local control. The fact is, we have no control on more than 70 percent of our revenue sources.
In 2006, the voters in Sparks and Reno approved a measure to increase sales taxes one quarter of one percent to pay for more public safety services. Residents in the unincorporated portions of the County voted against it, which was enough to defeat the measure. More local control at the municipal level will allow Sparks to define its own destiny, and prevent these kinds of disparities from occurring.
You can learn more at www.firstrenosparks.com.
Here in Sparks, our public safety is in a state of crisis. Major crimes were up 3.2 percent last year. Property crimes increased 4.4 percent. Traffic fatalities doubled in the City last year. We currently do not meet the national average of 1.8 police officers per thousand residents. The Sparks police force is sized about 1.27 police officers per thousand residents. Our police per resident ratio does not allow us to effectively change the way we police by building relationships in neighborhoods which allow us to be more proactive.
It remains the City Council's number one budget priority to find a way to pay for more cops on our streets. Whether it is working with our state legislators to improve the distribution of sales tax, or some other means, we must find a way to pay for more police to serve our city.
Despite all the challenges that lie ahead, 2008 remains a "year to celebrate."
In order to predict the future, you must create it.
At the dawn of the new century, it was the city's dream and desire to create excitement in our city, allow our residents more oportunities to shop, dine, and enjoy the quality of life we have come to expect. Since then, we have brought Sparks to a new level.
Last year, I talked a lot about the growth we've seen in our community as Nevada's fifth largest city. Today, preliminary numbers show a 1.8 percent growth from 2007 over 2006. Nearly 90,000 residents call Sparks home.
When it comes to the regional flood project, Sparks remains committed to seeing the job through. The project is absolutely critical to the safety and economic vitality of our industrial area which employs nearly 20,000 people.
This critical project has moved from the planning stage to the environmental phase. Initial construction associated with the project, a levee and flood wall where the river flows through the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony is expected to begin this year. And right here in Sparks, design is underway to relocate the North Truckee Drain further downstream. Although not a complete solution to flooding, it will make a substantial difference. Construction of the project is expected to start in the spring of 2009.
This $800 million project needs the support of our city and region. That is why the city council has approved a city wide fee that will appear on Sparks residents sewer bills. This fee will go a long way - but not all the way – towards raising revenue to pay a portion of this project. Even with the increase, Sparks sewer and storm water rates will remain the lowest in the Truckee Meadows.
The Golden Eagle Regional Park is a cause for celebration this year. Few communities across the nation can boast of such a picturesque and beautiful park tucked away in a valley between the foothills of Sparks. By late March, portions of the park will be playable, and by the end of the summer, this regional park will be the envy of cities across the nation. And, as one of the largest artificial turf projects in the world, we will conserve a precious resource – water.
I want to thank Paul Curtis and his team at Kiley Ranch. Last year, the Kiley Ranch visitor center opened which highlights the character and charm of this 800 acre master planned community. We are looking forward to the progress that this state of the art development will bring to our city.
A project to improve Memorial Park will be underway later this year and will include a police memorial that will honor the men and women who protect us every day.
And despite a one year delay, later this summer, the proposed Whitewater attraction at Rock Park, along with enhancements, will become the newest addition to Nevada's adventure place right here in Sparks.
We are making headway in our redevelopment district downtown. Trammell Crow will break ground on the first phase of their residential project by the end of the year on up to 24 units, bringing people to live in downtown Sparks, and jump starting our redevelopment efforts. We appreciate Trammell Crow staying the course during these challenging economic times. I think this bodes well for Sparks.
Later this fall, we will celebrate the opening of Scheels – the world's largest all-sports store right here in our great city. This 250,000-plus square foot building will offer merchandise for just about anything sports related, drawing customers to our city from throughout the region. Scheels is more than twice the size of Cabela's in Reno, and will offer attractions for the family such as a Ferris wheel, shooting gallery, and much more. The fudge Scheels makes and sells is good too!
I had the opportunity to attend an opening of Scheels in Fargo, North Dakota two years ago, and words cannot describe how awesome this store really is. I appreciate the investment and confidence in the Sparks market by Steve Scheel and his team.
Along with Scheels, the first phase of the Legends at Sparks Marina is scheduled to open later this year. This event truly calls for a celebration.
Last year, the abandoned Outlet Mall finally come down, and ground was broken and graded to make room for a $1 billion,130 acre project that will change the face of Sparks and bring excitement and unique entertainment and leisure opportunities for our residents and the thousands of tourists who visit Sparks every year.
I appreciate very much our partnership with RED Development and thank them for their investment in our city.
One of Northern Nevada's most highly anticipated resorts will begin construction this summer. The Legends Marina Casino-Resort-Spa will be an integral part of RED Development's 1.2 million square foot Legends at Sparks Marina destination retail, entertainment center. The casino-resort-spa is expected to open in early 2010.
This is a tremendous opportunity for the City of Sparks to hoist its flag as a true destination locale. Olympia Gaming has designed a casino, upscale resort and spa destination that will raise the bar significantly for tourism in this region.
Think about this - the resort will be the first to open in Northern Nevada in more than a decade, the newest since the Silver Legacy opened its doors in 1995.
Following this address, you can join us at the Nugget to hear more from RED Development as they announce some of the new tenants and retailers who will accompany the Legends at the Sparks Marina.
Before I conclude, I want to single out a very important member of the Sparks City Council. Lifelong resident and Councilman John Mayer will retire later this year after serving 17 years as a member of the council. Mr. Mayer also served 30 years with the Washoe County School District as an educator and school principal. John knows a lot about public service – he has dedicated his entire career to it. John, on behalf of the city, thank you for all you've done to make Sparks great for our children and our families.
On behalf of the city, I also want to acknowledge and thank our troops from Sparks and throughout the Truckee Meadows who have fought near and far to keep our world and nation safe.
As mayor, I have learned a lot about our citizens. I am proud to represent all of you in my hometown. I know in my heart, that our city council makes the best decisions for the city as a whole, based on the information we have. We strive to be responsive and accessible to all of our citizens. We can't always please everybody, but we do listen. I encourage all of you to become active in our city government. Let us know what is on your mind, and how we can improve the way we serve you.
Thank you for listening today. God bless you all, and God bless our great city.
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