The start of December is a special time of year as we are in between two holidays that celebrate Gratitude and Gifting. I will close the newsletter with those two themes.

This past week the City Commission received their annual Audit Presentation for the fiscal year that ended on June 30. It seems that every year I share with this audience that the City is in the best financial position it has ever been in, and yes, it is the same message this year. We continue to have no long-term debt, and our General Fund budget (our cash reserves) are at a high level. That is the great news we should all celebrate. However, we have some significant road and bridge projects that are happening in the next two years and that means we will have the corresponding significant expenses. Nevertheless, we are prepared for it, and we will still be in a continued position of financial strength.

The next item I am asked about often is "When is the new library going to get started?” The great news is we are currently on track to open the doors of our new library for the first time in the Fall of 2026. There has been a lot of work done with different stakeholders and groups that are providing valuable input and insight into all the things we need to be thinking about. The architecture and engineering firm we selected has been doing an outstanding job of bringing all this information together so we can finalize our design selection. The next major step is the selection of the general construction firm that will do the actual build-out. With these things in mind, what I can share as fact are a few things. One, we are keeping the existing building and evaluating its best use with the new main library building. That new building will be in the general area of the current building and will more than likely have some physical connectivity to the current library. The second item is weighing out the options of how we will be paying for it. We do have some decisions to make here in the coming months. Third and most importantly, we are well past the point of no return and are 100% going to get this done! Stay tuned for more updates, but feel free to reach out to any of your elected officials with any questions.

Closing out with the theme of Gratitude and Gifting. I am making one of my more impassioned pleas this holiday season and that is to take the time to thank others for things they do or have done. Maybe someone who is not used to hearing “thank you.” We have so many unsung heroes in our community. As far as the Gifting side of the holiday? If you show Gratitude to someone else, you just received a two-for-one special. Help make our community stronger and a better place to be.

Thank you for making the choice to call Walker home.

Mayor Gary Carey, Jr.

Fire Department Updates

Income Tax Department Updates

Mileage Renewal

Voters in the Kent District Library service area overwhelmingly approved a 15-year millage renewal in the November election. Voters approved the new, lower rate of 1.1 mills, which reflects a reduction of 10.9% off KDL’s current millage rate of 1.2355 mills. The KDL board approved Jan. 1, 2024, as the start date, even though the current millage is not set to expire until Dec. 31, 2024. This will provide taxpayers with immediate savings.



Community Impact Prize

As the recipient of the fifth annual Jerry Kline Community Impact Award, KDL receives the one-time prize as the 2023 winner of this national award. Developed as a partnership between the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Library Journal, this award recognizes the powerful synergy that results when a library works closely with both its local government and its community. Click here to learn what this means for our Walker Community!