|
Summer is in full swing in Walker, and nowhere was it more evident than our first Summer Concert of 2022 in June. The weather was perfect, the music from Brena was incredible as always, and we had a lot of people in attendance! However, there is still plenty of room to bring friends and family out with you to the next concert featuring Project 90 on Thursday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m.
In June, we also welcomed our newest City Commissioner, Jessica Babcock. Commissioner Babcock was unanimously appointed to fill the open Second Ward role created when former City Commissioner Carol Glanville was elected to the open 74th District seat in the State House of Representatives. Commissioner Babcock brings a strong business background as a senior leader at a locally owned business and recently served as our chairperson of the Community Engagement Committee. Congratulations to both Commissioner Babcock and Representative Glanville on their new roles.
In addition to appointing our newest City Commissioner in June, the City Commission also approved the new fiscal year budget which begins on July 1 and runs through June 30, 2023. As part of a long-standing practice, the budget was adopted taking a risk-averse and fiscally responsible approach. Our revenues are developed by taking a conservative stance on all sources that help fund the City’s operations. Our expenses are going to be up this year because we had several items that were delayed by the pandemic.
Some of the highlights of planned expenditures include $2.4 million dollars for road maintenance and road construction projects throughout all three wards of the City. These are for our major and local roads and exclude any MDOT (Michigan Department of Transportation) roads and bridges like Wilson, Lake Michigan Drive, and the Fruitridge bridge.
Also, this year we have increased our budget amount for public safety to 43% of our budget. The City Commissioners and I hear from all of you how important a safe and secure community is, so our budget reflects the increased demands that come with that. And one of the more important items is there is no new bond debt planned for this year. That means our long-term debt continues to be a zero-dollar amount. I want to again thank our City staff for making our decisions easier by providing the data and guidance necessary to make the right decisions.
This time of year also tends to bring retirements for some of our longer serving staff. Most of them have asked for no attention or recognition as they continue to put our City first through their last day of work. So, for those few who recently retired, our City stands in your debt for all your service and contributions. As you are hopefully reading this, you know I am mentioning you without doing it.
As always, thank you to each of you for making the choice to call Walker home.
Mayor Gary L. Carey, Jr.
| 
