Happy New Year!  The City of Taylor Mill ended another year debt free and had many positive things that took place during the 2017 calendar year.  Many of these projects started as far back as 2014 and came to fruition after many years of hard work by the Taylor Mill Staff and your elected officials. 

  

Take a look back at 2017 with me and some of the important progress we've made in the community:

  

*Phase 1 of the Pedestrian and Street Light Project along a section of Pride Parkway was completed.  The project brought much needed lights to two intersections along the corridor that posed some traffic hazards.  This project which was started several years ago meets all of the current mandated state guidelines for safely lighting a state traffic corridor.

  

*The traffic signal at the intersection of Sawmill and Pride Parkway provides for the safer flow of traffic, and will help manage access for future development and growth in the area.  This project took a long time but the end result is a positive for anyone traveling on Pride Parkway.

  

*The City also continues to make great strides in the extension of  sidewalk along Taylor Mill Road.  The next phase of the project will extend to the intersection of Saddlebrook Dive.  After years of work towards compliance with state and federal grant requirements construction is set to begin in the Spring of 2018.  The Commission plans to continue to work towards receipt of another Safe Route to Schools Grant that would allow us to extend the sidewalk all the way to Walnut Street and tie into the Districts of Taylor Mill.  I will continue to lobby the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana (OKI) Regional Council of Governments for this funding, as sidewalks area a necessity to the continued success of our community.

  

*Significant road repairs were funded and constructed to fix pavement slips on sections of Mason Road and Old Taylor Mill Road.  These roadways have plagued the City with problems since 2004.

  

*The coordination of work continued between the City, the Sanitation District and the Water District to make infrastructure improvements in the Church Street Area made progress.  These improvements will include the paving and in some cases reconstruction of Church Street, Valley View, Primrose, Faye, Doris, Gail, and Sunset Place.  Construction is expected to begin later this year.

  

*The City has replaced part of the playground surface and installed new play features at Pride Park to insure a safe play area for our visitors young and old. The remaining surface was installed back in 1996 when the park was initially constructed and remains in need of replacement.  We hope to continue these efforts in the future, as well as, the replacement of some play structures.

  

*The City of Taylor Mill took steps in both 2016 and 2017 to not increase your property taxes.  Our goal is always to use your tax dollars to benefit you the property and business owners in  our community. 

   

*The City once again operated under a balanced budget and ended the 2017 fiscal year with a surplus that we will be re-investing into the community and community projects. 

  

*Rising pension, health care and benefits associated with the employment of staff always remain a concern.  Kudos to our CAO Jill Bailey who was able to work with our insurance broker and renegotiate our employees health insurance plan and save in excess of $90,000.00.  This money will be part of what we hope will be another surplus ending the 2018 Fiscal Year. 

  

*During 2017 we also were able to retain and recruit some highly trained police officers.  These officers are retirees who have been hired with our agency and who we do NOT have to pay any expenses towards a retirement fund.  These actions insure the City has the best in the business protecting you and your property, and will save our organization over $76,000 annually during their employment with us. As the Pension Crisis continues to escalate we will continue to monitor it closely.  I'm proud to say that I serve on the Kentucky League of Cities Executive Board and that role has allowed me to be actively involved in pension discussions in Frankfort.  The reality is that all Cities all across Kentucky are going to have to pay more to sustain the CERS Pension Fund so it remains solvent.  However, we are mandated by the state to pay our portion of employee pensions.  I encourage everyone to read more about the pension crisis from a variety of news outlets to better understand the dire situation at hand we are facing.

  

As we look forward in 2018, we want everyone to know that street repairs throughout the entire community remain a major focus for the City. The City works constantly to balance all the needs of our community so we can better serve you - our citizens.  Responsible budgeting, steady planning and implementation  will enable us to reach our goals and objectives.  On behalf of myself, the entire City Commission and staff we wish you a prosperous 2018.

   

In the event you need any assistance please contact any of your local elected officials or City Administrator Jill Cain  Bailey at 859.581.3234 or email us at  info@taylormillky.gov.

   

Warmest Regards, 

Daniel L. Bell, Mayor
City of Taylor Mill