Last Updated on August 4, 2016 by cassnetwork
We’ve invited Logansport Mayor Dave Kitchell to share information from the city in a monthly update on CassCountyOnline.com.
Dave Kitchell
During my recent vacation, I came across a new ice cream flavor: Michigan Pothole. We can all relate to what color that looks like – deep and dark black. As it turns out, what it tastes like is the ice cream version of “Death by Chocolate” cake; three different kinds of chocolate combined in a way that looks like it could fill those jarring deep craters on streets every March.
Thanks to new engineering for roads and streets, a way to reduce the expensive costs of paving and maintaining Logansport’s city streets is now in place. A pavement management system we approved earlier this year has graded the condition of every Logansport street on a scale of one to 10. Jodi Coblentz, a former Cass County Highway Engineer who now is retained by Logansport to perform civil engineering work for us, explained to the city council Monday that the system provides a way to prioritize highway repairs and repaving to reduce the costs of major paving and repairs when roads deteriorate into disrepair. Eventually, Logansport streets will be repaired before the need to fill potholes arises, and the system is an objective way to ensure that everyone’s streets are treated the same, regardless of who they know, how they voted or where they live.
Pavement management systems are a relatively new concept. While Logansport isn’t the first city to implement one, it’s a way we can be on the cutting edge of what local governments are doing to stretch tax dollars.
Infrastructure costs are a huge part of what we all pay for with taxes. One way we’re working to ensure our dollars are better spent is to take advantage of state matching programs to pave streets and add sidewalks and curbs. Deputy Mayor Mercedes Brugh and Jodi have been working on a plan that will leverage more state money to perform work on Burlington Avenue, Michigan Avenue and other streets that will need attention in the next four years.
We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on another infrastructure project, the 18 th Street intersection. Of course, it seems there always has to be some road project in progress when school starts, but this one will be completed sometime in September, not long after the Labor Day holiday. We eventually plan to add lighting to 18th Street to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, and you can expect that to happen in the near future.
Part of the infrastructure you pay for this time of year more than any other is our power grid. Monday night, our council unanimously approved a resolution to proceed with negotiations for a purchased power agreement with Next Era power. The proposed five-year term would lower rates as early as Jan. 1, 2019, but could go into effect sooner depending on negotiations. Our precipitous drop in utility rates during the peak demand months of summer has been a welcome relief for many people this year, and they’ve let us know.
Meanwhile, our housing stock continues to improve with the Blight Elimination Program wrapping up this month and the latest round of Owner Occupied Housing improvements ending by next month. Combined, more than 50 homes will be either improved or razed because of Cathy Miller in Clerk-Treasurer Stacy Cox’s office, our Building Commissioner’s Office and contractors.
As the start of school inches closer, we’re investigating a proposal to expand text alerts in the community to upgrade public safety in the event of a snow emergency, a tornado or even criminal activities. It’s a cost-effective way to ensure our community is vigilant and as safe as we can make our neighborhoods and schools.
Our parks and street departments employees along with summer workers at Mount Hope Cemetery have been preparing Riverside Park for the upcoming Dentzel Carousel Festival Aug. 26-27. We will have some special events in store on the morning of the 27 th and I hope everyone can spend part of the weekend at Riverside.
August is a busy time for everyone with vacations and the start of school. In our case, budgeting is going to be a time-consuming task for city officials. Our department heads are working to produce a 2017 budget that will be the first step in restoring city reserves. A recent budget analysis has determined that the spend down of our cash balance in 2014 and 2015 has put us at the perilous border of the recommended 15 percent operating balance for the city this year. We can and will take the steps necessary to ensure that our city is on a sound financial glidepath again. We will explore options, including cuts, but for the most part, we must continue to consider other options, including annexation, employee co-pays and increases in user fees.
We’ll do whatever we can to prevent tax burdens on working families who are already struggling to buy a car, pay a mortgage or put a son or daughter through college.
Finally, we are happy to announce that state officials will be in Logansport Aug. 22 for an on-site visit as part of the Hometown Collaboration Initiative (HCI). With technical support provided by the state, we’ve assembled a group of local residents from high school students through senior citizens to shape a community agenda and promote a discussion on what the public’s hopes and dreams for the city really are. In the purest sense, this is one of the ways we can add to the sense of what a community really is, and that’s more than just green signs at the city limits. Our sense of community depends on people who want to work together to make Logansport the best place it can be for all of us.
It is a pleasure to serve as your mayor. If you have any suggestions, concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to call us at (574) 753-2551, or e-mail me at dkitchell@cityoflogansport.org.