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Mayor Sprouse Delivers His Annual
State of the City Address
State of the City Address
Tonight, it is my honor and privilege to deliver to you and the residents
of Springdale the 2020 State of the City Address. This is my twelfth
annual address. Preparing this speech each year is not something that
comes easily or naturally to me. The difficulty for me is not so much
what to include in the presentation, but what to leave out. As you know,
there are a lot of great things happening in Springdale. We not only see
that for ourselves, but if you're like me, you hear it from people all the
time- not only from our residents, but from others around the state. Still,
some of you enjoy giving me a hard time when this speech goes on a
little too long. I hope to resect everyone's time tonight, while still
highlighting important information. But, I'm fully prepared for some
good natured ribbing for my long-windedness. So, here we go.
To begin with, I want to mention just a few points of interest about some significant happenings from 2019;
*Sales tax receipts continued to show strong growth throughout 2019. That means local businesses continue to succeed and offer opportunities for people to purchase goods and services in Springdale. Local sales tax is our bread and butter as far as our ability to return services to our residents-and when it comes right down to it, returning services is the only reason city government exists.
*Another leading indicator, building permits, also continued strong growth in 2019. The total number of permits sold last year was 782, compared with 669 in 2018. That number reflects a 20% increase in residential permits, and a 45% increase in commercial permits. Keep in mind, also, that's comparing to 2018 numbers, which was also a year of strong growth. The bottom line is, the trend for development in Springdale continues to move sharply upward. In fact, if the first 2 few weeks of 2020 are any indication, we can expect that strong growth to continue for the foreseeable future.
*We made strong moves last year, modernizing and increasing our capacity and processes in relation to public safety.
For example, in 2019,
-We began construction of Phase 1 of our Criminal Justice building. When completed later this year, Phase 1 will house our Police Department, a new Dispatch Center, the Information Technologies Department, our City Attorney's offices, and our District Court.
-We approved purchase and began implementation of a new CAD, (Computer Aided Dispatch) system. This will replace an older, outdated CAD system and will greatly improve the delivery of public safety resources to our residents.
-We approved and funded the capital improvements required to join the state wide AWINS radio system. This system will allow our first responders to communicate better; not only with each other, but also with other agencies in our region and around the state. This will mean increased safety for our residents, as well as our first responders.
-SFD received national Accreditation of Ambulance Services. SFD is now one of only about 15 departments in the nation that have achieved both CAAS and CFIA Accreditations in an ISO Class 1 city. (ISO Class 1 is the highest rating possible for a city.)
To begin with, I want to mention just a few points of interest about some significant happenings from 2019;
*Sales tax receipts continued to show strong growth throughout 2019. That means local businesses continue to succeed and offer opportunities for people to purchase goods and services in Springdale. Local sales tax is our bread and butter as far as our ability to return services to our residents-and when it comes right down to it, returning services is the only reason city government exists.
*Another leading indicator, building permits, also continued strong growth in 2019. The total number of permits sold last year was 782, compared with 669 in 2018. That number reflects a 20% increase in residential permits, and a 45% increase in commercial permits. Keep in mind, also, that's comparing to 2018 numbers, which was also a year of strong growth. The bottom line is, the trend for development in Springdale continues to move sharply upward. In fact, if the first 2 few weeks of 2020 are any indication, we can expect that strong growth to continue for the foreseeable future.
*We made strong moves last year, modernizing and increasing our capacity and processes in relation to public safety.
For example, in 2019,
-We began construction of Phase 1 of our Criminal Justice building. When completed later this year, Phase 1 will house our Police Department, a new Dispatch Center, the Information Technologies Department, our City Attorney's offices, and our District Court.
-We approved purchase and began implementation of a new CAD, (Computer Aided Dispatch) system. This will replace an older, outdated CAD system and will greatly improve the delivery of public safety resources to our residents.
-We approved and funded the capital improvements required to join the state wide AWINS radio system. This system will allow our first responders to communicate better; not only with each other, but also with other agencies in our region and around the state. This will mean increased safety for our residents, as well as our first responders.
-SFD received national Accreditation of Ambulance Services. SFD is now one of only about 15 departments in the nation that have achieved both CAAS and CFIA Accreditations in an ISO Class 1 city. (ISO Class 1 is the highest rating possible for a city.)