Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan delivers his annual state of the city address during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
The state of the city is sound, Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said Tuesday during his annual State of the City Address.
The year’s achievements and successes, Jordan said, “are the result of an excellent partnership between my administration and our City Council and the dedication and the efforts of our outstanding staff and City employees.”
Jordan listed four shared principles and goals that received special focus during the year including: spending wisely and saving taxpayers’ money while increasing public services; making city services more convenient for residents; increasing public information about and awareness of those public services; and assuring the inclusion of all residents in the benefits of the services and projects that enhance the quality of life in Fayetteville.
Jordan went on to discuss achievements in money management, including $100,000 saved by the police department from its overtime budget, $5,200 saved by converting seven lawn mowers to propane, and a long list of grants and awards the city received in 2013.
Jordan highlighted several areas in which the city was honored, and discussed ways the city was responsible for improving the environment by integrating sustainability efforts.
In 2014, Jordan said a content management system upgrade will bring improvements to the city’s website, including a “My Government Services” site that will offer an interactive map allowing users to pinpoint services available to a specific address.
Other upcoming improvements include replacement of outdated audio-visual equipment in City Hall meeting rooms and the conversion of the city’s television center from a standard definition analog video system to a High Definition SDI system.
Residents can expect increased sidewalk production, and the beginning of construction of a planned regional park and a downtown parking deck in 2014.
Other infrastructure improvements coming this year are extensions of Van Asche Drive and Rupple Road, four miles of new trails, and the restoration of the Maple and Lafayette Street Historic Bridges.
The biggest challenge facing Fayetteville this year is the state of increased public service demands and the resulting increase in workload and staff time, Jordan said.
While the city’s population has grown, and Fayetteville has added many new programs and services, Jordan said he has “held the line” on costs.
“The question is how long our existing numbers of employees can keep that pace,” he said.
“We are a destination city – one in which people desire to stay and raise a family,” said Jordan. “Fayetteville is, simply, a great place to live, work, study, play, and raise a family.”
