~State of the City Address~
January 1, 2007

A government’s most worthy goal should be to ensure and enhance the quality of life for the greatest number of people.  I am confident that throughout 2006 we have succeeded in doing this and have positioned ourselves to continue in a very positive direction for not only the coming year, but also for the next three years. 

I am pleased to say that a vast majority of the goals outlined in my 2006 State of the City Address have already been accomplished or are in various stages of completion.

We successfully placed several tax delinquent properties back on the tax roll, revitalized the city’s beautification efforts, created a zoning commission under Councilman Foss’ leadership, reorganized and renovated office space in City Hall and worked closely with each department head to create a viable budget for the coming year.

With the help of Treasurer Mike Gifford’s fiscal management, we are solvent while being mindful of potential spikes in health care costs, pension expenditures, fuel expenses and the need to fund unexpected building and equipment needs.  It is mandatory that we stay as efficient as possible by containing costs and enhancing revenues in order to stabilize tax rates. Containing our tax rate is a priority and I believe can best be accomplished by maintaining a very businesslike and professional Mayoral leadership approach.         

Every department is functioning extremely well and I would like to thank each of the City Officials for their leadership and willingness to give the City their very best.  We are so very fortunate to have a very dedicated and skilled workforce and please know that they are doing their jobs admirably on a 24 hour basis.

It is incredibly obvious to me that Johnstown is at a very crucial point in its history.  We will successfully move to the next level of small city success by carefully managing our growth.  My administration will facilitate healthy growth by upgrading our use of technology, providing for continued training of our work force, displaying absolute fiscal responsibility and long range planning, being a responsible and vigilant participant in regional growth, upgrading and maintaining our aging infrastructure and pledging to sustain our attack on blighted areas throughout the city.

I encourage everyone to visit the City web site to access additional City news and various department head annual reports. ( www.cityofjohnstown-ny.com )  I am also available in my office most weekday mornings and all City Officials are accessible by e-mail.

I would like to express a special thanks to the members of the Council.  You take your governing responsibilities seriously and your advice and willingness to sometimes make tough decisions is very much appreciated. 

I look forward to working with all of you in the future and meeting the challenges of small city government with thoughtful and collaborative efforts to ensure the quality of life Johnstown residents have come to expect and certainly deserve.