July 7, 2008
To the Citizens of Chesapeake City:
I would like to thank everyone who participated in the recent Town election. Almost 50% of the registered voters turned out to cast their vote. This is an excellent number not only for Chesapeake City but also for any election. It appears that most of the campaigning went well and was spirited to say very the least. It’s now time for us to set aside our differences and start pulling together to get our Town back on track.
The biggest challenge that we are now facing is financial control. With the cost of everything increasing, it’s going to be hard to cover normal expenses with the money that we have coming in as well as covering our previous commitments. If you attended any of the budget meetings you are aware that we had to do some serious juggling to make ends meet and I’m sure we will still have to make some adjustments as we move through the year. I am convinced that we can do it. With the cooperation of the Council and staff we can track our income vs. expenses and keep costs to a minimum.
The best way to provide financial relief for our citizens is more efficient operations and to increase our tax base. While we’ve had a little help from recent annexations and construction, it’s not enough to pull us out of the hole. The pending development of Chesapeake Village (between 2nd Street & St. Augustine Road) will help but with today’s real estate market I don’t expect to see much from that for several years.
We will also need to start planning to replace our ageing water & sewer plants. The repairs and patches that we are beginning to see are only going to last so long. If we are to expect any growth at all some serious up-grades are necessary and shortly we will need to consider complete replacement. If we can get some developers interested in coming to Town we may get some of that paid for as we grow. It is unfortunate at this time that the real estate market is pretty much at a standstill but we need to get prepared up front so we will be ready to move with the market.
As your newly elected Mayor I will lead us into financial stability and head us in a direction that will insure our future as the quaint, beautiful, little community that we are. The small town charm and atmosphere must prevail but we must progress to keep up with the world around us.
The regular scheduled Town Council meetings are on the second Monday of every month at 6:30pm and there is a workshop meeting on the fourth Monday. Please come and add your “two cents” (we want your comments …… and we need the money!).
See ya’ around Town,
Frank Hill
Mayor of Chesapeake City