MAYOR’S STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS:
FEBRUARY 6, 2012

TO THE CITIZENS OF WILLMAR, MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, MEDIA AND GUESTS

2011 was a strong year for the City of Willmar. It was also a year of many changes.

At our planning retreat last April, the City Council prepared for change by adopting some goals to guide us. Those goals include:
Leadership: The hiring and successful integration of a new City Administrator.
Operations: Maintain efficient and effective services with less revenue.
Infrastructure: To control or maintain efficient investments in transportation, facilities and technology – again with less revenue.
Connections: Strong public partnership with the County and School District and engaging the community as a whole.
Development: Willmar should be a thriving, dynamic regional center and it will be with the U of M coming in, with the release of the old airport land for industrial park development, the revitalization of our Downtown and numerous other factors that this can be a reality.

The operating budget for 2012 of $12.7M is actually less than it was in 2011 and through attrition we have reduced our staffing by 5. We continue to evaluate our service delivery and look for efficiencies of operations and opportunities for collaboration with other organizations.

Maintaining sound infrastructure is also important for the City, both its present and our future. Our investment in a new Waste Water Treatment Plant will allow us to meet future needs of our City, both residential and business. We completed over $3.2M in road projects in 2011, overlaying 2 miles and reconstructing 2.3 miles. I included increased funding in the 2012 Capital Budget to begin to catch up on our street needs.

We also continue to work on the expansion of the Industrial Park and the release of the old airport lands.

In December, we signed a “Memorandum of Agreement” with the FAA and as of this date, we have completed all of the items the FAA has requested for the first phase of the land release. The plans for the Western Interceptor Sewer Expansion are moving forward with a May bid proposed (this is contingent on the land release), so now we sit back and await a timely response from the FAA.

As Mayor, it is also important to me that we build strong public partnerships. We continue to have a strong working relationship both with Kandiyohi County and the Willmar Area School District. I was very proud of the participation in the “Understanding Somali Culture” presentation and even more proud of the 600 citizens who attended to learn more about our newest community members.

Finally, I want to talk about Willmar as a thriving, dynamic regional center. In 2011, we saw new investment of $4M in our community. Our local economy also ranked 70th out of over 500 micropolitan centers across the United States. Among the communities in Minnesota cited in that same research by the Office of Management and Budget, Willmar ranked 2nd behind only Faribault-Northfield. When you look at Willmar as Retail Trade Center, we also rank very high against our counterparts in Greater Minnesota. Willmar ranks third, after Brainerd and Alexandria.

So, not only are we a retail trade center for our region, we also serve as the employment center and the regional medical center with many health oriented businesses, including our Municipal Rice Hospital – which I consider to be a diamond in our midst.
We also must not forget our strong public schools and Ridgewater College.

To keep this community strong as a regional center, I am proud to have put some focus back on our Downtown and pleased with the collaborative way in which we are working with the Willmar Design Center, Downtown businesses and service providers to plan for our future. Our planning meetings in December were well attended, which shows there is a desire and commitment to see Downtown Willmar grow and thrive. Our Downtown can be and should be another economic engine for our community. I have heard it said that “Downtown will never be the same” and that is true, but our goal is to make it better than it ever was.

As we look forward to 2012, I am excited about the opportunities in front of us. We will see a new and refreshed City website, new plans for Downtown and finally, the land release of the former airport and the much needed expansion of our Industrial Park.
If I may digress for a moment, I would like to say a word about our very competent City Council and City Staff for their hard work and dedication, and willingness to move forward. It is my goal to have everyone working together – because together “GREAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN!”

I AM PROUD OF THIS COMMUNITY AND I WANT TO THANK THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITY STAFF FOR WORKING WITH ME TO MAKE WILLMAR AN EVEN BETTER PLACE TO WORK, RAISE OUR FAMILIES AND PLAY. I EXPECT THE SAME COMMITMENT IN 2012.

THANK YOU – AND MAY GOD BLESS OUR CITY!

FRANK YANISH,
MAYOR OF THE CITY OF WILLMAR