State of the City Address given Jan. 26, 2017 by Mayor Carolyn Dull

I think we can all agree that 2016 was a year remarkably full of challenges. From a turbulent presidential campaign to numerous senseless tragedies, we experienced a year that shook many of us to our core.

I’m grateful to be starting fresh in this New Year with a desire for unity, peace and compassion for those here and abroad and a renewed sense of solidarity with the many efforts for justice and civil and human rights in our City and beyond.

Thankfully, here in the Queen City, we can find solace in the goodwill of a tight-knit community— a community whose hallmarks are a generous spirit, empathy, kindness and integrity. It’s been my experience that more often than not, we’re able to find common – and higher – ground.

Because of these characteristics and much more, I can tell you that the state of our City is strong.

Economic growth and the unemployment rate are holding steady, and the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Staunton.

Unemployment is currently at 4.1%, which equals the current state average and is not a substantial change from the previous year. It remains one of the primary objectives of City Council to attract companies to Staunton that can provide good-paying jobs for our citizens.

We issued more than 2,200 business licenses, and 33 new businesses opened their doors downtown.

Many visitors and residents alike spent leisure time in Staunton last year, providing nearly $3.7 million in revenue from meals and lodging taxes.

Our financial standing is strong. While we could always use more funding to accomplish the multiple important projects, such as a police and fire facilities, or a high school, we are working with what we’ve got, and managing it well thanks to an exceptional Finance team.

We adopted a $106 million budget last April, and we’ve maintained a Aa2 bond rating from Moody’s Investor Service and an AA- rating from Standard and Poor’s. These ratings are defined as very strong creditworthiness.

More than $785,000 in the budget was provided to local agencies

We continue to save for a rainy day by increasing the percentage of funds placed in reserves.

And finally, we’ve been awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association since 1985 for our sound financial standing and practices.

Staunton earned awards and acclaim on a number of coveted lists in 2016, thanks to our vibrant arts culture, ongoing historic preservation efforts and the tireless work of a community that continues to put Staunton on the map with its exceptional talents and enthusiasm.

Country Living Magazine featured Staunton as one of “The 30 Small Towns You Should Visit This Summer.” Cosmopolitan Magazine and MSN.com also picked up the article and shared it with their readers.

USA Today placed Staunton on their list of “Best Main Streets in the USA;”

We were named one of “America’s Favorite Towns” by Travel+Leisure;

Travelsquire.com called Staunton one of “The Top 28 Hot Destinations for 2016;”

and Tasting Table put us on its list of “9 of the Best Small Towns for Food in the U.S.”

A few other mentionable lists we made include:

“The 6 Cutest Main Streets in America” by Purewow.com;

“20 Great Small Towns Near Washington, DC” by About.com;

and “12 Perfectly Picturesque Towns in Virginia” by OnlyinYourState.com.

We had some significant and extraordinary happenings last year, so I thought I’d share a list of six highlights of 2016. Here goes:

1. We kicked off two new developments off of Route 250, near the I-81 and I-64 corridors:
   • The City finalized an agreement with Staunton Crossing Partners, L.L.C. on 25 acres at the old Western State Hospital property, now known as Staunton Crossing, and we completed an entrance road for the development. Staunton Crossing Partners joined the City for a groundbreaking and ribbon cutting ceremony, announcing plans to bring two hotels, restaurants and other mixed uses. We believe this new growth will jumpstart future development on this nearly 300-acre property where we hope to bring good jobs and housing.
   • Across the street, site work for Phase 1 of the development of Frontier Center began, with commitments from three restaurants and a retailer. We expect significant progress there this year, including a groundbreaking sometime this spring.
     
     
2. The Governor came to Staunton last spring to announce Graphic Packaging International’s $20 million expansion of its manufacturing operation in the City and the creation of 43 new jobs. Additionally, the City received a $250,000 state grant to assist with the expansion and will provide an incentive grant to the company. Graphic Packaging’s anticipated growth has the potential to generate nearly $1 million in tax revenue for the City over a 10-year period.
   
   
3. Next door, a new 200,000 square foot FedEx distribution center opened in Green Hills Industrial Park, replacing an existing center in Fishersville. The expanded facility brought new jobs to Staunton as well as the existing jobs from its Fishersville plant.
   
   
4. The City dedicated the bridge on Richmond Road near Staunton Crossing and Frontier Center to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. last January on MLK Day. The memorial was a unanimous decision for Council, and for me, it represents Staunton's desire to connect the triumphs of the Civil Rights Movement to our continued determination to ensure equality for all residents today and for years to come.
   
   
5. The City reaped the results of a successful, citizen-led campaign to keep the historic Augusta County Courthouse in Staunton. We are grateful for the many concerned Stauntonians and neighboring residents who cared deeply enough about the historical and economic vitality of our region to help preserve an important piece of our area’s history. 
   
   
6. And last but certainly not least, an uptick in civic engagement brought us many more applicants for City boards and commissions, like the West End Alliance. The group became more active in 2016, hosting City Council and School Board forums, clean up days and networking opportunities to recruit businesses to the City’s west end. It’s always invigorating to see citizens take an interest in their government and exercise their ability to influence the direction of our City.

 A few other projects and investments worth celebrating include:

The approval of the Staunton Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s work plan to make the City more bike and pedestrian friendly and the committee’s award of a $65,000 grant to help implement the plan.

Receiving a Safe Routes to School Grant for $285,000 to build sidewalks, crosswalks and lighting at Bessie Weller Elementary School to improve safety and access to the school for students.

The City’s first Dog Park, also known as the Bark Park, which debuted at Gypsy Hill Park last fall to wagging tails and canine grins and has become a popular meeting place for dogs and those who love them.

The City completed a $589,000 renovation of Lake Tams, thanks in part to a $200,000 grant from the Virginia DEQ. The renovation improved the water quality of the lake and included the addition of a walking path, a vegetative bank, stone wall and other aesthetic improvements.

Council approved an application for a Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant in the amount of $180,000 to help our emergency personnel upgrade its personal protective equipment. The grant also includes a 10% match.

And Council approved a Local Government Challenge Grant Application in the amount of $5,000 to assist three local arts organizations: ShenanArts, the Stonewall Brigade Band, and the Staunton Augusta Art Center. The City hopes to match the grant with a $5,000 contribution.

More than 30% of the City’s budget is allocated to Staunton City Schools, which we are proud to support.

For the 4th consecutive year, employees of Staunton City Schools received a raise in an ongoing effort to increase compensation to competitive levels and to recruit and keep skilled teachers, administrators and staff

Our school division saw an overall increase in SOL score pass rates and was especially celebratory of Bessie Weller’s scores, where students raised their SOL achievement level in every content area

Staunton City Schools also saw a remarkable 2016 on-time graduation rate of 91% and a dropout rate of just 5%, which is below state average

And we ramped up our work with the Staunton School Board to determine a cost figure that will bring much needed physical improvements to R.E. Lee High School. We’ll continue to make progress on that front this year.

It takes positive working relationships with the School Board and the superintendent to achieve success on large and important projects like the high school, and we are grateful to have good relations with school division leaders. We look forward to our continued work together.

The wonderful peaks of the year were also accompanied by some valleys. We lost several bright lights in our community who left an unforgettable impression on us.

Rita Wilson, the City’s first black council member who served the City in that capacity from 1991 to 2008 with zeal and compassion. She was a force of nature with her indomitable and vivacious spirit and a true public servant.

Desmond Wray, who served as Staunton’s city attorney for 20 years, from 1984 to 2004, with integrity, diligence, distinction and gentlemanly grace.

Brady Kier, the three-year-old grandson of our very own vice mayor, who valiantly fought cancer and stole thousands of hearts here in Staunton and around the globe with his contagious smile and enduring spirit.

Michael Organ, one of our City’s most vocal cheerleaders and a true ambassador for Staunton’s historic preservation and revitalization.

Jody Grogan, a faithful School Board member who cared deeply about the future of the City’s students.

And Becky Williams, a former 911 dispatcher for the City and the beloved wife of our police chief.

Mother Teresa said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

These folks undoubtedly created their share of ripples, and we’re all the better for them.

We are fortunate to have an incredible staff who continuously represent Staunton well, work diligently to keep the City flourishing and work well with Council to accomplish our shared goals.

Our sincere thanks to City staff, including police and fire and rescue, for the excellent and sometimes difficult work they perform daily. Our City wouldn’t be exceptional without them.

And our congratulations and gratitude to City staff who earned regional and state recognition for their work last year:

Linda Little, Clerk of City Council, was awarded the Clerk of the Year award for Region III of the Virginia Municipal Clerks Association.

The City’s park maintenance crew was recognized with a Fields of Excellence Award for Lee High football field upkeep in Gypsy Hill Park.

And our Fire & Rescue Department received several Governor’s Fire Services Awards for excellence in Virginia’s fire services.

City Council has kept busy at the local and state level:

During the 2016 City Council election last May, Ophie Kier, Erik Curren, Andrea Oakes and Jim Harrington were re-elected.

We designated a week in May as National Police Week, which we plan to continue this year to honor our men and women who put their lives on the line daily to keep us safe.

We opposed the Atlantic Coast Pipeline and sought ways to prevent it from disturbing the pristine waters we hold dear, including our drinking water supply.

And Dr. Harrington represented the City in the annual Waynesboro soap box derby. Did you win, Dr. Harrington?

And finally, I’d like to mention a few other meaningful activities and City business that deserve recognition:

Continuing on the successful merger of our City and School finance departments in 2012, we merged City and School Human Resources departments, fostering more efficiency and collaboration.

We also reorganized our engineering and planning departments into a consolidated community development department.

And we welcomed several new faces over the last few months: Charley Haney became City Assessor following the retirement of Jim Gallagher; Nicki Mills is our new City Engineer following the retirement of James Davis; Rodney Rhodes became our new City Planner following the retirement of Sharon Angle and Molly Goldsmith became the City Registrar following Amanda DiMeo’s move to our Economic Development department.

Staunton celebrated its first Bike and Walk to Work Day last May, during which many walked and biked to work to feel more connected to the community, to promote physical fitness, and to help the environment.

The City’s only institution of higher learning made a transition from Mary Baldwin College to Mary Baldwin University. We congratulate them on their next chapter.

Staunton’s future remains bright, and we have much to look forward to in the coming months. We are most fortunate to call the Queen City home and to live in a charitable and welcoming community full of creatives, visionaries, go-getters, do-gooders and civic pride.

Thank you for making our City shine. May Staunton be blessed in this New Year.