By Jamie Miller
Mayor Jill Dabbs gave the 2013 State of the City address at the January meeting of[more] the Bryant City Council Thursday evening.
"The state of the city is sound, and our resources are strong,” Mayor Dabbs said.
Growth seemed to be on the forefront of the Mayor's message as she repeatedly stressed that Bryant is continuing to grow and with that growth comes added responsibility. A transparent government practice will continue in 2013 as well as the town hall meetings that will start up again soon, she said. Along with that, the city website has been overhauled and has become more comprehensive and user friendly.
In 2012, the city was able to cut costs in many areas of daily operating as well as other areas, added the Mayor. According to Dabbs that trend is in place to continue.
"The city staff is committed to doing more for less," she stated.
Dabbs continued, saying many projects were funded due to cuts that were made in the various city departments throughout 2012. Two storm water systems were put into place, an overlay of Woodland Park Road was done, and a new fire station was built.
A moratorium for multi-family housing has recently been brought to the city and is currently being explored by the council. No decisions have been made and a public hearing is scheduled for the issue in February.
The 2013 budget was presented to the council after each department worked diligently to iron out the numbers to operate conservatively. The council voted 4-4 to approve the budget and Mayor Dabbs excercized her right to vote and break the tie by voting in favor of adopting the budget and moving forward.
The operations building took on a new name after the council voted to rename the building "James Dreher." Springhill Road to Woodland Road also adopted a new name and will now be called "Sheaff Avenue." It was proposed that Raymar Road North be renamed "Bryant Boulevard," but the board voted against that change.
Boys Scout Troop 17 of Bryant began the meeting by presenting the colors and leading all present in the pledge of allegiance.
