Maitland City Talk

State of the city

Maitland recently has been abuzz with activity. With a new police headquarters, a new FIS/Metavante building and newer developments with the Village at Lake Lily and The Q at Maitland apartments, it begs the question, what is next and what is in store for our future?

Budget

Before we can talk about new projects, we have to deal with our budget. Living in tough economic times is difficult for our residents. It gets tougher every year to balance budgets and to reduce the impact on the taxpayer. I am incredibly proud of each and every person involved in helping to bring government costs in line without increasing taxes. Two weeks ago, our city was facing a $1.4 million shortfall. After careful diligence, each of our departments identified ways to bring their departmental costs in line with our revenues. The end result is that we came within $133,000 from having to dip into our General Fund, and I am convinced, by the time our budget is approved in September, even that will be addressed.

Public buildings

Although you see no cranes in the air signifying new construction at this time, breaking ground for a new fire station will take place in a few short months. At Monday's City Council meeting, we selected the team that will build the new fire station. Next up will be breaking ground for City Hall. In the same meeting, staff presented a new plan for assuring Maitland that City Hall can be built well within the financial parameters set forth when bonds were first issued in 2004. Look for groundbreaking for Maitland's new City Hall to take place in the first quarter of 2011.

SunRail

A new SunRail station is an important component to the redevelopment of a new downtown. SunRail is 'on track' and expected to be delivered to Central Florida in 2013, but there is still work that needs to get done. Ongoing operations and expenses have always been a concern of mine and a plan needs to be developed at the county level in order to assure Maitland taxpayers they are protected in the future. Another movement afoot is the development of a plan to make Quiet Zones a reality, which results in the silencing of train horns throughout our community. Although a funding plan has not been attained, I expect a realistic plan will be in place long before SunRail becomes a reality.

Culture

Maitland is blessed in that we have an integrated arts, history, music and learning culture that has become part of our everyday lives. The Maitland Historical Society and the Maitland Art Center recently merged and will provide a much stronger, vibrant organization. The Maitland Public Library, around for 114 years, is an institution that we committed to help revitalize in our last Council meeting. And the Performing Arts of Maitland, integrated into nearly every event Maitland offers, continues to thrive with the hundreds of volunteers that perform and support every performance.

Although there is little evidence of economic activity today, in just a few short months you will catch a glimpse of what our future holds. Stay tuned for more exciting news in the months to come. See you at the next Maitland event!