Maitland City Talk

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous New Year. It has been a privilege and honor for me to serve as your mayor this past year.

Working with our city staff and our volunteer boards has been pleasurable, rewarding and productive. We have accomplished many things this past year and look ahead with great expectations to continue moving our city forward in 2014.

• Our main accomplishments of note for 2013 are as follows:

• Continue to maintain no increase in the property tax millage rate.

• Continue to maintain a balanced budget.

• Continue to move forward with our Capital Improvement Projects.

• Completed the update of our City Charter.

• Renegotiated our Solid Waste Contract with more financially favorable terms and offering more and better services to our citizens.

• Approved the “The Courtney at Lake Shadow” apartment project on the west side.

• Approved the plans for the Home Builders Association new home.

• Began construction of the road improvements around the intersection of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Horatio Avenue.

• Began the process of acquiring the ownership of Maitland Avenue from Orange County.

• As for the financial state of our city, we are financially sound. This is mainly due to fiscal conservatism by our City Council, as well as our city staff who has worked hard to keep our expenses down. However, we need take steps to increase our tax base in the next few years to continue moving our city forward, which we are presently in the process of doing.

To increase our tax base we have to encourage quality new development and redevelopment throughout our city. With the updating of our Land Development Code and the streamlining of our Permitting Approval Process, we are now officially “Open for Business.” This will attract new business and quality development to our city. We have already had substantial interest in new and redevelopment throughout our city, especially in our CRA downtown area.