Last year was a productive one for the city, Lebanon Mayor Huck Lewis said at his annual State of the City address Friday, but he believes this year will be even better.
In his fourth State of the City address, held at the Community Center at Lebanon High School Friday afternoon, Lewis said the city is in the best financial shape for 2014 than it has been in any of the three previous years. The city’s assessed valuation has increased, and forecasts show it will continue to increase for the next few years, he said. That allows the city to spend more money without raising property taxes. It has given the city room to increase budgets in parks, public safety and give a pay increase to city employees.
“Overall the city is doing very well,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the city has been efficient in the way it provides services. When he came into office, he said the city was spending all of its revenue. For 2014, he anticipates have 20 percent left at the end of the year.
The city is following a financial plan, needed because the city has several projects going on.
Lewis shared about many of those projects during his address. The $4.5 million city pool is under construction, funded by $4 million in bonds and $500,000 in redevelopment funds. The new lazy river, slides and wave pool come at a cost of about a 50 cent tax increase per $100,000 of assessed value. Work on Hot Pond is continuing as the city tries to decide which route to take to deal with the silt and lime problems. Engineering and planning firm American Structurepoint is working on a land use plan for the Indiana 39 South corridor, including the Interstate 65 interchange and 1,300 acres, and developers are expressing interest in the location, Lewis said.
The new Ind. 39 bridge over I-65 is complete, and Lewis said the architectural portion should be done by June. The panels and towers are under construction.
“We hope people will remember Lebanon after seeing it and entice them to see what Lebanon is all about,” Lewis said.
Work on three different projects that have been combined into one — the Indianapolis Avenue project, the Safe Routes to School project, and the trail project — is planned to begin in March 2015. The timeline has been pushed back due to a delay in acquisition of right of way.
The downtown historic district awarded two grants in 2013, to Pizzazz Antiques and The Sugar Bowl. The city has also received a $40,000 planning grant for the downtown area from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, to look at things like sidewalks and street lights. The plan is almost complete, Lewis said, and they can then apply for a grant for construction.
Economic development has been a strong point in the last year, Lewis said, especially with the new rail spur in the Lebanon Business Park.
“Our rail spur has been a great investment,” Lewis said. “We now have companies looking at Lebanon that would have never looked at us before.”
The city’s newest company, Subaru, has brought 150 new jobs and $18 million in property investment. D-A Lubricant was the first company to connect to the rail spur and has increased employment.
Several companies have increased employment or expanded operations, including Skjodt-Barrett, Case New Holland and Hachette Book Group.
But Lewis reported that Pearson Education will leave Lebanon in 2015 after 19 years in the city. The building was leased by Pearson, so property taxes will continue to be paid by the owner.
“This will mean a loss of 150 jobs,” Lewis said. “In the past year, the city has granted 10 commercial construction permits, 10 permits for residential homes, and 80 multifamily permits for the new Shaker Square apartments, Lewis said.
“We are very limited in locations to build new homes,” he said. “My plan this year is to work with the local builders and some larger single family developers to come up with a strategy to develop ground for more housing.”
Lewis also touched on many other city initiatives, like the Cleanest City in Indiana and the mentoring program. He thanked all of the churches, organizations and individuals, especially Kevin O’Brien, for their help in clean-up efforts following the November tornado that hit the city.
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