Thinh D. Nguyen
Click to enlarge photos.By Ashley Hungerford
Marietta Daily Journal Staff Writer
POWDER SPRINGS - "These have not been easy times," Mayor Pat Vaughn said Monday while delivering her annual State of the City address before the Powder Springs Business Association.
But she was optimistic about the future.
"We're not going to let it get us down," she said. "We've survived bumps in the past, and I know that we're going to come out of this."
Vaughn did admit the recent budget cuts, totaling $1.4 million, and laying off of three city employees was probably one of the hardest things she's ever had to do as mayor.
"Powder Springs has survived storms in the past - we survived the floods of 2005," she said. "We're going to survive these hard economic times and be back on our feet in no time."
A slowdown in residential and commercial development inside the city has had the biggest impact on the city budget.
Vaughn said the city issued 145 residential building permits in 2006 and 86 in 2007. In all of 2008, the city only issued 49 building permits. As for commercial permits, none were issued in 2008.
The city issued only 22 new business licenses in 2008, as compared to 43 in 2006 and 45 in 2007.
Despite the lull, Vaughn was pleased to highlight several of the projects the city completed or started in 2008.
Probably her biggest source of pride in 2008, the city opened the 10,000-square-foot Powder Springs Library at the Ford Center Complex on Atlanta Street in January. The $1.8 million project was a partnership between the city and Cobb County.
Other projects completed in 2008 include adding sidewalks to Frank Aiken and Lancer roads, Mobley Street Improvements and the renovation of the senior citizens center.
A long-awaited project for the city, Vaughn said construction of the Lewis Road project started in the fall of 2008.
"It's been a bumpy road - no pun intended," Vaughn said.
The Lewis Road Improvement project is a traffic-relief plan that provides an alternate route to Marietta Street in downtown Powder Springs. The project realigns the section of Lewis Road between Oglesby Road and the Norfolk Southern Railway. The project should be finished by December 2010.
Vaughn said the city has to temporarily several projects on the backburner until the economy improves.
One new service for city residents in 2009 will be a remote recycling center at the public works facility on Springs Industrial Drive. The center will come online later this year.
Addition recycling options is one of the top requests Vaughn receives from residents. She said the city found it was more cost effective to the city, and its residents, to have a remote recycling facility instead of home pick up.
Throughout her speech, Vaughn remained optimistic about Powder Springs in 2009, saying 2010 would be even better.
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Posted Comments
I think I'll run for mayor when the time comes around. 1.8 million to build a library? Seriously? With all the other libraries in Cobb did we really need to upgrade that much?
One thing we can be assured of, Mayor Pat Vaughn has no idea what the State of the City of Powder Springs is really in. She has no concept of the average citizen's issues and problem. It is interesting that last year the city had a significant surplus and like a typical liberal politician, it was burning a hole in the pocket and rather than hold on to it, it had to be spent so we lose jobs versus a pet project by the mayor. Pat Vaughn has become the epitomy of the normal politician - me first, look at me, I am great and to heck with all those of you that I'm suppose to care about and support.
What the mayor did not say is how she cut benefits for the employees and raised there insurance, oh and no raises either!!!!!
Financial crisis just don’t happen on their own. No question that the economy has been a major factor in loss revenues for many Cobb County communities. What the Mayor failed to mention during her SOC is the city’s poor record in hiring City Managers and Finance Directors which have contributed significantly to this crisis. It is further puzzling that at the city’s last State of the City address, people were led to believe that the city was financially sound with many months of funds in reserve for times like this.
Mayor Vaughn has no clue on the state of Powder Springs because she has no clue on the housing market. The Mayor discourages renters in Powder Springs yet foreclosures grow?
Mayor Vaughn lays off city workers to save how much? Laying off 3 workers is like removing 3 buckets of water from a flood. The Mayor has only one person in mind when it comes to survival, herself. Most of us see through her rhetoric.
thanks to the mayor we have a brigde to nowhere. and police officers are leaving by the hand full