2012 "State of the City" Address

Mayor Pro Tem Leroy Vaughn presented the annual "State of the City" on Feb. 21 at a joint luncheon of the Lewisville Area Chamber of Commerce, Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce, and Highland Village Business Association. Following is the text of that speech.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity today to do one of my favorite things – talk about the many successes Lewisville has enjoyed and the extremely bright prospects ahead of us.

I want to start this report by focusing on topics that I know are very important to you as business leaders – taxes and development. In both areas, the news from 2011 is

good and the forecast for 2012 is even better.

In the past three years, we have been able to reduce our tax-supported debt by more than 10 percent without increasing the property tax rate; while also building a healthy reserve to protect against economic downturns. In fact, our current property tax rate is the lowest it has been in 24 years, and we’ve only had one rate increase in the past 18 years.

Of course, not all of that is due to the work of City Council and City staff. Much of our financial strength comes from the vibrant and dedicated business community in Lewisville, so I thank all of you for your hard work and for your contributions to building a better, more vital community.

The Lewisville business community grew significantly last year as our region continued to lead the state and the nation in an economic bounce-back. Kellogg’s announced it will fill about a million square feet of warehouse space in Lewisville, and JP Morgan Chase added about a quarter-million square feet of office space with plans to bring in more than 1,000 new workers – making Chase the largest private employer in Lewisville. Business is starting to boom again in Lewisville, and that is good news not just locally but throughout the region and the state.

Last year, our bond rating was upgraded by both Standard & Poors and Fitch rating agencies to triple-A, the highest rating possible. That means the City of Lewisville now has a better bond rating than the United States government! That’s not intended to be a political statement; but it is a strong statement that your City leaders have charted a conservative and highly effective economic course for Lewisville and have remained faithful stewards of public funds and the public trust.

Based on the results of a very important election held in November, our residents must recognize the trustworthiness of their City leaders. Voters went to the polls that day and overwhelmingly approved creation of two special districts, one for Crime Control and one for Fire Prevention. They also approved sales taxes to support each district.

Thanks to their far-sighted vote, the City will be able to dedicate more than $2 million in additional annual funding to police services and another $2 million in additional annual funding to fire services. Much of that money will be paid by non-Lewisville residents, which helps reduce pressure on the local property tax. Starting later this year, you will see the results of this history-making vote in the form of more police officers on the streets, another ambulance, and new law enforcement equipment to protect our residents, businesses and visitors.

Let’s talk for a moment about development. It’s no secret that Lewisville is running out of vacant land, especially in large tracts. We’ve worked with private property owners for the past several years to open up areas in southwest and far east Lewisville for development, but most of our land is already being used.

Add to that the fact that many of our existing structures, both residential and retail, are nearing the end of their expected lifespan and you can see that Lewisville is a prime target for re-development, turning those aging properties into newer and higher uses that will carry us decades into the future. City staff is working with stakeholders to devise a plan for helping our aging retail centers find a new purpose and a new life. Some elements of that plan are likely to take shape in the near future.

The City Council had made redevelopment of historic Old Town Lewisville a priority even before 2001, when construction started on a new City Hall right in the heart of Old Town. Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in Old Town since then, both public and private. A tough economy slowed some of our progress in that area, but things are definitely looking up.

One of the biggest boosts for Old Town came about last June when the Denton County Transportation Authority started commuter rail service with three stations in Lewisville connecting Denton in the north and DART in the south. DCTA’s Old Town Station is located about where the original passenger depot was, and will prove to be a big part of the revitalization of Old Town. You can already see the signs, and within the next couple of years you will see the reality.

The City has secured grant money to recreate the Main Street and Mill Street corridors, and those projects are moving quickly through the planning pipeline. We also secured grant money from the EPA for Brownfields assessment and restoration to help property owners reclaim land and buildings that have environmental challenges due to many years of varied uses. Chemicals, fuels and other substances need to be identified and removed to clear the way for exciting new development in Old Town.

The City also is doing its part to rebuild Old Town and help make it a commercial and cultural heart for Lewisville once again. At the start of last year, we opened a new $10 million arts center across from City Hall. In its first year of operation, the Medical Center of Lewisville Grand Theater drew more than 40,000 visitors. Let me give a big “thank you” to our naming rights sponsor, Medical Center of Lewisville. There are wonderful shows and concerts being held nearly every weekend at the MCL Grand, the kinds of shows that we’ve usually had to drive to Dallas or other cities to see. If you haven’t attended a show or event at the MCL Grand, you’re really missing out and should make it a point to visit soon.

We’re also working toward a beautiful new park and gathering space that will connect City Hall and the MCL Grand. The Old Town park plaza is in the final design stages and will include an outdoor stage, water features, walking paths and public lawns. Construction should start on this project within the next 18 months if all goes well, and the result will be a space in the heart of Old Town where families and visitors can come together for special events or just enjoy the atmosphere and architecture that makes Old Town special.

Speaking of parks, earlier this month the City Council reviewed a new Park and Trails Master Plan that sets an ambitious vision for Lewisville’s future park and recreation needs. It is a long-range plan that includes neighborhood and community parks, athletic fields, indoor recreation areas and much more.

Council will be chipping away at that plan for many years. We have charted a clear path for where our parks system needs to be in order to serve our current and future residents with the recreational services and facilities they deserve and demand.

One public demand for a new facility will be answered in just a few months when we open a new Animal Shelter and Adoption Center. This new 14,000-square-foot facility will be completely state of the art and is certain to boost our animal adoption rate. We’ve needed this new facility for quite some time; our current shelter is more than 30 years old. One of the best parts about this project is that the Council was able to pay the $4.5 million pricetag out of our Reserve Fund, which means we did not have to issue tax-supported debt.

Which brings me back to where I started my presentation today. You should be pleased and proud of where your City is positioned in an economy that is recovering far too slowly for my taste. We weathered the storm of a recession without resorting to extreme measures such as layoffs, furloughs, facility closures or burdensome tax hikes. We trimmed costs where we could without sacrificing services or quality of life for our residents and businesses. Thanks to sound and conservative fiscal policy set by the City Council and executed by City Manager Claude King and his dedicated and professional staff, we avoided the deepest of the valleys and are perfectly positioned to climb to new heights starting right now. In fact, that climb has already begun, and I am confident that working together – government, businesses and residents – we will be able to build the strong and vibrant community we all desire.

Thank you.