Often times we hear about the negatives in our community, but contrary to popular opinion Forrest City is surrounded by positive attributes. Tonight I’ll try to highlight some of the positives.

It is true that city employees did not receive a raise for three years, but it is also true because of steps taken by the city administrators Forrest City is financially “Sound”. In this strained economy, Forrest City is still moving forward. Like almost every city in the United States, we have had some setbacks, but through it all our government, our citizens, our businesses, our leaders, have continued to make steps and set goals to help our community thrive.

Throughout these trying times, tough decisions were made, - decisions that were not always popular but necessary. One of the toughest decisions was the one to freeze wages. As a result, no raises were given in 2007, 2008, or 2009. Your city’s government felt that while raises would not be granted, the more important goal of keeping people working would be. I do not believe that anyone would disagree that jobs are important during hard economic times.

Yet, your government, in an effort to ease the burden of not giving a raises for the last three years, has awarded city employees with a $1,000 bonus for the last three years, an increase from the previous $750 bonus for full-time employees, with many employees using the funds to help stimulate our local economy.

During the 2010 budget discussions, we were all in agreement that the employees deserved a raise and we had to figure out a way to give them one. So, this year in addition to the $1000 bonus, employees received an across the board 3% increase. Additionally, for the last two years employees were paid for half of their sick time they had accumulated over their bank, rewarding those long term employees that do not use or abuse their sick leave.

One of the scariest topics over the last few years has been the economy. Each budget discussion dealt with talks of lower revenue projections. With the anticipation of lower revenue, the council and I had to make tough decisions. We had to determine how much and where to cut back and still maintain quality city services without cutting positions.
In addition to making sure we funded city positions, we had to make sure departments had equipment needed to perform their assigned tasks. In 2007 and 2008, over $250,000 was spent on capital expenses and in 2009 over $300,000 was spent on capital expenses.

During the course of my first term as mayor, city capitol purchases have included 18 cars, ICOP video camera systems for the police department, a spray machine for pest control, dump truck for street department, refrigerator and freezer for the civic center kitchen, exercise equipment for the multi-purpose center, playground equipment for Lincoln and Stuart Springs Parks. The fire station and the city shop were remodeled. We worked with county officials to upgrade the 911 system, the Skate Park and Splash pad was completed at the Sports complex and a new gas pump system was purchased.

The cost for purchasing these items was much more than the cost incurred by the city. To help decrease the cost to the city, my administration pursued many grant opportunities. In the year 2009 alone we were approved for $300,000 in appropriation money from Senator Lincoln, over $200,000 in grant funds, and over $100,000 from the A & P. This was money that did not come out of the city’s general fund.

Because of the decisions the council and I made early on in this financial crisis, the city still has over 3.6 million in reserves, which is an increase from the 3.5million in reserves as of December 2008. From December 2006 to December 2009, the city’s General Fund revenue increased 9%. So, again, I am happy to report we have been good stewards of the city’s finances.

It is true that some of our businesses have closed or had a significant reduction, but it is also true there have been some business openings and expansions. In the 2009 State of the City address I talked about several business that had closed or downsized, such as Sanyo, Harvest Foods, Colony Shop, Taylor Casbeer and It’s a Wing Thing, but this year I am excited to highlight some business openings and expansions.

All That Glitters, a new jewelry store, opened in February in the Village Shop behind McDonald’s. Comfort Inn Suites Hotel opened in July. Business Owner, Scott Carroll, pumped money back into the community with the renovation of the Colony Shop. After over $500,000 renovation completion the building now houses the Divita Dialysis Center. Divita has one shift full is will soon begin a second shift. This same business owner later won a contract for the regional Social Security Office, which was estimated to cost about $1,200,000. The Social Security Office is being built on Holiday Drive and is expected to be completed by the middle of this year.

In May, David Cohn purchased a building permit for expansion at Forrest City Grocery with an estimated cost of almost 2 million dollars. At that time he announced the addition of over 70 new jobs. Airtherm called back over 40 employees. Mallory Nimocks opened a new Circle N Store on Washington. A permit was purchased in April for the Forrest City Independent Living Center. The estimated cost for this project was $974,965.00. Instead of remodeling, Sonic built a new building closer to the interstate with an estimated cost of $430,000.

Mrs. Winners suddenly shut down in ’09, but the building wasn’t left vacant long. Forrest Donuts opened in the same location in late October. Shipley Donuts open a new shop on Washington. A building permit was purchased in December to begin the renovation project for Harvest Foods. The building will be the new location for two businesses, one of which is the Dollar General; the other business is undetermined at this time.

USDA spent $700,000 to build a new office on the north end of town. The Horizon Center was reopened as Flash Market and the Forrest City School District renovated Taylor Casbeer and it is now the site of the Ombudsman Program. The old Southern Furniture Building has been remolded and is the new location for A Rare Find Flea Market and Gift Shop.
Investments are being made in our community. Please take a moment and join me in thanking these businesses and others who have reinvested into this community.

It is true, our city has its share of homeless people, we have unemployed and hungry people, there are people in need in our mist, but we have many in our area who don’t just pass by and pretend not to see. We have volunteers whose mission is to serve those who are less fortune. We are blessed to have wonderful volunteers who serve in various aspect of our community. Thank you to the volunteers of the Food Pantry, the CARE Center, Boys and Girls Club, the St. Francis County Museum, Watch Dog group at the Junior High School, Watchmen group at the Senior High School, area churches, and all of you who give of your time and resources to help your fellow citizen.

As far as our school district is concerned, yes, much has been written and said about the negatives of our school district, but again, even in this area there are positives in which to focus. While the school district is not off of the Academic Improvement List, there were substantial gains in nearly every area of the state mandated Benchmark testing, for the spring 2009 testing period.

Forrest City School District is the only district in Arkansas to implement the Ombudsman Program for its Alternative Learning Students. The district has initiated the highly successful B.U.G. (Bringing up Grades) to recognize students who exhibit academic growth. And Forrest City Schools was one of the three Delta districts to receive the Verizon J.A.G (Jobs for Arkansas Graduates) Grant.

Yes, our school district has had its share of problems, but thanks to the efforts of Superintendent Dr. Jerry Woods and the many great teachers, the district is making positive strides and I am happy to claim the Forrest City School District as my Alma Mater.

It is true we occasionally have complaints about our city departments, but I can sit here and confidently proclaim we have great city departments. Ladies and Gentlemen, our city departments have great leaders who perform an outstanding job of taking care of our city. From the Police Department, the fire department, public works, parks and recreation and animal control to the civic center, code enforcement, district court, library and the city clerk’s office, our leaders consistently do an outstanding job performing their duties. We have some dedicated department heads, men and women who take their job of providing the best service to our residents seriously. Overall, city departments work to provide the quality service our residents have come to expect and I want to take this moment to thank each one of them for their dedicated service.
The men and women of the police department are well trained. Under the leadership of Chief Dwight Duch, the Department invests a lot of time and effort in training. Using available resources provided by the Criminal Justice Institute and the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, the department provided training to many officers in the department without cost to attend the courses. Several of these courses were held at our Civic Center which brought in officers from the entire state.

Four officers within the department received specialized training to be Police Instructors and two of them completed Firearms Instructor courses. This added to the training abilities of the department by having training available in house. The department has also completed all of the mandatory federal disaster training required by the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that Federal Disaster Money is available to the community if needed.

New Corporal positions were established; these positions have helped the patrol division shift have a sound Chain of Command and allow officers the opportunity to have an apprenticeship for higher supervisor positions in the department. It also allows for a supervisor to be present 24/7.

Because of the efforts of our dedicated department. Overall crime in Forrest City declined in 2009. The Violent Crime Rate dropped 12.7% in 2009 compared to 2008. That is well above the national average which is less than 3%.
We had seven reported homicides in 2009 compared to zero in 2008. Of these seven, I congratulate the department for having five cleared with the arrest of suspects, one with warrants issued for a suspect who is in custody in Missouri, and one with warrants issued for the suspect arrest who is still a fugitive from justice.

Surely, I would like to see a 100% clearance rate, but let me assure you, this department is working diligently to make that happen. And you, our citizens, can help in this effort.

The police department initiated a “Most Wanted” page where citizens can go on-line and see photographs of wanted persons. Visit this page, and if you see someone who is listed on the page, call the police department. The department works best when the community is involved.

Our department heads are always coming up with ways to help our citizens and our community. Fire Chief, Johnny Ruffin worked diligently this year to prepare the city for an ISO inspection. Virtually all U.S. insurers of home and business property use ISO’s PPC program to assess property policies. The statistical data on insurance losses demonstrates the relationship between better fire protection as measured by the PPC program and lower fire losses. If his effort to reduce Forrest City’s class rating is successful, it will result in lower insurance rates for homeowners.

In preparation for the inspection, investments were made to improve our fire protection.

1. The department received a 2000 gallon tanker from the Arkansas Forrester Commission through the DOD program. It was refereed and equipped for a Class A Pumper/Tanker at a cost of $65,000.

2. Engines 9, 10, and 11 were equipped as Class A Engines for Maximum points from ISO.

3. Ladder 1 is equipped as a Class A Ladder Truck for maximum points from ISO.

4. Rescue 1 is equipped as a service or reserve ladder vehicle and Brush 1 is now equipped as a service truck. We will receive an additional 334 points for both improvements that we did not receive in 1996.

5. We now have computer mapping for Fire Hydrants which helps the dispatcher locate the plugs and notifies engines responding where the plugs are and the best one to use.

6. A Custom 2010 Pumper truck was ordered and delivered.

In addition to upgrading equipment, Fire Chief Ruffin has made sure fire department employees are well trained. In 2009, fire department employees received 1064 hours of certified training and all employees completed the NIMS training to ensure the city is eligible for federal grants and funding.

Chief Ruffin and his staff are also committed to educating the public on fire safety. To help with this mission the department now has a fire safety house. This house is carried to schools and community functions to educate the children in the community on fire safety. Additionally, a grant has been submitted to allow the department to purchase fire detectors. These detectors will be placed in homes in the community free of charge.

I know we don’t hear much about our recreation and public works department, but let me assure you these directors are doing an excellent job for the city. Because of the efforts of park director, Kenneth Taylor, our city can boast of having well maintained parks. And of course the multipurpose center always receives kudos for the excellent way it is run.
Mr. Taylor has made improvements to the Multipurpose and Wellness Center, blinds have been installed in weight rooms and office windows, hand sanitizers have been placed throughout building, four new treadmills and a new stripping machine was purchased to help make sure the floors remain cleaned. In addition to those improvements, a member donated a new set of Dead Weights with stand. This goes to show the level of pride the community has in the multipurpose center.

And now to the public works department. Mr. Floyd Patton and his staff deserve a standing ovation. When ice and snow covered the streets of Forrest City, these dedicated employees came out late at night and early in the morning to remove the danger. His staff did not refuse to work; they came out in inclement weather to make the roads safe for the rest of us.
The goal of this department is always to make the city street as safe and presentable as possible. Public Works include: street, solid waste, pest control, and shop. Here are just a few accomplishments of this department over the last year.

1. The City spent over $200,000 paving and overlaying streets.
2. Pothole patcher was repaired
3. New street signs were put up on highway 0ne
4. Repaired our old chipper and purchased a new one.
5. They have both leaf machines up and running
6. The new city shop addition with 2 new offices, 2 new bathrooms, and a new break room
7. New gas pumps were installed
8. Purchased a new ditch sprayer for Pest control
9. We also work together with the county on city and county clean up.

Public Works employees, if I haven’t told you lately, let me tell you now – Thank you. I appreciate the work you do for our city.

As I come to the end my State of the City Address, I must remind you that my work is not over. Therefore, I will take this opportunity to announce my candidacy for re- election as mayor of Forrest City. With your help and vote I can continue to work toward creating a better Forrest City. I will continue working to reduce crime, and to develop the highway 1 bypass. I will to continue creating ways to increase our revenue through job creation. I will also continue to bridge relationships locally and statewide. And of course, my goal since day one, that has been to unify leadership.

Ladies and gentlemen we live in a great community. The city council and I have been good stewards of the city’s finances; so much so, that we can proudly say our financial situation is good. Businesses are still opening in Forrest City, many of our citizens work to uplift our community, and our city departments are filled with dedicated, hard working employees who show pride in our city each day they serve you and me in their respective positions.

Let us, as a city, adopt the schools motto, “Expect More.” Expect more from each other, expect more from ourselves let’s work together to uplift the community we call home and present it in a positive light.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve our great city – Forrest City – Home of the Mustangs – where we all “Expect More” of ourselves and of each other.

~ Gordon McCoy, Mayor