Rev: March 3, 2008

Mayor’s Report to Council for FY ending 12/31/2008

I am proud to say that the health of the village remains strong although there have some indicators of economic stress on the village budget.  Last year, the village carry-over cash balance decreased more dramatically than it has in recent years.   Some of this was due to capital expenditures the village made during the year including the acquisition of adjacent property for future village facilities.  This occurred before the full impact of the current financial crises has been felt and will be a concern for council next year.

With the unpredictable nature of the economy, the village administration will be working closely with council to very carefully monitor our village budget and operations and focus on insuring we remain efficient as possible.  We will be prepared to implement cost cutting as needed while minimizing the impact to our services.  We realize that those working in the private sector are enduring tremendous employment pressures during this time, and thus are extremely careful with the allocation of public funds entrusted to us.

HR expense continues to be one of the significant budget line items.  This expense ($862,000) for 2007-8 accounts for nearly 41% of the village’s operating revenue.  HR expense including salaries and benefits climbed 15% last year. Some of this was caused by discontinuing contract operations and performing work ‘in house’.   Health insurance costs were another factor.  For the upcoming years, we will be closely monitoring HR to revenue ratios to be sure we can remain sustainable.

Last year the village took steps in concert with various private community groups to be more supportive of small business and retail operations.  Together with RENEW, various concerned citizens have defined and initiated subgroupings focusing on various elements of the village health.   These groups center around senior housing, signage, and business development.  

·         NCAARD had its 4th year of operations and while director John Anderson has resigned, Kathy Normansell and the RENEW board have already hired a replacement and are developing plans for the next stage in Arts and Recreation planning for our area.

·         Ohio Chautauqua was hosted by our village.   This was one of the most significant events in recent times bringing several thousand people into the community and uniting business, the public, the school district, and Muskingum College in a quite notable event.   This was done with the financial support of the village but was predominately carried by financial support from numerious private organizations.  Bill Kerrigan and his group deserve credit for this monumental undertaking.

·         Celebrate New Concord had their best attendance year and also enjoyed their greatest private donation support for their twice-a-month in the park programming.

·         Full staffing and monitoring and stabilization of water/sewer operations.

·         Village Fire/EMS operations made a record number of runs and accounted for record revenue for their operations.  This is a tribute to those volunteering their time and efforts to support these important services.

 Adequate housing stock for students in the community who attend Muskingum College continues to be a major challenge for the community and there are no known plans on the horizon for Muskingum to add to on-campus residential capacity.  The Village administration hopes to initiate a study of current housing stock.  Several meetings have occurred toward the end of 2008 with concerned student-citizens arising out of residential crime and safety issues and enforcement issues.  Housing related issues are at the root of these issues.

Historically, our community is fortunate to have had three entities adding significantly to its distinctiveness.  We consider those entities to be the Village community as a whole, the East Muskingum School District and Muskingum College.  People living here who also work at these institutions have made impressive contributions to those positive characteristics that make the community unique. The spring clean up day is an excellent example.  We are hopeful that the unique diversity in our community between business, educational, and public segments can help moderate the impact of the broad-reaching instability of the current economy.

While each organization enjoys a high standard in its own right, it is the interplay of these elements that distinguishes New Concord from many communities and in the end contributes significantly to each entity’s respective mission.  Each of these three key entities (New Concord Community, Muskingum College, and East Muskingum School District) has a clear and inseparable responsibility in continuing to make this a positive place to live, work and play.  Over the years, I have been proud to be associated with our community. That pride is shared with all who call New Concord their hometown.

Greg Adams

Mayor

March 3, 2009