Montgomery Mayor delivers several surprises in his State of the City address
Mayor Steven Reed gave his annual State of the City address in downtown Montgomery tonight. “The City of Montgomery is on sure footing. Our finances are robust. Our credit rating is strong. And the outlook for the future is bright,” Reed said at the beginning of his speech. Hundreds of people came to the Multiplex at Crampton Bowl tonight to listen to Mayor Reed talk about what he has accomplished in the past year, and what he intends to accomplish in 2024.
Reed started his 30 minute speech by thanking the city, state, and local leaders who were in the crowd. Then he talked about the recent progress that has been made highlighting the opening of Montgomery Whitewater, the fact that the city was certified as a Gold Level development site, and the fact that Montgomery Fire Rescue achieved an ISO 1 rating – which helps insurance companies offer owners of commercial and residential buildings cheaper rates.
He also discussed how 4 million dollars in funding was secured to beautify gateways to the city and restore the Court Square Fountain. Reed also said that 10 new busses and vans were purchased to upgrade the public transportation fleet. He hopes renovations to two community centers and building a brand new one will help local youth find productive ways to spend their time & curb some of the violence the city has experienced.
Some topics that were surprising – his plan to possibly raise fees for sanitation and forgive fines for traffic tickets and 2nd degree possession of marijuana. Reed said, “We upgraded our sanitation equipment, adding more technology for faster and more reliable solid waste and debris collection. However, we still have more to achieve when it comes to our sanitation operations, road and right-way maintenance. Our city is growing and prospering and that requires more revenue in the budget to keep up with our expansion and vision. That may mean we raise fees and charges to maintain or enhance services.”
Reed went on to say, “In the upcoming weeks I will issue an executive order to forgive certain municipal fines and fees that have been unpaid for more than 10 years. This means that debt from before January 1, 2014, that is owed to the City of Montgomery for traffic tickets and second-degree possession of marijuana, which is a misdemeanor, will be forgiven.” Mayor Reed ended his speech by saying that he’s proud of how new businesses like Amazon and Fed Ex will soon call Montgomery their home, and he wowed the audience by saying that a big company that is very well known will soon be locating here too. Reed calls it a “game changer” and tells us an announcement will be made in March or April. Mayor Reed also discussed technology and how the city has upgraded the Montgomery Internet Exchange and the C Spire Fiber Network.
