La Vergne Mayor Dennis Waldron addresses growth and more in a "state of the city" open letter. We have his complete comments below:
To the citizens of the great city of La Vergne: first of all, thank you for allowing me to serve you over the years as alderman and as Mayor. Two years ago, you gave me the honor to serve the city I love as Mayor, and I will forever be in your debt for that distinction. I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on the state of our city and to discuss our priorities, goals, and proposals for the upcoming fiscal year.
First, I would like to reflect on our accomplishments. It is no secret that La Vergne is growing. That growth has attracted franchise developers who have invested in our city and have provided us with more dining and shopping options.
Since 2015, economic development in our city has led to the additions of: Bojangles, Checkers, Taco Johns, Dunkin' Donuts, Fiesta Azteca, Ascend Federal Credit Union, Margarita House, Streetside Classic Cars, Advance Auto Supply Center, Pool and Spa Depot, Mason Square Family Dental, Ebuys and Hot Topic distribution centers. The remodeling of the McDonald's and Waffle House off of Waldron Road has helped to modernize the franchises previously in place.
The grand opening of Walmart is an achievement I know we are all especially proud of. The sales tax revenue has already boosted the city's budget, providing funding for more growth in La Vergne. The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce has reported that in the 2015-2016, over 1,000 new jobs were created.
It is estimated that in 2017 over 1,000 additional new jobs will be available to citizens. In our city parks, we completed the Veterans Memorial Wall and are expecting to open the second phase of the Hurricane Creek Greenway this summer. While other cities are struggling with rising taxes, La Vergne is financially sound, and this stability has led to a decrease in city debt.We have lowered property taxes, while still improving infrastructure, updating equipment, and increasing staff. The city has increased the police and fire department budgets by over a million dollars.
In 2016 alone, we completed over 75 drainage projects and have applied for over 2 million dollars in state and federal grants. The city has also received submittals of 16 major commercial and industrial development site plans. To further bolster our economic growth, La Vergne hired Buxton Customer Analytics to help with economic recruiting.
La Vergne is now ranked in the top 10% of Tennessee cities that are financially stable, and the lowering of the ISO rating from 5 to 3 allows our citizens to save money on their insurance premiums. These achievements would not be a reality without the hard work and dedication of the employees of the city of La Vergne.
Their diligence and determination has made this progress possible. Our city is stronger than ever before, which is only possible because of the spirit of our community, rising to the occasion to meet any challenge or tackle any crisis.
Though we are a strong city, we do have our challenges. In the 2017 fiscal year, La Vergne plans to continue to replace outdated city equipment, provide more in-depth training to city employees, and increase city employment in needed areas. We will also continue to work on reducing the city's water loss issues, and we hope to purchase land for future city needs, begin preliminary work on widening Old Nashville Highway and a future splash pad, all while continuing to improve our existing city streets and infrastructure.
We have motivated ourselves to keep pushing forward and continue transitioning into an economically booming city that attracts even more economic interest. We are not waiting for a better future in La Vergne, we are building one. That future is only a possibility if we all work together for the greater good. Thank you for your time and thank you La Vergne!
