by Lloyd Payne, City Manager
Winter is (hopefully) starting to wrap up and Spring is just around the corner.
Team Concord continues to work hard each day to enhance the quality of life for you and your family. City staff have been working on the annual budget for the past 3 months. Part of this process involves reviewing our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) which contains projects we are planning for not only the coming year but for future years as well. Our economy continues to be strong. As a result of this, construction in our region (as you can see on a daily basis) is strong as well which can often drive up the cost of projects. Even though we plan for future projects, we must adjust projected project costs based on current conditions. Staff works hard to ensure we are getting the best possible price and highest quality project outcomes.
At the end of January, Mayor Dusch and City Council met for the annual Planning Session to talk about many of these planned/upcoming projects for the coming year. The Planning Session is critical for staff to receive guidance from our elected leaders on the priorities for the coming year and future years. We are developing a multi-year strategic plan which greatly aids in this process. With the Mayor and Council setting the goals for the City, I along with staff can then develop the financial analysis and subsequently the annual budget to accomplish these goals. Some of these goals can be accomplished in the coming year while others will take multiple years to complete.
With the growth of our City, the Mayor and Council adopted a new Council district map this past December. Our City has experienced quite a bit of population growth in the western and southern portions. As a result, our seven City Council districts have gotten out of balance since 2011 (the last redistricting). Not only do the new districts account for this past growth but also the projected growth based on known development projects in the next few years. All citizens vote for all Council members and as such they represent all Concord residents. Each of us do live in one of the seven Council districts and thus have a “go-to” Council member if we have items we would like the City to address. If you are unsure which district you live in or would like to see the new district map, please go to - concordnc.gov/Government/Mayor-Council to access our interactive map.
Team Concord strives, each day, to provide you the absolute best service possible. We enjoy our work and trust you are pleased with our efforts. We are not perfect and do, on occasion, make mistakes. We are committed to taking ownership when mistakes occur and correcting the issue(s). We are thanking for the trust you place in us each day. Please reach out to me or any other Team Concord member if there are ways we can improve our service to you. Thank you for your ongoing contributions to our City – may Concord always thrive for you!