Let me start by saying that I hope each and every one of you had a peaceful and enjoyable holiday season and that you took time to “recharge your batteries” in preparation for a busy 2007. And a busy year it promises to be! As noted in the title of this blog, East Lansing incorporated as a city 100 years ago and so 2007 will be filled with special events and activities to mark this important milestone. To that end, a committee chaired by former mayor Liz Schweitzer has been hard at work planning for a banner year, since early 2006. The City’s communications department will keep you apprised of upcoming events as the year unfolds.

 

So what else is in store for EL in 2007? Tough to predict but I can say that the future looks bright for this community.  This year, we will be moving ahead with key economic development initiatives, infrastructure projects and improvements at our soccer facility. At the state level, seven former local city elected officials are now represent their constituents in the legislature and there is some sense that this will benefit the cause of local governments in terms of community funding, financing infrastructure projects and economic development, to name a few.

 

Just one final comment; as you may have read, East Lansing’s bond rating was recently upgraded from AA to AA+ based on several important indicators that reflect the City’s fiscal status. This is a critical designation as it allows the city to finance infrastructure projects at a lower interest rate and, most importantly, can represent a savings to the taxpayers whom we serve. I want to thank each one of you for helping to make this happen by finding ways to work more efficiently, realize savings where possible, for taking part in the Health Care Task Force which works to constrain cost increases, and by working to settle collective bargaining agreements. Each of these factors is critical to the health of this organization and wouldn’t be possible without a tremendous effort on the part of East Lansing employees. Thank you and have a happy and healthy 2007!