2009, A Good Year for Bradley County

OUR COUNTY
D. GARY DAVIS
COUNTY MAYOR

2009, a Good Year for Bradley County

The clock is ticking toward the final countdown of 2009 and many of us are busy planning our New Year Resolutions. I admit that I am not the best at keeping those resolutions… like exercising more, eating less… but at least I’m consistent.  I’m reminded of the man who grew so weary of trying to keep the same resolutions each year that he decided to make it a "year of new resolutions.”

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. According to tradition the Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment. Things have changed dramatically in 4 thousand years. According to USA.gov, the top 5 New Year Resolutions today are; Lose Weight, Manage Debt, Save Money, Get a Better Job, Get Fit.
 
It occurred to me that the top three resolutions on USA.gov can also be applied to our county government. In the past 10 years Bradley County has streamlined departments, made services available online, and can boast of very lean operations. The County’s Debt management is comparable to the best in the state. We have built a new Justice Center, 5 new schools and remodeled many others. The interest the county pays on these bonds is among the lowest rates available in today’s market. Our variable rate bonds are less the 1% and our fixed bond rates average three and one half percent.

Saving money has always been one of my annual resolutions. In 2009 alone the County has saved more than $130,000 on just two projects. We installed new energy efficient LED lights at all county stop lights and a county-wide safety initiative has saved us tens of thousands of dollars in reduced Worker’s Compensation costs. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments were saved when the County paid cash for the new fire hall and fire truck on Tasso Lane.

2009 was a good year in several other ways. We were again awarded the Governor’s 3-Star designation for excellence in community development. Bradley County was selected as the site for the new Wacker Polycrystalline Silicon manufacturing plant with the promise of a $1 billion dollar investment and about 600 new jobs. We were successful in keeping Whirlpool in our county and saved about 1200 existing jobs. Canadian manufacturer StarPlex Scientific located to Bradley County with dozens of new jobs and millions of dollars in taxable equipment. We also worked with TDOT which has finally agreed to provide access from APD 40 to hundreds of acres along I-75 Exit 20 for industrial development and more potential jobs.
2009 was also the year the county began developing the 90 acre Elrod Property on Minnis Road. It will be used jointly by the Parks and Recreation Department and the new Park View Elementary School which is now under construction.

These are just a few of the many impressive successes of 2009. I appreciate the contributions of Bradley County employees and the many community volunteers for helping us with these accomplishments. I believe we should take pride in these achievements and look to the New Year with hope and anticipation.

It is truly an honor to serve the citizens of Cleveland and Bradley County as your County Mayor. My family and I thank you for this opportunity. I am committed to continue to work with all elected officials. Working together we can make Bradley County an even better place to live. My prayer is that 2010 will bring a world of joy and happiness for everyone.