MADISON — The underlying theme of Madison Mayor Paul Finley’s annual State of the City address was growing Madison into a place where people can lay down roots in the community. It’s a place where people can get involved, make lifelong friends, have a high quality of life, and even if they have moved around a lot in the past – create a place where those roots take hold so people will not want to leave.
It has been a couple of years since Finley has been able to deliver his State of the City address before a live audience. But he did so with gusto Friday at Toyota Field amidst the backdrop of the first-ever Celebrate Madison community event.
“At the City of Madison, we work with the seven-member City Council every day to provide services through the responsible use of public resources that enhance quality of life for our community,” he said. “Breaking that down in a nutshell, we take the sales and property taxes you give us and maximize those to improve your quality of life.”
He announced four upcoming projects.
New Projects
The city just completed the purchase of 40 acres off Mose Chapel Road from a Madison resident for $3 million. Adjacent to the Bradford Creek Greenway, the property is known as Sunshine Oaks. The land, which is primarily pasture, has a house and a large barn the city will convert into an event venue and a massive park with disc golf, a playground and a large pavilion.
A purchase is pending on Building 23a at Hexagon that will provide for critical public safety infrastructure on the south side of Town Madison. It will include a fire station and police substation, adjoining 25 acres of greenspace donated to Madison Parks & Recreation for an overflow parking lot at Toyota Field, and additional field space for soccer, softball, baseball fields and the construction of a pickleball complex. That transaction is expected to close by end of the year.
Finley announced a 100-acre McKinley Homes project on city of Madison and Limestone County land. The builder will construct a multiphase neighborhood mixed-use subdivision comprised of 350 units and 33,000 square feet of commercial retail space facing Brownsferry Road.
Budgeted City Projects
Finley told the audience Madison has $32 million in “your” checking account. Of that, $9 million is carried over from last year the city wanted and tried to spend but couldn’t.
There is $2 million set aside for paving and striping projects that will make the older roads in Madison safer, and $6 million to redo Madison Boulevard from County Line to Zeirdt roads, adding much-needed traffic lights to make it safer and more accessible for businesses and their customers.
He said, in the past three years, sales tax has grown by $12 million as the city is bringing in new businesses. While over the next four years, they will continue to revitalize older retail spaces and infrastructure that “make a difference in our community.”
One of those projects is the completion of the Gillespie-Balch roads roundabout in September.
Finley teased that he felt the “thrill of victory” at its success after motorists proved they can “handle a roundabout”. In fact, the city is budgeting for at least one more at Brownsferry and Burgreen roads, with considerations for a third at Gillespie Road east of County Line Road where residents are requesting improvements.
He also announced Madison will be hiring a handful more city employees and implementing cost of living wages and amenities for employees who have not received wage increases in more than six years.
See the fireworks show:
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