As your Mayor, I will continue to vigorously represent …

As your Mayor, I will continue to vigorously represent … “My second year in office was a roller , Purchased 2 new squad cars and a new , Loss of 3 homes and damage to 2 others , Applied for and subsequently was coaster ride in which my staff and I awarded over $100,000 in various grants Street Dept. dump truck/snow plow as a result of a fire on the 1400 block of worked extremely hard to lay the , Improved the City/Chamber web site , Redevelopment Commission established Fischrupp Avenue ground work for a wealth of new and now posting 100’s of records online a matching grant program to assist , Continued to struggle with the rapid rise development projects. These projects , Purchased several properties to stimulate property owners in renovating the in all insurance related costs are the foundation to our strategical economic development opportunities exterior of their homes and businesses, , Shooting at a neighborhood tavern approach to further improving the including the Globe Roofing properties in which nearly $100,000 was distributed resulting in two men being injured property tax situation. Copies of my , For the second consecutive year, , Drastically improved bottom line for the , Unresolved long-standing property tax State of the City Address, which increased recycling tonnage in nearly all Sewer Users Fund and improved appeal issues involving BP contains significantly more detail on categories of collection financials for the Water Department , Reduction in the gross assessed the City’s operation in 2005, are , Further reduced the cost of trash and , Developed a 5-year Capital Plan that valuation of the City of $15M available at City Hall or can be viewed recycling pick-up by $125,000 by outlines and budgets for future online at: purchasing new trash totes expenditures on a priority needs basis ; , Negotiated new labor agreements with , Developed the City’s first employee the Police F.O.P., the Firefighters Union Safety Manual , Complete the $500,000 renovation of and the Teamsters. , Mayor appointed to the IACT the Community Center including the , Expanded our partnership with the Environmental Policy Committee installation of a new roof, all new School City to explore and implement , 15% reduction to the cost of operating windows and doors and expanded , Lobbied for an extension of the 2% cost-saving ideas & joint ventures the Whiting City Court restroom facilities property tax circuit breaker which was , Participated in the ‘Good Government , Constructed new parking lot on Center , Coordinate economic development subsequently approved Initiative’, a comprehensive study Street near the High School stadium opportunities in the business district , Lobbied for the 2% property tax circuit analyzing opportunities to improve the , Announced the plans to construct a new , Implement cost-saving improvements breaker to be made automatic and efficiency of our operation. state of the art Water Purification Plant identified in the Good Gov Study permanent , Reduced the number of members serving , Complete several street and sidewalk , Assisted countless property owners on the Board of Sanitary Commissioners improvement projects with property tax related issues such as from 5 to 3 to improve efficiency , Complete construction of new assessment appeals, property , Aggressively improved pricing from municipal parking lots on New York thconsolidation and error correction vendors through the competitive bidding Avenue and on 119 Street , Completed $175,000 in road and alley and negotiation processes , Finalize plans for potential lakefront paving projects , Acquired a troubled local tavern with development opportunities , Completed $125,000 in sidewalk intentions to demolish the building and , Coordinate and assist the selected replacement and repair projects developers to drive the implementation convert to a neighborhood park , Continued efforts to demolish , Created Historic Preservation District of the Whiting Renaissance New Police Squad: thabandoned and unsafe buildings Above is a photo of the new black & white squads and Commission for 119 Street Development Plan that the Police Department is now using. , Expanded discussions with , Established a residency bonus for Police , Continue to look for opportunities to neighboring cities to explore cost-and Fire personnel as an incentive to live acquire key properties which have the saving ideas & joint ventures potential of benefiting the community within the City limits , Responded to 4,791 police calls , Laid the groundwork and completed all , Continue to improve the City , Responded to 1,088 fire & EMS calls preparatory work for the Whiting , Loss of a potential $1,000,000 medical communication with the residents th, Made 62 felony arrests & continued its facility on 119 Street due to the current Renaissance Development Plan which , Develop and implement a marketing assault on gang & drug activity will commence in 2006 property tax environment strategy for our community The Reprinted from the Mayor’s 2005 State of Mayor’s the City report dated 2/21/2006: Annual One of our major decisions of 2006 will be to outline a plan for the future of our lakeshore. Report This underutilized asset may hold the key for the future growth of our City. Our opportunity will be to capitalize on the best use of the 2005 property. Rest assured that the developers More new homes slated for Center Street: responding to our Master Development RFQ are Due to the stabilizing property tax environment, A summary of the several new homes, town homes and condos are treating the lakeshore as a huge opportunity. operation of the City scheduled for construction in 2006. A very difficult challenge facing us in 2006 will be to execute our plan in completing our aggressive redevelopment efforts throughout the City. While funding issues should not hinder our success, the shear workload for a limited number of staff members will be daunting. When writing this report last year, I had difficulty explaining in words how challenging a year 2004 actually was. Property tax issues seemed to fill every section of the report and nearly every discussion that took place. It was hard to speak to anyone, at anytime, without discussing the property tax issue. As we begin 2006, I can now say that actions that we have taken and plans that we now have in place, have given us reason to be optimistic again. I ask every one of the fine citizens of Whiting to watch carefully as we move forward this year. With every new development, every new business, every renovation project, and with every new home that is built, just smile and keep the faith. It will take some time, but it will Mayor receives Award: In early 2005, Mayor Stahura was awarded the get done. I’m betting on it. City of Whiting City of Whiting prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash Award Joseph M. Stahura Joseph M. Stahura from then Governor Joe Kernan. Thank you, Mayor Mayor Mayor Joseph M. Stahura