Rochester Radar
The Royal Park Hotel hosted the 2015 State of the City Address for Rochester on Monday evening. Tom Daldin, host of Under the Radar Michigan, welcomed the attendees and offered kind remarks about living in Rochester. Daldin, also a Pure Michigan Spokesperson, said that everywhere he goes he mentions what a great place Rochester is and how happy he is to call Downtown Rochester his home.
Under the Radar Michigan Host, Tom Daldin, warms-up the crowd at the 2015 State of City Rochester Address – photo by Michael Dwyer
Mayor Pro Tem, Ben Giovanelli, introduced the Rochester Police Department Color Guard to present the colors and place the flags on stage. After the Pledge of Allegiance and an Invocation by Rev. David Eardley, State Representative Michael Webber introduced the mayor.
City of Rochester Mayor Jeffrey T. Cuthbertson spoke to a full house about the past year, the city’s accomplishments, and a taste of things to come. The Rochester City Council—off to the side—shared the stage with the mayor. Cuthbertson quoted Peter Drucker to set the theme for the evening, “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”
The Fundamentals
Focusing on the fundamentals is the budget priority explained Mayor Cuthbertson, by balancing the budget, and investing in public safety and infrastructure.
Rochester was voted the ninth safest place in Michigan, and the public safety investment continues with the expansion of the fire station.
Welcome to the City of Rochester
Twenty-six full-time police officers responded to emergency calls in 3 1/2 minutes on average, well below the national average. In addition, fire and EMS calls were responded to in about six minutes, also below average times. Considering the number of those calls has doubled in the last five years, Rochester’s first responders are doing well.
Housing values have increased over forty-percent since 2009 and place Rochester with the fasting growing values in Michigan and 16th in the country. The mayor was proud to mention these figures while highlighting the fact that the city has one of the lowest residential operation costs in Oakland County.
Cuthbertson thanked many in attendance for groundbreaking projects going on now in downtown, including the two parking platforms and the new residential living spaces. The mayor is always happy to talk about the new Parking Management System, which will increase capacity, cost-share the expenses of operation, and eliminate the taxpayer subsidy that went into paying for the upkeep of the current parking system. Cuthbertson said it was “important to harmonize” the parking plan and it would be fairer for everyone.
Sense of Place
Going forward, Mayor Cuthbertson spoke about plans to upgrade the water and sewer system with new meters and a new rate structure. These upgrades will research alternatives to the current Detroit Water & Sewer Department arrangement and invest in infrastructure.
Mayor Jeffrey T. Cuthbertson Monday at the 2015 State of City Rochester Address – photo by Michael Dwyer
He mentioned the Big Bright Light Show Endowment Fund, which will help offset the annual costs associated with the event. The new Historic District Ordinance will offer a “sense of place” by protecting a dozen landmark properties in the city and offer an “opt-in” plan for 54 important properties in Rochester to have historical protection.
While twelve nations hold an AAA rating from Standard & Poor’s, the USA is not one of them. However, the City of Rochester receives an AAA rating. In January, S&P presented the rational for their highest rating in a report to Rochester, “The long-term rating reflects our assessment of the following factors for the city:”
- Very strong budget flexibility with 2014 available reserves at 87% of general fund expenditures and transfers out
- Very strong liquidity providing very strong cash levels to cover both debt service and expenditures
- Very strong economy with access to a broad and diverse metropolitan statistical area (MSA)
- Strong management conditions with good financial policies and practices
- Strong budget performance with slight surpluses in the general fund and total governmental funds in fiscal 2014
- Strong debt and contingent liabilities position
A Tasty Place to Live
Rochester Media and The Community Edge asked Mayor Cuthbertson what a first-time visitor to Rochester should see or do. “I think a visit to the Municipal Park, a chocolate shake from Red Knapp’s, and walking Main Street from bridge to bridge and taking in a historic and authentic downtown community are three must-dos,” said Cuthbertson.
A Taste of Rochester, The Home Bakery, at the 2015 State of City Rochester Address – photo by Michael Dwyer
The mayor reminds the audience that Rochester will be celebrating its Golden Bicentennial in 2017. It safe to say many events will be planned around that milestone. “We’re doing the right things right,” said Mayor Jeffrey T. Cuthbertson, “Rochester is a heck of a place to live,” and “doing it right is paying dividends.”
The evening ended with “A Taste of Rochester.” Over twenty Rochester eateries offered samples to remind the attendees how many dining options visitors to downtown have. Several dogs-in-training added fun to the affair. Leader Dogs for the Blind representatives, both two and four-legged, were taking donations for the organization.
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