02/19/2009 - Mayor gives State of the City address (Times of Northwest Indiana)

Mayor gives State of the City address

BY DEBORAH LAVERTY
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HOBART | Mayor Brian Snedecor on Wednesday led off his State of the City speech with new initiatives and programs he started last year including a special events committee, which sponsored two downtown events in 2008 and which has six events planned for this year.

He also talked about the challenges the city faced the past year, including a tightened budget as well as floodwaters that drenched the downtown in September.

The flood, which damaged the Community Center, Third Street Bridge, 73rd Avenue and the Brickie Bowl, caused an estimated $1 million in damage and cleanup.

Of that amount, $888,600, is eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursement, Snedecor said.

He said FEMA could pay up to 75 percent for any of the 35 projects submitted with the city paying the other 25 percent.

Snedecor's future goals include: pursuing additional funds, building a police/court complex, attracting downtown developers and completing Phase 2 of 61st Avenue and the final phase of 37th Avenue.

He said he also hopes to implement an employee wellness program and to explore alternative energy solutions and technology upgrades.

A record number of arrests and ticket citations by Hobart police during the past year led to a 39 percent increase of cases heard in the Hobart City Court docket, City Judge William Longer said.

The trend, given the number of tickets police can now issue given the new e-ticket technology, could project to be a 175 percent increase.

At the same time, the court budget has not increased despite seeing more cases.

"Our areas of concern include security, overcrowding and storage," Longer said.

Updates also were presented from other city departments.

Residents wanting copies of the 2008 State of the City address will be able to obtain it on the city's Web site and in written form, Snedecor said.