 With the holidays behind us and 2005 just beginning, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and prosperous new year. The beginning of each new year is the perfect time for us to look ahead at the
exciting possibilities that our future holds.
O’Fallon’s new Family Sports Park is one of those exciting possibilities that will become a reality over the next 20 years. The new park is part of a long-term plan to provide quality, family-oriented park facilities for O’Fallon residents that will serve your needs well into the future. The project will be phased in over time and will be developed according to the Park, Open Space and Greenways Master Plan that was prepared for the City in 2001.
The new park will be located on the west side of Obernuefemann Road on nearly 117 acres of land. It will primarily be occupied by ten to twelve baseball/softball fields, ten soccer/football/ multiuse fields, and be designed as a regional sporting facility. The new park will also includea fitness trail, a pond and numerous amenities such as picnic shelters, restroom/concession buildings and several playgrounds. These initial design features resulted from a public input meeting that was held on July 21, 2004, at Katy Cavins Community Center. Before the final design of the park is determined, an additional public input meeting will be held. Input from the citizens of O’Fallon is very important as we work toward a final design.
In addition to our long-term future, we have some very positive items to look forward to in 2005. Your property tax bill will not go up this year even though the Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV) for the City has increased by 12.3%. While the City has added approximately 1,000 new residents, the total City of O’Fallon property tax rate has remained at $1 per $100 of assessed valuation for another year. In other words, residents of O’Fallon will not be paying any additional property tax dollars this year to the City. Keeping property taxes as low as possible for our residents has always been, and continues to be, our goal.
Another positive item to look forward to in 2005 is the redrawing of our voting precincts. I am actively working with our County Board members to redraw our precincts so that we have no more than 1,200 voters per precinct. We will present our plan to the County Board for their consideration, but the final decision lies with the County Board. Voting is a right and a responsibility of concerned citizens, and I pledge to you my commitment to making voting in O’Fallon an efficient operation that encourages our residents to vote.
Yet another positive item for O’Fallon residents in 2005 is that the stormwater drainage repairs that were outlined in the Stormwater Drainage Study will begin. The first step in this process will be to ask for your input on prioritization of the repairs. Once the prioritization has been established, the repairs will begin.
Proposition S construction projects to improve our residential streets and sidewalks will also continue this year. These projects are crucial in helping us to maintain our home values and I am very pleased that year three of this program will be completed in 2005. Sixteen miles of streets were paved this year and more than 30 miles have been paved over the past two years.
As always, I welcome your suggestions and comments and encourage you to contact me at 624-4500. It is through your input and dialog on important issues that we will make O’Fallon an even better place to live and work. It is an honor to serve as your Mayor, and I appreciate being given the opportunity to work for the residents of O’Fallon.
Gary L. Graham
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