2020/04/27 - Mayor's Column: This Week's Updates

“An Open Door to O’Fallon”
A Weekly Note from Mayor Herb Roach
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The City of O’Fallon has had to quickly adapt to continue to provide services during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Many of the City’s offices have been restricted to public access and a large portion of City’s employees are working from home. Some might wonder what is going on in the City with many people working remotely from home. So, I thought that I would give you a brief rundown on things that are currently happening in your community. All the information below is  in addition to our internal communications on COVID – 19 and other day-to-day operations that continue.

• City Staff and Council have been working on next fiscal year’s budget, which has already been approved. They are also working on a budget plan that will address the impact that COVID-19 will have on City revenues.
   
• The City’s Planning Commission and the City Council have approved the development of a brand-new three-story office building on Highway 50, west of the intersection on Green Mount Road.
   
• O’Fallon’s Public Safety Departments continues to carry on their duty while reaching out and educating the community about the COVID – 19.
   
• O’Fallon’s Public Works Department continues to replace sewer lines and water lines and perform maintenance on storm water drainage issues.
   
• O’Fallon’s Parks & Recreation Department continues to maintain our lawns, parks and prepare for future programs. They are also coordinating a drive-through Vine Street Market to help vendors and businesses reach their customers during this tough time.
  • We have had to make the tough decision to not open the Splash Pad this summer and cancel some of this year’s programming including:
    • Mighty Ball Soccer
    • Volleyball
    • Lacrosse
    • Kixx Soccer
       
• We continue to plan for our Independence Day Fire Works Show, which is scheduled for July 5^th.
   
• We have just reached new three-year agreements with all four of our collective bargaining units (Police, EMS, 911 Dispatchers and our Laborers (Public Works and Parks)).  I want to say THANK YOU to all the parties involved in these negotiations.  Due to the current circumstances, this could have been used as a bargaining point but to the credit of all involved it was not and there was a commitment on all sides to come to an agreement that was equitable.
   
• We have continued to see the City’s landscape change with the complete demolition of Southview Plaza & Paul’s Frame Shop and the opening of the new BP Station. This is significant change at three major intersections.

As mayor, I have been on bi-weekly phone calls with the Governor and other mayors. I have also have been on weekly calls with the St. Clair County Emergency Services  and State Representatives and Senators. This is in addition to the dozens of e-mails from the Federal, State and County governments that we receive daily to help coordinate services and response.  I was also pleased to have a one-on-one phone call with the Governor to discuss the impact that COVID – 19 is having on O’Fallon and the surrounding area.

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open (virtually, at least)!