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2022/01/03 - Mayor's Column: A Busy 2022!

­“AN OPEN DOOR TO O’FALLON”
A WEEKLY NOTE FROM MAYOR HERB ROACH
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As we turn our eyes toward 2022, I thought that you might want to know some of the things that are being looked into for the coming year:

  • New Boundaries will be approved this year for all 7 Wards in O’Fallon.  This must be done after each census to balance out the Wards to no more than a 10% difference in population in each.  Due to the growth that has occurred during the last ten years, there is as much as a 60% difference in the population from the smallest to the largest ward.
  • The city is reviewing and updating its Emergency Operations Plan.  This is a plan that outlines all the responsibilities of each department and back-up facilities in the case of a major storm or other type of emergency if one were to occur in O’Fallon or the surrounding area.
  • The City Council will be looking at items in the Master Plan and making priorities on which should be implemented first.
  • The City Council already approved a decrease in the City Property Tax rate of over 5%.  This will place the tax rate of the city at the lowest amount that it has been in 35 years.
  • St. Clair County will be going around to all properties in O’Fallon Township to do new property assessments.
  • In July, the Sales tax rate in O’Fallon will increase by ½%.  This does not impact the purchase of groceries, medicine, auto sales, or gas.  Most O’Fallon residents will see a savings due to the reduction in the real-estate tax rate. This was done to equalize the taxes among our citizens and to have part of the tax paid by visitors to our city.
  • The city will continue the overhead lights and other improvements in the Downtown District.
  • The city is looking to develop a welcome guide to help new residents and visitors know where different services, attractions and activities are located in the Metro area.
  • We are looking at new signage welcoming visitors to O’Fallon and informing people of different activities occurring.  
  • We will continue to upgrade our Holiday decorations.
  • The Vine Street Market will be expanded and upgraded. The members of the Downtown District have lots of event plans to go along with the weekly market.
  • Public Works will continue to upgrade our Streets, Water, Sewer and Storm Water drainage.              

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.