Mayor Michael Montandon
State of the City Speech
January 2009

Home is where the heart is. For the past sixteen years, and for many more to come, my heart and my home will be right here in North Las Vegas.

As you can tell, this year our theme is all about "home."

Home means many things to many people.... It's defined in a number of ways...
"one's place of residence"
"the social unit formed by a family living together"
"a familiar or usual setting"
I like the description of "at home..."
"relaxed and comfortable"
"at ease"
"in harmony with the surroundings"

And best of all...
"on familiar ground."

In these times of uncertainty, we're all searching for familiar ground.

A home is nothing without a family. And I want to give my most heartfelt thanks to my North Las Vegas family - Mayor pro Tempore William Robinson - Councilwomen Stephanie Smith and Shari Buck - and Councilman Robert Eliason.

No family is without a leader - I want to thank our leader, Gregory Rose and his talented and dedicated team. They have taken the policy direction of the Mayor and Council, and turned it into action.

While I can't name every department director, there's no doubt that the careful guidance of our Finance Department staff provided the foresight and restraint we need to keep our City - your home - on sound financial footing.

I'm going to take a page from Steve Wynn's book and tell you that this City is nothing if not for its people.

Close to 75% of our operating budget is spent on human resources - our people.

The great story I'm about to tell you, about our past and our future - is testament to the fact that every one of our 2,256 employees give their heart and soul every day to make North Las Vegas Your Community of Choice.

They sweep your streets. They keep water flowing into your kitchens. They build and maintain your streets. They plan for your future. They care for your children. They protect your homes and your families and neighborhoods. They fight crime. They provide fire protection. They keep your street lights on. They clean up graffiti. They keep your parks clean and beautiful.

To our employees.... from the bottom of my heart - you are the family that makes North Las Vegas "home."

Again - our theme this year is "home." That concept has become one that's fragile.

But my message today will be one of optimism. Optimism based not on false hope, but on facts.

So I'd like for you to think positively today. No, we can't ignore our state's financial position - we're facing the most difficult time in our history. It will require courage, strength and leadership. I believe if you look around at your colleagues, you'll see those qualities.

While our major industries are facing times more difficult than any of us can remember - North Las Vegas - because of the planning we've done in the past 10 years - is still on the verge of greatness.

I'm proud to say that we're "home" to more than 216,000 people. Over the past decade, more than 126,000 people have moved here. That's equivalent to the population of St. George, Utah moving into North Las Vegas.

We're "home" to 8,300 new businesses.

We're "home" to more than 40 public schools. We developed more than 420 acres of parks and more than 5,600 acres of master planned communities.

We're "home" to millions of square-feet in retail and industrial space, 12 casinos and more than 1,200 hotel rooms. We built about five miles of trails and laid about 2,000 miles of water line, and 660 miles of sewer line. In the past decade, more than 48,000 housing units were built.

We've grown.       That's not news.
What is news is not that we've grown......but how we've grown.

When I took office as a proud young Mayor in 1997, we were home to just over 88,000 people.

In my first State of the City Address, I told you that North Las Vegas was like an adolescent - a teenager. We were young, a little unsure of ourselves, but ready to stretch our legs and grow.

In 1997, we had nothing but opportunity. I believe the same is true today.

We have become the Community of Choice for newcomers and long-time Nevadans alike.

We're "relaxed and comfortable"
We're "at ease"
We're "in harmony with our surroundings"
And best of all...
We're "on familiar ground."

North Las Vegas, in the life of a city if you will, is a young adult. We're planning our future, making good decisions.

Let's talk about the foundation of our home.

Since thousands of people have made North Las Vegas their community of choice, we've committed to sustaining the quality of life they chose for years to come.

So how do we sustain what we've built?

In 2005, we adopted a strategic plan - Visioning 2025.

This is a living document - it's how we outline our spending every year. For the past four years, our Visioning process has earned an achievement award from the International City/County Management Association. We're achieving our Vision.

The strategic plan is the framework of our home. It sets our priorities - the actions we take to achieve those priorities - that's where the bricks and mortar...and nails and trusses come in....

Our priorities hold us up ..... move us forward ........

Our first priority? - To achieve our Vision - Visioning 2025.

This means we stick to the plan. We revisit it when necessary - but the Vision stays the same. We have eight other priorities.

The foundation we laid to keep us strong in these times of declining revenues was to institute financial practices that kept our bond rating strong, our borrowing costs low, and our ability to achieve our vision healthy and strong.

For many years, North Las Vegas has been honored by the Government Finance Officers Association with the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

That award isn't given lightly. It means that, in "building our home," we've created a sound policy document - a roadmap to achieve our Vision. It means that we've created a sound financial plan, an operating tool and a communication device. It means that our foundation and our framework assure that our house is in order.

We saved in good times to shore up for this financial storm.

Our five year Capital Improvement Plan was carefully crafted and is mindful of the precarious economic conditions we currently face.

When you're looking for good news these days - look beyond the pages of the Wall Street Journal to those of our Capital Improvement Plan - we're building a city here - and we have no reason to believe that we'll stop.

In 2009, the plan calls for capital projects valued in excess of $476 million dollars - with no tax increase to our citizens. The construction of these projects will create jobs when they're desperately needed. Our own economic stimulus package, if you will.

Our spending focuses on providing critical services - roads, parks, recreation and trails, redevelopment and revitalization, community improvement projects, and public safety facilities.

Our plan provides for only those services that are urgently needed to sustain the place we call home - and which can be funded from available resources.

Just like any home, one of the most important municipal services we provide - and one that you wouldn't think about unless you didn't have it - is our wastewater collection system.

The collection, treatment, and discharge of our wastewater determines how - and if - we'll continue to grow.

The City partnered with Nellis Air Force Base, and will soon break ground on a state-of-the-art water reclamation facility. We began planning for this facility in 2005. In an enhanced lease use agreement, the City paid $25 million to Nellis to renovate and add to the Nellis fitness facility.

I want to thank the strong leadership at Nellis Air Force Base for their commitment to community partnerships.

During construction, the water reclamation facility will create 500 jobs - that's 500 families whose lives will be directly improved by this project.

The water reclamation facility includes technology that will prevent odors and will operate without noise or nuisance. It will treat water to the highest standards which will then be returned to Lake Mead to benefit the entire Valley.

This means getting people to and from where they need to go. And our transportation projects will get you from here to there.... and back home again.

In 2009, with the help of the Regional Transportation Commission, we'll spend over $107 million dollars on road improvements and new construction. Again, creating jobs and improving lives.

In November, the $34 million Lamb Boulevard improvement project was opened to traffic. This project includes a full bridge over the railroad tracks between I-15 and the Northern Beltway. Lamb Boulevard now has eight lanes from I-15 to Centennial Parkway, four lanes from Centennial to the Beltway, and roadway improvements on Ann Road, from Donovan Way to Lamb Boulevard.

As Former Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said, "if the road to your house isn't torn up yet - give us time, we'll get to it."

We also have a $30 million project this year to improve Simmons Street between Carey Avenue and Lone Mountain Road.

By mid-2009, you'll be able to come home over a new bridge on Craig Road, over the railroad tracks on a wider bridge over I-15, with a new traffic signal at Berg Street.

We'll be improving almost 7 miles of Losee Road from Alexander Road to the Northern Beltway.

But our proudest and most aggressive transportation project will be our North Fifth Street super arterial improvements, which we plan to complete in 2011. We started planning this major arterial in 2004. This $121 million dollar project will provide rapid transit service, and pedestrian friendly streets. This project wouldn't be possible without the help of the RTC.

The North Fifth Street corridor will become the foundation for future mixed use projects including retail, residential and office, and will create value for property owners in its vicinity. It will become home to future residents. Running from Owens Avenue to Cheyenne, North Fifth Street is one of the most critical components of providing the highest quality municipal services.

I'm proud to say we'll be home to one of the most important economic developments in the valley - a new $600 million dollar Veterans Hospital. The VA acquired the 154 acre site, along the Northern Beltway, at no cost. The 90 hospital beds and 120-bed nursing home will provide a "home" for those who've served our country with valor and dignity.

This new hospital has been a long time coming - and is fundamental to our responsibility to care for those men and women who've given to us with no expectation of reward - it will provide state-of-the-art health care to those who deserve our best.

In yet another economic development partnership, we're working with UNLV to build a campus on more than 2,000 acres of federal land near I-15 and the Beltway. A critical component to any home - high quality education will be another reason to make North Las Vegas your community of choice for many years to come.

The Cheyenne Technology Corridor is a vision for the future along Cheyenne Avenue from Decatur Boulevard to Pecos Road between Gowan and Evans. Of course we can't do this alone - it's a public-private partnership. We're providing a fiber optic network throughout the Technology Center - along with the College of Southern Nevada and the North Las Vegas Airport, our private partners - Lyle Brennan Investments, Harsch Investment Properties, Jackson-Shaw Company and Stoltz Management will create nearly 2 million square-feet of mixed use development and 10,000 jobs when the corridor is complete.

Again - I hope to bring you a message of optimism today. All of our sectors have slowed down - there's no doubt. But even in 2008, a most difficult year - we've been able to attract Amazon.com and Monster Cable.com - to fill nearly 500,000 square-feet of space. We also welcomed Certain Teed Gypsum Finishing Products, and GE transportation. North Las Vegas became the community of choice for Three Square, which occupies over 120,000 square-feet dedicated to feeding the hungry in our community.

Dozens of new retailers have made North Las Vegas home this year - Sam's Club and Lowes the largest among them.

And the crown jewel of our economic development this year is Aliante Station, a casino resort that came to life this past November with fireworks and fanfare.

A $675 million dollar investment in our community of choice - it came along with a $6 million dollar contribution by Station Casinos to Clark County to finish the interchange at Aliante Parkway and the Northern Beltway. But for their commitment to our community, we would have waited years for those improvements. So I encourage you to visit if you haven't already.

This year we'll complete the Alexander Library at Alexander Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard. An adjacent two acre park with tot lots and a desert demonstration garden will become a place to feel at ease - in harmony with your surroundings - a place to learn.

This year will also see the construction of the Sky View Multi generational center - we couldn't possibly let Henderson have the only one. Who says there's no competition in government?

At Centennial Parkway and Statz Street, this 35,000 square foot, $27 million dollar facility will only add to the feeling of home we've all come to know in North Las Vegas. It will bring together young and old and in between to create community and provide cultural enrichment.

We'll continue planning, design and construction of our regional trail system, complete renovations to Seastrand and Petitti Parks, and we're completing the Master Plan for Tropical Breeze Park on 20 acres at Tropical Parkway and Bruce Street.

We also have plans for a new City Hall. This $130 million project will replace the existing City Hall with a proposed 9-story building designed to support the City's growth in upcoming years. We plan to break ground on this project in May and we expect to move in by October 2011.

Concurrent with the City Hall project, we will build a new police precinct for downtown, with expanded training facilities.

Finally - what will be a dream come true - the Craig Ranch Regional Park - a 135-acre park near the intersection of Craig Road and Commerce Street, we have our master plan and work will begin on the first phase this spring.

I can't tell you the pride I feel when I think of the North Las Vegas of yesteryear - and of how far we've come to witness these achievements. Everyone in this room has been a part of it, and I hope you're all as proud as I am.

Home is about celebration.

We pride ourselves in providing opportunities for families to get back to basics, to come together with their neighbors to have fun at little to no cost. We hold celebrations year-round, such as Tastes & Tunes, Independence Day Jubilee, the Concert Series, Movie Madness, Safe Halloween, National Night Out and more.

Just this fall, more than 30,000 of us attended BalloonaPalooza at Craig Ranch Regional Park.

The City is committed to continuing these programs.

Bringing our community together is as important as keeping our community safe. To me, that says police and fire protection. This year, we'll spend, along with a significant contribution from the Olympia Group, in excess of $11 million dollars on new and upgraded equipment, fire station relocations and remodeling. We'll begin construction on the new Fire Station 50. We'll spend over $9 million dollars on renovations and construction for police and detention facilities.

These buildings and equipment would be nothing without the fine men and women in uniform who serve and protect us every day - our police and firefighters - the backbone of our safe and livable community.

I've been talking about well planned, quality growth since I started today. Fiscal responsibility, economic development, public safety, parks and cultural activities, transportation. When well planned, all of these add up to quality growth. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that North Las Vegas is home to three amazing master planned communities. While Eldorado and Aliante are home to more than 10,000 North Las Vegas families, the Olympia Group, another great partner with our city, is planning our largest community yet, Park Highlands. We know that when the time is right, Park Highlands will become a community of choice without having to play "catch up" on the infrastructure side.

We're proud that North Las Vegas has become the Community of Choice for the Apex Industrial Park, with more than 13,000 acres of industrial property. The owners have chosen to annex their property to North Las Vegas for the provision of municipal services.

Apex will broaden our tax base. Because we've been focused heavily on industrial and manufacturing businesses, it made perfect sense to begin the annexation process and spur development for Apex. It's been decades in the making - and it provides North Las Vegas with many more years of development opportunity.

My message to you today is one of optimism. In North Las Vegas, for at least the past twenty years, we've been struggling to keep up with infrastructure and services to provide those quality of life amenities that have made us Your Community of Choice.

The bright spot in this economic downturn is that we've planned well. We can catch up with providing services for our existing residents - while laying the foundation for those who've yet to come.

Our redevelopment agency has been in place since 1990.

Over the past couple of years the Redevelopment Agency succeeded in attracting tens of millions of dollars of investment in retail development. One example is the $20 million investment by Montecito Companies for the Cheyenne Pointe shopping center, which is thriving.

Along with several private partners, we're currently planning a $120 million dollar shoping center, called Las Flores -to be completed in 2010. Our downtown businesses, including Jerry's Nugget and the Silver Nugget, are meeting regularly with our staff to discuss their plans.

While our spending on infrastructure this year will create new employment, we expect our general fund revenues to continue to decline. The capital expenditures we're making have been planned for some time and will breathe some life into our economy, creating jobs and securing our future.

They'll prepare us for the economy's rebound when we will grow once again.

We have difficult decisions to make. With 75 percent of our budget going to human capital, we know our decisions affect the lives of our North Las Vegas family.

We're working every day to maintain our current levels of employment - and in Nevada, we have one of the lowest public employee-to-population ratios in the nation. The untold story is that we've always done more with less - and we continue to do so today.

That's not enough. Every day we see the revenues of our strongest companies declining. We witness their excruciating decisions - decisions that affect their employees - and their homes.

These are the companies - and their employees are our residents - who, through their taxes, pay our salaries and benefits. We can never forget that.

Those of us who haven't made these decisions have no idea what it means to walk in their shoes. Now isn't the time to throw up the barricades and say no to being part of the solution. It simply isn't an option.

These are times when we have to take stock of all that we do have - and decide how we can take care of ourselves - and ask what we can do to strengthen our neighbors - our city - our state. Our home.

There's no doubt in my mind that when all is said and done, every Nevadan will have given something. To our family of employees, I say - there are difficult decisions to make. We must make them together, with the security of all of our futures in mind.

In the past two decades, this nation, this state, this city, has seen economic growth that no generation before us has seen. We were blessed and we must be grateful. By recognizing how fortunate we've been, and coming to the table with solutions, we'll save ourselves from the fate our grandparents suffered in the years of the Great Depression. We'll save our neighbors and fellow employees from a fate we could not bear for ourselves. Most importantly, we'll save our children and theirs from paying our debts.

As the legislature convenes, my message is simple. Don't rob Peter to pay Paul. People depend as much on local government services as they do on those from the state: Public Safety, Transportation, Water, and Parks and Recreation. Don't move the problem from one place to another.

Our fiscal responsibility as local governments - our decisions in the past to shore ourselves up for this stormy day shouldn't be punished.

I send that message with a promise of local fiscal constraint. I assure you that every local elected official is working day and night to make tough decisions - to cut staff or ask workers to share in the solution through salary cuts and benefit sharing to shore up the jobs of their co-workers.

All of our workers -state and local - have contracts. Much decision making is in their hands. I trust that the decisions they ultimately make will be for the good of the whole.

So I call upon all of my Nevada elected colleagues - to take the long view. I believe it was Winston Churchill who said that "a politician thinks of his next election - a statesman thinks of the next generation."

I call on us all to be statesmen. We've been entrusted with an awesome responsibility by the people we serve and it must not be taken lightly. Elected Nevadans must rise to this occasion with responsible and fact-based decisions.

We will weather this storm. We will come home again. We will be "at ease" and "on familiar ground."

I leave you with a quote from Sophocles. "One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day has been." So we struggle through this day - and when the evening arrives, I have faith that we'll all be at ease.

Thank you.