Mayor Tim Wagener’s

State of the City Address

January 8, 2008

Chamber of Commerce

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I would like to thank the Chamber for inviting me here today as I am again honored to address you, the business community. This occasion only reinforces my belief that Maumee's success is the result of the constructive relationships enjoyed by the community's stakeholders. Whether public, private, or non-profit, we all work together to make Maumee a great place to work, invest, recreate, or simply call home. By continuing to work collectively, the future of Maumee will be enhanced for generations to come.

Now history, 2007 was not only a challenging year, but one that also brought many positive developments. With the backdrop of the well publicized problems in the areas of auto production, real estate, and finance; it wasn't the best environment in which to operate a business or a government for that matter.

We began the year with the then recently announced closing of the Ford Stamping Plant. From March, 2006, we also continued to deal with the uncertainty of Dana's bankruptcy proceedings. As to other issues, from our perspective it certainly appeared that the economy was slowing down as evidenced by layoffs and the many homes that remained unsold, despite being on the market for extended periods of time.

In the preparation of the City's 2007 budget, we projected virtually no growth in income tax revenues over the 2006 collection of $15.4 million. The City's leadership felt that that was a reasonable assumption based upon what was happening in the local economy. Accordingly, we tightened our budgets, cut back on expenses, and prepared for a rough ride.

As it turned out, I am extremely proud to inform you that we ended 2007 in the black with the City posting significant gains in both its operating and capital funds. I believe a good part of our success in achieving this positive outcome is the result of actions by our administration to contain costs. The message of cost containment was also effectively transmitted through the ranks to help realize our improved financial position.

Last year's finish in the black was also made possible by the better than expected performance of the Maumee business and commercial sectors. I congratulate you for a job well done. Yes, despite all of the doom and gloom, there actually was good news to report in 2007.

An obvious bright spot this past year both economically and developmentally was the Shops at Fallen Timbers. Since its opening on October 3rd, thousands of shoppers have been impressed with the project, being an open air facility featuring high quality construction. I'm especially proud that the general contractor for this project was none other than Maumee's own Lathrop Company!

In the planning stages of the Shops, the City demanded more from the developers and I believe the final product is a validation of that approach. More importantly, the project is the result of the close cooperation between General Growth Properties, the City, Penta Vocational, and the Anthony Wayne School Districts in the creation of an innovative Tax Increment Financing agreement benefiting all parties.

On the economic development front, we have continued our efforts to secure high paying job opportunities for the residents of our area. Probably the best example of this is Omnicare, a Fortune 500 company often described as the nation's largest institutional pharmacy. Omnicare will locate 125 jobs in Maumee in early 2008. The Company will also maintain 200 jobs in Perrysburg Township. In landing this project, the City of Maumee worked in conjunction with the Ohio Department of Development to help Omnicare secure State tax credits while also extending its own Job Creation Grant to the Company. Best of all, many of these jobs will be new to the area.

This past year, we also worked with Mr. Craig Wynn, CEO of Applied Technologies to locate and expand his company in Arrowhead Park. Applied Technologies is an engineering and design company that serves the auto and defense industries. Within 3 years, the Company expects to have 57 employees at this location with an annual payroll of $2.6 million. Again, the City extended a Job Creation Grant in the amount of $31,200 as an incentive to bring Applied Technologies to the City.

The year 2007 was also witness to the construction of 3 new hotels in the City of Maumee: Staybridge, Marriott, and the new Holiday Inn and Waterpark. Maumee now has 12 hotels with 1075 rooms. In 2008, we will have 15 hotels with approximately 1,400 rooms. At least one more hotel is on the drawing board as General Growth Properties submitted and received approval for a hotel and two 4 story office buildings, each being 102,000 square feet in size. GGP's plans involve the 19 acres of land located just north of US24 and south of the Shops.

Before moving on, let me touch on some of the other noteworthy economic development happenings this past year. Stautzenberger College relocated its campus to Maumee in July, joining Heidelberg College in Arrowhead Park, who also incidentally celebrated its 10 year anniversary in our community.

Also our Downtown Grant Program continues and we have seen many positive benefits from this program including the nice improvements at the Cigar Affair and the Anthony Wayne Animal Hospital. In Uptown Maumee we welcomed Cheron's Chocolates and Designski to town in 2007. At Parkway Plaza we also saw the continuing redevelopment of that facility with Lifestyles and Parkway Place. These are just some of the positive economic development achievements occurring last year.

Economic development is vitally important to the region and us and I am very proud of how we go about it. Council, the administration and I are committed to achieving our goals with the utmost professionalism.

On the whole we have been very successful in creating a fertile environment for business. We work with our many partners: the real estate community, business groups like the Chamber and MUBA, the Ohio Department of Development, and others to promote our City and bring new investment here.

We've found through our experiences that many business owners considering a move to Maumee request complete confidentially, and at times anonymity, for various reasons. We respect their wishes because we don't do economic development via the press. It is what they expect and we will deliver nothing less.

It's also worth mentioning that we don't treat companies like suspects when we verify tax abatements, nor do we threaten our neighbors in the pursuit of attracting or retaining companies in Maumee. To the contrary, Maumee has been a leader in the establishment of Joint Economic Development Zones and Cooperative Economic Development Agreements like the several we have with Toledo and Monclova Township. We like to think of ourselves as constructive partners and good neighbors in the way of development, and I think we have a track record to prove it.

In the way of public projects, 2007 was a good year as well. Last fall we finally opened our new fire station on Illinois Ave. This facility, like the new police station and safety training center that came before it, will allow our safety forces to continue the quality service you expect and deserve. Also in the way of public projects, I would like to commend the Maumee School Board for completing the restoration of Union School in 2007. Like the Maumee Indoor Theater, Union School is one of those landmarks that is virtually a part of our DNA. It has the distinction of being one of the oldest schools remaining in service in Ohio. It was also one of the places that Dick Kazmaier most wanted to see when he came back to town to donate his Heisman Trophy to Maumee High School last September.

In closing, much of what keeps Maumee an All America City is the quality of our daily operations. Some are more visible than others. Maumee's strength is providing good infrastructure, reliable services, and an environment that is conducive to running a business and raising a family at an economical price. Apparently BusinessWeek magazine agrees as they compared communities all across our country and found us to be one of "The 25 Best, Affordable Suburbs in the Midwest" last May.

We've had a string of accolades in recent years and it finally seems that the world is beginning to discover what we've known all along: we're a great community! Again, it's not just due to our government, but the quality of our people, our business community, and our institutions, and the way we work together for positive change. You should all be very proud of yourselves for the part you play in our success. Thank you for the job you do each and every day.

Lastly, I want to thank our city council, the administration, and the couple of hundred other city employees who work for us.

Like previous years, 2008 will also offer the City new opportunities and new challenges, some anticipated while others completely unforeseen.

Regardless of the good or bad, I look forward to working with City Council, our employees, and our partners in the private and nonprofit sectors to maintain Maumee's quality of life. The last 10 years have been some of the best in the City's history. Working together, there is no reason why we can't add 2008 to the list.

Thank You.