A recent review of 2009 finances for the city of Mountlake Terrace showed another successful year.
During perhaps the darkest economic period since the Great Depression, our community is in the enviable position of being able to maintain basic municipal services, while other communities throughout the country are cutting back those same services.
This is due in large part to the prudent financial discipline our City Council has implemented. Among other things, the Council has committed to maintaining a balanced budget, adhering to a six-year financial forecast and continuing to focus on living within our means.
Mountlake Terrace long ago became well-accustomed to delivering high-quality services to the community for less money than our counterparts in the region. But our city has gone further by cultivating a new culture of strategic leadership that no longer subscribes to the old saying, “That’s the way we always did it.” Rather, our department directors and staff have looked at new ways to become more efficient in our spending practices to ensure we are delivering savings on a regular basis to tackle the nation’s continued financial uncertainty.
While many communities are just now reacting to this economy, the Mountlake Terrace City Council has been proactive over the past few years. We will continue this proactive approach in 2010 and beyond, just as we did in 2008 and 2009. For example, the city continues to proactively pursue state and federal funding to upgrade our aging infrastructure with new construction, which in turn reduces what residents have to pay locally. As a result, the city has leveraged over $3.9 million in outside federal and state funding for capital improvements. These strategies will continue so that services to our residents will not have to be reduced.
The city will also continue to focus on a wide range of private, public and transit economic development initiatives that all serve as catalysts for the revitalization of our community, particularly in the Town Center.
Over 45 development projects are on the horizon for Mountlake Terrace. The anticipated level of activity, even in an economic downturn as severe as this one, reflects very positively upon our community. These projects will provide additional retail and professional services to the community, as well as new housing choices especially in the Town Center area, which is the centerpiece of the city’s economic development strategy where private investment and nearby public facilities will bring new relevance and vitality to the community.
The work and partnerships the city is undertaking today will provide the foundation for reinvestment when the next economic cycle begins. These investments and the generation of new revenues from redevelopment and revitalization in our community will bolster the city’s ability to continue to provide top-notch municipal services for which our community has become accustomed.
In the meantime, we will continue to evaluate revenues and expenditures on a regular basis and allocate resources in a manner that ensures the city’s financial health and stability.
John Caulfield is Mountlake Terrace city manager.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
