State of the City

March 21, 2019

Friends and neighbors, we have two new developments underway in town, we are improving our infrastructure, we have secured grant funding for our Waste Water Treatment plant and we have keep downward pressure on our tax rate. The State of the City is healthy and strong!

Quick Review
The City of Mantorville has prevailed in a law suit brought by a citizen and the City will continue to protect our Tax Dollars by aggressively defending our City. The City was able to work with AT&T and extend cell service to the residents of Mantorville while adding a new non-tax based revenue stream to the City's bottom line. The City was able to complete the Waste Water pipeline project and secure $1.8 Million in grand funding. The Annual custom of decorating our town with harvest celebrations returned to Mantorville last year. New water stewardship Kiosks have been installed in Riverside Park. The City of Mantorville now is offering lifetime pet licenses which are also branded with the new City logo.

Communication
The City, EDA and our staff have worked diligently on our communication efforts. The Mayors blog had 78 entries last year, we published our notices in the paper as well as copied them onto the public access cable channel and placed updates on our web site. The City and the EDA have been actively working on branding efforts to achieve a consistent community image and identity. We are looking at even more communication vehicles this year including expanding on our social media presence.

Oversight and leadership
I had the opportunity to attend the Minnesota Mayor annual conference this past year. This year we meet in Perham Minnesota up by Ottertail. This years conference was well attended and I had the opportunity to speak with some Mayors from across Minnesota from large metro cities to some small communities.

I have worked aggressively with presenting to the State Legislature our proposal for collaboration on Waste Water Treatment and exploring grant and other funding opportunities for our community. These efforts paid off with the City being awarded low interest loans as well as a grant of $1.8 Million.

AT&T Update
It was a cold snowy Wednesday in the middle of April but that did not delay the start of the AT&T equipment installation. After several years of discussions and planning Mantorville was one of the first sights to receive the new smaller foot print equipment shed. The new shed is about 6 foot square and is a much welcomed upgrade compared to the old style shed which would have been several times larger. In exchange for providing a home for AT&T's antennas the City will receive about $12,000/year. The project will help AT&T, add an additional revenue stream for the City and increasing the competitive options for cell coverage in Mantorville.

Fifth Street
The City was able to get the roadbed of Fifth street rebuilt and the first layer of pavement installed before winter. This spring we will finish the surface of fifth street as well as finish the trail along side of fifth street, fix some discovered drainage issues and complete the landscape restoration of the project. This leaves the final stage of Fifth Street to be completed in conjunction with the Highway 57 rebuild that will take place in 2022 for the Mantorville section of the highway.

Street Surveys
The City Engineer worked with the City Streets department a few years back to develop a comprehensive Street Condition survey. Each year the City revisits the survey and updates the conditions as things change. I have had several questions regarding streets and I wanted to share the Survey Image so that everyone can determine where in the priority list their street fits and also to help communicate the big picture for the town in general. Below is a link to the survey the City is currently working against located on my blog entry for August 28, 2018 here

Mantorville Theater Celebrates a Century of Show
The Mantorville Opera House which is maintained by the Mantorville Restoration Association turned 100 years old this year. The Opera House is home to the Mantorville Theater Company. The Mantorville Theater Company has been holding plays and melodramas in this historic building for over forty four years. Happy Birthday Opera House, and here is to another century.

Last year was a productive year for the City of Mantorville we are seeing our efforts to push for lower taxes payoff in terms of new developments. The City was rewarded for our collaboration with Kasson through grants and reduced interest rates. The City and the EDA will continue to push out our new brand image. The City leadership will continue to seek new grants, funding options and new non-tax based revenues for the City. The State of the City is Strong and Healthy, and we are looking forward to another great year.

Yours in service,

Chuck Bradford
Mayor - City of Mantorville
MantorvilleMayor@Gmail.Com
MayorBradford.BlogSpot.com