Mayor Eric Hogue
March 1, 2012
It was my privilege and duty to report to the citizens of Wylie our accomplishments as a community during the annual State of the City Address on Tuesday, February 28, during the Wylie Chamber of Commerce luncheon. The year 2011 should be remembered as a time of “Mission Accomplished” in Wylie, Texas.
Much was accomplished over the past year, even in the face of tough economic times. These activities and events will benefit Wylie for many years to come. In 2011 we saw the opening of our new 45,000 sq. ft. City Hall, 47,000 sq. ft. Recreation Center and 44,000 sq. ft. Smith Public Library. These three buildings have created a town center of over 140,000 square feet with room to grow as our City grows.
We also celebrated the re-opening ofFounders Park. New amenities in the 82 acre park include two concession stands, two rest rooms, four shade structures, and a large pavilion near the playground. The park features two limestone sculptures by nationally-known artist Madeline Wiener. The art piece entitled “Catch” is the focal point of the main plaza area.nationally-known artist Madeline Wiener.
Roads continue to be an important part of our city’s development.Country Club Road was expanded from two lanes to a six lane thoroughfare. Total construction costs from the improvements from south of Parker Road to FM 544 was nearly 13 million dollars.
The Wylie Economic Development Corporation reported sales tax receipts up 13.37% over 2010. The Woodbridge Crossing Shopping Center drove the positive numbers generating over $900,000 in sales tax. In 2011 construction was completed on Kohl’s, PetSmart, and Dollar Tree; Ross, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Rosa’s Café will be joining the development in the coming months.
2012 will also bring to Wylie a $10 million medical plaza featuring a fully staffed 24-hour hospital emergency room, a twelve screen movie theatre, a new retail center anchored by Kroger Marketplace, and plans for additional parking in our historic downtown area to support the unique shopping experience.
The Woodbridge Crossing Shopping Center drove the positive numbers generating over $900,000 in sales tax. In 2011 construction was completed on Kohl’s, PetSmart, and Dollar Tree; Ross, Rack Room Shoes, Rue 21, and Rosa’s Café will be joining the development in the coming months.
2012 will also bring to Wylie a $10 million medical plaza featuring a fully staffed 24-hour hospital emergency room, a twelve screen movie theatre, a new retail center anchored by Kroger Marketplace, and plans for additional parking in our historic downtown area to support the unique shopping experience.
We prepared a balanced budget which maintained service delivery levels during one of the worst of economic times in recent history, and updated our fiscally conservative financial policies. We did not raise taxes for the third year in a row, even though our 2005 Bond Package outlined a continual increase in our property tax rates. 2011 will also be remembered as an award winning year in Wylie, Texas. We received state-wide recognition with the Municipal Excellence Award for our emergency planning and communication; the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the 22nd year in a row; our new Municipal Complex was featured in Texas Architect Magazine; our National Night Out program was nationally recognized; the Dallas Morning News named Wylie one of the Top 100 Best Places to Work; and the City of Wylie was voted “Best Place to Work” in the Wylie News reader’s poll.
This year Wylie celebrates 125 years as a community and I encourage everyone to embrace our past and look to the challenges of our future. I believe that if we can come together with our different ideas, different beliefs, and different points of view and work together…we can continue to build a brighter future for Wylie.
Go to Wylietexas.gov for a complete transcript of the speech and links to the opening video and PowerPoint.