August 2012 Mayor's Minute

Dear friends and neighbors,

My letter this month is intended to be a mix of various issues and information I trust will be helpful to you and your family. First, I want to remind you of a program I started along with Police Chief Jim Roberson. If you are leaving for an extended period of time for vacation, please call our police department to let them know. An officer will come by your home during each of their three shifts per day to check your residence or business. I appreciate the officers going the extra mile to make sure your property is protected.

Progress continues to take place at West Homewood’s Patriot Park. The walking track is being built, and the pavilions are under construction. If you have not taken the opportunity to see the improvements, please take your family by to see the great addition to our community. I appreciate the hard work and many hours the Park Board has put into this project helping this vision become a reality.

I am currently working on the budget for the Fiscal Year 2013. It’s exciting to know we are approaching our fourth year in a row with a surplus and working to ensure the trend continues. We will be evaluating needs of the city, including all the great services Homewood currently offers to our residents. I’m so proud of the fact that Homewood has not had to lay off one single worker in this tough economy and we have learned to do more with less. Our revenues are trending up again, and it is an exciting time for our city as we plan new projects. Please continue to support Homewood businesses at every opportunity because it has a direct impact on all of us.

Homewood’s new fire engine has just been delivered, and we continue to provide

the protection and safety we have all come to expect. The fire engine cost $540,000, and we paid cash for it. We continue to inspect our bridges each year, monitor our creeks and waterways, and evaluate our streets that need paving. Paving in the city will begin in the next month or so, and residents living on those streets will be notified by the paving company. Remember, when you purchase gas in Homewood, those dollars go directly to the street paving fund.

Thanks to James Yates, our IT Director, for creating Homewood’s mobile website. It can be accessed via www.homewoodal.net/mobile. A link is also on this site to access Citizen Observer, a program designed to inform the public of alerts from the Homewood Police Department. I appreciate each of you for making a difference in our City and for giving me the privilege to serve. With kindest regards I remain.

Sincerely,

Scott McBrayer

Mayor

City of Homewood