State of the City
February 2, 2009
Rogers, Arkansas


Members of the Rogers City Council, department heads and key staff, fellow employees and citizens of the great city of Rogers— as required by Arkansas law, I am pleased to report the annual State of the City of Rogers, Arkansas.

Despite the economic hardships that plague the majority of the United States, the City of Rogers remains financially strong and focused on another year of economic growth and improved quality of life while maintaining our position as the steady force helping shape the future of this dynamic region we call northwest Arkansas.

Our balance sheet has never been better! A balanced budget with a reserve balance in excess of $15 million, steady growth in sales tax collections, and a rapid reduction in debt has our city in the enviable position of improving city services while focusing on the next round of major capital improvements we hope to secure with a bond issue in 2010-2011. Add to that an aggressive program of work purposed in improving mobility and drainage, greenways and trails, safety and security of our citizens, and providing the fiscal stability on which we can grow economically, you can see the commitment this administration has in moving Rogers forward.

I often talk about the fundamentals in evaluating the fiscal condition of our city. When you consider the totality of the city’s income strength and debt reduction, leadership, and quality of life issues like public safety, education, health care, employment opportunities, shopping, dining, and entertainment options, we remain in the “blue chip” category of municipalities. What makes me proud is the fact that we have done it ourselves—with very little outside help—and many communities and leaders point to Rogers as the example of how things get done.

Given the economic news of the last two years, and forecasts for nationwide hardships for another year or more, our city will continue to concentrate very hard on managing expenses. In a message to his company’s leaders last month, John Q. Hammons challenged his organization “…to exert the best control that you possibly can to monitor unnecessary expenses, eliminate waste, and make sure we are getting the maximum value for every dollar spent.” Sage advice from someone who has seen the best and worst of times in his nearly 90 years.

Frankly, this is a leadership challenge. We may not control what happens at the state and federal levels, but we do influence the costs of government at the local level—and inherent in that fact is the need to carefully balance our city’s needs and wants against our ability to resource them. A casual look around and you will find conditions not so favorable and it is my strong desire to manage our resources so that no additional taxes become necessary—and, as I have advocated before, perhaps even some tax relief might be possible. Rogers is where it is financially, because we have been successful in controlling the costs of government while growing the tax base through wise investment in infrastructure.

On the subject of leadership, I am pleased with the recent appointments of Steve Hamilton to the position of Police Chief and Tom Jenkins as Fire Chief. These two departments account for half of the city’s manpower and budget and form the safety and security framework that distinguishes Rogers from a lot of other cities. In both cases, our city has acquired the services of chiefs who have the educational, professional, and leadership requisites necessary to elevate our public safety departments to a new standard of excellence. These two recent hires add to the professionalism already found in other critical city departments. Our city will profit from their service.

Despite the economic outlook, many terrific things are happening in Rogers. We’ve found a new identity for the former St. Mary’s Hospital. This non-profit center-of-excellence will enhance the work of the non-profits that faithfully serve our citizens and with better efficiency, their collective work will be leveraged that much more. We are making rapid progress on the city’s new recycling center in northeast Rogers. Later this year, when dedicated, Rogers will have one of the finest facilities in the state. Our commitment to recycling is a win-win for everyone. It lengthens the lifespan of the area’s only landfill and, when markets improve, we will invest the profits of this investment into important programs that strengthen the character of our youth.

We also took ownership of the beautiful Victory Theater downtown. This city landmark and home to the local performing arts faced an uncertain future when a number of civic leaders developed a plan to remove the debt and place it under the city’s umbrella. A generation from now, we will all see the wisdom of this historic move. The Ladies Professional Golf Association tour stop in Rogers last July was another big success. As it enters its third year in Rogers, and with an increased purse, multi-million dollar improvement to the Pinnacle Country Club, and the support of the region’s business community, we feel it will solidify its status as one of the preferred stops on tour.

The city continues to add to its greenway and trail network. Thanks to the generosity of the Walton Family Foundation, we’ve completed nearly 3 miles of new trail with plans for an additional 3.5 miles in the coming year. We’ve added a beautiful park at the popular Adult Wellness Center. The ball fields at Veterans Park, while behind schedule, will be completed this spring and will add value to both our school and city sports programs. And, work is well underway to determine the emerging needs of our city in advance of a proposed bond issue in 2010-2011.

Of regional significance, the City of Rogers was the first city in Arkansas to join a regional mobility authority when we teamed up with Benton and Washington Counties last year. Already, the work of the RMA is evident with the push to construct the 15-mile Bella Vista bypass using anticipated stimulus money from the federal government. We fully understand the need to address this bypass along with the relocation of U.S. Highway 412 north of Springdale and improvements to Interstate 540. These large and expensive projects are critical to our regional growth—just as former projects like Beaver and Two Ton Water Districts, XNA, NWACC, I-540, and the World Trade Center. The appointment of Dick Trammel to the Arkansas Highway Commission was also a huge boost to regional highway infrastructure.

Like other cities in America, we have lost some jobs. Likely, the current economic conditions will cause other companies to carefully evaluate operations. Fortunately, we remain on the national “radar” for new business development. The opening of Target on March 4th is an indicator that Rogers has destination character in the retail sector. I remain optimistic in our ability to recruit and retain business in this tough economic climate.

We still have much work to do on other projects and issues. The redevelopment of Historic Downtown Rogers remains a high priority with the city and its future relevance to the city as a whole is important. I am excited with the appointment of Kerry Jensen as Main Street President in assisting with that vision. We’ve also made improvements to the appearance of the city; however much work remains to eliminate blight, add attractive landscaping and signage to our gateways, and keep litter and graffiti to a minimum. This involves not only the work of the city staff, but the attention and cooperation of the community at large.

Bottom line as we enter 2009—the state of the city is terrific! With a strong balance sheet, rapidly improving infrastructure, solid leadership team, supportive City Council and Chamber, and the capacity to significantly reduce our debt load even when conditions are not so favorable, no city in northwest Arkansas has the “upside” Rogers has. As the nation’s economy improves—and it will—our city will be ready to move quickly to enhance our economic vitality.


Departmental Summaries

Police Department

At the Rogers Police Department, the appointment of Chief Steve Hamilton signaled the beginning of a new era. He leads the largest department in the city with 99 sworn officers and a supporting framework of over 40 civilian personnel. Calls for service continue to increase at RPD, up 18% to 36,600. Response time for all calls was 6 ½ minutes—exceptional compared to national standards. The recruitment, hiring, and training of qualified officers continued to be a police priority. The attrition rate for sworn personnel was 6%--below the national average of 8%. Significant improvements to the city’s electronic and automation platforms occurred in 2008. The New World Software project is 80% operational. The police records and Computer Assisted Dispatching (CAD) portions are fully operational with the mobile system expected to be online by April 2009. The police department became certified in the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) on the first attempt. To reach certification, police departments must submit three submissions with an error rate of less than 1%. On all three submissions, RPD passed with an average error rate of 1/100 percent. Again in 2008, our city added to the RPD’s fleet reserve account, purposed in the resourcing and management of emergency rolling stock—reducing pressure on the city’s general fund.

Fire Department

Aside for the search for a new Chief, 2008 was a year of repair at the Rogers Fire Department. Issues related to water damage at Station 5 resulted in a major renovation of that facility and the temporary relocation of its personnel and equipment. Similar work is in store for the Emergency Training Center this year. As always, RFD responses were primarily EMS-related. In 2008, there were nearly 5300 calls. The city placed into service two new ambulances. The site location of the next substation will be a priority of the new administration. That facility, serving extreme southwest Rogers, should be on line in 2010. I have challenged Chief Jenkins to develop an apparatus assessment so that short term/long term needs can be addressed in the next bond issue. Our city’s emergency preparation manual is also outdated. I am hopeful we can initiate a full re-write of this document and even conduct a table-top exercise to “test” its contents.

Planning and Transportation

In 2008, the city enhanced mobility with the completion and dedication of the Promenade Interchange, Pauline Whitaker Parkway, and the intersection of New Hope Road and Horsebarn Road. The connection of Walnut to New Hope along Promenade Boulevard provided significant relief for those seeking north-south accesses in west Rogers without the need to use I-540. In east Rogers, the completion of South First Street north to Olrich improved access to an area of the city surrounded by a number of schools.

The Street Department continues to do their work in the background, quietly saving the City millions of dollars by completing projects in-house. In 2008 they widened Dixieland Road from Rogers High School south to Laurel, installed drainage boxes under Arapaho, and cleaned out Blossom Way Creek in response to heavy rains and flooding west of Bellview. The Street Department also partnered with the University of Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Game & Fish, and the Watershed Conservation Resource Center in a stream bank restoration project. These projects and more were completed above and beyond the Street Department’s routine assignments.

Several projects that were started in 2008 include the realignment of Pleasant Crossing Boulevard at Pleasant Grove Road, Horsebarn Road Improvements and various signalization improvements.

Projects still under construction include 26th Street from New Hope to Pleasant Grove, Pleasant Grove from I-540 to Bellview, and the Pleasant Grove Road Overpass at Exit 81

Projects currently under design include: 21st Street from New Hope to Perry Road, Perry Road from Bellview to 21st, the Olive Street overpass and approaches, Fir Street overpass, Bellview Road from Perry, south to the City Limits, Garrett Road and Cross Creek modifications, Price Lane from 8th to First Street, Persimmon from Dixieland to 13th, and Pleasant Grove from Bellview to Horsebarn

Throughout 2009, the projects that are under construction will continue. Pleasant Grove overpass will be completed in the Spring of 2009, and Pleasant Grove Road from I-540 to Bellview will be nearing completion by the end of the year. The Olive Street Overpass will start in 2009, as well as the Arapaho Road improvements and Garrett Road re-alignment. Design for the remainder of the projects will be completed next year with right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation beginning as funds allow in preparation for the upcoming bond issue.

With the support of our partners at the Federal Aviation Administration and Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, the Rogers Municipal Airport continued progress toward completing the east parallel taxiway and associated runway safety area improvements. Construction of the south segment of the new taxiway began in July. The Airport hopes to finish the east-side taxiway work in 2009. Aircraft storage capacity will get a significant boost in 2009 when the new 36,000 SF Beaver Lake Aviation hangar is completed. The new hangar will accommodate multiple aircraft providing additional opportunities for both based and transient customers. Construction of a new and improved fuel farm is also planned for 2009.
In the Planning Office, 2008 followed the national trend in building—down in most areas. Fifty large scale development plans were reviewed and approved, compared with 92 a year earlier. During the recent lull, staff has taken the opportunity to review development codes resulting in new tree preservation and sign ordinances. Also under review are utility franchise agreements. Later this year, the new Drainage Manual should be ready for public input. The staff hosted another successful developer conference.

Our Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) supported infrastructure at Habitat Trails Subdivision on Old Wire Road and a number of public service projects. The majority of block grant funding was spent on four facility projects—sidewalks and drainage on Persimmon Street, the drainage project in northeast Rogers, design work for the Price Lane widening, and the Adult Wellness Center Park. This year, more work along Persimmon Street, assistance for the Adult Development Center Building project, funding at the new Non-Profit Center of Excellence, and additional fencing at Veterans Park will consume our federal entitlement dollars.

Rogers Water Utilities

At Rogers Water Utilities, 2008 saw the addition of a new treatment train and solids handling facility which should double the capacity of the treatment plant this spring. Construction of a new elevated water storage tank began and should be completed this spring. The utility began construction on an expansion of its administration building and refunded three outstanding bond issues saving ratepayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. The water system grew by 376 meters—about a 1% increase. Water sales were off by 11% due to voluntary conservation measures and a mild, wet growing season. Currently, our water system capacity is adequate for the next twenty years with our wastewater treatment capacity adequate for about sixteen years of growth.

Parks and Recreation

2008 was a landmark year for Parks. The two most high-profile projects were the renovation of Veterans Park, and the construction of miles of trails.

In 2008 we undertook a major renovation to the baseball and softball facilities at Veterans Park, which will be home to both the Mounties and War Eagles beginning in 2009. The funds we expect to spend there will, dollar-wise, make it the largest outdoor recreation project in the history of Rogers.

Major trail projects in northwest Rogers were completed, and engineering is underway for multiple sections in the southwest quadrant of our City. In all, fifteen-thousand feet of new trails were completed in 2008, and another fourteen thousand are underway, or on the drawing board.

Through the cooperation of the Rogers Community School Recreation Association, our programs, leagues, and facilities serve a large number of residents. As an example, the Rogers Activity Center has nearly 8,000 members and our adult softball and soccer programs are the largest in Arkansas. Youth soccer is fourth largest in the state. We look for ways to better serve all segments of the population.

We will open a new recycling facility on North Arkansas Street near Stave Mill Road. At that location, we will be handling more types of recyclables than ever before, as well as providing a drop-off point for tree limbs and yard waste. With this new facility comes the challenge of educating our citizens on the new location and the importance of preserving the only landfill in northwest Arkansas by diverting recyclables from the waste stream.

At the celebrated Adult Wellness Center, national recognition came for the innovative ways we are helping people age successfully. We were awarded the NuStep Pinnacle of Wellness Award, the first ever Environmental Protection Agency’s Building Healthy Communities Commitment Award, & the Arkansas Parks & Recreation Facility of the Year Award. These awards brought Rogers into the national spotlight once again including features in the Journal of Active Aging and on the EPA’s website. Last summer we opened the much anticipated AWC Wellness Garden. Upwards of 1,000 people a day are still utilizing the center, and we’ve recently signed up our 10,000th member. Although the new member growth has slowed from our first year, the retention rate of existing members has greatly improved. In 2008, the SilverSneakers program brought in over $100,000 in additional revenue to help supplement the operating costs of the center. This year, we plan to establish the Adult Wellness Center Foundation, enhance the Volunteer program, and continue to improve retention of our members.

Code Enforcement and Animal Services

The building industry continued to decline in 2008. Single family permits were down 53% from 459 in 2007 to 213 in 2008. Commercial construction, remodels, and additions also declined in 2008 by 14% from 189 permits in 2007 to 162 in 2008. Valuation of these projects declined by approximately 50%. Total revenues for the building department were down by 41%. The building department continues to cross train inspectors to better meet the needs of builders and the department.

The Building department maintained a Class 4 rating with the Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule.

Code Enforcement continued a busy year dealing with unsightly property, litter and graffiti. The department removed or covered graffiti in over 300 locations around town. 2008 was a busy year for abandoned houses as people left due to foreclosure, many times leaving no one to maintain the property. Code Enforcement did gain access to the Benton County land database making it easier to research property owners, or in the case of foreclosure, the mortgage holder. There were over 4500 notices, letters, and contacts with property owners concerning issues related to property maintenance.

Rogers Animal Services had 5391 calls for service in 2008. 658 notices were issued along with 94 citations. These include dog at large, no city tags, and no vaccination. Over 2700 animals came through the shelter in 2008 with 434 of these coming from Bentonville. Animal licensing was up 45% over 2007. Animal services obtained used police radios for animal control to use to dispatch animal control officers and we purchased two new animal control vehicles. The shelter implemented a new software program to streamline the shelter operations to include calls for service, tracking of addresses, adoptions and redemptions.

Library and Museum

2008 was another busy year at the Rogers Public Library. Over a half-million items were circulated during over 277,000 customer visits. Almost 5,400 new library cards were issued during the year. Staff answered almost 60,000 reference queries. With the help of the Friends of the Library, public WI-FI became available late fall. The Library continued to provide online homework assistance through a Wal-Mart grant and works closely with Rogers’ schools to encourage literacy and provide informational and recreational materials for all ages and educational levels. A new popular audio book format called playaway was added during the year. This compact, easy to use digital audio book is convenient for listening to a book no matter where one’s location. Meeting the demands of a growing patron base continues to be the focus of the Library staff.

At the Rogers Historical Museum, three major exhibits were produced, one traveling exhibition was hosted, and the first online exhibit was added to the website. Over 42,000 people, including nearly 25,000 area schoolchildren were served by exhibits and programs. Over 900 objects were added to the permanent collection and a full collections inventory of over 37,000 items was completed. The Museum Commission selected an architect for the planned expansion and preliminary building and interpretive plans were developed. In 2009, the Museum will open four exhibits and host four major events.

Rogers District Court/City Attorney

The move to a fulltime District Court Judge in 2009 and the election of Brad Karren to that post highlighted activities in RDC. Effective this year, the judge is a fulltime employee of the state and the city shares the costs of his salary with the state and Benton County, pursuant to the pilot program launched with the approval of Amendment 80 in 2000 and legislative actions which followed. The court received and disposed of nearly 27,000 criminal and traffic cases, 895 civil cases, and 881 small claims cases in 2008. $775,000 in fines and $130,000 in costs were apportioned by the court last year. This year, the threshold for civil cases increased to $25,000 which will likely increase the caseload substantially beginning this year. Plans for a night court and teen court are anticipated this year.

In the City Attorney’s office, nearly 3,000 defendants were processed with a third of that number actually tried in District Court. Hot check submissions were down substantially due to increased debit card use by merchants. On the civil side, while the caseload was down, the office was kept busy with the tempo of the city’s growth with work on right-of-way acquisitions, construction projects, and contract reviews.

Finance and Human Resources

Our finance department received the coveted Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for the first time in 2008—a testament to outstanding work in arguably our most important duty—fiscal management. Careful oversight of this area of government is the linchpin for controlling costs and promoting accountability. We also saw decreases in life insurance and long term disability rates, improved productivity through the implementation of a safety policy, and, for the second straight year, our health insurance premiums remained unchanged. A light-duty policy was established for injured workers to help reduce workers compensation costs. As stated earlier, the city has exceeded all benchmarks in its fiscal policy—balanced budget and reserve balances—while adding to the fleet management fund at the police department, perpetual care fund at the cemetery, and giving significant raises for employees.

Other Departments

We have many other departments and relationships that support the city’s program of work that need acknowledgement. Our primary economic development partner, the Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce, continues to advocate on our behalf for job creation, retail and restaurant development, and long-range planning through the Vision 2025 process. Main Street Rogers has a new leader and a terrific vision for the future of Historic Downtown Rogers. Our webmaster, DesignWorks, has enhanced our website for better interactivity and timely postings. We also completed the new maintenance facility at the Rogers Cemetery. And, our Information Technology department continues to leverage new technology for more efficient and economical service. Rufus Ramey and his team are among the most talented and resourceful people we have. Our reliance on these platforms necessitates this type of performance.

Conclusion

We have recently ushered in a new President and a new direction for this country. The common theme for this transition has been change. I am not afraid of change. In fact, I consider myself a change-agent. I subscribe to the principle of the late Sam Walton who said that “…everything around you is always changing. To succeed, stay out in front of change.” That’s precisely what we’ve been doing in Rogers for the last ten years—assessing who we are, where we are, and where we need to be headed.

Our goals have been to create and maintain destination character in all we do. We want to be the preeminent location for shopping, dining, and hospitality. We’ve achieved these successes thanks to our wise investment in infrastructure. We’ll simply use the proceeds from this investment to improve quality of life services. In the end, we’ll not only be the place people enjoy visiting—we’ll be that place they want to live.

I would be remiss if I did not address the recent ice storm and the city’s response. We have all been challenged by the effects of this storm. The widespread loss of power, dangerous road conditions, and the level of damage caused by massive accumulations of ice on vegetation stressed our resources and quality of life unlike anything I’ve seen in the thirty years I have lived in Rogers. We should all be proud of the heroic and dedicated work of the hundreds of employees and volunteers who have responded to our needs. The recovery will take time and it will be expensive. But in the end, the spirit and perseverance of our city will stand out. I plead for your patience and cooperation as we work through all of these issues.

Finally, I believe the future is bright for Rogers. In this period of uncertainty, let us resolve to keep in mind those whom we serve and the hardships they face. Let us resolve to keep their government in service—never a burden—to them. Before I close, I think it is also important to remember the sacrifices of those who serve us in uniform. We mourn the loss of SFC Anthony Woodham and LCpl Kyle Wilks, both of whom died on foreign soil last year. Let us resolve to find the necessary time to remember their last full measure of devotion, appreciate our many blessings, and the benefit of living in such a great city and country.

God bless you all. And, God bless America.