Mayor focuses on 5-year plan in annual talk
Mayor CENTERVILLE —
Brooks Compton promised to use the city’s new strategic plan specifically focused on economic development as a key to the future.
Compton made the remarks this week in the annual State of the City address prior to city council’s meeting.
Compton discussed the city’s recently released fiveyear strategic plan and how he thinks it will help.
“Starting in October of 2017, city management and city staff and council worked on the five-year strategic plan, which was finalized with its passage in June of 2018,” he said.
“It is not something to be put on the shelf and not looked at again,” Compton said. “It is out there every day being used to keep the city moving forward.”
The plan has six goal areas: planning, economic development, core services, finance, infrastructure/housing and technology.
“Economic development is promoting a city of neighborhoods and businesses that will thrive and continue to thrive,” Compton said, calling it one of the key areas of the plan.
The goal of the plan under the finance umbrella, Compton said, is to “create a strong and sustainable financial foundation with taxpayers dollars given to us in the levy which passed in 2016.”
Housing and infrastructure are also key areas the city is focusing on in the plan, Compton said.
“The city cannot stay stagnant,” he explained. “We will fall behind if we don’t recognize that we must constantly be working on our infrastructure, looking at our neighborhoods to make sure we are staying on top.”
Centerville is joining Kettering and other local communities in trying to develop design standards to regulate the location and size of small cell antennas and facilities for the latest wireless technology system, 5G.
A new hotel that is part of the Cornerstone of Centerville development had its grand opening in October. Hilton Home2 Suites is the latest business in Cornerstone, a mixed-use development accommodating retail, restaurant, professional and medical offices.
A new Centerville school initiative designed to increase engagement between residents and immigrant families kicked off in 2018. The initiative is called Connect Centerville.
The mayor recognized Andrew Rodney, city planner and zoning administrator, for his diligence in helping the city’s vision grow with zoning opportunities and technological advancements.
“At one of our retreats, I think he brought forward about 35 or so different opportunities: where we should be looking at, should we rezone? How should we be taking care of these particular properties that are vacant?” Compton said.
Wayne Davis, Centerville city manager, said the city has made several key hires and continues to benefit from the new talent it has been recruiting.
One of the new hires is Tyler Roark as finance director. Roark comes to Centerville from Hamilton, where he worked for more than seven years, the past three of which as budget and evaluation manager.