Mayor points to city’s growth during address

ROGERS — The city’s growth was the focus of Tuesday night’s State of the City address in Rogers.

The city presented Mayor Greg Hines’ speech by playing a prepared video at the start of the City Council meeting.

“Over the past two decades, the City of Rogers has witnessed incredible growth and transformation,” Hines said in the video. “In 2023, the city collected $29 million from the 1-cent general sales tax, marking an outstanding 8% growth over the previous year.”

The Planning Commission approved 56 large-scale projects during the previous year, with a total of 1,500 livable units, Hines said. He said there are currently 100 large-scale projects under construction that total $900 million.

The city saw 1,500 new jobs and the unemployment rate is the lowest in the state at just 2%, the mayor said.

The Planning Department is currently developing a revised the Comprehensive Growth Plan, using input from developers and residents. Hines said the plan will guide the city with an emphasis on sustainable development, while staying true to the city’s character.

The city has put $105 million into downtown since 2016, Hines said. The Victory Theater will have its first show after the completion of recent renovations in March.

Councilwoman Betsy Reithemeyer said the mayor’s speech is “always a wonderful reminder, I think, of how far we’ve come, what we’ve got ahead of us and how important it is that we are good stewards for the citizens.”

Speaking on the mayor’s comments, Raymond Burns, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer, said the city is poised for a great year in 2024. He said in 2023, Rogers had a record year for sales tax collection, as well as retail sales and hotel stays.

Casey Wilhelm, the city’s director of finance, said the sales tax revenue allows the city to do larger things and expand resources. She said “more good things” are to come in 2024.

Burns said the city invested heavily in downtown infrastructure, including more housing, in 2023.

“People want to live where they can walk,” he said.

Tom Allen, Rogers-Lowell Chamber of Commerce chairman of the board, spoke highly of the city’s mindset when it comes to making good things happen.

“Rogers just finds a way to get it done,” Allen said. “We don’t ask ‘Why?’ We just ask ‘Why not?’”