I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of LaGrange for your support in allowing me to serve as your city councilman.

We are living in some trying times with the economy as it is. On Thanksgiving each one of the council members was asked “What we had to be thankful for!”

As I pondered over how much I had to be thankful for, I began to thank God that even though we are in a recession, we are far better off than some of the cities around us.

After hearing the statements from each councilman, I then realized that I needed to express to my constituents the progress of our city.

n The city continues to operate in a fiscally sound manner without imposing property taxes on property owners.

n The city’s electric rates remain substantially below other providers in the area. In December, LaGrange’s electric rates were 31% below Diverse Power and 19% below the Georgia Power Company.

n The city recently completed two new fire stations which were done using SPLOST funds. The construction cost was approximately $500,000 below budget. The two new stations replaced Station 1 downtown and they provide us better station locations for more effective emergency medical and fire response.

n The city police department once again was recognized for re-accreditation by the Committee for Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies and also received State Certification as meeting the highest standards of professional law enforcement services.

n With the help of Troup County, the city paved over 15 miles of streets in LaGrange in 2008. We expect to pave even more in 2009.

n In 2008, the city completed a major sewer upgrade project along U.S. 27 which will accommodate future housing and commercial growth in east and southeast LaGrange.

n The city has hired a traffic signal monitoring firm to check on the performance of the traffic signals in LaGrange each day and report any malfunctions to the State Department of Transportation which manages the operations of the signals.

n The city purchased a new cemetery on Hamilton Road which should serve the needs of our community for more than 50 years.

n We are in the final stages of a 5-year, $15 million project to replace all the cast iron gas distribution lines in LaGrange. The new lines will stop all gas leaks which will result in a safer, more efficient natural gas system for the citizens of LaGrange.

n LaGrange has applied for and received preliminary approval from the State EPD to expand our Water Treatment Permit from 16 million gallons per day to 22 million gallons per day. This will provide the city’s sufficient capacity to serve the growth of the LaGrange area for many years to come.

n During the past year, we began wholesaling water to Hogansville. The city now serves water from West Point to Hogansville and also to Meriwether County.

n Our community has been very fortunate in business recruitment efforts related to the Kia Motors Assembly Plant in Troup County. In addition to the 2,600 workers that Kia will hire 14 other companies have announced their intention to build facilities in this area. In total, approximately 7,000 new jobs are coming to the area. Over 5,000 of these will be in Troup County.

– Kia 2,600 - Troup County/WestPoint

– Mobis - 600 - Troup County/WestPoint

–Daelim - 100- LaGrange

– Dongwong Autoparts - 300 - Hogansville/Meriwether County

– Sejong - 250- LaGrange

– Sewon - 700 - LaGrange

– Daeki - 80- Chambers County

– Ajin - 450 - Chambers County

– MP Tech - 250- Chambers County

– Dahean Solutions - 250 - West Point/Harris County

– Hysco - 50 - Troup County/West Point

– Hi Lew - 110 Chambers County

– JCI- 310 - West Point/Harris County

– Glovis - 600 - Troup County/West Point

– Power Tech - 350 - Troup County/WestPoint

n The city continues to make every possible effort to change Corps of Engineers policy to allow lower water to remain in West Point Lake to increase its usability for our citizens on a year round basis. This past year conditions at the lake were much improved from previous years.

n The City continues to emphasize workplace wellness. Over the past three years, City health insurance claims have been reduced substantially, saving citizens over $2 million.

Thanks once again for your trust and continuous support as I continue to work hard as your city councilman. Thanks to the mayor, city council and city staff for the hard work they are doing for our city.