State of the City
The Honorable Gary L. Cook, Mayor
Tonight, I stand before the citizens of Plymouth for the third time to report to you on the State of our City. I am honored and blessed to have represented this wonderful community these past three years. Plymouth is a city where people are always stepping forward and pitching in to solve challenges and tonight, because of you, the citizens of Plymouth, I am proud to report the State of our City is strong and getting stronger.

Good evening Council Members, Clerk-Treasurer Hutchings, Department Heads, media, and citizens of Plymouth. This evening I wish to share with you my thoughts on our accomplishments, and more importantly my vision of where I would like to lead our city this coming year. When I took the oath of office in 2004, despite my long experience in public service as a city law enforcement officer and state legislator, I had much to learn about the details of city administration. Tempered by the fire of the challenges lying before me, and strengthened by the knowledge that hard work, trust in God, and perseverance would yield success, I began this new chapter in my life with enthusiasm and dedication, understanding I must always place the best interests of my constituents above all else.

To that end, I am pleased to see the goals set forth in my campaign platform have been largely accomplished. The City of Plymouth has trimmed its past over-budgeting practice, establishing a more transparent financial review process with a city budget that more accurately reflects expenditures. Plymouth and Marshall County have seen a net increase of 866 new jobs and we are on track to increase Plymouth's assessed value by more than twenty-million dollars. The city budgeting process and job creation were the foundation of my 2003 platform and real progress has been made on both fronts.

Despite actions by the State to balance its budget on the backs of local communities and significant increases in health care, energy, and other costs to the city, we have kept our expenditures in line with our income. We have put our sanitation system in the black for the first time in a decade and established a more equitable fire service contract with our township neighbors. We have revamped our building permit fees to more accurately reflect the cost of this service and have set in motion compliance with a combined sewer overflow unfunded mandate. In anticipation of ever increasing environmental regulations, a new storm water department has been created. And lastly, after years of inequity, we have finally created one, true, combined Fire and EMS department.

As important as city finances are, Plymouth is so much more than dollars and cents. It is an amazing fabric of individuals, cultures, and places near and dear to our hearts. Our Redevelopment Commission and Park Department continue to be leaders in funding exciting new quality of life and economic development projects. I pledge to you we will continue this record of success by extending new phases of the greenway trail, improving Oak Road, creating a downtown park, and establishing a new gateway into the historic central business district. And we will not forget our commitments to the Boys and Girls Club, our urban forestry program, and the Life Center for Seniors. Our lives, and the lives of future generations, are enriched through these worthy endeavors.

As we pursue the improvements making Plymouth an even better city, I see a new spirit of partnership between our local governments: agreements to keep the Michigan Street Bridge open and enhance its appearance and usefulness; agreements on Pine Road, Oak Road, and tap fees. Spirited debate and honest differences of opinion will always exist; but let us all remember at the end of the day there is so much more that unites us than divides us.

Tonight I propose a new quality of life initiative. Our city currently maintains over $130,000 in a home improvement fund. This money is the result of a previous federal grant program where homeowners paid back to the city a portion of the costs of improvements to their home. Upon the approval of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, I propose using these funds to leverage a new grant for the purpose of improvement and housing creation in our traditional neighborhoods. The city needs to partner with private enterprise, just as we have done for new housing with the Solomon Group, and enhance our existing neighborhoods.

The sidewalk program first envisioned in my platform has been wildly successful. So successful that it is not a matter of having enough funding; we have reached the limit of our street department's ability to complete all the various projects. Therefore, tonight I ask Councilmen Gardner and Garner to work with our street superintendent, the clerk-treasurer, and myself to craft improvements to our sidewalk program. We have had great success and I anticipate even greater success.

This past year, our police force has endured more heartache and loss than any city should be expected to bear. To the family and friends of Officer Steven Hansen and Officer Jeffrey McLochlin: know that our prayers continue to be with you. To Chief Cox and our valiant police officers: your commitment to duty and strength of character, have served you well through this difficult time. Words cannot express our gratitude. On behalf of the city, let me simply say: Thank you.

When the State of the City speech is given next year a pillar of the community will no longer be in office. My former neighbor, retired businessman, County Councilman, City Councilman, twice elected Mayor, Sagamore of the Wabash; the list could go on for a very long time. Jack, your good humor and leadership experience mean more to me than you can ever know. Among the people present here tonight, only you and I share the bond and know the burden and joy of leading the City of Plymouth as Mayor. Your public service to this community will be greatly missed, but it will be long remembered.

An appendix of department head reports highlighting the past year's progress on issues essential to the smooth operation of our community is attached to the State of the City. Though not included in the body of this text, let me assure each department head, and each and every city employee their outstanding work is not going unnoticed and is highly appreciated. Much of the reason Plymouth is a great place to live, work, and raise a family is due to the dedication of our city workers. Thank you so much for all you do for our city.

Recent plant closures have impacted families living in Plymouth and throughout Marshall County. However, we have wasted no time turning the corner on business and industry job creation and investment. Thanks to Plymouth's participation in county-wide economic development activities, industries in our neighboring communities like Omni-Source, Topp Industries, and Medallion Cabinetry are having a positive impact across the county and in our city. And here in Plymouth, due in part to our business friendly environment, we have seen major expansions at Hoosier Tire, DelMonte, and American Container. Other local industries like Indiana Heat Transfer are quietly adding to the work force and we successfully competed to bring Corpak Corporation to Plymouth. These are all positive developments for our local economy, and while job creation is important, prosperity is the product of our citizens' wages. I am proud to report the average weekly wage in Marshall County rose a robust 6.9% in 2006. Plymouth has a rock-solid economic foundation.

My research indicates there is only one city in Indiana this past year that has landed the North American Headquarters of a major multi-national corporation; a corporation that will make the largest single industrial investment in the city's recent history; a corporation with wages significantly higher than the area average. What is the name of this unrivaled city? PLYMOUTH Who is this outstanding company? ZENTIS My fellow citizens, Plymouth has been, and continues to be, a shining example of innovative economic development.

But now is not the time to rest on our laurels. We can, indeed we must, continue seeking creative solutions to today's challenges. The consequences of inaction are stagnation and decay. I anticipate announcing to you this year the creation of a technology based business park and a high-speed, broadband, fiber-optic network to support the new companies and jobs created there. This T-squared initiative has been seriously underway for more than two years and 2007, I believe, is the year where our hard work will come to fruition. I will continue to lead our efforts to create the jobs of the future. We have a good plan in place, the plan is moving forward, and with your help the plan will be a great success. No less a success than the visionary work of our fathers when the Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation was created some 50 years ago. "If we can see farther than others, it is because we are standing on the shoulders of giants." ¹

A part of our economic development plan, which I have endorsed since 2005, is the establishment of closer ties with our Marshall County neighbors. This has led to a proposed Marshall County Economic Development Corporation. Do not mistake debate over details as opposition to the concept. Today I stand where I have always stood: firmly in favor of creating this county-wide group. At the same time, I am charged with representing the interests of the citizens of Plymouth and toward that end, let me say my first choice as Mayor would be to accomplish this worthy goal as a public/private partnership without a new tax on our citizens.

The Marshall County EDC is estimated to cost approximately $350,000 per year; roughly twelve times the total Plymouth currently invests in PEDC. I propose 50% of this amount be funded by the units of government in Marshall County and 50% by private enterprise - a true public/private partnership. We should not expect government to carry the entire load. As former President Gerald Ford once said: "A government that will do everything for you is a government that can take everything from you." Plymouth represents 23% of the county population and therefore I will include a line item of $40,000 in the 2008 budget, representing Plymouth's obligation toward this venture. It is my hope all our neighboring communities and Marshall County will follow suit and avoid a new tax on our wage earners.

However, the decision to enact this new EDIT tax lies not with Plymouth, but with a recommendation of the steering committee, passage of a resolution by the Common Council, and ultimately the Marshall County Council's approval. I will reluctantly yield to the majority will of the steering committee if I am alone in supporting creation without taxation. Unfortunately, the minimum allowable EDIT tax by State Statute is 1/10 of 1% (roughly $40 per year for a typical wage earner). This new tax will raise over twice the amount needed to fund the new county economic development office.

Therefore, should the County Council decide to enact this new tax, I will advocate that funds in excess of the cost to support the Marshall County EDC office not be frittered away on pet projects but be leveraged and invested first toward the creation of a true county-wide Marshall County Metro-net; a fiber-optic network linking Culver to Bremen, Argos to Lapaz, Bourbon to Plymouth to Ancilla College, and to every corner of the globe, making Marshall County the most competitively wired county in the midwest. If our EDC partners choose not to follow this plan, then I pledge my support for investing Plymouth's share of EDIT funds to establish the Metro-net in our city. High speed, lost cost, fiber-optic cable is as essential today as sewer and water service were 50 years ago. Just imagine for a moment the economic development opportunities that lie ahead if the infrastructure of the future is in place!

Once the Marshall County EDC is created and has established a track record of success for a few years, the time will arrive for the City of Plymouth to seriously evaluate its own EDC programs. We will speak with our partners: the Chamber of Commerce, PIDCO, and Marshall County. We will determine the best way for our local and county-wide EDC efforts to mesh. We will make the necessary choices to ensure our city's EDC dollar is spent wisely. But we will not throw out nearly 20 years of success on the assumption a yet-to-be-created group with no defined mission statement, no clear goals, and no means of measuring success, will be the cure-all for our city's economic development needs.

I am filled with pride when I think of all the good we have done together to improve our city and I am always mindful of the excellent work this City Council, Clerk-Treasurer, city employees, and volunteer citizens do to achieve our common goals. Because of all of you, I approach the year 2007 with enthusiasm and confidence. When our values are faithfully applied to the issues before us, we can accomplish anything. We will continue our constant state of improvement with a can-do optimistic attitude. Thank you, God bless you, and may God continue to bless Plymouth, Indiana, our hometown.
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Gary L. Cook, Mayor
City of Plymouth

¹ Sir Isaac Newton