PORTAGE, MI - Portage is in the best shape since the Great Recession, said Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas at his State of the City address today.
Portage Mayor Pete Strazdas, right, speaks with City Manager Larry Shaffer prior to today's State of the City address at Portage City Hall.
Speaking to a gathering of about 75 local, school, county and staff officials, the six-term mayor, who also announced he was not running for re-election, said much good has been done since the dark years of that economic slump.
"Today is more of a celebration than the State of the City," Strazdas, 59, said. "We will celebrate the people engaged in bettering our community."
His address focused on seven areas at the heart of the city's long visioning process since 1990 called Portage 2025: economic development, environment and natural resources, human services, municipal services, neighborhoods, transportation and culture and leisure.
Led by Stryker Instrument's $156 million development and Pfizer Inc.'s $145 million expansion now going on, the city has seen significant economic growth in the industrial area, along with big commercial and residential increases.
The result, he said, is that the city with its $2.1 billion tax base has regained most of what it lost since 2008-09. It has the largest tax base in Kalamazoo County.
"The mayor does not do this, the council does not do this, Southwest Michigan First does not do this. We all do this. What is special is we are thinking globally. I think we have our heads screwed on right."
Environmentally, Portage the past year went to single stream recycling and has been heavily involved in paint and electronics recycling. Single stream recycling was initiated by the city's environmental board, and has doubled the recycled materials compared to the former recycling system voters approved in the 1990s.
The city is known for its lakes, parks and recreational trails and its clean water, all environmental assets, Strazdas said, that need continued attention.
"We need to balance growth in the city with protecting out natural resources," he said.
In passing a non-discrimination ordinance at the urging of Councilman Terry Urban last June, the council showed "it was not afraid of going into controversial territory and making decisions for the citizens of Portage. We can't control what happens outside Portage, but what we can control is our destiny in Portage."
The city, he said, also celebrates diversity, continues to work with and improve the Senior Center that is serving a growing-aging population and has city employees who help the Portage Community Center with food drives and other assistance.
Municipal services, which are the heart of the city's budget, are improving and growing with a new public safety director, three new police officers and three new firefighters, a K-9 dog, body cameras for police officers, a new aerial fire truck that was on display at City Hall and the accreditation of both the police and fire departments.
"Citizens want and demand a safe community," he said. "We have a safe community because we have public service officers doing their job. We need to keep a full-court press on that."
Portage has also boosted its services such as the compost facility, leaf pickup that expanded at the urging of Councilwoman Patricia Randall, more options on the city website such as SeeClickFix and drones for public safety and property management.
The city has also worked hard to meet the visions of 2025 in neighborhoods with community policing, miles of paving of residential streets, transportation such as its 17 miles of paved trails and non-motorized network and culture and leisure that has seen a resurgence of concert and community events and increased parks and recreation activities.
The city, he said, has done well and can do better. It needs to be more engaged with residents, continue transparency, foster relationships with its volunteer boards and commissions and keep going forward with intergovernmental cooperation.
"The holy grail is about trust in government," Strazdas said. "There are so many issues about trust in government at so many levels, but I believe the trust in Portage government is at an all-time high because we are engaged and listen.
"We need to continue to do more of that. We're not done."