Latest news with #StateoftheCountyAddress
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Orange County Mayor discusses efficiency at State of the County Address
Mayor Jerry Demings gave the State of the County Address, emphasizing the importance of working together efficiently. On Friday morning, Mayor Jerry Demings gave the State of the County Address, highlighting Orange County's growth in many areas. Building together through efficiency was the message of Friday's address. Mayor Demings said he thinks the county needs to get used to doing more with less. He said they expect budget cuts at the federal level to eventually trickle down to impact state and local governments. With that, he said there is a mission to continue to focus on a culture of excellence and innovation while building better through efficiency in the county. 'I believe Orange County is a good local government,' Mayor Demings said. 'We strive for perfection but we're not there yet. We're trying to improve on our efficiency.' In some ways, that means environmental sustainability now preserving an additional 23,000 acres of sensitive land and reusing 100% of the county's wastewater. It will also allocate funds where they are most needed, such as $1 billion towards public safety and $100 million to improve area roads. 60 transportation projects were completed this year. Demings also touted record-breaking tourism numbers and a booming sports industry. Success brings its own set of challenges and even with $160 million committed to affordable housing, he believes more public-private partnerships are necessary. 'If we bring the housing cost down for low-wage owners, effectively, that gives them more discretionary income to do other things with,' Mayor Demings said. 'If we improve their skill sets through education, we're able to uplift their ability to earn a greater amount of money.' The mayor said that to continue being efficient, the county will use technology more, like artificial intelligence, in the future. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
County Mayor's speech highlights achievements, goals for future
Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto gave his annual State of the County Address on Wednesday. Interlaced with comedy, the presentation showed some of the accomplishments the county saw not only in the past year, but in years leading up to 2025. Some insights into the future of the county were also given by Mayor Hutto. Between some segments, clips of comedian Nate Bargatze's stand-up routine about Wilson County were included. Held at the Wilson Bank & Trust Operations Center on North Castle Heights Avenue, topics discussed, which Hutto believed are important to the residents of Wilson County, included growth, achievements, quality of life, education and transit projects. Hutto took a few moments to recognize elected officials and educators during the address. '[I'm] proud to say we work with a great group of elected officials,' Hutto said. 'Every time they make a decision, they make it with your family on their mind.' Statistics on Wilson County were highlighted, especially rankings compared to other counties in the state. Hutto said the county is #1 in education, public safety and agriculture, adding that Wilson County has the highest number of Century Farms in Tennessee. For economic development, the county ranks second. 'Wilson County has been known as the place to be,' he added. 'We want to be the best in the state of Tennessee when you compare it to all 95 counties.' Video clips were included in the slideshow from various city officials across the county, and also a message from Governor Bill Lee. 'I want to take a moment to recognize your work to ensure Tennessee remains the best state in the nation,' Lee said. 'Wilson County plays an important role in the Middle Tennessee region, and we're grateful for the many ways that this community drives our economy, spurs job creation, strengthens Tennessee families and so much more.' Within the past 12 years, 12 new schools were constructed and seven buildings were renovated. Hutto said education has been a large contributor to the county's success. The Wilson County School Board said the county has above average graduation rates compared to the rest of Tennessee. The information was shared in a video clip featuring Wilson County Schools Public Information Officer Bart Barker. 'We are growing. In fact, new schools are being built as we speak,' Barker said. 'Because people want to be here, they want to raise their families here and they want to send their children to an incredible public school system.' Regarding public safety, the county has doubled the size of the jail, and Hutto said a new 911 center was installed to make emergency responses more efficient. He said plans are underway to overhaul the LaGuardo WEMA station to bring new equipment for the western half of the county. Funds would come from $6 million left over from the 2020 tornado recovery funds. Wilson County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Scott Moore spoke about school safety in another video clip embedded into the presentation. 'We're one of the first counties in the state of Tennessee to put a certified school resource officer in every school,' Moore said. A recent active shooter training was held at Friendship Christian School by first responder agencies across the county. 'I want to reassure every citizen of Wilson County that we will do everything we can to train our SROs so they are confident in their abilities to handle these situations,' Moore said. 'They will remain proactive rather than reactive.' Road improvement projects were also brought up, including the county's plans to revamp many of the roadways based on a 10-to-20-year projection. Hutto said TDOT is working with the county on these investments. The presentation said economic growth and new jobs coming to the county are a high priority for future plans. New restaurants and businesses are opening up in Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. In-n-Out Burger and Tim Hortons are opening two locations in the county, new sit-down restaurant Aubrey's plans to open in Lebanon. A Sam's Club, Walmart and Target are building in Lebanon. Hutto said the county plans to recruit more corporate, white-collar jobs to the area. According to data presented in the address, 49,000 people leave Wilson County on average every day to commute to work. Nearly 31,000 commute into the county to work. 'The 49,000 is probably something we want to continue to work at to try to find better jobs for our people here,' Hutto said. 'The goal is to continue to recruit good, high-paying jobs.' Information provided by Zip Data Maps claims Wilson County is the 27th fastest growing county in the nation with Lebanon as the 12th fastest growing city in the nation. Other projects like the rail yard turntable project currently underway in Watertown were briefly brought up, and Mayor Hutto ended the address by challenging people to do something for someone everyday without expectation of any payment in return.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Yahoo
Wilson County mayor discusses growth in annual address
WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — In Wilson County, growth continues to be a headline. About 60% of that growth has been in the city of Lebanon over the last six years. While it's considered a desirable location, Wilson County also ranks No. 1 in the state when it comes to public safety, education, and agriculture, according to data from the mayor's office. 'Of course we want to be the best in the state of Tennessee when you compare us to all 95 counties,' Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto said. During Hutto's annual State of the County Address on Wednesday, March 26, he pointed out Wilson County is the 27th fastest growing county in the nation. Meanwhile, as News 2 reported last year, Lebanon was named the 12th fastest growing city in the country. Lebanon family has no regrets going cold turkey from screen time According to Hutto, the county is No. 1 in the state when it comes to public safety based on several factors. 'We've just doubled the size of the jail here in Wilson County. With that double in size of the jail, we put a 911 location center there,' Hutto said. Last week, law enforcement and first responders across the county trained for an active shooter situation. 'This is a big process, something we've never been through, but it's something that can happen any day,' Capt. Scott Moore with the Wilson County Sheriff's Office told News 2 on Thursday, March 20. Wilson County is one step closer to building new middle school On top of safety in schools, officials had license plate recognition cameras installed across the county, with cameras in both Mt. Juliet and Lebanon catching criminals from surrounding areas. According to recent data, more than 88% of the people arrested in Mt. Juliet this month were not Mt. Juliet residents. In fact, the majority of them were from the Nashville area. Hutto said Wilson County also leads in education as the growing population demands more schools. In the last 12 years, the county built 12 schools. 'I know the most asked question I get all the time is, I'm driving down the road and I see that construction site and everybody says, 'What's over there?'' Hutto said. ⏩ When it comes to new development, from the Costco Wholesale in Mt. Juliet to the In-N-Out Burger coming to Lebanon, just to name a couple, Hutto said the county has seen a 44% increase in jobs, which has brought more people to Wilson County. 'We're the second lowest unemployment rate in the state of Tennessee, and that was as of August of '24,' Hutto said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's next for Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami's political future?
KAUAI COUNTY, Hawaii (KHON2) — Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami gave his seventh State of the County Address on Thursday, March 13. Kaua'i Mayor Derek Kawakami delivers 2025 State of County Address KHON2 caught up with him to touch more on key issues and share what's next in his political future as he nears the end of his eight-year term. 10 facts about Obama's $18M Hawaiʻi beachfront mansion With Phase 1 of the master-planned community in Eleele almost complete, Mayor Kawakami mentioned more development partners are needed to start more projects to add to the affordable housing inventory. We asked the Mayor how he plans to get those partnerships. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 'Our whole business model around affordable housing was to make it profitable and less risky for developers, because the previous model of letting private property owners develop left us with a backlog and a lack of inventory. So what we've been doing is land-banking, getting all the infrastructure in, having our team securing all the entitlements, and so we're actually coming to the table to lower the cost of goods sold. And in that business model, we're already attracting developers to come and help us build more affordable housing for families that work, live, and play right here on Kauai. And so as we proceed and wrap up our final year, we're just going to be working quicker. And we're just putting the development community on notice to be ready with bids when we send them out because we're thinking outside of the box,' said Mayor Kawakami. After his term as mayor ends, Kawakami said he wants to continue to serve his community. 'There's no real, clear big picture. In the political world, it is often times a cloudy outlook, not that it's bleak. But I do have a burning desire to serve and continue to serve, and there are many different ways to do it.' Check out more news from around Hawaii 'I only got one year left and I really want to focus our efforts on wrapping up loose ends. Leaving the next administration with a good foundation so that he or she can build upon that. And I do have a burning desire to serve. Our Senate President Ron Kouchi is a person I look up to. And he can stay there as long as he wants, but I've always been patient.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
County Mayor Hutto to deliver annual State of the County address
Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto will deliver his annual State of the County address on Wednesday, March 26. The Mayor's Office says planned topics will include economic growth, achievements for the previous year and goals for the next decade. Topics that Wilson County residents feel are the most impactful will also be discussed, including housing and cost of living. The Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce is hosting the address and luncheon at the Wilson Bank & Trust Operations center, located at 105 N. Castle Heights Ave. in Lebanon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Chamber is selling tickets for residents wishing to attend in person for $20, which will cover the cost of the luncheon. Catering will be done by Wildberry Catering. The address will be recorded and broadcast for residents unable to attend. Viewers can watch on Wilson County Television, which can be seen on TDS Telecom Channels 7 and 1007, DTC Channels 198 and 498, Charter/Spectrum Channel 198 and AT&T/U-verse Channel 99. Wilson County's YouTube page will also have a recording of Mayor Hutto's address. 'It is an honor to deliver the State of the County Address. We have so many great things to brag about in Wilson County that we have to present the Address two times each year! We rank as one of the top counties in the state, and we believe that is because of the amazing people who live and work here,' Mayor Hutto said. 'We hope to get these great facts out to as many citizens as possible on March 26th. Our office would especially like to thank the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce and Wilson Bank & Trust for helping make this possible.'
