Wake County is a strong, dynamic area that continues to attract business and citizens, and its leaders and community are stepping up with planning that is both responsible and responsive, Board of Commissioners’ Chairman Joe Bryan said today.
Bryan said in the 2005 State of the County address that Wake County and its municipalities are regularly ranked nationally as great places in which to live, and credited this reputation to strong planning in the past and equally strong current planning for the future.
“These rankings are great, but we did not earn them overnight. Wake County is considered one of the best places in the country because of decisions made five and 10 and 20 years ago,” he said. “And the decisions we are making today, and the steps we are taking now, will play a major role in the kind of place Wake County will be five, 10 and 20 years from now.”
He reported that Wake County has made significant strides in the Board’s top goals for this year, which focused on the priority areas of education, environmental protection, responsible solid waste disposal and mental health reform.
“Education is first and foremost a priority with us,” Bryan said, noting that Wake County has one of the best public education systems in the country. “This Board of Commissioners has strongly supported the Wake County Public School System. We have worked (with the Board of Education) to develop strategies and an action plan to meet school capital needs over the next four to seven years.” Commissioners will accelerate the next school bond referendum to citizens in 2006.
Bryan said the Board of Commissioners has added to its environmental stewardship legacy by preserving more open space and buying land for the proposed Little River Reservoir, which will be a future source of drinking water and a regional park in eastern Wake County. He also said a collaborative approach to making decisions about solid waste disposal will lead to the most cost-effective long-term decision for Wake County residents and businesses. In recent months, County and municipal managers have recommended that a new landfill be built in southern Wake County. That recommendation is being forwarded to elected officials for consideration.
In a fourth priority area, mental health reform, Bryan said the Board of Commissioners is committed to seeking solutions and partners to build a local inpatient psychiatric unit when the state closes Dorothea Dix Hospital in a few years.
“We all must work together to help those who struggle with this debilitating, but treatable, illness,” he said, pointing to the Board’s commitment of $10 million toward a new facility, along with its outreach to community leaders and advocates to explore solutions. “There is much more work to be done. We will continue to pursue funding for this most critical of needs, so that we can provide services – and a voice – to those who need short-term, crisis hospitalization locally.”
Bryan also outlined several other issues that highlight the County’s progress in 2005, including:
- Regional partnerships with municipalities and neighboring counties to address issues such as stormwater management, transportation and air quality.
- Economic development efforts that have attracted more than 1,000 new, high-paying jobs, over $320 million in investments, and strong corporate citizens with global impact, including Credit Suisse First Boston, GlaxoSmithKline, RBC Centura and Lenovo.
- Launching the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness with the City of Raleigh and community partners.
- Establishing a new, larger office to serve veterans.
- Expanding the 800-megahertz radio system to include Raleigh-Durham Airport Public Safety and the Raleigh Fire Department.
- Forming a collective purchasing unit countywide to buy fire trucks and other equipment at lower prices.
- Strategically adding ambulance units in high-growth areas to strengthen emergency medical response.
- Recruiting the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to Raleigh for a multiyear run, with a projected economic impact of $4.4 million next year.
Bryan said many projects on the horizon, including new and renovated libraries in Cary and Holly Springs and at Cameron Village, along with new schools, the new Historic Yates Mill exhibit area, and plans for a new courthouse and parking facility in downtown Raleigh, show that the county is planning wisely and will ensure that “we remain a high-quality, prosperous county with excellent services as we grow.”
Bryan illustrated Wake County’s strong sense of community values by highlighting two other areas: the more than 3,000 volunteers who make Wake County a better place by serving on boards and commissions, delivering meals to shut-ins, picking up litter and tutoring children, and the community’s warm welcome to 400 Gulf Coast evacuees following Hurricane Katrina.
“If they gave accolades for the most compassionate county in America, I believe we would be on the top of that list, too,” he said.
In what’s expected to be his final Board meeting as Commissioners’ chairman, Bryan thanked his family, fellow commissioners and County staff for their support during his leadership tenure. The Board of Commissioners elects a chair and vice chair each year for a one-year term, beginning at the first meeting in December.
For the full text of the 2005 State of the County address, visit www.WakeGov.com.