| Contact
Your
City Councilmen
|
|
|
| Need
Information? |
Stay
Connected.
www.bluespringsgov.com |
| Some
Key City Council
Accomplishments in 2008
|
 |
|
Want
to see more year-in-accomplishments for
2008?
Go
to the Winter 2009 issue of the Blue
Springs Magazine.
View
it here!
|
|
|
 News
Happenings
Around Town
A
monthly message from your
Blue
Springs Mayor and
City Council
|
Greetings!
Hello and thank you for
joining me for another
informative edition of News
Happenings Around Town,
your one-stop source for City
information and news updates,
including those items most
important to you.
This week signified a number
of important events not only
in our local community, but
also in America's history.
With the annual celebration
and recognition of civil
rights leader, Martin Luther
King, Jr. came a number of
community celebrations, church
services and times for
reflection.
The following day, all of
America stood still to watch
the inauguration of this
country's first
African-American president, a
day many Americans perhaps
thought, they would never see.
And even more incredible, was
the feeling of pride that
swelled all throughout Blue
Springs, as the band members
of the Blue Springs High
School Golden Regiment Band
marched in the historic
Inaugural Parade for President
Obama.
Like Martin Luther King, Jr.
and our 44th President of the
United States, Barrack Obama,
I too have a vision. Not only
for Blue Springs as a city,
but also for the growth and
prosperity of the citizens
that call this great community
home.
Let us all look back on the
events of this week and
reflect on how far we've
come as citizens as well as
the challenges that lie
before us. The new
president will have a very
challenging road ahead, as we
all may have in 2009. But
together, we can continue to
look at these challenges as
opportunities...times for
improvement, correction,
reflection and advancement.
As always, please continue
sharing this timely
publication and spreading the
word about what's good and
going on in the City of Blue
Springs.
|
|
City
Honors Civic Leader
 This
year a number of events took place
around the city and the entire Kansas
City metropolitan region in
celebration of the life and legacy of
the late Martin Luther King, Jr. On
Sunday, January 18, I had the
privilege of being one of many guest
speakers at the annual Martin Luther
King Jr. Day Celebration at First
Christian Church in Blue Springs. With
a program theme entitled, "View
From the Mountaintop", I shared
how overcoming challenges, whether in
life, or in one's work, helps to make
we as people stronger, and more
unified toward achieving a common
vision.
 The
following evening, January 19, I was
honored to be the keynote speaker at
the Olathe Kansas Branch of the
NAACP's 5th Annual Martin Luther King
Jr. Legacy and Scholarship Banquet.
Here I had the opportunity to talk
about the strength that comes with
perseverance and hard work, and that
with a determined spirit-anything is
possible. Truly, the Martin Luther
King Jr. holiday has a special meaning
for all of us. No matter what color we
are or where we are from, we must
remember that we are all connected as
citizens and must continue to work,
live and thrive together as such. |
|
We
Need to Hear From You! Public Safety
Forum, January 27
In the last issue of News
Happenings Around Town,
I informed you of the work
and progress currently being
made by the Mayor's Advisory
Committee on Public safety.
As a final reminder, the
committee will hold a public
forum on Tuesday January 27
at 6:30 p.m. during which
time citizens are invited to
offer their suggestions,
strategies and questions as
to how to improve and expand
law enforcement services in
Blue Springs. The public
forum is open to all members
of the community, and will
be held at the Public Safety
Building on 1100 SW Smith
Street. I encourage all
citizens to attend this very
important meeting designed
to get your feedback and to
make your voices heard. For
more information, contact
City Hall at (816) 228-0110
or visit the City's website
at www.bluespringsgov.com.
|
|
City
Positions itself for future
Financial Changes
 During
the January 20 City Council
meeting, members of City
Council were provided a
brief overview of the
current financial tools
being utilized by the City
to assist with a variety of
financial assessment and
planning activities. These
tools will allow the City to
generate several models and
forecasts related to the
City's operating budget, and
will allow the City to
exercise some sound decision
making regarding our current
and future financial
position. While we
understand that the
financial market appears to
be in a volatile state, Blue
Springs has positioned
itself to look beyond the
immediate financial
situation, with a key
priority being to maintain
the level of basic city
services that our citizens
have learned to expect.
|
2009
Developers Training Workshop
The Blue Springs
Community Development Department is
pleased to announce its 5th Annual
Developers Training Workshop,
scheduled for Tuesday February 24,
2009 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon, at
the Adams Pointe Conference Center in
Blue Springs. This workshop is
designed to provide a broad range of
information and resources related to
economic and community development
trends including:
- Recent
development activity and
demographics
- Financial
incentives
- New
development plans and codes, and
much more!
The preliminary
schedule includes a morning breakfast,
presentations from the Blue springs
Economic Development Corporation (EDC),
various City departments, and members of
the development community. Registration
is just $15.00. To learn more, or to
register for this event, call Community
Development at (816) 228-0207 or visit www.bluespringsgov.com/dtworkshop.
|
I hope you
have found this issue of News
Happenings Around Town to be
both informative and timely for
your City information needs. Is
there anything we missed? Do you
have questions about any of the
articles from this issue? Share
your thoughts with me and the City
Council by calling City Hall at
(816) 228-0110. Know that we truly
value your time and support for
our City and hope you join us for
the next issue of News
Happenings.
Sincerely,
Carson Ross,
Mayor
City of Blue
Springs
|
|
|
|
