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From YouTube: 2018 State of the City Address
Description
2018 State of the City Address
A
It
is
truly
an
honor
in
a
privilege
to
serve
our
great
city.
As
your
mayor,
I
would
like
to
welcome
some
special
guests
that
are
in
the
audience.
This
morning
we
have
Tim
Crawford
from
Summit
County.
We
have
Mayor
Bill
judge
from
Barberton
Joe
Stefan,
director
of
planning
and
development
in
Barbara,
didn't
Dan
parent
councilman
or
three
Cindy
well,
Pat
Santelli
and
Chris
ings
from
the
Norton
School
Board
and
Crissy
choleric
from
South
Summit
Chamber
welcome.
Thank
you.
I
would
also
like
to
introduce
the
staff
from
the
city
and
ask
them
to
stand.
A
While
2017
was
a
year
of
change
in
the
city
of
Norton,
I'm,
even
more
excited
than
ever
about
what
2018
will
bring
in
2018
marks,
the
bicentennial
of
the
founding
of
Norton
Township
in
1961
thornton
township
became
the
village
of
norton.
The
village
became
the
city
of
norton
on
january,
11,
1969
and
today
it
consists
of
twenty
point
four
nine
square
miles
and
has
a
population
of
approximately
12,000
residents.
The
city
of
thornton
has
partnered
with
the
norton
Historical
Society
and
the
Bicentennial
committee
to
bring
you
some
fun
and
exciting
activities.
A
A
The
city
has
hired
Garden
State
fireworks
to
provide
this
year's
fireworks
festivities.
A
parade
will
kick
off
the
event
on
Monday
July
23rd.
We
have
contracted
with
disco
inferno
from
Cleveland
to
provide
musical
entertainment
on
Thursday,
July
26
and
it's
after
the
car
show
Friday
on
July
27th.
We
were
welcomed,
burned
the
ships
recording
artist
mark
bleach
as
the
headlining
act
for
entertainment
on
Saturday,
the
28th.
The
city
were
welcomed,
ESB
recording
artist,
the
Easy
Street
Band
I
am
excited
about
that.
A
The
entertainment
will
be
held
at
Columbia
Woods
Park
for
all
to
enjoy
the
entertainment
is
being
paid
for
with
a
Civic
donation
from
First,
Energy
Solutions
and
not
taxpayer
dollars.
No
general
fund
money
will
be
spent
on
norton
bicentennial
celebration
as
a
fundraiser
for
the
Bicentennial.
The
committee
is
selling
norton
Polly
games.
The
games
are
here
and
available
for
purchase
at
City
Hall
and
from
any
of
the
Bicentennial
committee.
Members
cost
is
$28.
A
A
Mr.
Kess
was
instrumental
in
the
development
of
a
plan
to
improve
draining
through
ditching
and
the
installation
of
several
stormwater.
Crossovers
he's
helped
develop
a
plan
to
address
constituent
complaints,
while
continuing
the
progress
necessary
to
keep
the
system.
Functional
2018
will
bring
more
investment
in
our
infrastructure.
A
Amex
has
announced
a
2.3
million
dollars
in
grants
to
the
city
of
Norton
for
Cleveland
Massillon
row,
two
and
three
expected
to
begin
construction
late.
This
fall
and
for
Worcester
Road
from
585
to
the
corporation
limits,
along
with
the
eight
hundred
and
thirty
three
thousand
dollars
in
annual
road,
paving
plus
all
of
the
road
improvements
in
NASH
Heights.
The
city
is
set,
as
spent
is
set
to
spend
more
money
on
roads
in
2018
than
in
2017.
A
We
are
in
the
process
of
evaluating
ways
to
improve
our
stormwater
system
and
provide
the
community
with
flood
mitigation
necessary
to
protect
our
assets
and
our
businesses,
while
the
two
previous
years
have
been
drier
than
normal.
Flood
mitigation
remains
a
critical
critical
need
for
our
community.
A
A
This
grant
provides
the
funding
for
a
police
officer
a
firefighter
and
a
social
worker
to
respond
to
a
location
in
which
an
overdose
occurred.
This
Rapid
Response
program,
along
with
the
training
that
officers
receive
in
administering
narcan,
as
well
as
their
quick
arrival
of
EMS
services,
has
led
to
a
50%
decrease
in
overdoses
in
the
city
of
Norton.
Please
assist
us
in
keeping
unwanted
medication
out
of
the
wrong
hands.
If
you
have
an
updated,
old
or
outdated
medication,
please
continue
to
use
the
medication
drop-off
box
located
in
the
front
lobby
of
the
fire
station.
A
The
Norton
Police
Department
was
one
of
the
first
departments
in
Summit
County
to
Institute
the
use
of
body
cameras.
These
cameras
have
proven
to
be
a
valuable
asset
to
the
officers
and
the
department.
Most
recently,
this
technology
was
able
to
provide
the
prosecutor
of
Summit
County
the
evidence
she
needed
to
declare
the
use
of
force
in
the
Barbara
Road
shooting
as
justified.
A
This
incident
highlights
the
training
and
experience
of
our
professionally
trained
police
department.
We
apprehended
a
dangerous
suspect
and
prevented
any
injuries
to
anyone
other
than
the
assailant.
The
Norton
Police
Department
has
once
again
received
certification
from
the
Ohio
collaborative
that
keeps
the
agent
agency
compliant
and
continues
their
commitment
to
law
enforcement
for
this
community.
The
fire
department
also
received
excellent
news
as
well.
The
ISO
ratings,
which
is
now
insurance
rates,
are
based
were
reduced
from
five
and
a
nine,
a
four
and
A
four.
A
Why
these
decreases
will
help
keep
insurance
costs
low
for
the
residents
and
businesses
in
our
community.
Members
of
the
fire
department
worked
with
the
norton
city
schools
to
provide
CPR
and
AED
instruction
to
all
incoming
freshmen,
which
is
now
mandated
under
House
bill
113.
The
fire
department
also
saw
another
year
of
increased
calls
for
service,
including
eleven
hundred
and
seventy
seven
EMS
runs,
and
six
hundred
and
fifty
five
in
nine
EMS
calls
for
service.
A
The
department
has
been
working
to
reduce
expenses
and
has
chosen
to
reach
a
C,
an
ambulance
rather
than
purchase
a
new
one.
This
action
will
save
eighty
thousand
dollars
in
2018.
The
city
of
Norton
has
also
established
an
internet
purchase
exchange
location.
This
area
is
located
in
the
front
parking
lot
of
the
Norton
fire
station
on
Greenwich.
Road
signs
are
posted
at
this
site.
The
area
is
highly
visible
and
well
illuminated.
A
The
designated
area
is
under
video
surveillance
24/7.
It
is
highly
recommended
that
this
area
be
used
when
transactions
are
taking
place
in
February
of
2014
joint
dispatch,
Swisscom
was
formed
since
its
formation.
We
have
been
actively
working
with
their
partners
of
Barberton
and
Copley
to
identify
more
ways
to
collaborate
that
the
entity
has
been
very
successful
in
operating
within
their
budget.
In
addition
to
providing
great
service
along
with
sharing
equipment
costs
between
three
communities,
we
now
share
a
19
IT
department.
A
A
20-17
server
upgrade
allowed
us
to
reduce
servers
from
19
for
the
city
of
Norton
is
now
on
the
same
ease
email
service
as
Barberton
in
Copley.
The
server
space
has
allowed
us
to
begin
working
on
a
scanning
process
that
will
make
all
our
records
electronic.
In
2017,
we
developed
a
capital
improvement
and
no
replacement
plan.
This
plan
will
increase
the
value
of
vehicle
at
trade-in
and
provide
for
a
more
updated
lead.
A
The
implement
implementation
of
the
plan
started
with
the
purchase
of
a
new
five
ton,
dump
truck
a
tandem
axle
and
two
pickup
trucks
for
the
service
department.
This
will
result
in
a
lower
annual
maintenance
cost
on
our
fleet,
while
providing
us
with
a
higher
trade-in
value.
At
the
end
of
their
use.
A
A
The
remodel
is
currently
underway
and
planned
to
be
complete
sometime
in
November
economic
development
often
requires
tools
be
assists
views
to
assist
in
the
development.
With
the
help
of
insight
advisory
group,
a
citywide
CRA
has
afforded
us
the
opportunity
to
offer
tax
abatements
to
attract
manufacturing
incentives
like
tax
increment
financing
and
CRA
S
will
allow
us
to
attract
innate
developments
in
our
communities.
These
programs
also
allow
us
to
provide
infrastructure
necessary
to
expand
the
utilities
to
further
attract
and
develop
the
community
with
a
variety
of
jobs.
A
Recent
OAP,
a
nomination
of
the
Akron
barber
Dan
Norton
wodsworth
interconnect,
will
provide
water
service
along
wodsworth
Road
in
the
city
of
Norton.
This
will
also
provide
redundant
emergency
water
supply
from
it's
worth
to
Akron.
The
completion
of
the
national
sewer
project
was
started
in
27
that
started
in
27,
we'll
be
welcomed
with
the
installation
of
thirty
three
thousand
five
hundred
feet
of
sewer
line.
The
project
will
help
alleviate
a
key
cause
of
groundwater.
Contamination.
A
Road
surfacing
in
the
project
area
is
expected
to
continue
early
in
the
spring.
The
finance
department
continued
to
make
excellent
progress
in
2017
for
the
12th
straight
year.
The
city
received
a
certificate
of
excellence
in
financial
reporting
by
the
government
office
financial
officers
assistance.
In
addition,
the
auditor
estate
recognized
a
Director
of
Finance
with
an
award
of
distinction
for
our
excellent
annual
comprehensive
financial
report.
Only
279
fiscal
officers
receive
this
award
out
of
5,600
potential
recipients.
A
The
finance
department
and
its
staff
are
working
hard
to
budget
appropriately
and
to
save
residents
money
wherever
possible,
with
complete
transparency
to
the
community.
The
city
remains
that
the
city
maintains
a
double-bond
eight.
The
city
maintains
the
double-a
bond
rating
because
of
the
strong
financial
management
practices.
A
A
A
A
We
will
continue
the
theme
of
transparency
in
2018
today,
I
would
like
to
announce.
The
city
has
a
YouTube
channel
city
of
Norton,
comma
Ohio
on
this
channel.
You
will
find
all
previous
previously
recorded
city,
council
meetings
and
channels
for
our
city
departments.
I
have
a
welcome
message,
posted
and
I
hope
to
post
stories
to
keep
our
residents
informed.
We
also
have
established
the
city
Facebook
page
city
of
Norton,
o
H,
and
a
Twitter
account
at
city
of
Norton
underscore
Co
H.
The
Norton
Police
Department
has
also
established
a
Facebook
page
at
Norton,
o
h-e-b.
A
A
Also
encourage
you
to
consider
supporting
the
school
levy.
A
strong
school
system
helps
to
keep
our
community
strong
without
the
passage
of
the
levy.
The
school
faces,
deep
cuts
in
services,
those
cuts
in
service
services
impact
the
student's
ability
to
learn
and
limits
the
school's
ability
to
maintain
the
high
quality
of
education
being
produced
in
our
school
system.
A
Lastly,
I
ask
you
to
consider
helping
the
school
I.
Ask
you
to
I'm
sorry
I.
Ask
you
to
consider
helping
the
city
decorate,
200
and
or
Christmas
displays
for
Christmas
in
the
park
this
year,
for
everyone
to
enjoy
I,
look
forward
to
all
of
your
support
to
make
2018
a
success
full
year
in
the
city
of
Norton.
We
are
off
to
a
great
start.
Thank
you
for
your
time.
Today.