State of the City 2016

November 1, 2016

Partners and Stakeholders,

Four years ago, we opened this quadrennium and effectively tonight, it comes to a close. I believe that Daniel Pratt would be proud of Prattville’s evolution since 1839. Prattville is known as the Birthplace of Industry in Alabama. Pratt and his works are known locally, statewide and globally.

I mention this to make several points. We have evolved from a manufacturing village to a destination center, a destination for food and shopping. We have become a destination for outdoor activity, especially on Autauga Creek. We have embraced the following philosophy: “A role of government is to provide an environment for private enterprise to flourish.” When you couple this with our proximity to the interstate, our relationship with Maxwell Air Force Base, and our citizens who remain friendly and welcoming to each other and to our visitors, you have a recipe for success.

We have a very dedicated workforce. They are dedicated to serve. Our City Council and this Administration have been working as a team…as a partnership. Our County Colleagues in both County Commissions, as well as our Board of Education, are working to improve this region. We are also blessed to have citizens that are patriotic and willing to give back to their/our community.

Our financial footprint is firm. We can attribute this improved financial status to our citizens, our employees, and our City Council. Our financial improvement has been noted by Standard & Poor’s, as well as the Government Finance Officers Association with two consecutive Certificates of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

With the passage of our Budget, which is based off of our previous year’s actuals, we document our growth. It proves that our opportunities for success are ours to determine, but we can only do it as Partners. As Partners of Prattville, we have the opportunity to make capital investments, such as this year’s road and bridge project, and to help cultivate our human capital just as Daniel Pratt did in 1839.

We have survived the economic downturn. Over the course of the past year, 34 new businesses established in Prattville and we experienced 5 industrial expansions. This growth of new and existing business resulted in 272 full-time jobs created and 500-600 construction and maintenance-related jobs in Autauga/Prattville. The total capital investments from private business sources were approximately $340 million into our community. Thank you, City Council, for all of your dedicated, hard work.

We have poised our community to continue this positive progression, to further increase our quality of life through services, infrastructure, and amenities as we retain all that makes us uniquely Prattville. Thank you for being part of this team, as Partners of Prattville. As we move forward into the next quadrennium, there will be a slight changing of the guard, but because of the dedication of this Council, I see that we will all have a very, very bright future here in Daniel Pratt’s community.

I look forward to a bright and successful 2017 with all of you!

Bill Gillespie, Jr.
Mayor, City of Prattville