City Manager Mike Burns has been in his position for a year. Lowell’s First Look sent him some questions about his first year in the community. Below are our questions and his answers.
When was your first day on the job as City Manager?
My first day in Lowell was on September 6, 2016
What was your perception of Lowell before taking the position and in early months compared to now?
I knew Lowell was a very strong community and there was a good deal of stability. My perception of how strong the community is, has not changed.
What do you feel your biggest accomplishment has been in the past year?
I was able to present a balanced budget and successfully settled both the Police Labor Contract and the DPW Contract. We are also beginning to put a plan in place to address the $3.2 Million unfunded pension liability the City has assumed. There is now a plan and a revenue stream available to address the Showboat. Being able to shut down the bio digester from continuing to operate was also an accomplishment. While that has not been fully resolved, the residents affected by this are not suffering as they did when I arrived here last September.
What has been the biggest struggle?
Unfortunately there have been a number of incidents which have negatively affected the perception of Lowell in the past few years and they have continued since I have been here. Unfortunately, they have taken most of my time in the past year. I think a lot of this has been bad luck and not truly indicative of how the City really is.
In addition, I think the bigger struggle is the lack of revenue. While we have the second highest millage rate in Kent County, it is based on property value. We generate approximately $94,000 a mill. East Grand Rapids generates $650,000 per mill and Rockford generates approximately $200,000. So while I recognize the rate, when you compare our property values to other communities in Kent County we are far behind many in the County. This is impactful because we generate tax revenue from property value. In the past few years, the City has seen significant loss of revenue due to a reduction in property values. While values have started to rise, we will not see the increases in revenue as quick as it was lost since we are constrained by Proposal A and the Headlee Amendment. We were able to balance the budget this year, and leave a small surplus for unforeseen activities. We are providing quality yet basic levels of service in the City and there is not much room to cut without seriously diminishing service delivery to the residents. I am not sure the community wants to see that. In fact, we tried to budget for an additional full-time police officer as this is a definite need to the City. Unfortunately, the revenue stream would not allow this to happen.
While we will do some street maintenance in the upcoming year, there is not revenue to do the major street and infrastructure improvements needed in the community without a new revenue stream. In addition, we might be able to complete one street a year with our current revenue stream. However, this doesn’t solve the future infrastructure needs. Robbing Peter to pay Paul will not resolve our issues if we want to move the community forward. In the next few years, the City Council and the Community are going to need to take a hard look at the type of community they want and a rational revenue stream to meet those needs.
How do you hope to continue the growth of Lowell? What do you feel is needed to make the community even better?
I think you are seeing positive momentum in that direction. We have seen some positive developments in the downtown recently. Attwood is adding 80 new jobs and expanding on their site. Litehouse is doing the same at their location. I think we are benefitting by the overall growth in industry in the Grand Rapids area and that is something that will be positive for us. I think the community needs to be responsive to the trends of what people want for communities this size. We need to continue to make Lowell and attractive place to live work and play. I am a firm believer that the investments and attractiveness of the downtown area will directly impact the residential neighborhoods and spur progress for the city. If you have a viable and attractive downtown, studies show property values surrounding the downtown will be 4 times higher than those who have struggling downtowns. This is what will drive your community.
With the rivers, trails, and even the airport Lowell can easily become a recreation hub. How do you see Lowell when it comes to becoming a recreation destination?
It already is becoming that now. I recognize some investment is needed, however, what you do to enhance the riverfront and attract the trails will be what makes Lowell a more popular recreation destination.
How do you feel the community comes together to best represent Lowell?
I think you see it already. Pink Arrow, Riverwalk, the Christmas events, the financial donations to repair the Showboat. This community is proud to promote the positive of what Lowell is. I see the strong pride this community has and I think this is an asset that not all communities can show off proudly.
What do you think the best part of Lowell is?
What I find is that for a community of this size, there are many unique things happening here that are not elsewhere. Not many communities our size have a Gilda’s Club, two major rivers flowing through it, a Showboat, a historic downtown, Pink Arrow, I could go on and on. People here should take pride in that.
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