Bessemer Mayor Kenneth E. Gulley presented the state of the city address at the Bessemer Civic Center on Jan. 26, highlighting economic growth and reductions in crime during his speech.
Gulley, who won a second term in August, said the city of 27,000 continues to see a surge of business growth.
Milo’s Tea announced plans for a $13 million expansion last year. J.B. Processing, a new company, announced it was preparing to start a $35 million expansion of the Masonry Arts Facility on Third Avenue North and 21st Street in Bessemer.
The city welcomed Steyr Arms and new ownership at Alabama Splash Adventure in 2014.
Gulley said the growth in business and industry is bringing jobs to the city.
The mayor added that Bessemer’s recent string of business growth and announcements is far from ending.
“We continue to hear from business interest eyeing Bessemer as a place to locate,” Gulley said. “And we believe more interest will come because of our aggressive recruitment and our unique location and what we have to offer.”
Two of the city’s large municipal projects are progressing, Gulley said. The new 55,000-square foot Recreational facility is currently under construction. The $13 million project is expected to be completed in Spring 2016.
Construction on a new City Hall building is expected to start this spring.
“Bessemer is thriving,” he said. “Good things are happening here and our future is truly bright.”
Gulley highlighted a continued drop in Bessemer’s crime rate. The city saw a 5 percent drop in its crime rate in 2014. It marks the fourth consecutive year the city saw a drop in its crime rate. Overall, crime is down 30 percent since 2011.
Gulley said there were fewer homicides, burglaries and vehicle thefts in Bessemer compared to when his administration took office.
“We continue to make great strides in combating crime in our city, but we also are aware that much work lies ahead,” he said.
The police department opened a new South Precinct in the Tannehill Promenade Shopping Center to improve visibility in that area and speed response times to neighborhoods such as Carriage Hills and the Greenwood community. It also plans to purchase new vehicles and body cameras, Gulley said.
Gulley said he wants to continue to make sure municipal employees are compensated among the top in the county in order to keep experienced employees in the city. The city has approved raises totaling 9 percent over the past three years for all city employees and approved bonuses for retirees.
He also highlighted the ability to purchase new equipment for city departments.
The city was struck by an EF2 tornado in April 2014. Gulley said the city’s strong finances helped it recover quickly from the storm.
The city was also able to provide cost-of-living increases to city employees because of its strong financial positions.
“The city’s finances continue to be strong,” Gulley said. “This year we were again able to provide 3 percent cost-of-living increases to all of our city employees. This marks an overall increase of 9 percent over the last three years. We were also able to give our retirees a much-deserved bonus.
Our city finances are strong because of the fiscal responsibility of this mayor and council.”
The city will continue efforts to combat blight and is working on a study to address flooding in the Pipe Shop community, he said. A $1.3 million paving project has been approved for city streets in addition to almost $5 million secured for various road projects through the state’s ATRIP program.
