The state of our local economy is a healthy one, a huge improvement over the “great recession” years, and projected to improve even more over the next few years. It’s actually a trend. For the last few years the Council and staff have been able to capitalize on an improving revenue picture, which coincides with an economic recovery in Northern Colorado that has outpaced the national scene.
Now we’re seeing that our region, and in particular Greeley, are in for some significant growth years. In fact, City staff is estimating that Greeley’s population has already topped 100,000; a significant milestone in the city’s evolution and a trend that we believe will continue. That means new single and multi-family homes, as well as new businesses are being constructed to fill the demand. As a result, several City staff positions (lost during the recession) are being refilled to handle the influx of plans being submitted and buildings needing inspection.
Another indicator is that sales tax is trending up. That means Greeley businesses are serving more customers and selling more goods and services. Whenever that happens, more money is available in the City’s coffers to take care of things like parks, trails, road repairs, IT security, emergency readiness, youth sports facilities, and opportunities to enhance economic development and community image strategies. Some of these needs will be addressed with new staff, while others will require new hardware, software and capital construction.
We also want you to know we’re planning for Greeley’s future. This is critical, because this current boom will no doubt end or at least level off and very possibly go through a downward cycle sometime in the future. That means we’ll need to have sustainable revenue sources to provide services to residents. A good example is the ongoing need for road maintenance, which should be funded at approximately $12 million per year far into the future.
We’ll keep you updated regarding the state of our city via traditional and social media. Please subscribe to our City Scoop enewsletter and our social media so you can keep up with what’s new and what’s trending in Greeley.
Roy H. Otto, City Manager