French Outlines Priorities in State of the City Address

Mayor Doug French's 2012 State of the City Address before the City Council Wednesday night outlined an ambitious list of priorities for the upcoming year.
Making reference to the continuing impact of the economic recession on the city's resources as well as its residents and the aftermath of several flooding incidents last year, the mayor said, "The state of the city tonight is resilience."
The overall themes of French's address included finding ways to hold the line on municipal services and costs without overburdening Rye residents with additional property taxes and the city's need to address capital improvement issues such as street repair and ongoing efforts to move forward with the sluice gate project at the Bowman Street dam. 
To hold administrative costs, French said the council would soon consider merging oversight of Rye City volunteer and professional firefighters. He also said he would encourage increased utilization of resources such as Damiano Recreation Center, Rye Town Park and Whitby Castle by Rye Recreation Summer Camps and the YMCA.
French said there would be an effort to find revenue sources to mitigate property tax costs, legal services, capital improvement. The Mayor said there could be a bond resolution for voters to consider by the end of the year.
French's List of Priorities for 2012:

• Property Tax Relief
• Healthcare 
• Preventative Litigation
• One-Taxpayer Approach
• Fair and Affordable Labor Deals
• Flood Mitigation
• Capital Investment
• Trash Collection
• Fire Department
• Emergency Services
• Recreation Services
• Environmental Sustainability
• Preserving History