FYI Mobile - September 21, 2006
Sep 21st, 2006
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Mobile City Government Working For You
Greetings!
We are approaching a new fiscal year, and I am very excited about our future. In this year's budget, we have addressed several needs, and we are building on the successes of the past year. A few of the new items are discussed in this newsletter. Please read on to learn more about what the City of Mobile is doing for you and your neighbors.
Sincerely,
Samuel L. Jones
Mayor
CitiStat and Mobile 311
Accountability to the citizens we serve. It's a hallmark of Mayor Jones and the City Council and it's the driving force behind our new CitiStat program. It's a way to assure city government is working as efficiently as possible. Our program is based off the original ComStats, first used by the New York Police Department. In fact, one of the Mobile Police Department's precincts is already using a version of it.
In CitiStat, a team of analysts will inspect each city department to make sure each is responding to citizens' needs in a timely manner. That's why Mobile 311 is such an important tool. When a citizen wants to request a service, they simply dial 311 to report it. The Mobile 311 representative then forwards the service request to the appropriate city department. All of this leads to a more productive and accessible city government.
FY2007 Budget
This year's budget is dedicated to making city services better for all of our citizens. We are beefing up the Mobile Police Department's Traffic Enforcement Division - with eight new motorcycle units and officers. Motorcycle officers are shown to have a dramatic effect on making driving safer through the city. We've also hired 19 new employees in our Public Works Department's Enhanced Maintenance Program, which focuses on sidewalks, storm drains, cave-ins, ditch cleaning and creek embankment maintenance.
In addition, all city employees will be receiving 5% merit pay raises. For the first time, all employees who qualify will be eligible to participate in the Deferred Retirement Option Program. Overall, this year's budget is dedicated to improving the level of citizen services, creating sound fiscal management, and cleaning up the streets of our beautiful and historic city.
Safety Checkpoints
The city-wide safety checkpoints continue to keep drivers safe throughout Mobile. During the Labor Day weekend, several checkpoints were set up in each council district. More than 1,400 citations were issued, with "No Insurance" violations accounting for the majority of the tickets. In addition, 130 arrests were made with seven being for DUI. Below is a breakdown of the citations issued and arrests made for each council district:
Citations
- District One - 216
- District Two - 119
- District Three - 232
- District Four - 226
- District Five - 192
- District Six - 197
- District Seven - 244
Arrests
- District One - 12
- District Two - 17
- District Three - 13
- District Four - 4
- District Five - 3
- District Six - 2
- District Seven - 3
Putting a Crown on Mobile's Skyline
The new queen of the Mobile skyline has its crown as the RSA Tower’s spire was attached by helicopter.
The spire, which is made of fiberglass and finished
with a resin similar to surf board wax, measures 115
feet high. To put that size in perspective, it’s the
equivalent of a 38-yard field goal.
The total height of the building is 745, or about two and a half football fields. The perch that the spire
attaches to is 13 square feet, or the size of a small bedroom – much smaller than the rooms at the Battle House Hotel. And the tip of the spire is sure to be an electrifying sight – it has a lightning rod attached to the top.
The total project includes the renovation of the historic Battle House Hotel, the 35-story RSA Tower, a five-story parking deck and a fitness center with a
spa, pool and tennis courts. Included in the 35 stories are 25 floors devoted to office space, three for lobby, four for hotel rooms and one for service.
BayFest - Sweet Home (Mobile) Alabama
No matter what your music tastes are, there's bound to be a headliner you'll enjoy at the 12th Annual BayFest October 6, 7 & 8. From southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd to hip hop's MC Hammer and from balladeer Michael Bolton to R&B and soul legends Al Green and Patti LaBelle this year's lineup is our biggest ever!In addition to these national artists, BayFest also displays the best local and regional talent the Gulf Coast has to offer. When you want to take a break from the sounds of BayFest, check out the many arts and crafts exhibits. You can experience the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's "Touch Lab" or enter a coloring contest to design a stamp with the U.S. Postal Service or get in on the act with Star Karaoke.
Community Action Groups - Taking Action
problem-solving. We’re talking about real problems and real results. A measure of our success is our rapidly expanding membership – more than 75 CAGs
are actively engaged in problem-solving with the Police Department.
It's a win-win partnership. We bring in resources from the City of Mobile and other partners to solve neighborhood problems that can lead to crime and disorder. Those partners will include city Zoning, Traffic, Engineering and Trash Abatement – just to name a few. Neighborhood issues run the gamet from broad, quality-of-life matters such as trash and overgrown lots to derelict housing, noise and lighting.
Announcements...
There will be a District 1, Beat 30 Community
Meeting at the Dotch Community Center on
Thursday, September 28 at 7 p.m.
There will be a District 7 Community Meeting at the
Mobile Museum of Art on Thursday, October 12 at 7
p.m.
Quick Links...
Contact Information