Saffo gives State of City address

WILMINGTON — Mayor Bill Saffo delivered his State of the City address last night. In it he laid out the city’s successes and challenges.

Saffo addressed many key issues, ranging from sewer improvements to growth management. And he says Wilmington is moving in the right direction.

A large crowd gathered in city hall as Mayor Saffo addressed Wilmington’s well-being.

“I want to talk about the progress and challenges we’ve made,” Saffo said.

One major improvement is the north east sewer pipeline. Saffo says that majority of the repairs are done. The city spent $6 million on repairs and will continue to spend $40 million on upkeep.

Saffo thanked citizens for conserving more water. He says we are saving one million gallons a month.

Growth will continue with more developments popping up like the Wilmington convention center, scheduled to be complete in early 2010.

To offset the added traffic WAVE Transit will expand its routes and traffic lights will be reconfigured

Saffo said, “This will mean less waiting at stop lights and better synchronization at stop lights. We’re spending $9 million to do it, the last time this was done was in the early 1990s.”

The city faces a pressing financial challenge due to a revenue calculation error. The budget is $4 million short.

“We’re going to look to control expenses, use reserves, this error resulted in us using our intended revenue neutral tax some two and half cents less than what it should have been,” Saffo said.

Even with the budget challenge Saffo is optimistic the city of Wilmington is on the right track.

Mayor Saffo says the city will continue its focus and attention on solving the budget deficit. Even with the challenge, he still believes this is a great time to live in Wilmington.

View the agenda here.