07/09/2026
From the Mayor’s Desk
What’s happening in Cole Camp
I hope you had a memorable Independence Day, marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation. We live in the best country on earth, where freedom is our birthright and the American Dream is alive and well. This is a moment of gratitude for me, reflecting on the liberty and the opportunity I hold dear, made possible by generations who paved the way, from the brave souls of our Armed Forces to the hardworking men and women who built the United States of America I know today.
North Maple Street Sidewalk Construction
The sidewalk project is really flying this month! If you’ve been downtown, you’ve seen the progress made by Great River Engineering and Double Arch Construction. I appreciate the hard work of these two firms to get the project on track to be completed on time and on budget.
The first step for the East side of Maple Street was to put in drainage – that’s the work you saw running under Junge Street. Large sections of the sidewalk were removed, we found a few things we didn’t expect (old utility lines), but otherwise construction has been going smoothly for the last two and a half weeks. Concrete forms will continue to go up as sections are prepared.
Thank you to our downtown business community, downtown patrons and the public for your understanding. I also want to say that our downtown establishments are open for business, often with parking in the back. Our Public Works team re-opens the street everyday when construction winds down around 4PM.
Great River Engineering will be at our next Regular Meeting of the Board of Aldermen. I continue to encourage members of the public to bring their questions and comments to these meetings. We had excellent discussion last month. Cole Camp is one of those rare communities where we can sit down, put all of our cards on the table and find a path forward together.
Balancing the Budget
At our next Regular Meeting of the Board of Aldermen, we will consider an amendment to the 2026 adopted budget. I will propose a draft to the Board that balances the City’s budget.
The City’s Department Heads (City Clerk, Public Works Director, and Chief of Police) have provided me with their proposed savings, in line with my request to them earlier this summer. I appreciate their hard work and creativity to reduce City expenses with me, while still providing services to the public.
As I mentioned last month, the City’s Police budget is the most difficult to tackle. Due to increased staffing in 2025 and increasing benefit costs, the Police department is about $40,000 over budget this year. It’s also been brought to my attention that blanket raises were given in a March 2026 closed session, along with individual raises for some. The 2026 adopted budget had already given raises to employees for the year. City spending is outpacing revenues. It’s important to fairly compensate workers, but it is also important for us to assess what the City needs for staffing – and make sure the public is aware of how their government spends their hard earned tax dollars.
In 2025, the City had to dip into savings in order to produce a balanced budget. That cost the taxpayers just shy of $150,000 in reserve cash – that should be saved for an emergency, in my opinion. If we continue spending at this pace, in a few short years or less, I believe we will be forced to raise taxes and fees just to keep the lights on. That’s not acceptable to me.
As Mayor, the ordinances call upon my office to update and make recommendations to the Board of Aldermen on the City’s finances. During my campaign, I promised to communicate with the public – even if the topic is not always an easy one to tackle. Balancing the City’s budget by reeling in overspending will be a tough conversation. But it’s a necessary one.
If you have questions about the City budget or the upcoming meeting, please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Upcoming Important Dates
Regular Meeting of the Cole Camp City Council – July 16, 2026 at 7PM in City Hall
My Contact Information
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 573-821-2090
