Hello, Hartsville.
I love hearing from you, the Citizens of Hartsville, and engagement is always welcome. Recently, I’ve been getting many questions about our City’s well-being amidst a flurry of negative comments.
Regarding accusations and negativity, the City Council and I take any legitimate concerns by our citizens extremely seriously and we’ve been getting questions about inaccurate, misleading statements. Those statements only disrupt and distract from the wonderful news around us.
As I stated in my State of the City speech in February, the City continues to experience growth across multiple areas, including our Business License Revenue. The City Manager and the rest of our amazing staff across the city have done an excellent job of fostering that growth.
Any statement indicating that revenues are declining does not accurately reflect the City’s financials. Our financials are audited annually and are available for anyone to review.
Here are a few highlights:
- S&P Global Ratings affirmed its ‘A+’ long term rating
Our financial reserves are at 29.35% of annual expenses. That’s about three months of emergency funds on hand.
Those facts indicate that our City’s financial position is very sound.
- As shown in this year’s proposed budget, general fund operating revenue is projected to increase 8.75% year-over-year
- A part of that, business license activity, specifically, is up 9.7%
That means that economic activity in Hartsville is strong. We are thriving.
- Over the last two fiscal years, 129 new utility connections were established
- One new housing development is underway and two more are in the works
That means that demand for real estate, residential and commercial, is high. We are growing!
Because of that growth, we have not had to raise City taxes for a decade—in fact, we’ve lowered them. We are incredibly proud of that.
Second, there have been quite a few posts attacking the public servants working every day to make this City better than it has to be. I and other members of City Council believe in our staff, particularly our City Manager Daniel Moore. We are incredibly proud of his and his staff’s work and accomplishments.
Mr. Moore and his staff have been key to our City’s success, and any statements to the contrary are unfounded. We would not be in a sound financial position and experiencing the growth we are in today without Mr. Moore’s steady management of his team.
As Mayor and Council, we make decisions daily to push this City forward, and we rely on the men and women working for the City of Hartsville to help us achieve that vision. City Council and I want to personally thank each of them and let them know that we support them fully. Your hard work is not unnoticed or unappreciated.
Exciting times are ahead of us. As Mayor, I have made it my goal to uplift all citizens in our beloved town as One United Hartsville. I am joined by an amazing City Council who each care deeply about this City.
We will continue to push the envelope to improve everyone’s quality of life through economic and community development. The City Manager acts on our direction, and we trust him fully to help us achieve both. If you have any concerns about that, you need to direct that to me and Council.
As citizens, you have a right to voice your opinion about how and what goes on in this City, but we ask you to please do so in a respectful manner. Don’t hesitate to contact me at mayor@hartsvillesc.gov to answer any questions you may have or come speak to City Council. Our meetings are always open to the public.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for negativity and lies. Hartsville’s got it going on and we have a lot to be proud of. Let’s focus on that and keep showing everyone why we are better than we have to be.
Cheers,
Casey