InTucker Magazine

From the Mayor

Last month I wrote about the promises we made in forming the City of Tucker, and how we have sought to fulfill those promises. The progress we have made in executing on our vision of improving the quality of life for our residents and creating a place we can all be proud to call home, has been substantial and visible in every corner of the city, and this month, I want to highlight some of that progress in our first ten years.

Our inaugural Council meetings were in March and April of 2016, and we started from scratch. In those first few months, volunteers from Tucker 2015 and the newly elected Council worked diligently to meet and begin voting on the vital decisions necessary to stand up the City’s operations. We had to do everything from opening a bank account to finding a place to meet. We had to begin a Code of Ordinances by passing Chapter 1. One of the best and most consequential decisions we made was to secure contracts with three fi rms to provide all the start-up staff we needed to meet our obligations, which we accomplished by July.

Much of our first four years were filled with three kinds of activities: Establishing revenues, expenses and budgets; establishing service delivery for things like parks programming, permitting and zoning applications; and lots and lots of formal planning. You might remember all the time and effort our community put into our Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Master Plan, Parks Master Plan, Trails Master Plan, and a range of others.

That four year mark is notable because it was almost exactly four years into cityhood that COVID changed everything. Just as we were finding our footing, we had to adapt to an entirely new way of operating, not only in how we held meetings and delivered services, but also in how to keep our businesses operating wherever possible, how to support our families with students learning and parents working from home, how to keep our parks and green spaces available for exercise, relaxation and an escape from the confines of home, and many other challenges.

As COVID eased and we’ve returned to a more normal environment, the city has continued to push ahead at a rapid pace. I am immensely proud of the services we provide and the improvements we’ve delivered for Tucker residents and businesses, and it’s all based on that early planning and the more recent updates to those plans. We’ve brought a lot of new development to Tucker, but projects are scrutinized and required to meet the standards and expectations set by our community. Roads, parks, business districts and previously neglected areas have all seen dramatic change for the better. And as council and staff have continued to modify and refi ne the Code of Ordinances to reflect the desires of the community, we have set the stage for even more smart growth into the future, all led by the neighbors you’ve elected to serve.

Fiscally, the City has exceeded expectations at every turn. While we have added property tax to cover the cost of services now provided by the city instead of the county (like Parks and Public Works), the total tax burden for citizens of Tucker is now less than it would have been had we remained unincorporated. That’s right: The total of taxes and fees paid by a resident of Tucker today is less than what it would be if they were just a county resident. While holding down taxes, we have also created significant “rainy day” financial reserves for the city. And we did all this while expanding and improving service delivery, and completing an impressive array of capital projects around the city.

It is challenging to enumerate all of our accomplishments and improvements, but our communications team will spend this next year reflecting and recalling them. Many are small and of the sort that you wouldn’t necessarily notice as we’ve gone along, but when you put them all together, they are making a tremendous impact. One specific project that is hard to miss is the new Tucker Town Green. Identified as a goal in the Comprehensive Plan, the City was able to realize this vision through responsible budgeting and with the aid of ARPA funding. Later this month, we will celebrate the opening of this community gem with live music and a public gathering. I sincerely hope you will join us on November 14, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with the official ribbon-cutting scheduled for 6:00 p.m. to allow for maximum attendance. This event is unique, as it serves to celebrate our past, our journey, and our future potential.

The City’s unwavering commitment to its promises and demonstrated progress has firmly established our foundation. Next month, I will share my hopes and vision for Tucker’s potential as we move into our second ten years. I hope to see you soon!