The Future of De Kalb

What will it take for De Kalb to survive and even grow? De Kalb suffers from some of the same problems as most small cities. Businesses have moved away from small cities to larger metropolitan areas. Employment opportunities decline, leaving less opportunity for employment. Without opportunity for work, young people who grow up here often are forced to leave to find jobs. Indeed, the adult group with the highest poverty rate in the city is males from 18 to 24 years old. Young people need to have opportunities here if we expect them to remain in our community.

Our City infrastructure is aging. Water pipes that leak need to be repaired or replaced. The City purchased 77,000,000 gallons of water in 2018, but only 56,000,000 gallons are accounted for through actual usage. An efficient and stable water supply system is an important part of being able to support the needs of the citizens, as well as new businesses. We are also faced with a major decision about water supply for the future. Some options mean significantly higher water bills without any additional supply for the next several years.

Geographically, we are located centrally in Bowie County at the crossroads of Highways 82 and 259, with easy access to I-30. This makes De Kalb businesses readily available to the broader population of Bowie County. Traffic through the city on Highway 82 is ample to support new businesses. Several new businesses have opened in the past year. Our own DeKalb Hardware store has a new owner and offers a tremendous variety of products.

What can the City Council do to improve our city and economic circumstances for our citizens? Making sure that the city is on stable financial footing is critical. Needed infrastructure improvements are costly. In addition, we are facing a fiscal challenge in the next few years as payments for the existing city bonds will increase significantly while tax revenue is declining. The city needs to be able to support growth by updating our old infrastructure. Improving roads and the aging utility systems is necessary to support business expansion. Without the ability to provide basic services like water, sewer, and power, any businesses grown here will be forced to eventually leave.

The challenge is daunting, but not impossible. It cannot be conquered in a matter of days or months. It will take continued efforts over the next several years to turn the tide and improve our quality of life. It has been a privilege to serve on the City Council. I hope you will allow me to continue the efforts to address our problems by voting for me on May 4th. Please let me hear from you about your questions or concerns.