CITY CORNER by Mayor Brent Hinckley

      The City of Mason is approaching a significant event next week with the retirement of our long serving City Secretary, Pattie Grote.  Pattie has served the City as a faithful employee for 36 years and we have all grown accustomed to her many contributions and smiling presence in the City office every day.  Since I have served with Pattie for the past fourteen years, I can honestly say that she knows more than anyone else about the background of City business and all of the regular expectations that keep our City functioning and meeting our residents needs.  She has kept us on track for many, many years and is leaving a legacy of selfless service and constant awareness of all that goes on and all that needs to be done to meet all the regulations that are imposed on local governments.  We have reassigned Pattie Allen to the position of City Secretary and continue to work with her to keep things running smoothly as Pattie Grote takes time to play with her grandkids and enjoy her free time after retirement. 

     The City will be hosting a couple of events next week on Wednesday, May 29 to celebrate and honor Pattie for her many years of service to our community.   We will have a lunch for the City employees, the elected officials and all of the previous Commissioners and employees that have worked with Pattie through the many years.  During this time the City offices and various services will be closed so that all our employees can participate, so we ask that you be patient and come at a different time if you need some assistance from our staff.   

     The second planned celebration will be a public reception to honor her from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at the Stribling Room of the Library.  This come and go celebration will allow everyone in Mason an opportunity to drop by and thank Pattie for her time and efforts to support the City of Mason.  Everyone is invited to this reception, and I hope that you will take a few minutes to drop by and give Pattie a hug and share your appreciation for all she has done for us through the past 36 years.  Mark your calendar and plan to join us in celebration of Pattie’s retirement between 4:00 and 6:00 on June 29 at the Library.

     The other business of the City is moving forward as expected.  The City swimming pool will open next week, although there may be some times during the summer when we do not have enough lifeguards available to keep it open every day.  The Water department is working to keep water leaks under control, and the street department is working to finish up some of the recent work and projects.  Our park employees are working to keep ahead of the growing grass, and animal control is training a new employee and trying to keep up with the constant reports of loose or feral animals.  The City office staff and I are working to finish some of the paperwork required to meet our deadlines, and during the coming weeks we will be working on budgeting for the coming year and looking at the expenses for the next couple of years relative to the major projects we have underway.  I understand that Commissioner Pledger has added separate “Comments” in this paper, and without more specific information I am unsure of just what all she is considering.  I am well aware that at this time realistic and reasonably accurate costs for the several alternative methods of trash collection and disposal are not available, and any change in our plans will require planning and permitting that will take time and extra expenses.  We will be working on this as well as all of our budget issues throughout the summer and beyond and it is very important that our Commission considers all alternatives to keep costs down.  We must also work as a team to look for what is best for all of our community for now and for the future, and sometimes that takes a significant amount of time, consideration and understanding.  Mason is a great hometown right now, and our goal must be that it will continue to be a great hometown for the next generation, and the next several after that.