InTucker Magazine

From The Mayor – January 2018

They say that time flies when you’re having fun. I would add that it also flies when you’re working hard.

It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already over. The strides we’ve made this year as a City have surpassed all expectations of myself and my colleagues on the City Council. While we put in countless hours studying development plans, exploring economic development opportunities and communicating on important issues with our constituents, our staff at City Hall supported us and guided us through some really crucial issues that will have long-term impacts on Tucker. Consider that in 2017:

• we worked through the bulk of our Comprehensive Plan process
• our voters passed a SPLOST to provide $5-6 million per year for much-needed infrastructure
improvements around Tucker
• we collaborated with DeKalb County on numerous intergovernmental agreements (IGAs)
• our Community Development staff saw a 22 percent increase in the number of land use
applications they processed year-over-year
• we licensed nearly 300 new businesses to operate in the City of Tucker, meaning there are now
close to 1,800 businesses operating in the City, providing jobs for more than 20,000 people
• we hired our very first Director of Parks and Recreation and brought on an eight-person staff
to provide a superior level of service to students and program participants at Tucker Recreation
Center (read more on Page 7)

That doesn’t even begin to include the accomplishments of our volunteer and civic groups. Whether it’s a redesigned trail system at Henderson Park, beautification efforts by our Community Improvement Districts or our street festivals, which shattered attendance records, Tucker residents rolled up their sleeves and selflessly made our community a better place in 2017.

And there’s so much more to come.

I’m looking forward to big things for Tucker in 2018. It will take a team effort from the entire community, but we are poised to make some major strides.