Thursday, January 13, 2011
Mary Giuliani Stephens took over as mayor Wednesday night as newly elected Councilman Christopher Burns and re-elected Councilwoman Julie Ohs were also sworn in.
Taking over for a mayor who spent 17 years leading the city, Mary Giuliani Stephens said she didn’t have any butterflies before her first Woodbury City Council meeting. “I’m just excited,” she said outside the council chambers a few minutes before the meeting began Wednesday. Stephens, new Councilman Christopher Burns and Councilwoman Julie Ohs (re-elected in the fall) were sworn in Wednesday at City Hall. The new mayor—fifth in the city’s history and the first woman—briefly thanked her supporters and city staff for helping with her transition from councilmember to mayor. She called former Mayor Bill Hargis “a mentor” and said she will continue to engage residents in the political process. “I am looking forward to serving you in a new …
Thursday, December 9, 2010
City Council approves $61 million 2011 budget; levy to jump 2.45 percent over last year.
After months of wading through the 2011 budget and levy numbers, there is one big question Woodbury residents want to know. "If my property value has gone down, why aren't my taxes going down?" City Administrator Clint Gridley said. City leaders tried to answer that question Wednesday night, as the Woodbury City Council unanimously approved a $61.4 million budget and property tax levy that will go up 2.45 percent from last year's rate. The budget is actually down more than 19 percent from 2010. The jump in the levy is due to the city's upgrade of its public safety building and nearly $178,000 in additional dollars for street improvements, which hasn't seen an increase in funding since 2008, according to Gridley. The increase to the average…
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Mary Giuliani Stephens says creating jobs, managing residential growth among her top priorities.
As she prepares to take over mayor's job in Woodbury, Mary Giuliani Stephens said she's gearing up to tackle economic development and job creation, and continue to manage the city's growth. Woodbury has been reassessing its economic-development plan since the downturn began a few years ago. Stephens said the city must be proactive in retaining its businesses and reach out to attract new ones. Part of that, she said, is keeping communication open between city staff and business owners and fostering a strong economic climate by streamlining development processes. The city's population has nearly doubled over the past couple decades and Woodbury will have to continue to manage growth, she said, including where development will happen and when…
After 17 years leading the city, Bill Hargis is stepping away from public service to return to business world, spend time with family.
Friends and colleagues say Bill Hargis has played by the rules in his 17 years as Woodbury's mayor. But there's one place where it's not true—the golf course. Do-overs, relief from sand traps on otherwise good shots and minor rule bending is the norm when he and a group of friends get together on Thursdays during the golf season. "He's a serious guy," said Ron Hamilton, a longtime friend and Hargis' former pastor at Woodbury Community Church. "But he knows how to have fun. He knows how to cut loose." Hargis will step down from the mayor's post in January after leading Woodbury since 1993. He is known for his civic involvement, his ability to build consensus and provide a vision for the city that grew from 27,000 when he became mayor to …
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