This year, the last of the 20th Century and (at least according to popular culture) the last of the current millennium, began with Kentucky Supreme Court Justice and honored Prospect resident Martin Johnstone swearing in the members of your City Council and me, to begin my second term as your mayor.

               As I watched Mr. Justice Johnstone administer the oath to Lee Zimmerman, Sandy Tucci, Harold Smith, Alan Simon, Nan Milliman and Raymond Burse, I was rather struck by how typical in many ways the brief ceremony was. Here it was at 2 p.m. on January 1 with bowl games going on furiously, friends and relatives in from out of town and, perhaps, several people suffering the pangs of New Year's Eve, yet they all put on coats and ties or nice outfits and brought their families to City Hall for an official function. How many times, it went through my head, have Raymond and Nan, Alan and Harold, Sandy and Lee put personal desires and responsibilities aside to help with City activities? Certainly too numerous to count.

               Each of them is, at the very least, in their second term. Not only have they worked for your City and worked to make your City better, but, given the chance to opt out and not seek office again, they all, instead, opted in. If you think being a member of the City Council means a commitment to attend only 24 meetings in two years, think again. There are countless committees, untold hundreds of telephone calls, numerous events, many conversations in the grocery store (often when hurrying home) and countless hours pouring over papers and memos and policy statements which all make the City of Prospect run. Their pay is astounding, exactly $1 less than the "dollar-a-year" volunteers Franklin Roosevelt made famous.

               In what is now six years as your Mayor, I can tell you I have never picked up the telephone to ask any of these  Councilmembers to perform some function for the City; to call someone about something; to meet about an issue that needed their vision and expertise. I have been president of the Jefferson County League of Cities for two terms and am, thus, pretty well acquainted with how other municipalities operate. And I can tell you, the commitment and dedication of the Prospect City Council is rather amazing.

               Ann Simms was first elected to the City Council in 1992, the same year Simon, Milliman and I joined that body. While a Councilmember, Ann was one of the leaders - not only in the usual sense, but also in the work she did. She gave up her Council seat to become City Administrator in 1995, and to earn the right to work even more. I sometimes think we should give a Native American name to Ann, "She Who Is Always There." And, honestly, the same can be said for her husband, Frank, who is probably Prospect's "First Volunteer."

               Sometimes I think the City runs like those old World War I planes, on a wing and a prayer. There is so much that needs doing, so much that is so deadline sensitive, I am not sure how the City's professional staff of Phyllis O'Donnell and Anne Brunner get home at all. Phyllis is City Clerk and manages the books; Anne is City Secretary and her functions run the gamut from answering the phone to playing Frosty the Snowman at Light Up Prospect.

               We have had a difficult time finding a qualified handyman to replace  Zane Kaiser, who had worked in the position for many years but took a job with MSD this year. We are using various contractors to perform the work, but hope to be able to fund someone full time at some point next year since it will help us respond to problems in a more timely manner and keep Prospect looking as beautiful as you expect it to look. We also started something new: a student intern program. Brooke Darling, the world's fastest typist, gave us extra full-time help in the summer and works one afternoon a week now that school has started. She is a junior at Ballard. We hope to be able to continue this intern program next fiscal year.

               There are a myriad of others who have contributed to our City. Our auditor, Steve Pennington; John Evans, Jim Milliman, Judi Ciliberti and Grover Potts, who all served as City Attorney this year; Gary Lawrence, who handles our larger construction projects; Russ Conger, who so ably runs the Prospect weather page on the web site; Dave Krost and all the members of his Library Committee who have met and debated for countless hours to find the right mix of services and affordability for our new facility; Cornelia Yankovich, our Newsletter proofreader, who catches all my grammar and spelling errors and my bride, Willo, who puts up with all of this with good humor and much tolerance. She's become rather an expert at keeping dinner warm when the phone rings.

               It would be most unfair not to thank so many of you who have offered your ideas, criticisms, comments and suggestions. It is just as unfair not to thank each of you personally - but I do try to fit these Reports into four pages. There have been literally hundreds and hundreds of you who have called to offer, suggest and volunteer in all sorts of ways. I thank you and your City thanks you. Your input and involvement is what makes our City work. And, quite frankly, it works rather well.

Your Police Department: Building the Best

               It would be grossly unfair do be thanking people without thanking the officers and staff of your Prospect Police Department. After 18 months as acting and then permanent Chief of Police, Mike Day asked to be relieved of his command responsibilities and has re-assumed his rank of lieutenant, along with Larry Johnson, who was promoted to that position a year ago.

               Johnson and Day are currently in charge of the actual policing functions of the Department while I have taken over the administrative duties. We expect this to continue for some time in 2000 until we begin a formal search for a new chief. During this time, we will be doing a great deal of internal evaluation, training and leadership development. I believe this process with strengthen the Department greatly.

               I do not think we could attempt this process without the outstanding cadre of patrol officers who presently work for your Police Department. The interest, morale, loyalty to the City and its residents and the commitment to the concept of Community Oriented Policing is what Terry Butrum, Troy Cammack, Tom Douglas, Elgin Price, Harold Proffit and John Tucker are all about. We have long spent considerable sums of your tax dollars to be certain our Police Department is well equipped. In my opinion, we today have people working in the Department who fully justify the money we spend. We have an excellent group with good leadership.

               Often unsung, Patricia Smith is our Police Clerk and it is Patricia who keeps so many things together. The fact that she performs efficiently and well means your officers have more time to patrol our City streets and protect you, rather than be desk-bound with paperwork.

The Bridge: The Issue of the Year

               No subject consumed as much time and required more attention to detail than "the" bridge. If I added up the hours of meetings, telephone calls, letters written and read and other various and sundry things Ann, the Council Members and I spent, we would probably come up with the equivalent of at least one full-time job.

               We started the year with 10 potential routes for an east end bridge, increased that to 13 and then narrowed things down to about six. I say "about" because a couple of the routes are very similar to one another.

               Your City continues to believe an east end bridge is unnecessary. We do not believe the traffic justifies building a bridge far from the route most commuters and through-traffic can reasonably be expected to use. We sincerely believe a rebuild of spaghetti junction and construction of a bridge parallel to the Kennedy Bridge will solve area traffic problems well into the next century.

               The political reality, however, is that an east end bridge will be built. Because of that, we believe we would be derelict in our duty to ignore the process by which potential routes will be selected. It is that process which has consumed so much of our time in 1999 and, undoubtedly, will throughout 2000 and beyond.

               Through the study process, we have been able to identify two routes which we believe will have little impact on all Prospect residents. Additionally, there is a third route which, although having many environmental problems, could be satisfactory.

               I have written and talked so much and so often about "the" bridge that I will not take up this valuable space with a detailed discussion of the potential routes. Briefly, however, we feel a route which would incorporate an interchange for a bridge about a mile towards downtown from the present I-71 - I-265 interchange would serve all interests the best. Barring that, a route which basically follows the present end of the Snyder Freeway, but goes into a trench and then a tunnel under U.S. 42 has the potential of mitigating most of our environmental concerns. Lastly, a route which swings north (towards town) from the Snyder will also address many of our environmental problems.

               I feel the City has become a major player in the bridge process. John Clements, who is in charge of the Environmental Impact Statement Study, and his staff, have been most willing to listen and react to the concerns we have voiced for you. U.S. Rep. Anne Northrup, our congresswomen, has not only listened but has been working to help mitigate the negative impact a bridge can well bring to this area.

U.S. 42: Shaping the Future

               Your City Council approved an appropriation of $50,000 to pay for a joint study with the Jefferson County Planning Commission to look at what the future of the entire Prospect area (not just the City) should be like in the future. Concomitant to that, the study has also focused on U.S. 42 and the ever-increasing traffic with which we all deal every day.

               The planning portion of the study has been slowed by the recent realignment of the County's planning agencies by Judge/Executive Rebecca Jackson. As this realignment takes hold, however, we have assurances that this part of the process will move ahead in 2000.

               We have, however, made a great deal of progress in dealing with the portion of U.S. 42 which runs through  Prospect. The State Transportation Department, at our urging, required the portion of the highway which runs in front of the new Prospect Village shopping center to be built to the standards we envision for the entire stretch of road between the Harrods Creek Bridge and the River Road intersection.

               At the heart of this plan is an 8 to 20 foot turn lane which will do several things. First, it will eliminate southbound traffic from making left-hand turns at every road cut on the north side of the highway. This is because there will be "limited access" turning for southbound traffic. Second, where the turn lanes are 20 feet wide, they will not be turn lanes at all, but medians which can be planted. While the beautification effects of the plantings is obvious, this vegetation will also provide what is called "traffic calming" along the highway. It should have the effect of slowing traffic down and, at the same time, "encourage" persons who may drive through Prospect to Oldham and further counties to seek another route. Finally, the City and the Transportation Cabinet will cooperate in building sidewalks along U.S. 42 as much as is practicable. At least one stop light - the new one at Timber Ridge Drive - will be fitted with a button system so pedestrians can cross the road more easily.

               Except for the portion in front of the new shopping center, the highway project is currently on the state's 2002 plan. We are hopeful the engineering and other details, with the City's support, can help the Cabinet meet that deadline.

The MSD Sale: Water Bills and Library Books

               Following years of fruitless non-negotiations, MSD Executive Director Gordon Garner and I got together in person and effected the sale of the City's sewer system to MSD. The formal sale took place this past fall.

               The City received $420,000 cash, plus a portion of tap-on and usage fees for the next decade, which MSD estimates will average $70,000 a year. The previous maximum MSD had offered was $25,000 total.

               The fact that we reached an equitable agreement was primarily due to the fact Garner and I decided to negotiate one-on-one. Once the intermediaries were out of the picture, it became obvious MSD was willing to offer a fair price for the plants which you, our residents, have paid for over the years with your sewer fees to the City.

               The downside to the agreement, of course, is that individual sewer bills have greatly increased, as we said they would all along. Upon consideration, however, I recommended approval of the sale and the City Council approved due to the age of the plants, the cost of effecting a state-approved solutiuon of building a pipeline to the Ohio and the cost of litigating our right to do that. Indeed, just the preliminary legal work ate heavily into the sewer treatment fund reserves which had been built up over the years.

               Additionally, MSD will, in the next 4-5 years, decommission and dismantle the three present sewer treatment plants and sell them back to the City for $1. Our plans are to turn two of these plants into pocket parks and playlots - one in Hunting Creek and one in The Landings.

               The bulk of the sale money is to be used to expand City Hall and turn it into a Community and Reading Center. The Library Committee, which has been working diligently for months, has concluded the City cannot afford a full-scale library but should be able to support a place where books are available, book clubs could meet and where many childrens' reading programs could be housed. While the Center's book collection would be modest by full-scale library standards, it is now anticipated it would include many childrens' books, best-sellers in fiction and non-fiction and a very modest amount of basic research materials. A computer lab to show people how to use the internet to perform research is also a part of the plan.

               The facility will also include a community room which can be used by local groups. This will double as an expanded meeting place for the City Council. Some expansion of office space for City employees is also part of the proposal.

Our Community Celebrations: Highly Received

               Although our Gazebo Concert Series was plagued with bad weather this year, our big events saw highly increased resident participation and lots of fun for the City's youngsters.

               The Fourth of July Parade was by far the largest ever, even though the temperature was by far the hottest ever. More and more residents had Fourth of July parties and the fireworks display was simply the biggest in City history. This was possible, in great part, by the sponsorship of a record number of local businesses and contributions of Republic Bank, the Kroger Co. and Prospect Village, who were prime sponsors of the event. Kosair Children's Hospital again sponsored the balloon rides. Councilmen Alan Simon and Lee Zimmerman were the honchos who planned and brought off what has become Prospect's largest event.

               We had two pumpkin patches for Pun'kin Paintin' this year to accommodate all the kids and added a Costume Parade as well. Many of the youngsters went home with prizes and all of them got a head start on Halloween with their decorated pumpkins.

               Light Up Prospect was a huge success as well. Jonda Wiggins leant her expertise to both the program and the decorations and the result was a perfect beginning to the Holiday season. Our Frosty the Snowman greeted the kids for an hour, giving everyone an opportunity to sit on his lap for pictures. Elves distributed holiday pinwheels to all the kids. Our holiday fireworks display featured green and red for Christmas and blue and gold for Chanakah with silver "snow" falling in the background. A number of the shells, imported from Spain, had never been in this area before.

               We added a new event, The Mayor's Beautiful Day, to the lineup - giving away pink daffodil bulbs to any resident who came by City Hall. It rained buckets but it was still a "beautiful" day. We gave away over 1,000 bulbs and I can't wait to see them all in the spring!

The Budget: A Record One

               The City's fiscal year budget was $1.95 million, including $355,000 proposed spending for the first phase of the Library program.

               Other than the Library project, the City's main thrust was in the area of police salaries and beautification. The City has set up a pay scale for patrolmen at 2 percent less than the Jefferson County Police rate, which has made it possible to compete very actively for excellent recruits. Probably no single thing we have done has been better received by residents than the "Posey Project" - planting lots of flowers in public areas.

               Of course, with increases  in the number of homes and streets in the City, the costs for such basic services as snow removal, solid waste collection, street lights, lawn maintenance and the like continue to increase. Still, the budget which I submitted and the Council approved held taxes at the rate of 21.2 cents per $100 - to which it was reduced last year.

               In addition, the City's audit for the previous year showed Prospect was in solid financial shape, spending a little less than anticipated and taking in slightly more.

And . . .

                The City annexed 30 homes on Spruce Hill Road and Cedar Bluff Court in the Estates of Hunting Creek and Oldham County. At some point, Prospect needs to look at its boundaries more closely and make logical annexations which will make the City more geographically cohesive.

                The Council approved legislation which regulates the distance between stores allowed to sell package liquor. There is concern that, with Oldham County being dry, U.S. 42 could become a "liquor row" as population grows in Oldham.

                We joined the Logix consortium, a group made up of a number of cities and other agencies which provides detailed maps of Jefferson County. The move was partly borne of frustration in being able to get new street maps and street map signs drawn from any other source. Our present signs do not look good but we have been unable to get new maps from which we can replace the old ones.

                Began a long-discussed vehicle decal program to identify Prospect residents' cars. The measure is designed to increase safety by helping neighbors and police officers identify vehicles which belong to residents.

                Prospect was the catalyst in cleaning up the Harrods Landing Marina, which was heavily polluted, primarily from inadequate sanitary facilities on boats docked there. Working with the boaters, the marina and, most of all, the U.S. Coast Guard, we were able to bring all the boats into compliance with federal sanitary regulations.

                Your City installed its first computer network, which allows the sharing of data and resources within City Hall. We have used comnputers for seven or eight years, but the inability to share has meant, for example, higher-than-necessary costs for printers and modems. We've also eliminated our "sneaker-net," where the only way to get a file from one machine to another was to physically walk a disk from one workstation to another. Additionally, for what it is worth, we insured our systems are Y2K compliant. In the sort of applications we use, this is really not much of an issue but we are working on the principle of "better safe than sorry."

                Prospect's web site continued to be one of the finest in the area. Praised by one journalist as the "most sophisticated" site among Jefferson County's cities, we added picture post cards, shopping links (with discounts), a comprehensive calendar and links to other agencies of interest to residents. The biggest innovation, however, was the local weather page, which reports conditions right in Prospect - including accurate sunrise and sunset times. Resident Russ Conger has done an outstanding job with the page.

Thank You, Jim

               When John Evans resigned in May as City Attorney, Prospect was faced with an immediate vacancy in a critical position. Once again, I called on Jim Milliman to step into the breech. Jim, as he has done on countless occasions in the decade I have been associated with City government, answerd the call with one stipulation: he refused any pay whatsoever. And, as always, the quality of work he did for all of us was absolutely top notch.

               This City and its residents owe Jim Milliman a huge thanks for years of insight, advice and work - every bit of it on a volunteer basis. It is a pleasure to dedicate this report to him, who has done so much for all of us.

1999