While he has only been in office for less than half of a year, the Two Rivers City Manager is proud of what he and the city have been able to accomplish.
Kyle Kordell took over the role in August after Greg Buckly retired following 30 years of service.
First and foremost, Kordell thanked the people who keep the city running every single day, the workers and staff members.
“We have 125 people working for the city who love Two Rivers,” he explained. “People who take pride in serving this community, And they do it with integrity. They have a genuine care for the people who live here.”
And to make sure they never feel underappreciated, Kordell and the City, “conducted our first ever city employee survey on morale, giving employees a formal, anonymous voice on workplace culture and operations.”
One of the main focuses of the Kordell administration has been the financial strength of the Cool City.
Kordell tells SeehaferNews.com that he and the City Council have worked together to implement some changes that he says will do just that.
“We have re-did our liability insurance for the first time in over a decade. Now we’re saving $30,000 in the general fund this year and $120,000 each year moving forward,” Kordell revealed. “We’ve updated building promises for the first time in over 15 years, and as a result, the city will no longer lose money on each new development. After a prolonged vacancy, we’ve hired a full-time community development director. A smart, dedicated guy who will help us implement our housing and redevelopment goals. We secured funding for long-overdue city hall lighting upgrades and security improvements that have been delayed for many years, using grant funding only with no taxpayer dollars used.”
Kordell also noted that the city was able to secure a new $305,000 infusion of cash for a cell tower lease and made operational improvements to save $20,000 a year through a new fuel contract, reduce operational costs in the winter, and updated industrial land pricing for City-owned acreage for the first time since 1988.
The City Manager praised the city for a few safety initiatives as well.
“We strengthened school bus safety with a new school bus stop law, requiring that all drivers must stop for buses when their flashing red lights,” he noted. “We remove several dozen dead trees with money left over from a vacant position, improving safety in several neighborhoods without raising taxes.”
Kordell closed by saying, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to be in Two Rivers and appreciate all the supportive and kind people we are meeting along the way.”
