Rocky River-Progress Through the Pandemic
On May 20, 2021, Mayor Pam Bobst gave the “State of the City” to the Rocky River Chamber of Commerce via Zoom. During this presentation, Mayor Bobst discussed the city’s strong finances as well as several community development projects that the city is undertaking.
Rocky River 2020 Finances
In 2020, despite the pandemic, the city of Rocky River was in strong financial health and received positive comments from Moody’s, which is a service that reviews the finances of various governments throughout the country. In 2020, the city’s revenues were over $38M, with 40% of that coming from income tax and 24% coming from property tax. The city’s 2020 expenditures totaled $24.7M. Of that amount, over 43% was spent on public safety, over 28% was spent on services (roads, sewers, etc). and over 12% was spent on parks and recreation. The city had about $13.5M in excess revenues and spent $11M of that on capital projects and equipment of the city.
Beyond the revenues coming from income tax and property tax, the city of Rocky River received about 16% of its revenues from federal and state governmental entities. During her presentation, Mayor Bobst noted that one of her objectives was to maximize grant and 0% interest loans for capital investments. By maximizing dollars from federal and state sources, the city government is being good stewards of the city’s taxpayers’ money and also is pursuing capital projects in an efficient way that maintain the city’s strong financial condition while simultaneously building a stronger community.
Rocky River Special Projects: Police Station & Bradstreet’s Landing
During the presentation, Mayor Bobst discussed several ongoing and upcoming projects that the city is undertaking to improve the community. She said the new police station is nearing completion and is scheduled to open in July, 2021.
Many other projects are aligned to the Rocky River Master Plan, which is a plan for community development for the next 10 years that was adopted in 2018. While Mayor Bobst discussed many projects, one notable project includes Bradstreet’s Landing. This is a major historical site in Rocky River and was chosen in the Master Plan as a focus area for development. Specifically, the city is building a pier out from the shore that will provide a walkway into Lake Erie and will enhance the community appreciation of the park and of the lake. Mayor Bobst noted that this project is making great progress and should be completed by mid or late July, allowing residents to enjoy this pier during the tail end of summer. This will be an exciting upgrade to the community and will be a great place for residents and families to visit and enjoy Rocky River’s beautiful coastline.
Designation of Rocky River as a #1 Community
At the beginning of her talk, Mayor Bobst mentioned that she had provided input to Cleveland Magazine regarding the city and included detailed information on the city’s innovative responses to the pandemic. In the June 2021 issue, Cleveland Magazine rated Rocky River as the Cleveland’s #1 suburb, which Mayor Bobst reported to the community at a Committee-of-the-Whole city council meeting on June 7th. This is a great accomplishment that reflects the strength and desirability of our community and also reflects on the hard work that the city council, city officials and all of the city government staff do to make Rocky River a great place to live.
To Learn More
City of Rocky River. (June 2021). “Committee-of-the-Whole City Council Meeting Minutes on June 7, 2021.” http://s804876413.onlinehome.us/archive/7JUNE20212021CWminutes.pdf. Accessed on July 7, 2021.
City of Rocky River. (July 2018). Rocky River Master Plan. http://s804876413.onlinehome.us/Final_Rocky-River_Master-Plan_Full-Size.pdf. Accessed on July 7, 2021.
Cleveland Magazine. (June 2021). “Best Places to Live.” Cleveland Magazine, June 2021 Issue. Pages 72-80.
Rocky River Chamber of Commerce. (May 2021). “Rocky River Chamber May [virtual] Luncheon: The State of the City with Mayor Pam Bobst.” YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2IEijlsld0 Accessed on July 7, 2021.