Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams speaks at the “State of the City” address on Thursday.
At an annual luncheon and address, Harrisburg officials shared positive news and examples of progress in the city over the past year in the areas of finance, public safety and economic development.
Mayor Wanda Williams addressed a room of community members on Thursday at the Hilton Harrisburg for the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC’s annual “State of the City” presentation.
“The state of our tremendous city, the capital of the Keystone State, Harrisburg, is stronger than it’s ever been in decades,” Williams said.
Williams, joined by seven department heads from her administration, shared highlights from her first 10 months in office, including retiring a chunk of Harrisburg’s debt, hiring additional police officers and crafting a balanced budget.
“What we’ve started is strong, but we are not satisfied,” she said. “In just 10 months, we have accomplished so much, but there is so much left to do.”
Williams expressed her desire to showcase the work of those in her administration, giving them each several minutes to share updates from 2022.
Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams spoke with the press following the “State of the City” address.
Harrisburg’s financial state was a big focus of the event, with officials noting this year’s expected budget surplus of $1.5 million and the city’s recent $8.4 million final payment on general obligation bonds dating back 25 years. According to Williams, the city has plans to pay off its remaining debt to bond insurer Ambac Assurance Corp. by the end of the year, making Harrisburg debt free.
Additionally, the city has received $47 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding due to the pandemic. City Council has allocated about $15.6 million of the funds so far.
“Thanks to Mayor Williams, our financial house is in order for the first time in decades,” said Marita Kelley, the city’s finance director.
In another highlight from the event, police Commissioner Thomas Carter shared that the bureau took 218 illegal guns off the streets. According to Carter, the department has 136 police officers currently and hopes to reach a complement of 158 officers by 2023.
In the technology realm, Director of Information Technology Steve Bortner, shared that the city soon will upgrade its IT infrastructure, transitioning from an aged mainframe to a new, enterprise resource planning system with help from Texas-based Tyler Technologies. This will make tax billing, licensing, codes and asset management, among other functions, more accessible, he explained.
Officials from other departments also presented updates in the areas of parks and recreation, housing, equity and inclusion and community engagement.
This year, the mayor has begun hosting open door Fridays, meeting weekly with residents, and, a few months ago, the city hosted its first Juneteenth holiday celebration, officials noted.
In closing, Williams explained her commitment to all neighborhoods and residents of the city and her desire to continue to move Harrisburg forward.
“We can’t go back where we were and change the beginning” she said. “But we are going to start, and we are going to change the ending of how we are going to revitalize the city of Harrisburg.”
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