Elgin mayor upbeat in State of the City address

The economy may be slumping, but the city of Elgin is solid thanks to careful planning and an active city government, Mayor Ed Schock said in a "State of the City" address this week.

"Given the condition of the national economy and its impact on Elgin, I feel it is important this year to inform our citizens on the overall condition of the city," said Schock, who normally does not give a formal annual address.

Schock is expected to revisit his speech and take questions via Internet during a live chat from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday on the city's Web site, cityofelgin.org.

The mayor highlighted several positive developments in the city: a 5 percent drop in serious crime from 2007 to 2008; the opening of eight new neighborhood parks last year; increasing attendance at city swimming pools; the repaving of 43 miles of city streets; and the purchase of new trucks to help with leaf collection and snow removal.

Schock also noted the city has $15 million in reserves, allowing it get better interest rates on loans for capital projects.

The multiyear downtown streetscape project, paid for through a special taxing district, is more than halfway done, he added.

Several businesses are expanding their plants to create new jobs and the west side Burlington Coat Factory will open its doors soon, the first department store to open in Elgin since the early 1990s. Since 2004, 5,000 new jobs were created in Elgin, Schock said.

"In 2009 and perhaps longer, we will face challenges, many not of our own making," he said. "Those challenges will test our city, as difficult times always do. But we should not lose sight of the progress we have made, and the progress we will continue to make in 2009 and beyond."