By Craig Clark

Austin City Administrator

Now that I’ve passed two months on the job as the new city administrator for the city of Austin I want to take a brief opportunity to say thank you to all who have extended the most gracious welcome to myself and my family.

It is obvious that everyone appreciates their role in genuinely welcoming new residents to the community. I have had an extraordinary outreach from so many and you have welcomed me into your businesses, schools, organizations and homes. It has been great to be introduced to the fabric of Austin’s rich past and bright future as I learn more specifically what makes Austin such a unique and vibrant community.

Part of this welcoming has included being selected as a YMCA board member and at my recent orientation the words of the Y’s founder, Thomas Sullivan, seemed all too appropriate as I start my work with both the Y and the city of Austin. He proclaimed the Y “shall meet the young stranger as he enters our city, take him by the hand and in every way throw around him good influences.” Thank you for your support, I cannot be successful working in my role without the help of all our residents.

As I learned of the opportunity to apply for the city administrator position in Austin, I knew there was a world of opportunity to partner with the mayor, city council, residents of the community and The Hormel Foundation to make a significant leap forward for Austin. I didn’t hesitate to want to come to Austin.

At times it can be difficult to appreciate the magnitude of the potential of what the city of Austin has lying before it. The Vision 2020 process and the corresponding investment of the Hormel Foundation is simply extraordinary. As a new person to the community and having participated in several state organizations where cities from across Minnesota gather, I can assure you many communities can only dream of the opportunity to partner with someone like the Hormel Foundation. Yes, it does bring some added challenges but better to have these challenges than what is being faced in many communities across the state.

In some cases there are similar initiatives in other communities but the funding is directly born by taxpayers and in yet other communities the amenities simply do not exist at all. In 2014, the commitments of the Hormel Foundation to city projects would have necessitated over a 200 percent increase in the local property tax levy. If you did not include the nature center and Oak Park Mall contributions the increase would still be more than a seven percent increase to the local property tax levy.

We may quibble on the details but let’s work to recognize, for example, that even if you do not anticipate using the future sports dome it is a great thing for Austin as a community. We may not get all the attractions of the big city but these amenities do matter because they keep and retain residents who own homes, pay property taxes and frequent our businesses. For that reason we all should embrace these enhancements especially when they have a limited impact on the property tax levy.

I look forward traveling the pathway forward working with the mayor and city council to ensure these opportunities reflect the best interests of the community. Take an active role in expressing your comments on these projects that will transform our community. That way at the end of the day these new opportunities can reflect a united community that recognize that we are Austin strong.