West Linn State of the City Address 2018

Mayor Russ Axelrod gave his annual State of the City Address on Feb. 26, highlighting how the City of West Linn is strengthening its foundation.

To start, Axelrod discussed how the City Council met nearly all the 2017 goals set forth by the Council members. These goals included increasing citizen engagement and fiscal responsibility, furthering progress on City transportation projects and making several Community Development Code Changes. The completion of these goals has only made the City stronger, allowing the Council to put additional focus on the principle categories that the Imagine West Linn document is comprised of throughout 2018. These categories are: Sense of Community; Land Use and Quality of Life; Sustainability; Community Institutions; and Cultural Diversity, Education and Arts.

During his speech, Mayor Axelrod  highlighted how the City Council's 2018 goals are related to the five principle categories mentioned above. Goals this year range from improving the City's land use process and moving forward with the Highway 43 and Waterfront projects, to continuing to evaluate fiscal sustainability and strengthening the arts and culture foundations in the City. The Council has already begun to chip away at these goals, showing their dedication toward another successful year.

Mayor Axlerod also stressed the importance of reaching out, the theme of his speech last year. He discussed the importance of reaching out both within the West Linn Community, and regionally. Two local groups he highlighted that are responsible for reaching out to a vast amount of citizens in the City were the West Linn Alliance for an Inclusive Community and Community Living Above. Both have contributed to the West Linn community's efforts to be a more inclusive and caring community.
 
Overall, Mayor Axelrod showed how the City has the foundation necessary to support the community of West Linn, but highlighted how there is always room for improvement and progress.