Mayor Jonathan McCollar hosted a Town Hall meeting Saturday, July 8th. It was a busy day in Statesboro, and about ten Statesboro citizens came to City Hall to have a “bilateral conversation” with the mayor about the direction Statesboro was going in.
Mayor McCollar started the meeting by discussing the economic growth and population growth Statesboro will experience.
“If a city is not growing, it is dying. If an economy is not moving, it’s shrinking. We don’t want Statesboro to become a ghost town,” Mayor McCollar said.
There was lots of conversation about public safety in the city.
The Mayor reflected on the hybrid gang activity in 2005, and spoke on the importance of continually engaging Statesboro youth through programs and initiatives such as Youth Connect, Statesboro Village Builders, as well as the Statesboro Community Youth Network.
He also spoke on his efforts to retain police officers within the Statesboro Police Department. Law enforcement personnel numbers are on a decline nationally, and the city has offered raises for the police department.
“When it comes to criminal activity, we have to make sure Statesboro does not become a safe space for it. If you see something suspicious in the community, say something.” McCollar said.
Police Chief Mike Broadhead addressed the citizens as well. Chief Broadhead spoke on the challenges the city police department has faced when trying to recruit policemen. He also spoke on continually looking at longterm efforts to fight crime.
“We (the police) are just tools. We have to look at crime as a long standing social problem,” Chief Broadhead said.
Fire Chief Timothy Grams also addressed the room. Chief Grams provided updates on the two million dollar SAFER Grant awarded by FEMA. Twelve new positions were available thanks to the grant, and the city fire department is only one or two people shy of reaching that goal. The SAFER grant will fund employment of new firefighter personnel for 3 years.
Several members of the crowd had questions about the fire staff, as well as the SAFER grant.
One question regarded the efforts being done by the fire department to reach out to the younger population for hiring. Chief Grams ensured the crowd that the department was reaching out to local high schools.
Justin Williams, the planning and housing administer for the city, addressed the growing demand in the Statesboro housing market.
“New housing is great, but staying in your neighborhood is better,” Williams stated. He ensured that the city has plans to keep communities together and work hard to keep people where they are by putting money into older residential facilities to compete with new builds.
In conclusion, Mayor McCollar summed up the Town Hall meeting with a great quote: “My ultimate vision as a mayor is for someone to wake up in Columbus, Georgia, and say they’re going to Statesboro for the day, and not get asked why.”
