Daviess County Judge-Executive Al Mattingly and Owensboro Mayor Tom Watson will give their annual state of the county and state of the city addresses on Jan. 7.
Mattingly and Watson will give their addresses as part of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce’s first Rooster Booster of 2021. The event will take place via Zoom and Facebook Live from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
The event will also be aired on the respective websites and social media of the chamber as well as the county and city.
While the COVID-19-era has been tumultuous across the board, both Watson and Mattingly will tell you leaving 2020 behind and facing the barrel of whatever 2021 has in store that both city and county governments, “have money in the bank” and pay “bills on time,” said Mattingly and Watson.
“Typically I try not to focus too much on what we have done the year prior,” Mattingly said. “I hope, among my talking points, to focus on what will be coming in 2021 from the standpoint of operations, economic development, and of course, addressing the continuing impacts of COVID-19. I also intend to address questions that I have received from the community over the past few months as well as questions provided to me by the chamber.
“The state of the county is good. We have money in the bank and we pay our bills on time, which is true. Here we are in the midst of a pandemic and we have been able to navigate those waters and have been able to do the things that we originally budgeted for, and have continued to be able to provide all of the services that we are responsible for.”
The tone of Watson’s address will be equally positive as he addresses the successes of aid programs and the city’s fiscal and economic development accomplishments, as well as initiatives such as streamlining police recruitment and the positive impact of Owensboro’s corporate citizens during the pandemic, Watson said.
“We have been able to stay ahead of a lot of issues brought on by COVID-19 and have been as forward-thinking as possible to address obstacles that may come our way,” he said. “Our staff has done a great job of managing their budgets and we are paying our bills and have money in the bank. Our staff has been phenomenal in addressing the needs of government and putting us in the position to meet the growing needs of our community through initiatives like the community fund and rental assistance program.
“I am proud of the work of our staff and our community for standing tall during this pandemic,” he said.
By: Jacob Mulliken Messenger-Inquirer