Garden County Nebraska

GardenCoNe.com

Oshkosh, Lewellen, Lisco

Mayor: Cynthia S. Talley 305 West 1st Street, Oshkosh NE 69154 Phone: (308) 772-3686 email CTalley@gardencone.com

December 20, 2006

From the Hall

Christmas Greetings from the Hall!

I have struggled for the past couple months about what I was going to say to all of you. Personally, this has been a difficult year. People told me that it would take me about six months to just get back up on my feet after my dad died. They were right. There are a number of you that needed more help than I delivered. For that, I apologize. That being said, onward we go.

Inside the hall, we are busy. The audit was just completed. It looks that we are in compliance and from the interview I had Friday night with them, there are no issues they saw at that time. Audit is a big job and LeAnn did very well. The guys have been busy. Scott with water issues; George making sure that his route is well cared for. Bill Patterson continues to attend out of town meetings, at my request, and to cover the hall when LeAnn is out. The meetings he goes to are all out of town and during my working hours. He makes it possible for me to go to work at my day job that supports my family and have the valuable information from those meetings that I need to do a good job as your mayor. Bill Campbell just finished the street budget, which is a huge project. It is signed, sealed, delivered. Bill C. and LeAnn completed the Tree City application. It is signed and mailed off. We are hoping for the designation again this year. Some of our team had a number of vacation days in December, so if you wonder why the usual team isn't where they typically are, they are covering for each other or on vacation. They do a wonderful job covering for each other and making sure that the work gets done even when people are gone.

At the final meeting of the year, the council bid farewell to Merton Rose and welcomed Jim Levick. It is a bittersweet time. Merton has served us for many years. Jim has a heart for our community and wants to serve you well. That is our purpose we elected officials. To serve those who elected us.

If you have gifts or knowledge that could help with grant writing, business plans, business development, mentoring new businesses, please contact me. I can use your help. There are people wanting to start new businesses, and they need our help to get off the ground. If you know of people who want to relocate their business or branch out, call them. Ask if they would be interested in coming to our community. If you have an interest in beautifying, landscaping, tell me. If you would be willing to serve on a committee, call me. If you are great at organizing things, we need you. If you are an entertainer, and would like to see something new done here, talk to me about it. Let's try it. A community is not one person. It is many with different gifts and talents. There are a million things waiting to be done.

In January, I am having lunch with the team to plan what we would like to get done in that last two years of my service. I have asked that they each be thinking and bring those ideas written down. From there, we will go through a process of prioritizing and planning how we will get that done by our deadline. I shared that with the council. If that is something that the council would like to do, that can be arranged.

We have made great strides forward over the past two years. Infrastructure is in place. Neighbors are starting to say, "This is the standard for our neighborhood," and then take proper steps to move everyone toward that standard. We need to keep moving forward. What do you see for our town? What do you want it to be? A safe place? A place where if you want to change jobs, there are options? A business district full of activity? A place with the best schools in the area, the state, or the region? A county that is drug free? Violence free? Each house painted and the yard tidy? Entertainment in the park that the entire family attends? A place where farmers can make a living on the land as it is?

I remind you as I always do, this is our town. It will be what we make it.

From all of us at the Hall wish you Merry Christmas and the Best of Holiday Seasons!

Your mayor.

Cindee Talley