By Mayor Timothy B. Downing
Writing this will be one of my final duties as the Mayor of Holly Springs. I have enjoyed my time serving the citizens of Holly Springs as both a councilman and the mayor, and my decision to not seek re-election did not come easily. However, being able to look back at the past 15 years with pride at what has been accomplished will make the transition much easier.
Since 2002, we have seen Holly Springs grow from a population of approximately 3,000 people to a little over 10,000. In that same period of time, our city has grown from a position of fiscal irresponsibility with a budget that was in the red in 2002 to a position of fiscal responsibility and strength with a budget that demonstrates that we not only live within our means, but we also have a financial plan and reserves that prepare the city for the challenges of the future. Along with the growth of Holly Springs’ financial maturity, we have also improved the level of service our staff provides our residents day in and day out. The Holly Springs Police Department is one of the finest in the state as Holly Springs has been consistently recognized as one of the safest cities in Georgia.
While we face many challenges as we move forward, the future of our city hinges significantly on how we execute our downtown development. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ensure our downtown raises the bar for quality, because what we do here will affect our city from this day forward. There will be no bigger impact on the direction of Holly Springs than this development and it will set the stage for any development which follows it.
Finally, I wanted to recognize and thank our council. While we have not always agreed, our disagreements have been respectful and always in the best interests of our citizens and our city. While their decisions have at times been controversial and complicated, they have made these decisions with nothing but the long-term health and quality of life of our residents in mind.
Thank you for your trust during the past 15 years. It has been my honor to serve you as both a city councilman and mayor.
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