State of the City Speech

An Update on the City of Rock Island

Mayor Mike Thoms gave the annual State of the City Address at the City Council meeting on January 10, 2022.

Topics included:

2021 was another challenging year as the City continued to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Businesses continued to change how they run their operations and were faced with workforce shortages.
The City received a $26.5 million once in a lifetime federal grant through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) that will provided unique opportunities to grow the City of Rock Island.
17 new businesses opened up in Rock Island in 2021.
We were able to maintain a balanced budget in 2022.
Passed a 0% tax rate increase for 2022.
The City maintained its A+ bond rating with a stable outlook.

A public / private partnership was established with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce to further development and growth of the downtown.
Rock Island Public Library partnered with the YMCA on a $7.8 million renovation project of the former Tri-City Jewish Center that will house a new library branch.
Organized and worked with a coalition on the 2020 Census to make sure Rock Island receives its fair share of Federal Dollars
The City's Community and Economic Development department continued its strong public-private relationship with DARI and is assisting with facilitating over $60 million in planned business expansion.
This Town Rocks!