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State of the City:

Mayor: Boulder City poised to overcome challenges

Boulder City - 2011 State of the City

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Boulder City residents listen as Mayor Roger Tobler delivers his State of the City address at the Boulder Creek Golf Club on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011.

Boulder City - 2011 State of the City

Former Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro congratulates Mayor Roger Tobler after his State of the City address at the Boulder Creek Golf Club on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011. Launch slideshow »

Boulder City is in the midst of difficult times, but opportunities exist for the city to overcome the challenges it faces in the coming year, Mayor Roger Tobler said in his State of the City address Thursday.

Addressing a crowd of local dignitaries and citizens at Boulder Creek Golf Club, Tobler struck a tone that was equal parts somber assessment of recent years and optimism about what the future holds for the city of 15,000.

The top concerns addressed were the traffic influx the city has experienced since the Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bypass Bridge opened in October and more than $95 million in debt.

As traditional revenue sources have plummeted, Tobler pointed to the opportunity for revenue in the Eldorado Valley from renewable energy project.

During his speech, Tobler focused on Boulder City’s small-town atmosphere. “Everywhere I go, people in our community tell me how much they love Boulder City,” Tobler said. “I couldn’t agree more.”

But Tobler acknowledged the issues that the city must confront — “challenge” and “difficult” were his words of choice 16 times during the 30-minute speech.

When the bypass bridge opened, thousands of commercial trucks began to pass through Boulder City for the first time in almost a decade, a problem the city has been anticipating for years, he said.

He outlined some of the measures the city, the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Regional Transmission Commission have already taken to negate the influx — such as improvements at the Buchanan Boulevard intersection and securing almost $40 million in funding for the Boulder City Bypass.

Tobler reiterated the need to re-brand the Boulder City Bypass — with its price tag of more than $300 million — as part of the I-11 Highway project, which would connect Phoenix and Las Vegas and serve as part of a commercial transport route between Mexico and Canada.

He noted that planning is under way to develop a deep-water shipping port in Baja California and warned that if that happens, Boulder City would see an even sharper rise in truck traffic.

In a slide show that accompanied his remarks, Tobler showed pictures of the bridge still under construction.

“To me, that’s where things still stand,” he said. “Though the arch that spans the Colorado River is in place, the overall project is far from complete.”

The other major challenge for Boulder City is reducing more than $95 million in debt from the construction of Boulder Creek, a third water line from Henderson and other expenses over the last 10 years, Tobler said.

With the help of City Manager Vicki Mayes, the City Council has developed a plan to pay off more than half of that debt in the next seven years, he said, an announcement that earned a standing ovation from the audience.

The plan hinges on the city securing solar leases in the Eldorado Valley and selling strategic portions of the city’s land, Tobler said.

Boulder City already has six renewable energy projects on the books contracted to bring in more than $335 million in the next 50-plus years. And voters passed two ballot questions in November in which the city asked permission to sell patches of land near Boulder Creek.

The city also cut spending for the second consecutive year, this time by $2 million, Tobler said. Collective bargaining units, such as those for the fire and police departments, also declined a cost-of-living raise to help relieve the strain on the city’s budget.

“I recognize there are challenges to be addressed, but I truly believe they can be overcome,” Tobler said as his speech concluded. “Our wise choices today will set a course to guide this great city now and through the coming years. I hope you will join me in making that vision a reality.”

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