Photo courtesy City of Round RockRound Rock Mayor Alan McGraw
Perhaps unintentionally riffing on a common "Star Trek" phrase, Mayor Alan McGraw said today that the state of Round Rock was "energized" in a future-filled speech at the Round Rock Higher Education Center.
"I believe that the word that best describes the state of the City of Round Rock is 'energized,'" McGraw said after showing videos of the movie trailers for "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Westworld" and "Soylent Green" to demonstrate how difficult it is to predict the future.
Still, McGraw focused on what he said were the foundations of the city's future in the half-hour speech, items he said were essential to the city's long-term future.
McGraw said water, low taxes, safety, open spaces and a vibrant downtown were essential to flexible planning for the future.
The mayor highlighted the city's efforts to lower water consumption and secure new sources of water, diversify the tax base, revitalize neighborhoods, attract new business and provide infrastructure and transportation improvements as ways the city was addressing those issues.
Specifically, McGraw pointed to much of the city's new leadership for progress made in the past year.
"During the last year at the city, we've gotten a number of new leaders," McGraw said, touching on nearly a dozen city employees. "I believe their impact has been dramatic."
"Why do I say we're energized? Because great things are happening. People are motivated. Economic development is picking up. Emerson [Process Management] is coming. The sports complex is coming. Sales tax is up. Downtown is the place to be, and the lake is full. That's why I say we're energized."
