By Barbara Augsdorfer, Editor for the Effingham Herald

Rincon Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Exley addressed Rincon residents at the first “State of the City” speech at the Herald Center June 3. Approximately 40 residents in addition to a number of city staff attended the event.

During his speech of just over 30 minutes, Exley talked about attracting businesses, creating affordable housing, infrastructure improvements using TSPLOST funds, improvements to various parks and plans for future recreational areas, Rincon Golf Course, and enhanced public safety with upgraded equipment for the city’s police and fire departments.

“Our local businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, driving growth and innovation. In the past, officials have talked about smart growth, and we've heard that a lot. I ran on smart growth. At the time, I don't really know if I knew what smart growth was until now,” Exley said. “But a lot of the current duplicate businesses that are found are things that we couldn’t control because of zoning. Moving forward, our vision is to not have duplicate businesses in the same vicinity.”

Affordable housing is one issue Exley wants the current city council to attack head on. “It takes new residents to increase our sales tax percentage from the county. We cannot collect more if our city does not grow,” Exley laid it out. “We use this to manage our ‘no property tax model’. Annexation is a great tool to add property so that we create more housing for future growth. It is a balance we are prepared to manage.”

The “no property tax model” is where Rincon rolls back its millage rate to zero each year, so residents do not pay a city property tax.

“When it comes to housing choice, we recognize the need to ensure that all residents have access to safe and affordable homes. We’ve talked about single parents. We've talked about new teachers coming into town and (who have) nowhere to live,” Exley explained. “We're committed to working with developers, local organizations, and government agencies to address this pressing issue. By fostering partnerships and implementing creative solutions, we can make strides toward a more inclusive and equitable Rincon.”

As for green spaces and recreation, which city residents have said they want, Exley highlighted several recently completely projects and a few that are in progress:

Land in front of the current Rincon Library was recently cleared and will become Veterans’ Park, and also a new center piece for the city.

“No more small Christmas trees or blow-up decorations,” Exley said. “This park will be well manicured and showcase our holidays by giving us an are for tree lightings and other activities that families can attend.”

A new playground was installed at Patriot’s Park behind the Rincon Y next to the tennis courts. “You can drive out there any time and it’s just packed with kids. It’s great,” Exley said, noting the popularity of the park, which also has play equipment for kids with special needs.

Future additions to the park include a splash pad and a new Rincon Library, which the county has agreed to build.

Macomber Park, with its $750,000 renovation, should be ready for families to enjoy in time for fall sports, Exley added.

The Rincon Golf Course has also been recently upgraded and improved – memberships have increased from 60 to more than 120; and the opening of the new Greenside Bar and Grille has attracted more golfers to the course.

In regard to public safety, Exley highlighted Rincon Police Department’s upgrades to its camera system, body cameras and Flock cameras, “so no one comes into our city with warrants or to steal without being tracked down and held accountable,” Exley said.

The Rincon Fire Department hired additional personnel and acquired additional personal protective equipment and subsequently received a new ISO rating of 2, which lowers the cost of homeowner’s insurance for every homeowner in the city.

Exley reiterated the city’s commitment to construct a second access point for the Picket Fences neighborhood and promised, “We will be moving dirt to create this path within the next several months; and if a train blocks the entrance again, it will be sooner rather than later,” Exley added. Funding for the project is included in the newest TSPLOST allocation.

The video of the speech is available on Rincon’s Facebook page.