Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price had a lot of positive things to say during her “State of the City” address. But she’s also calling Fort Worth citizens to action.
Betsy Price adopted an informal, Q&A approach for her first ever “State of the City.” People submitted questions ahead of time and she answered them in front of crowd of 14 hundred.
Loughry and Price: “If there is a shortfall in what is projected for the return on the investment versus what actually happens, who pays the gap? The city pays the gap.”
That was just one of the questions about the city’s shrinking pension fund that moderator Ben Loughry asked Price.
Price says if the city continues under current practices, the pension fund will be out of money 11 years. She discussed increasing city contributions, decreasing benefits for future employees and taking overtime out of the equation to get things back on track.
Price also talked about the health of Fort Worth I.S.D. She implored parents to think long and hard before deciding to pull their children out of the district.
Price: “Sometimes the easiest option is to run to private school or to run to the suburban schools that maybe have a better reputation. Go to your neighborhood school; go to a school of choice. Find out what’s happening.”
Price also hit on transportation. She spoke about adding a light rail system and even a better bike-to-work option. She wants to fund these types of projects with Federal grants and partnerships with the private sector.
Council member Kathleen Hicks likes what she heard.
Hicks: “I thought it was very upbeat and I thought it was very interactive and I think it really signals a new tone for the Mayor. I love her new saying ‘It’s your Fort Worth’ and I think that’s exactly right.”
So whether you run a small business or head up a family, Price says there’s a lot of Fort Worth to support and even more to discover.
Price: “I think there are great things going on in our community; the problem is we don’t realize it.”
