Kansas City, Kansas and Wyandotte County are still progressing and moving forward. This is what Mayor Mark Holland conveyed to more than 350 guests who filled the Jack Reardon Civic Center today to hear the Mayor's Annual State of Government Address.

Holland highlighted some of the accomplishments that have been made since being elected in April of 2013.

"In the last two years, Wyandotte County has seen an unprecedented $1.26 billion dollars in economic investment," said Mayor Holland, to kick off his address. "Most notably of late, we are proud to welcome the Dairy Farmers of America, a world-class employer, to our community."

Holland also noted a few of the newest development projects in the Village West area such as the addition of brand new luxury apartments and the world's tallest waterslide, Schlitterbahn's Verruckt. The continued growth around 39^th and Rainbow, manufacturing in the Fairfax Industrial District, new grocery stores in the Argentine and Midtown neighborhoods and reinvestment in the city's downtown on Minnesota Avenue, were other areas of notable accomplishments he highlighted during his term as Mayor.

"Wyandotte County is leading the state and the metro in job creation," continued Holland. "Our residents make up 5% of Kansas' population, but we created 30% of new Kansas jobs in 2014; that number was 40% across the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The opportunities are here, and we need to make sure our citizens have access to these world-class jobs."

He even went on to update the audience on the status of hiring within the Unified Government.

"In my State of the Government address in 2014, I spoke to the lack of diversity in our public safety departments. Subsequently, I asked the Department of Justice to co-lead a community conversation around this issue. Our newly formed Mayor's Public Safety Task Force has been charged with tackling this very complex challenge and, with active support of our public safety partners, they are making tremendous headway. Our goal is to create a process other cities can recreate in their own communities."

Mayor Holland spoke of his intent to create a culture of innovation within the Unified Government as a facet of his second administrative priority. Last year the UG began broadcasting all Commission meetings on television and posting them on the internet. In an effort to increase transparency, Holland announced that the City's budget would be placed online in its entirety. He also spoke to innovation in relation to the business community.

"Wyandotte County is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world including Cerner, General Motors and the University of Kansas Medical Center. Kansas City, Kansas was the first city in the nation selected to roll out Google Fiber and now we will continue to maximize that opportunity by closing the digital divide and driving business growth." 

Holland's third priority is the health of Wyandotte County residents, and he spoke about progress on his Healthy Campus development. A master plan for the project was adopted by the full commission late last year and the Mayor announced that a Project Manager will be hired in the second quarter of this year, paid in full by philanthropic donations. He also congratulated the community for working diligently to enroll uninsured residents under the Affordable Care Act plan.  

"Our Enroll Wyandotte team worked tirelessly and efficiently to reach out to the uninsured in our county and sign them up for health insurance. That initiative resulted in an 8% reduction of uninsured adults in the county in 2014. This was the most dramatic reduction in the state and the region and earned our community recognition from the White House for our collaborative efforts."

"We are leading the charge on improving health outcomes and people are taking notice. Not just the White House, but also the National League of Cities, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National Resource Network, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Urban Land Institute," listed Mayor Holland. "Our vision is to create nothing less than a national model for healthy living in an urban environment." 

Mayor Holland concluded his address by revisiting Wyandotte County's legacy of inclusiveness and opportunity. "Many people who have struggled to find a foothold elsewhere find refuge and success in our community, including the Latinos who came to work on the Santa Fe railroad more than 100 years ago, and the African Americans who found their way to Kansas City, Kansas by way of the Underground Railroad."

"Our strength lies in our residents, and the possibilities that are created here are a result of our diversity and tenacity. The business community is realizing it and bringing their jobs here. The rest of Metro has been watching our success in awe, but those of us who know Wyandotte County can tell you that the next big thing has been here all along."

The Unified Government's Budget Department was awarded the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA).

This is the second consecutive year the Budget Department has received this honor. 

"It is a pleasure to receive this award for the second consecutive year, says Budget Director, Reginald Lindsey. "My staff puts a lot a time and effort into preparing the budget document each year."

The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves as:

• A policy document
• A financial plan
• An operations guide
• A communications device

Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories, and the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

When a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award is granted to an entity, a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation is also presented to the individual or department designated as being primarily responsible for its having achieved the award. This has been presented to the Finance Department.

For budgets beginning in 2013, 1,424 participants received the Award. Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America.

The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of more than 18,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. It provides top quality publications, training programs, services, and products designed to enhance the skills and performance of those responsible for government finance policy and management. The association is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with offices in Washington D.C. The GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.