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Made In Walker
The Made In Walker Podcast connects you to the people, stories, and ideas shaping our community. From local innovators to everyday change makers, we are diving deep into what makes Walker Michigan a great place to live, work, and grow.
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Made In Walker
State of Walker: 2025 Acceleration
Mayor Gary Carey delivers his State of the City Address for 2025, highlighting "acceleration" as this year's theme to reflect the increased velocity of growth and development in Walker. Public safety remains a top priority with exceptional community engagement from police and fire departments resulting in a 22% decrease in major crimes over two years despite the city's rapid growth.
• The Fruit Ridge Bridge project will have the biggest impact on residents in 2025, serving 16,000 jobs within a two-mile radius and including a non-motorized trail for enhanced safety
• Walker's strategic financial approach relies on income tax for 65% of revenue, allowing services to improve without raising property taxes
• The city maintains minimal long-term debt, positioning it well for future investments in public safety infrastructure
• Youth engagement initiatives include a Youth Academy for high school students and a Next Gen program for young adults interested in civic leadership
• Widening Wilson M-11 remains a critical long-term goal to address safety concerns and traffic flow
If you have comments about this podcast, or ideas for future episodes, please email us at PODCAST@WALKER.CITY
Welcome to Made in Walker, a podcast that connects you to the people, the stories and the ideas shaping our community, from local innovators to everyday changemakers. We're diving deep into what makes Walker a great place to live, work and grow. Here's your host, nicole DiDonato.
Speaker 2:Well, every year, mayor Gary Carey hosts a State of the City Address. It's a way for him to update residents, businesses and stakeholders about the health and progress of our city, from public safety to quality of life. Let's dive into the State of the City 2025. Mayor Carey, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me back. Yeah, must not have done it too bad the last night.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, no, of course You're a great guest. We appreciate it. So this year's theme is acceleration for the state of the city. Tell us why you chose that word, what it really means to you.
Speaker 3:We have had really over the give both you know the previous mayors that were all very close the momentum we've had as a city that we've come out of the recession of 2008 and it just built over the years and now the decades, that the momentum we've had just seemed to accelerate.
Speaker 3:This past year the velocity of what we were working on has increased and I was asking city staff, residents and business owners, you know, before we put out the plans for the state of the city, I mean, if you could describe what's going on in Walker.
Speaker 3:One word I kept hearing accelerate, you know, multiple times and I just believe that it's that velocity that has increased. And when you hear the feedback they said we just we've had a lot of good things going on for a while, but things have just seemed to accelerated lately, and so that we kind of centered on that that word, you know for come next year the city is going to be running fine, but you do have your majority of your elected body changing over next year and there's a bit of a rush too to make sure the things, the projects that we wanted to get done and off the ground, we're able to get those started. So it's not just the residents and businesses that are feeling, it's the elected officials, because there's this sense of urgency of making sure that we leave it better than what we started with, and that's really that ultimate measuring stick.
Speaker 2:Yeah, very appropriate. So one of the big things that you focus on public safety. It's a top priority for our city and for you. What have you seen as far as progress-wise that just helps ensure the safety of our residents.
Speaker 3:You know when I think of something about Walker.
Speaker 3:You know, you hear, you know my peers around the area and those that know our community well refer to it as just that nice place to be and we kept hearing that word nice all the time.
Speaker 3:And one of the things I'm most proud of is the engagement that both police and fire have with our community. You see them at not just at events, but when they're driving through neighborhoods doing proactive engagements with the community. They know our residents, they know our businesses and it makes such a big difference so that when something does come up and things do come up that we're better able to navigate through those things together. We're better able to navigate through those things together. So I so to me, like that, that. That really is something I just the most proud of is the relationships and the engagement we have with our community. Police and fire both do a phenomenal job with it and really a benchmark and you do see that in other communities I but I think that there's a kind of another level that our departments have taken it up to. I'm also proud of the fact that you know the last couple of years when you look at our like our type one crimes, the major, the burglaries, larceny, aggravated assaults those are on the decrease. They've dropped like 22 percent over the last two years. When you have a city that is growing and growing exponentially, commercially, industrially, through its residents coming into the city, when you have that trajectory that you're going upwards there, there should be a corresponding more things are going to come up because you have more people involved and we're going the opposite direction.
Speaker 3:And I really come back to that proactive community engagement we have with police and fire makes such a huge difference and because both departments do so much together, the community sees one united force and it's that they see that uniform, they see the engagement they have. And for those coming into the community that might have some thoughts of doing something that we just don't accept in our city. It's we kind of all stand together there. So I'm really proud of that and I'm proud of the progress our fire departments made.
Speaker 3:You know, we have just two phenomenal chiefs I would not trade them for the world and there's some great chiefs in this area that I consider friends and acquaintances and I think that's important in that, um, we had a police chief that served as an interim fire chief for a while. He had some background there. It made a huge difference in stabilizing our department and really improving the morale that needed some help. We have a new chief coming in and brought from outside the area. He doesn't know what he doesn't know, but what he does know is fire and he also knows law enforcement, how to work with them, so it's made a huge difference in that. Really, what the community has seen and all the significant investments and change, that's all for the better right now and just a lot to be proud of right now.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there is, and some change is also coming with public safety. As far as, what do you see going forward?
Speaker 3:So when we look going forward, police it's going to be continuing to do what we do. You know we've added a second community engagement officer because you know Officer Harkin was getting it stretched so thin and you know now that we have Officer Glass as well helping out with that, and so we've got two of them, one handling north, one handling south. They backfill for each other and who knows, maybe there's a point in time that there's a third one there. I don't know, there's definitely a demand and a need for it. But then I see FIRE. You know doing demand and a need for it, but then I see fire. You know doing the same type of thing and that proactive community outreach.
Speaker 3:You know we had, have just had a number of fires that are a little bit more unusual this past year that those numbers are up for. As far as structure fires go, one of the big things we're doing right now is, from an education perspective, is making sure people with the smoke detectors they're checking the batteries, that they're hooked up and that you have them in the right places. And we're doing that, you know, very collaboratively with the public in that messaging is just so important. So I just like how we're that proactive. What do I see going forward? Keep doing what we're doing, but even do more proactive than maybe we're doing now, as it calls for it, and you know both departments tend to do it together, so it's kind of a neat thing.
Speaker 2:Can't have enough being, you know, proactive and education out there for your residents. That's great. You were mentioning the growth, of course. We've seen a lot of growth happening with our business parks, the infrastructure as well. What do you think is going to be like the biggest impact that residents will feel coming out of 2025?
Speaker 3:That's an easy one the Fruit Ridge Bridge. You know that's when you, when you look at that and those that aren't aware, within that bridge you have, within a two mile radius, you have approximately 16,000 jobs and that impacts Ottawa County, that impacts Alpine Township and the city of Walker and even the city of Grand Rapids to a point, pine Township and the city of Walker and even the city of Grand Rapids to a point. It's really important that we recognize that Walker Avenue was done, you know, some time ago to that five lane bridge to accommodate what became the industrial park, the start of that growth down there. And as things have gone further to the west, we run into that same thing. You had a two lane, 19, I think 59, 1960 Eisenhower era bridge that really had not only outlived its usefulness, it really was becoming a safety and a danger to our public. And you know we worried about is this going to be? If you have a prospective business, come in and they're looking at the area, which they quite often do, and you're part of that VIP kind of recruiting tool and you got to take them across that bridge.
Speaker 3:That's not a good thing, it's not a good representation of the city, but I believe that's going to be an impact. It's not just our residents transverse in it. I've got grandkids I see a couple of miles North of there and it's it's been a bear of a summer to get through. We knew that we, but we had to rip the bandaid off and get it done. So I believe that impact is going to be the single biggest thing.
Speaker 3:And one of the other epiphanies I had the other night I went out recently they were pouring one of the second deck, second bridge pours for that deck out there and just got to watch that like a little kid in a candy store and seeing them pour I mean they're pouring a lot up there and seeing just the skill and the attention to detail but really the effectiveness that they had and moving along quick as their point up there. I'm looking at this up there and I also looked over at the non-motorized trail off to the side of this on the west side and when you look at and look at the size of that and we have a lot of residential growth and commercial growth up in that area, industrial growth, the connection to the trails to the north, there People don't have to be in the road, they're in a safe spot off to the side and we believe that when we talk about a quality of life in Walker, that's a focus. We're not taking over the roads, we're just adding off to the side of them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that'll be a welcomed addition, and can't give residents props enough for going along with this, you know, for being great.
Speaker 3:It's been an interesting summer because normally you think you'd be hearing a lot more complaints. You might hear a little bit of a grouse in like like every month or two, but it's not social media. For the most part it's been very quiet. We've been trying to be very supportive of our businesses up there and encourage them Don't forget about them being there, and you think of the AGO gas station up there and encourage them. Don't forget about them being there and you think of the AGO gas station up there, and so forth. Just those things that we try and do. But I think that's the sense of doing what's right to help the community out here. We knew it was going to suck this summer and it did and still kind of does, but we're almost there.
Speaker 2:We are Almost there. The lights at the end of the tunnel, absolutely. Also, when you hear about growth, residents may worry about taxes. So how are we able to provide better services every year without having to raise that really and even attract new businesses as well? How does that all go together?
Speaker 3:That's a great question and, for the record, I didn't prompt you with that, so you can look that ear out. I like that because it's a great question, because I don't think our public realizes we are an income tax city. Public realizes we are an income tax city that accounts for 65% of our revenue to help pay for the expenses we have with police, fire, public works, the parks, trails and all of that. 65% of that only 9% of our revenue for the year comes from state revenue sharing. We have and then you have a number of other sources, other sources, but that income tax is the big thing Our focus on bringing jobs into the city and that growth. This is where that, that that strategy is paying off. And you know it started again Previous mayors I've just carried the torch from what they had already started. You know, mayor Verheulen, mayor Huizenga really accelerated that on his end as the economy really improved and that recruiting those businesses to come in. That's why that bridge was so important. Those jobs coming in there help keep. Our property tax only accounts for 9% of our revenue. So I know that there's around the country right now and some of the surrounding states and there's even some talk within Michigan about abolishing the property tax. I do believe on record it's a bit of a misguided approach to understand the why behind it but you have to pay for those services, somehow misguided approach to understand the why behind it but you have to pay for those services. Somehow we're set up in a better spot to be not as exposed to any changes there because we're so relying on that income tax when the economy is good and it has been and when those jobs have been coming in, we've put ourselves in a good spot. So when we look at things we look at like with the library. That's one of those things that we looked at. Do we do a millage or do we bond for this? We had no bonds out at the time and we had no long-term debt, which is unheard of in local government. So we elected to take that risk and it's a very calculated risk that we elected to bond for the library.
Speaker 3:We're going to have some significant needs coming up in the near future A lot of it around public safety, um, as we make that transition, what's eventually going to become a full-time fire department? We're well into that already. We need to have bunk houses within um and you have to have gender, you know, male and female, both in there, um, and we have to have appropriate living quarters, but they also. And the female both in there, and we have to have appropriate living quarters, but they also. It's not just putting a bunch of you know, cots in there and places to sleep. It has to be a place that you can recruit, because we're all competing for the same, that same talent pool, which is shrinking, so we have to have those amenities that.
Speaker 3:Oh hey, I could come. I could come spend a 24 hour shift here a few days a week. Those types of things are important, so there's going to be some significant costs there. I believe we put ourselves in a good position because we're not incurring unnecessary debt and we don't have that long term other than the library that we just started.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I think Mayor Huizenga has mentioned Senator Huizenga has mentioned this you certainly have too is when you guys make decisions. You're not playing checkers here, you're playing chess. It's kind of for the long run, you've got to think years into the future, and why is that just so important to do that?
Speaker 3:You know it's, every action, every decision you make has a counter effect to it. And I really and I'll go back to Mayor Verhulina's time, and that was when I was just getting involved in local government. I was on one of our city committees you learn that art of looking forward into the future and too often local government doesn't do that. They they the short-term fix, what looks good to appease the voters and get people reelected. That's not the approach we've taken. There was sometimes people might not have understand it, it might've been more painful at the time, but over the years and decades it was going to pay off. So it started there. Mayor Heisinger had the same belief. So they really I learned from them how to do this properly and help you know. But we have a city staff. They know what they need to do. We're just there helping make sure they've got the resources and the support there to get that done.
Speaker 2:Yes, and a big thing, with all the changes going on as well and throughout your mayoral term, how do you make residents, or how do you allow them to feel, more informed, part of the decision, part of the decision making, all of that stuff.
Speaker 3:I don't know of very many municipalities where the mayor and the city commission has their cell phone numbers out there and they're that approachable. I could be sitting at Peppermill or be in Sobeys Meats and people come up all the time and approach you, or in the. I love it. That's, that's why you took this office. You're there to serve the public and, um, I just for me the that approachability that we have and the accessibility we have, um, call us and if we don't answer right away, maybe we'll get back to you right away.
Speaker 3:Um, we might not always agree on some things. Um, you know, I've always used the analogy of of um, your favorite flavor of ice cream might be chocolate, mine's vanilla. How do you get that twist cone out of that? And sometimes it's this red and blue thing. How can we get to purple? And we both feel like we've won something out of it. We approach those discussions with that mindset and it's not a oh boy, I've got to take aate citizen. Call Number one. We don't have a whole lot of them. We all know where the problem points are and then really I think the approach to hey, I'm accessible, I'm approachable, come out there. So I think for us it's something that maybe we take for granted a little bit, but we do that yeah.
Speaker 2:And just in 2025, you're really trying to engage the youth and even, just like the younger professionals who are just starting out in their career, really helping to kind of bring that pipeline into folks who want to serve their community and others. What have you been doing specifically to get that done?
Speaker 3:So this past year, something I've wanted to do for some time finally got it off the ground was the Youth Academy for High School Juniors and Seniors. The ground was the Youth Academy for high school juniors and seniors, and then the second was with our next gen, for our younger adults in the community that want to get involved in elected office. Making a jump from doing nothing to elected office, that's hard and you're going to make some mistakes on the way. We'd rather try and get people in committees learning how to. What does good policy look like? Chess versus checkers, those types of things. But then I also believe that ability to you know work collaboratively with others that you might not agree with. And there's times that you know our city committee we don't necessarily agree, we know we need to get to a common spot, but we get there. We've all served on those committees and had you know, we cut our chops that way. So we believe, like these, some of these programs are making it going to make a big impact in the coming years.
Speaker 3:You know it's the thing that that you know, the biggest thing for me that keeps me awake at night. If there is a thing, it's that I want. I want our people to go home at night. Our, our police, our fire, our public works and they're out there doing construction sites and so forth. I want our people to go home to their families at night. We owe that to them.
Speaker 3:The second thing that keeps me, you know, makes me sometimes wake up the middle of the night is who's next? Who are those people? And I think, coming in with um, I'll, I'll call this one out coming in with agendas, um, it, it all. You're always set up to fail and you're not going to get support for this. You're going to be that person on an island by yourself and not get a darn thing done for a number of years and, wonder boy, this really stinks and just make it a toxic environment. We've really mitigated that type of risk within our elected body. We haven't always got it right. I think you know, as of definitely the last decade or so, that we've really, you know we've got some good stories out of there. You know you've got a couple of mayors that have gone on to serve with Distinguished at the Statehouse former city commissioner at the Statehouse level as well. So we it's a good breeding ground for this. You know we know how to work with other people.
Speaker 2:That really says a lot. Yeah, final question as well If you could set one bold goal for Walker in your final year of being mayor, which is the 2026 year, what do you think that would be?
Speaker 3:You know there's a lot, a lot of that. There's still a lot of that elephant that I want to eat and I know I'm going to leave office without having tackled all of it. The big thing for me is going to be the widening of Wilson M-11. And that's a topless and it's not going to be the widening of Wilson M11, and that's a topless and it's not going to get done. It's probably not going to get started before I walk out the door next fall. But if we can get. There has been, there continues to be.
Speaker 3:You know the attempts to get as part of appropriations package at the state level. We've talked to our federal legislators about it. There's not a discussion that we have at the state or federal level that this is not a part of it. The problem is, I think it's going to take a combination of state and federal. Walker might have some skin in the game for that, but we know it is the biggest pain point we have in the city. Alpine is solved, lake Michigan is solved. You can't fix traffic. It's on those busy roads, but those are big, wide roads. We don't have that Wilson. And when you have spots where it's five lanes down to four, down to two, back to four, back down to two. It just it makes no sense and it just creates not it's not just choke points, it creates safety hazards. But everybody's wondering how do we pay for it? And I think you know when we look at part of the state of the city We'll be talking a little bit, just acknowledging the discussion around the aquarium.
Speaker 3:You know the possibility of that going in South Walker, no guarantees at all. It's being looked at as one of the potential sites and due diligence is being done. It's going to be it's probably going to be a year or two before all of that is complete and we have to look and say does this make sense? But as part of that, you can't put something that's going to draw two to three million visitors a year. You can't put something down there without winding Wilson, probably improving that bridge set up down there as well, so across the Grand River. So you know part of the devious pieces.
Speaker 3:Can we devise these plans and look at what the cost is going to be and if things work out with that big project, great. If they don't, we have the plans. We at what the cost is going to be and if things work out with that big project? Great, if they don't. We have the plans. We know what the cost is going to be. Could we maybe even start to do this in sections over a 10-year span? What have you? And I do believe that's probably going to be a good 10-year plus project. But if I can leave office knowing there's momentum behind that, that will be hard to stop. I'll feel a lot better, yeah.
Speaker 2:We know you guys have spent years advocating for this and we know you won't stop once you're kind of done. So thank you so much. Also know that you're a busy person. We really appreciate your time in getting to know a little bit more about the health of the city of Walker, so thank you, mary.
Speaker 3:Thanks for having me again. Yep, I know.
Speaker 1:Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Maiden Walker podcast. If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or if you have suggestions for future episodes, we'd love to hear from you. Please drop us an email at podcast at walkercity. Maiden Walker is the official podcast of the City of Walker, Michigan. You can find Maiden Walker wherever you get your podcasts.
