Where does Walhalla go from here?

A meeting at the Depot last night began with a talk about the trees that Walhalla should plant as part of Streetscape. As the meeting came to a close, a city leader and members of Partners for Progress talked about what’s needed for Walhalla to attract visitors. Mayor Danny Edwards said as the result of a talk with the general contractor, work on Streetscape is likely to start “in a week to 10 days.” According to Edwards, the crews employed by contractor Danny Hutchinson will work on one side of one block at a time and, once work is finished on that one side of a block, the planting of trees may begin. The mayor’s colleague, Mayor Pro-tem Tjay Bagwell, gave a 20-minute presentation last night on the city’s next budget and fielded questions about the city’s finances. Walhalla’s financial numbers, Bagwell said, have remained “tight and trim” during years of flat budgets since the great recession in 2008. Bagwell said current city leaders and those of recent years  have made conscious, conservative decisions about taxes, utility rates, and other charges. If Walhalla ever increases spending, according to Bagwell, members of the public-private group Partners, as well as the general citizenry, are going to have to make those wishes known to city leaders.