Batesville, IN — Batesville Mayor Mike Bettice delivered his 2023 State of the City Address Tuesday evening in the Batesville Middle School Commons.
Bettice touted 2022 accomplishments, such as:
- The sale of the Shell Building in June to IKIO LED Lighting;
- Completion of the State Road 229 repaving project;
- The Huntersville Road underpass stormwater remediation project completion;
- READI funding of local projects for the Batesville Community School Corporation and Kids Discovery Factory;
- The purchase of body cameras for the police department;
- Construction of the Skatepark;
- 2020 Census-required City Council redistricting;
- Water main replacements;
- Updating the Land Usage section of the city’s Ordinance Manual;
- The launch of the Discover Batesville marketing website.
He reviewed the City’s 2022 finances and the 2023 budget and touched on this year’s projects and initiatives.
The Mayor also addressed potential challenges facing the city, including inflation, but overall the speech had an optimistic tone.
“I’ve come to tell you this evening that the State of the City is strong and we are headed in a great direction,” Bettice said. “We are growing, we are strong financially and we are set up for the future.”
He also recognized and thanked three men who have retired from city boards and commissions after many years of service: Hank Pictor, who served on the Utility Service Board for 18 years; Dave Raver, who was on the Planning and Zoning Commission for 37 years, the last 26 of which he served as its president, and Don Karbowski, who served the City of Batesville a total of 44 years – a record six terms or 24 years on City Council plus an additional 20 years as a Park and Recreation Board member.
This was Bettice’s final State of the City Address; the two-term Mayor has chosen not to run for re-election this year. You may listen to the address on-demand by clicking the box below
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