City Manager reflects on 2017 and looks ahead to 2018

It’s not unusual for the end of one year and the start of the next to be a time for both reflection and looking ahead, and such is the case for St. Augustine’s City Manager John Regan.

Regan used the opportunity as yesterday’s guest on the weekly public affairs program, The Break Room, to look back at some of the big challenges and issues of the past year and to consider which ones will continue to be on the city’s agenda for the coming year as well as what new topics may be added.

Among the issues that got top billing over the past year were Hurricane Irma, the second hurricane to hit the city during the 2016-2017 fiscal year; ongoing advancements in the city’s mobility program; beginning to address the problem of panhandling; and the decision by the City Commission not to remove the city’s Confederate memorial, but to add to it a contextualization element.

In looking ahead to the new year, Regan noted the continued work on panhandling issues and projects related to mobility, the formation of the Confederate Memorial Contextualization Advisory Committee and ongoing infrastructure projects related to the city’s water system and improvements in stormwater collection and discharge.

The interview aired live on WFCF/88.5fm, Flagler College Radio on Wednesday, January 3 at 5:00 p.m. and will be rebroadcast on Saturday, January 6 at 8:00 a.m. The program is also available on-demand as a podcast at www.CityStAugRadio.com.

The Break Room is a public information program provided by the city’s Public Affairs Department, begins its ninth year in February of providing weekly conversations with a broad range of City of St. Augustine staff.