Posted on Oct 05, 2017
Matt Hall has been Mayor of the City of Carlsbad since 2010. He was Mayor Pro Tem, 1998 - 2000 and 2004 – 2006 and City Council Member since 1994. 2017 is the seventh year that Matt Hall has been Mayor of Carlsbad.
 
Mayor Matt Hall is a Member for Carlsbad Rotary and reported on the State of the City. He reports that Carlsbad is well managed and has followed a vision set forth by the community more than 4 decades ago. The primary traits are Vision, Leadership and Community Involvement. Says Matt Hall, “Government is not a cookie-cutter”.
Starting as early as 1985, the city used community members to study growth. In 1986, the public approved what is now known as the Growth Management Plan. This plan was implemented in 1994 and has been managed effectively for 23 years. This came about with Vision and Leadership.
 
The Carlsbad Plan requires that nearly 40% of the city has dedicated open space in perpetuity. It also has housing caps in 4 quadrants, which reduces the total number of dwelling units to less than 135,000, compared to over 200,000 before.
 
Carlsbad was one of the first cities in California to enlist and actively engage the services of community residents to help design the city’s future. There is a comprehensive Habitat Management Plan to protect endangered species, flora and fauna. There is also a bird sanctuary on Batiquitis Lagoon and a protected fishery in Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
 
There are several major companies that operate from Carlsbad. These are the major business arenas: Action Sports, Life Sciences, Information & Communications Technology, Cleantech, Hospitality & Tourism.  Cal Jet Elite Airways has a new presence at Palomar Airport, starting a new effort to restore commercial flights.
 
Carlsbad has had the vision to create Car Country Carlsbad and 3 major shopping centers at Shopps, Premium Outlets and the Forum.
 
Carlsbad is the Golf Capital of the world! The most recognizable names in the golfing industry are right here - Taylor-Made, Calloway, Cobra and Titleist. And Carlsbad has 3 world-class golf courses: La Costa’s North and South Course and Aviara Resort. 
 
Finance: For the last 24 years, Carlsbad financial reserves have been “in the black”. Today, reserves are $ 65-million and counting.  The goals are to have 6 months’ cash reserves to run in the event of an economic downturn, as happened in 2008.
 
Carlsbad has kept parks and libraries open, built a state-of-the-art Training Center and moved forward with planning for Alga Norte Park. Jazz in the Parks community summer concerts continued.
 
Healthcare: Tri-City Medical Center, Scripps Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, North County Health Services and Direct Orthomedical Care provide world-class healthcare.
 
Education:  California State University San Marcos; MiraCosta College; Palomar College in San Marcos.  In the K-12 schools, residents have a number of options for public schools. Carlsbad is the only city in the region that has created and operates a comprehensive Citizen’s Academy to educate citizens on how city government operates and to encourage their active participation with the city.
 
 In the most recent study, nearly 97% of those surveyed said Carlsbad’s quality of life is excellent or good; 88% were satisfied with city services!  3 out of 4 residents have confidence in city government to positively impact our quality of life. Over 90% are very satisfied or satisfied with fire and emergency services, police and law enforcement work.  Three weeks ago, Business Insider named Carlsbad the 7th safest city in the country and the 3rd safest in the state. 
 
After several insightful questions, Mayor Matt Hall received a Standing ovation!
 
City of Carlsbad: http://www.carlsbadca.gov/