Members of the Radcliff City Council called it Mayor J.J. Duvall’s 44th birthday present to himself.
The council approved the purchase of the long-vacant Redmar Plaza site, as well as the adjoining property that was once home to the Hardin County Public Health building, during their meeting Tuesday. The $2.25 million purchase plan paves the way to demolish and redevelop the properties.
Members of the city council had high praise for the mayor’s efforts.
“I know you’ve worked on this long and hard,” said Councilman Jerry Brown. “Terms as mayor, economic development, all the things that you’ve done. My congratulations, my friend.”
Councilwoman Terry Owens said the purchase is a major step, and said development will require more effort and collaboration.
“Now the challenge is to see what we can do to it next,” said Owens. “It’s going to take everybody to get there, not just one person. It’s going to take a lot of people, even people you don’t see sitting here today. That’s been the ‘ride or die’ in economic development.”
The council also approved the city’s budget for fiscal year 2023-2024, which includes pay increases for city employees including police and fire personnel. Mayor Duvall said the budget reflects the city’s big goals.
“This is one of our largest budgets, obviously, we’ve had in the city’s history at $18.6 million,” Duvall said. “There’s a lot in that budget. There’s a lot of good things, a lot of community things that we’re trying to do, but we’re being responsible with the taxpayer dollars that we’re moving forward with.”
The rezoning for the planned North Haven Subdivision at the southwest corner of the intersection of Joe Prather Highway and Patriot Parkway had its first reading. It will go up for discussion and a vote at the next city council meeting, which is scheduled for July 18.