When: Lancaster City Council meeting, Oct. 25.
What happened: Lancaster City Council held a eulogy to honor Charlie Smithgall, the city’s mayor from 1998 until 2006. Smithgall died Oct. 18. The former mayor was also the owner and operator of Smithgall’s Pharmacy, a neighborhood business opened by his father in 1916.
The eulogy: The words from city council point out that during his tenure as mayor, Smithgall was a tireless advocate for the city and its residents. The eulogy, unanimously passed as a resolution, also states that Smithgall helped reshape the skyline and economic fortunes of Lancaster, with the addition of Clipper Magazine Stadium and the Keystone Opportunity Zone Industrial Park. It notes that council, as well as Lancaster city, publicly recognize the invaluable contributions of Smithgall and express appreciation for his efforts.
Quotable: Family members were present at the meeting and said they truly appreciate the public recognition of Smithgall for his dedication to the city. Council member Janet Diaz brought up that she experienced Smithgall’s care for the community at an early age. “One of the things that was so genuine about him was his help when we were desperately hurting. My brother had three operations and there were times when we couldn’t afford the medication. And he always said: “Just give it to me when your mom has everything.” He had a big heart for the community, for people in need.”
Bond auction: Council passed an amended bill authorizing a bond issue for capital projects, with the borrowing of $51.7 million. A 20-minute scheduled auction for the city’s 2022 general obligation bonds was held on the same day as council’s meeting. They received 28 bids from 7 bidders. The winning bid with the lowest rate came from Citigroup Global Markets Inc., with an interest rate of 4.9%.
Quotable: Patrick Hopkins, the city’s director of administrative services, said city officials are pleased with the results. “If we had been sitting here a year ago, and I said that getting a 4.9% interest rate was a good result out of a bond auction, I would have been lying to you. But now, in the current market, many, many, things have changed. In the market that we’re in, this is a really good result.”
Improvements: The capital projects consist of improvements and upgrades throughout the city, including the following: water treatment and distribution facilities, parks, streets/traffic signals and stormwater facilities. The bill was up for a first reading last month. Since then, the largest change to the bill is the amount; rather than borrowing $64 million as first proposed, the city will borrow $51.7 million to fund the projects.
What’s next: City council will meet for their committee meeting, Nov. 1.
