Mayor Lori Blong served as the keynote speaker at the 2024 annual State of Midland Luncheon, which took place April 11 at the Bush Convention Center.
Recognition of previous leaders:
Beginning her speech, Mayor Blong credited previous council members and community leaders for Midland’s achievements made in the past year. “We are making Midland a better place to be, and we are working hard to make this Midland momentum happen,” she said.
Acknowledgment of council contributions:
Mayor Blong acknowledged council members for their contributions, including the late at-large councilman Dan Corrales. “I believe it would honor Dan’s memory for everyone to get out and vote, and for us to have a better voting turnout than we have had in special held elections.” She also recognized Midland’s new City Manager Tommy Gonzalez for developing a strategic plan with clear goals and execution strategies.
Infrastructure measures:
The mayor discussed infrastructure measures, including the hiring of a Capital Improvement Program Director to manage infrastructure projects. She noted that maintaining Midland's 667 miles of roads requires an estimated annual budget of $35 million, but only $8 million was allocated for road maintenance in the current fiscal year. In response, Vision Zero was introduced. Six intersection lights were approved based on traffic priorities, and the newly approved interstates 14 and 27 were also mentioned. The city purchased an in-house concrete paving machine to save costs and increase concrete road construction.
Beneficial reuse of water:
According to Mayor Blong, 30% of Midland’s water comes from T-Bar and Clearwater, which are subterraneous water sources, and the other 70% of water comes from lakes Thomas, Spence, and Ivy in the SRMWD system. In an effort to prepare Midland’s use of water, Mayor Blong announced a pilot program for the beneficial reuse of subterranean water with oilfield technology that will commence in the upcoming weeks.
Fire and police department updates:
The fire department responded to 15,896 emergency medical services calls and 5,116 fire responses in 2023, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. Animal services now falls under the Fire Department and reports to Midland Fire Chief Charles Blumenauer, which Mayor Blong says has already led to improved efficiencies.
Reported police call-outs for the year 2023 consisted of 82,579 calls. This is a decrease from the previous year’s call-outs, totaling 84,516. Noting the challenging efforts to recruit police enforcement, the city implemented a $11,000 pay increase in an effort to attract and retain more officers.
Midland’s demographics:
The mayor revealed that the average median age in Midland is 31.4, with the highest demographic being ages 0 to 4., leading Mayor Blong to say, “We are not just making decisions for Midland today; we are making decisions for Midland tomorrow.”
Midland’s oil and gas industry:
Known as the provider for the country’s oil and gas production, Mayor Blong highlighted last year's statistics, noting 313 active rigs in the Permian Basin compared to 353 the previous year. Despite the decrease, Midland continues to grow its economy by producing more oil with fewer rigs and personnel.
Support for small businesses:
Since 2017, the Midland Development Corporation (MDC) has awarded $2.7 million to 29 small businesses through the entrepreneurial challenge, including Tall City Brewery and The Birth Center. A total of 300 businesses participated in the program and gained resources to support their ventures.