Riley to report on an upbeat outlook

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley will deliver his live, televised State of the City Address on Tuesday evening.

He'll be able to report that, in contrast to the state and federal governments, Charleston is neither slashing spending nor running a budget deficit in these difficult economic times. In fact, in a key indicator of financial stability, the city just this month saw its bond rating upgraded to the top rating.

The economy is expected to be a focal point of the speech, and the mayor likely will revisit some points made when his $147.7 million budget was approved by City Council in December, when he praised the city's finance team for crafting a budget that maintains services and avoids furloughs or layoffs.

Riley also will be talking about the expected federal stimulus package, a subject he's traveled to Washington and Chicago to discuss during the past several months, in meetings with congressional leaders and President Barack Obama's transition team.

Along with many other mayors represented by the U.S. Council of Mayors, Riley has supported calls for a federal stimulus plan that would channel money to cities for infrastructure projects that could quickly put people to work while making public improvements, such as downtown drainage improvements.

Riley sometimes uses the annual address to announce major initiatives, such as the South Carolina Aquarium or the International African American Museum in past years. This year, there are several previously announced initiatives he might further detail, such as the Horizon Area plan to redevelop a section of the city as a biomedical research hub.

The mayor also is expected to discuss the ongoing Charleston Green initiative to address global warming and promote sustainability, regional planning efforts and affordable housing.

The State of the City Address will be given in City Hall's Council Chamber at 7:30 p.m., following a regular meeting of City Council. The meeting and the address are public events, though seating is limited.

The address will be broadcast live on WCIV Channel 4 beginning at 7:30 p.m. A full transcript will be posted Tuesday night on charleston.net.

Reach David Slade at 937-5552 or dslade@postand courier.com.