Popular Annual Financial Report - 2017 For fiscal year ending June 30, 2017 | Page 7

GARNER AT A GLANCE
The Town of Garner has a council-manager form of government with a mayor and five-
member Town Council. Elections for the office of Town Council are held at two-year
intervals in the November of odd-numbered years. Elections are non-partisan, and all
members of the Town Council are elected to four-year terms. The mayor is elected to a
four-year term at the same time elections for Town Council are held.
The Town Council sets Town policies, enacts
ordinances and appoints the town manager, who
administers the daily operations and programs of
the municipal government through the department
heads and other staff and employees.
The City of Raleigh’s Public Utilities Department
operates a water distribution system, a sanitary sewer
collection system and a wastewater treatment facility
that service Garner. Garner Volunteer Fire-Rescue,
Inc., provides fire and emergency responder services,
and Wake County EMS also serves the town.
Garner has six community parks, several neighborhood
parks and two recently established dog parks. The
system includes White Deer Park, 96 acres of passive
parkland with a LEED Gold-certified Nature Center,
and adjoining Lake Benson Park, which is home to
the Garner Veterans Memorial. Annual special events
include an Independence Day celebration, Carnaval
Latino, Trick-or-Treat the Trails, Light Up Main, the
Garner Christmas Parade, Spring Eggstravaganza,
the April Foods and Trick-or-Eat food truck rodeos
and a Groundhog Day celebration.
In addition, the Town-owned Garner Performing
Arts Center in our historic downtown offers award-
winning programming and a diverse array of shows
by local as well as nationally touring acts.
29,381
Population
(June 2017)
65 percent growth since 2000
2017 POPUL AR ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT
The Town has nationally accredited Police, Public
Works and Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources
Departments. Its Finance Department has won
the Government Finance Officers of the United
States and Canada’s Certificate of Achievement for
Excellence in Financial Reporting for 27 consecutive
years and Distinguished Budget Presentation Award
for four consecutive years.
Major
employers
in Garner include
the Wake County
Public School Sys-
tem, Food Lion,
Walmart,
Pergo,
Cabela’s, Golden
State Foods, F&D
Huebner, LLC (Mc-
Donald’s), Target,
Strategic Behavioral
Health and Kroger.
The National Civic League named Garner an All-
America City in 2013. This prestigious award
recognizes high levels of civic engagement as well
as successes arising from innovative, citizen-led
initiatives that address pressing challenges in the
community.
$68,736
Average
Household Income
3.5%
Unemployment Rate
6