BY NICK DIAMANTIDES
Staff Writer
Signal Hill Mayor Mike Noll is one of the most familiar people in the city’s government. He served for several years on the Civil Service and Planning Commissions, was elected to the city council almost 17 years ago and was reelected three times. Noll graduated from USC with a bachelors degree in business and worked as a supermarket and medical center manager until he got his real estate license. He sold real estate for seven years and lives comfortably on income from his rental properties. “Now I have a property manager,” he said. “I am really retired, which means I have more time to devote to the city.”
Noll said that the positive changes that have taken place in the Signal Hill Police Department were his greatest source of pride. “It had kind of a bad reputation (in the 1960s and 1970s) but now it is a highly respected law enforcement agency and the pride and joy of the community,” he said.
He listed the successful effort to put single-family homes on the hill, instead of condominiums as his second most important accomplishment. “It was very important to us to make sure they were quality homes, that they incorporated view protection as much as possible, and that there were trails so the rest of the community could enjoy the hill,” he said.
Noll was also involved in the planning process for the Signal Hill Auto Center. “The car dealers came to us and asked if we could make things happen that Long Beach could not do,” he said. “So we got very active in bringing them into our city and expanding our retail base in other ways as well.” He explained that sales tax revenues enable the city to afford the high-quality services and programs enjoyed by its residents.
“It’s exciting to see how the city has changed and progressed. Things like widening the Spring Street corridor and other street improvements have made us the envy of many of our neighboring cities,” he said. “Most of the credit for that goes to our city manager, our department heads and other staff that have worked hard to make our city what it is today.”
Noll pointed out that the city has added five new parks and a trail system since he joined the council. “I am proud of the fact that we have done so much and yet do not have a utility tax,” he said. “We also have a balanced budget with an almost $9 million uncertainty fund, enough to run the city for six months.”
The mayor explained that the city’s fiscal strength is rooted in its retail base and enhanced by diverse revenue sources. “Even when sales tax revenues decrease, we still have a good revenue stream,” he said. “It’s going to get harder in the next two years because of the economy, but we have a healthy 50-percent uncertainty reserve.”
Even so, Noll said that nowadays the council only approves spending for things that are absolutely necessary. Sales tax revenues were $1.4 million less during the first six months of the 2008/09 fiscal year than revenues during the same period in the previous fiscal year. “Our department heads are cutting back, and we should have a balanced budget by the next fiscal year,” he said. “Still, our total annual revenues are about $23.5 million, which is unheard of for a small city.”
Noll has two reasons for running. One is the uncertainty of federal and state funds the city needs for certain projects. “It is very important to have people on board who know how to get the funding the city needs,” he explained, adding that during the past 16 years, he has built relationships with federal and state officials who are in positions of assisting Signal Hill in various ways. “So I thought I better stick with it for four more years,” he said.
The second reason he is running is to finish projects already begun. “I want to see the police department completed, I want to see a library expansion or the construction of a new one, working with federal and state grants,” he said.
Noll said he was glad that the current municipal election didn’t involve mudslinging. “We have four good candidates and three seats,” he said. “It’s refreshing when you consider some of the past politics that have gone on.”
The mayor described himself as one of the most qualified candidates. ” I have been here a long time. I have been through the recession in the 90s,” he said. “There are things that you have to do, and I believe my years of experience give me the ability to make the decisions that will guide us through the present economic slump.”
