That was one of the year's accomplishments that Mayor Mike Thoms talked about Monday in the 35th State of the City address.
"This was the largest expansion of the city in decades," he said. "Part of it's wet, but part of it, we believe, can be developed. So it's a very positive thing."
He talked about a number of things, including park improvements and a new library branch. Thoms says the city hired an economic development director and in-house city attorney last year.
Thoms also says the number of violent gun crimes dropped 25% last year. The police department hired 12 new officers and installed automated license plate readers around the city.
"Five of those new recruits were female officers, bringing the total number of female officers on the force to 11, the highest number of female officers in the police history," he said. "Great to see that diversity."
The city also rolled out a new app called "See Click Fix" for residents to report non-emergency issues.
In 2024, the city hopes to start construction on a major downtown streetscaping project, and complete work on a new federal courthouse and YWCA facility.
Rock Island ended the year with a surplus of 2.7 million dollars.
At this week's meeting, the city council will vote on a resolution that includes using some of the city's surplus to fix up city hall.
