“The state of our great city is stronger than ever before and only getting stronger!” said Branson Mayor Larry Milton to a packed house in the city council chambers in his State of the City speech on March 11, 2025. Milton noted that he has witnessed Branson’s successes and challenges for over 30 years.
“Through it all, I have come to realize the true success of our city is not just the responsibility of one person or organization–but the combined partnership, growth and respect that we all must champion in order to carry forward our history and values to build a brighter, more prosperous Branson...As we look to celebrating the many milestones of our city this evening, we also should be reminded that just like America, Branson’s best days are ahead of us with our plans and vision for 2025 and beyond,” he added.
The following, in the order given, are the mayor’s quotes from some of the key topics of the speech:
Economic Growth: “We are a wave of economic growth. The truth is in the numbers. This past year, our value for building permits has increased by over 14%. This significant metric is a complement to our city’s future–as it demonstrates new and existing businesses are actively choosing to invest in Branson as their home. In fact, in just the past five years, our city has benefited from more than an estimated $400 million in actual development.”
Branson is Open for Business and Red Tape Review: “Over the past year, we have taken major steps to support, grow and empower businesses. We launched a Red Tape Review Initiative to remove outdated regulations, streamline processes and create an even more business-friendly environment where innovation and investment can thrive.
“A few of our first successful Red Tape Review initiatives were reforming short-term rentals, cutting burdensome regulations for developers, and removing barriers for food trucks. We also amended the Land Disturbance Code to be more developer friendly. These changes were made with the help of our developers and business owners. Despite these wins, this is just the beginning of our Red Tape Review Initiative, and we’re working on more every day. Thank you to Director Amanda Ross and Alex Girard for doing DOGE before DOGE was cool.
“We will continue to identify and remove unnecessary obstacles that stand in the way of local business growth, and we will continue to operate at the Speed of Business. Donald Trump just showed us a new definition of Speed of Business...I can proudly proclaim Branson is Open for Business.”
Quality of Life: “One of the most important things we continue to do is listen to our residents and businesses. Beyond the bright lights of our theatres and attractions, Branson is, first and foremost, a community. A place where families start, grow and thrive... A place where neighbors look out for one another and where traditions and progress can co-exist. That’s why we remain steadfast in our efforts to improve the quality of life for all who call Branson home.”
Public Safety: “A safe city is a prosperous city, and at City Hall, increasing the resources for enhanced public safety remains our top priority. I want to take a moment to say thank you to our men and women in uniform who put their lives on the line every single day. You are the foundation of our community, and I hope you feel how strongly our city stands behind you. Our police and fire departments work tirelessly to protect our residents and the millions of visitors to Branson each year. We are continuing to invest in new equipment, technology and training to ensure that Branson remains one of the safest cities in Missouri.
Fire Department and Emergency Management: “In 2024, we bought specialized rescue equipment, replaced two outdoor warning sirens, and doubled down on improving our city’s emergency management resources by hiring a dedicated Emergency Management Coordinator.
“In addition, we completed the construction of a new fire station this past year — built on time and on budget — now fully staffed with firefighters ready to respond. This investment has already paid dividends. The very first residential fire responded to by this new station had a response time in just over 3 ½ minutes—cutting the response time from previous area incidents by nearly 58%. The national average response time is 5 ½ minutes.
“Overall last year, our firefighters responded to over 4,800 fire rescue incidents–that’s over 13 calls a day on average. However, with the addition of Fire Station 4 and well-equipped firefighters, nearly $85 million in property value was saved in 2024.”
Police Department: “One of our most significant Public Safety projects is the construction of Branson’s new Police Department headquarters—a long-awaited facility that will provide modern resources and expanded capabilities for our officers. We are deep in the construction process, and once completed later this year–on-time and on-budget—this facility will enhance our department’s ability to serve and protect our community for decades to come.
“Our Police Department went from 60% staffing of patrol officers in previous years to achieving full staffing in 2024–this means more proactive policing, more resources to prevent and solve crime, and to send a resounding message to criminals they are not welcome in Branson.
“With our attention to providing resources and staffing, our police have been able to proactively address crime. Since 2022, there has been a 41% decrease in vandalism and a 47% decline in burglary. Since 2022, the number of officer-initiated calls for service have increased by 47% and our DWI enforcement arrests have increased by 90%. Thank you to our aldermen for supporting this, thank you to Chief Eric Schmitt for your leadership, and thank you to the entire Branson Police Department for keeping our city safe and protected.”
Lodging Safety Initiative: “Lastly, in January, we marked the successful completion of the City’s Lodging Safety Initiative. This was a major milestone of progress and safety for our community and accomplished in just 18 months. Through this balanced, compliance assistance approach, we were able to guide the pathway for 55 unlicensed lodging establishments to achieve full licensing – ensuring our commitment to our visitors and guests for a safe visit to Branson.”
Utilities - Sewer and Water: “Our Utilities Department is on the forefront of customer service–by annually serving over 4,500 water customers, treating over 1.26 billion gallons of water, and maintaining 300 miles of water and sewer lines – they have done it all, while continuing to exceed state and federal regulations. This means safe, clean and reliable drinking water for our residents.
“In our 2024 budget, we took bold action to invest $2.3 million in repairing our existing water and sewer system, with another $6 million in our 2025 budget. Additionally, in 2025, we invested over $16 million into expanding and modernizing our water and sewer infrastructure. Thank you to Director Kendall Powell and the frontline workers who deliver these important services to our community.
“This includes the launching of our Neighborhood Improvement Projects, an initiative to replace aging water infrastructure to provide clean, reliable water for residents in historic parts of town. As of this speech, our first milestone of this initiative, the $6.7 million dollar Hiawatha Heights project, will be out to bid this month on schedule to begin this year.”
Public Works: “Our Public Works Department has made significant progress in keeping over 240 lane miles of city roadway well-maintained and safe. This is equivalent to the number of miles from here to St. Louis.
“This past year, we invested $1.4 million in new paving and repainted over 70% of our total city roadways to keep roads fresh and modern. Thank you to Director Michael Woods for his leadership in ensuring our city roadways are safe. In our 2025 budget, we allocated $2 million for improving city roadways and approximately $1 million in road improvements for the Hiawatha Heights neighborhood following the completion of our utilities infrastructure project.”
Historic Downtown Streetscape Phase 4 Project: “Is well underway after nearly eight years of delay. Thank you to City Administrator Cathy Stepp for making this project a priority and moving it forward. We made this project a priority to provide the needed upgrades and modernization to support our cherished historic downtown. Since 2013, the city has completed three of the five planned phases, and we expect construction on this latest phase to start April 1 and to be completed by mid-October – all while remaining on time and on-budget.”
Parks and Recreation: “The RecPlex Ballfield Turf Project was completed last April, modernizing one of our most beloved community spaces with year-round turf fields that will benefit tourism, local teams, families and youth programs for years to come. So far, we’ve seen nearly a 200% increase in the number of tournaments in just our first year, providing an estimated total visitor spending of nearly $56 million to our local businesses. Already in 2025, we have hosted seven new college softball tournaments in Branson with over 100 teams from 12 different states.
“We have also just launched the grand opening of our City Campground expansion project. With this $2 million investment, we have created 31 new spaces that will deliver a top-notch camping experience for visitors and create revenue for our Parks Department to invest in other projects around the city.
“Parks are the heart of a community, providing families a place to relax, play and connect with nature. Whether it’s enhancing playgrounds, improving walking trials, or adding new recreational features, we showed we are committed to making sure Branson’s outdoor spaces continue to thrive with an additional investment of $300,000 in the 2025 budget.”
Senior Community Center: “We’ve made it a priority to invest in our senior community center to modernize and offer a more welcoming place for our senior citizens and community members. Since 2022, we’ve taken the lead in investing over $200,000 to remodel the inside and make needed upgrades to the center to continue to support this treasured facility.
“These investments are not just about maintaining what we have, they are about ensuring that our infrastructure keeps pace with our city’s growth and supports our future success. Thank you to Director Cindy Shook for your decades of commitment and betterment to our community.”
America’s Most Patriotic City to Have Monumental 250th Birthday Celebration: “In 2026, our country will celebrate 250 years of independence—a monumental milestone that gives us an opportunity to reflect on our history, our values and our shared future. Here in Branson, we will lead the way in celebrating this great nation... Over the next year, we will prepare for what will be the greatest celebration in our city’s history... We recognize our local heroes and will showcase to America...that Branson IS the most Patriotic City in America!”
What Branson Stands For: “Your elected officials and your City Hall are raised on four (4) pillars: Faith, Family, Flag and Fun. We live by these every day. We have long been a city that champions patriotism and respect—a place where we honor those who have served, where the National Anthem is sung with pride, and where the American flag is never just a decoration but a symbol of freedom and sacrifice.”
What kind of city do we want to leave for our next generation? “I believe the answer is clear, we want to leave behind a Branson that is even stronger, more prosperous, and more united than ever before...We have an incredible opportunity to come together and lead with vision, to embrace opportunity, and to build a future that honors our past – all while welcoming the unlimited promise of tomorrow. Each of us has a role to play in shaping that future, whether as a business owner, a community leader, or simply as a good neighbor. Branson is more than just a city, it is a community of dreamers and believers...a place where people come not just to visit, but to belong. And if we continue to partner, dream big and stay true to our values, there is no limit to what we can achieve together.”
Mayor’s Challenge: “Tonight, I leave you with this challenge: let’s keep moving forward, let’s keep working together, and let’s make sure that the Branson we leave behind is even greater than the one we have today.”
In closing, the mayor said, “As your mayor, tonight, I stand before you with confidence in our future to say, ‘The state of our great city is stronger than ever before and only getting stronger!’”