Arlington Mayor Dr. Robert Cluck

September 14, 2006
FY 2007 Operating Budget for the City of Arlington

On September 14, the City Council approved the FY 2007 Operating Budget for the City of Arlington. The second public hearing on the tax rate and the budget was held September 19.

This budget was developed around priorities identified by the community. We considered the information provided in the 2007 Citizen Survey as well as input received throughout the year in town hall and City Council meetings. In June, the top ten priorities were identified, and we based our funding decisions about this year’s budget on them. The priorities are:

• Focusing on the recruitment and retention of front-line employees

• Being a City where people feel safe anywhere, all the time

• Increasing code enforcement/Neighborhood Revitalization

• Offering quality, cultural, learning, and leisure opportunities

• Having a vibrant downtown

• Restructuring the Planning and Zoning Commission to develop consensus and optimize development and redevelopment opportunities

• Participating actively in the global marketplace

• Focusing and moving forward on transportation solutions

• Finding innovative uses for City-owned property and property interests

• Implementing traffic calming measures

Because of growth in our revenue base, primarily increased sales tax receipts, the City is able to fund some new programs. In fact, each community priority has funds dedicated to improving our performance and will allow us to make significant progress in each area.

Some examples are:

Recruit and Retain the City’s Talented Workforce – The most important priority to the City Council this coming year was to properly compensate our employees. In recent lean years, the City has been unable to give its employees the necessary raises to make our pay plan competitive. Next year, we will be able to give an average raise of 5.75 percent. This means a significant raise for our police employees and firefighters. Our front-line employees, like street workers and parks employees, will also be eligible for raises that will allow them to keep up with the cost of living.

Arlington Is a City Where People Feel Safe Anywhere, All the Time – We were able to add 24 police officers during the last year and will add 29 officers next year. These additional officers are needed to help us address increased calls for service as well as traffic enforcement. Each year, citizens say that speeding on neighborhood streets is their primary neighborhood problem. We believe these officers will assist us slowing traffic in Arlington.

Four new firefighters will be added next year. Additionally, a fire management study will be completed this year that will recommend to us where we may need future staffing. The Fire Department will replace three fire engines to its fleet this year.

Increasing Code Compliance/Neighborhood Revitalization – The Community Services Department currently has 15 Code Enforcement Inspectors. Next year, we will add five Code Enforcement Inspectors to supplement our compliance efforts throughout the community.

Last year, the City was able to re-establish its neighborhood outreach efforts by adding a Neighborhood Coordinator. This position leads the City’s efforts to help get neighborhoods organized and keep informed about City services and programs. Another employee will be added over the next year to expand this outreach effort.

Offering Quality, Cultural, Learning, and Leisure Opportunities – The City will be opening its Southwest Branch Library this fall. This 11,000 square-foot facility will be located at 3311 SW Green Oaks Boulevard. We were able to restore library branch hours that had been eliminated in previous years.

Funding is also available in this year’s budget to maintain new and improved parks throughout the community.

Having a Vibrant Downtown – In the coming year, the Downtown Management Corp. that we started this summer will become operational. Maggie Campbell, who previously served as a downtown manager in Pasadena, CA, was hired as president and CEO for Arlington’s new management corporation. Significant development in this project is expected next year.

Restructure the Planning and Zoning Commission – The new director of our Development Services and Planning Department will report to the City Council this fall on how best to structure the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as the overall planning function at the City of Arlington.

Participating Actively in the Global Marketplace – An Office of International Protocol will be established. The City is partnering with the University of Texas at Arlington to establish a resource that will assist in providing the appropriate approach and direction to attracting and interacting with visitors throughout the world.

Moving Forward on Transportation Solutions – A transportation planner will be added to our new One Start Shop slated to open next year. This program is designed to expedite plans review and examination. The transportation planner will assist in street design.

In terms of our capital budget, we will be spending $20.2 million next year on the construction and maintenance of our transportation infrastructure.

Finding Innovative Uses of City-Owned Property – The development of the Harold Patterson Sports Facility is moving forward. We intend to partner with the private sector to develop this facility.
We will continue to look for revenue-generating opportunities besides taxes. Last year, we collected $12 million in bonus money for leasing our property to gas well operators. Providing natural gas leases on City-owned property is an example of the alternate revenue we will continue to seek.

Implement Traffic Calming Measures – In FY 2007, we will be encouraging residential developers to design new streets in a way that encourages traffic to slow down in our community. We will be providing incentives to developers who do traffic calming demonstration projects in various neighborhoods around town.

Conclusion

We are optimistic about our financial future. We were pleased to be able to address, with this budget, so many of the priorities that the community has identified.

I would like to thank the community for your input, the City Council for its hard work on the budget, and the City staff members for their efforts. This is a good budget that meets Arlington’s current needs and prepares us for a bright future.

Robert Cluck, MD
Mayor
City of Arlington