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Minutes TC 03/22/2010MINUTES FROM REGULAR SESSION TOWN COUNCIL MEETING FOR THE TOWN OF TROPHY CLUB LOCATION: 100 MUNICIPAL DRIVE, TROPHY CLUB, TEXAS Monday, March 22, 2010 7:00 PM Svore Municipal Building Boardroom STATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF DENTON § The Town Council of the Town of Trophy Club, Texas , met in a Regular Session on Monday, March 22, 2010. The meeting was held within the boundaries of the Town and was open to the public TOWN COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Connie White Mayor Glenn Strother Mayor Pro Tem Susan Edstrom Council Member Philip Sterling Council Member Bill Rose Council Member STAFF AND GUEST(S) PRESENT: Brandon Emmons Town Manager Stephen Seidel Assistant Town Manager Lisa Hennek Town Secretary Patricia Adams Town Attorney Scott Kniffen Police Chief Danny Thomas Fire Chief Linda Thoms Financial Analyst Mayor White announced the date of March 8, 2010, called to order and announced a quorum at 7:00 p.m. Trophy Club MUD No. 1 Joint President Dean Henry called to order and announced a quorum. Trophy Club MUD No . 1 Attendees : Joint President Dean Henry Joint President Jim Budarf Director Jim Hase Director Kevin Carr Director Steven Kohs Director Jim Thomas Director Gary Cantrell Invocation offered by Mayor Pro Tern Strother. Pledges led by Council member Sterling. CITIZEN PRESENTATIONS: No speakers addressed the Council REGULAR SESSION Town Council Minutes dated March 22 , 2010 1 Mayor White moved up Item 2 . 2. 2010-163-T Mayor White to present an annual state of the Town message, which shall include setting out needs and goals for the Town; discussion of same. Mayor White presented an annual state of the Town message. (See attached.) No action taken . 1. 2010-166-T Consider and take appropriate action regarding the SEMO report and/or the Intergovernmental Contract for Employee Services between the Town of Trophy Club and TCMUD1. Mayor White stated that the SEMO's proposal for Option 2 would be an option with less impact to the Town . White summarized Option 2 as a lease agreement between the Town and TCMUD1, where TCMUD1 will have total control over the current 100% TCMUD1 funded employees, they will have their own Finance person solely dedicated to TCMUD1 and will absorb HR with their current staff. Option 2 allows for TCMUD1 to contract for services for IT and allows the Town to continue processing payroll for all employees . Additionally , Option 2 will allow TCMUD1 employees to continue to receive Health Insurance and TMRS under the Town's Coverage. Mayor White stated that there is a Joint Session scheduled on Wednesday ; however hopes that a conclusion may be reached tonight. Council member Edstrom asked how this proposal differs from the current agreement and asked Mayor Pro Tem Strother or Council member Rose to provide an update from their meeting with the SEMO Committee. Mayor Pro Tem Strother explained that the contract for services was further defined at the meeting. TCMUD1 will have one Finance person (a point person) directly reporting to the TCMUD1 District Manager Robert Scott. A contract for services will be negotiated at an agreed amounUcost for additional services or expertise from the Town's Finance Department. Council member Rose added that there are minor details that still need to be worked out. Rose suggested an Administrative Agreement regarding the benefits that will be offered to TCMUD1 employees . The big picture is the final cost to the residents with the key impact of the benefit the residents are receiving from Solana. Town Manager Emmons stated the numbers provided do not include Fire/EMS as Fire/EMS is still undetermined . Emmons said that he presented an estimated cost of $18 ,000, which was negotiated at the off site meeting with the SEMO Committee, Mayor Pro Tem Strother and Council member Rose and will now be computed at an hourly rate . Under this scenario TCMUD1 will pay the Town 100% for IS, Emergency Administrative Assistant and Permitting , basically one half of what they are paying now . Council member Rose commented that part of the confusion resulted from when Town Manager Emmons and Mayor White met with a different group of TCMUD1 that he and Mayor Pro Tem Strother met with . Rose confirmed that TCMUD1 is not interested in an SLA and does not want to go into that much detail. Council member Edstrom questioned what support services the District Manager would have control over and would it be control or only input. Edstrom said that the SLA is not just a cost agreement but also a service which protects the Town, TCMUD1 and the employees . The SLA is necessary so that all are aware of the agreed expectations and will help alleviate issues that have occurred in the past. Edstrom is concerned about the entity control over support services where an employee has two bosses . Mayor White asked the Council if they could agree in principal and then negotiate the details Town Council Minutes dated March 22, 2010 2 Council member Edstrom questioned HR. TCMUD1 Director Hase explained that TCMUD1 would absorb HR with their existing employees as it is not a full-time job on the TCMUD1 side. The salary administration, disciplinary action, expertise would come from whomever TCMUD1 designate. Hase stated that TCMUD1 wants responsibility of Finance and HR outside of the Town and that there is an advantage to the Town residents if a support services contract can be negotiated. After their meeting with the Mayor and Town Manager the SEMO Committee went back and decided that there was benefit to having a Permit Clerk and EMS Secretary. Town Manager Emmons clarified that TCMUD1 would only provide HR to the 100% TCMUD1 funded employees. The Town would continue to provide HR to the shared employees, Fire/EMS and the 100% funded Town employees. TCMUD1 is proposing to handle Finance with the current employees they have and would like the Town to consider an hourly contract price for help they may need from Finance Director Kathy DuBose regarding the audit and other financial problems should they come up. TCMUD1 Director Carr stated that the consultant services needed from the Finance Director would be scheduled based on Kathy DuBose's availability; therefore the TCMUD1 prefers an hourly rate as opposed to a flat fee Mayor Pro Tem Strother stated that the one point all (Town and TCMUD1) can agreed on, is that the operations of the Town and TCMUD1 are very intertwined and therefore it is in everyone's best interest to work together. TCMUD1 Joint President Henry stated that the details need to be worked out soon as there are only six months remaining to complete this transition. Council member Edstrom cautioned that the personnel policies need to be administered equally from entity to entity as all employees, regardless of funding are in essence family. Council member Sterling thanked the group for the discussion as he was not privy to the other discussions with the SEMO Committee. TCMUD1 Director Carr clarified that the MUD employees are not paid out of the tax rate. This is the same thing that occurs in private sector, when a company loses a contract, they have to streamline and possibly cut positions in order to create efficiencies. Both entities need IT for the servers and licenses and neither need to incur that additional expense Town Manager Emmons clarified under this option there is will be one employee from the Finance who will be shifted into TCMUD1 and five employees, three from Finance, the HR Coordinator and the Town Secretary/HR Manager will become 100% Town funded. TCMUD1 Jim Hase stated that if the Town Manager is concerned that TCMUD1 may come back next year and decide that they will not fund the Permit Official or the Finance employee, they are happy to sign a ten year contract for Administrative Services. Council member Rose questioned how the HR policies will be enforced and how the insurance benefits will be represented with two different HR Departments. Town Manager Emmons said that the policies will need to rewritten to reflect the new agreement. There are issues and details regarding the Town Personnel Policy and insurance benefits that need to be vetted out regarding the 100% TCMUD1 funded employees as it relates to potential liabilities to the Town. Town Attorney Adams said that she needs to understand the business points in order to draft a document. Motion made by Edstrom, seconded by Rose moving Council consensus with option 2, as outlined in the SEMO memo included in the packet, with the separation of TCMUD1 operational employees and one Finance employee to be moved to the TCMUD1 side, will work on the points as it relates to the HR Town Council Minutes dated March 22, 2010 3 function, including but not limited to rewriting support materials and guidelines under which both sets of employees will operate, that we will continue with joint health insuranceITMRS for all employees, Fire/EMS will remain under the Town's prevue, the Town will provide a contract for services for IT, Administrative functions and Finance will be contracted as needed at an hourly rate . TCMUD1 and Council agreed to meet again as the SEMO Committee and two Council members in order to work out the finite details. Council requested updates regarding the discussions/negotiations from the meetings. Motion passed unanimously without further discussion. Mayor White cancelled the Joint Session scheduled for Wednesday, March 24, 2010. 3. 2010-165-T Police Chief Kniffen to provide an update regarding the Bike Safety Day conducted by the Trophy Club Police Department's Bike Patrol at Lakeview Elementary School on March 8,2010; discussion of same. The Trophy Club Police Department's School Resource Officer and Bike Patrol conducted a Bike Safety Day at Lakeview Elementary School March 8, 2010. School Resource Officer Keith Burris, along with Bike Patrol Officers Jeff Rocha and Kyle Meeks taught the students proper bike safety procedures, proper hand signals and showed them various safety equipment every bicycle should have . A total of 317 students from Kindergarten through 41h grade attended the event during their physical education period. The students were shown various scenarios where hand signals were needed as well as what to do when a bicyclist approached an intersection. After the scenarios the students were asked to demonstrate their knowledge at various set up practical stages. Part of the instruction that was taught were the ABCs of bike safety ; check the bike for proper tire inflation, making sure the brakes were in proper working order and correct chain tension. After the students demonstrated their knowledge of the rules, hand signals and the ABCs, the officers handed out multi-colored reflective stickers for the kids' bicycles and helmets . Officer Burris stated he felt the day was a success and is looking forward to the next event which is scheduled for 3:00PM May 21, 2010 at Beck Elementary School in Trophy Club. 4. 2010-149-T Consider and take appropriate action regarding financial and variance report dated: a. February 2010. Town Manager Emmons introduced Linda Thoms, Financial Analyst , standing in for Finance Director Kathy DuBose . February 2010 monthly financial report is presented in a format that provides the comparison of monthly and year to date actual amounts to the current fiscal year budget. The accompanying variance report provides an explanation of actual fiscal year to date revenues and departmental expenditures which vary more than 10% from the percent of the fiscal year lapsed Total expenditure is 35 .5%; the majority of the expenditures come in during the summer months Mayor Pro Tem Strother commented that the nation-wide sales tax is down and asked Town Manager Emmons if he sees this as a substantial impact. Town Manager Emmons explained that the Town will be in the arears with the reporting system, still a bit low, but better than it appears in this report and that the Franchise fees will be alright. Motion made by Strother, seconded by Rose to approve the financial and variance report dated February 2010 Town Council Minutes dated March 22,2010 4 Motion passed unanimously without further discussion. 5. 2010-152-T Receive and consider the recommendations of the 2009 Volunteer Citizen of the Year Committee and take appropriate action as necessary. Bob Downey, 531 Indian Creek Drive -Explained that very few nominations were received. The Committee would like to start the process earlier next year and will encourage the Town Boards, Schools and Churches to participate as there are a lot of worthy recipients who do not get recognized. Mr. Downey requested that the Council consider changing the Adult categories of Civic and Philanthropic back to one category. Mayor White announced the following recommendations Philanthropic Category -Deandra Pugh Civic Category -Larry Lentzner Teenage Category -Brittney Fluty Recipients will be honored at the April 12, 2010 Town Council meeting. Motion made by Edstrom, seconded by Strother to accept the Citizen of the Year Committee's recommendation. Council member Sterling thinks merging the Adult categories is better. The Council will discuss the revisions to the process at a later date. Motion passed unanimously without any discussion. 6. 2010-136-T Consider and take appropriate action regarding a request from TCMUD1 for a temporary use to place an Arch Building and Mobile Home on the South Parking Lot of the Trophy Club Country Club for a period not to exceed eighteen months. Town Manger Emmons advised that this request will allow the Country Club a Special Use Permit to place an arch building and mobile home on the south parking lot. Fire Chief Thomas stated that the tent will house the equipment and the staff will stay in a module home. The tent is not heated, which should not be a problem considering it is spring. There will be electricity in the tent. Council member Edstrom confirmed the location as where the Fourth of July celebration is staged, which will require changing the parade route. Mayor Pro Tem Strother confirmed the fire egress is the County Club's main entrance. Town Attorney Adams stated that the Council is approving the Special Use Permit only; it is up to the County Club to work out the details. Motion made by Edstrom, seconded by Sterling to approve a request from TCMUD1 for a temporary use permit to place an Arch Building and Mobile Home on the South Parking Lot of the Trophy Club Country Club for a period not to exceed eighteen months. Motion passed unanimously without further discussion 7. 2010-153-T Consider and take appropriate action scheduling quarterly Special/Joint Sessions with Trophy Club MUD No.1 and the Town Council. Town Council Minutes dated March 22, 2010 5 At their March 8, 200 meeting, Council asked staff to bring back a calendar of room availability in order to schedule quarterly meetings . The calendar was included in the packet Mayor White stated that the calendar included in the packet still included meeting dates for TCMUD2 and Master District. The Council decided that the first quarterly Special/Joint Session should occur on Thursday, April 22 at 6 :00 or 700 p.m. 8. 2010-161-T Consider and take appropriate action to enter into an agreement with Jacobs Engineering for additional engineering services in connection with Trophy Club Master Improvements Phase II. The purpose of this item is to contract with Jacobs Engineering for additional services associated with Trophy Club Master Improvements Phase II . TC Master Improvements Phase II was completed in mid­ 2009 . After completion , several construction deficiencies were identified and the Maintenance Bond holder (Traveler's) was notified . The Contractor that performed the work is no longer in business and a replacement contractor will be required . The engineering review and assessment will help determine the scope of the repairs needed as we move forward to have all of the deficiencies corrected . Town Attorney Adams said this is still open for two years from the date of bond acceptance . Town Manager Emmons added that notice was made to the bonding company several months ago and substantial completion was March of 2009 . Motion made by Strother, seconded by Edstrom to enter in an agreement with Jacobs Engineering for additional engineering services in connection with Trophy Club Master Improvements Phase II , not to exceed $4,500. Motion passed unanimously without further discussion. 9. 2010-156-T Town Manager's Update regarding the creation of a Code of Conduct/Ethics and the establishment of an Ethics Commission and the Bids for the OverhilllTimberidge Drainage Project; and discussion of the same. Town Manager Emmons said that the Ethics Ordinance is being reviewed by Town Attorney Adams and that there have been a series of meetings regarding the OverhililTimberidge Drainage Project. Teague , Nail & Perkins (TNP) created the bid which was scheduled to be opened Monday, March 15, however only one bid was received . TNP made an addendum to extend the bid until this week in order to try and generate more bids . Update only , no action . 10. 2010-157-T Update from Council Member Rose regarding the March 16, 2010 TCMUD1 Meeting; discussion of same. Council member reported on the following -Bond issuance -Joint-General Election Agreement amendment -Action regarding SEMO Committee meetings -Employment Contracts/Agreements Update only, no action . Town Council Minutes dated March 22, 2010 6 11. 2010-158-T Mayor and Council Updates regarding training opportunities, educational sessions, and regional meetings; discussion of same. l\IIayor White provided a brief update on her attendance at the following meetings and events: -Northwest Community Partnership -25th Town Anniversary Planning Committee -Census Information -Metroport 12. 2010-155-T Items for future Agenda. No changes. Council convened into Executive Session at 9:33 p.m. 13. 2010-159-T Council to convene into executive session pursuant to Texas Government Code, Annotated, Subchapter 551, Section 551.074(a) "Personnel Matters, to discuss the appOintment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee: (1) the annual evaluation of Town Manager, Brandon Emmons; (2) continued employment/services of Town Manager Emmons; (3) Potential search for new Town Manager; and (4) Potential appointment of Interim Town Manager. Council reconvened into Regular Session at 11 :03 p.m. 14. 2010-162-T Consider and take appropriate action regarding the Executive Session Item. Motion made by Edstrom , seconded by Sterling to accept the resignation of Town Manger Emmons effective April 23 , 2010 and per the Charter , Acting Town Manager Stephen Seidel will continue as such until a full-time Town Manager is hired Motion passed unanimously without further discussion . ADJOURN Motion to adjourn made by Sterling, seconded by Edstrom. Meeting adjourned at 1104 pm . Lisa Hennek, Town ecretary A:onnie White , Mayor Town of Trophy Club , Texas Town of Trophy Club, Texas Town Council Minutes dated March 22, 2010 7 State of the Town Trophy Club, March 22, 2010 Good Evening Everyone. It is my honor and privilege to be your Mayor and to deliver this first State of the Town Address. Our citizens voted last year on many charter changes, two of which state that the Council is to develop Goals and Strategies by the end of January and that the Mayor is to give a State of the Town Address which shall include setting out needs and goals. The Goals and Strategies were developed and will be an integral part of my presentation. First, however, I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank my fellow City Council members for their dedication and commitment to our Community. Mayor Pro Tem Glen Strother, Councilwoman Susan Edstrom, Councilman Philip Sterling, Councilman Bill Rose. Councilwoman Kathleen Wilson recently resigned from the Council due to an anticipated move, but it is important that we recognize her as well for her integral role, particularly in the development of our Goals and Strategies. As a team, we have come together with different ideas, different beliefs and different points of view. This has not always made for the easiest discussion, but it is certainly lively and allows us to evaluate any issue 'thoroughly' from multiple perspectives allowing us to make informed decisions in the best interest of the community. As you know, Trophy Club has a Council-Manager form of government. This requires a strong, professional City Manager and competent, committed staff. We have that in Brandon Emmons. He has built a strong staff of individuals who are committed to what is best for Trophy Club and give their all to that end. I am very appreciative of Brandon and the employees and their efforts to make a difference in our town each and every day. I would like now to provide a brief recap of some of the highlights of the past year Finance: Turnover in the Finance Department presented a number of challenges, however just one year ago we hired a new Director of Finance - Kathy DuBose. Kathy and her staff have done an outstanding job of getting things back on track and we had a very smooth audit for the fiscal year 2008-2009. The following illustrates some of the financial highlights. The Year End General Fund Balance was $2 million, reflecting an increase of $140K. This General Fund Balance is 37% of expenditures, a figure which should be a significant asset when we apply for bond rating in the next few months. Year end revenues were under budget by $230,000, resulting from shortfalls in Licensing and Permits, Sales taxes and Investment income. (Higher but partially offset by increase in ad valorem taxes and fines) Year end expenses were under budget by $476,000, resulting from salary, supply and equipment savings in all departments, along with some savings in engineering based on reduced permits. This is a message we all can appreciate. While our revenues were lower than planned, we were able to carefully monitor and reduce expenses to more than compensate for the shortfall. As a result, we were able to offset a capital expense on streets for $105,000 and add $140K to General Fund Balance with only minimal impact to operations. Residential Growth was a very positive factor in the past year and continues to be so this year, irrespective of the market downturn. 193 homes were permitted in the last fiscal year, with a value of 64.1 million. In the first 5 months of this year, there have been 98 permits with a value of 42.6 million. At this rate, we should see more than 200 homes this year. While this is exciting and hopefully will continue for some time, we must be cautious and recognize that new growth brings new expenses as well. We cannot rely on the 'bubble' of new permitting revenues to offset those long term expenses. Parks have been at the forefront for much of this year. Improvements were made at Harmony Park with the addition of an 85-space parking lot and expanded restroom facility. Designs have been underway for two new parks and citizens voiced their support and brought forward a bond proposal to enable the building of new baseball fields, a splash park, a dog park and more. Based on the approval of that bond issue - pretty amazing in tight times, but indicative of the support our citizens have for this community - we are moving forward and have already begun construction of the Splash Park with the goal to have it open for the July 4th weekend. (Not sure what things like snow in March could do to that, but we are planning for that opening). A strong school district is a must for attracting and keeping residents in a community. We certainly have that in NISD. The three existing schools in Trophy Club; Lakeview, Samuel Beck and Medlin Middle School are all designated as Exemplary! Last August Byron Nelson High School opened to 9th and 10th graders with a plan to expand to 11th grade this coming year and 12th grade the next. This state of the art, energy efficient building houses a group of students and staff who are nothing short of amazing. I don't know how many fully realized the positive impact of having a high school right in our town. I know I have been very pleasantly surprised at the excitement generated and the involvement the school has already had in our community. With the construction of Byron Nelson High School, it became imperative to provide accessibility and thus Bobcat Boulevard was designed as a joint project with Denton County, NISD, Roanoke, Trophy Club and Centurion-American. Trophy Club Town Manager Brandon Emmons managed the project and we are proud to say it was an excellent example of working together and it came in under budget and on schedule. Construction is now proceeding on the 377 connection which should be complete in May. I must warn you, however, the state has still not authorized a traffic light at that intersection. They do not see the demand - I believe they will very shortly! Community Events and programs is another area where we have made great strides this year. We added two new events, an Easter Egg Hunt and the PetFest. Both of which were very popular and our Easter Egg Hunt this coming Saturday will be even better! Other events were enhanced or expanded, Fourth of July saw the largest parade in some time - and Byron Nelson students participated before the school was even open! The Christmas Tree Lighting included a parade for the first time which was wonderful and very well attended even though it was freezing! The Summer Adventure Camp has been very popular and made a profit for the first time last summer. The schedule published for the coming season makes me wish my children were young again and could have that opportunity! While it is fun to look at growth and events, we must also keep in mind our Public Safety Services. On the recent Customer Satisfaction Survey, (a new initiative implemented this year) Public Safety received the highest Satisfaction ratings with 89% Satisfied. (Note Streets Maintenance and Medians were right behind them with 87%!) Our Public Safety personnel, which include Police/Fire and EMS are some of the best. I am proud of the proactive efforts they have made to ensure the safety and security of our town, including expanded citizen involvement, proactive investigation and enforcement, additional training - particularly in the area of Emergency Management and much more. Now I would like to talk for a moment about an issue that I feel is very important for all citizens to understand. While we all recognize Trophy Club is a Great Place to Call Home, we need to understand a bit more of what that means and what it does not mean. I would like to point out some of the things that do make us different in the sense of presenting some challenges; how we address those challenges will be discussed as we review the strategies and goals. Trophy Club is a great place to live, but not necessarily to work. Meaning that we are not Westlake with huge corporate offices or Grapevine with the airport and other major employers. Trophy Club is a great place to live, but not necessarily to shop and even eat out! Meaning that we are not Roanoke with its big box stores and unique restaurants, or Southlake with the ultimate in local shopping or Highland Village with even more stores! My point here is that we need to recognize what we are and what our limitations are. We must recognize that we do not have huge commercial values or major sales tax to offset the cost of the things we want and need in our community. For example, our sales tax is around $500K, while Westlake's is 3.4 million, Roanoke 4 million. And both of those have fewer residents. Our residential tax represents about 1/3 of our total budget, while Roanoke's is 2%! More importantly, we must realize that we will never be like those cities. We do not have the property for large corporate facilities and what commercial property we do have is very limited. We must be careful to make the most of the remaining property and maximize its value both in the near and long term, we must recognize that we must always be alert for other revenue opportunities, and we must be very prudent in our spending for services in our town. Over the last few months the Council has met several times in workshops to address just these issues and develop our goals and strategies for Trophy Club. Now I would like to share with you what we have defined and how I believe we can proceed and succeed. Of course we started with the Vision - A Great Place to Call Home - we debated, but came to the conclusion that this does really represent our Vision. The next step was to develop a Mission Statement: Accomplish the Vision through dedicated innovative leadership, while providing superior municipal services and facilities in a highly effective, efficient manner. Pretty much says what we need to do! Following the Mission we identified basic priorities, we termed them legacy priorities. Whatever we choose to do should fall within these areas. Town Council's Legacy Priorities  Safe and Secure  Friendly, Responsive  Clean, Well Kept  Healthy and Vibrant  Sustainable Economic Development and Strong Financial Health Finally we come to the Goals and Objectives. I say finally, but really the most important thing is that these are our STARTING POINT. It is one thing to define goals and objectives; it is another to put them into play. While the Charter directed us to define these for the upcoming budget year, we all felt they applied right now! The specific Action Plans that staff and council will develop in the next few months will help us to define the parameters for the budget cycle. Meanwhile, we are looking at all that we currently do in light of these goals and objectives. You may have noticed the notations on our agenda packages identifying which goals each item addresses. One note, I was at a State Sponsored Training Program in Austin last December. It encompassed two full days of different state departments providing information and guidelines for working together in the Emergency Management Arena. While it was an incredibly valuable class, the thing that really stuck out for me was that every different department that spoke with us defined their role in the overall context of the Mission of Emergency Services. They had a leader who had truly conveyed the Mission and it showed in all they did. I truly saw the power of a clearly defined direction. Now on to our objectives: Goal #1 Safe and Secure Community  Maintain Trophy Club's low crime rate  Increase positive visibility through community policing initiatives  Provide superior Emergency Services  Increase citizen involvement Community Policing Initiatives refer to how the police relate to community. The recent bicycle safety program conducted at Lakeview Elementary is a good example. Superior Emergency Services addresses all parts of Public Safety, and our Fire/EMS and Police work together closely for example by training in and implementing Incident Management Processes. This past year has shown us the importance of this coordination and we all worked through the impact of a tornado, ice, snow, floods, fire. In the future, we hope to do additional emergency management training through the use of planned exercises. Citizen Involvement is important in this area as with many others. Recent classes of Citizens Fire Academy and the upcoming class of Citizens Police Academy helps to train individuals to provide the needed support for our personnel. Goal #2 Business Friendly Community  Provide environment to retain/develop existing businesses  Promote new commercial opportunities  Create effective working relationships with developers and businesses We need to work to define what we can do to help retain and grow existing businesses. This is important not only for those businesses, but to establish a healthy environment for attracting new businesses. We must work with our EDC Board to promote new commercial opportunities. In reference to effective working relationships, Public/Private Partnerships are the direction of the future, we must teach ourselves how to work in this environment and develop those opportunities. The Trophy Club Country Club also has a goal to improve community involvement so we see this as a step in the right direction. Goal #3 Community with shared vision  Forge collaborative relationships with other governmental and public entities  Create a positive regional identity Collaborative relationships are most important in our town due to the dual government entities. We must continue to find ways to work together with the Municipal Utility District and provide the best value for our residents. We have also begun to work with other entities in town such as the Trophy Club Women's Club who is working with us on the 25th Anniversary and other areas. Likewise we are providing meeting space for their Board Meetings. Creating a positive regional identity is important as we are a small city and do not have enough influence on our own to effect meaningful changes in the area. We have been and must continue to work together with other communities to develop solutions to larger issues such as transportation, air quality and others. While we might not immediately recognize the value of these broader issues, we are for example a 'bedroom community' and the ability to travel easily to places of work is critical, thus the need to support transportation initiatives. Without these efforts we might not be seeing the support for the 114 to 170 interchange which is planned to begin at the end of this year. Goal 4: Picturesque Town  Maintain neat and tidy appearance  Improve property maintenance standards  Be recognized for our aesthetics The appearance of our town is part of what defines us and makes us both proud of our home and attractive to buyers. One potential action plan here might be to create a Beautification Committee. Many towns have this and they provide significant support. Maintaining the town the way we would most like can be quite expensive so we need to involve our residents as much as possible. Goal 5: A Community in which the infrastructure supports its residents.  Develop a realistic Capital Improvement Plan  Build a premier parks system  Attract visitors to park destinations  Provide necessary resources to maintain all improvements, new and existing We have a Capital Improvement Plan but the thing is to adequately fund it, not easy but very important. That is what we started with the slight addition in tax rate for this year. With the recent bond issue and the PID funds, we are well on the way to significant park development. Athletic fields provide a venue for both home and visiting teams. The Splash Park will be unique in the area and will definitely be an attraction. Trophy Club Park already brings outside visitors and with future development, hopefully even more. While we wish to develop these amenities for our own residents, attracting outsiders is needed to bring additional revenue into our town. Maintaining all these facilities is not inexpensive and that revenue can help. Goal 6: A vibrant, inclusive community with involved, caring residents.  Provide superior customer services  Foster a well-informed community  Promote and support active lifestyle  Develop expanded community involvement opportunities  Expand recreational opportunities for all ages This goal is the one most near and dear to me. It represents the essence of what I feel about this community. Fostering communication is a critical part and one where I wish to place particular focus. While I know we needed to cut costs last year, I think completely cutting out the publication of the Town Newsletter from the newspaper or utility bill insert was a mistake. We have a lot of people using the list serve, and receiving weekly updates, but even that is only about 20% of households. We must find ways to communicate directly with all of our residents, even if it is on a less-frequent basis. For the first time this year Trophy Club is participating in the Governor's Fit Cities Challenge. In support of this program, I have instituted "Walk and Talk with the Mayor," posting the times and locations I will be walking and inviting residents to join me. Besides the fitness aspect, it also provides more access for anyone wishing to ask questions or offer opinions. I hope you will take the opportunity to join me. As I mentioned earlier, our resources and revenue opportunities are quite limited. At the same time, we have a unique resource in our residents. We need to capitalize on that resource and develop expanded opportunities for involvement. We are doing that now with the 25-Year Anniversary Committee and Americans Supporting Americans and I plan to propose several other committees, e.g. Library, Trails, Beautification, Public Relations. I know there are residents out there who have a passion about each of these areas and what better way to move forward? Goal #7: Environmentally Sound Community  Initiate Going Green Programs  Promote recycling  Evaluate environmental health  Promote environmentally conscious building standards  Develop long term plan for addressing drainage study results Developing suggestions for improving sustainability and initiating Going Green Programs is another opportunity for community involvement and I hope to initiate a task force to take on this issue. This year's budget contains the funding for an extensive drainage study, drainage and flooding being an issue that has plagued Trophy Club since inception. We are also working on grant applications to help and once the study is complete, a long term plan for addressing the results will help us decide which next steps will be most beneficial. Goal #8: Economically diverse, prosperous community  Enact progressive economic initiatives  Investigate Progressive Zoning Concept As I have previously noted, careful economic development is important to our future and we have limited space to offer. We need to develop clear guidelines and concepts so businesses looking to Trophy Club will know what to expect and what may be welcome, before they invest significant funds in plans that may or may not be accepted. This provides a more business friendly environment and hopefully will encourage investment in our town. These are the goals and strategies the Council has developed, along with some ideas of how we are working in these directions even now. Within the near future we will be working together with staff to develop specific Action Plans based on these strategies, for incorporation into the next year's budget. As we close today, I want to challenge you, our citizens, to stay involved in your city. Take the time to understand what is happening and voice your opinion! Be a part of creating our future. I would also like to thank the many citizens who have already contributed to our success. - Whether you serve on an advisory board or committee, help out at events, attend public meetings/or watch them, or just call or email with an issue or an idea - you are all a part of what makes our community great. Again, I am honored to serve as your Mayor. I have learned a lot, probably made some mistakes, but always performed with integrity and with my total commitment to the citizens of Trophy Club. Thank you, Mayor Connie White