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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAnnual_Report 2005 to 2006PP LANSLANS FORFOR 20062006 CCITYITY CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AADMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION The City Council looks forward to 2006 and continuing to meet the needs of University Park citizens. The first phase of City Hall renovation began last year and, although the third and final phase of construction will not be complete until 2008, Council and staff will continue to ensure that the actual construction process impacts surrounding streets and Goar Park as little as possible. Northwest Parkway Screening Wall plans continue and construction is expected to begin late 2006. The wall will run along Northwest Parkway from Airline to Turtle Creek Blvd. The City Council and Administration will also continue to work on the Strategic Goals developed during a Council and Staff retreat in 2004. Another retreat is planned for late 2006 to further enhance these goals. Council and staff are pleased with the progress that has been made on the development of a Master Plan for Snider Plaza and anticipate that a plan will be adopted by mid-2006. In addition, the City will continue to strive for high levels of service delivery and will use the results of the recent Citizen Survey to identify additional areas of improvement. FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Finance Department looks forward to a successful year. Goals for 2006 include: placement of monthly financial reports on the City Web site; continued active management of City expenditures, revenues, and capital projects; identification of additional revenue recovery methods, such as a mixed beverage tax and outstanding ticket collection; and production of an enhanced budget document. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT In 2006, the Park Department will again implement an aggressive park improvement project program. The Department is in the process of complet- ing conceptual designs for the corner parks located at Hillcrest and Lovers Lane, the Caruth Park botanical beds, and a citywide secondary street entrance marker program. Other major projects will include assistance with the design and installation of the Northwest Parkway Screening Wall, a revised Park Master Plan for Coffee, Smith and Germany Parks, Goar Park/City Hall landscape construction design, expansion of the "Trees for Town" Program, and many exciting pool programming events including "Dive-In Movies," birthday party rentals and the introduction of an adult swim program. HHUMANUMAN RRESOURCESESOURCES DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Atop priority for the Human Resource Department in 2006 will be the implementation of 3-1-1, a 24-hour-a-day system to handle non-emergency calls for service. Prior to kick-off, an aggressive media campaign will be launched with assistance from the Community Information Officer. PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Per accreditation requirements, the Police Department devises new goals and objectives for each Fiscal Year. For fiscal year 2005-2006, the Department has eight specific goals. These goals include reducing the number of Animal Control calls, false alarms calls, burglary of motor vehi- cle offenses and motor vehicle accidents by 5%. An ongoing effort and goal of the Department is to reduce the incidence of underage drinking by taking a more aggressive stance in enforcement action and coordination with SMU. By stepping up enforcement efforts during specific holiday periods, the Department will also focus on increasing DWI enforcement efforts by 10%. IINFORMANFORMATIONTION SSERERVICESVICES The Information Services focus for 2006 will be directed in three primary areas: generating efficiency through improving the network infrastruc- ture, enhancing the City's Web site, and developing the transition process for employees and equipment related to City Hall renovation. The City's Web site will undergo a home page redesign to improve access to featured information, online services, and major projects. Watch for these Web site changes in early 2006. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Fire Department will conduct meetings with internal and external customers to develop a Strategic Plan for the future of the Department. The Plan will provide a map for the Mayor and City Council to define the level of service desired for the citizens of University Park. The Strategic Plan is the building block for the Department to become accredited with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The Department also plans to upgrade the City's outdoor warning system to include omni-directional warning sirens, and state-of-the-art computerized software to assist Fire/Police Dispatchers in use of the system. PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS The following capital improvement Public Works projects are planned for 2006: • Continued City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements • Construction of an alternate Emergency Operations/Dispatch Center • Installation of traffic signal improvements including video detection equipment, UPS equipment and interconnection of individual signals to master controllers. • Turtle Creek Boulevard and Baltimore Drive water and sanitary sewer replacement • Asphalt pavement in-place recycling • Curb and gutter replacement • Mile-Per-Year-Program, 4100-4300 blocks of Stanhope/Shenandoah alleys (utility and alley replacement) Area bounded by Normandy/Binkley/Key and Hillcrest (utility and alley replacement) • Design of Germany Park booster pump station replacement • Northwest Parkway Screening Wall AA WORDWORD FROMFROM THETHE MMAAYORYOR As Mayor of the City of University Park, I am pleased to present the 2005-2006 Annual Report. This document is designed to provide you with details on the accom- plishments, goals and activities of the City over the past year. It also provides the City with an opportunity to inform you of upcoming projects and objectives. 2005 was a busy and exciting year for the City. One of the most anticipated projects in recent years, the City Hall Renovation Project, began this past summer with the construction of a concrete box culvert just west of City Hall. This is the first of three phases in this three-year project. While the distinctive Colonial Williamsburg-style of City Hall will remain, the project will provide much needed space for our Fire and Police Departments and a technological "face-lift" for the City’s Council Chambers. Goar Park will also undergo a rebirth with the addition of a creek and fountain near the gazebo and more trees to enhance the beauty of that landmark. In the past year, the City Council and staff have made significant strides on the six strategic goals adopted by the City Council in 2004. One of those goals was to enhance commercial vitality by redeveloping commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and the Miracle Mile. Early last year, the City began the process of developing a Master Plan for Snider Plaza in conjunction with Townscape, Inc., a leading land use and urban design firm. The City also made great progress on other strategic goals. In striving to be more proactive with community outreach, the City hired a Community Information Officer. Additional content in The Arbor, the City's monthly newsletter, and the redesign of the City's Web site, a project that is currently underway, are both examples of this push. In an effort to better understand the expectations of residents regarding City services, last October, the City conducted its first Citizen Survey since 1992. Afinal report on the survey's findings was presented to the Council in January. Nearly 1,400 residents completed the questionnaire and 96 percent of those participat- ing gave the City a "very satisfied" or "satisfied" rating for overall service. In closing, I'd like to salute the ongoing efforts of City staff and acknowledge all those residents who are so willing to provide us with their time and talents as we continue to build on the City's continuing commitment to excellence. I would also like to thank my Council colleagues for their vote last September committing $100,000 in City funds to help pay for temporary housing for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina. Sincerely, James H. “Blackie” Holmes, III Mayor UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY PPARKARK ANNUALANNUAL REPORREPORTT 2005-20062005-2006 “C“COMMITTEDOMMITTED TTOO EXCELLENCEEXCELLENCE”” PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT AChild is Missing The University Park Police Department joined forces with A Child Is Missing (ACIM), a national nonprofit organization that helps search for missing people. ACIM is designed to supple- ment the National Amber Alert Network. The system uses a recorded telephone message and high-speed Internet lines to send information to area homes and businesses about such searches. Police Department Survey conducted Residents responded to a police department survey that is con- ducted every three years. 93% of responding residents ranked the Department's overall performance as "exceptional" or "above average." When asked to grade their sense of safety and securi- ty, 91% of the residents responded with an exceptional or above average rating. National Night Out On August 2, 2005, the community joined forces with the Department for "National Night Out." Activities at Curtis Park included free swimming, a live DJ and refreshments. Residents gathered to learn more about the Department and various crime prevention techniques. America's Most Wanted America's Most Wanted featured a re-enactment of the March 15, 2005 shooting that occurred at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. The homi- cide suspect was captured in January 2006. Direct Alarm Two homes sustained minimal fire damage, thanks in part to the Direct Alarm monitoring program. With Direct Alarm service, the police department's dispatch center receives alarm signals directly, rather than through a third party, and that means a faster response for homes and businesses throughout the city. Since the program began in 1999, more than 1,700 homes and businesses have signed up for Direct Alarm coverage. Police Department fundraisers The Department's "Hope for the Holidays" Drive collected toys and clothing for the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Over $6,000 in toys and clothes were collected. The Department also donated $1,000 to "Badge to Badge," a program to provide items for police officers who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Building Inspection The Building Inspection Division welcomed the addition of Harry Persaud as the City's new Community Development Manager. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Persaud served the City of The Colony for eight years as Planning and Development Director. Residential home construction continued to dominate the Division's time and energy. In 2005, University Park issued 126 new single family building permits, totaling over $124 million in construction value. Overall, the City issued nearly 2,800 permits and collected over $2 million in permit fees. Additional Building Inspection activities include code enforcement and staff support for the Planning & Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Urban Design & Development Advisory Committee, and the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee. Engineering Division The Engineering Division is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of all capital projects. In 2005, the City oversaw the completion of several projects, including the recon- struction of Lovers Lane four months ahead of schedule. The Engineering Division has also overseen the beginning stages of the City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements. Construction of the triple box culvert in Turtle Creek com- menced in July 2005, with additional construction slated throughout 2006. Other capital projects completed in 2005 include: • 5.6 miles of in-place recycling (street repaving) • 14,096 LF of curb and gutter • 3,892 LF of water mains or lines • 3,945 LF of sanitary sewer lines • 2,508 LF storm sewer lines CONTCONTACTACT USUS Main Number: 214-363-1644 City of University Park City Hall 3800 University Blvd. University Park, TX 75205 Public Works and Park Dept. Peek Service Center 4420 Worcola Street Dallas, TX 75206 www.uptexas.org 2005 2004 2003 Accident Calls for Service 582 633 623 Burglary Calls for Service 360 316 284 Criminal Mischief Calls for Service 208 235 220 TOTALCALLS FOR SERVICE 17,169 17,447 17,146 Direct Alarm Monitoring Subscribers 1,740 1,540 1,078 Revenue generated from Direct Alarm Monitoring $465,847.00 $428,173.00 $323,474.00 2005 2004 2003 2002 Total completed work orders 14,217 13,711 11,340 9,069 Total number of permits issued 2,795 2,792 2,166 2,301 Total permit fee revenue $2,152,228.00 $2,131,608.00 $1,347,228.00 $1,359,304.00 Waste hauled to landfill (tons)16,212 16,634 16,023 16,604 Recycled materials (tons)1,161 1,140 1,097 1,065 PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS PPOLICEOLICE DEPDEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AA DMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION From the City Manager's Office The City Manager's Office welcomed a new addition to its staff. Steve Mace began work as the City's first Community Information Officer in September 2005. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Mace was the News Director for KRLD Radio in Dallas. He has 30 years of experience in the news and communications field. As Community Information Officer, he is responsible for the preparation and distribution of factual media and general public information regarding City services, programs, and accomplishments and the coordination of media coverage. In addition, Mr. Mace is responsible for keeping the city's Web site (www.uptexas.org) up-to-date with the latest news and informa- tion, as well as publication of the monthly City newsletter, The Arbor. Ordinances, Resolutions, and Proclamations The University Park City Council enjoyed a busier than normal year setting policy for the City, adopting the FY2005-2006 budg- et, and addressing numerous issues from residents. In 2005, the Council approved 46 ordinances, which are the local statutes gov- erning the City. The Council also approved 24 resolutions and six proclamations. These two measures typically do not have the force of law, but express the position of the City Council. Citizen Advisory Committees The Citizen Advisory Committees continued to be a valuable asset for the Mayor and City Council in 2005. The committee system is intended to provide an avenue for direct input from cit- izens, as well as, an opportunity for the City to benefit from the considerable expertise possessed by University Park residents. The 18 advisory committees have a total of over 125 members. Members serving in 2005 were appointed in 2004 to a two-year term. This term corresponds with the bi-annual Council elections. 1. Traffic Flow and Parking:Improve traffic flow and park- ing while acknowledging limits to potential solutions. Key actions taken in 2005: • Traffic updates posted on Web site, released to the newspa- pers, and printed in The Arbor. • Parking study conducted last fall focusing on parking along curbs throughout the city. 2. Commercial Vitality:Redevelop commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and Miracle Mile. Key action taken in 2005: • Master Plan development for Snider Plaza began in February. 3. Sense of Community: Enhance our sense of community which values the importance of the common good over special interests. Key action taken in 2005: • Citizen of the Year award developed to recognize a deserv- ing citizen. The first award recipient, Elizabeth Farley, was recognized in July 2005 for her fundraising efforts to pay for new playground equipment in the city's parks 4. City Aesthetics: Maintain and improve the attractiveness of the City with attention to architecture, parks, and entranceways. Key actions taken in 2005: • Park information signs installed in each park. • Planning for City Entrance Markers began. Markers are to be placed at secondary entrances to the City. 5. Proactive Communications: Communicate effectively with residents via different forms of media to promote the City's image. Key actions taken in 2005: • Community Information Officer hired. • Existing communication methods surveyed via Citizen Survey. 6. Service Delivery: Commitment to excellence in City servic- es, with improved infrastructure, strong public safety and finan- cial stability. Key actions taken in 2005: • Sidewalk replacement program created. • Continuing research and development regarding implemen- tation of a 3-1-1 system. 2005 Strategic Goal update In 2005, the City made great progress on the strategic goals adopted at the end of 2004. The newly adopted strategic goals were developed in order to refocus attention on the City's 1989 Master Plan. That year, residents and City officials completed the University Park Master Plan, a community-wide effort to help direct the City into the 21st century. The information below highlights each of the strategic goals and the major objectives that were accomplished or are in progress as the result of efforts this past year. Left: The Mayor and members of the City Council broke ground in 2005 for the City Hall ren- ovation and Goar Park improvements. FF IREIRE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal hired Rick Black was hired as the Deputy Fire Chief in July 2005 to become the Fire Department Training Officer and Emergency Medical Coordinator. Chief Black has 20 years experience as a firefighter and Fire Chief with the City of Southlake. Additionally, John Gillette was hired as the new Fire Marshal in May 2005 after Fire Marshal Carl McMurphy accepted an Assistant Fire Chief's position with The Colony, Texas. John previously worked with the City of Denton as Assistant Fire Marshal and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, where he had over- sight of construction of Terminal D. Fire Fighters aid in Hurricane Katrina relief Four University Park firefighters responded to a call from FEMAand the International Association of Fire Chief's to assist in response to Hurricane Katrina. Section Chief Shane LeCroy, Firefighter/Paramedic Devin Penny, Firefighter/Paramedic Rusty Massey and Fire Lieutenant Bob Poynter spent three weeks in storm ravaged Chalmette, Louisiana searching for vic- tims, fighting structure fires and relieving St. Bernard Parish firefighters. Other Fire Department projects in 2005: Evaluation of City's Emergency Management Plan - A University of North Texas Emergency Management Intern was hired part-time to evaluate the City's Emergency Management Plan and ensure compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive - 5. The Fire Department staff trained all City employees in NIMS, including the Mayor and the members of the City Council. Re-banding of Public Safety frequencies - The Fire Department oversaw the hiring of a telecommunications consulting firm to assist the City in becoming compliant with a Federal Communication Commission order for all public safety agencies to re-band their 800 MHz frequencies. Another federal and state initiative included working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments for radio interoperability with Southern Methodist University, the Town of Highland Park, the City of Dallas, Dallas County, the State of Texas and federal agencies. Physical agility test compliant -The Fire Department hired Standard and Associates from Chicago, Illinois to develop and validate a physical agility test exclusively for the University Park Fire Department. The validated test is necessary to comply with State and Federal hiring laws ensuring all candidates have an equal chance of passing the test. Park maintenance The Park Department is responsible for providing professional, quality maintenance to the City's public property and eight major park sites. The City provides over 60 acres of open spaces, lakes, athletic facilities and walkways throughout town. Along with regular landscape maintenance of the park system, in fiscal year 2005-2006, the Parks Department will focus on several projects to enhance the overall appearance of the park system and our community. Park projects Many major park improve- ments were completed in 2005. Some notable exam- ples include Williams Park playground renovations, picnic facility upgrades at Williams, Burleson and Curtis Parks, landscape improvements on Lovers Lane from Curtis Park to Hillcrest Avenue, comple- tion of the Snider Plaza Banner Program, "Dive-In Movies" at Curtis Park Pool, new pool furniture, park informational sign installation, expansion of the Memorial Tree Program, and installation of additional holiday decorations at Snider Plaza, City Hall, and the Goar Park Gazebo. The Trees for UPprogram, which provides for the reforestation of the community by plant- ing trees on the parkway, was also a success. Between November 2005 and February 2006, 107 trees were purchased by residents and planted by UPstaff along city parkways. The Information Services Department had another excellent year of progress in improving the efficiency of City government through the use of technology. University Park's Web site (www.uptexas.org) was enhanced to support the CodeRed Emergency Notification System and web-based building inspec- tion scheduling and review process. The Web site's number of visits increased from 235,000 in 2004 to 348,254 in 2005, a 48.2% rise over that period. Weekly visits averaged 6,697. The public safety mobile computing environment was changed to use a Verizon Wireless high-speed communication technology to position the Department to push mapping and other graphic solu- tions to the vehicles. Anew Customer Service Request and Work Order System was implemented to track the history of cit- izen requests and problems, and improve their resolution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) per- sonnel made great progress in correcting prop- erty addressing problems while City mapping activity was increased dramatically. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT II NFORMANFORMATIONTION SS ERERVICESVICES City budget The City continued to enjoy excellent fis- cal health this year. The Fiscal Year 2006 budget totals $34.8 million, less than 2% higher than last year. Because of rising property values and conservative fiscal management, the City property tax rate decreased for the 11th consecutive year, as displayed in the chart at right. The current City tax rate is about 31 cents per $100 of taxable property value. Additional sales tax recovered Following several years of declining sales tax revenue, the City hired MBIA MuniServices, a California-based com- pany specializing in sales tax collections and compliance audits, to review University Park’s sales tax data. Each month, sales taxpayers - local businesses - collect the tax and remit it to the State Comptroller. The Comptroller then allo- cates part of the money back to the taxpayer's jurisdiction, which is determined by the city listed on the business sales tax permit application. City staff helped MBIAidentify University Park businesses incorrectly coded as being in Dallas. MBIAthen processed the data and prepared it for submission to the Comptroller. In November, the Comptroller sent the City a $1.92 million wire transfer, refunding it for five years of misdirected sale tax revenue. As a result of the corrected data and continued review, the City will see higher sales tax revenue year after year, which means the City budget will be less dependent on property taxes. Awards and Accomplishments The City received two national financial awards this year. For the fifth year in a row, the National Purchasing Institute award- ed University Park the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Purchasing Agent Christine Green and Purchasing Assistant Sandy Perkins manage the City's procure- ment operations. For the sixth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded the City the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Controller Tom Tvardzik and the City's accounting staff prepare the "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" that is the basis for the Award. Training and Development During the year, Finance personnel received training in such diverse areas as public funds investment, advanced governmen- tal accounting, municipal court administration, purchasing management, and utility billing customer service. FF INANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK TTAXAX BBASEASE ANDAND RRAATESTES, FY, FY 2000-20062000-2006 HH UMANUMAN RR ESOURCESESOURCES Low turnover rate During fiscal year 2004-05, the City again enjoyed an employee turnover rate of less than 9%. The national average for all com- panies is 12%. Maintaining a low turnover rate continues to save costs related to separation and recruitment. The low turnover rate notwithstanding, the Human Resources Department filled 56 positions during the fiscal year: 21 regular full time positions and 35 seasonal positions. 3-1-1 System Despite some technical issues that slowed progress during 2005, work on the 3-1-1 system is in its final stages, and implementa- tion is scheduled for June 2006. Residents will be able to use the 24-hour-a-day system for non-emergency calls for service. The new 3-1-1 system is expected to improve customer service and responses to service calls. Employee ID Cards and City Slogan City employees are now easier to identify. All City employees were issued City ID cards which include a photo of the employ- ee, the employee's name, and their department. In addition to identification purposes, the cards will be used for time clocks and eventually as access cards to City facilities. Employees are required to wear the ID cards unless they already wear a uniform and name badge that readily identifies them as a City employee. The City also held a contest to create a slogan to display on the name badges and certain other City correspondence and publica- tions. During the contest, employees submitted nearly 70 entries. The winning slogan, "Committed to Excellence," was submitted by Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Whitney. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS 2005 2004 2003 2002 Fire Responses 1,258 1,431 1,099 919 EMS Responses 1,090 1,056 1,260 1,294 Inspections 520 559 601 824 Actual Fires 57 52 42 41 UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AA DMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION From the City Manager's Office The City Manager's Office welcomed a new addition to its staff. Steve Mace began work as the City's first Community Information Officer in September 2005. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Mace was the News Director for KRLD Radio in Dallas. He has 30 years of experience in the news and communications field. As Community Information Officer, he is responsible for the preparation and distribution of factual media and general public information regarding City services, programs, and accomplishments and the coordination of media coverage. In addition, Mr. Mace is responsible for keeping the city's Web site (www.uptexas.org) up-to-date with the latest news and informa- tion, as well as publication of the monthly City newsletter, The Arbor. Ordinances, Resolutions, and Proclamations The University Park City Council enjoyed a busier than normal year setting policy for the City, adopting the FY2005-2006 budg- et, and addressing numerous issues from residents. In 2005, the Council approved 46 ordinances, which are the local statutes gov- erning the City. The Council also approved 24 resolutions and six proclamations. These two measures typically do not have the force of law, but express the position of the City Council. Citizen Advisory Committees The Citizen Advisory Committees continued to be a valuable asset for the Mayor and City Council in 2005. The committee system is intended to provide an avenue for direct input from cit- izens, as well as, an opportunity for the City to benefit from the considerable expertise possessed by University Park residents. The 18 advisory committees have a total of over 125 members. Members serving in 2005 were appointed in 2004 to a two-year term. This term corresponds with the bi-annual Council elections. 1. Traffic Flow and Parking:Improve traffic flow and park- ing while acknowledging limits to potential solutions. Key actions taken in 2005: • Traffic updates posted on Web site, released to the newspa- pers, and printed in The Arbor. • Parking study conducted last fall focusing on parking along curbs throughout the city. 2. Commercial Vitality:Redevelop commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and Miracle Mile. Key action taken in 2005: • Master Plan development for Snider Plaza began in February. 3. Sense of Community: Enhance our sense of community which values the importance of the common good over special interests. Key action taken in 2005: • Citizen of the Year award developed to recognize a deserv- ing citizen. The first award recipient, Elizabeth Farley, was recognized in July 2005 for her fundraising efforts to pay for new playground equipment in the city's parks 4. City Aesthetics: Maintain and improve the attractiveness of the City with attention to architecture, parks, and entranceways. Key actions taken in 2005: • Park information signs installed in each park. • Planning for City Entrance Markers began. Markers are to be placed at secondary entrances to the City. 5. Proactive Communications: Communicate effectively with residents via different forms of media to promote the City's image. Key actions taken in 2005: • Community Information Officer hired. • Existing communication methods surveyed via Citizen Survey. 6. Service Delivery: Commitment to excellence in City servic- es, with improved infrastructure, strong public safety and finan- cial stability. Key actions taken in 2005: • Sidewalk replacement program created. • Continuing research and development regarding implemen- tation of a 3-1-1 system. 2005 Strategic Goal update In 2005, the City made great progress on the strategic goals adopted at the end of 2004. The newly adopted strategic goals were developed in order to refocus attention on the City's 1989 Master Plan. That year, residents and City officials completed the University Park Master Plan, a community-wide effort to help direct the City into the 21st century. The information below highlights each of the strategic goals and the major objectives that were accomplished or are in progress as the result of efforts this past year. Left: The Mayor and members of the City Council broke ground in 2005 for the City Hall ren- ovation and Goar Park improvements. FF IREIRE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal hired Rick Black was hired as the Deputy Fire Chief in July 2005 to become the Fire Department Training Officer and Emergency Medical Coordinator. Chief Black has 20 years experience as a firefighter and Fire Chief with the City of Southlake. Additionally, John Gillette was hired as the new Fire Marshal in May 2005 after Fire Marshal Carl McMurphy accepted an Assistant Fire Chief's position with The Colony, Texas. John previously worked with the City of Denton as Assistant Fire Marshal and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, where he had over- sight of construction of Terminal D. Fire Fighters aid in Hurricane Katrina relief Four University Park firefighters responded to a call from FEMAand the International Association of Fire Chief's to assist in response to Hurricane Katrina. Section Chief Shane LeCroy, Firefighter/Paramedic Devin Penny, Firefighter/Paramedic Rusty Massey and Fire Lieutenant Bob Poynter spent three weeks in storm ravaged Chalmette, Louisiana searching for vic- tims, fighting structure fires and relieving St. Bernard Parish firefighters. Other Fire Department projects in 2005: Evaluation of City's Emergency Management Plan - A University of North Texas Emergency Management Intern was hired part-time to evaluate the City's Emergency Management Plan and ensure compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive - 5. The Fire Department staff trained all City employees in NIMS, including the Mayor and the members of the City Council. Re-banding of Public Safety frequencies - The Fire Department oversaw the hiring of a telecommunications consulting firm to assist the City in becoming compliant with a Federal Communication Commission order for all public safety agencies to re-band their 800 MHz frequencies. Another federal and state initiative included working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments for radio interoperability with Southern Methodist University, the Town of Highland Park, the City of Dallas, Dallas County, the State of Texas and federal agencies. Physical agility test compliant -The Fire Department hired Standard and Associates from Chicago, Illinois to develop and validate a physical agility test exclusively for the University Park Fire Department. The validated test is necessary to comply with State and Federal hiring laws ensuring all candidates have an equal chance of passing the test. Park maintenance The Park Department is responsible for providing professional, quality maintenance to the City's public property and eight major park sites. The City provides over 60 acres of open spaces, lakes, athletic facilities and walkways throughout town. Along with regular landscape maintenance of the park system, in fiscal year 2005-2006, the Parks Department will focus on several projects to enhance the overall appearance of the park system and our community. Park projects Many major park improve- ments were completed in 2005. Some notable exam- ples include Williams Park playground renovations, picnic facility upgrades at Williams, Burleson and Curtis Parks, landscape improvements on Lovers Lane from Curtis Park to Hillcrest Avenue, comple- tion of the Snider Plaza Banner Program, "Dive-In Movies" at Curtis Park Pool, new pool furniture, park informational sign installation, expansion of the Memorial Tree Program, and installation of additional holiday decorations at Snider Plaza, City Hall, and the Goar Park Gazebo. The Trees for UPprogram, which provides for the reforestation of the community by plant- ing trees on the parkway, was also a success. Between November 2005 and February 2006, 107 trees were purchased by residents and planted by UPstaff along city parkways. The Information Services Department had another excellent year of progress in improving the efficiency of City government through the use of technology. University Park's Web site (www.uptexas.org) was enhanced to support the CodeRed Emergency Notification System and web-based building inspec- tion scheduling and review process. The Web site's number of visits increased from 235,000 in 2004 to 348,254 in 2005, a 48.2% rise over that period. Weekly visits averaged 6,697. The public safety mobile computing environment was changed to use a Verizon Wireless high-speed communication technology to position the Department to push mapping and other graphic solu- tions to the vehicles. Anew Customer Service Request and Work Order System was implemented to track the history of cit- izen requests and problems, and improve their resolution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) per- sonnel made great progress in correcting prop- erty addressing problems while City mapping activity was increased dramatically. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT II NFORMANFORMATIONTION SS ERERVICESVICES City budget The City continued to enjoy excellent fis- cal health this year. The Fiscal Year 2006 budget totals $34.8 million, less than 2% higher than last year. Because of rising property values and conservative fiscal management, the City property tax rate decreased for the 11th consecutive year, as displayed in the chart at right. The current City tax rate is about 31 cents per $100 of taxable property value. Additional sales tax recovered Following several years of declining sales tax revenue, the City hired MBIA MuniServices, a California-based com- pany specializing in sales tax collections and compliance audits, to review University Park’s sales tax data. Each month, sales taxpayers - local businesses - collect the tax and remit it to the State Comptroller. The Comptroller then allo- cates part of the money back to the taxpayer's jurisdiction, which is determined by the city listed on the business sales tax permit application. City staff helped MBIAidentify University Park businesses incorrectly coded as being in Dallas. MBIAthen processed the data and prepared it for submission to the Comptroller. In November, the Comptroller sent the City a $1.92 million wire transfer, refunding it for five years of misdirected sale tax revenue. As a result of the corrected data and continued review, the City will see higher sales tax revenue year after year, which means the City budget will be less dependent on property taxes. Awards and Accomplishments The City received two national financial awards this year. For the fifth year in a row, the National Purchasing Institute award- ed University Park the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Purchasing Agent Christine Green and Purchasing Assistant Sandy Perkins manage the City's procure- ment operations. For the sixth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded the City the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Controller Tom Tvardzik and the City's accounting staff prepare the "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" that is the basis for the Award. Training and Development During the year, Finance personnel received training in such diverse areas as public funds investment, advanced governmen- tal accounting, municipal court administration, purchasing management, and utility billing customer service. FF INANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK TTAXAX BBASEASE ANDAND RRAATESTES, FY, FY 2000-20062000-2006 HH UMANUMAN RR ESOURCESESOURCES Low turnover rate During fiscal year 2004-05, the City again enjoyed an employee turnover rate of less than 9%. The national average for all com- panies is 12%. Maintaining a low turnover rate continues to save costs related to separation and recruitment. The low turnover rate notwithstanding, the Human Resources Department filled 56 positions during the fiscal year: 21 regular full time positions and 35 seasonal positions. 3-1-1 System Despite some technical issues that slowed progress during 2005, work on the 3-1-1 system is in its final stages, and implementa- tion is scheduled for June 2006. Residents will be able to use the 24-hour-a-day system for non-emergency calls for service. The new 3-1-1 system is expected to improve customer service and responses to service calls. Employee ID Cards and City Slogan City employees are now easier to identify. All City employees were issued City ID cards which include a photo of the employ- ee, the employee's name, and their department. In addition to identification purposes, the cards will be used for time clocks and eventually as access cards to City facilities. Employees are required to wear the ID cards unless they already wear a uniform and name badge that readily identifies them as a City employee. The City also held a contest to create a slogan to display on the name badges and certain other City correspondence and publica- tions. During the contest, employees submitted nearly 70 entries. The winning slogan, "Committed to Excellence," was submitted by Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Whitney. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS 2005 2004 2003 2002 Fire Responses 1,258 1,431 1,099 919 EMS Responses 1,090 1,056 1,260 1,294 Inspections 520 559 601 824 Actual Fires 57 52 42 41 UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AA DMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION From the City Manager's Office The City Manager's Office welcomed a new addition to its staff. Steve Mace began work as the City's first Community Information Officer in September 2005. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Mace was the News Director for KRLD Radio in Dallas. He has 30 years of experience in the news and communications field. As Community Information Officer, he is responsible for the preparation and distribution of factual media and general public information regarding City services, programs, and accomplishments and the coordination of media coverage. In addition, Mr. Mace is responsible for keeping the city's Web site (www.uptexas.org) up-to-date with the latest news and informa- tion, as well as publication of the monthly City newsletter, The Arbor. Ordinances, Resolutions, and Proclamations The University Park City Council enjoyed a busier than normal year setting policy for the City, adopting the FY2005-2006 budg- et, and addressing numerous issues from residents. In 2005, the Council approved 46 ordinances, which are the local statutes gov- erning the City. The Council also approved 24 resolutions and six proclamations. These two measures typically do not have the force of law, but express the position of the City Council. Citizen Advisory Committees The Citizen Advisory Committees continued to be a valuable asset for the Mayor and City Council in 2005. The committee system is intended to provide an avenue for direct input from cit- izens, as well as, an opportunity for the City to benefit from the considerable expertise possessed by University Park residents. The 18 advisory committees have a total of over 125 members. Members serving in 2005 were appointed in 2004 to a two-year term. This term corresponds with the bi-annual Council elections. 1. Traffic Flow and Parking:Improve traffic flow and park- ing while acknowledging limits to potential solutions. Key actions taken in 2005: • Traffic updates posted on Web site, released to the newspa- pers, and printed in The Arbor. • Parking study conducted last fall focusing on parking along curbs throughout the city. 2. Commercial Vitality:Redevelop commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and Miracle Mile. Key action taken in 2005: • Master Plan development for Snider Plaza began in February. 3. Sense of Community: Enhance our sense of community which values the importance of the common good over special interests. Key action taken in 2005: • Citizen of the Year award developed to recognize a deserv- ing citizen. The first award recipient, Elizabeth Farley, was recognized in July 2005 for her fundraising efforts to pay for new playground equipment in the city's parks 4. City Aesthetics: Maintain and improve the attractiveness of the City with attention to architecture, parks, and entranceways. Key actions taken in 2005: • Park information signs installed in each park. • Planning for City Entrance Markers began. Markers are to be placed at secondary entrances to the City. 5. Proactive Communications: Communicate effectively with residents via different forms of media to promote the City's image. Key actions taken in 2005: • Community Information Officer hired. • Existing communication methods surveyed via Citizen Survey. 6. Service Delivery: Commitment to excellence in City servic- es, with improved infrastructure, strong public safety and finan- cial stability. Key actions taken in 2005: • Sidewalk replacement program created. • Continuing research and development regarding implemen- tation of a 3-1-1 system. 2005 Strategic Goal update In 2005, the City made great progress on the strategic goals adopted at the end of 2004. The newly adopted strategic goals were developed in order to refocus attention on the City's 1989 Master Plan. That year, residents and City officials completed the University Park Master Plan, a community-wide effort to help direct the City into the 21st century. The information below highlights each of the strategic goals and the major objectives that were accomplished or are in progress as the result of efforts this past year. Left: The Mayor and members of the City Council broke ground in 2005 for the City Hall ren- ovation and Goar Park improvements. FF IREIRE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT Deputy Fire Chief and Fire Marshal hired Rick Black was hired as the Deputy Fire Chief in July 2005 to become the Fire Department Training Officer and Emergency Medical Coordinator. Chief Black has 20 years experience as a firefighter and Fire Chief with the City of Southlake. Additionally, John Gillette was hired as the new Fire Marshal in May 2005 after Fire Marshal Carl McMurphy accepted an Assistant Fire Chief's position with The Colony, Texas. John previously worked with the City of Denton as Assistant Fire Marshal and the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, where he had over- sight of construction of Terminal D. Fire Fighters aid in Hurricane Katrina relief Four University Park firefighters responded to a call from FEMAand the International Association of Fire Chief's to assist in response to Hurricane Katrina. Section Chief Shane LeCroy, Firefighter/Paramedic Devin Penny, Firefighter/Paramedic Rusty Massey and Fire Lieutenant Bob Poynter spent three weeks in storm ravaged Chalmette, Louisiana searching for vic- tims, fighting structure fires and relieving St. Bernard Parish firefighters. Other Fire Department projects in 2005: Evaluation of City's Emergency Management Plan - A University of North Texas Emergency Management Intern was hired part-time to evaluate the City's Emergency Management Plan and ensure compliance with the Homeland Security Presidential Directive - 5. The Fire Department staff trained all City employees in NIMS, including the Mayor and the members of the City Council. Re-banding of Public Safety frequencies - The Fire Department oversaw the hiring of a telecommunications consulting firm to assist the City in becoming compliant with a Federal Communication Commission order for all public safety agencies to re-band their 800 MHz frequencies. Another federal and state initiative included working with the North Central Texas Council of Governments for radio interoperability with Southern Methodist University, the Town of Highland Park, the City of Dallas, Dallas County, the State of Texas and federal agencies. Physical agility test compliant -The Fire Department hired Standard and Associates from Chicago, Illinois to develop and validate a physical agility test exclusively for the University Park Fire Department. The validated test is necessary to comply with State and Federal hiring laws ensuring all candidates have an equal chance of passing the test. Park maintenance The Park Department is responsible for providing professional, quality maintenance to the City's public property and eight major park sites. The City provides over 60 acres of open spaces, lakes, athletic facilities and walkways throughout town. Along with regular landscape maintenance of the park system, in fiscal year 2005-2006, the Parks Department will focus on several projects to enhance the overall appearance of the park system and our community. Park projects Many major park improve- ments were completed in 2005. Some notable exam- ples include Williams Park playground renovations, picnic facility upgrades at Williams, Burleson and Curtis Parks, landscape improvements on Lovers Lane from Curtis Park to Hillcrest Avenue, comple- tion of the Snider Plaza Banner Program, "Dive-In Movies" at Curtis Park Pool, new pool furniture, park informational sign installation, expansion of the Memorial Tree Program, and installation of additional holiday decorations at Snider Plaza, City Hall, and the Goar Park Gazebo. The Trees for UPprogram, which provides for the reforestation of the community by plant- ing trees on the parkway, was also a success. Between November 2005 and February 2006, 107 trees were purchased by residents and planted by UPstaff along city parkways. The Information Services Department had another excellent year of progress in improving the efficiency of City government through the use of technology. University Park's Web site (www.uptexas.org) was enhanced to support the CodeRed Emergency Notification System and web-based building inspec- tion scheduling and review process. The Web site's number of visits increased from 235,000 in 2004 to 348,254 in 2005, a 48.2% rise over that period. Weekly visits averaged 6,697. The public safety mobile computing environment was changed to use a Verizon Wireless high-speed communication technology to position the Department to push mapping and other graphic solu- tions to the vehicles. Anew Customer Service Request and Work Order System was implemented to track the history of cit- izen requests and problems, and improve their resolution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) per- sonnel made great progress in correcting prop- erty addressing problems while City mapping activity was increased dramatically. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT II NFORMANFORMATIONTION SS ERERVICESVICES City budget The City continued to enjoy excellent fis- cal health this year. The Fiscal Year 2006 budget totals $34.8 million, less than 2% higher than last year. Because of rising property values and conservative fiscal management, the City property tax rate decreased for the 11th consecutive year, as displayed in the chart at right. The current City tax rate is about 31 cents per $100 of taxable property value. Additional sales tax recovered Following several years of declining sales tax revenue, the City hired MBIA MuniServices, a California-based com- pany specializing in sales tax collections and compliance audits, to review University Park’s sales tax data. Each month, sales taxpayers - local businesses - collect the tax and remit it to the State Comptroller. The Comptroller then allo- cates part of the money back to the taxpayer's jurisdiction, which is determined by the city listed on the business sales tax permit application. City staff helped MBIAidentify University Park businesses incorrectly coded as being in Dallas. MBIAthen processed the data and prepared it for submission to the Comptroller. In November, the Comptroller sent the City a $1.92 million wire transfer, refunding it for five years of misdirected sale tax revenue. As a result of the corrected data and continued review, the City will see higher sales tax revenue year after year, which means the City budget will be less dependent on property taxes. Awards and Accomplishments The City received two national financial awards this year. For the fifth year in a row, the National Purchasing Institute award- ed University Park the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award. Purchasing Agent Christine Green and Purchasing Assistant Sandy Perkins manage the City's procure- ment operations. For the sixth consecutive year, the Government Finance Officers Association awarded the City the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. Controller Tom Tvardzik and the City's accounting staff prepare the "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" that is the basis for the Award. Training and Development During the year, Finance personnel received training in such diverse areas as public funds investment, advanced governmen- tal accounting, municipal court administration, purchasing management, and utility billing customer service. FF INANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT UUNIVERSITYNIVERSITY PPARKARK TTAXAX BBASEASE ANDAND RRAATESTES, FY, FY 2000-20062000-2006 HH UMANUMAN RR ESOURCESESOURCES Low turnover rate During fiscal year 2004-05, the City again enjoyed an employee turnover rate of less than 9%. The national average for all com- panies is 12%. Maintaining a low turnover rate continues to save costs related to separation and recruitment. The low turnover rate notwithstanding, the Human Resources Department filled 56 positions during the fiscal year: 21 regular full time positions and 35 seasonal positions. 3-1-1 System Despite some technical issues that slowed progress during 2005, work on the 3-1-1 system is in its final stages, and implementa- tion is scheduled for June 2006. Residents will be able to use the 24-hour-a-day system for non-emergency calls for service. The new 3-1-1 system is expected to improve customer service and responses to service calls. Employee ID Cards and City Slogan City employees are now easier to identify. All City employees were issued City ID cards which include a photo of the employ- ee, the employee's name, and their department. In addition to identification purposes, the cards will be used for time clocks and eventually as access cards to City facilities. Employees are required to wear the ID cards unless they already wear a uniform and name badge that readily identifies them as a City employee. The City also held a contest to create a slogan to display on the name badges and certain other City correspondence and publica- tions. During the contest, employees submitted nearly 70 entries. The winning slogan, "Committed to Excellence," was submitted by Firefighter/Paramedic Brandon Whitney. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS 2005 2004 2003 2002 Fire Responses 1,258 1,431 1,099 919 EMS Responses 1,090 1,056 1,260 1,294 Inspections 520 559 601 824 Actual Fires 57 52 42 41 PP LANSLANS FORFOR 20062006 CCITYITY CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AADMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION The City Council looks forward to 2006 and continuing to meet the needs of University Park citizens. The first phase of City Hall renovation began last year and, although the third and final phase of construction will not be complete until 2008, Council and staff will continue to ensure that the actual construction process impacts surrounding streets and Goar Park as little as possible. Northwest Parkway Screening Wall plans continue and construction is expected to begin late 2006. The wall will run along Northwest Parkway from Airline to Turtle Creek Blvd. The City Council and Administration will also continue to work on the Strategic Goals developed during a Council and Staff retreat in 2004. Another retreat is planned for late 2006 to further enhance these goals. Council and staff are pleased with the progress that has been made on the development of a Master Plan for Snider Plaza and anticipate that a plan will be adopted by mid-2006. In addition, the City will continue to strive for high levels of service delivery and will use the results of the recent Citizen Survey to identify additional areas of improvement. FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Finance Department looks forward to a successful year. Goals for 2006 include: placement of monthly financial reports on the City Web site; continued active management of City expenditures, revenues, and capital projects; identification of additional revenue recovery methods, such as a mixed beverage tax and outstanding ticket collection; and production of an enhanced budget document. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT In 2006, the Park Department will again implement an aggressive park improvement project program. The Department is in the process of complet- ing conceptual designs for the corner parks located at Hillcrest and Lovers Lane, the Caruth Park botanical beds, and a citywide secondary street entrance marker program. Other major projects will include assistance with the design and installation of the Northwest Parkway Screening Wall, a revised Park Master Plan for Coffee, Smith and Germany Parks, Goar Park/City Hall landscape construction design, expansion of the "Trees for Town" Program, and many exciting pool programming events including "Dive-In Movies," birthday party rentals and the introduction of an adult swim program. HHUMANUMAN RRESOURCESESOURCES DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Atop priority for the Human Resource Department in 2006 will be the implementation of 3-1-1, a 24-hour-a-day system to handle non-emergency calls for service. Prior to kick-off, an aggressive media campaign will be launched with assistance from the Community Information Officer. PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Per accreditation requirements, the Police Department devises new goals and objectives for each Fiscal Year. For fiscal year 2005-2006, the Department has eight specific goals. These goals include reducing the number of Animal Control calls, false alarms calls, burglary of motor vehi- cle offenses and motor vehicle accidents by 5%. An ongoing effort and goal of the Department is to reduce the incidence of underage drinking by taking a more aggressive stance in enforcement action and coordination with SMU. By stepping up enforcement efforts during specific holiday periods, the Department will also focus on increasing DWI enforcement efforts by 10%. IINFORMANFORMATIONTION SSERERVICESVICES The Information Services focus for 2006 will be directed in three primary areas: generating efficiency through improving the network infrastruc- ture, enhancing the City's Web site, and developing the transition process for employees and equipment related to City Hall renovation. The City's Web site will undergo a home page redesign to improve access to featured information, online services, and major projects. Watch for these Web site changes in early 2006. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Fire Department will conduct meetings with internal and external customers to develop a Strategic Plan for the future of the Department. The Plan will provide a map for the Mayor and City Council to define the level of service desired for the citizens of University Park. The Strategic Plan is the building block for the Department to become accredited with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The Department also plans to upgrade the City's outdoor warning system to include omni-directional warning sirens, and state-of-the-art computerized software to assist Fire/Police Dispatchers in use of the system. PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS The following capital improvement Public Works projects are planned for 2006: • Continued City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements • Construction of an alternate Emergency Operations/Dispatch Center • Installation of traffic signal improvements including video detection equipment, UPS equipment and interconnection of individual signals to master controllers. • Turtle Creek Boulevard and Baltimore Drive water and sanitary sewer replacement • Asphalt pavement in-place recycling • Curb and gutter replacement • Mile-Per-Year-Program, 4100-4300 blocks of Stanhope/Shenandoah alleys (utility and alley replacement) Area bounded by Normandy/Binkley/Key and Hillcrest (utility and alley replacement) • Design of Germany Park booster pump station replacement • Northwest Parkway Screening Wall AA WORDWORD FROMFROM THETHE MMAAYORYOR As Mayor of the City of University Park, I am pleased to present the 2005-2006 Annual Report. This document is designed to provide you with details on the accom- plishments, goals and activities of the City over the past year. It also provides the City with an opportunity to inform you of upcoming projects and objectives. 2005 was a busy and exciting year for the City. One of the most anticipated projects in recent years, the City Hall Renovation Project, began this past summer with the construction of a concrete box culvert just west of City Hall. This is the first of three phases in this three-year project. While the distinctive Colonial Williamsburg-style of City Hall will remain, the project will provide much needed space for our Fire and Police Departments and a technological "face-lift" for the City’s Council Chambers. Goar Park will also undergo a rebirth with the addition of a creek and fountain near the gazebo and more trees to enhance the beauty of that landmark. In the past year, the City Council and staff have made significant strides on the six strategic goals adopted by the City Council in 2004. One of those goals was to enhance commercial vitality by redeveloping commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and the Miracle Mile. Early last year, the City began the process of developing a Master Plan for Snider Plaza in conjunction with Townscape, Inc., a leading land use and urban design firm. The City also made great progress on other strategic goals. In striving to be more proactive with community outreach, the City hired a Community Information Officer. Additional content in The Arbor, the City's monthly newsletter, and the redesign of the City's Web site, a project that is currently underway, are both examples of this push. In an effort to better understand the expectations of residents regarding City services, last October, the City conducted its first Citizen Survey since 1992. Afinal report on the survey's findings was presented to the Council in January. Nearly 1,400 residents completed the questionnaire and 96 percent of those participat- ing gave the City a "very satisfied" or "satisfied" rating for overall service. In closing, I'd like to salute the ongoing efforts of City staff and acknowledge all those residents who are so willing to provide us with their time and talents as we continue to build on the City's continuing commitment to excellence. I would also like to thank my Council colleagues for their vote last September committing $100,000 in City funds to help pay for temporary housing for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina. Sincerely, James H. “Blackie” Holmes, III Mayor UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY PPARKARK ANNUALANNUAL REPORREPORTT 2005-20062005-2006 “C“COMMITTEDOMMITTED TTOO EXCELLENCEEXCELLENCE”” PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT AChild is Missing The University Park Police Department joined forces with A Child Is Missing (ACIM), a national nonprofit organization that helps search for missing people. ACIM is designed to supple- ment the National Amber Alert Network. The system uses a recorded telephone message and high-speed Internet lines to send information to area homes and businesses about such searches. Police Department Survey conducted Residents responded to a police department survey that is con- ducted every three years. 93% of responding residents ranked the Department's overall performance as "exceptional" or "above average." When asked to grade their sense of safety and securi- ty, 91% of the residents responded with an exceptional or above average rating. National Night Out On August 2, 2005, the community joined forces with the Department for "National Night Out." Activities at Curtis Park included free swimming, a live DJ and refreshments. Residents gathered to learn more about the Department and various crime prevention techniques. America's Most Wanted America's Most Wanted featured a re-enactment of the March 15, 2005 shooting that occurred at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. The homi- cide suspect was captured in January 2006. Direct Alarm Two homes sustained minimal fire damage, thanks in part to the Direct Alarm monitoring program. With Direct Alarm service, the police department's dispatch center receives alarm signals directly, rather than through a third party, and that means a faster response for homes and businesses throughout the city. Since the program began in 1999, more than 1,700 homes and businesses have signed up for Direct Alarm coverage. Police Department fundraisers The Department's "Hope for the Holidays" Drive collected toys and clothing for the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Over $6,000 in toys and clothes were collected. The Department also donated $1,000 to "Badge to Badge," a program to provide items for police officers who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Building Inspection The Building Inspection Division welcomed the addition of Harry Persaud as the City's new Community Development Manager. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Persaud served the City of The Colony for eight years as Planning and Development Director. Residential home construction continued to dominate the Division's time and energy. In 2005, University Park issued 126 new single family building permits, totaling over $124 million in construction value. Overall, the City issued nearly 2,800 permits and collected over $2 million in permit fees. Additional Building Inspection activities include code enforcement and staff support for the Planning & Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Urban Design & Development Advisory Committee, and the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee. Engineering Division The Engineering Division is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of all capital projects. In 2005, the City oversaw the completion of several projects, including the recon- struction of Lovers Lane four months ahead of schedule. The Engineering Division has also overseen the beginning stages of the City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements. Construction of the triple box culvert in Turtle Creek com- menced in July 2005, with additional construction slated throughout 2006. Other capital projects completed in 2005 include: • 5.6 miles of in-place recycling (street repaving) • 14,096 LF of curb and gutter • 3,892 LF of water mains or lines • 3,945 LF of sanitary sewer lines • 2,508 LF storm sewer lines CONTCONTACTACT USUS Main Number: 214-363-1644 City of University Park City Hall 3800 University Blvd. University Park, TX 75205 Public Works and Park Dept. Peek Service Center 4420 Worcola Street Dallas, TX 75206 www.uptexas.org 2005 2004 2003 Accident Calls for Service 582 633 623 Burglary Calls for Service 360 316 284 Criminal Mischief Calls for Service 208 235 220 TOTALCALLS FOR SERVICE 17,169 17,447 17,146 Direct Alarm Monitoring Subscribers 1,740 1,540 1,078 Revenue generated from Direct Alarm Monitoring $465,847.00 $428,173.00 $323,474.00 2005 2004 2003 2002 Total completed work orders 14,217 13,711 11,340 9,069 Total number of permits issued 2,795 2,792 2,166 2,301 Total permit fee revenue $2,152,228.00 $2,131,608.00 $1,347,228.00 $1,359,304.00 Waste hauled to landfill (tons)16,212 16,634 16,023 16,604 Recycled materials (tons)1,161 1,140 1,097 1,065 PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS PPOLICEOLICE DEPDEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS PP LANSLANS FORFOR 20062006 CCITYITY CCOUNCILOUNCIL ANDAND AADMINISTRADMINISTRATIONTION The City Council looks forward to 2006 and continuing to meet the needs of University Park citizens. The first phase of City Hall renovation began last year and, although the third and final phase of construction will not be complete until 2008, Council and staff will continue to ensure that the actual construction process impacts surrounding streets and Goar Park as little as possible. Northwest Parkway Screening Wall plans continue and construction is expected to begin late 2006. The wall will run along Northwest Parkway from Airline to Turtle Creek Blvd. The City Council and Administration will also continue to work on the Strategic Goals developed during a Council and Staff retreat in 2004. Another retreat is planned for late 2006 to further enhance these goals. Council and staff are pleased with the progress that has been made on the development of a Master Plan for Snider Plaza and anticipate that a plan will be adopted by mid-2006. In addition, the City will continue to strive for high levels of service delivery and will use the results of the recent Citizen Survey to identify additional areas of improvement. FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Finance Department looks forward to a successful year. Goals for 2006 include: placement of monthly financial reports on the City Web site; continued active management of City expenditures, revenues, and capital projects; identification of additional revenue recovery methods, such as a mixed beverage tax and outstanding ticket collection; and production of an enhanced budget document. PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT In 2006, the Park Department will again implement an aggressive park improvement project program. The Department is in the process of complet- ing conceptual designs for the corner parks located at Hillcrest and Lovers Lane, the Caruth Park botanical beds, and a citywide secondary street entrance marker program. Other major projects will include assistance with the design and installation of the Northwest Parkway Screening Wall, a revised Park Master Plan for Coffee, Smith and Germany Parks, Goar Park/City Hall landscape construction design, expansion of the "Trees for Town" Program, and many exciting pool programming events including "Dive-In Movies," birthday party rentals and the introduction of an adult swim program. HHUMANUMAN RRESOURCESESOURCES DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Atop priority for the Human Resource Department in 2006 will be the implementation of 3-1-1, a 24-hour-a-day system to handle non-emergency calls for service. Prior to kick-off, an aggressive media campaign will be launched with assistance from the Community Information Officer. PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT Per accreditation requirements, the Police Department devises new goals and objectives for each Fiscal Year. For fiscal year 2005-2006, the Department has eight specific goals. These goals include reducing the number of Animal Control calls, false alarms calls, burglary of motor vehi- cle offenses and motor vehicle accidents by 5%. An ongoing effort and goal of the Department is to reduce the incidence of underage drinking by taking a more aggressive stance in enforcement action and coordination with SMU. By stepping up enforcement efforts during specific holiday periods, the Department will also focus on increasing DWI enforcement efforts by 10%. IINFORMANFORMATIONTION SSERERVICESVICES The Information Services focus for 2006 will be directed in three primary areas: generating efficiency through improving the network infrastruc- ture, enhancing the City's Web site, and developing the transition process for employees and equipment related to City Hall renovation. The City's Web site will undergo a home page redesign to improve access to featured information, online services, and major projects. Watch for these Web site changes in early 2006. FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT The Fire Department will conduct meetings with internal and external customers to develop a Strategic Plan for the future of the Department. The Plan will provide a map for the Mayor and City Council to define the level of service desired for the citizens of University Park. The Strategic Plan is the building block for the Department to become accredited with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. The Department also plans to upgrade the City's outdoor warning system to include omni-directional warning sirens, and state-of-the-art computerized software to assist Fire/Police Dispatchers in use of the system. PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS The following capital improvement Public Works projects are planned for 2006: • Continued City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements • Construction of an alternate Emergency Operations/Dispatch Center • Installation of traffic signal improvements including video detection equipment, UPS equipment and interconnection of individual signals to master controllers. • Turtle Creek Boulevard and Baltimore Drive water and sanitary sewer replacement • Asphalt pavement in-place recycling • Curb and gutter replacement • Mile-Per-Year-Program, 4100-4300 blocks of Stanhope/Shenandoah alleys (utility and alley replacement) Area bounded by Normandy/Binkley/Key and Hillcrest (utility and alley replacement) • Design of Germany Park booster pump station replacement • Northwest Parkway Screening Wall AA WORDWORD FROMFROM THETHE MMAAYORYOR As Mayor of the City of University Park, I am pleased to present the 2005-2006 Annual Report. This document is designed to provide you with details on the accom- plishments, goals and activities of the City over the past year. It also provides the City with an opportunity to inform you of upcoming projects and objectives. 2005 was a busy and exciting year for the City. One of the most anticipated projects in recent years, the City Hall Renovation Project, began this past summer with the construction of a concrete box culvert just west of City Hall. This is the first of three phases in this three-year project. While the distinctive Colonial Williamsburg-style of City Hall will remain, the project will provide much needed space for our Fire and Police Departments and a technological "face-lift" for the City’s Council Chambers. Goar Park will also undergo a rebirth with the addition of a creek and fountain near the gazebo and more trees to enhance the beauty of that landmark. In the past year, the City Council and staff have made significant strides on the six strategic goals adopted by the City Council in 2004. One of those goals was to enhance commercial vitality by redeveloping commercial areas with an emphasis on Snider Plaza and the Miracle Mile. Early last year, the City began the process of developing a Master Plan for Snider Plaza in conjunction with Townscape, Inc., a leading land use and urban design firm. The City also made great progress on other strategic goals. In striving to be more proactive with community outreach, the City hired a Community Information Officer. Additional content in The Arbor, the City's monthly newsletter, and the redesign of the City's Web site, a project that is currently underway, are both examples of this push. In an effort to better understand the expectations of residents regarding City services, last October, the City conducted its first Citizen Survey since 1992. Afinal report on the survey's findings was presented to the Council in January. Nearly 1,400 residents completed the questionnaire and 96 percent of those participat- ing gave the City a "very satisfied" or "satisfied" rating for overall service. In closing, I'd like to salute the ongoing efforts of City staff and acknowledge all those residents who are so willing to provide us with their time and talents as we continue to build on the City's continuing commitment to excellence. I would also like to thank my Council colleagues for their vote last September committing $100,000 in City funds to help pay for temporary housing for families victimized by Hurricane Katrina. Sincerely, James H. “Blackie” Holmes, III Mayor UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY PPARKARK ANNUALANNUAL REPORREPORTT 2005-20062005-2006 “C“COMMITTEDOMMITTED TTOO EXCELLENCEEXCELLENCE”” PPARKARK DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFIREIRE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT FFINANCEINANCE DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DDEPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT PPOLICEOLICE DD EPEPARARTMENTTMENT AChild is Missing The University Park Police Department joined forces with A Child Is Missing (ACIM), a national nonprofit organization that helps search for missing people. ACIM is designed to supple- ment the National Amber Alert Network. The system uses a recorded telephone message and high-speed Internet lines to send information to area homes and businesses about such searches. Police Department Survey conducted Residents responded to a police department survey that is con- ducted every three years. 93% of responding residents ranked the Department's overall performance as "exceptional" or "above average." When asked to grade their sense of safety and securi- ty, 91% of the residents responded with an exceptional or above average rating. National Night Out On August 2, 2005, the community joined forces with the Department for "National Night Out." Activities at Curtis Park included free swimming, a live DJ and refreshments. Residents gathered to learn more about the Department and various crime prevention techniques. America's Most Wanted America's Most Wanted featured a re-enactment of the March 15, 2005 shooting that occurred at the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and North Central Expressway. The homi- cide suspect was captured in January 2006. Direct Alarm Two homes sustained minimal fire damage, thanks in part to the Direct Alarm monitoring program. With Direct Alarm service, the police department's dispatch center receives alarm signals directly, rather than through a third party, and that means a faster response for homes and businesses throughout the city. Since the program began in 1999, more than 1,700 homes and businesses have signed up for Direct Alarm coverage. Police Department fundraisers The Department's "Hope for the Holidays" Drive collected toys and clothing for the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center. Over $6,000 in toys and clothes were collected. The Department also donated $1,000 to "Badge to Badge," a program to provide items for police officers who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Building Inspection The Building Inspection Division welcomed the addition of Harry Persaud as the City's new Community Development Manager. Prior to joining University Park, Mr. Persaud served the City of The Colony for eight years as Planning and Development Director. Residential home construction continued to dominate the Division's time and energy. In 2005, University Park issued 126 new single family building permits, totaling over $124 million in construction value. Overall, the City issued nearly 2,800 permits and collected over $2 million in permit fees. Additional Building Inspection activities include code enforcement and staff support for the Planning & Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Urban Design & Development Advisory Committee, and the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee. Engineering Division The Engineering Division is responsible for overseeing the design and construction of all capital projects. In 2005, the City oversaw the completion of several projects, including the recon- struction of Lovers Lane four months ahead of schedule. The Engineering Division has also overseen the beginning stages of the City Hall renovation and Goar Park improvements. Construction of the triple box culvert in Turtle Creek com- menced in July 2005, with additional construction slated throughout 2006. Other capital projects completed in 2005 include: • 5.6 miles of in-place recycling (street repaving) • 14,096 LF of curb and gutter • 3,892 LF of water mains or lines • 3,945 LF of sanitary sewer lines • 2,508 LF storm sewer lines CONTCONTACTACT USUS Main Number: 214-363-1644 City of University Park City Hall 3800 University Blvd. University Park, TX 75205 Public Works and Park Dept. Peek Service Center 4420 Worcola Street Dallas, TX 75206 www.uptexas.org 2005 2004 2003 Accident Calls for Service 582 633 623 Burglary Calls for Service 360 316 284 Criminal Mischief Calls for Service 208 235 220 TOTALCALLS FOR SERVICE 17,169 17,447 17,146 Direct Alarm Monitoring Subscribers 1,740 1,540 1,078 Revenue generated from Direct Alarm Monitoring $465,847.00 $428,173.00 $323,474.00 2005 2004 2003 2002 Total completed work orders 14,217 13,711 11,340 9,069 Total number of permits issued 2,795 2,792 2,166 2,301 Total permit fee revenue $2,152,228.00 $2,131,608.00 $1,347,228.00 $1,359,304.00 Waste hauled to landfill (tons)16,212 16,634 16,023 16,604 Recycled materials (tons)1,161 1,140 1,097 1,065 PPUBLICUBLIC WWORKSORKS SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS PPOLICEOLICE DEPDEPARARTMENTTMENT SSTTAATISTICSTISTICS