The Quarry

Base ingredient for success is Strategic Plan

As noted in our first budget blog post, the base ingredient in Round Rock’s recipe for success is the Strategic Plan. The plan is updated and reprioritized annually by the City Council, and serves as the foundation for all City initiatives. Here’s how the proposed 2018 budget feeds the plan’s strategic priorities.

Financially Sound City Providing High Value Services

The objectives to this goal are: Diversify City revenues; Expand the City tax base through economic expansion; Maintain financial reserves consistent with City financial policies and national standards; Hire and retain top quality, diverse City workforce dedicated to serving the Round Rock community; Maintain City facilities, equipment and apparatus; Deliver cost effective City services in a customer friendly, pro-business manner; and develop, update and use long-range organization and strategic master planning.

In the proposed budget, to achieve this goal we are adding four staff to Planning and Development Services to ensure timely processing for development applications and inspections. The quicker businesses can get through the development process, the sooner the increased property value can be added to tax rolls and the sooner sales tax revenue can be generated.

We set aside $750,000 every year for facility maintenance and repairs, which is needed to keep facilities from falling into disrepair and requiring more expensive replacement. We also fill up a funding bucket with $750,000 for technology expenditures.

The budget also includes $2.3 million for increasing health insurance costs; $2 million for pay increases to keep public safety salaries competitive; and $942,000 for salary increases and market adjustments for general government employees.

Finally, we’re working with our partners at the Round Rock Chamber on strategies to reinvigorate aging commercial and retail centers.

City Infrastructure: Today and Tomorrow

Objectives for this goal are: Have responsible potable water use by City customers, City facilities and parks; Invest in City infrastructure to support future community growth and economic development; Expand water reuse system serving Northeast areas and parks (where applicable); Improve mobility throughout the City and the region; Upgrade and expand roads; and upgrade and expand drainage and stormwater system

There are always some big ticket items for this goal in a fast-growth community like ours. Building and maintaining the infrastructure that keeps things running doesn’t come cheap. To that end, there’s $42.9 million for roads and streets; $23.8 million in the Water and Wastewater Capital Improvement Plan (CIP); and $6.3 million for the Drainage CIP.

We’re also adding 10 new staff in this area. There’s four in Transportation for an additional street maintenance crew; two in general services for custodial services at the Police headquarters and a facility tech for the Clay Madsen Recreation Center; and four additional employees to take care of our growing water and wastewater utility systems.

Sports Capital of Texas for Tourism and Residents

Objectives for this goal are: Expand sports facilities to support tourism; Increase number of tournaments, regional and national; Develop/maintain additional sports fields – practice, games, sports tourism; Develop partnership with Round Rock ISD for joint use facilities and programs; Upgrade the quality and maintenance of current City sports facilities; Increase revenues from sports tourism/convention for benefit of residents and the local economy; and expand conventions/conferences.

Our sports tourism program is growing with the opening of the Multipurpose Complex at Old Settlers Park; and non-sports tourism will also get a boost when Kalahari Resorts and Conventions opens, which is expected in 2020. The tourism program is designed to bring in sales tax revenue from non-residents, as Ron Pitchman explains. We’re adding two staff to our Sports Management and Tourism team, one for operations and one for marketing; and beefing up the marketing budgets for sports tourism and the convention business.

On the sports facilities front, there’s $850,000 in this budget for converting the Dell Diamond stadium lighting to LED — that will be paid for out of hotel-motel tax revenues. We’re also earmarking $740,000 to cover operating shortfalls when Forest Creek Golf Club closes for much-needed major repairs this fall. We have already set aside $3.5 million for golf course repairs out of our General Self Finance Construction fund.

Great Community to Live

Objectives for this goal include: Expand and diversify the local business and job opportunities for residents; Expand education campuses and programs; Expand/maintain quality of life amenities for residents; Build a community where people prefer to live; Diversify housing opportunities; and redevelop older commercial areas and corridors.

Public safety is fundamental to this goal. To that end, we’ve got 13 new positions planned for Fire and Police. Nine firefighters are needed to complete staffing at our new stations, and there are also funds to upgrade response capabilities at Station 3 and $750,000 for an additional engine. We’re adding two detectives and a crime specialist to the police staff.

Of course, parks are integral to quality of life, and $12.6 million of bond-funded construction will start on expansions to the Brushy Creek trail system. There’s $730,000 in bond funding for a new Adult Sports Complex at Old Settles Park. There’s also a parks maintenance worker included to help at the soon-to-be-expanded Play for All Park. Parks is also requesting $29,000 for adaptive and inclusive recreation programming for the park.

We’re planning to use $2 million in bond funds for siting and design of the new library. We’re adding half an FTE at the Library in the Adult Services area.

Sustainable Neighborhoods — Old and New

Objectives for this goal include: Maintain reputation as the “safest large city”; Upgrade older housing stock, exterior and interior; Ensure homes and commercial areas complying with City codes; Increase neighborhood connectivity through streets, trails and bike lanes; Increase effectiveness of homeowner associations; Repair, upgrade neighborhood infrastructure: streets, sidewalks, utilities, fences, streetscapes; and upgrade neighborhood parks and open spaces.

Neighborhood street maintenance is the largest total here, with $3 million added to the $13.5 million set aside in the current fiscal year.

We’re also proposing funding parks improvements like the Round Rock West Park greenbelt ($575,000), Frontier Park ($300,000) and the Meadow Lake Park pavilion ($136,000).

Last but certainly not least is an additional Code Enforcement officer. Strong, consistent code enforcement ensures safe and desirable living and working environments, and helps maintain property values.

Authentic Downtown — Exciting Community Destination

Objectives for this goal include: Increase public and commercial use of Brushy Creek; Expand housing opportunities: townhomes, apartments, condos; Develop “Gypsum Site”; Increase number of entertainment businesses and venues consistent with City code; Increase Downtown connectivity; and provide safe, convenient, lighted parking.

Road and streetscape improvements continue in our historic downtown, with $3.7 million for the East Bagdad Avenue extension and $3.3 million for southwest downtown.

To keep all the improvements to the streets and sidewalks looking good, we’re adding a maintenance tech dedicated to downtown, and also contracting out landscape maintenance services. Those two items total $178,000 for the fiscal year, and include equipment for the maintenance tech.

A new playground for Memorial Park is planned, at $195,000.

And we’ll continue with our award-winning Downtown marketing initiatives, which are funded by the Type B sales tax for economic development.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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