Originally published - October 2012
By John Terrell, Mayor of Southlake
Do you know exactly what exactly you'll be doing in the yearbr2030? Many of us (including me) may notbrbe able to answer that question. But Ibrcan tell you with a fair amount of accuracy what the City of Southlake willbrlook like. Why? Because we have planned for it and I havebrevery confidence that those plans will become part of the Southlake story inbrthe years to come.
In order to talkbrabout the future, you have to be willing to talk about the past and thebrpresent. So here's another question forbryou, where were you in 1969? Most of usbrdidn't live here yet, but that's when the City's first comprehensive plan wasbrput together. It laid out that firstbrvision of what Southlake could be. Evenbrthough that first plan is more than 40 years old, I think it set a greatbrprecedent for the City and its future.
Through the years, those comprehensive plans have gottenbrmore elaborate as Southlake has grown. brBut as I look back I noticed something else about Southlake: not only dobrwe have a vision of what we want to be, we have also created financial plansbrfor how to make it a reality. Waterbrsystems to support the Southlake population build out don't just happenbrovernight. Roadways to handle increasedbrtraffic and improve driver safety take time to design much less to build. And while for some us those projects can't bebrcompleted soon enough, the time it has taken to plan and construct some ofbrthese major projects has worked to our advantage when it comes to paying forbrit.
From roadway construction projects and the City's parksbrsystem, to public art and the City's water system, taxpayer dollars have beenbrput to work in order for the City to pay for its needs. In most cases, (and in the most simplest ofbrterms) these major projects start with a hefty down payment, so that any moneybrthat must be borrowed can be kept to a minimum. Every year, the City Manager and her teambrtake those major needs into account in order to create a budget that will takebrus one step closer to meeting the needs of this growing city.
I know that many of you are concerned about the City's debtbrespecially in light of the nation's struggle with this topic. Debt is something that the Council and thebrCity Manager take very seriously and it's why that when we are consideringbrmoving forward on a major project, we go in with money already in the bank. The debt the City does take on is financed atbrvery low rates and it's amortized very quickly so that the City's interestbrportion of the payback is minimal. Here's something else to consider, more thanbr70% of the City's current debt will be retired in the next 10 years. The City's ability to successfully manage itsbrdebt has even been noted by Fitch bond agency which recently reaffirmed thebrCity's AAA rating. In a recent releasebrthey noted “…Tenured and proactive financial management have enabled the citybrto retain solid reserves… Strong financial performance is supported bybrcomprehensive planning and conservative budget management.” Fitch affirmed what we have been practicingbrfor many years: make a plan, and thenbrstick to it.
For FY 2013 which starts October 1, 2012 the City is makingbra large investment into Safety and Security, with a good portion of the outlaybrgoing to DPS North. As I mentioned tobryou in July, DPS North has been in the plans for a while, with Council givingbrits approval for the project in June of 2010. brNow that we've turned dirt, construction has started and the facilitybrshould be open by next summer. And whenbrit opens we will be ready, with 12 new firefighters, a new engine, and a trainingbrfacility that will help keep our DPS personnel in the City while they train onbrthe latest public safety techniques and concepts.
The plans for Southlake 2030 are big and bold. It touches on everything from our roadwaybrsystems and land plans to the sustainability of our infrastructure and our parkbrsystems. It gives us a vision for thebrfuture and also starts the conversation about how to pay for it. Seventeen years from now, the items found inbrthe 2030 document will be a part of the Southlake landscape. And as with previous investments such as DPSbrHeadquarters, Bicentennial Park, The Bob Jones Nature Center and the trafficbrroundabouts just to name a few, our future investments will be made with thebrhelp of our comprehensive plan and strong financial principles. For more information about Southlake 2030, Ibrhope you'll visit www.Southlake2030.com.br
I must confess that at the start of every budget year, I getbrexcited about the possibilities and what we will be able to look back on whenbrthe year is over. To learn more aboutbrthe FY 2013 budget please visit www.CityofSouthlake.com/FY2013. Here’s to another great fiscal year inbrSouthlake!
See you in Southlake!