FY 2018 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2018 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 4

Popular Annual City Manager’s Message Dear Reader, Welcome to Arlington’s Popular Annual Financial Report, known as the PAFR. We model this annual report the same way a corporation would because the City of Arlington is essentially a municipal corporation, and this is our report to you, our shareholders. While not required by law, Arlington’s elected and executive leaders believe this report is an integral part of how we communicate to our residents – sharing the openness, transparency and professionalism you expect from your local government. The PAFR contains financial information – both the financial resources and the work those resources funded – for FY18. It also contains highlights of the work done by our organization to support the City Council priorities highlighted by Mayor Williams on the previous page and the core service areas of public safety, culture/recreation and infrastructure. The work we do embraces the City’s values of teamwork, responsiveness, respect, innovation, commitment and integrity. I hope this publication helps you become more informed about how your local government works for you. Like the management of any large organization, we work to track performance through both internal measures and external benchmarks. In 2018, the City of Arlington succeeded on both fronts. For example, we saw an 11% increase in the turnaround time for commercial construction plans within 12 business days, a 19% increase in the linear footage of water and sewer lines designed by the City Engineering staff, a 160% increase in views on the City’s YouTube channel, a 7% increase in the number of Action Center calls answered and a 4% increase in police emergency calls dispatched within 120 seconds. With quality city services and smart budgeting, WalletHub has ranked Arlington as one of the best-run cities in America and the 10th most diverse city in the country. SmartAsset recently ranked the City of Arlington in the No. 10 spot on its list of 25 Most Affordable Cities for Early Retirement, and Arlington is ranked 4th in the nation for cultivating entrepreneurship by FitSmallBusiness.com. Arlington achieved an ISO Class 1 rating for exemplary protection by our Fire Department and Water Utilities Department, which can result in savings on insurance for commercial properties. The Arlington Police Department was presented with the 2018 Texas Municipal League Excellence Award for The Bridge Kids project, a program to help kids at an elementary school get home safely crossing over a pedestrian bridge. These are just a few of Arlington’s many recognitions across several departments. A comprehensive list is available on pages 18 and 19 of this doåcument. In addition to tracking performance measures and marking our success against our state and national peers, the City also invites Arlington residents to review our work. Each quarter, progress on City Council priorities is shared in online newsletters, and progress is tracked against the annual Budget and Business Plan, also available online. We also encourage residents to monitor our progress on our Capital Improvement Plan through the City’s Bond Tracker webpage (www.arlingtontx.gov/2014bond/) and our Bond Tracker video series on MyArlingtonTV. This program is part of our effort to help taxpayers track the journey of voter-approved capital improvement projects and to ensure their tax dollars are being invested wisely. 2018 was a year of both opportunity and substantial achievement. While we have more work to do, I’m excited about the direction and the standard of excellence set by you, the Arlington residents. The City staff and I look forward to continuing our work to ensure the highest quality of life possible for our residents. Trey Yelverton City Manager [email protected] | 817.459.6101 PAGE 4