City Manager ’ s Message
Dear Reader ,
Welcome to Arlington ’ s Popular Annual Financial Report or PAFR . Think of this like the annual report from a corporation because that ’ s essentially what the City of Arlington is — a municipal corporation . And this is our report to you , our shareholders / residents .
While not required by law , Arlington ’ s elected and executive leaders believe this report is an important element 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 fiscal year 2016 . It also contains highlights of the work done by the municipal corporation supported the City Council priorities highlighted by Mayor Williams on the previous page and the core service areas of public safety , culture / recreation and infrastructure . All of that work is done in a way which 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 2016 , the City of Arlington achieved some measure of success on both fronts . For example , we saw a 176 % increase in the capital investment generated through the Office of Economic Development , a 68 % increase in STEAM ( Science , Technology , Engineering , Arts and Math ) participation at our City libraries , a 61 % increase in the linear footage of water and sewer lines designed by the City Engineering staff , and a 56 % increase in the number of court cases completed in 2016 .
Both Standard & Poor ’ s and Fitch maintained Arlington ’ s AAA bond rating . City departments , including Police , Fire , Water Utilities , Public Works and Transportation , Finance , and Parks and Recreation , also received top national professional certifications .
Significant recognitions and awards were also given to our Police Department for Project RAISE by the Texas Municipal League and our Fire Department for its Community Health Program by the U . S . Conference of Mayors . Additionally , our Parks and Recreation Department was named a National Gold Medal Finalist by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration , and the City was awarded the Audrey Nelson Award for its first-time homebuyer program given by the National Community Development Association . These are a few of Arlington ’ s many recognitions . A more complete list is available on pages 18 and 19 of this document .
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 . In fact , our financial transparency has earned us two Transparency Stars from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts to date in the areas of traditional finances and economic development . Additionally , we encourage residents to monitor our progress on our Capital Improvement Plan through the City ’ s Bond Tracker webpage ( www . arlingtontx . gov / 2014bond /). That site is part of our effort to help taxpayers track the journey of capital improvement projects from ballot to full implementation and to ensure their tax dollars are being invested wisely .
On the balance , 2016 was a year of exciting opportunity and achievement . The City staff and I look forward to continuing our work to advance the strategic direction set by Arlington residents and the City Council during 2017 .
Trey Yelverton City Manager Trey . Yelverton @ ArlingtonTX . gov | 817.459.6101
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