Page 131 - Southlake FY20 Budget

Strategic Direction

Engaged employees are 100% committed to their roles and contribute to the organization in a positive manner.
Since our first survey in 2013, the City’s engaged workforce has increased from 39% to 53%, moving us from the
38th percentile to the 79th percentile in comparison to other organizations who have taken the survey.

Southlake’s performance measures are continually evolving. As we have improved our ability to gather and mine
data about our work, we have been able to add performance measures to the departmental business plans as a
gauge of success. These departmental measures are reported on each department’s scorecard, then feed into the
city-wide scorecard to give an overall picture of the City’s performance. As the City continues to develop these
scorecards, measurement units, data sources, and targets will be refined. Through quarterly performance reviews,
departmental performance is documented. Trends are also tracked over time through department dashboards
which are currently under development. The city-wide scorecard is presented later in this section and departmental
scorecards are provided in the City Department Overview section of this budget document.

In 2019, the International City/County Management Association recognized the City’s performance measurement
work, awarding Southlake with a Certificate of Achievement in Performance Management. As one of the 57
jurisdictions recognized nationwide, this certificate is awarded to organizations who foster a performance culture
by utilizing data to manage performance and make decisions.

Implementation Plans

The next elements of the SMS are implementation plans. These plans are developed by
departments and divisions to identify clear actions, timing, and resources needed to
demonstrate that the strategy is being successfully implemented.

The first level of implementation plans includes our long range comprehensive plan, such as
Southlake 2035. Southlake 2035 is the comprehensive master plan that includes all elements
(master plans) of the City’s planning efforts, such as land use, parks, trails, thoroughfares,
community facilities, etc. Staff has set up a real-time data tracking and visualization system to ensure proper
implementation of each plan’s priorities. Operationally, each department maintains the status information on
items for which they are assigned responsibility. Accountability is established through regular reporting to the City
Council as well as Boards and Commissions who oversee projects related to plan elements.

The second level of implementation plans includes our departmental business plans. Departments prepare their
business plans following an analysis of their department’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats and
with the goal of implementing best practices associated with the services they provide. These plans are prepared
biennially each spring and are the basis for budget submittal. Additionally, departments prepare annual work
plans which articulate both the connection to the business plan as well as clearly outlining what the department is
planning to do, how they are planning to do it and when they project the work will be complete.

Southlake’s Strategic Development / Budget Cycle
Establishing a link between a City’s strategy and budget is fundamental to effective public budgeting. Southlake works
hard to connect the SMS to the budget process. Incorporating the Strategy Map into resource allocation decisions
ensures the City budget reflects the priorities of City Council. The illustration below depicts the annual process of
developing the City’s budget in conjunction with the Strategic Management System.

The budget process, like the Strategy Map, connects each department to the organization as a whole. At the micro
level, City departments work to provide quality services to the citizens of Southlake. At the macro level, departments
use the Strategy Map to make budgetary requests so that these services can be performed. As the Budget Cycle
illustration indicates (below), the process never ceases. At the beginning of each fiscal year, in October, we conduct or
review the results from the most recent citizen survey, this aids staff in focusing its work for the coming year. Then a
meeting with City Council in January provides an opportunity to review the strategic direction, followed by the creation
of departmental business plans in April and budget development in August. In order for funding to be allocated,

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