Page 9 - CityofKennedaleFY23Budget

C I T Y M A NA G E R ’ S O FF I C E
405 MUNICIPAL DRIVE | KENNEDALE, TX 76060
OFFICE: 817-985-2102 | CELL: 817-565-4531 | FAX: 817-483-0182

Mayor Hollis Matthews and Distinguished City Council Members
405 Municipal Drive
City of Kennedale, TX 76060

Honorable Mayor and Members of the Council,

I would like to first thank you for the continued opportunity to be the City Manager for the city that
I have dutifully and honorably served for over 26 years. As City Manager, I am looking forward to
continuing to take on the larger role of managing our great city and serving our citizens for the
foreseeable future.
As we have discussed and is well known to our residents and business owners, Kennedale is
growing. The growth of our community affects every citizen, from our youngest to our seniors,
from people starting new careers to those that have chosen Kennedale as their retirement home.
Growth also affects everything we do- the way we live, the way we work, and the way we raise our
families.

The increased growth of the metro area around Kennedale also affects us. Presently, we have
roughly 9,200 residents. Over the next 20 years, we expect our population to grow to over 15,000
residents. Our infrastructure will need to be updated and planned to adequately meet our current
and future needs. We must update our Comprehensive Plan, the Unified Development Code, and
the water utilities contract. While doing so, we need to keep our finances in order to address any
new and current programs to continue to serve our community. We must also identify our
infrastructural needs now and in the future while maintaining a high reserve level.

I have already been faced with and tackled several challenges, some with simple fixes and others
that will require work for the foreseeable future. There is still a lot of work to be done. From
handling day-to-day city business, to meeting with citizens, city leaders, business owners,
developers, and contractors, I have found the position thus far challenging and rewarding. The most
rewarding aspect of being in this position is moving the vision of the Mayor and the City Council
forward. I believe that it will be my role to support their vision as we make progress and adapt to
the changes in the present and those to come.

To do so, there must be a plan for implementing the changes that are needed and to execute the
vision of our elected leaders. Implementing the plan is critical for future success. The strength of
any organization is the people that do the work. I want to understand the concerns and needs that
all of our employees have, whether they need new equipment to help them do their job better to
understanding what their expectations are. I believe this builds trust and the ability to better identify
our purpose as public servants within our city government.

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