Page 15 - Watauga FY22-23 Budget

BUDGET MESSAGE FOR FY2022-2023

➢ Goal #1: Maintain the Financial Strength of the City – this includes maintaining
sound fiscal management practices, ensuring the City’s bond rating is maintained
or improved on an annual basis, developing an internal audit committee, evaluating
the feasibility of participating in the Opportunity Zones program, and seeking grant
opportunities.

➢ Goal #2: Expand public safety through non-enforcement efforts – Safety
improvements for Watauga residents and visitors.

➢ Goal #3: Develop a sustainable economic development effort –The City will
continue efforts and develop policies and plans to reinvest, revitalize, and improve
aging shopping center sites and foster economic development, redevelopment,
business retention and attraction.

➢ Goal #4: Strengthen Future Planning – The Comprehensive Plan was updated in
FY2018-2019 to include economic development.

➢ Goal #5: Improve Community Involvement – this goal includes initiatives to
develop more volunteer opportunities for citizens and identify technological options
that encourage citizen participation. Funding is included for a citizen survey every
three years and the annual Watauga 101 Citizens academy.

➢ Goal #6: Improve the City Brand – The City is focusing on developing a marketing
strategy to promote the City.

➢ Goal #7: Attract, retain, and motivate qualified staff – a Personnel Improvement
Plan identifies areas of staffing needs for all City departments. This fiscal year,
various positions have been identified as crucial to operations, which include
increased staffing in the Police Department, the Parks and Recreation Department,
and Public Works. Many of these positions were unfunded in FY2021 to provide
for a balanced budget. A compensation and classification study was conducted in
the current fiscal year and recommendations from that plan were implemented in
July 2022. With staffing challenges, a continued review of the City’s recruitment
and retention strategy will be conducted, and employee satisfaction surveys will
be conducted every two years.

➢ Goal #8: Evaluate Technology and workplace solutions highlighted by COVID-19:
An evaluation of broadband access to the citizens and students of Watauga is
underway. Staff is currently researching costs and savings for implementing
telecommuting for certain positions and shifting to AMI technology.

Planning for the Future

The City’s financial condition remains strong, and the City has proven flexible to adapt to
changing conditions. The economy began a recovery in Fiscal Year 2021 and is expected

7