Page 18 - KennedaleFY24AdoptedBudget
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         We have started negotiations with Arlington Water Utilities to supply water to the City of Kennedale. With the
         2023 Certificate of Obligation (CO) Bond, we will be able to start construction on the T3 and T4 500,000-

         gallon storage water tanks needed to continue necessary water supply and water pressure for the city.

         Communications and Community Outreach


         In the past year, we were able to provide a variety of resources to all ages through our Public Library and Senior
         Center. This included new programs focused on improving life skills and workforce quality training through

         reading programs and hosting classes to learn basic computer skills. During this past year, the Library and
         Senior  Center  experienced  significantly  higher  visitor  traffic  than  in  previous  years.  The  Senior  Center

         continues to be a very popular experience for our senior citizen community with a variety of events specially
         designed for their enjoyment. The library created a variety of additional programs and events free to the public,

         encouraging citizens to take advantage of the resources available in our community.

         The police department also launched a series of new and exciting programs in an effort to build partnerships

         and increase communication within the community. The department’s Community Engagement Officer created

         a Business Crime Prevention Coalition to help local businesses deter crime and improve prevention efforts.
         The department also began hosting Coffee with a Cop with our Kennedale Seniors Community. These are just

         two examples highlighting the police department’s efforts to support the city’s new direction toward improving
         outreach and communication with our citizens.


         Additional citizen involvement on our city boards and commissions is also another important aspect that is key
         to promoting better communication with our citizens. We will continue to build upon our previous efforts to

         encourage more citizen involvement in the new year and improve our communications to our citizens using all
         available means. The city will focus on improving communication through social media, city web pages,

         townhall meetings, and increased attendance at homeowner association meetings and other community events.

         This will also include continued involvement with the Kennedale Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce.

         We recognize that providing information to our citizens is imperative, especially with local events or any

         incidents that may affect the community. The city has made improvements regarding citywide notifications for
         situations such as street closures or weather events, but there is still work to be done. The city is committed to

         keeping every citizen informed to the best of our ability and will seek any and all additional means to do so
         now and in the coming year.


         In the past year, we made wonderful strides supporting a wide variety of city sponsored and city supported
         events. We were able to budget for events to promote citizen involvement in our community. These included

         our revamped Kennedale Hometown Christmas event with a new thirty-foot Christmas tree, a new Kennedale



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