Page 48 - CityofMansfieldFY24Budget

THE CITY OF MANSFIELD, TEXAS

Strategic Fiscal Plan

History and Purpose of the Plan

Mansfield, Texas, is located in the southern sector of the fourth largest metropolitan area
in the United States of America. The City of Mansfield encompasses 36.69 square miles.
Current population estimates by City Planners suggest that the City is home to
approximately 82,250 people. In 1980, the City claimed 8,102 residents. Since 1980, the
City’s population has grown by over 74,000 residents. Mansfield, Texas is the third
largest City in the County, and is third only to Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas in
Tarrant County.

Population growth is expected to continue in the Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth region.
The Council of Governments, a coalition of local governments in the metropolitan area,
continues to project growth in the population of North Texas and specifically in Tarrant
County over the next three decades. Mansfield City Planners also project growth in the
City of Mansfield with an estimated population of 134,097 residents within the next ten
years.

In the decade of the 1970s, community leaders recognized the demands of meeting the
needs of the new residents within the City of Mansfield, Texas. Infrastructure was aging
and unable to support the expectations of a new and increasing population. City
resources were limited, including limited professional staff, limited infrastructure, and
limited funding capacity. Land use was primarily agricultural. Community leaders
gathered, raised taxes, recruited, retained professional staff, and began building a
community. Some of these community leaders are still active in the community today.

In addressing the service demands of the community, the City of Mansfield jumped in
front of the expectations of growth in the decade of the 1980’s and began creating and
adopting several planning models to manage and guide in the development of the City’s
infrastructure to support the needs of the growing community and its demand for
services. These planning models included the Master Land Use Plan, the Master
Thoroughfare Plan, the Master Drainage Plan, the Master Water & Sewer Plan, the
Master Parks Plan, and the City’s Long-term Financial Strategic Plan. Planning models
are generally based upon the expectations of future populations and the expected use of
infrastructure and services necessary to support the expected populations. These models
are carefully designed, and some require the public’s involvement to ensure that these
documents are consistent with the interests of the vested stakeholders in the community.
Plans change little year after year because of the deliberative processes and the
assumptions used in planning for future land use and needed infrastructure. Generally, the
primary planning model that drives the rest of the planning models is the land use model

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