Page 18 - CityofKennedaleFY25AdoptedBudget

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 and budgeting for a variety of city sponsored events.

These included our revamped Kennedale Hometown Christmas event with a new thirty-foot Christmas tree, a
new Kennedale BBQ Showdown event in partnership with Kennedale Speedway Park, Kidfish and Bark in the

Park held at Sonora Park, the 911 Memorial Commemoration at TownCenter Plaza, the Veterans Day

Memorial event also hosted at TownCenter Plaza, the annual Halloween Truck or Treat event held in
TownCenter, and the Juneteenth Parade. We have enjoyed significant community support and have received

positive feedback for our efforts to add value to our community by hosting these well-organized and family

friendly events. Our goal is to continue to improve these events and potentially add more community centered
activities in the coming year.

Municipal Court

The Kennedale Municipal Court continues to be dedicated to adhering to statutory requirements and providing
the highest standards in customer service and promotes timely disposition of cases while ensuring accuracy to

promote a positive public perception of our local judicial system. This past year, the court implemented a new
citation writing system using cellular phones previously issued to police officers. Using existing technology in

lieu of using a third party, independent citation writing device will save the city thousands of dollars in the

future. The court is also exploring new screening technology for the council chamber to help protect our citizens
and staff when court is in session. Additionally, new court managing software will be updated and implemented

going in to FY 2025.

The court also continues to participate in citywide events and community education. The court participated in

the Great Texas Warrant Roundup in March in cooperation with the police department, Texas Municipal Courts
Week in November, and met with members of the community at various National Night Out neighborhood

parties in October. Our court was also recognized by the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center and
received the 2024 Municipal Traffic Safety Award. In addition to the emphasis of education and community

outreach, the court staff still handled a 38% increase in all court filings with an 50% disposal and closed status

case load last year. The court also had a 43% increase of fines recovered in FY 2023-2024.

In conclusion, I wish to thank each employee of the City of Kennedale team. Our department directors and

administrative staff spent countless hours meeting and providing feedback and information to complete this
year’s adopted budget. I especially want to thank Finance Director Jonathan Horton and his team for their

efforts bringing it all together.

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