City Manager’s Letter
It is my privilege to present you with the balanced budget for the fiscal year beginning The Fiscal Year 2013 balanced July 1, 2012 and ending June 30, 2013 which totals $183,222,542. The annual budget is budget maintains the level of the policy document that communicates the financial policies of the City for the fiscal service that Rock Hill citizens year. The budget is prepared each year with the support and policy input of our elected have grown to appreciate and officials and hard work from our departments to ensure that we are preparing the lean‐ expect while continuing the est budget possible while still providing high quality services through excellent service City’s tradition of fiscal prudence delivery. The recovering economy presented a few challenges during the development and efficient operations. The of the Fiscal Year 2013 budget, however, as a result of years of fiscal prudence and effi‐ approved budget reflects the cient management of operations, the City of Rock Hill was well positioned to respond to City’s priorities as outlined in the those challenges. Strategic Plan. This budget docu‐ ment provides useful informa‐ STRATEGIC PLANNING tion about the City’s financial The City of Rock Hill has a vision for the future. To bring this to fruition, Rock Hill’s City and performance plans, goals, Council and staff developed a set of strategic initiatives and a strategic plan, which pro‐ and policies. vide a blueprint for the City’s future by outlining ambitions, setting priorities, and pro‐ viding performance targets to ensure adequate progress toward making the vision a reality. The strategic planning process began with the administration of a citizen’s survey conducted by an independent third party in which Rock Hill residents were randomly selected to provide satisfaction ratings regarding the City’s delivery of a variety of services. Keeping with the City’s strengthened commitment to community engage‐ ment, in October 2011, for the first time in our strategic planning history, we held third‐party independently led strategic planning focus group sessions compromised of randomly selected residents. Survey data, focus group feedback, and progress on the previous Strategic Plan’s goals were discussed with Mayor and City Council during the January 2012 strategic planning retreat. After several months of collaboration among the Mayor, City Council, and City staff, the Fiscal Year 2013 through 2015 Strategic Plan was adopted on June 11, 2012. This Strategic Plan will guide the City from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2015. FOCUS AREAS After reviewing the ideas and feedback provided during the strategic planning process, a clear recurring theme emerged: Rock Hill is a city committed to quality. A city committed to providing quality services, offer‐ ing quality places, and being a quality community. The FY2013‐2015 Strategic Plan focus areas are: quality services, quality places, and quality community. Quality Services: This focus area includes some of the most fun‐ damental responsibilities we have as being the local provider for services such as fire, police, water, sewer, electricity, public works, economic development, customer service, and parks, recreation, and tourism.
Quality Places: This focus area involves ensuring that the City offers quality development and places for businesses and com‐ munity life to flourish. This includes having a vibrant downtown and managing transformative development projects within our community, such as Riverwalk and the Bleachery.
Quality Community: This focus area addresses several quality of life initiatives such as supporting neighborhoods within our City, fostering a diverse and inclusive community, building public trust, and encouraging public engagement. Additional information on the Strategic Plan can be found in the Performance Budget section of this document.
City of Rock Hill, South Carolina—Fiscal Year 2012/2013
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