2019 City of Tyler Annual Report

#TimeToBuild

2019 ANNUAL REPORT

*This publication recognizes accomplishments from March 2019-March 2020.

In memory of Councilman Criss Sudduth

This publication is dedicated to late Councilman of District 6, Criss Sudduth. He was elected in early 2019 through a special election. The City of Tyler Council and Staff is thankful to Councilman Sudduth for his devotion to public service and for his community leadership.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome From Our Mayor Martin Heines..................................................................................2 Tyler City Council...........................................................................................................................................3 A Word From Our City Manager..........................................................................................................4 City of Tyler Leadership Team..............................................................................................................5 Excellence in Finance ...............................................................................................................................6 Recognizing Excellence...........................................................................................................................7 Time to Build: Public Works Projects Map......................................................................................................................................................8 Water Improvements..................................................................................................................................9 Sewer Improvements ................................................................................................................................10 Drainage Gets an Upgrade.....................................................................................................................11 A Safer Walk to School..............................................................................................................................12 Time to Build: Public Safety Animal Services .............................................................................................................................................13 Police .....................................................................................................................................................................14 Badges and Stickers ..................................................................................................................................15 Fire ...........................................................................................................................................................................16 A Splash of Tradition ...................................................................................................................................17 Municipal Court is Making Changes ...............................................................................................18 Time to Build: Quality of Life Planning and Development ..................................................................................................................19 Parks & Recreation........................................................................................................................................20 Railroad Corridor Repurposed.............................................................................................................21 Making Fun Accessible..............................................................................................................................22 From the Ground Up ..................................................................................................................................23 Downtown...........................................................................................................................................................24 Experience Downtown Tyler.................................................................................................................25 Library.....................................................................................................................................................................26 Housing Choice Partnership..................................................................................................................27 Solid Waste.........................................................................................................................................................28 The Future Announced.............................................................................................................................29 City Debuts New Website ......................................................................................................................30

City of Tyler Vision:

City of Tyler Mission:

To be the standard for performance excellence in local government.

To SERVE our community to make a positive difference.

1

Dear Tyler Residents, For six years, we have dreamed together, we have built together, and we have improved our City’s infrastructure, public safety and quality of life. Tyler’s legacy is one of bold action and unparalleled vision.

During my time in office, we have invested heavily in our infrastructure. By doing so, we have invested in our future.

In the last five years, we have invested $90 million in water, wastewater, streets, drainage, parks and public safety projects.

Almost $73 million has been paid for in cash.

Throughout my term, I and this City Council promised you that we would continue to modernize and build anew our community’s infrastructure. We said we would not push off onto future generations what we should do today. That promise has been kept by us, but it will be up to future mayors and future councils to carry this promise forward.

Every day, every month, and every year, we are working towards a better city- one where our residents are safe, and our community can thrive. If we stay true to ourselves, I have no doubt that Tyler’s tomorrow will be as exceptional as it is today.

It has been the honor of my life to serve you as your mayor. I am proud to be your neighbor and to call Tyler my home.

Welcome From Our Mayor

MARTIN HEINES 2

LINDA SELLERS

1

represents District 1, located between Old Jacksonville Highway and South Broadway Avenue in the southern part of the city. It is home to several miles of hike and bike trails including those at Faulkner Park and the newly developed Legacy Trails trailhead.

BRODERICK MCGEE

2

represents District 2, located on the west side of Old Jacksonville Highway between Districts 1 and 3 and includes the annexed Tyler Pounds Regional Airport. It is home to Tyler’s burgeoning tech sector and our vibrant downtown entertainment district.

SHIRLEY MCKELLAR

3

represents District 3, located on the northwestern bounds of the city limits. Rich in history, it is home to historic Texas College campus, the oldest institution of higher education in Tyler.

DON WARREN represents District 4, located on the northeastern side of Tyler between East Fifth Street and East Gentry Parkway. It is home to Tyler’s historic Azalea district, Bergfeld Park and Amphitheater, Brick Street Village and the newly renovated Hillside Park.

4

BOB WESTBROOK represents District 5, located south of East Fifth Street and east of Paluxy Drive. It houses both the University of Texas at Tyler and Tyler Junior College, which brings more than 10,000 students to Tyler annually.

5 Tyler City

CRISS SUDDUTH represents District 6, located between Paluxy Drive and South Broadway Avenue. It is home to the Village at Cumberland Park, Tyler’s newest restaurant and retail destination. It houses the popular Southside Park and Rose Rudman Recreational trail, one of the most utilized trails in Tyler.

3

6

COUNCIL

Honorable Mayor, City Council Members and Residents of Tyler, This year, we continued significant investments in key projects and core services. We opened two new fire stations, renovated several City parks, announced the future conference center at our Rose Complex and took critical steps towards modernizing Tyler’s traffic system.

We have laid the groundwork for our future. But as you see the beautiful new parks, roadways and runways remember- Our story is not done. Not even close. 2020 marks an interesting year for our organization, our community and our world. We stand together at the cusp of a new decade, still in the early years of a new century.

Not only will we see changes with our community leadership as a new Mayor and new councilmembers are elected, we will also see changes to technology and our society at a faster rate than we’ve seen in history.

Our mission as a results-oriented service organization will depend on our ability to adapt and work within our new normal.

This is an exciting time. One where we will explore new opportunities, new ways of doing business, and define what it means to be a public servant in this modern era. I’m looking forward to the unknown and all of the opportunity it will bring. I hope you’ll join me in turning the page and eagerly anticipating our tomorrow.

A Word From Our City Manager

EDWARD BROUSSARD 4

1. David Coble

Managing Director

1

2. Stephanie Franklin Managing Director

4

14

24

3. Heather Nick Managing Director

19

4. Jimmy Toler

Managing Director

5. ReNissa Wade Managing Director

2

6. Deborah Pullum

5

15

25

City Attorney

7. Russ Jackson Parks Director

3

8. Jimmie Johnson

20

11

Utilities Director

9. Keidric Trimble

16

Chief Financial Officer

10. Benny Yazdanpanahi

26

Chief Information Officer

11. Dan Allee

7

GIS

12. Davis Dickson

12

21

Airport

13. Lisa Crossman

6

City Engineer

9

17

14. Chris Lennon

Code Enforcement

15. Shawn Markmann

13

Animal Services

22

16. Sherry Pettit Purchasing

17. Sara McCracken

10

Streets/Stormwater/Traffic

18

27

18. Amber Varona Main Street

19. Gary Smith

8

Facility Services

20. Ashley Taylor

24. Julie Goodgame

21. Nicole Johnson

25. Paul Neuhaus

22. Veronica Brady

26. Leroy Sparrow

23. Jim Yanker

27. Raynesha Hudnall

Library

Municipal Court

Communications / Liberty Hall

5

Water Business Office

City of Tyler

Environmental Compliance

City U / Innovation Pipeline Vehicle Services / Solid Waste / Transit

23

Neighborhood Services

LEADERSHIP TEAM 5

2019 General Fund Revenues

2019 General Fund Expenditures

$ 71,010,162

$71,690,988 $2 436 588

$4 978 059

$

$6,219,463

$4,526,655

25¢

$4,526,655

TAX RATE

$29,330,046

$31,220,284

$10,695,237

$6,957,811

$31,220,284

$10,695,237 $586,453

a

$27 833 065

$5,206,939

$7 082 769

$586,453

AAA BOND RATING $5 839 079

0

$

$5,782,658

ZERO TAX SUPPORTED DEBT

$20,625,073 $20,625,073

$17 513 424 $18,194,072

$3,356,510

$3,356,510

Sales & Use Taxes

Sales & Use Taxes

Use of Property & Mone y, Misc.

Property Taxes

Use of Property & Mone y, Misc.

Inter governmental F unds & Grants

Property Taxes

Fir e

Engineering, Str eets, Tr

Franchise F ees

Licenses, P ermits, F ees, Fines

Debt

Fire

Police & Municipal Cour t

Engineering, Streets, Tra c, Animal Services

Franchise F ees

Inter governmental F unds & Grants

Police & Municipal Court

General Government Services

General Government Ser vices

Licenses, P ermits, F ees, Fines

Debt Comparison (General Obligation) Made with

nimal Ser vices

Parks & Library Parks & Libr ary

Tax Rate Comparison

Transfers

Transf ers

2019 Property Taxes (Similar Sized Cities) Made Madewith with

Made with

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0.7 0.6

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FINANCE

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#TimeToBuild

300000000

RECOGNIZING EXCELLENCE Communication:

Texas Downtown Association:

MarCom Platinum for PSA – Walking with Bob: “Crosswalk Confusion” MarCom Gold for PSA Video Campaign – Tyler PD’s “Friendly Neighborhood Thief” MarCom Gold for Print Media for Annual Report - #TimeToBuild “Building for Tomorrow… Starting Now” MarCom Honorable Mention for Video – Tyler Animal Services “Pumpkin Spice” Promotion Video

People’s Choice Award - Spirit of Downtown

Finance:

Rose Garden: Designation in the National Register of Historic Places Locals Love us - Tourist Attraction

Firefighter Combat Challenge: Gold - Relay to the Tyler Fire Over 40 Team

Certificate of Achievement Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Keep Tyler Beautiful:

Police:

Trees Committee:

Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) accreditation Tyler Fire Over 40 Team

10th year as Tree City USA

13th consecutive Gold Star Affiliate Award

Bee City USA affiliate: 4th in Texas

Planning: 5th Consecutive Planning Excellence Award

#TimeToBuild

Main Street: National Accreditation - Texas Main Street Program, Texas Historical Commission

AWARDS 7

“In the last five years, we have invested $90 million in water, wastewater, streets, drainage, parks and public safety projects.

Almost $73 million has been paid for in cash.”

–Mayor Martin Heines

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM Airport Drainage Parks

Public Safety

Sewer Streets

Traffic Signals

Water Marked areas do not indicate exact locations

Public Works

PROJECTS 9

8

#TimeToBuild: PUBLIC WORKS Completed design of

Troup Hwy

35,885

Standpipe

Served

Interior

Design Cost: $179k Est. Construction Cost: $937K

WATER CUSTOMERS

8,738,291,000 GALLONS OF

DRINKING WATER

PRODUCED

Began Water System Inventory Engineering Study

486K

$

Replaced & Improved

Completed design for the

GRWTP Filters

In Conjunction with the Asphalt Overlay Project

Design Cost: $267k Est. Construction Cost: $2.44M

2� WATER LINES

WATER IMPROVEMENTS 9

#TimeToBuild: PUBLIC WORKS

87 MILES 214

Camera Inspected More Than

REPLACED & IMPROVED

745,000

of

$

Wastewater Gravity Mains

& Cleaned ALMOST

MILES

Wastewater Gravity Mains

FUTURE DESIGN FOR SOUTHSIDE WASTEWATER TREATMENT CLARIFIER REHABILITATION

SECTION OF 42” WASTEWATER MAIN & MANHOLES

COUNTY ROAD 2100 SANITARY SEWER MAIN REPLACEMENT PROJECT

111,781

$

33,151 4.5m

$

EST. CONSTRUCTION COST:

6.8 Billion

TOTAL TREATED WASTEWATER

Sanitary Sewer Customers

GALLONS

SEWER IMPROVEMENTS 10

DRAINAGE GETS AN UPGRADE Old Bullard Road and Rice Road used to become a safety hazard to drivers when heavy rains fell in the area. The drainage system under the roadway consisted of two five-feet by three-feet box culverts. The culverts were undersized and not capable of alleviating flooding on the roadway or properties upstream.

“The structures were put in place in the 1970’s prior to the City’s current drainage design standards and before most the current residential and commercial development in the area existed,” said Lisa Crossman, city engineer.

City Council approved a contract with Reynolds and Kay, Ltd. for the construction of the Old Bullard Road drainage project on Jan. 10, 2018. The project added three additional five-feet by three-feet box culverts to the drainage crossing and new curb inlets and channel improvements upstream from the area. Construction began on April 22, 2019.

The City notified residents and businesses affected in the area with a postcard and held town hall meetings to discuss the project.

Through careful planning and coordination, all the businesses affected by the construction remained open with driveway access for the full duration of the project.

The $464,852.61 project was scheduled to take four months to complete. The project was completed a month early allowing the road to reopen on July 18, 2019 and came in $11,285.39 under budget. The project was funded through the Half-Cent Sales Tax Program.

#TimeToBuild

PUBLIC WORKS 11

A SAFER WALK TO SCHOOL It all started in 2015, when a group of fourth graders at T.J. Austin Elementary School wrote a letter to Mayor Martin Heines and former City Councilmember Ed Moore asking for sidewalks to be installed near their school. The letter convinced Moore the sidewalks were needed because the students were having to walk in the street and in residents’ yards on the way to and from school.

Moore worked to see the children’s idea for a safer commute completed before he left office in May 2019. Two quarter-mile-long sidewalks were completed in April 2019, giving students and parents the ability to walk through the neighborhood. The sidewalks are located on the west side of Moore Street, from Franklin Street to Cochran Street; and on the west side of Palace Street, from Franklin Street to Queen Street.

T. J. Austin Elementary School Principal Brandy Holland told CBS-19 about a third of the students at the school walk to school and back home every day. She also said students and their parents had to walk on private property or in the streets before the sidewalks were built. The Neighborhood Services Department named the project its major public facility project in 2018.

The $280,000 project was funded through the Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

#TimeToBuild

PUBLIC WORKS

12

12

#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

482

5,187

ADOPTED

Gave

PETS

POUNDS

of food to animals in need as part of our Pet Food Bank Project

492 Reunited

349 Transferred

PETS WITH THEIR OWNERS

9,253

Pets to 110 Rescue Organization Partners

RESPONDED TO

3,215 Sheltered

SERVICE CALLS

1,172

Registered

Animals

Microchips

ANIMAL SERVICES 13

#TimeToBuild: PUBLIC SAFETY PROPERTY CRIMES

5.5 % 9.35 Down By

DIGITAL FORENSICS

%

$100K IN UPDATES & TRAINING

VIOLENT CRIMES

Investigative Unit

Down By

EQUIPMENT UPDATE

Load Bearing Vests

$60K updates

Firing Range

OFFICER WELLNESS PROGRAM Crossfit added

POLICE 14

BADGES AND STICKERS When Tyler Police Sergeant Matthew Leigeber joined the Community Response Unit in 2016, he knew he was there for a reason. In his time of service at Tyler PD, Sgt. Leigeber has come to understand the impact of human connection and the importance of community policing.

In 2019, he was able to put his philosophy of compassion in policing into action when an employee at a restaurant needed help. Claudia Gonzalez had stopped breathing while on shift. Sgt. Leigeber was able to respond quickly, perform CPR and save her life.

For some, the relationship would have stopped there. But not for Matt.

Ms. Gonzalez has six children, all of whom have met and thanked Matt.

Because of his swift action, their mother is alive today.

#TimeToBuild

He included them in the Blue Santa Christmas program of 2019 and took them shopping for the gifts they wanted.

Sgt. Leigeber was already working on his Spanish, but now Claudia and her family gave him even more motivation to cross the language barrier and meet people on their terms.

Every single time Matt sees a child, regardless of race, he makes sure to give them a Tyler Police Department sticker, a high-five, a smile or a dance move. He wants their first interaction with a police officer to be a positive one.

He found that taking Spanish lessons has helped diffuse a lot of tough situations.

“I enjoy making people smile,” said Leigeber. “I believe if God puts you here and in a situation, you have to listen. We are here to serve everybody. There is no greater feeling than to save a life. When you are there at the right time and have the skills to do the right thing and save someone, it’s a blessing for both sides.”

PUBLIC SAFETY *This story was contributed to by Tyler Morning Telegraph’s editor John Anderson

15

#TimeToBuild: PUBLIC SAFETY

FIRE SAFETY EDUCATION

Upgraded Station Alerting System

HOUSE AND TRAILER

2

NEW Diesel Brush Truck BRUSH 4

REPLACEMENT FIRE STATIONS COMPLETED

Fire Station 1 $4.8 million 801 W. GENTRY PKWY

New Emergency Operations Center

Fire Station 4 $3 million 7445 CHERRY HILL DRIVE

Completed

FIRE 16

A SPLASH OF TRADITION The first new fire engine purchased in a decade made Station 10 its home in September of 2019. After 12 years in service, Tyler Fire was able to place one of its engines into reserve status and bring on a new Pierce PUC engine. Weighing more than 40,000 pounds and coming in at $625,000, Engine 10 was “pushed in” to its new bay on Old Omen Road.

A push in ceremony is a fire service tradition that dates back more than 100 years.

The wet down of a new fire truck represents the time when firefighters had to wet down the horses used to pull fire engines and then push the steam fire engines back into the fire station bay. The push-in ceremony dates back to the time of hand-pulled carts and horse drawn wagons which could not be easily be backed into the fire stations by the horses.

Though attendees were warned to be clear of the “splash zone,” Councilman Don Warren got soaked in the tire washing process when water splashed backward onto him from his bucket.

When he complained, another person with a bucket splashed additional water on him.

Engine 10 wasn’t the only vehicle that made an appearance in 2019. Tyler Fire also added a new diesel brush truck and two diesel pull vehicles, a command haul truck and a HazMat haul truck.

A new engine for Fire Station 9 has been placed under construction and is expected to make its Tyler Fire debut in late 2020 or early 2021.

#TimeToBuild

PUBLIC SAFETY 16

17

MUNICIPAL COURT IS MAKING CHANGES Tyler Municipal Court is making changes. Changes that equate to lower revenue.

“What we are focusing on now, instead of the monetary portion of it, is on education,” said Court Administrator Nicole Johnson. “Letting our residents know we want them to be compliant with the law while handling our court business as well.”

The Municipal Court has been taking the measures to provide more education and more presentations to let people know what they do and how they function as a court.

“Coming into our court is not always a bad thing,” said Johnson.

Rachel Baker, a student in the Financial Workshop provided by the Municipal Court gave the City the following testimonial. “Like most people that come through the court, I was a mom with two kids and two household incomes, but it is still really hard to make ends meet. The court gave me the option of attending the Financial class to pay part of my ticket. I was not aware at the time you could do this, but they gave me the opportunity, so I came. They gave us tools to lead to better financial stability.”

As we saw from the Financial Workshop, there’s other things and opportunities that may come out of appearing in the municipal court. They want people to know, while they are handling court business, they may have other avenues or other connections within our community that can assist them as well personally.

Other options to avoid paying tickets include keep it off the driving record, defer, an appointment to talk to the judge to discuss a lower payment plan or community service.

See 17 more on Rachel’s story:

TESTIMONIAL 18

#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

155 SUBDIVISION

PROPOSALS

73

NEW DUPLEXES & TOWNHOMES

18,559

55 ISSUED

NEW COMMERCIAL PERMITS

New Planning Applications

370

338 New Single-Family Homes

INSPECTIONS

PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 19

#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

$3,251,475

11,720

SPENT ON PARK IMPROVEMENTS BECAME AN OFFICIAL BEE CITY USA (FOURTH IN TEXAS)

TOTAL VOLUNTEER HOURS VALUE OF $298,039

1,151

Volunteers planted

7.7

Volunteers and contracted services cleaned up

TREES

10

th

TONS OF TRASH

PARKS & RECREATION 20

YEAR AS A TREE CITY USA

RAILROAD CORRIDOR REPURPOSED Residents celebrated the grand opening of Legacy Trails in July 2019 with an inaugural walk, bike or run on the new trail with the Tyler Police Department’s bike team. Carey Johnson Pierce, an avid runner, from Tyler said she loves running on Legacy Trails because she can run just a few miles or run the entire trail and do a long run. “I run it three to five times a week,” she said. “It’s a great location. There are always people out there walking, biking or running, so I feel safe.”

The 4.2 mile multi-use trail was built on an abandoned railroad corridor along the west side of Old Jacksonville Highway near Fresh By Brookshire’s.

The vision for Legacy Trails was to connect the Tyler trail system.

“Expanding our trail system has been one of my priorities since my election,” said Mayor Martin Heines. “Legacy Trails is the first part of the 2010 Regional Trail Master Plan created by our residents who serve on the Metropolitan Planning Organization.” Construction began in January of 2018.

“Without our community, we would have no support for a beautiful trail where people can walk, bike and run with their families and friends,” said District 1 Coucilmember Linda Sellers. “This is a huge asset to the well-being of our community.”

The City partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation and through a grant was able to complete the $4.6 million project.

#TimeToBuild

QUALITY OF LIFE 19 21

MAKING FUN SOUTHSIDE ACCESSIBLE

PARK

On Nov. 16, the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department and Tyler Area On Nov. 16, the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department Area Ambucs cut Ambucs cut the paper chain ribbon made by children for and the Tyler new inclusive playthe paper chain ribbon made by children for the new inclusive playground at Southside Park. ground at Southside Park. With the help of many donors and then Councilmember With the help of many and then for District 6 JohnThe Nix,playground $750,000 for District 6 John Nix,donors $750,000 wereCouncilmember collected to fund the project. were collected to fund the project.

The playground features ramps, swings and slides that features ramps, swings and slides that accommodate all children, including those accommodate all children, including those with mobility disabilities and wheelchairs. with mobility disabilities and wheelchairs. These accommodations allow children to These accommodations allow children to enjoy the same playground, regardless of their enjoy the same playground, regardless of their abilities. abilities.

The visionfor forthis thispark park began with Tyler Ambucs ago.

The goal The vision began with Tyler AreaArea Ambucs sevenseven years years ago. The goal was to was to fulfill their mission to create mobility and independence for those with disabilities fulfill their mission to create mobility and independence for those with disabilities in the in thecommunity.

Tyler community.

Tyler “We have a community that travels here for healthcare and travels here for fun and function,” said Tyler Area Ambucs President Amanda Storer. “We wanted to be able to provide and we’ve done it.”two families had a chance to speak on what this park During thethat, opening ceremony,

means to them. Owner of ETX Brewing Company Brian Gilstrap, who has a family of

During theone opening ceremony, families had a chance to speak on what park means four kids, of which is in atwo wheelchair, also attended.

“All these kidsthis love running to them. and “Why in the world you“It’s spend of makes a millionme dollars on a park? around playing,” saidwould Gilstrap. justthree-quarters awesome and emotional to see Tyler is blessed with many wonderful parks that are beautiful and great. But, this is why,” said Drake finally able to come out and play with his brother and sisters.”

Casey Bryans, pointing at his smiling son Jack, who is in a wheelchair. “It’s for Jack and all these other great kids out here.”Owner of ETX Brewing Company Brian Gilstrap, who has a “Why would you spend three-quarters of a million on love a park?

This family in of the fourworld kids, one of which is in a wheelchair, also attended.

“All dollars these kids running is why,” said Casey Bryans, pointing at his smiling son Jack, who is in a wheelchair. around and playing,” said Gilstrap. “It’s just awesome and makes me emotional to see Drake “It’s forable Jack allout these great outand here.

This park is a blessing all live of us. finally to and come and other play with his kids brother sisters.”

The park aims to lettokids a Jack is six.

Jack goes to Kindergarten.

Jack lost a tooth last night and jack loves to normal life no matter their mobility capacities. “This park is a blessing to all of us,” said play.

CaseyNow Bryans. he “Jack has aissafe six. Jack place goes thattoTyler Kindergarten. provided.”

Jack lost a tooth last night and Jack loves to play. Now he has a safe place that Tyler provided.”

The inclusive is the firstfirst oneone of its in Tyler.

The inclusiveplayground playground is the ofkind its kind in Tyler.

#TimeToBuild

QUALITY OF LIFE 21 22

20

FROM THE GROUND UP

200 community volunteers united to build a new playground at Gassaway park with the help of KaBoom!, a non-profit organization that helps municipalities build community-influenced play areas.

On Sept. 21, the City of Tyler Parks and Recreation Department, Tyler firefighters, councilmembers, City staff, volunteers from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and community volunteers joined KaBOOM! at Gassaway Park to transform an empty site into a kid-designed, state-of-the-art playground in just six hours. Previously, Gassaway Park was in a hidden area downhill from the neighborhoods, making it inconvenient and not safe for families and kids. The community expressed their desire to see a gathering space at the top of the hill that is welcoming for kids and can be better utilized.

Just months before the Community Build Day, kids from the surrounding communities of the forgotten Gassaway Park came together to draw their dream playground. The playground was constructed based on their drawings.

It provided thousands of kids in Tyler with a great, safe place to play over its lifetime. “Play is essential to physical, creative, cognitive, social and emotional development,� said KaBOOM! Project Manager Hunter Stevens. Through this playground project, City of Tyler worked alongside with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and KaBOOM! to make a difference in their community and address the most urgent needs of kids putting kids first by increasing opportunities to play in Tyler.

#TimeToBuild

QUALITY OF LIFE 23

#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

227 NEW JOBS

6,587 TICKETS SOLD AT LIBERTY HALL

$98, 445

27

Business Startups, Expansions or Relocations

LIBERTY HALL TICKET SALES

10,174,254

$

TOTAL REINVESTMENT IN DOWNTOWN TYLER

DOWNTOWN 24

EXPERIENCE DOWNTOWN TYLER The tallest skyscraper in Tyler, Plaza Tower, has transformed itself into the new hot spot for Downtown Tyler. What was before an all business location has new life, vision and purpose.

As part of the Plaza Tower renovation, The City of Tyler and Visit Tyler have joined together to develop a combined office space, a state-of-the-art podcast studio and- opening soona new Visitor’s Center right on the Downtown Tyler Square.

Gallery Main Street can now be found in the Plaza tower lobby, where visitors can peruse and purchase local art while enjoying refreshments from True Vine, Café 1948 and Andy’s Custard.

The offices for Liberty Hall, Downtown Tyler’s historic art deco theater, and Heart of Tyler, a volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing downtown, are also part of this historic move.

This new shared-space concept with Visit Tyler, The City of Tyler and partners will enhance our collective efforts across the board,” said City of Tyler Managing Director Stephanie Franklin.” We now have a one-stop shop for art, culture, entertainment and tourism.”

The Visitor Center will include access to the podcast studio and a retail store featuring rose-themed merchandise and products made exclusively in Tyler, Texas. The City of Tyler has already begun production of a new season of the Roses & Weeds podcast in this new downtown location- visible from the front entrance. Not to be outdone, Visit Tyler recently launched a destination-driven podcast, Rambling Roses, exploring all there is to do in the city of roses from the comfort of the studio’s yellow couch. Readers can dive into the weeds of local government with the City of Tyler, or ramble with Visit Tyler’s Roses Holli and Cindy, anytime by scanning the QR codes below.

#TimeToBuild

QUALITY OF LIFE 25

#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

126

7,678

SIGNED UP FOR THE NEW

E-CARD

PATRONS ATTENDED ADULT PROGRAMS AND CLASSES

ADDED

5 HOTSPOTS & 5 SAMSUNG-8 TABLETS FOR CIRCULATION AT NO COST THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH T-MOBILE BUSINESS

30%

14% 4,713

INCREASE IN DIGITAL CIRCULATION OF MATERIALS AS OPPOSED TO -1.9% DECLINE IN PHYSICAL MATERIAL CIRCULATION.

Approximately

ITEMS COLLECTED FROM FAULKNER AND POLLARD PARK LOCATIONS

AWARDED OVER

$35,000

INCREASE IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF LIBRARY SERVICES BASED ON SURVEY RESULTS.

TO INCREASE WIFI STRENGTH AND ADD WAPS (WIRELESS ACCESS POINTS)

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HOUSING CHOICE PARTNERSHIP On December 30, the City of Tyler Neighborhood Services Department opened its waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program for the first time in six years. This federally funded program helps assist very l ow-income families, the elderly and the disabled to afford decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market.

This year, the application to be placed on the waiting list could only be filled online. For this reason, Neighborhood Services met with several organizations, including the Tyler Public Library, to ensure people with no internet access in their homes could still apply. During the eight-hour period, a total of 2,224 applications were submitted. An estimated 230 people submitted the applications through and with the help of the Tyler Public Library.

The Library took several steps to guarantee the process to be safe, fair and as fast as possible for all the patrons.

By 8 a.m. that day, the Library already had 50 applicants waiting to fill out their forms. Even though the Library does not open until 10 a.m., they responded by letting people in the lobby to escape the cold and making accommodations for people with disabilities. Since their computer lab only has 24 computers, Library staff created a system to keep track of the order applicants arrived to follow for the use of the machines.

“We have several heroes that rose up that day to meet the challenge,” said City Librarian Ashley Taylor referencing the Library staff. Neighborhood Services staff was also present during the process to answer questions and guide people. Several patrons mentioned they “would have never had gotten it done” if it wasn’t for the help of TPL and NBS staff. The department was able to place 150 names from the 2,224 applicants on the waiting list.

“We are hopeful that we will be able to open the list more often and move through the names without a five-year-long wait,” said Housing Manager Prentice Butler. “A faster process will result in fewer names on the waiting list every year and us being able to grant more families opportunities to apply for housing assistance.”

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#TimeToBuild: QUALITY OF LIFE

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4,251 Tons of recycling diverted from the landfill through curbside program and Recycling Center

866,447 TOTAL CUBIC YARDS OF TRASH TAKEN TO LANDFILL

4,248 RECYCLING CUSTOMERS

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RESIDENTIAL ROUTES

COMMERCIAL ROUTES

30,364

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RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS

THE FUTURE ANNOUNCED At a press conference held on Oct. 29, City of Tyler Mayor Martin Heines and former mayors Barbara Bass, Joey Seeber and Kevin Eltife announced the City’s intent to reconstruct the Harvey Hall conference facility at the Rose Garden Complex, as well as revitalize the historic Mayfair, a performing arts venue built in 1927 that, in its heyday, hosted the likes of Elvis and Johnny Cash.

“Harvey Hall, the Tyler Rose Garden and Visitor’s Center host hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, creating a massive economic impact on our community,” said Mayor Martin Heines. “It is time to invest into the Rose Complex, which is in dire need of redevelopment.” Per the study done as part of the Rose Complex Master plan, renovations would not provide the functionality that is needed at Harvey Convention Center. The cost to renovate the existing building is near the amount of replacement.

In addition to the new conference facilities and the restoration of the Mayfair, the implementation plan includes internal street improvements, parking lot improvements and additions, site enhancements and the construction of a new community park. The Tyler Rose brand will be featured prominently throughout.

“The great thing about the Rose Complex is that it is not North Tyler, it is not South Tyler, it is not Downtown Tyler; it is just Tyler,” said former mayor Joey Seeber. “It is a place we come together as a community, that we engage as a community and we get to celebrate our community.”

Funding will come from the Hotel Occupancy Tax, the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund and private donations. The City is projecting to finish design of phase one in 2020, break ground in 2021 and complete by 2023.

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CITY LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE The City launched its new website www.CityofTyler.org in November. The new site aims to provide updated customer service actions and information to residents and visitors of Tyler.

The site is ADA compliant, has online forms and on-line payment services. It also includes news, events, contact directories, document repositories and frequently asked questions.

In September 2019, City staff attended training to learn how to manage content and shortly after began working to input information and data until the site went live on Nov. 8.

“We thought it was important to upgrade our website and create a more user-friendly site and better online experience for our residents and visitors,” said Julie Goodgame, director of Communications. “With the new site, visitors will be happy to find how easy it is to pay their bills, request services and seamlessly navigate the department pages for information and news.”

Staff will continue to enhance the content, integration and capabilities of the site.

The site is hosted by Granicus, a well-known technology company that specializes in working with public organizations and U.S. government entities.

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www.CityOfTyler.org www.TimeToBuildTyler.com Watch MyTyler TV on SuddenLink Channel 3

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