Strategic Report 2016

2016

The mission of the Town of Little Elm is to build on our unique lake opportunities and small town charm, encourage diverse housing options and business opportunities, and provide an unmatched quality of life.

TOWN OF

LITTLE ELM

STRATEGIC REPORT A comprehensive overview of 2016 activities in the Town of Little Elm and the progress made towards the master plans.

T H E TOW N W I T H A L A K E AT T I T U D E

THE TOWN WITH A

LAKE ATTITUDE

CONTENT 4-5

About Us

6-7

Our Leaders

8-9

Maintaining Relationships

10-11

Safe & Welcoming Environment

12-13

Integrity & Viability

14-15

Excellence in Public Service

16-17

Strong Identity

18-19 Community Recreation

A LITTLE BIT

ABOUT LITTLE ELM The Town of Little Elm strives to meet the needs of the community and is continually evolving to better serve the residents.

Little Elm takes pride in providing a safe environment that is both inclusive and diverse in housing opportunities. This community is built upon a strong identity and neighborhood connection, which relies upon a strong school system.

Furthermore, Little Elm has become a destination for recreation and leisure activities like fishing, boating, kayaking, and beach volleyball. This active lifestyle is also encouraged through a robust trail system that is emerging.

Most importantly, Little Elm is a town where people want to be.

MISSION The mission of the Town of Little Elm is to build on our unique lake opportunities and small town charm, encourage diverse housing options and business opportunities, and provide an unmatched quality of life.

VISION The Town of Little Elm is a distinct and desirable lakeside destination for all people to live and play while enjoying a safe, vibrant, and welcoming community.

CORE VALUES Our culture is built on the philosophy of servant leadership. To fully live as servant leaders, as individuals, and as a Town, we operate under four core values: Customer Service, Integrity, Efficiency, Innovation.

MAYOR DAVID HILLOCK Little Elm is an awesome community to call home, and it just keeps getting better. It’s hard to comprehend how much has been achieved in our community since the first version of our strategic plan was adopted by Council in 2013.

Since that time, we’ve seen Little Elm become a regional focus of lakefront development and recreation- setting our town apart from any other community in the metropolitan area. This year, 2016, Little Elm has really exploded and that potential has been fully realized.

Council and I continually work to retain the small town feel that brought each of us here, while we keep our focus on meeting the needs of the community. I hope that you enjoyed Little Elm in 2016 as much as I did.

PAG E 6

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

JAMES DOMINY

STEPHANIE SHOEMAKER

CHIP NORMAN

NEIL BLAIS

NICK MUSTEEN

MICHAEL MCCLELLAN

Council Member, Place 2

Council Member, Place 4

Council Member, Place 5 PAG E 7

At Large Position No. 6

Council Member, Place 3

Mayor Pro Tem; At Large Position No. 1 2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm Maintains Relationships Little Elm will strive to maintain positive relationships within the community and region.

Strong and positive relationships are accomplished by conducting business with a high level of integrity, promoting open communication, transparency, partnership, and displaying a high level of courteousness in all of our communications. We will operate with a partner mentality with all entities with which we share a common interest.

PAG E 8

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

HOW AND WHY

WE DO IT When Rodney Harrison was sworn in as Chief of Police for the Town of Little Elm, one of his main goals was to increase communication between the Police Department and citizens. Chief Harrison wanted an atmosphere where he could hear concerns, ideas, complaints, and anything else from the different areas of Town. This would allow him to address them on a personal level and be proactive.

Chief Harrison began to put a plan into place to better the community and build relationships between the citizens and the department.

On April 14, the first Citizen’s Advisory Council met and began to give life to the goal set a few months earlier. Since that first meeting, Efren Olvera, Gary Bennett, Erin Mudie, Deleon English, and Derick Jacquess have bettered the community by openly discussing topics like open carry, rumored threats, communication, and neighborhood alerts.

“This is a great opportunity for the department to share any future plans directly to the citizens and let them see how their input has shaped our future in Little Elm,” said Chief Harrison.

Work in Partnership

Operate Transparently

• Partnered with City of Corinth for Joint Fire Training Facility

• Began streaming Town Council meetings • Established Little Elm TV channel

• Formed regional partnership with Prosper Fire Department for improved response times on 380 • Created joint active shooter training with The Colony Police Department

Host Events • First annual Town of Little Elm expo and Touch A Truck • Hosted Little Elm Police Department’s 50th Anniversary Open House • Hosted annual Fire Department Open House

PAG E 9

Help Others • The Public Works Department received recognition for their mutual aid to the City of Rowlett during the tornado emergency

Meet the Community • Participated in National Night Out • Began “Coffee with a Cop” program • Established liaisons between the Town and community groups

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm provides a

Safe and Welcoming Environment 1

2

GROWTH

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Added five new officers for the school resource

• Awarded grants for body cameras and body armor

officer program

for the Police Department

• Began “One Car Per Officer” policy to expand police

• Obtained accreditation from the Texas Association

presence in the community and prolong vehicle life

of Police Chiefs

• Created the Internal Affairs Division in the Police

• Earned the highest rating, a 1, from the Insurance

Department

Service Office (ISO)

• Started the third ambulance in full service to the

• Listed as one of the safest communities in the state

380 corridor

and region, including the SafeWise report

• Established new patrol districts in growing areas of the community

3

4

FUTURE

PARTNERSHIP

• Began planning for the design, construction, and

• Negotiated contract with Frisco Ranch and Frisco

staffing for Fire Station #3

Hills for two police officers and one squad car

• Implemented Five Year Staffing Plan for additional

•

police and fire positions

programs

• Implemented new policy and procedure manual

• Entered into partnerships with regional districts for

within the Police Department

enhanced police protection

Implemented

community

oriented

policing

Little Elm will be a community that is safe and welcoming to all who live here and visit. This is accomplished through upholding a strong sense of community with an engaged citizenry, maintaining clean and aesthetically welcoming corridors and neighborhood, preserving a low crime rate, and continuing to ensure that public safety officials are courteous, professional, and ethical while providing equitable service to all.

PAG E 1 0

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

FIRE STATION

NUMBER 3 Little Elm is in the process of building a new fire station on Navo Rd. to service the Union Park and 380 corridor.

“We’re looking forward to this expansion. It will ensure that our citizens in the north receive the same quality of service as the rest of Little Elm,” said Brian Roach, Little Elm Fire Chief.

The new fire station will take 18 personnel to staff, and nine positions have already been filled through the SAFER grant.

“Our main focus is maintaining our service excellence through this growth. Adding a new station is only one part of addressing our growth,” said Roach.

PAG E 1 1

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm

Operational Integrity and Viability There’s no denying that Little Elm is a growing

Del Webb at Union Park, was approved to

community, and sometimes the numbers show it

begin. It is an age restricted community, which will

best. “We saw an increase over 15 percent in single

focus on families who are looking to settle into the

family permits in 2016, and we expect at least a

community and make Little Elm their lasting home.

10 percent increase for 2017,” said Jason Laumer,

“These houses promise the perfect location,

Director of Development Services.

especially with the Highway 380 project. They are a

Union Park was one development phase

part of a vibrant community in Little Elm that offers

that opened in 2016 in the north area of Town.

the beautiful lake, great events, and they will have

“Our first homeowner moved here, in May. We have

easy access to the larger cities like Frisco and Plano,”

people from all over the United States, who have

said Green.

moved in,” explained Amanda Green, Union Park General Manager.

Union Park will begin their second phase of

“People who visit Little Elm tell us they want to live in Little Elm. We haven’t lost that small town charm, but the growth is very exciting,” said Laumer.

construction in 2017, which will add 90 homes.

PAG E 1 2

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Forward

Thinking Little Elm will ensure the integrity and long term viability of the Town’s financial and operational processes.

Little Elm’s operational and financial soundness will be ensured by maintaining a competitive tax rate, aggressively recruiting retail and small business economic development prospects, planning for long term financial obligations, and maintaining a level of operational efficiency.

Employee Growth • Established performance coaching tool • Completed employee review of personnel manual and implemented updates

Town Growth • Entered into a partnership with Little Elm ISD to purchase the King Elementary and Bus Barn site for inclusion into the Lakefront District development • Released Request For Proposal (RFP) and selected Master Developer for the next phase of the Lakefront District • Sales tax percentage increased in the double digits due to strong local economy and retail economic development efforts • Repaired and improved several areas that were damaged due to flooding • Saw a 16.12 percent increase in single family permits issued from 2015 to 2016; 1153 permits in 2016

Town Accomplishments • Awarded the Certificate of Distinction for the Town of Little Elm Investment Policy Government Treasurers’ Organization of Texas (GTOT); second award for two year period • Received second bond rating upgrade in the past four years •

Received

Certificate

of

Achievement

for

Excellence in Financial Reporting by Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for sixth year in a row •

Won

the Achievement

in

Excellence

in

Procurement by the National Procurement Institute for the second year in a row • Received the 2014 and 2015 Presidential Award of Merit from the National Procurement Institute • A finalist for Dallas Business Journal’s Best Real Estate Deals award program for Town/Economic Development/Hula Hut partnership

PAG E 1 3

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm ensures

Excellence “We’ve had a really exciting year for recycling, and are honored that other agencies agree,” said Kevin Mattingly, Director of Public Works. The department won multiple awards for recycling in 2016, including the Superior Waste Minimization category in the 2016 North Texas Corporate Recycling Association’s GR3een Award.

“This year we partnered with Little Elm ISD on the Big Belly trash stations to help educate the students,” explained Mattingly.

Little Elm also began a textile recycling program, expanded what the drop-off site can accept, and more.

“With the growth that Little Elm has in store, it’s important that we keep thinking of new ways to make it easy for the residents to recycle. Everything that is recycled, doesn’t end up in the landfill and that’s our main focus.”

PAG E 1 4

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm will ensure that high quality services are maintained by addressing growth needs in infrastructure, and by attracting, retaining, equipping, and empowering a workforce that delivers excellent service for excellent value.

Projects

Growth

• Completed reuse irrigation system for street median and HOA landscape areas along Eldorado Parkway and Witt Rd. • Completed Navo Rd. for Braswell High School • Completed Doe Creek Rd. improvements • Witt Rd. construction began • Updated the multi-year utility rate study

• Finished the wastewater treatment plant expansion design • Completed automated meter reading pilot project and began steps to convert across the Town • Implemented the Police Department recruiting team to attract high quality candidates • Completed the first five-year balanced budget • Began working on the comprehensive plan for the Town’s growth and fiscal development • Updated growth projection timeline • Finished major expansion of water and sewer along with CCN purchase to the west side of Town

Accomplishments • Received numerous awards for recycling efforts and programs • Superior designation TCEQ Water System Review • Excellent marks from TCEQ on Wastewater Treatment Review • Awarded Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association Certificate of Achievement for Planning Excellence for the past four years

PAG E 1 5

Customer Service • Maintained culture of servant leadership • Created five-year staffing plan • Lowered, or maintained, the tax rate since 2010 • Reorganized functions of the Community Integrity Department to combine both Code Enforcement and Animal Services in order to provide higher levels of service 2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm

Identity Maintain Little Elm’s distinctive look and high development standards that provide vibrant, high-quality neighborhoods and development. Create a sense of place and brand identity that extends beyond our borders.

The Lakefront District is an exciting development for Little Elm. “We wanted to create a noted destination within the Town that is a place in North Texas where you can come and play,” explained Jennette Killingsworth, Executive Director of EDC. Lakefront is everything that is unique to Little Elm, which includes Little Elm Park and the swim beach, and fun restaurants and retail shops.

“It’s important that our restaurants stand out; some place worthy of a journey. Little Elm is the weekend destination, and we are making sure the environment supports that.”

PAG E 1 6

• Created new Lakefront District and marketing Brand • Introduced the Lakefront District to over 300,000 people through Dallas Morning News insert • Created new Lakefront District website and digital marketing plan • Installed Town logos on all internally lighted street name signs (ILSNs) • Constructed new Town entry point signage at western entrance into the community • Installed and maintained Lakefront and seasonal street light banners • Implemented new style of police squad cars with newly designed color scheme

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

PAG E 1 7

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

Little Elm maximizes

Community Recreation and Leisure Activities Little Elm will maximize recreational and leisure activities for the region, which will provide for a broad range of socio-economic and interest groups with the focus set on maximizing the unique lakefront recreation opportunities that exist on Lewisville Lake.

Little Elm Rec Center began construction in 2016 on an expansion project! The fitness room is exploding to over 7,000 square feet, there will be more rooms for programming, and one area of the Rec Center is becoming a safe room for bad weather.

“We’re really excited about what this expansion will mean for the Rec Center and the citizens. We will be able to offer a state-of-the-art fitness room, and focus our programming on what our customers really want,” said Chad Hyde, Parks and Recreation Director.

PAG E 1 8

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

parks

EXPANSION & UPGRADE • Started the Lakefront Trail Project, which will be completed in 2017 • Completed improvements to McCord Park drainage and pedestrian access • Identified and assigned funding to priority Parks projects through the 2016 CO Issuance • Completed improvements and additions to Cottonwood Sports Complex • Received bids for the Little Elm Beach drainage improvement project • Began construction of the Little Elm Rec Center expansion project • Completed the Beard Park improvement project

• Installed new playground and play surface at Little Elm Park and new surface at McCord Park • Created the Little Elm Park Camping Master Plan • Completed the baseball practice fields at Brent Elementary • Identified and completed FEMA flood damage projects • Finalized the Parks and Recreation Open Space Master Plan • Awarded the North Region Park Design Excellence Award for the outstanding design of Beard Park by the Texas Recreation and Parks Society

community

INVOLVEMENT Nostemum moltinatudam resimis consilicae condius arturoriver unum in habefac ve, pos stra. Opimmod faus vero norte a ium sulum pridepost? Nihicas horae nimora consupecon sum ina, quid in tam quam, diem arbi parideo rtudam factus, quiu vis contena rescit. Mus coni sil unum atiquit eridepe ridiis viliquideps, quas is aut forus, venatus acio, contrudet. Erdiena, scescem es es ist. Do, sil teat pericit, no. Lemus iae consina il conderc enatus estifec. Si se te fordicionsum aut audactorte culis nones

• Established an HOA parks inspection program • Hosted over 10 large special events, which brought in an estimated 50,000 people • Partnered with Little Elm ISD to work on the master plan for the Lakeside Sports Complex and Middle School improvements, and the High School campus, which includes athletics improvements • Purchased the Tarzan Boat as a new amenity at Little Elm Beach • Began a free life jacket program at Little Elm Beach

PAG E 1 9

2 0 1 6 S T R AT E G I C R E P O R T

TOWN OF

LITTLE ELM The town with a lake attitude!