HomeMy WebLinkAboutStategic Plan excerpt Town of Westlake
Strategic Plan 'Westlake, a premier knowledge based communi_"
Introduction
One of the staff identified issues within our Strategic Issues focused Governance System (SIGS) concerns the
task of maintaining a transparent and interactive line of communication with the Council as it relates to
staffing activities and our efforts promote fiscal responsibility when allocating personnel costs. A central
tenant in our hiring decisions has been to approach the addition of full-time staff members in a conservative
manner, looking toward the use of temporary employees, contractors and other methods of shared service
delivery models prior to advertising for new employees. The purpose of this report is to provide the Council
with an updated look at our `shared services' model, our use of inter-local agreements, outside partnerships,
and employee cross-training efforts as we have evolved over the years. Many of our shared tasks are known
to you:
• Town Manager as the Superintendent
• Town Secretary functions as clerk for both boards(and Texas Student Housing)
• Communications Director handles promotions and other duties for municipal/academy
• Finance, Facilities, and HR Departments provides services across both organizations
However, this report will be confined to items the Council may not encounter in the course of their
governance responsibilities.
Municipal Services
Finance—As mentioned above, the Finance department provides services to both the municipal
and academic organizations for the Town of Westlake. This is another example of an allocation
of duties to help eliminate the need for the duplication in services as it relates to accounting,
auditing, budget preparations, etc. for our residents and stakeholders. They also work to
provide effective and responsive customer service to our residents, as they provide back-up for
the Senior Administrative Assistant to the Human Resources/Facilities/Development
departments to greet customers who appear in the town lobby. Also, all incoming calls are
routed through a finance employee and forwarded to the correct department.
Staff members also possess abilities in publishing and the creation of promotional material,
which is utilized across the departments and at various events in the community. They also
function as photographers and videographers at specific events, which are then used in all of
our publication materials and on the web site.
HR/PlanningfFacilities/Parks — Another internal support position is cross-trained in three (3)
departments and provides administrative support for the Human Resources, Facilities & Parks,
and the Planning & Development departments, as well as serves as the first point of contact for
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visitors to the Town lobby. Administrative support is varied and includes event planning,
invoice and billing oversight, marketing assistance for the cemetery and customer service
requests, flex benefit billing, insurance claims processing (internal and TMRS), allocation of flex
payments for health/daycare savings accounts, other payroll deductions, acceptance of water
service applications, receipt of funds for building permits, contractor registrations and overall
customer service for inspections, building code inquiries, etc.
Public Works — Public Works and Facilities & Parks Directors and employees, work to utilize all
four individuals to provide services to our residents and stakeholders at the Academy. For
instance, the Utility Maintenance Technician and the Building Maintenance Technician are cross-
trained in several areas and function in a 'fill-in' capacity when one or the other is out of the
office for training or on vacation. Aside from general maintenance activities, they assist in the
sanding process of our internal streets during icy weather, respond to weather related concerns
at the Academy and provide staff support during the community activities for all municipal or
academic functions.
The Building Technician also works with other departments, such as Fire/EMS and Planning &
Development to handle concrete inspections for swimming pools and to paint fire hydrants on
an as needed basis.
Facility Maintenance — As mentioned above, both employees assist in maintenance and
oversight duties at the Academy campus and the Town hall space in the Solana office complex.
Our Facility Director, and Building Maintenance Technician, work cross departmentally to
provide the necessary service provision level to our residents and students through repair and
oversight of all Academy machinery and building systems. In addition, they handle internal
repairs to certain portion of our Town rental space that is not contractually covered by the lease
agreement.
Communications — In this area, the Communications and Community Affairs Director works
extensively across both organizations to help keep our residents, parents, students, and
teachers informed about events at the Academy and Town. This includes the creation and
review of marketing publications, press releases, communication efforts through the Town
newsletters, etc. In addition, this department coordinates the graduation event and activities
for Westlake Academy on an annual basis.
Fire EMS— many times, we cross-utilize our public safety staff members on a stand-by basis at
sporting events on campus in case of a medical emergency. This helps eliminate the need for
additional expenditures to the school and promote safety for our students. They also teach CPR
courses, help during weather related emergencies, and assist during many of our community
related events.
Municipal Court - facilitates the volunteer background check process for the Academy in
conjunction with the Human Resources department. The court staff have unlimited access to a
law enforcement based online system, Accurint, Inc., which allows the Marshal to 'run' the
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volunteer and screen for criminal related offenses which would adversely affect the students
should someone be allowed on campus without proper clearance. The Marshal checks the
individual against the database and if no adverse report is found —the application is forward to
the Human Resources department for further review. As a component of state law, HR check's
the volunteer against a secondary sex offender database. The approved list is then compiled by
the Court staff and submitted to Academy employees.
As of this year, the Town Marshal handles the parking enforcement on the Academy campus
through the use of parking application information provided by school staff. The process will
utilize the guidelines approved by the Board of Trustees — through a series of warnings and
citations prior to towing or booting the vehicle for repeated violations. The use of the Marshal
allows the Town to utilize existing staff members and provide continuity in service provision
versus a rotating officer from the Keller Police department. The Marshal is already on campus
three (3) days a week through his cash transfer duties between the school/town offices, which
minimizes unnecessary time out of the office and provides for a safe mechanism for cash
handling.
Academic Services
As many of you know, we were originally structured to provide educational services to the students through
the use of shared administrative and facility employees in order to help reduce a duplication of tasks between
both organizations. We have refined the organizational structure and utilize many staffing positions and
processes to reduce our costs, as follows:
Technology Support — Internal support for technology services originates in the academic
organization, as the students require a more intensive level of service from our IT department.
However, the Information Technology Director and Information Technology Technician,
personnel are also cross utilized in the municipal operations through the following services:
• network management/maintenance and server support/maintenance
• telecom services with phone system and voice mail support
• hardware/software support (desktops, laptops, iPads, printers, etc.)
• audio/visual technology along with web assistance
• SCADA software for the water tower(Public Works) is maintained at WA
The expansion of existing personnel duties to include the municipal services helps keep our
costs down, while providing a wide ranging knowledge base from the individuals who are
primarily assigned to the Academy.
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Community Events
A central theme for all of our community related events is an "all hands on deck" volunteer concept, where
employees from many departments assist in the event planning and staffing of our Westlake gatherings or
attend in support of the team.
Arbor Dam — in the past, we have enlisted the help of a consultant to secure exhibitors and
volunteers; however, this past year Town Staff handled all planning for this event. The goal of
the gathering is to enhance our beautification efforts, celebrate the natural beauty found within
Westlake and educate our residents/visitors on environmental and tree preservation
opportunities. Town Staff members serve as volunteer to help the Parks & Facility team
members who are who are working to host the event.
Decoration Day—Town staff also works in conjunction with the Westlake Historical Preservation
Society to promote this event at the Town owned cemetery. Communication and advertising
efforts are integral to our attendance rate, along with the integration of the Boy Scouts Troop.
Our Town Communications Director is the WHPS staff liaison and handles much of the
promotion and press release tasks, along with the Town Facilities & Parks Director who
coordinates the Boy Scouts attendance. The purpose is to honor those who have served their
community and their nation through military service and recognize the sacrifices they made in
support of our freedoms.
Fire Department Open-house —this is a recent addition to our community related gatherings —
as we held the second annual open house this past month. The Fire/EMS staff members
volunteer to smoke chicken/brisket/sausage along with all the BBQ fixins' and open the fire
house to residents. We have Town staff members who attend in support and who help with the
photography/videographer tasks as well as with set-up and take-down of the chairs and tables
for the event. Attendance increased this year, and we are sure this will become another favorite
gathering for our residents to meet and see 'first-hand' how the department operates and
inspect the fire apparatus.
Neighborhood Meetings—are handled across all the departments and can include attendance of
any Staff member who can provide relevant information to our residents. The facilitation is
handled through the Communications department, with attendance by the Town Manager, and
other department heads on an as needed basis.
Christmas Tree Lighting —a committee is formed cross-departmentally to plan and orchestrate
the event and help ensure budget oversight, notify the community of the gathering, secure all
the necessary hosting items for refreshments, gather donations, schedule the volunteers and
vendors, etc. Each year, we plan a variety of activities to help kick off the season and include all
Westlake residents and Academy students, parents and teachers.
Employee Appreciation Event — this event is also handled as a cross-departmental committee
and is usually comprised of the same individuals who work the Christmas Tree Lighting event.
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