Now that 2019 has come to a close and 2020 is upon us, the city of Rollingwood is reflecting on accomplishments of the past year and looking to the future of the city. As the Central Texas region continues to grow, our small and vibrant community continues to face unique challenges related to the balance of affordability and quality of service. This, in turn, has resulted in our city’s annual operating budget increasing approximately five percent each year. This modest increase permits the city to keep pace with minimal inflation while only addressing small or incremental needs of the city. This remains something that needs to be thoughtfully addressed as we plan for the future. Rather than responding reactively, the budget in the near future should emphasize:
— Responsible maintenance and improvement of the city’s infrastructure.
— Reserve levels appropriate to address emergency measures that we may face in the coming years.
— A balancing of revenue sources with specific attention to increasing commerce in the city.
Residents, stakeholders and elected officials alike would like to keep taxes low. The challenge we face is doing so while maintaining public amenities and ensuring that we have the best public services possible.
We have already started the process of planning for several critical pieces of the puzzle that will support Rollingwood for generations to come. We’ve begun to address capital improvement projects through the Spatial Needs Assessment for the Municipal and Police Department Facility, Park Master Plan and Infrastructure Improvement Plan. The city of Rollingwood has also been working with the Texas Department of Transportation to improve road safety conditions on Bee Cave Road. Safety in this area is of prime importance to us because it is our only commercial corridor, a vital part of our city, which will become increasingly more essential in the coming years.
We recently completed a comprehensive commercial corridor analysis with The Retail Coach. This study has equipped us with the information the community needs as we consider how to optimize our commercial district, a critically important need as we work to rebalance our revenue streams. As financial planning is at the forefront of our goals in the coming year, the city is also in the early stages of preparing a long-term financial plan and creating investment and debt management policies. Capital improvement planning for the water, wastewater and streets will also be a vital part of the long-term financial plan for our city.
These are important steps in the process of responsible community planning, and I am grateful for the leadership of our City Council, our city staff and the participation of our community members to bring these to life. Looking at these initiatives together, I believe we also have the opportunity to take a holistic approach to create a comprehensive plan that will fully address Rollingwood’s long-term needs, while preserving the aesthetic and appeal that continues to make Rollingwood the best little community in Texas. We must make sure we are tackling these initiatives strategically, taking advantage of potential efficiencies by connecting all of the key elements of our city’s future and getting it right the first time.
A comprehensive plan should include a vision, goals and actions that address community growth, transportation, land use, housing and neighborhoods, parks and recreation, public facilities as well as cultural arts and tourism. We as a community know what most of this means to us, and in fact we’ve been operating this way for years. It’s time to memorialize it. It’s time for us to sit down and do the work, and to be sure, it will be some work. This year we’ll begin the process to develop a comprehensive plan. We know this will take time, possibly a year or more, and will require input from the entire community to ensure the results reflect our residents. However, in the end, I believe the investment will be more than worthwhile to ensure that we have all of the right building blocks in place as we strive for the future we want to create while honoring what we love about Rollingwood today.
Michael Dyson is mayor of Rollingwood.
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