Area of Focus

Specific Actionable Step

Proposed Implementation Timeline

Potential Metrics for Success

Transparency

Implement a user-friendly online dashboard with visualizations of revenue and expenditures, status of city projects in progress, permits pulled for business developments.

Within 6 months

Website traffic to the dashboard; citizen feedback on presentations (surveys, social media comments).

Provide detailed minutes of council actions/decisions made in meetings on the city website as soon as legally permissible.

Fewer and shorter executive sessions only when necessary.

Ongoing

Number of views of minutes; citizen inquiries related to meeting topics.

Number and length of executive sessions.

Communication

Host quarterly town hall meetings (in-person and virtual) with opportunities for Q&A from citizens.

Starting within 3 months and ongoing

Attendance at town hall meetings (in-person and virtual); engagement on social media during and after meetings.

Increase proactive communication about city initiatives, projects, and challenges through newsletters, social media updates, and website announcements.

Redesign website for user-friendliness.

Ongoing

Reach and engagement metrics on social media; newsletter subscription rates; website traffic to news and updates sections.

Promise-Keeping

Develop a centralized system for tracking the progress of major city initiatives and publicly report on their status (e.g., quarterly updates on the city website).

Within 6 months and ongoing

Public awareness of project progress (measured through surveys or feedback); on-time completion rates of key initiatives.

Establish clear protocols for communicating any changes or delays in planned projects to the public promptly and transparently.

Within 3 months and ongoing

Citizen feedback on the clarity and timeliness of project updates.

Consistent Enforcement

Conduct a comprehensive review of all city ordinances with the city attorney to ensure clarity, relevance, and consistency.

Within 12 months

Number of ordinance amendments or clarifications made; feedback from residents and businesses on ordinance clarity, effectiveness, fairness.

Develop and publish clear, written enforcement policies and procedures for city departments. Provide ongoing training to staff on equal and consistent application.

Within 9 months and ongoing

Internal audits of enforcement practices; citizen complaints related to inconsistent enforcement.

Council-Staff Collaboration

Utilize council subcommittees to foster better communication between the governing body and directors and better understanding of each other's roles and responsibilities.

Starting within 3 months and ongoing

Feedback from council members and staff on the effectiveness of subcommittee meetings.

Conduct an annual governance team (mayor, council, city manager, city secretary, city judge and city attorney) workshop focused on team-building, strategic planning, and establishing shared goals and communication norms.

Annually

Council and city manager feedback on the value of the workshop; observable improvements in collaboration.

Intracouncil Communication

Facilitate a weekend council retreat (located within the city) focused on team-building, establishing communication norms within the Texas Open Meetings Act guidelines, and fostering a culture of mutual respect.

Annually

Council member feedback on the retreat; observable improvements in council meeting dynamics.

Encourage individual council members to proactively communicate with each other on various issues while adhering to TOMA regulations and promote the practice of documenting such communications.

Ongoing

Self-reporting from council members on communication efforts; perceived improvements in council cohesion.