ccsps 05-18-19-01
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STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
MAY 18 & 19, 2001
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The Schertz City Council held a Strategic Planning Session on Friday, May 18,
2001, starting at 6:00 p.m., and on Saturday, May 19, 2001, starting at 8:00 a.m.,
in the GVEC Conference Room, 908 Curtiss Ave., Schertz, Texas. Those
present Were as follows: Mayor Hal Baldwin; Councilmembers Norma Head,
Reginna Agee, Timothy G. Swinney and Ken Greenwald. Absent:
Councilmember Joe Potempa. Also present were City Manager Dewey P.
Cashwell, Jr., Assistant City Manager Steve Simonson, Public Information Officer
Amy Madison, and City Secretary Norma Althouse.
After a delicious prime rib dinner catered by The Smoke Pit, the Friday evening
session began with Mr. Cashwell saying he has done a number of these type
programs and hopes the Council finds it interesting and comes up with some
good ideas for staff. He then introduced Steve Vassallo who was recommended
by Chloe Johnson of Johnson & Associates.
Mr. Vassallo gave Council some of his background and then set the following
ground rules for Saturday's session:
1. Stay focused;
2. 1IIs okay to disagree, but don't be disagreeable; and
3. life open-minded toward other visions.
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'.\ He reminded Council they are not here to solve the educational problems of the
world.
Mr. Vassallo then distributed various handouts and showed various subject
matter through the use of a projector and screen. Among those items discussed
were the following:
Things That Impact Cities
1. Technology
2. Economic Development
3. Globalization
4. Margaritaville Revisited (it's not my fault, it could be my fault, it's my own
damn fault)
Regarding technology, the fact was discussed that more and more people are
using the Internet. Mr. Vassallo gave everyone present a copy of an
International Marketing Test with the following questions:
1. Do you have a current passport?
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2. Do you use e-mail on a weekly basis to communicate with contacts outside
the United States?
3. Do you know which local companies are exporting merchandise and materials
to other countries?
4. If the answer to No.3 is "yes", do you know which countries are importing the
materials?
5. Are any ()f your marketing materials in a foreign language?
6. Do you know what your state is focusing on in terms of international
investment and reverse investment?
7. Is your website being advertised internationally via either direct mail or e-
mail?
8. Is a minimum of 20% of your annual budget dedicated to international
recruiting?
9. Have you attended a trade show outside the U.S. within the previous 12
months?
10. Has your community targeted a country for the purpose of establishing a
sister city, if you do not have one already?
There were very few yes answers to the above questions.
Throughout the session, to emphasize the importance of some of his inquiries
and inject a little fun, Mr. Vassallo asked questions for which he awarded the
people that answered them most correctly with a $2.00 bill. His first question in
this game was what year is it predicted that more minutes would be spoken on
cell phones versus LAN index phones. The answer was 2003 and Amy Madison
won the money for this question.
Mr. Vassallo then asked and discussed the following questions:
1. Why become a digital village?
2. How fast is the technology pace?
3. Why the big technology push?
4. Who's being left behind?
5. What programs are succeeding?
He then stated corporations are looking more and more to international markets
for new marketing opportunities, technology advances, reduced risk from
inflation, product standardization, greater access to capital, globally integrated
facilities, growing export trade, the Internet and skills of workforce. He then
showed charts showing the percentage of adults living in foreign countries able to
speak English and U.S. firms owned by foreign firms.
The next question in the game was what is the biggest problem executives face
in hiring people. Norma Head won the $2.00 bill by answering they don't have
skilled workers available.
Mr. Vassallo also distributed to those present a copy of an article from the
Washington Post On Line, which was, titled "A Town Builds its Own Boom". The
majority of the article had to do with what is known as a small business incubator,
which nurtures fledgling and start-up businesses. He said he had a personal and
successful experience with a small business incubator.
Mr. Vassallo then mentioned he had spoken with Council members during the
past week and they would cover those subjects tomorrow. They would put their
cards on the table about their concerns. They would set priorities and goals and
how those would be funded. The intention tomorrow is to get into brainstorming.
Mr. Cashwell noted strategic planning is comparable to a real simple little sketch.
Think of it as a pyramid, which cannot be out of balance. It consists of desires
and goals, resources, and the ability to get there. Mr. Swinney compared it to the
philosophy at USAA, his employer, which is a three-legged stool consisting of
employees, finances and citizens.
The next question in the ongoing game was where does Texas fall into the scale
of living expenses. Connecticut is first as most expensive and Mississippi is 50th
as least expensive. Steve Simonson won the $2.00 bill this time with the answer
of 48th.
There was then discussion about whether City of Schertz employees are being
paid competitively. It was stated they are about 8% behind surrounding cities.
The City paid for a pay plan they have been using for approximately three years.
They have 160 employees and in recent times have had 49 turnovers.
Discussion about this prompted the remark that interesting challenges lie ahead.
Mr. Cashwell distributed the Salary Survey for informational purposes. It will be
discussed during the upcoming budget process. Mr. Vassallo indicated that the
biggest concern among CEO's is lack of educated personnel.
This concluded Friday evening's session. It was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. with the
comment being made they are here to listen.
The Strategic Planning Session was reconvened at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, May 19,
2001. The only person not present, who had been present on Friday evening,
was Amy Madison. Pastries, fruit, juice and coffee were enjoyed by all before the
session began.
The next question in the ongoing game was how many retail establish" 00' ,[" are
there is Schertz with at least 100 people. Ken Greenwald won the $2.00 bill with
an answer of 7.
The group, teamed up with partners, then played the "Lost at Sea" game. The
idea being to rank fifteen items listed on the page in order of their importance to
survival. It proved to be interesting.
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Mr. Vassallo related that upon interviewing Council, the top three concerns that
came up were recreational facilities, water and drainage. Secondary issues were
better communications and development of a Comprehensive Plan. Most felt
there are no suitable facilities for youth activities and that growth in the
Community has far exceeded the facilities. School enrollment jumps about 300
studentS per year.
There was discussion about needing a Parks and Recreation Director, about
building a park next to the library, about needing an expanded athletic field
facility, and about needing non-athletic activities (e.g., arts and crafts). Mr.
Vassallo advised there is a state-of-the-art athletic facility worth visiting in Mount
Bellevue just east of Houston. He questioned if a survey had been conducted
regarding parks and recreation.
Council then gave their estimates on the breakdown of the Schertz population as
far as ages, and the results were as follows:
Ages 65+ 15%
Ages 40 -- 64 30%
Ages 21 - 39 35%
Ages 12 - 20 10%
Ages 11 and under 10%
It was then mentioned that it might be beneficial to coordinate the use of school
facilities by working more closely with the school district. You can get dollars, if
needed, through bonds and schools are good supporters. Also suggested was a
recreational facility in the industrial park where each business pays their fair
share.
Moving to the issue of water, it wasn't seen as a problem, Council just wanted to
see completion of the Schertz/Seguin Local Government Corporation project and
noted communication on this project needs improvement. It was pointed out that
water would give attention to the City of Schertz as they've never seen before.
There;s anxiety on the part of developers and other entities about water. Some
annexation may be involved.
Moving to the issue of drainage, it was noted that the 1998 flood proved the City
of Schertz to be vulnerable. Two creeks run to the middle of the City. They have
applied for a $4,000,000 grant for a ditch that would solve 80% of the drainage
problems of the City. It was questioned if the City is holding developers feet to
the fire as far as drainage and the response was yes, but then they build
retention/detention ponds whiCh the City has to maintain. It was also mentioned
there has been a change in FEMA's thinking about what they spend money on.
It was stressed that community cooperation is needed to help solve the drainage
problem.
The secondary issues of better communications and development of a
Comprehensive Plan were then covered. As far as better communications, more
beneficial information in the Newsletter was suggested, messages on the water
bill were suggested, more articles in local newspapers was suggested, and the
fact that a better and updated web site is needed was suggested.
Regarding a Comprehensive Plan, it was mentioned a Community Forum had
been held on May 14th and there was a large turnout of citizens. One
Councilmember felt people only see the Comprehensive Plan as a land use plan
and there was some discussion and difference of opinion about that. It was
noted the steering committee for the Comprehensive Plan has intense sessions
and makes recommendations.
This brought the session to the next question by Mr. Vassallo in the ongoing
game, which was that in 1988, 55% of the workforce worked for companies with
more than 500 employees. Today, what percentage work for companies with 25
employees or less? Tim Swinney won the $2.00 bill with an answer of 60%. It
was also mentioned that the average worker has held 9 jobs by the age of 32.
Mr. Cashwell recommended, for those who are interested, that they read a book
called "Global Paradox".
Mrs. Head indicated she had attended a session in Leon Valley where they said
13% of the businesses in Silicon Valley are being outsourced to India and she
found that very interesting.
At this time Steve Simonson made a presentation regarding ET J's and possible
annexations. He showed a map of Schertz City limits, surrounding cities and
ET J's. He stated we are now providing water and sewer to one of San Antonio's
ET J's. He also said there is lots of interest in the Cibolo area and much of their
growth comes through our City. Where do we want to grow?
It was questioned if there's any possibility of consolidation of the cities of Schertz
and Cibolo. The answer was not known for sure. Along that line, it was
mentioned the residents of Deer Creek have been asking about de-annexation
from Cibolo.
Mr. Cashwell emphasized no other jurisdiction is in a better position to lead. Is it
time to have ET J agreements with San Antonio? We need direction. Mr.
Simonson indicated he was leaving a pad for Council to write in their subjects of
interest and their suggestions.
Mr. Vassallo related that as a result of his discussions with Council members, it
was mentioned two of the City's greatest weaknesses were determined to be
lack of industrial development and lack of small business diversification.
There was discussion about the Chamber of Commerce and about the Schertz
Business Association, about the fact the Schertz Business Association is not part
of the Chamber of Commerce and that their cohesiveness of business is not
what it should be. It was agreed, since the City just joined again, the Council
wants to give the Chamber a chance for at least nine months and then, perhaps,
form their own Chamber.
The question was asked if the City would be willing to contribute money, maybe
economic development resources. It was pointed out that in some cities,
economic development is the Chamber of Commerce. Schertz needs emphasis
on existing businesses as well as new businesses. We are not targeting
industries. At the top of the list should be pharmaceuticals.
Mayor Baldwin brought up the 4-B Board which oversees expenditures of the
sales tax money. There was a brief discussion about the use of 4-B money.
Mr. Vassallo suggested promoting public/private partnerships. The good thing
about private money is that it's not hamstrung. You can usually rely on annual
contributions.
At this time there was a short lunch break, which consisted of sandwiches, chips
and cookies brought in from Schlotsky's.
After lunch, Mr. Vassallo reviewed some overheads with Council on the following
subjects;
1. Corporate Restructuring
2. Why Manufacturing Matters
3. Biggest Problem for Employers Today
4. Manufacturing Concerns
5. The Information Age Has Increased
6. Retooling the Workforce
7. Decentralization
8. Moving Faster
9. Looking for a Better Life
It was stated that in 1947 the life expectancy was age 47 and today it is age 82.
It was also stated there is a trend now of training people when they feel they lack
the skills to perform their jobs. The building of a training center was suggested.
Mr. Vassallo distributed a handout regarding Expanding the Network of Allies and
it listed the following:
1. Elected Officials
2. Larger Markets
3. State Contracts
4. Those Who Reside Elsewhere
5. Corporate Contacts
The discussion now moved to what those interviewed by Mr. Vassallo felt were
the City's Greatest Strengths. They were Community Cooperation and that
Schertz is a City of Volunteers.
Mr. Cashwell, in reference to a City of Volunteers, said he keeps hearing that, but
wondered why was there such a low voter turnout. Mr. Vassallo suggested that
perhaps it's a vote of confidence - the citizens are happy with what the City is
doing.
Another subject brought up in Mr. Vassallo's interviews with Council was
Evaluation of the Staff. Some want to see the City run more like a business. The
possibility was discussed about the need to hire a customer service person. It
was also mentioned some employees need more polish. Also, it was
recommended the employees, even those on the lower rung of the ladder, should
be provided the opportunity for continuing education. The possibility of exit
interviews and suggestion reward programs was discussed.
This was followed by discussion of the City doing more with less and operating
efficiently and effectively on the lowest possible budget. In other words having
high productivity. It was strongly recommended the City move into the 21st
Century and accomplish achievable goals.
Mr. Vassallo had asked each person present at the Friday night session to write
down what they would do if they had $100,000 to spend as they wished. These
were the answers:
1. Recreational facilities for youth
2. Community Center
3. Build park next to library
4. Park improvements
5. Skateboard facility
6. Parks/Recreation/Leisure
7. Technology Improvements
The next question in the ongoing game was that in 1940, 25% of the population
had a high school education. What is the percentage today? Norma Althouse
won the $2.00 bill. She guessed 75% and it is actually 84%, but she was the
closest.
Comments from the Community Forum were briefly reviewed. Among those
comments were that the City is far from perfect, citizens are not thinking outside
the box, lots of citizens like to gripe, the City needs to slow down residential
growth, and the City needs to have better communications with .all the citizens,
especially the concerned ones. Along the lines of better communication, Mrs.
Head said that since our Homeowners Associations are so active, it was
suggested to her that they each be provided space for an article in the Newsletter
each month.
ML Vassallo had surveyed Council about whether the City had adequate funding
currently for certain things and the results were as follows:
Infrastructure
Staffing
Economic Development
Yes
3
2
4
No
3
4
2
Regarding infrastructure, Mr. Cashwell alluded to how much debt service a City
carries and how that works. He felt Schertz would free up money in the next
several years to help with the infrastructure situation.
Other topics which came up in Mr. Vassallo's interviews with Council were the
Zoning Ordinance (they think that's fine), the Tax Rate (they think it's very
compatible), and the Sign Ordinance (this had a split vote and they think it needs
to be fine-tuned). There was a brief discussion about how the Schertz Sign
Ordinance compares with that of other cities.
Additional topics mentioned were development of the area south of Randolph Air
Force Base, the running of the City more like a business, and a moratorium on
the zoning of some land until after the Comprehensive Plan is approved.
In regard to comments made by citizens about slowing down residential growth,
Mrs. Head said she understands that as far as impact fees, it is now on a pay as
you go basis. Would it slow growth down if 50% of the impact fees had to be
paid up front? Would it help to have an impact fee on drainage?
It was pointed out that developers build all the infrastructure. It was also reported
that developers are asking for more land to develop. Money is no problem. The
City should go for all it can get right now.
Mayor Baldwin stressed the need to be careful and not make one end of Schertz
the low-income area. The average home being built in new subdivisions is
roughly $150,000.
Another concern of Council's was the implementation of the latest technology, for
example, the capability for automatic bill paying. The City Manager hopes to
have some proposals in the future to remedy some of the technology problems.
Professionalism of City staff was another concern, specifically punctuality.
Also expressed was the desire for meetings to start on time. After all, each
person's time is valuable.
At this time, Council started the process of prioritizing goals. Their priorities were
as follows:
1. Storm Water Runoff (Mr. Simonson informed them it is now called storm
water runoff and not drainage.)
2. Leisure Services (this includes athletic and non-athletic activities)
3. Technology (increasing use within the City)
4. Economic Development Director (this position could be paid from 4-8
money)
5. City Positions (raising the bar)
6. Regional Approach to Solving Problems
Mr. Swinney thought they should limit their priorities to six.
Mr. Vassallo mentioned one of the international objectives for the City might be to
form a Sister City Alliance. When asked why that would benefit the City, he
answered economic development growth plus other side benefits. They want
you to become an extension of their office. He suggested, for those interested,
reading the book "The Lexus and the Olive Tree." He is associated with a city
that has had wonderful experiences as a result of a Sister City Alliance.
Some new things considered by Council were establishing a foreign relationship,
having a Systems Analyst on board with the City, forming a Senior Citizen Think
Tank, and considering the possibility of an employee strictly to apply for grants.
The next question in the ongoing game was how many trees does a full-grown
moose eat per day. Mayor Baldwin won the $2.00 bill with an answer of 15 even
though the actual answer is 31.
After further discussion, the Council decided to add an item to their priority list as
follows:
7. Staff to Pursue Grants.
Mr. Swinney would like to see the City bring the bond package back for the next
May election.
Mayor Baldwin thought it would be nice if the City had a theme. That same
thought had occurred to Mr. Cashwell and he gave the example of the City of
Gruene and how it has grown. Part of the Schertz culture is being lost and you
will never get it back. The nephew of the owner of Rosario's out of San Antonio is
coming to have lunch with him this week. He is interested in locating here. Mrs.
Head questioned if people living here want people coming in as tourists.
Mayor Baldwin also commented there is no place for large organizations to meet
in Schertz. Mrs. Head, noting there is a new Chinese restaurant going to build
on FM 78, suggested we talk to them in the planning stages about needing a
large meeting room. The remark was made that parking along FM 78 was not
adequate.
Steve Simonson then listed some possibilities. Pecan Grove has a beautiful front
area that could be utilized. We could revitalize Main Street. We could establish
a town center. We could build the playscape. We could put plaques on some of
the old buildings saying, for example, this was the first library. Mr. Cashwell took
this idea a bit further and suggested creating a walking mall on downtown Main
Street. This excited some people and there was even talk about a Farmer's
Market where the Post Office is now. This prompted discussion about trying to
convince a developer (specifically, one who wants to develop behind the County
building on FM 3009) to build a facility which the Post Office could lease.
Schertz needs a new Post Office and the federal government is no longer
spending money on new Post Offices.
Council then decided to add an 8th item to their Priority List. That item was as
follows:
8. Investigate Public/Private Partnerships.
A. Industrial Park
1. 5 acre park site
2.training Center
Mr. Swinney asked if there was any interest in an ordinance banning smoking
and was told they could talk about that later. He also thought they should move
forward, and aim for this fall, on the plaques for the old City buildings.
Mrs. Head questioned if someone could visualize FM 78 for them with drawings,
etc.
There was then discussion about landscaping FM 78, about plans for a possible
"heritage park", about bringing in an organization that could bring about the
walking mall on downtown Main Street, about selling memorial bricks, and about
pursuing a site for a new Post Office,
Mayor Baldwin then mentioned the City needs to decide what they are going to
do about Schertz Parkway. Mr. Cashwell informed Council the Schertz Parkway
Zone Board passed a Resolution at their last meeting to support $2,000,000
worth of debt and they have the capability of getting $4,000,000. When asked by
the Mayor what they need to do to make it happen, Mr. Cashwell replied say yes.
After noting Council had prioritized their goals and objectives; and there not
being anything further on that subject to discuss right now, the session was
adjoumedot3007p.m. ~~
Mayor, City of Schertz, Texas
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City Secretary, City of SChertz~ eYj0(~"j