Three years go by in a blink! If it doesn't seem that way, just look at your kids. My younger two seem to have grown almost a foot a year. For those of you that know Jace and Annabelle, you know what I mean. Unfortunately, Jayce (our oldest) got stunted at 4'10 1/4" (she won't let you forget the 1/4"), and Braeden is glad Jace got the giant gene!
The same has gone with my time thus far being on City Council. We have worked as a group to keep Wylie, Wylie. For those of you that have been here awhile, you know exactly what I mean, and for those of you who have moved here recently, that is why you moved here. Wylie is special. I speak with individuals on a regular basis that have moved away from Wylie, only to find out they didn't realize how special Wylie was until they moved away from Wylie. They subsequently have moved back. If that is you, please share with those around you, since it really does help explain what makes Wylie so special.
My main goals for our great city over the past three years have been: Infrastructure, Fiscal Accountability, and Health and Safety. Below are some of the highlights from the past three years we as a City Council were able to accomplish.
Infrastructure:
- Construction started on the McMillen "S" curve
- All bond funds targeted solely at specific infrastructure improvements
- Zoning limited throughout commercial corridors
- High-density housing balanced with adjoining zoning
- Back-up generators installed for critical water distributions
- Opening of the EOC (Emergency Operations Center), which also hosts Police, Fire, Courts & Jail.
- Opening of Fire Station 4
- Public transparency of Capital Improvement Project status
- Updated (since 2012) Compressive Master Plan (thank you Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee)
Fiscal Accountability:
- Along with staff, we were able to pass the "Effective Tax Rate" two years in a row (2022-2023 Budget)
- Along with staff, we raised our Moody Bond Rating from Aa2 to Aa1
- Public transparency of City finances
Health & Safety:
- Focused efforts on projects such as the "Jerico Village (by AGAPE)" to help meet safety concerns
- Continued focus with projected increase of staffing for Mental Health needs
- Support for our Victim Services
- Continued increases in compensation for Public Safety Personal & City Staff
- Opening of the City of Wylie Dog Park
- Budget, funding and implementation of the new Splash Pads with seating and restrooms
- Easy to find "Special Projects" list for Wylie Citizens to see parks in progress
These are just a few of the highlights that are a direct reflection of my commitment when I ran for office initially. I would be honored to be able to continue to serve the great citizens of Wylie. In doing so, I foresee several things in the years to come and would like to highlight a few of them.
First, I believe that as a city we still have a substantial amount of infrastructure we need to continue to focus on heavily. This would include the east side, downtown, Stone Rd., Troy Rd., and some of our older neighborhoods where streets and drainage have fallen behind. All roads have a life cycle and I believe we still have a large amount of catch up to do in order for them to be at a point they are sustainable.
Second, we have a hard shift over the recent years in available candidates for Public Safety. This will be complicated by the amount of long-term experienced officers and firefighters that are reaching retirement soon. In order to keep our city operating at the level of excellence it currently operates at we will need to continue to implement changes that support our culture and draw new candidates. This will include all city staff; however, I believe an increased focus on public safety will be needed.
Finally, we need to deal with our tax rate. I understand this is not a popular conversation, and is often complicated by many factors; therefore, so I am going to help clarify some confusion around the "Effective Tax Rate" (ETR). The ETR is a balance measure that is best used when the real estate market is experiencing consistent increases. The was the case when I ran for election in 2021. The reason is due to the city's portion of real estate tax (CTP - about 27% of total residential real estate taxes), is based on a percentage of the appraised value as determined by the Collin County Central Appraisal District. This means if we set the same tax rate this year as last year, the total city taxes (TCT) will raise or lower in direct conjunction with the appraised value (less any exemptions (see changes made recently by SB 1801 (great article of explanation by my friend Scott Johnson with Fireboss Realty)). During times of large real estate market value changes the ETR helps in setting the CTP to be in line with the city budget. This works so long as there is enough growth to carry any inflation.
I foresee this tax issue needing to be addressed in these next few years, which is largely due to the recent is super-inflation we have been experiencing, combined with a shortage of the labor force, not only have the costs to run the city increased, but the costs to retain and attract the quality of employees that Wylie has and looks to hire have increased dramatically. This variable, along with the slowdown in the real estate market, slight fall in assessed values, inflation, slowing in growth of new construction, implementation of the new EMT division, staffing of and operating Fire Station 4, past tax savings to citizens (pre-COVID), impact of COVID, and recent adoption of the ETR prior to super-inflation will result in us seeing tax increases in the year(s) to come. Keeping the ETR in the current culture is not possible without a substantial impact to citizens services. I do not believe our citizens want the slight savings possible by way of a dramatic decrease in city services. I believe the best way for us to navigate these challenges without reducing the quality of service (much of which would also reduce the safety of our citizens), is to ensure as a city we are factoring supply and demand of the workforce into the compensation plan and ensuring where possible we are capturing all equity within assets. This will require focus on making sure our "hard to fill" roles are as attractive as possible in order to obtain and retain the quality of individuals Wylie is accustomed to. Capturing all equity within assets is just a fancy way of saying we only sell and purchase equipment when needed, and do it in the most advantageous way possible. Additionally, I will also be exploring various financial vehicles that will help "float the variables" in an effort to help create a more stable and projectable tax rate.
Now having been on the Wylie City Council for the past three years, I can say unequivocally, we have the BEST CITY in the country! We have the BEST EMPLOYEES, we have the BEST CITIZENS, we have the BEST CULTURE! It's the Wylie Way, and it is ingrained in who we are as a community. A quote I love is the basics from the Wylie Way , "Not only do we want our students to be high performers, we also want them to be good people and do good things." This I believe is undervalued in our society, as we need to be better at loving people and knowing we really are better together!
While I am not very active on social media (unless I'm focusing on it), I juggle a lot with family, business and my city commitments, but I am always available; especially if you need help and it is within my power and ability to help. Please don't hesitate to reach out. I would appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve in the same fashion as Wylie City Council, Place 4. I am Scott Williams and I am asking for your vote for Wylie City Council, Place 4. Be Blessed:)
