City of Waco Annual Report 2012
City of Waco 2012
Annual Report
& Financial ReviewSections:
Parks & Recreation - Cottonwood
Convention Center - Zoo - Ranger Museum
A message from your City Manager...
Having lived in Waco almost all of my life, I can't remember a time when so many great things have been happening in our community as they are now. Baylor University has begun construction on their new stadium; TXDot is constructing a signature bridge, expanding the capacity of traffic on I-35 across the river; the beautiful new
Waco Convention Center is open and thriving; and interest in business development downtown and throughout the Waco area continues to grow. In times when many cities across the nation are
cutting services, raising taxes and even going bankrupt, the City of Waco continues to be strong financially and to provide its citizens the level of service they expect – without raising the tax rate. Our city staff helped develop and manage a conservative budget which resulted in a surplus that helped strengthen the 18% reserve
fund, and which contributed to the innovative long-term goal adopted by the Council two years ago to eliminate borrowing for capital improvement needs. These are the fruits of adhering to a strong financial policy developed by previous Councils who recognized the need for long range planning.This annual report is a way for many of our departments to highlight just some of the ways we help make Waco a great place to live. In addition to the accomplishments contained in this report, we welcomed new department directors for Planning, Health and our City Attorney's office. We expanded the capacity of our waste water treatment plant with the addition of the satellite Bull Hide creek plant. By clearing the old Parkside Villas and burned Sanger Avenue school properties, we prepared those grounds for new housing to be developed, giving new life to older neighborhoods. The latest public-private partnership with Hawaiian Falls is a tremendous success, as it provides great summer fun for our citizens and thousands of out of town visitors.
As I compare our city to others across the nation, I applaud ALL of our business and community leaders for helping reduce our unemployment rate to one of the lowest in the nation, and for helping create a positive business climate that continues to spark interest with major developers. I encourage our citizens to become involved in our city by volunteering for one of the many city boards or other community and church groups that continue to strengthen the fiber of this great city.
Larry D. Groth, P.E.
Waco City Manager
For a hard copy of the City of Waco's Annual Report to be mailed to you, please contact us by email with your name and address, or call (254) 750-5639.
To pick one up you can visit the following locations:
City Hall
Water Office
Recreation Centers
Libraries
Municipal Court
McLennan County Public Health District
