S TAT E O F T H E C I T Y
2017
They say the best way to predict your future is to create it. And that’s what we’ve been doing. Plan by plan. Brick by brick. We’re raising structures. Developing dreams. Assembling the building blocks of the community we want to see…and the city we want to be. Steel and concrete lending shape to the vision of a thriving downtown. Programs that cement our values. We like to think our best days haven’t happened yet. That the sum of our efforts today will empower our tomorrows. So, we continue to invest in the present, and build for the future. A future we create TOGETHER.
A MESSAGE FROM YOUR CITY COMMISSION AND CITY MANAGER Each year, we review our accomplishments: how much progress did we make toward our goals? How well did we serve the people we represent? But more than just checking off boxes, we believe the efforts we undertake are building our future.
We have seen growth in many sectors of the City – retail, restaurants, healthcare and more. Total Wine, Lucky’s Market, 4 Rivers Smokehouse, and Orchard Supply and Hardware have opened, and Cleveland Clinic is preparing to break ground on a $70 million Family Health Center.
It’s evident in Downtown Coral Springs, where the Municipal Complex is well underway, and elements of the project are already welcoming residents with art, music and family events. With the General Obligation Bond that was approved in 2014, we were able to install a state-of-the-art 911 Dispatch Communication system, and hold four groundbreaking ceremonies for City buildings – two fire stations, a brand new home for our Safety Town, and the Police CSI building addition.
Building Infrastructure Our City’s infrastructure supports our ability to deliver services. We installed LED street lights on University Drive, improved the Waste Transfer Station and received a grant to improve stormwater collection in one of our older neighborhoods.
Building a Financial Foundation One measure that sets Coral Springs apart is our attention to fiscal responsibility. Both Fitch Ratings and Standard and Poor’s have re-affirmed the City’s AAA rating, a recognition from the market that saves us millions of dollars. We ended this year with a budget surplus, with more than $3 million added to our reserve accounts, getting closer to our goal of bringing these reserves to pre-recession levels. With an unchanged tax millage rate, we remain one of the lowest property tax rates for a city our size in Broward County. With the success of the Economic Development Pilot Program, designed to assist in expediting business projects, the City Commission formally adopted the program in the City’s Code, which adds even more flexibility. Since 2013, the pilot has saved time and cost for both large and small businesses, encouraging development and redevelopment in the City.
Improving the City’s information technology infrastructure has long been on the books, and this year, we upgraded and secured critical systems and enabled mobile devices for those who spend their work hours out on the road. Building Business The number of new business license applications reached 524 – a figure expected to grow as Downtown Coral Springs adds more opportunities. As you’ll see in the report, our efforts are bringing in new businesses, new jobs and new places to eat, drink and shop. There’s another measure that counts: our business survey results. We received outstanding ratings: overall quality – 96%; image of the City – 97%; quality of life – 98%; and customer service – 94%. Building Community As a national finalist for America’s Best Intergenerational Communities Award, Coral Springs was recognized for our long-standing commitment to building a community for all ages. From playgrounds to senior programs, we aim to support an environment that engages and enriches residents. We hosted events that drew people from all walks of life – live art shows, outdoor concerts, farmers’ markets, tournaments, races and parades – to encourage our sense of community.
John J. Hearn
City Attorney
Dan Daley
Vice Mayor
Larry Vignola
Commissioner
Skip Campbell Mayor
We successfully piloted a “City-wide Day of Service” program that included employees, volunteers and community stakeholders in service projects throughout the City. We also approved 24 income-eligible home repair projects that maintained or improved properties, completing seven. In addition, we received government funds to support other housing initiatives that help keep our neighbors in their homes. Speaking of construction, building permits are up 12 percent, inspections are up by more than 1,000, and the Building Division reviewed 1,400 more plans than last year. Public safety in Coral Springs continues to be unparalleled, with the crime rate on a positive trend, investments in fire equipment and more community programs that focus on helping residents reduce risk and stay safe. In addition, our Coral Springs Police were recently reaccredited
Lou Cimaglia
Commissioner
Joy Carter
Commissioner
Erdal Dönmez
City Manager
“with Excellence” in the areas of law enforcement and communications. We put resource officers in all schools, an important initiative for many of you in the community. Our Fire Department earned a Class 1 rating by the Insurance Services Office – they are among only 24 in this class in the state of Florida. Our residents can rest assured that officers, firefighters, as well as all City staff, are always doing their best to keep everyone safe. We value open dialogue with our residents and businesses, and are always exploring new ways to engage our community – from emerging trends in social media to this State of the City Report. We are honored to serve you, and look forward to a successful year as we build our future together.
To read about the City’s Business Plan initiatives, visit CoralSprings.org/budget.
A FAMILY-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY
Something for Everyone
Report Card
From events on the ArtWalk – holiday celebrations, a Farmers’ Market, and concerts – to new senior programs, the City offered residents many opportunities to have fun together, learn and even share a memory. We celebrate our diversity with events such as Worldfest, and host artists from around the world at the Museum of Art and Festival of the Arts.
The Coral Springs Charter School has done it again – it was A-rated for the 13th year in a row. Add a near-perfect high school graduation rate of 99.5 percent, and the City’s commitment to education ranks at the top.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Fiscal Year 2016
Goal
Actual
City crime rate (crimes per 100,000 residents, calendar year) 2,500 2,180.5 Resident rating of City efforts to prevent crime (Resident Survey 2015) 92% 94% Resident rating of City government for respecting religious and ethnic diversity (Resident Survey 2015) 94% 98% Rating of quality of life (Resident Survey 2015) 96% 96% Rating of quality of life (Business Survey 2016) 96% 98% Coral Springs Charter School graduation rate 95% 99.5% Injury accidents at or near 15 major intersections in the City 175 97
Thriving at All Ages MetLife Foundation selected Coral Springs as a national finalist for the America’s Best Intergenerational Communities Award. These awards signify that a critical component of a livable community is one that fosters an environment where generations live and work together.
Getting Social Likes, tweets and Facebook Live events are up. With live Q&A broadcasts delivering important safety messages on topics like the Zika virus and hurricane preparedness – the City continues to reach out in the cyber community to better deliver services. We are also offering new online avenues, such as registration for recreation classes. A series of public service announcements, “Love Where You Live,” was awarded a 2016 Bronze Telly Award.
Unlocking Crime With residential burglaries at an all-time low, the City’s crime rate continued trending downward. For the third consecutive year, the number of crimes per 100,000 residents remained below the annual goal of 2,500.
“We’ll Be There” That’s what the Community Paramedic program said to 124 residents in the most vulnerable segment of our population. From frequent falls to home inspections, our staff responded with care and concern. We recently launched a new Mobile Integrated Healthcare Program, with our partner Cleveland Clinic. Patients can now make appointments to be visited at their home or place of business by a paramedic and nurse practitioner.
A THRIVING BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Flexibility Goes Forward
Building Boom
The Economic Development Pilot Program continued and was formally adopted into the City’s Code, with 19 projects approved. Developers saved an average of 60 days in review time and 90 percent in petition fee costs. The program offers flexibility in signage, landscaping, plat waivers and other development and redevelopment requirements.
The Building Department issued more than 9,900 permits, performed more than 25,000 inspections and completed almost 15,000 plan reviews. Seven of 24 home repair assistance projects were completed, improving income-eligible properties – and the overall community. New business licenses also swept upward, with 524 new requests.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Fiscal Year 2016
Business rating of the image of the City (Business Survey 2016) Net new taxable value as % of total taxable assessed value (BCPA) Non-residential tax base growth Coral Springs’ June unemployment rate
Goal
Actual
95% 97% 1.26% 0.17% 8.6% 7.9% below FL avg. of 4.9% 4.4%
Eat, Drink and Shop It’s been easier to find party provisions now that Total Wine and Lucky’s Market have opened their doors. With 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Orchard Supply and Hardware, and Village Green (including Starbucks) either open or on the way, residents have more choices to shop.
Broken to Beautiful Construction began on the transformation of the former Broken Woods Golf Course into the Reserve residential community (168 apartments, 80 townhouses) and Coral Lago (186 homes). Bainbridge Apartments (250 units), are rising up, as is the Country Club of Coral Springs clubhouse.
What the Doctor Ordered Cleveland Clinic, Holy Cross Urgent Care and Broward Health Coral Springs have all committed to development, are underway or expanding, bringing more medical options to the City. Cleveland Clinic is expected to open mid-year 2018.
Economic Expansion The Economic Development Office is leading the business retention and expansion efforts in the City of Coral Springs, assisting local businesses to stay and grow here, and supporting issues that enhance our area’s economic competitiveness. The EDO has all the necessary resources to work with any size business. This year alone, the Economic Development Office retained 1,520 jobs and helped create 1,093 new positions in Coral Springs.
AN ACTIVE, HEALTHY COMMUNITY
Surf and Turf
Playing it Safe
The Aquatics Complex gained new fitness equipment inside and outside the popular facility. Renovations are also underway for the 50-meter pool, which will continue to draw future Olympians to train in Coral Springs. Cypress Park received new artificial turf on two fields, and two other parks (Forest Hills and Whispering Oaks) now have new playgrounds.
The Police Department’s crime-victim prevention program, S.A.F.E. (Self-defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange), held classes in the spring. Participants learned techniques to reduce their risk of exposure to violence.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Fiscal Year 2016
Goal
Actual
Resident rating of appearance of Parks and Recreation facilities (Resident Survey 2015) 96% 97% Resident rating of range of activities at Parks and Recreation facilities (Resident Survey 2015) 95% 95% Athletic league participation 8,100 7,976
Happy Trails The Everglades is more accessible now that the Sawgrass Trailhead is open at Atlantic Boulevard. A collaboration with Broward County, the project provides safe parking and closes the gap in cross-county trails. Back in town, the Downtown Pathway was finished, connecting the City’s center to Broward Health and Mullins Park, offering a pedestrian-friendly alternative.
Tourney Town An impressive list of tournaments, meets and camps held in the City highlights the excellence of our parks and recreational facilities, as well as our love of sports. Hundreds of kids and adults competed in swim, gym, tennis – even grappling – and other events.
Keep Moving Seniors can now exercise while enjoying the outdoors. Four new pieces of exercise equipment were installed outside the Coral Springs Senior Center at Sartory Hall. They are open to everyone, but designed with seniors in mind.
AN ATTRACTIVE COMMUNITY
Only Natural
Repair and Renew
With two Naturescape Broward Emerald awards, the City was recognized for water-conserving plantings and systems at the ArtWalk and Fire Station 71. Landscaping and hardscape also beautified the Atlantic Boulevard Linear Park, Wiles Road, Waste Transfer Station and Veterans Building at Mullins Park.
Renovations kept crews busy at the Aquatic Complex, gymnasium, and athletic fields. Repairs to the teaching pool and renovations to the 50-meter pool will save thousands of gallons of water each month.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Fiscal Year 2016
Ratings of litter collection on City streets (Business Survey 2016) Ratings of condition/appearance of medians (Resident Survey 2015) Ratings of City efforts at maintaining quality of neighborhoods (Business Survey 2016) Fuel consumed by City operations (diesel and unleaded) Pounds of recycled materials per capita
Goal
Actual
87% 98% 90% 92% 85% 96% 400,000 393,662 120 126
Dream Weaver The Public Art Committee assisted the MLK Monument Committee in selecting a permanent piece to honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. The sculpture, funded by donations from the community, was installed in front of the Broward County Northwest Regional Library.
LED Lights on University Drive Under the supervision of our Public Works Department, we have installed LED street lights on University Drive. Not only does it improve driver visibility, but it also saves energy.
Lien In The Lien Reduction program helped resolve Code Compliance issues, retaining the community’s high standards, and enabled the sale of 250 properties to new owners.
AN INNOVATIVE, HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATION
Truly Involved
Protecting our Kids
Our Police Community Involvement Unit was selected as the Crime Prevention Unit of the Year for 2016 by the Florida Crime Prevention Association – a well-deserved recognition for the dedicated officers that serve our residents and community. Innovative programs such as the Summer Break Spot sessions at Hunt Elementary School highlighted their efforts.
The Broward School Board provided support for the six remaining elementary School Resource Officers, ensuring all public schools now have police coverage. The Police Department used creative communications to educate teens about “sexting” laws and criminal sanctions for violating those laws.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Fiscal Year 2016
Satisfaction ratings with City communications (Business Survey 2016) Employee satisfaction rating (Employee Survey) Maintain Bond Ratings: S&P AAA, Fitch AAA, Moody’s Aa1 Rating of value for tax dollars and fees (Business Survey 2016) Ratings of customer service (Business Survey 2016)
Goal
Actual
81% 79% 92% 94% Two AAA Two AAA 65% 78% 95% 94%
Fire Rates at the Top The Fire Department earned a Class 1 rating by the Insurance Services Office. Out of more than 48,000 organizations in the United States, the Coral Springs Fire Department is now among only 178 – and only 24 in Florida – that are rated as ISO Class 1. This rating represents superior property fire protection and validates the fine work of the men and women of CSFD.
Sharing for Safety A new South Florida Safety and Health Collaborative, established by the Coral Springs Fire Department, is bringing together agencies across the region to share education, training and best practices. The department was also able to put the Quint ladder truck in service, and received new platform apparatus.
Money Talks The City’s AAA credit rating was re-affirmed by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings. We also added more than $3 million to reserves, finished Fiscal Year 2016 with a surplus, and all programs were fully funded. No surprise: once again, we were recognized with an “Outstanding” rating from the GFOA Distinguished Budget Presentation Award program.
Water Works The City’s Utilities Division was awarded the Water Distribution System Award for the second consecutive year, which honors outstanding water quality, maintenance, safety professionalism, and emergency preparedness.
Improving Technology With information security top of mind, the City implemented a new firewall and transitioned from an antiquated database system to new software designed to make operations more efficient. The Police Department also upgraded to a new Records Management System and new Computer Aided Dispatch software program.
Mobile Matters Field operations are critical, so Code Compliance officers now have secure mobile devices, and will soon be able to open cases while working away from the office. All shift police officer laptops have also been replaced with rugged devices to ensure they stay up and running during emergencies.
BUILDING OUR FUTURE
Municipal Complex All eyes have been on Downtown Coral Springs, where groundbreaking last May quickly led to real progress. The new 74,000 square-foot Municipal Complex will house City Hall, the Community Redevelopment Agency, and the Coral Springs Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with offices for elected officials to meet with their constituents. A 607-space parking garage will serve both municipal and commercial purposes. When the project is complete later this year, it is expected to trigger redevelopment in the area. In the meantime, it’s fun to watch it take shape at the heart of the City.
For additional updates, visit CoralSprings.org/municipalcomplex.
General Obligation Bond Updates When nearly three-quarters of the voters approved the use of General Obligation bonds in November 2014, the City lined up key Public Safety projects. To date, most have been completed or are very close to opening their doors. Upgraded Public Safety Communications ($5.5 million) The first project completed was the new digital P25 communications system, replacing outdated dispatch equipment for 911 calls and improving Police and Fire radio and GPS coverage to keep them – and the community – safer.
Rebuilding Fire Stations ($5.1 million) Groundbreaking for stations 43 and 95 took place in June 2016. Both structures are nearing completion, and our firefighters will soon serve the community from updated buildings designed for the needs of today’s first responders.
Renovating the Crime Scene Investigation Building ($950,000) It didn’t take a detective to figure out this top-performing team of crime scene technicians needed more space. The renovated building broke ground in May and was completed in November.
Creating a permanent Safety Town Building ($900,000) It took 11 months, and now the new building in Kiwanis Park is a beautiful, safe space to deliver a fun, educational experience for the City’s preschoolers and elementary-aged students. In addition to learning “stop, drop and roll” fire safety, kids also receive training on bicycle, pedestrian, canal and animal safety. And the summer Safety Town program will continue its tradition in this new facility.
For additional updates, visit CoralSprings.org/yourcityatwork.
CITY OFFICIALS AND EXECUTIVE STAFF All of these accomplishments could not have been possible without the City’s dedicated staff and department directors. A special thanks to everyone involved in making these initiatives a reality.
City Commission Mayor Skip Campbell Vice Mayor Dan Daley Commissioner Larry Vignola Commissioner Lou Cimaglia Commissioner Joy Carter
Senior Management Team Erdal DĂśnmez, City Manager John J. Hearn, City Attorney Susan L. Grant, Deputy City Manager Jennifer K. Bramley, Deputy City Manager Frank Babinec, Fire Chief Bob Curnow, Interim Director of Information Services Rick Engle, Director of Parks and Recreation Catherine Givens, Director of Budget and Strategy Melissa Heller, Director of Financial Services Susan Hess Krisman, Director of Development Services Liz Kolodney, Director of Communications and Marketing Rich Michaud, Director of Public Works Dale Pazdra, Director of Human Resources Tony Pustizzi, Chief of Police Debra Thomas, City Clerk
Special appreciation goes to all our dedicated volunteers and members of our Boards and Committees: Affordable Housing Advisory Committee Architectural Review Committee Building Focus Group Charter School Advisory Board Code Rangers Community Assisted Patrol Community Emergency Response Team Community Redevelopment Agency Construction Review Committee Customer-Involved Government Committee Economic Development Advisory Committee Financial Advisory Committee Fire Pension Board General Employees Pension Board Historical Advisory Committee Holiday Parade Committee Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee MLK Monument Committee
Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee National Day of Prayer and Peace Committee Neighborhood and Environmental Committee Nuisance Abatement Board Parent Education Advisory Committee Planning and Zoning Board Police Pension Board Police Reserve Officer Corps Principal Education Committee Public Art Committee Senior Advisory Committee Sports Coalition Sports Commission Teen Political Forum Committee Unsafe Structures Board WorldFest Committee Youth and Family Committee
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For more information about recent accomplishments, visit CoralSprings.org/stateofthecity.
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