Nassau Bay City Hall | 1800 Space Park Drive, Suite 200 | Nassau Bay, TX 77058 | 281-333-4211
MAY 2015
CITY NEWS LETTER FROM THE CITY MANAGER With a sense of excitement and a bit of apprehension, I announce my intention to retire from my position as City Manager effective January 2, 2016. I have made this decision after considerable deliberation and this choice comes with mixed emotions. While there are many things that I will miss upon leaving my daily involvement with the City, I will miss my interaction with the staff, Council and residents the most. This month marks my 28th anniversary as a public servant, 6 years of which have been here in Nassau Bay. I believe this is a good time in the life of the organization for this transition to take place. My first two years as Nassau Bay’s City Manager were challenging for our community. We were faced with the reality of the nation’s economic woes, revenue shortfalls, and aging infrastructure. Additionally we were concerned with weakened property values as a result of Hurricane Ike. As a City surrounded by water that was in recovery mode from Hurricane Ike, we only had 22 days of Reserve Funds in the event of another catastrophe. By 2014, we ended the year with 133 days of Reserves. We achieved this increase with a committed staff who found innovative ways to increase revenues through grants and cut spending while still maintaining expected levels of service. Our goal has been to continue providing the same quality services to which residents have been accustomed but using methods and resources that are more efficient and effective. I am proud to have been at the helm of this organization at a time when we were able to achieve so much at such a difficult time. Of the many accomplishments we have achieved during my tenure, some of the highlights include: •Implementing Coffee with the City Manager in an effort to share information with the citizens •Establishing Vision 2020, our Comprehensive Plan •Improving Nassau Bay Town Square through business partnerships and a $2.5 million Economic Development Grant •Repairing and improving infrastructure damaged as a result of Hurricane Ike from over $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funds •Repairing and improving the Waste Water Treatment Plant totaling $2.3 million to increase the capacity and to fix major sewer problems the City and residents had been dealing with •Improving and repairing city roads including $2 million in funds from Harris County •Constructing the Dog Park in Lake Nassau Park •Completing the Peninsula Nature Trail through a grant of $160,000 from Texas Parks and Wildlife •Building the new state of the art city hall complex, the Donald C. Matter Municipal Building. The 24,000 sq. ft. facility includes over 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space with a long-term tenant providing a long term source of revenue •Securing a total of over $7.2 million in grants for a variety of city projects to supplement our budget Any success, for which I may be recognized, is directly attributable to the City staff members who have worked hard and have never lost focus on the importance of their work. Due to their service, the City of Nassau Bay was named one of the Best and Brightest Places To Work four years in a row. The Finance Department has received the Distinguished Budget Award three years consecutively and we have received multiple awards for Government Transparency from the State Comptroller’s office. My goal has been to continually improve the city with each step we took and I believe we have done that. I must admit that the weekly coffee that began at Gloria Dei Church and later moved to Texas Citizens Bank serves as a highlight in my week. The people who come to the coffee are eager to share information that otherwise would take weeks or months to research. I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity I have had to work with the City of Nassau Bay. The substantial support I have consistently received from staff, Council, and residents contributed immensely to the many productive and prosperous years here. Nassau Bay has become my home and my family and I are looking forward to many more years as active members of this community. In the coming months til my retirement date, I will maintain our forward momentum, help in the selection of my successor, and assist staff and Council during this transition. I am confident that the team we now have in place will continue to do great things for our community. Your Neighbor,
Chris Reed
CITY NEWS
MAY 15
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