Town of Little Elm Strategic Report 2022

TOWN OF LITTLE ELM

Strategic Report

A comprehensive overview of the Town of Little Elm’s progress toward the goals defined in our Strategic Plan.

with

Lake Attitude

HISTORY

The Town of Little Elm has a long and rich history that stretches back over 175 years

From a small settlement chartered as part of the Peters Colony to the bustling town we see today, Little Elm has changed in size, appearance, and population

Surrounded by the beautiful waters of Lake Lewisville, Little Elm is a town that transcends time Chartered in 1841 and settled in 1844, the Town of Little Elm grew from a few hundred people in 1966 to more than 45,000 in just 30 years, making it one of the fastest growing cities in Texas

MISSION CORE VALUES

The mission of the Town of Little Elm is to build on our unique lake opportunities and hometown charm, encourage diverse housing options and business opportunities, and provide an unmatched quality of life

The vision of the Town of Little Elm is a distinct and desirable lakeside destination for all people to live and play while enjoying a safe, vibrant, and welcoming community

POPULATION GROWTH

INTEGRITY

We are honest, loyal, trustworthy, transparent, fair and open minded, and have a culture of accountability We keep our word and admit our mistakes

We stand up for what is right even in the face of a challenge, and do what is right, even if no one notices

EFFICIENCY

We recognize that we are entrusted with resources ultimately owned by the community, and as stewards of those, are committed to use the minimum resources required to realize the maximum result. We will find the shortest path on a route or in a process, and operate without waste, with proper use of taxpayer dollars, and without compromising quality

INNOVATION

We have a willingness to grow, to explore new ideas and to challenge the status quo We are open to change though we do not seek change unnecessarily We allow the freedom to try new things, and recognize that through creativity and reasonable risk, we will build a stronger, healthier Town together We are an organization dedicated to learning and continuous improvement

CUSTOMER SERVICE

We are respectful, positive, attentive, approachable, responsive, and empathetic We focus on being able to assist internal and external customers, not simply accommodate them Whether the answer involves going the extra mile or sometimes even delivering bad news, we are courteous, patient, humble, and professional

LETTER FROM THE MAYOR

Welcome to the Town of Little Elm!

Little Elm is the place for everyone to call home and offers residents a variety of housing options, world-class recreational amenities and activities, outstanding special events, and a thriving business community

We’re also the Town with a Lake Attitude, which means we love to relax, have fun, and unwind We offer many ways to enjoy the lake and the outdoors, including the Little Elm Beach, parks, and an intricate trail system

Still, if grabbing a cold beverage or sweet tea is more your speed, I encourage you to check out a patio in The Lakefront™ District, our destination district of recreation-based amenities and restaurants, or make a splash at our indoor waterpark, The Cove at The Lakefront® Or hit one of our beautiful scenic trails or parks

Little Elm is also known for quality education and is home to three top school districts

Little Elm is a great place to do business Our Economic Development Corporation and Chamber of Commerce are committed to the development of Little Elm and to bringing a diverse array of businesses to the community to meet the needs of residents and visitors alike

The Town of Little Elm is committed to serving you and all stakeholders at the highest level possible through our Strategic Goals, including providing a safe and welcoming environment for residents and visitors, ensuring strong relationships with the community and region, maximizing our community recreation and leisure activities to provide options for a broad range of socio-economic and interest groups, focusing on maximizing our unique shoreline opportunities on Lake Lewisville, maintaining the highest level of operational integrity and viability, promoting our identity, and ensuring in public services while keeping up with the community’s growth

In this report, you will see our progress as we strive to achieve these goals and create a quality of life that is second to none

MEET THE TOWN COUNCIL

The Little Elm Town Council is an elected, policy- and law-making body with the power to pass town laws and ordinances

At regular meetings, which are open to the public, the Council hears requests and grievances of local residents, as well as receives updates from Town staff on projects and initiatives Members serve three-year terms

MAYOR CURTIS J C ORNELIOUS

TONY SINGH District 2

NEIL BLAIS District 3

LISA G. NORMAN Mayor Pro Tem

JEREMY LUKAS District 5

MICHAEL McCLELLAN Place 6

JAMELL T. JOHNSON Place 1

A SAFE AND WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT

Little Elm will be a community that is safe and welcoming to all who live here and visit A safe and welcoming community is accomplished through upholding a strong sense of community with an engaged citizenry, maintaining clean and aesthetically welcoming corridors and neighborhoods, preserving a low crime rate, and continuing to ensure that public safety officials are courteous, professional, and ethical while providing equitable service to all.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

• Town leadership participated in Diwali at Beach

• Hosted our first Juneteenth event.

• Provided library programming that is reflective of the community: Diwali, Dia de los Muertos, a visit with Santa and Mrs Claus, and themed Summer Reading Program events and programs

• The Fire Department responded to 5,335 incidents The FD’s average response time to an emergency incident was five minutes and 13 seconds

• The Fire Department delivered the Fire Safety Education to Grades K-3rd at all elementary school campuses (first since the pandemic).

• The Police Department was recognized for the sixth year by the Texas Police Chiefs - Best Practice Program

• The Police Department was awarded a State grant for Tobacco and Traffic enforcement.

• The Police Department implemented the Flock Camera System for Frisco West and Paloma Creek subdivisions

• The Town completed $1 24M of street, sidewalk, curb, and gutter replacement as part of this year’s Annual Street Maintenance Program

• The Town poured 113 75 yards of concrete, 57 51 tons of hot asphalt mix, and 30 tons of cold asphalt mix

• The Town improved school zone flashers by replacing six outdated units with a cloud-based system that allows for remote programming and operations

• The Town amended its Short-Term Rental Ordinance to provide additional enforcement mechanisms

• An architect has been selected for Fire Station 4 and has started the feasibility and cost estimating process

• Increased awareness and subscribers to LE Alerts by 25%

• Established a regular communications meeting with each school district within Town limits

• Procured social media planning system to increase social visibility and engagements

PRIORITIZING SAFETY

The new Fire Station 4/Police Substation is currently under design This building will be located on Ryan Spiritas Parkway at the corner of FM 720 and US 380 and is anticipated to open in April 2025 . Due to the receipt of a Federal grant, the Town may begin hiring the 18 firefighters for this station and additional police officers that will patrol the area.

ENSURING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS

Little Elm will strive to maintain positive relationships within the community and region Strong and positive relationships are accomplished by conducting business with a level of integrity, promoting open communication, transparency, partnership, and displaying a high level of courteousness in all of our communications We will operate with a partner mentality with all entities with which we share a common interest

A PROUD PARTNER

• Added online form for proclamation requests to streamline the approval process

• Established a Youth Council and Veterans Committee to provide additional engagement opportunities

• Re-established the New Resident Bag Program

• Facilitated seventh class of CGA for a total of 100 graduates

• Hosted our first four district Town Hall events.

• Worked to re-establish Keep Little Elm Beautiful

• Established Lakefront Merchants Association

• Joined the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, the Denton Chamber of Commerce, and The Colony Chamber of Commerce

• Re-established Touch-a-Truck and the Town Expo

• Participated in local consortiums and partnerships to enhance the library’s services: Denton County Library Association and Texas cloudLibrary Consortium

• Completed the Santa Around Town Program for every subdivision within the Fire Department’s service area

• Hosted a Fire Department Open House for the community

• Deployed firefighters on eight major incidents

throughout the State of Texas

• Fire and Police promoted and participated in the Annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive

• Completed our eighth Citizen Police Academy and eighth Citizen Fire Academy

• Police renegotiated contract with Paloma to add three additional Detectives

• Police added School Resource Officers to Little Elm ISD and Denton ISD Little Elm ISD now has at least one officer present on all campuses.

• Formed a partnership with Corinth Police Department for a Major Accident Investigation Team

• Formed partnership with Corinth Police Department for SWAT team response

• Chamber Membership has grown to 200 people

• Chamber hosts over 45 networking events per year

• Expanded Chamber staff by adding one full-time employee in November 2021 and will add another after the first quarter in 2023.

• Created a new Member Relations Program for the Chamber: Board and staff write “We miss you” cards to members who are no longer active with the Chamber

COORDINATING EVENTS FOR VETERANS IN THE LITTLE ELM COMMUNITY

THE VETERANS COMMITTEE

The Veterans Committee was created in May 2022 and the committee members were appointed by the Town Council in August The committee came about because a few community members wanted a group that would coordinate events and information for veterans who live in the Little Elm community The Veterans Committee hosted the Inaugural Veterans Honor Walk in November and are making plans for 2023, including a series of workshops to discuss benefits and mental health resources for veterans as well as hosting networking opportunities

100With the graduation of the seventh class of the Citizens Government Academy, we now have 100 CGA Alumni.

MAXIMIZE COMMUNITY RECREATION

Little Elm will maximize recreational and leisure activities for the region, which will provide for a broad range of socio-economic and interest groups with the focus set on maximizing the unique lake front recreation opportunities that exist on Lewisville Lake

AN ACTIVE COMMUNITY

• Completed turf project at Cottonwood Sports Complex

• Advertised Request for Qualifications and reviewed submittals for event/hospitality center adjacent to The Rec™

• Lakeside Sports Complex project was put out for bid

• Began the selection process for a construction manager for The Lawn at the Lakefront™

• New events added:

• Two triathlons

• The Lakefront Luau

• Dinosaurs at The Park

• Night Out in The Lakefront

• Frozen, The Cove Luau, The Cove Holiday Store, and The Cove Christmas to The Cove at The Lakefront ® programming

• Increased digital material available including: cloudLibrary and SimplyE (eBooks & eAudiobooks), ComicsPlus (Comic & Manga), Freading, Newbank (newspaper access), and cloudLibrary Newsstand (eMagazines).

• Reviewed and evaluated current Recreation Division youth program offerings to identify successes and opportunities This led to working with current and new partners to offer new competitive programs including a new camp group that operates in the summer as well as winter and spring break

• Increased cloudLibrary checkouts by 6%

• Increased cloudLibrary users by 15%

• Worked with Little Elm ISD to provide space for local youth sports groups (LEAYSA) in gyms and meeting spaces

• Defined program/event proposal, approval, and evaluation procedures

• The Town received a donation to fund 10 youth memberships at The Rec at the Lakefront™, based on need

• The Cove at the Lakefront ® offered swim lessons at both their facility as well as local HOAs for area children to learn life-saving water safety skills

• Hosted a college fair at The Rec at the Lakefront™ in June of 2022

COMPLETED TURF PROJECT AT COTTONWOOD SPORTS COMPLEX

In 2022 we completed the turf project at Cottonwood Sports Complex. This project brought turf infields to all of the baseball fields located in the complex.

This project upholds the Council’s vision to ensure Little Elm offers high-quality amenities for youth sports for both league play and tournaments

EVENTS ALL YEAR LONG

LAKESIDE SPORTS COMPLEX

In addition to The Cottonwood Sports Complex, the Town Council also approved the renovation and expansion of the Lakeside Sports complex This project will open in the spring of 2023 and will feature three softball fields, a basketball court, upgrades to existing tennis courts, and four pickleball courts Additional features include a loop trail, restrooms and concessions, and a multipurpose practice/game field.

OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY

Little Elm will ensure the integrity and long-term viability of the Town’s financial and operational process. Little Elm’s operational and financial soundness will be ensured by maintaining a competitive tax rate, aggressively recruiting retail and small business economic development prospects, planning for long-term financial obligations, and maintaining a level of operational efficiency.

STRONG AND SOUND

• Streamlined the purchase of office staff uniforms.

• Created network redundancy to ensure an alternate path in case of a failure on the primary service

• Finalized the Development Agreement for Fire Station #4

• Updated purchasing/purchase card policies and initiated purchase card spot audits

• Implemented a new system that will capture Short-Term Rental Hotel Occupancy Tax and prevent revenue loss for the Town

• Maintained our strong bond rating of AA+ with S&P

• Developed a budget highlights sheet to give an overview of the budget for residents

• Implemented a Special Events Sponsorship Plan to ensure all special events are cost recovered Final Special event sponsorship revenue totaled $113,130

• Developed sales and marketing strategy for after-hour events at The Cove at The Lakefront ® Final after-hour event revenue totaled $106,215

• Developed a sales and marketing strategy for fieldtrips, camps, and large group events at The Cove at The Lakefront ®. Final field trip, camps, and large group sales revenue totaled $77,591

• Contracted Dippin’ Dots for The Cove at The Lakefront® generating $154,516

• Developed tracking methods through MyGov to better track facility maintenance. Added fields to tracking for type of maintenance and cost associated with each work order Staff also performed an age and status of Town HVAC units to help predict and budget future replacement costs

• Applied and received a federal grant, SAFER, adding 11 new firefighters to the FD. The grant will cover the salaries and benefits for the new positions for the next three years ($3.2 million).

• EDC entered in to Public Private Partnership with Tinman Social through a Lease Purchase Agreement

• EDC promoted a third round of the Voucher Program that was from October 2021-April 2022, mailing more than 30,000 vouchers to residents of Little Elm and neighboring communities The return rate for this program was just over 16%

• EDC reimbursed the restaurants $137,576

• EDC attended the ICSC show in May with a strong focus on Hotel Recruitment Met with Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt Discussions are on going with these brands to find an opportunity in Lakefront, west side of Town, and on U S 380

• EDC purchased software called SizeUp for the EDC website, but will also share with the Chamber SizeUp is a free, robust business analytics tool designed to support small and medium-sized businesses in a variety of stages, from the entrepreneur looking to start their first business to a seasoned business owner looking to expand their customer base SizeUp Little Elm can assist in providing answers to potential businesses

• EDC purchased the 3 2 acre tract of land next to Town Hall for future development

BUSINESSES OPENED IN 2022

• Abby Hair and Salon

• Almost Home Taphouse

• Alter Ego Hair Lounge

• ASCO

• AVID Foot and Ankle

• Bougie Bodies

• Bubble Well Tea

• Chambers Bank

• Core Strength Wellness

• Craft Pie Pizza

• Crazy Critters

• Crown Pharmacy on U S 380

• CUTX inside Little Elm High School

• Dickey’s BBQ on U . S 380

• Fairway Mortgage

• Frost Bank

• Glam Body Studio

• GOATs Sports Arena

• Gold’s Gym

• Happy Hippies

• Hurtado BBQ

• Impact Cuts

• Jocelyn Yu Dentist

• Joint Pain Specialist

• KarateTX

• King & Cardinal

• King Restaurant

• LE Message

• Leezaspace Co-Working

• Little Elm Medical Weight Loss

• Little Elm Nutrition

• Lymphadema Therapy Source

• Mark Ray Dermatology

• Mathnasium on US 380

• One Off Events

• Pioneer Medical

• Premier Wellness

• Realty One

• Slingin’ Pizza

• Solo Bueno Vision

• Starbucks on U S 380

• State Farm-Ryan Dunn

• Synergy Home Health Care

• The Good Cigar

• Tiff’s Treats

• Tinman Social

• Yandama

The Town Council recognized the additional burden placed on taxpayers due to the unprecedented increase in appraised values that the North Texas region has seen over the past few years To aid in property tax relief, the Town Council has decreased or maintained the tax rate over the past ten years and adopted the largest tax rate reduction in 14 years for Fiscal Year 2023 Even with this reduction, the Town could maintain the voter-approval tax rate, prepare for its future obligations, and adhere to the Town’s long and short-term operational plan

LOWERED THE TOWN’S PROPERTY TAX RATE TO ITS LOWEST RATE IN OVER A DECADE

EXPANDING IDENTITY

Maintain Little Elm’s distinctive look and high development standards that provide vibrant, high-quality neighborhoods, and development Create a sense of place and brand identity that extends beyond our borders

• Implemented Wayfinding Signage Program Phase I and II throughout the community

• Developed guidelines for logo placement for all mediums of marketing

• Established a comprehensive marketing video plan

• Created Landscape Technician position to inspect and track landscaping across Town

• Consolidated The Rec at the Lakefront, The Lakefront™, and The Cove at the Lakefront® websites

• Advanced the brand of Little Elm, The Lakefront District and our “Hometown Charm” identity by representing the Town at multiple neighboring chambers of commerce,

supporting our local ISDs, and tabling at community organization events and businesses

• Added a Managing Director of Business Development and Tourism to focus on growing Little Elm into a premiere regional destination

• Developed a comprehensive tourism brochure to showcase Little Elm amenities and events

• Designed and installed interpretive signage on trails

• Developed guidelines for logo placement for all logos and mediums of marketing

• Produced Lakefront on season video to advertise the area

• Installed place-making signage (Paddleboard Ranch and a Fish Story) to provide destination spots.

• Reviewed 2021 Building Codes in anticipation of adopting the 2024 Building Codes

• Started preparing a Request for Proposal to create a Unified Development Code which would compile all of the Town’s development regulations into one code

• Completed Phase 1 of the Green Ribbon project that included landscaping improvements within the medians along FM 423, beginning near Sunland Park Drive and ending at the northern Town limits near Logan Springs Drive

• Executed funding agreement with TxDOT for Phase 2 Green Ribbon Project that includes the installation of landscape plantings, irrigation, and other incidental improvements within the parkways along the roadways

• Installed new electronic message boards at key intersections in Town to push out information to the

ENSURING EXCELLENCE IN SERVICES

KEEPING UP WITH GROWTH

• Developed quarterly training plan for team members that focus on our core values

• Hosted various team member engagement events to show appreciation for our team

• Created Little Elm Code of Ethics to ensure that we are holding ourselves to the highest ethical standards while serving the community

• Began installation of digital signage in the employee breakrooms and public areas to share information

• Initiated recognition for team members that are veterans and who have graduating seniors

• Awarded five individual and five department awards based on our Core Values and overall philosophy of Servant Leadership

• Implemented a Remote Work Policy

• Reimagined our new hire orientation to include more participation opportunities for new team members

• Deployed a SMS Text notification system for employees to offer an additional channel of communication

• Completed and implemented a compensation study and established a market for comparison cities to keep us competitive

• The FD received the Silver Plus Award from the American Heart Association in August of 2022

• Designed and ordered two new fire engines.

• Placed a Mobile Command Vehicle in service and used the vehicle to assist with the management of several special events throughout the year

• The FD made significant progress with the construction of a training facility, allowing the firefighters more opportunities to perform hands-on fire and rescue training.

• Sent 12 Female Officers to Law Enforcement Women’s conference

• Enrolled one Sergeant in the Certified Public Manager’s Course

• One officer graduated from ILEA Police Supervisor.

• One Lieutenant graduated from the FBI National Academy

• Sent one Town employee to the Denton Regional Police Academy for certification.

• Seven officers earned Intermediate Peace Officer Certificate.

• Six officers earned Advanced Peace Officer Certificate.

• Three officers eared Master Peace Officer Certificate.

• FD members earned a total of 78 advanced certifications through the Texas Commission on Fire Protection

• Six firefighters obtained a paramedic certification and in the process of completing field training.

• The FD implemented a new training program management tool in March of 2022 and has logged over 16,000 training hours to date

• Increased the daily minimum Fire Department staffing level from 16 to 18 members The additional personnel were used to staff a squad and increase the service levels provided to the response areas around U S Hwy 380

• Researched and evaluated an alternative shift-based work schedule for the firefighters to be implemented in January 2023

• Promoted seven fire department members to the rank of Driver and four members to the rank of Captain

• Created internal GIS mapping applications for various departments providing for cross-departmental communication

• Created external GIS mapping applications for public users that increases transparency and access to information

• Executed funding agreements with Frisco and Denton County for King Road construction

• Completed project design for Woodrow Circle

PUBLIC WORKS

• Created a five-year pavement markings program, budget, bid, and contract to add efficiency to this process

• Created Public Works Progression Plan for staff development, education, retention, and succession planning to focus on our team members’ growth

• Provided 1900 hours of safety, equipment and industry training to Public Works staff

• Completed design of the Public Works Service Center Remodel and the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Laboratory Building

• Maintained Accreditation status with the American Public Works Association

• Maintained Superior Water status with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

STREETS, STORM & SOLID WASTE

• Completed the 2022 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) annual report for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

• Completed three drainage projects including McCord Park Trail erosion control and grading and Little Elm Park erosion and scour using 42 tons of rip rap Cleared cattails and re-established drainage to the lake at 11 outfalls on Morning Song Drive, Breeze Lane, Walker Lane, Waterside Drive, Aurora Mist Drive, Sunflower Drive, Bridgewater Drive, Hideaway Pointe Drive, Riviera Drive, Regina Drive, and Edgewater

• Cleaned 709 debris separators keeping 5,665 pounds of trash from entering the lake

• Collected 55,880 lbs or 27 94 tons of debris in 12 months of street sweeping; including post winter-storm sweeping services (salt & sand) and construction sweeping.

• Hauled a total 814 full roll-off dumpsters to the Denton Landfill from the Courtesy Drop Site (456) and sludge from the Waste Water Treatment Plant (358) for a total of 5,709 85 tons

• Held Bi-annual Clean & Green events, collecting 29,800 HHW, 12,525 lbs of electronic waste, 1001 tires, and 72 appliances

• Provided over 400 hours of online and in-person training including heavy equipment courses for the backhoe and skid-steer, Certified Winter Operations Supervisor, Prepping for Construction Stormwater Controls, Hazardous Spill Response, International Municipal Signal Association, Green Infrastructure, Certified Stormwater Inspectors, Asset Management, ADA training, E-Safety, and TEEX Leadership Training

• Performed maintenance/repairs on 3,004 vehicles/ equipment

• Staff gained two new Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certifications, eight Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) recertifications, two new Emergency Vehicle Technician (EVT) certifications, and one CDL permit. The Fleet Manager completed Public Fleet Advisors training and Completed NCTCOG Municipal Finance for NonFinance Executives’ Program

• Brought the Fuel Site up to date with a cloud-based Management system and up dated the SPP (Spill Prevention Plan).

UTILITIES

• Completed 28 water and wastewater reports including the annual Water Loss Survey, annual Water Conservation Report, monthly Discharge Monitoring Report, and monthly Water Quality Reports, and submitted them to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

• Completed more than 3000 quality tests for the influent and effluent at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP), and more than 1000 water quality tests throughout the Town’s water system

• Performed over 970 water samples to test the quality of the water in the system, and over 990 wastewater samples at the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).

• Completed an extensive repair to the odor scrubber at the wastewater treatment plant in the amount of $68,000

• Staff gained one new wastewater license and one new water license from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

• Completed annual Consumer Confidence Report and associated testing of the Town’s water system

• Completed condition assessment of two Clarifiers at the Wastewater Treatment Plant

• First Town employee to complete NASSCO Pipeline Assessment Certification Program.

• Completed 200+ hours of continuing education

• Completed assessment of the wastewater treatment plan clarifiers and dewatering systems.