Budgeting for Strategic Outcomes
Fiscal Year 2022 Operating and Capital Budget
Strategic Goals: Strengthening Tampa’s Foundation
The City of Tampa’s mission is to deliver outstanding services to enhance the quality of life within our community.
Tampa is emerging from a year of challenges brought on by COVID-19 pandemic, extraordinary growth, impacts of a changing climate, and long-standing economic and social inequities.
From these unprecedented challenges, however, comes the opportunity to build upon our city’s assets to strengthen Tampa’s Foundation. Strengthening Tampa’s foundation requires the City to address the simmering challenges that affect Tampanians every day, like a lack of affordable housing, inadequate transportation, and income inequality – increasing opportunities for all city residents.
Strategic Core - Financial Opportunities and Responsibilities
The City will manage investing, fiscal analysis, budgeting, debt and asset management, and accounting and payroll functions and establish, maintain, and enforce fiscal policies, practices and procedures. The City will deliver financial services based on public sector best practices, encouraging improved services and processes, performance, and accountability.
Responsibly manage the City’s finances and resources. The City will maintain structural balance by keeping recurring expenses in-line with recurring revenues and maintain high credit ratings to ensure low borrowing costs. The City will also maintain strong reserves and fund balances for unforeseen needs and emergencies
Prepare for the City’s financial future. The City will periodically review and adjust rates, fees, and charges to reflect the cost of services and continue to promote excellence in budgeting and financial reporting. The City will develop and maintain long-range forecast models to measure the effectiveness of budgetary and financial decisions.
Collaborate with city agencies and external partners to finance major development projects and ensure a financially sustainable Tampa. The City will use tax increment funding to combat blight and to promote economic development and seek matching and “seed” funds to leverage grants and other assistance.
Invest in maintaining and sustaining the City infrastructure. The City will leverage investments in technology to move toward a more sustainable workforce that is safe and secure and prepare sound maintenance and replacement programs for City equipment and assets, including buildings and vehicles.
The City has identified five strategic goals that guide our actions and help meet current challenges while providing a path for long-term community prosperity, balanced around the core of resource stability:
- Strengthen Community Services
- Enhance Workforce Development
- Increase Housing Affordability
- Improve Infrastructure and Mobility
- Sustainability and Resilience
Strategic Goal 1 – Strengthening Community-Centric Services
Community-Centric Quality Services. The City improved delivery of quality services through interdepartmental collaboration and communication by hiring a Customer Experience Director. The City will implement a customer experience solution software to centralize communications for enhanced effective and efficient business processes that meets the citizen expectation.
The City continuously strives for the best quality of life for citizens and public safety is always at the forefront. The Tampa Police Department and Tampa Fire Rescue’s commitment to service and safety is time-honored, we are constantly improving effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.
The Tampa Police Department continues to improve the body worn camera program by securing funding for digital storage. TPD has also implemented the Community Policing Task Force, creating a space for local leaders, activists, and subject-matter experts to have important conversations about improving the Tampa Police Department and strengthening its relationship with the community. TPD also worked with the CRB and City Council to update the Citizen Review Board ordinance providing additional oversight and transparency. TPD developed the Mental Health Co-Responder Pilot Program, four clinicians will be paired with four officers to respond to crisis-related calls and improve the level of service.
The Tampa Fire Department continues to meet nationally accepted standards for fire and EMS services accredited by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. TFR focused on improving the level of service to citizens with expansion of awareness and educational opportunities for community outreach, and expanding cooperation with other governmental agencies to improve response and recovery effectiveness. TFR will receive additional staff for the first responder medical units and fire station design funds.
Enhance Inclusivity and Improve Community Trust. The City established a Citizen Services Center that provided a unified point of contact for all city services to help ensure inclusivity of all residents when optimizing the customer experience through the use of technology.
The Chief Diversity Officer will focus on; staff recruitment to ensure a pipeline of diverse applicants who can compete for employment opportunities, provide training opportunities to bring awareness to all city employees in order to serve as advocates and ambassadors for diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), and provide resources to encourage the compliance with DEI initiatives within the organization.
Connect City Hall to the Tampa Community. The City assigned a Neighborhood Coordinator to facilitate communication between the community and to ensure City employees are more accessible to the public.
Align DEI initiatives within the community by establishing and overseeing the Mayor’s Advisory Councils to ensure the ethnically diverse communities have a direct link into and a voice within City Hall. The City will also utilize arts and cultural affairs to incite creativity to share a culture of empathy, equity, and inclusion within the community, and working with community stakeholders to ensure underrepresented businesses are afforded with opportunities to compete on City contracts.
Strategic Goal 2 – Enhancing Workforce Development
Advance a Workforce Community Collaborative. The City established the Mayor’s Workforce Council. In partnership with CareerSource, the City developed a summer work program for youth. The City will work on a number of policy issues and pilot programs with the Mayor’s Workforce Council that will enable citizens to access tools to better engage, like hiring for potential, addressing the digital divide, and returning citizens.
Support & Enhance A Career Pathways Model. The City of Tampa worked with community partners to inform residents of career opportunities, training options, and community resources in Tampa’s high growth employment sectors. The City will fund new programs to support a career pathways model and opportunities for our citizens such as Signing Day and the Apprenticeship Program.
Align educational resources. The City aligned educational resources and developed an asset map or inventory of all workforce initiatives and opportunities known as TPA WRX. The City will obtain economic modeling software. This software is the workforce industry standard for supply and demand and enables us to enhance partnerships and grant opportunities.
Strategic Goal 3 – Increasing Housing Affordability
Work Together with Partners to add 10,000 units by 2027. With just under 1,000 units completed in 2020, the City continues to employ grant funding, tax credits, and the conveyance of City property for the creation of sustainable affordable housing units. With this year’s award of the Rome Yard RFP, the launch of the Mayor’s Infill Affordable Housing Initiative Phase II, and the acquisition of the former Army/Navy Store property in Downtown the planned affordable inventory is on the horizon for construction.
Community Land Trust. The City of Tampa supported the development of the Community Land Trust by retaining the Florida Housing Coalition to develop a plan specific to Tampa’s unique market. The Community Land Trust allows renters who are ready to transition into homeownership an alternative option just before traditional homeownership. The City of Tampa will continue to support the Community Land Trust with a founding grant.
Increase Opportunities for Generational Wealth. The City expanded the availability of services that help accelerate home ownership and build wealth. The City continues to provide rental assistance, credit and budget counseling to help renters and existing homeowners to achieve housing security and expand their housing options. The City will launch the Replacement Home Program and expand the owner / occupied rehab program to serve additional families beyond the grant specified income levels offering support to families within 80% to 140% area median income.
Expand the Continuum of Housing Solutions. The City worked with Hillsborough County and nonprofit partners to implement long-term solutions to homelessness, beginning with short-term shelters, rapid rehousing, and wraparound services as a pathway to permanent housing stability. The City will work to effectively engage the newly created Homeless Outreach Team to deliver services that are more widespread in partnership with Hillsborough County, Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, and nonprofit agencies to persons facing homelessness and provide resources to achieve more stable housing.
Strategic Goal 4 – Improving Infrastructure and Mobility
Tampa Mobility Opportunity Vision Equity Safety or MOVES Citywide Mobility Plan. The City substantially completed the MOVES plan and began to identify all new transportation projects over the next 25 years.
The City will begin to develop Mobility Plan priorities and project ideas over the next year using a grassroots process and our listen first approach. The City completed its first series of “listen first” virtual sessions. The City will develop an Open Streets program to host fun, engaging community focused events to encourage walking, biking and healthy, active living.
Create premium transit corridors. Along the major transportation spine of the City, connecting the Westshore District to Downtown, and connecting Downtown to the University Area/Innovation District.
Extension & modernization of the Tampa Streetcar: The City will conclude remaining Project Development and Engineering (PD&E) efforts. The City will continue to collaborate with HART on updating the Tri-Party governance documents that reflect the new modernized and extended system.
Implement PIPES. The City launched a Progressive Infrastructure Plan to Ensure Sustainability (PIPES) program. With PIPES, the City of Tampa is investing in Tampa's tomorrow by taking a proactive approach to renew our infrastructure, prevent breakdowns, and provide long-term, permanent fixes to our water and wastewater systems. In the PIPES Program there are 62 active water and wastewater projects in either the design or construction phase. This number is expected to remain stable in FY22 as active projects are completed and new projects are initiated.
Integrate the Existing Trail and Greenways. The City is in the process of integrating the existing trails and greenways system into the transportation network to provide safe and convenient alternatives to driving a car. The City will execute a $24 million federal BUILD grant agreement during FY22 and advertise the RFP for procurement of a design-build contract to complete final design and construction of the West River District Multi-Modal Network and Safety Improvements for an extension of 2.6 miles of multi-modal facilities and the Tampa Riverwalk, which would result in over 12 miles of contiguous trails connecting Gandy to Ybor City. During FY22, the City will complete construction of the phase 3 of the Green Spine Cycle Track connecting downtown to Ybor City and East Tampa. The City will also begin construction of the Floribraska Avenue Complete Streets Project, which will feature a separated cycle track.
Integrate Vision Zero into all projects and programs. The City joined the Vision Zero Network, an international alliance of cities focused on best practices and proven strategies to eliminate traffic deaths and continue deploying as many low-cost solutions as possible, as quickly as possible, including physical design treatments to reduce speed and improve safety outcomes, such as the Separated Bike Lane Pilot Program. Also, The City implemented high visibility projects that create awareness and improve safety such as Crosswalks to Classrooms (Art on the Block Street Murals).
The City will develop a formalized program that expands the city’s work to utilize low-cost traffic control devices that can be installed quickly to improve the operations, safety and mobility experience of residents throughout neighborhood streets and adjacent collector and arterial roadways. These include installing enhanced crosswalks with rectangular rapid flashing beacons, dynamic speed feedback signs, all-way stop control at intersections, painted curb extensions, flex posts and other signs and pavement marking treatment to reduce posted speeds on higher speed roadways. Additionally, this program will look to expand the existing bicycle and pedestrian network to create a well-connected network of low-stress streets.
Plan and Construct Complete Streets. During FY2021 the City completed construction of the 34th Street Safety Improvements and Himes Ave pedestrian that included three new single-lane roundabouts and began construction on several more complete street and safety improvement projects including 46th Street, Columbus Drive, Harbour Island Safety Improvements and Armenia Avenue at Busch Boulevard Intersection Improvements. The City will continue preparation of construction plans for the 30th Street and the El Prado Boulevard Complete Streets and Safety Improvements projects.
Strategic Goal 5 - Sustainability & Resilience
Promote Connected, Healthy, and Vibrant Neighborhoods through sustainability and resilience. The City is developing a climate equity plan that is focused on climate preparedness, energy efficiency, and environmental protection. The City will advance incremental recommendations from the Climate Action & Equity Plan that reduce climate hazards to the community. Support robust front-line community climate education and justice opportunities through robust partnerships.
Integrate Sustainability & Resiliency. The City has begun to train City of Tampa staff and implement internal policies that ensure decisions are made through the lens of sustainability and resilience and require mandatory orientation to City of Tampa S&R activities at onboarding. The City received the LEED for Cities certification and LEED for Convention Center and seek additional opportunities with other city-owned facilities. The City will continue the transition of municipal fleet through strategic purchases through electric vehicles and champion renewable and clean energy through development of solar at new and existing municipal facilities.
Increase the Coordination and Collaboration. The City has increased the coordination and collaboration between regional partners that have shared sustainability and resilience goals. The City completed robust community engagement, data collection, and expert consultation to inform Resilient Tampa. The City launched Resilient Tampa, a roadmap of 58 initiatives that address major shocks and stresses to the community. The City will strategically address several of the 58 initiatives ad support short-term priorities identified by the Resilient Tampa roadmap.