[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6671279,"mediaKeyId","2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d","parentId",2171382,"title","Boerne staff outline budget kickoff, 0‑based approach and strategy map alignment","audioSeconds",468,"startMs",7818000,"endMs",8286000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d&start=7818&end=8286","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d/thumbnail_7818000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6671279/Texas/Boerne-staff-outline-budget-kickoff-0based-approach-and-strategy-map-alignment","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671279-c78b22589b8909e993b2a7abeb9e3e93/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146723&Signature=N96RH~meeC3UOXPKHNr2Pb40K7y8m~Oa6qycE1GnJ06kex~iiaXWxU8-V0V6OL23y-MrEKfXAkEpgMUm9OCSlGGIp2w-vFgSdkKcmFXwvmgwg6RERbtjHsouLmP85lfFoEGwA9SUw74xoR~uEnm0wPNH2tAzhmO57WBYDFurTBqP2pU1N3wqT0EDwyytuZTaeUh0BDnMfWlDnE41sgi7EU7q2FKbVBFvec5s~rJXScXFbme1FnZXO9hrRSOLMvoOaNgR0a5Np4n5TEAIIxLug2aZYZnLOCw64HnyUaxdnv1hPT~OxqGXCa0oHrpvkuP9QRzOHeo41egswN3uSOVp8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boerne","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","Director Buckley (staff presenter on budget process) and other staff briefed the Boerne City Council at the Jan. 30 workshop on the upcoming fiscal-year budget calendar and a strategic approach that links department work plans to a citywide strategy map.

Staff said the budget process emphasizes alignment with the city’s mission and strategic priorities, structural balance and transparent capital planning. “Our budget process really is grounded in these four philosophies here,” the presenter said, describing a 0‑based approach that requires recurring expenses to be justified, prevents routine carry‑forwards of one‑time spending, and ranks new requests through a prioritization process.

Staff outlined a proposed calendar with departmental kickoffs, targeted workshops on utilities and capital infrastructure, and a final budget adoption date in September. The administration told council it would welcome additional sub‑meetings or touchpoints and asked members to flag priorities (for example, water infrastructure or “purple pipe” planning) for staff to consider early in the department budget development process.

Speakers emphasized the city’s conservative financial posture, noting recent use of surpluses to cash‑fund capital projects and maintain manageable debt levels. The presenters also pointed the council to the city’s recent budget awards as evidence of the administration’s transparency and planning standards.

Council discussion touched on scheduling additional council touchpoints and the potential for bond proposals tied to mobility and infrastructure priorities identified in the community survey. Staff said the community survey will feed the budget and CIP process and that they intend to return with more detailed CIP materials and any funding proposals later in the calendar.

No formal budget decisions were taken at the workshop; staff asked council members to submit any strategic priorities they want to see emphasized in department briefings ahead of the formal departmental submittal deadline in April–May.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boerne - City Council on 2025-01-30 6:00 PM - Jan 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","City staff presented the 2025 budget calendar and described a 0‑based budgeting approach tied to the administration’s strategy map. The presentation emphasized fiscal conservatism, capital planning aligned with master plans, and opportunities for additional council touchpoints ahead of formal adoption.","taxTitle","Boerne, Kendall County, Texas","taxId",63804,"location","Texas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6671285,"Boerne citizen survey shows high satisfaction; mobility and growth top concerns",2314,1955000,4269000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d&start=1955&end=4269","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d/thumbnail_1955000.jpg","/articles/6671285/Texas/Boerne-citizen-survey-shows-high-satisfaction-mobility-and-growth-top-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671285-e86959f5d181f04a209f5761f0e144b7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146723&Signature=a3g0-XYPuF01zRm9kIPWF2zjtPRwaijYbCXzdhnvs7BFGsgxVLG0EdU5d~9XfSd5s8nrfeVRIj-N9sbskEGyKWzkzWfR~IyzkK6kLM7Ngo2sqvb7w-Pt92CwLAYMv~1kD8Lgw6yG0X0t5Q5cT7yBW5XDHro-FKuvsPuJBdCqWGzVsogxedD-iwRsTZh-~lgKsTgKK-MyKzMVVuvWNBU8txwzgV8uBFyZle34PFDh-Vb3OVp~Zm6yYzU4xcyTDomZ5VVYvjNpeH8cHJ~wWpcWjar4YBT2HWSGygtKgdufUlGBEcXQCbplqUOWeLeQcJ0JYvFlNIBcgkbDFfIPrVmtcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff told the Boerne City Council at a Jan. 30 workshop that an interactive community survey of nearly 1,600 participants produced generally positive scores for quality of life and resident satisfaction but identified mobility, growth management and some park amenities as the highest-priority concerns.

Ben Batch and Christie (staff presenters) described the survey as the city’s third community survey and said 1,600 people participated; staff noted 408 respondents were nonresidents. “We wanted to embrace all the feedback we could,” Christie said, describing filters in the interactive dashboard by district and demographic groups.

The city’s “refer-a-friend” net promoter score was 59 overall; staff reported county/nonresident scores slightly higher (63) and city resident scores at 57. Officials noted younger and newer residents tended to give higher referral scores than longer-term residents.

Survey modules asked respondents to select the amenities most important to them and then rate satisfaction. Staff emphasized that some high-dissatisfaction items corresponded to amenities not widely chosen as priorities; for example, the public pool had the highest dissatisfaction (63%) but only about 12–13% of respondents identified it as a top-priority amenity.

Mobility and infrastructure repeatedly emerged as top concerns. Traffic enforcement dissatisfaction fell from 67% in a prior survey to 48% in the current survey, and pedestrian-safety dissatisfaction dropped from 55% to 44%. Still, traffic congestion and intersection safety were commonly cited in open-ended mobility comments; staff said roughly 43% of respondents left an open-ended mobility suggestion and the consultant grouped those into categories for council review.

Growth and land-use issues ranked highest in importance: “managing growth and density” was the top priority in that module, and dissatisfaction remained relatively steady, council members noted. Staff flagged preservation, code-review interest and a desire for varied housing types in open responses, but said only a minority listed some housing options as a top priority.

Christie and Ben told the council the survey provides a “top 20” roadmap staff will use to set priorities and identify items that might qualify for future bond proposals. They also recommended follow-up “dig-down” surveys for topics the community wants more detail on—for example, detailed park-amenity designs or focused mobility questions.

Council members and staff discussed using the survey results in budget and CIP planning and exploring partnerships with the county for shared facilities and parking. Staff said they will make district-level comment pages available to council members and will share the interactive dashboard and open-ended responses for further review.

No formal policy actions were taken at the workshop; staff said the survey will help prioritize capital and operating requests in the next budget cycle and inform potential bond discussions.","City staff presented results of a community survey with nearly 1,600 responses showing strong overall satisfaction and a 59 net promoter score, but persistent dissatisfaction on mobility, traffic enforcement and certain amenities. Staff said the results will provide a roadmap for budget, CIP and bonds.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6671289,"Boerne staff engagement rises; city cites training, recognition programs",1585,333000,1918000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d&start=333&end=1918","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171382-359f39ca5721de92e7b594ae8e11e11d/thumbnail_333000.jpg","/articles/6671289/Texas/Boerne-staff-engagement-rises-city-cites-training-recognition-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6671289-0815878fb819853d0567e211ee1bad70/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146723&Signature=AGBjL~CVz9TFauPWOvbJkJrbJj~vEVlLUzlq43e3b0OVuSBozhm3gh7Mkh6B2tC~yanE1S~tZPf3kEFjIh9rfTD0eg5vCh4d7VqR7MEUZfSJIMD2VATO9MAANEE2EJQ7~dQiK~2acnuPBwoXkSUBqmvOFmIXrhhJkjFrJJGqtAinOhRrEkdrhUA14b5FPr04U2AX-DsZ8DI1OCUCapbqkuevcLevkz4Fkyz~shKT~14VOW0ALMaWWyio3XDjMMaxStMrHil4B3sUay0mAnyN9H-A1-Rv3XPQ5-ux3c2hJDDAx1ZQUpFBjpALCfith7XDWqOxe2RBMs2Gh8yGURU0Rw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mary Kelso, a city staff presenter, told the Boerne City Council at a Jan. 30 workshop that the city’s third Gallup Q12 employee engagement survey shows steady gains since 2020 and that the results will help shape budgeting and staffing choices.

The survey had 249 respondents from a workforce of about 300, Kelso said: “Our initial mean was 372 … in 2022 went to 394, and this year, up to 401.” She reported 49% of respondents are “engaged,” 41% are “not engaged” and 10% are “actively disengaged.” Kelso added the engagement ratio is now about 4.9 engaged employees for every actively disengaged employee.

The numbers matter because, city staff told the council, higher engagement drives productivity, retention and service delivery. “High employee engagement is what drives innovation in an organization,” Kelso said, describing the Gallup Q12 framework (basic needs, individual, teamwork and growth) the city uses to measure engagement.

City presenters linked several programs to the gains: a monthly tenure breakfast for employees who started in January, quarterly “lunch-and-learn” training sessions run by Human Resources, a tuition reimbursement program funded with council approval, and a new 10-month Leadership Excellence and Development (LEAD) program for future leaders. Kelso said the tuition reimbursement program has led some employees to finish bachelor’s and master’s degrees and that the LEAD program began with 13 employees drawn from across departments.

Council members and staff pressed for detail about how the city reduced the proportion of “actively disengaged” employees from 20% in 2020 to 10% in the current survey. Danny (staff member), answering a question from council, said the decline is the result of several factors, including clearer performance expectations, more frequent feedback, and accountability systems aligned to the city’s strategic management system. “I think it’s a combination of a couple of things,” Danny said, noting that some movement came from employee development while other reductions reflected turnover.

Kelso and other staff described departmental “whack-a-mole” work to prioritize low-scoring areas, and they acknowledged some items still need attention—teamwork questions such as whether “my opinion seems to count” showed little change. Kelso recommended supervisors and mid-level managers remain a focus between survey cycles because they have the most day-to-day contact with rank-and-file employees.

No formal policy or personnel actions were taken at the workshop. Staff said the engagement results will be used to refine department budgets and training investments in the coming budget process.

For follow-up, Kelso asked council to continue emphasizing recognition and development opportunities and to expect requests tied to the next budget cycle. She said employees’ development and recognition efforts would be carried forward into department work plans linked to the city’s strategic map.","City staff presented findings from the latest Gallup Q12 employee engagement survey showing steady improvement since 2020, increases in recognition and development scores, and a decline in actively disengaged employees. City leaders said the results will inform budget and staffing decisions.","actionData","errors"]

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Boerne staff outline budget kickoff, 0‑based approach and strategy map alignment

Boerne citizen survey shows high satisfaction; mobility and growth top concerns

Boerne staff engagement rises; city cites training, recognition programs