FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report FY 2013 Popular Annual Financial Report | Page 16

Strategic
Support

S

trategic Support departments
keep residents informed, get
the word out about Arlington’s
unique identity and provide beneficial
funding through the City’s foundation.
Other support departments serve the
valuable role of helping residents solve
problems and improve quality of life
while also ensuring that municipal
employees receive their pay and
benefits along with technology needed
to do the jobs that keep the City
running smoothly for residents.
Information Technology
The Information Technology (IT)
Department completed major projects
in FY 2013 that improved safety,
efficiency and communications for City
employees and for the public at large.
A security assessment of the City’s
data systems was conducted to ensure
that sensitive information used to aid
residents, like credit card transactions,
is protected at the highest level.
The department also developed
an online grant application to create
requests for proposals for Housing
and Urban Development (HUD)
community development block
grant (CDBG) applications via the
City website, significantly reducing
the cost for applicants as well as the
administrative cost for the City.
IT also worked with the Municipal
Court on automated video signage
to present court-related information
to customers electronically. The
department also replaced 110
aging traffic signal switches in the
Entertainment District.

16

Spreading the Word
The Office of Communication
branched out new ways in 2013,
connecting with residents through
growing social media efforts and its
news site, MyArlingtonTX.com.

The website was a platform to post
news and maps about major Union
Pacific Railway railroad crossing
closures that impacted several hightraffic areas throughout the City. It also
kept residents informed about local
events and festivals on the weekends.
The site highlights Arlington’s
growing use of video that this year
included online presentations of
the State of the City address and
the budget. A City-produced video
showcasing a new Six Flags Over
Texas SkyScreamer ride was posted
to the City’s YouTube site and went
viral internationally. New video efforts
include “Pet of the Week,” “Culture
Buzz” and “Student Athlete of the
Month.”
The City’s social media numbers
continued to climb with doubledigit growth and high rates of user
engagement. Arlington’s Facebook page
featured the largest number of “Likes”
of any area community, outpacing
both Dallas and Fort Worth. The City’s
Twitter following also expanded with
Parks and Recreation experiencing
58% growth in three months.
Arlington Tomorrow Foundation
Another important ally in helping
the community is the Arlington
Tomorrow Foundation. Created
by the City Council in 2006, the
program receives its funds from gas
drilling activities on City-owned
property. The foundation serves
residents by distributing an average
of $1.5 million each year to a variety
of charities and City departments in
the following categories: people and
neighborhoods, nature and animals,
and lifestyle, leisure and culture. The
average grant is around $31,000. To
date, the foundation has contributed
nearly $9 million dollars to 290 projects
throughout Arlington.