Councilman Tennell Atkins Major Accomplishments by Key Focus Areas in District 8

Councilman Tennell Atkins
Major Accomplishments by Key Focus Areas
District 8

Greetings:

We have many positive things to be thankful for in District 8: our driving economic forces - the Inland Port and Dallas Executive Airport; two colleges - the University of North Texas at Dallas and Paul Quinn College; new Police and Fire Stations; redevelopment projects and ample land waiting for future development.

Still, District 8 has its challenges. Often times, these challenges are interconnected. A lack of jobs means lower neighborhood income, which limits the type of available housing. And schools often don’t have the neighborhood resource base to support enrichment activities.

Despite these challenges, there is good news. The solutions are right in our backyards. For instance, the University of North Texas at Dallas is now offering a degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. These degrees can be put to work right here in District 8 in one of the many logistics jobs through the Inland Port. Who better to work here than those who already live here. University and community leaders want to ensure that area residents have learning opportunities to better qualify them for those jobs. Starting salaries of logistics professionals are believed to be more than $48,000.

And that’s just the beginning. As the Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Southern Sector Economic Opportunities and Vice-Chair of the Economic Development Committee I am working hard to bring more development to our community. We must do everything possible to grow our tax base.

Several years ago, the Council and City management realigned our organizational structure to reflect and support Key Focus Areas. Those Key Focus Areas include: Public Safety; Economic Vibrancy; Clean; Healthy Environment; Culture, Arts and Recreation; Education and E3 Government (an efficient, effective, economical government).

So what does that mean? It means we have reorganized our annual budget to show how the City’s resources are allocated to each area, and we’ve been using a customer service strategy that directs our daily interaction with those who live, work and play in our great city. We have also taken another important step by aligning our budgeting practices with our strategic planning process to ensure we effectively spend taxpayer dollars.

On the following pages you will see our progress outlined by Key Focus Areas – specific to District 8. The list is long, detailed and the accomplishments are impressive. Together, we have made great progress.

It’s an honor to represent you and to work for what’s important: greater economic development, safer and cleaner neighborhoods, more affordable housing, new retail opportunities and vibrant schools – all of which are vital to building a sense of community.

Best regards,

Tennell Atkins



MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS BY KEY FOCUS AREAS
DISTRICT 8



TABLE OF CONTENTS


Public Safety page 1

Economic Vibrancy page 6

Clean Healthy Environment page 10

Culture, Arts & Recreation page 13

E3 Government page 16

Educational Enhancements page 16

Siren Locations in District 8 page 18

Dallas Water Utilities page 19

Click on link below to read or print out the complete report.

Major Accomplishments by KFA D8.doc