Ar1 All-America City January 2, 2018 Dear Mayor and Commissioners, I first would like to thank you for your leadership and support during my time as City Manager. Over the last three decades, I have had the privilege of serving the citizens of Tallahassee as the Auditor, Assistant City Manager, and City Manager. Each position came with its set of challenges and rewards. When my family moved here in 1988, we had no ties to Tallahassee. It was just my wife, my two daughters and me. Since then we have made so many friends and our Tallahassee roots now grow deep . As you know, I love my colleagues and consider them a part of my family. Some of my fondest memories were made playing on the City's softball team. There have been many challenges over the years, but my colleagues have always been there to make sure we accomplish our goals. When you appointed me as City Manager, you told me that the budget process and the City's financial stability had to be improved . We were facing rising operating costs and flat revenue growth. We worked hard to improve the transparency of the budget process and to manage operating expenses while increasing the number of police officers and adding investment in critical infrastructure. In order to accomplish these goals, we eliminated ten senior management positions and right-sized the entire organization. This was a difficult task, but it was necessary to insure the continued success of the City. As you know, this accomplishment took dedication and commitment from all staff, and it is something I am extremely proud of. Recently, we were challenged by Hurricanes Hermine and Irma. During these trying times, we saw the best of City employees. It was not just our outstanding Police and Electric workers, but staff from every department worked together to make sure our city was back to normal as soon as possible. Employees worked to make sure our neighbors were safe. The Community Beautification and Waste Management department in partnership with the Underground Utility department worked tirelessly for two weeks straight to make sure our roads were clear and all the debris was cleaned up. The community demonstrated its teamwork and resilience, and we were back to normal before we knew it. The work, however, didn't end there. After restoring Tallahassee, our electric and underground crews traveled throughout Florida helping other communities get back to normal. Still today, our electric crews are assisting in the Virgin Islands. We should all be proud of these dedicated men and women. ( ITY liM I ~l j) 'HlUt h ,\d•om ANOR[W fl ~I IC<' I I AII.>h 'C.C{lf l HD()O\ ( .(,J11fl th"filjncr IAI\.! 1'> 0 CO< kl' 1\ RI ~ . I RIJ(1 rrR N·I '"tiJ ilt' r it) Trr.>'"'" · C"Irrk RTIS RIO !AROSON Clll11mts,lnno:r T BERT FLETCIIER C il } Au