By the time this is published, the City will have received the Malcolm Baldrige site visit, bringing us one step closer to winning this prestigious award. This is the second consecutive year that the Baldrige National Quality Program has honored the City of Coral Springs with a site visit, which in itself indicates an organization is a high performing one. Last year was the first time non-profit organizations and governments were allowed to submit applications. Coral Springs was one of only two governmental entities to receive a site visit.
As a pilot project, no awards were given last year, but the City is eligible to win the award this year. The business community has made this site visit a reality by underwriting the full cost. I want to take this opportunity to thank them because this site visit helps us sharpen our skills in customer service, process management and data analysis.
If you have been around the City for at least a few years, you are very familiar with the regular accolades we receive. We have also won another award for excellence in Financial reporting and I want to congratulate David Russek and his team for another outstanding job! We have also recently applied to be designated one of the Playful Cities in the USA and I am hoping that our Commission will receive that honor in New Orleans at the National League of Cities’ Conference in New Orleans this month for our commitment to our children and children at heart!
We will never rest on our laurels as we are always striving to improve and make things better. We are continuing to be more business-friendly and I am hoping that more and more of you are finding the permitting process to be educational and more interested in helping you get to yes than denying your permits on technicalities that have nothing to do with safety. I know that we have made many strides in this area over the last year or so and I appreciate everyone’s cooperative efforts.
On another note, staff is always looking for other ways to reach the community and, as a result, we have developed the new CityRadio 1670 AM. This station delivers information about City services, upcoming events, weather updates, and emergency bulletins when necessary.
The Broward County Property Appraiser’s Office will also be available at the Northwest Regional Library to answer any questions relating to the proposed tax bills and the new property tax laws on Wednesday, November 14 from 3 to 5 PM. Special homeowner sign-up for Homestead, Senior and other property tax exemptions will also be available. Qualified residents 65 years of age or older as of January 1, 2007 may also apply for the additional Senior Exemption. Eligible seniors must have a total household income not to exceed $24,214 per year. For further information, please contact Kelly Brown at 954-357-6035.
The City’s free Family Concert Series will feature Final Countdown, an 80s rock band, on Saturday, November 3 at 7 PM. The concerts will take place at Betti Stradling Park, 10301 Wiles Road, located at the northeast corner of Wiles Road and Coral Springs Drive. Parking and admission is free. Blankets, lawn chairs and coolers are welcome, and refreshments will be available for purchase during the concerts. Please refrain from bringing glass containers, alcohol and pets. For more information, call 954-345-2200 or visit the City Calendar at coralsprings.org for upcoming concerts.
As always, please visit www.coralsprings.org for City news and visit our Event Calendar to view the Commission’s scheduled office hours. Feel free to email me at sbrook@coralsprings.org if there is anything I can help you with.