the City of New Braunfels, TX

Building In-House Applications to Improve City Services

Taking on Application Development internally was scary.  We didn’t have job titles, and we didn’t have positions.  The need to develop applications in-house was easy to see.  The hard part was deciding to tackle the issue. 

We couldn’t keep doing what we were doing.  Our customers needed solutions and better ways of doing things.  We had so many ‘forms’ to collect info from citizens that really just became emails.  There was no tracking, reporting or single place to know what was being asked of us. 

As most businesses do, we had spreadsheets for just about everything.  Developing applications to meet the specific needs of a process is time-consuming.  But the time comes back to you in efficiency.  Citizens and partners appreciate easier processes that are available 24/7 and provide automation along the way. 

We have created some very simple applications, and we have created many more advanced ones.  We still have more to go.  We are behind my original schedule because, as we rolled out new custom applications, team members would come back and ask us to develop another application for a completely different process. 

We have become a victim of our own success.  It’s a great problem to have in many ways.  We have applications for resident parking permits, river recreation management, smoke detector programs, budget development, customer surveys, park rentals and contracts, internal HR forms, training requests, performance reviews, etc. 

Applying Lessons from Large-City and Small-City Government

The differences between the large organization, that is the City of Dallas, and an organization the size of New Braunfels are hard to put into words.  Things just take longer in Dallas.  I just didn’t have the patience for the slow-moving machine of bureaucracy. 

New Braunfels feels nimble by comparison.  When we see a challenge, we can quickly assemble the team to address it.  Their recommendations can be implemented much more quickly in a smaller environment.  The issues aren’t less complicated; they just don’t have the same scale. 

I enjoy solving problems and doing new things, so this environment just fits me better.  I am glad I experienced Dallas at the stage of my career that I did.  While I can’t say I loved it, I did make some incredible friendships that last to this day.

It’s been valuable to me as my career progressed because I use the lessons learned to avoid the types of pitfalls that hamper the bigger cities.  When we over-complicate something or just give in to institutional inertia, I am quick to see it and help make the course correction.

Prioritizing Technology around Community Needs

My wife is a teacher, and a motto she has used in several positions is simple, yet powerful. ‘Do what is best for kids.’

“We have become a victim of our own success. It’s a great problem to have in many ways.”

I apply the same philosophy to technology needs.  What is best for the city?  That can mean the actual employee organization, or it can mean the larger embodiment of the city, including its citizens, visitors, business partners, etc.  If we can answer the question, we can then determine what initiatives to move forward. The list is long, and we don’t have enough money, staff and time.  The great thing is, there is always more work to be done.

Using Experience to Build Better Technology Solutions

I have been blessed to have some of the best bosses, mentors, friends and teammates.  The different approaches, sizes of organizations, missions of those organizations and the varied focuses all left an impression on me. 

There is no better teacher than being asked to do something you just don’t believe in.  The successes are great, but those challenging situations help you understand what to avoid, how important it is to actually love what you do and how much you need to value people.  You learn quickly, when you change environments often, how many approaches are out there to tackle an issue.  You learn to find your own method or voice so you can be your best. 

Your team members deserve the very best every day.  They count on you and your experience to help them avoid the same mistakes and pitfalls. 

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is to invest the time to actually engage and listen to your customers. Spending time with them and identifying their needs puts a unique perspective on the challenges your customers face.  That’s when you can deliver the best solutions. 

Leading Through Teamwork and Public Service

The most rewarding part of my current position is the teamwork exhibited up and down this organization.  I could spend pages upon pages giving examples of the incredible teamwork within the IT Department. I could do the same for our Executive Leadership Team.  We have a slogan in our email signatures of every team member that says, ‘One City, One Team’. 

What I love is seeing this played out over and over again by all levels of our organization.  Municipal Government has been placed under the microscope for the last five to six years, more so than at any point in my career.  It’s made a tough job even tougher, in many ways.  But this Team laces up their boots every day and doesn’t shy away from the work.  We work together every day on a multitude of projects, with limited funding, state and federal obstacles, intense scrutiny from social media, etc. 

My advice to those considering this line of work is to do it. It’s incredibly rewarding.  Having an opportunity to make citizens' lives better, no matter the task and the difficulty, is something you just don’t get on a daily basis in the private sector. 

I left Local Government for a couple of years in the middle of my career, and I missed it greatly.  We have all heard that the ‘why’ of what you do is incredibly important.  You feel it every day in local government, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this team and make a difference in our community.