Our Why
We believe in improving the human condition. We afford all citizens and guests a higher quality of life by providing the infrastructure and services that lead to a safer, happier, healthier, and more economically vibrant environment where people can succeed.
Team Athens Agenda
Strengthen Internal Culture
Make Athens the best place to work, where the best people want to work. All employees are ambassadors for the city and are expected to set the example in civil behavior and customer service. Create an internal culture that nurtures and strengthens our team members’ capabilities. Family first; we must take care of our people.
Reinvent human resources.
Revamp antiquated policies and practices.
Build a brand that tells the great story of public service.
Focus on talent management, leadership development, and succession planning. Create a culture that values and engages employees in meaningful ways. Leverage technology, data, and automation to improve operations and provide employees with the tools they need to be highly productive and successful.
Become a Quality of Life Community
Create a community where our best and brightest want to stay or return to raise a family. Enhance and establish lifestyle amenities that are attractive and useful for people of all ages and abilities. Think long-term.
Intergovernmental Roundtable
Regular (in)formal visits with all other entities to co-opt relationships. County, nearby cities, regional, and state authorities; maintain good working relationships to take best advantage of what each can offer in advancing the goals of our citizens.
Business Forward Thinking
Develop retail and commercial recruitment program.
Meet with existing businesses to determine best ways to help them grow. Create a business atmosphere that nurtures entrepreneurship. Emphasize sharing resources to create efficiencies in service delivery and resource allocation.
Strengthen the bottom line to aid in the creation of prosperity.
Revamp antiquated policies and practices throughout the organization. Working with private, state, and regional partners, develop a retail and commercial toolbox of analytical, developmental, and financial tools to aid in economic expansion.
Town and Gown
Strengthen bonds between higher education institutions (TWU, CSCC, TCAT) and city. TWU campus/downtown development as a partnership for economic revitalization.
Education
Attend to the needs of primary education students and their families. Develop a facilities improvement plan that meets the future and long-term needs of the community.
Work to educate customers of processes and how they can play a role in bettering the community.
Service Delivery
First class service start to finish, do more than is expected always.
Be polite, be helpful. We exist to serve. Maintain current facilities to be the example of property maintenance in the community.
Community service driven, solution-oriented approach.
Funding
Find and utilize all possible efficiencies, focus on technology.
Pay debts, only borrow when necessary and when we have the capacity. Do no harm to service delivery or internal culture.
Increase revenues by finding alternate sources, growing property values, and actively aiding in business growth and recruitment. Use grants to match or increase funding of meaningful projects. Watch for changes in revenue streams, such as hall income, state-shared, fuel.
Housing
Work with developers to rehabilitate, redevelop, or build new quality housing to meet the 21st century needs of families.
Utilize zoning and building codes to create a stronger housing market.
Infrastructure
Plan for appropriate maintenance and improvement of current infrastructure. Seek betterments for traffic alleviation and intermodal transportation methods. Use natural flora to create a pleasant landscape for citizens and visitors.
