Bill Keffler says he will step down from leading the City of Richardson on May 31, 2012

(Richardson, TX) –City Manager Bill Keffler announced today he is retiring from the City of Richardson after a 35-year career with the City, 17 as City Manager. His last day will be May 31, 2012. The City Council will consider options for a successor at a future date.

Keffler announced his intention to retire during a specially-called meeting this afternoon in City Hall with City supervisors and others in leadership positions within the organization. During the meeting, he said, “I’ve had a tremendous experience serving here with the City of Richardson these past 35 years.  This is a phenomenal community. I have been blessed to have had the opportunity to raise my family here and to enjoy a life-long association with the many outstanding public servants that make up the City ofRichardson.” He went on to say, “Any success I have achieved as City Manager is directly attributed to the outstanding team of people that I have worked with over the years. From past to present city councils to every person who works for the City, this has been a tremendous life experience.”

Keffler spent his entire career in city management with the City ofRichardson. His service as City Manager began in 1995. Before then, he served as Deputy City Manager (1985-1995); Assistant City Manager (1981-1985); Assistant to the City Manager (1979-1981); and as an Administrative Assistant (1977-1979). His life in public service began after earning an undergraduate degree in government from the University of Notre Dame and a masters degree in public administration from Texas Tech University.

“Bill Keffler has become something of an institution in this community,” said Mayor Bob Townsend. “This is one of those days that you always knew would eventually come, and I am happy to see that Bill can leave at a time when our community is really doing well and has a lot going for it. Much of our success is thanks to his hard work and dedication, but we are fortunate that he has also had the foresight to put a very capable management team in place, which can help us as we transition to a new leader for the organization that makes up the City of Richardson.”

Throughout his tenure, Keffler has strongly promoted city-wide and regional partnering efforts; abiding commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency; support for municipal operations innovations; willingness to undertake new initiatives in the areas of urban planning, economic development and community revitalization; and strong focus on professional leadership and mentoring.

Through ongoing City Council initiatives, Richardson stands out amongst first-ring suburban communities for defying the trend of declining development. The City is globally renowned for its community-wide culture of high-tech innovation and its strong municipal government.

Exceptional Community and Regional Collaborations

During his service, Keffler has focused on building partnerships, both in the local community and across North Texas, to achieve critical goals that benefit Richardson and its neighbors. Because Richardsonspans two counties and two school districts, forging and maintaining strong relationships with those dual entities have been an important focus for Keffler. Similarly, he has worked closely with institutional partners such as Methodist Richardson Medical Center, UT Dallas and Richland College as they have grown and expanded their cutting-edge offerings, which have greatly contributed to a healthier community and a dynamic future workforce.

Keffler has encouraged strong links to Richardson’s neighborhoods by partnering with the City Council in holding monthly meetings with 62 homeowner and neighborhood associations. He has also developed a strong connection with the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, promoting the Richardson Economic Development Partnership to lead joint economic development efforts and the introduction of Richardson’s Telecom Corridor® brand, which has spread Richardson’s name worldwide as a leader in high-tech innovation.

His strong engagement with transportation entities such as Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has assisted in Richardson’s efforts to become the first Dallas suburb to get multiple (four) light rail stations plus bus service, and he has continued this partnership in working on transit oriented development (TOD) projects in Richardson. His work with the North Texas Tollway Authority and NCTCOG’s Regional Transportation Council (RTC) helped to advance the completion of the President George Bush Turnpike across Richardson’s northern boundary, spurring development in this very important corridor in the city.

Outstanding Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency

Under Keffler’s leadership, Richardson has created a climate of responsible budgeting and spending and a strong and stable tax base, which have enabled the City to earn the highest bond ratings possible – AAA and Aaa from Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s, respectively. The City has also placed a strong emphasis on fiscal transparency, earning the Texas Comptroller’s Gold level recognition, the highest level in the Comptroller’s Leadership Circle Awards.

Keffler also led Richardson’s fiscal management during multiple economic crises, including the tech bubble burst in 2000-2001 and the most recent economic downturn. Despite these challenges, under Keffler’s tenure, the City has never laid off an employee for budgetary reasons, and Richardson has become highly regarded for continuing its delivery of exemplary public services in the most efficient, innovative manner possible.

In response to the challenges of the 2000-2001 tech bubble burst, Richardson introduced an innovative early retirement incentive program that helped reduce payroll levels without compromising services or employee morale. Since then, Richardson has proactively embarked upon an economic development effort to diversify the mix of companies in the city while continuing to build the community’s reputation for technology innovation, a strong tech infrastructure and highly skilled workforce. As a result, Richardsonwas well-prepared for the economic downturn that began in 2008 and has demonstrated resiliency that differentiates it from most cities nationwide.

Support for Municipal Operations Innovations

Richardson is widely viewed as an innovator in municipal operations, a culture that has been encouraged throughout Keffler’s leadership. Richardson has focused less on code enforcement and more on proactive neighborhood engagement through its Community Services Department. As a result, Richardson’s neighborhoods and the City have an unusually strong connection, which led to the development of many innovative programs, including Richardson’s Home Improvement Incentive Program, which has spurred nearly $28 million in home improvements since its 2007 introduction.

Other examples of Richardson’s operations excellence under Keffler’s tenure include:

• The creation of the Richardson Corporate Challenge, the only multi-month corporate competition of its kind in Texas, which last year surpassed $1 million in accumulated donations to the Texas Special Olympics;

• Noteworthy green leadership, including a City commitment to environmentally friendly, LEED-certified development of all future municipal buildings and a “Tree the Town” program that was the largest municipal tree planting initiative in North Texas;

• Award-winning Library, Finance and Parks and Recreation Departments;

• Outstanding Police and Fire Departments, which have evolved active community support opportunities and citizen academies and have recently deployed an open-standards P25 radio communications system that saved the City approximately $5 million while providing first responders with state-of-the-art equipment.

Bold Urban Planning, Economic Development and Community Revitalization Initiatives

Richardson has long been at the forefront of urban planning and innovation through actions including:

• Partnering with the Urban Land Institute to identify future development priorities for Richardson, leading to the creation of Richardson’s first Tax Increment Financing (TIF) ordinance and award-winning TOD projects around DART Light Rail Stations;

• Development of the Eisemann Center for the Performing Arts and Galatyn Park Urban Plaza;

• Creation of Planned Development Districts near the Bush Turnpike Station last year using an innovative form-based code approach in lieu of traditional zoning.

In recognition of this planning and policy innovation, Richardson won Celebrating Leadership in Development Excellence Awards from NCTCOG in 2007, 2009 and 2011.

The City of Richardson also exhibited bold leadership when it took a $66-million bond program to voters in 2010 during the midst of a severe economic downturn, winning approval for a package that will revitalize city streets, add new or upgraded parks and recreation and public safety facilities, and support continued neighborhood vitality. Richardson is also in the midst of a major revitalization planning initiative focused on key corridors across the city.

Keffler’s leadership has also been evident in many noteworthy economic development successes that have contributed to Richardson’s strong and stable fiscal environment, including:

• Securing Texas Instruments’ state-of-the-art Richardson Semiconductor Fabrication Plant (RFAB), which required working in tandem with UT Dallas and the State of Texas;

• Attracting new headquarters or major operations of leading companies such as Cisco Systems; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas; Fossil Inc.; AT&T; Fujitsu Network Communications; Samsung Telecommunications America; Verizon; United Health Care; and Digital Realty Trust.

Strong Focus on Professional Leadership and Mentoring

Keffler has been active in leadership in the profession and community as well as in the mentoring of future public servants. He is the immediate past president of the Texas City Management Association and has been a long-time leader in the organization. Keffler is also a past president of the North Texas City Management Association; member of the International City/County Management Association; member of the North Texas Commission Board of Directors and Executive Committee; member of the Richardson Rotary Club; on the Executive Committee of the Richardson YMCA; member of the Methodist Richardson Medical Center Advisory Board; member of the Leadership Richardson Advisory Board; and member of several boards at the University of Texas at Dallas, including the Development Board, among many other professional and community leadership positions.

Notably, he has encouraged future generations of municipal leaders through his personal mentoring and support for internships within the operation of the City of Richardson and outside the City’s offices through his teaching in UT Dallas’ Graduate School of Economic, Political and Policy Science and service on both TCMA’s Clarence Ridley Scholarship Selection Committee and NCTCOG’s Urban Fellowship Program Committee. His mentoring has not only benefited his colleagues and the City, but also earned him recognition with the mentorship award from the Urban Management Assistants of North Texas.

“For 35 years I have been so fortunate to have been a part of the City of Richardson,” said Keffler. “This has been a second family to me. I have so much admiration for the significant time and energy that our City Council members have committed to the betterment of our community. It has been my honor to have worked for those City Councils, and to have been a co-worker with so many tremendous City employees who have made-up our City team over these years.”

 

 

Article and photo curtesy of The Richardson Chamber of Commerce and available here.