It is imperative for the city to focus on strong financial management. With shrewd utilization, we can ensure that every dollar collected goes as far as possible toward the city’s responsibilities to the public. Efficient spending allows tax dollars collected to remain as low as possible. More money stays in your pocket without a decrease in the quality of services provided.

• Maintaining Sheboygan’s AA2 Credit Rating – Essentially the city’s credit score, the AA2 rating is the highest score possible for a community of our size and economic demographics. The high score keeps interest rates on borrowing low which also provides the opportunity to refinance existing debt at more favorable rates.
• Effective Utilization of Existing Fund Balances – By supplementing appropriated dollars with monies from fund balances, we have been able to accomplish more with less tax levy and borrowing.
• Unique Utilization of TIF Funds to Address Housing – One-year extensions to multiple, closing TIF districts were approved in 2022 in order to build balances that could be transferred to the Affordable Housing Fund. This allows the Council to take action supporting expanded affordable housing in the city without passing the costs on to taxpayers.
• New Efficiencies – Much credit has to go to the Finance department and City Administrator’s office for the quantity of cost-saving opportunities identified and taken advantage of over the last few years. These include items such as the fleet management program the city entered into for vehicle acquisitions and lifecycles.

All modern organizations must take cybersecurity seriously. New technologies stand to improve convenience and efficiency for processes across the entire organization by providing modern tools designed for the jobs at hand. Though the upfront cost is usually notable, the returns still greatly outweigh them when technology is implemented judiciously. I have been happy to see the city’s commitment to embracing technology over the past five years.

• Neighborly Software – Implementing Neighborly greatly improves the city's loan programs by providing a single interface for citizens and city staff for each step of the process. This gives residents the ability to view real-time information about their applications and loans for the first time and empowers staff to service the loans and respond to applications quicker.
• Modern Cybersecurity with Darktrace – Per IBM, the average cost of a data breach in the US is $9.44M. Proactive protection keeps public funds secure and prevents the other, unquantifiable impacts from breaches of sensitive information. In 2021, the city purchased a product from Darktrace Holdings Limited to integrate into its cybersecurity system. Darktrace is known for its industry-leading use of AI in the systems it builds to secure networks and data.
• Rolling Out Online Payments – The option to make various payments online provides residents with a more convenient way to interact with the city. Significant progress has been made in implementing digital payment solutions through different departments and processes over the last few years.
• Tyler Munis Module Rollouts and Upgrades – The IT department has been working tirelessly, with the full support of city leadership, to transition users to Munis modules that replace functionality on the far less efficient AS400 legacy system programs that have been in place for decades.

The City of Sheboygan, as an entity, is an organization similar to a midsize business. As such, it too has to make considerations regarding internal operations. Efficacious internal operations allow the city to provide high-quality services and ensure public dollars are spent efficiently. The following considerations have been my top priorities:

• Employer of Choice – The strength of any organization is the people that comprise it. The City has countless committed civil servants that care about our community. By attracting strong candidates and creating a high-retention environment, the city can be sure that resident services will remain as customer-focused and effective as citizens rightfully deserve.
• Processes and Controls – Anybody who has been assigned a project with vague, open-ended requirements knows the importance of clearly-defined processes. Equally important are the internal controls that ensure accurate and reliable information is generated in a timely manner. These prevent incidental non-compliance and provide the information that decision-makers rely on when guiding the organization.
• Succession Planning – Creating and implementing proper succession plans is an in-progress effort within the city. Planning helps avoid issues created when a long-time civil servant moves on from his or her role.