I am pleased to present the Town’s third quarter financial and operational report. The report continues to highlight our organization’s results in a professional and engaging manner and is also accessible to our citizens on our website.

After a successful Council/Staff retreat in February that was appropriately reflective on our journey to this point, we continue to progress toward achieving the goals set forth in the Imagine Cary Community Plan. This requires a renewed and determined focus on understanding and establishing our priorities. Doing so ensures we are taking meaningful steps toward achieving our vision of creating the local government that doesn’t exist.

During our time together on May 10, we will focus on how we can use the budget as an important tool in building an organization that will be aligned with the needs of the future. This year’s budget is remarkable in that it marks the first time the Department Directors, as a group, have cohesively developed and co-created the budget recommendations. This  important milestone — a transition away from a department-centric mindset and instead toward a holistic responsibility for the sum of the parts — is impressive and will serve us well in the days ahead.

Three areas that are particularly noteworthy for progress this quarter are:

1. Our adaptive approach to stormwater, which includes a new modeling tool, a proactive maintenance program, and continued engagement with the Downtown Citizens Group has hit the ground running after the February retreat.

2. The implementation of Electronic Plan Review that improves efficiency and accessibility for our staff, citizens, and business partners.

3. A revamp of our employee intranet, C-Net, that provides critical 24/7 access for staff.

It is not lost on me how precious our time is together. Setting aside time every three months to play an active role in shaping the future of Cary is truly remarkable.

In Keeping Cary Great,

Sean R. Stegall
Town Manager