GOVERNANCE

The Town of Lewisville incorporated in 1991 with a council-manager form of government. The town is governed by a mayor and six council members who oversee the management of the town. (See Town of Lewisville Organization Chart and Board and Committee Chart.)

In order to be more actively involved in town planning, the Lewisville Planning Board was established in 1994 and the Zoning Board of Adjustment in 1995. The establishment of these boards gives citizens more direct input into the oversight, control and guidance of future growth and development of the town. The Planning Board has increased in size from five members to seven as the town has expanded its boundaries. The town hired a full time planner in 2004.

Lewisville currently contracts most of the services it provides its residents, such as traffic engineering, road maintenance, sanitation, recycling, police and emergency management, social and housing services, and some planning services. This plan recommends that the town continually evaluate its service contracts in order to continue to provide cost-effective services. The town must also evaluate the cost of service provision in light of the desire of residents to maintain the lowest possible tax rate.

The town’s charter limits expansion to the east and south without the approval of the City of Winston-Salem and the Village of Clemmons, respectively. In 2003, a 20-year annexation agreement with the City of Winston-Salem was reached. (See Map 3 Annexation Agreement Map.) Expansion in this manner would demonstrate a logical, orderly and desirable expansion of the town.

Every five years, citizens participate in the review and update of the Town’s Comprehensive Plan and make recommendations for the Town’s Comprehensive Plan. These dedicated citizens give their time to ensure that as Lewisville develops, the quality of life is not compromised, but enhanced. Volunteer boards and committees were established to keep citizens actively involved in governance of the town. Citizen volunteers should continue to assist in improving the physical, social and economic well-being of Lewisville. Following is a current list of Lewisville’s standing boards and committees:

•   Parks, Recreation and Cultural Development Board (PRCD)

•   Planning Board (PB)

•   Willow Run Municipal Service District Board (WRMSD)

•   Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBOA)

•   Beautification Committee (LBC)

•   Lewisville Utilities Committee (LUC)

•   Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC)

•   Recycling Committee (RC)

•   Stormwater Advisory and Education Committee (SAEC)

•   Student Leadership Committee (SLC)

Vision

Lewisville, in the year 2035, will provide its citizens with the necessary services to maintain a vibrant quality of life for both residents and businesses. The Town will maintain an appropriate tax rate while providing the benefits and services to the population it serves, while also making the community attractive to prospective new residents and businesses. The council-manager form of government and its own citizen boards and committees serve to provide Lewisville residents with a voice in government.

Town of Lewisville Organizational Chart

Implementation Program

Recommended Action	Action Steps	Responsible Agency	Time Frame
Goal - Maintain a participatory government that is accessible and responsive to citizens.
G1 - Continue to hold public meetings and forums to solicit public input.	* Advertise and post meeting notices. * Enhance Town Council communications.	TC Staff	Ongoing
G2 - Continue bimonthly publication of the Lewisville citizen, and prepare special issues when appropriate.	* Publish 6 issues per year.	Staff	Ongoing
G3 - Continue to use traditional notifications and social media to inform the public about issues in Lewisville and to compile opinions from the public. Utilize the town’s website, email, Blackboard Connect (reverse 911), and cable access television channel to assist in informing the citizens and to solicit their input through surveys and polls.	* Compile for publication. * Utilize social media for dissemination of information. *Explore the redesign of web site to improve efficiency and functionality. * Update website and cable access with current information. * Develop surveys and polls as needed.	Staff Staff     Staff     Staff	Ongoing Immediate Ongoing   Immediate Ongoing   Short Term Ongoing
G4 - Ensure that governance provides for effective and fair representation of the residents of the town.	* Solicit public input. * Review governance structure.	TC	Ongoing Annually
Goal - To provide effective and efficient government services.
G5 - Continue private sector involvement in providing services.	* Contract services where appropriate.	TC Staff	Ongoing
G6 - Annually review the contracts for service.	* Perform annual review.	Staff	Annually
G7 - Solicit community feedback to measure effectiveness of services.	* Create feedback mechanisms. * Review results.	TC Staff	Immediate Annually
G8 - Enhance communications across town boards and committees.	* Explore the possibility of creating joint meetings of town board and committee leadership to develop their program of work.	TC	Annually
Goal - To provide responsible and efficient governmental financial administration.
G9 - Continue to invest funds as the Finance Director has directed.	* Review quarterly investment statements.	Staff	Ongoing
G10 - Continually evaluate ways to maintain an appropriate tax rate.	* Explore new ideas.	TC Staff	Ongoing
G11 - Offer opportunities for citizen participation at the front end of the budgeting process.	* Hold public budget forums and solicit citizen input using traditional and social media.	TC Staff	Annually
G12 - Maintain highly qualified, productive and service oriented staff.	* Compensate employees appropriately. * Continue to provide a professional and stimulating work environment. * Provide professional development opportunities for town staff. * Monitor employee satisfaction at least twice yearly. * Develop appropriate tools to measure staff efficiency and responsiveness.	TC Town Manager Staff	Ongoing
G13 - Ensure appointed boards and committees are incorporated into fiscal year budgeting process.	* Solicit input from boards and committees in budget process.	TC	Annually
Goal - To have local control over planning and zoning issues.
G14 - Continue to provide comments on countyzoning cases within the town’s area of consideration.	* Review the City/County Planning Board zoning case schedule. * Maintain ongoing communications with city/county staff. * Comment as necessary.	TC PB Staff	Ongoing
G15 - Continue to diligently and objectively review all planning and zoning cases for their ability to comply with the Unified Development Ordinances (UDO) and applicable commercial area. (See Chapter 5 Land Use.)	* Review planning and zoning cases as needed.	TC PB Technical Review Committee (TRC) Staff	Ongoing
G16 - Enforce the existing ordinances and required procedures.	* Adhere to regulations in existing and future ordinances.	TC PB TRC ZBOA Staff	Ongoing
Goal - To carefully consider voluntary expansion of the town’s limits.
G17 - The town should consider expansion as appropriate.	* Research land use in subject area(s). * Work with City/County Utilities (CCUC) to monitor water and sewer extensions within the town’s area of consideration. * Encourage residents and neighborhoods that share the town’s goals and values to consider voluntary annexation into the town.	TC PB LUC Staff	Ongoing
Goal - To hold all elected and appointed officials accountable to the town’s citizens.
G18 - Provide ethics training to elected officials as provided in state statutes	* Continue to provide ethics training after each municipal election per State statutes.	TC	Ongoing
Time Frame: Immediate = directly - without delay Annually = once each year Short Term = within 5 years Long Term = within 5-10 years Ongoing = continuous