From the City of Sugar Land:
The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) selected City Manager Allen Bogard to receive the Award for Career Excellence.
ICMA is the world’s leading association of professional city and county managers and other employees who serve local governments. Membership in ICMA includes more than 12,000 local government professionals. The association’s Award for Career Excellence recognizes an outstanding chief local government administrator who has fostered representative democracy by enhancing the effectiveness of local elected officials and by consistently initiating creative and successful programs.
Bogard will be formally recognized during ICMA’s annual conference in October.
Considered ICMA’s most prestigious award, the distinction caps a 40-year career in the public sector for Bogard that also included recognition as the Texas City Management Association’s Administrator of the Year Award in 2005.
Bogard plans to retire on Jan. 31, 2020. He joined the city in January 1995 as a deputy city manager and was promoted to city manager in 2001. During his 40-year career in the public sector, he also served as city manager in the cities of Keller and Winnsboro, as well as executive leadership positions in the cities of Plano and Dallas.
While in Sugar Land, Bogard’s implementation of City Council’s vision for the city has resulted in numerous state and national recognitions, including “Best Place to Live” and “Safest City.”
“I have approached my career in city management as a noble calling,” said Bogard, who has served dozens of mayors and council members during a career dedicated to ensuring the safety and happiness of residents. “Our founding fathers said that government’s primary purpose was the safety of the people and their pursuit of happiness. City government is uniquely positioned to achieve these ends. To create an environment for the people to flourish. Over my career, I have strived to achieve this noble purpose.”
Among his many accomplishments and initiatives have been the creation of the award-winning Sugar Land Town Square; a growing economic development program; the relocation of corporate headquarters such as Minute Maid; the recognition of Sugar Land Regional Airport as the top fixed-based operator in the Western Hemisphere; and Sugar Land’s reputation for strong financial management, low taxes, a AAA bond rating and a high level of services.
The city has more than doubled in population under Bogard’s leadership and seen the addition – and expansion – of First Colony Mall, Constellation Field, the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land, the University of Houston at Sugar Land and the Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugar Land.
He has provided leadership for numerous annexations, including First Colony, Avalon, RiverPark, Greatwood and New Territory. As one of the state’s fastest-growing cities, he helped transform the city from a small bedroom community of about 45,097 in 1995 to a full-service city of more than 118,000 that’s routinely recognized for transparency, innovation and responsive governance.
Sugar Land has become a burgeoning employment, educational and medical center, creating thousands of new jobs, as well as becoming an entertainment destination.
Other achievements under his leadership follow:
- Sugar Land remains safer than ever before, an accomplishment based on years of investments in infrastructure, technology and innovation. The city has the lowest crime rate in 20 years, a product of a strong police presence, community partnerships, public education, a commitment to technology, training and departmental leadership.
- Ambulance service was launched after years of rapid growth in Sugar Land necessitated a change in EMS delivery. The service improved advanced life support service for Sugar Land residents.
- Maintaining infrastructure, facilities and quality-of-life amenities at the high level expected by Sugar Land residents has been a priority. The creation and expansion of Sugar Land’s state-of-the art Traffic Management Center now allows traffic engineers to monitor real-time conditions and keep motorists moving. The city completed many important mobility projects, including U.S. Highway 59, U.S. Highway 90A and State Highway 6. The 10-year, half billion expansion of those three highways added 100 new lane miles of highway and frontage roads inside the city limits.
- The city’s position as an economic powerhouse and financial leader – as well as a focus on strengthened resilience – now contributes to improved quality of life and minimizes the residential tax burden. Sugar Land now has more than 66,300 jobs and is home to high-profile regional and international corporations housed in more than 24 million square feet of commercial space. Sugar Land’s assessed commercial valuation has doubled in the last 10 years.
- The appearance of the community and the amenities valued by its citizens have contributed to what makes Sugar Land one of a kind, including expansion of the city’s greenspaces and trail systems through the addition of signature facilities such as Oyster Creek Park, Memorial Park, Imperial Park and Cullinan Park. Extensive beautification efforts along major roadways have added to making Sugar Land a community unlike any other.
- Community-building efforts, citizen engagement and responding to the needs of citizens have resulted in programs such as Sugar Land 101, multicultural initiatives, expanded cultural arts and the city’s first animal shelter.
- Sugar Land Regional Airport has evolved into the region’s premier corporate aviation facility, contributing greatly to the local economy by providing jobs, corporate access to local markets, access to air transportation services and facilities to house corporate aviation departments. More than 100 Fortune 500 companies utilize the airport annually.
- Sugar Land has continued to retain and challenge a champion workforce that consistently exceeds the high expectations of the Sugar Land community. During the past several years, a focus on developing future leaders within the organization has led to the successful internal promotion of numerous high-profile positions, including the fire and police chiefs and several assistant city managers.
- The cultivation of the “Sugar Land Way” has been made possible made possible through good governance practices, a business-like approach to decision-making, community listening and responding to the needs of the community. According to the City’s Citizen Satisfaction Survey, the effectiveness of City communications is 26 percent higher than other cities across the country.
The Sugar Land City Charter identifies the city manager as the chief executive officer. The manager is hired to serve City Council and the community and provides the professional expertise necessary to administer local government projects and programs.
The manager prepares a budget for City Council’s consideration; recruits, hires and supervises city staff; serves as City Council’s chief adviser; enforces laws and ordinances; manages day-to-day affairs; and implements policy decisions.
