Friday, July 18, 2008

Frisco City Manager George Purefoy’s goal is finding right mix of government for city as it grows

By Minnie Payne

Frisco City Manager George Purefoy

FRISCO — George Purefoy, 56-year-old Frisco City Manager, has a simple short-term goal for Frisco – balance the budget so that he can present it to city council in August. But his long-term goal, trying to find the right mix of government for the seventh fastest growing city in the United States, is a little more complex.

Purefoy was appointed Frisco’s first city manager in November 1987, at which time he said the country was in a recession.

“When I first came here, the city was running in the red,” Purefoy said. “It was spending more than it was taking in.”

“As soon as I got here, I started balancing the budget.”

Balancing expectations with reality was and is my biggest challenge, he said.

“Presently, the United States is economically distressed and as of now Frisco hasn’t spent more than it’s taking in, but revenues aren’t what they were, so we’ll have to make sure that we’re not spending our revenues,” Purefoy said.

Purefoy was born and grew up in a middle-class family in Mineral Wells during the time that Fort Wolters Army Base, a primary helicopter base during the Vietnam War, provided most of the jobs for Mineral Wells citizens.

“During most of the time that I was growing up, Dad was a circulation manager for the local newspaper, Mineral Wells Index,” Purefoy said. “He and my brother also owned a drive-in restaurant.”

He said that he attended the public schools, graduating from Mineral Wells High School in 1970, and earned a B.A. in political science from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1975, and a master’s degree in public administration from East Texas State University in 1978.

“By rotating my work schedule every three months, I was able to work as an Arlington police officer while I was going to UT Arlington,” he said. “Depending on what my work schedule was, I took night and morning classes.

“Also, my cohorts were gladly willing to swap weekdays for weekends, so that I could attend classes.”

Frisco’s present general fund budget for police, fire, streets, parks and library is $70 million, Purefoy said, but if you add in water, sewer and sanitation, it’s closer to $140 million total.

During Purefoy’s tenure, Frisco voters approved in two separate elections a half-cent sales tax, which supports the city’s Economic and Community Development Corporations. Both Frisco’s EDC and Community Development Corporation are among the city’s financial partners which have helped Frisco attract major developments.

“I helped negotiate the terms of the deals for the Stonebriar Centre Mall; the Dr. Pepper Ballpark – home of the Frisco RoughRiders; the Deja Blue Center – home of the Texas Tornado and the Dallas Stars corporate headquarters, and the Pizza Hut Park, home of Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn, and then presented them to the city council,” Purefoy said.

In 2002, Frisco voters approved a $197.5 million bond package, which funded the construction of several new public facilities, including the new city hall which sits on a 145-acre mixed-use development called “Frisco Square.”

“The city council formed a bond committee which was made up of me and several other staff members,” Purefoy said. “They [council] asked for a report which we submitted and council approved.

“Council sent it out to the voters to be voted on.”

An original goal as city manager, he said, was having Frisco achieve membership in the North Texas Municipal Water District which happened in 2001. By belonging to the NTMWD, Frisco, as a member, pays so much money based upon what it uses, and its water supply, waste water treatment and landfill needs are taken care of.

Purefoy has been married to his wife, Debra, 34 years, and they have a daughter, Christal, 27.

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