City of North Richland Hills, Texas

If you lived in the North Richland Hills area during the 1960s, '70s, or early '80s, you probably remember the iconic Green Valley Raceway. Operating from 1960 to 1986, this legendary raceway was the heart of thrilling motorsport action, featuring everything from drag races and road courses to karting events and more. Perhaps most famously, Evel Knievel soared over 11 Mack trucks on his motorcycle here. A special plaza off North Tarrant Parkway, just east of Smithfield Road, now stands as a tribute to this rich motorsport legacy. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to thank the generous contributors who made NRH’s Green Valley Raceway Plaza possible: The Barfield Family Private Foundation Sharon & Lee Herron Happy State Bank Their support has created a lasting monument dedicated to the history and culture of motorsports in North Richland Hills (Smithfield), TX. Racing fans and history lovers alike are invited to stop by and explore the stories of this legendary venue. The plaza is located at 7904 North Tarrant Parkway. Visit the NRH Green Valley Raceway website for more information: https://lnkd.in/gh78Fcbg

The NRH Economic Development Department is doing great things in our community. If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur in North Richland Hills, we encourage you to get connected with them.

We are excited to announce the NRH Fire Marshal’s Office received the 2024 Achievement of Excellence Gold Award from the Texas Fire Marshal’s Association. This prestigious award recognizes outstanding dedication to fire prevention, professionalism, and community safety. Our team scored an impressive 188 points out of 210, showcasing excellence in critical areas like safety programs, education, and community partnerships. We want to give a huge shout out to Brent Sauble (Fire Marshal), Jase Smith (Assistant Chief), Marcus Hodges, Lance Ludtke and Cole Wilson (Fire Prevention Specialists). Their hard work and commitment makes NRH a safer place for everyone. They continually go above and beyond for our community and we are incredibly proud of them!

Congratulations to Aly Jones for being named the Library's "Part-Time Employee of the Year" for 2024! This award honors a part-time staff member nominated by their peers for embodying the Library's core values: kindness, engagement, resilience, intelligence, and teamwork. Aly's enthusiasm and dedication make her a joy to work with. She's a true team player who is always ready to lend a hand. We're so grateful for everything she does for the Library.

Join us in congratulating Alicia Richardson, NRH City Secretary/Chief Governance Officer! Alicia took her oath of office as President of the Texas Municipal Clerks Association Inc. (TMCA) on October 31st. TMCA is a statewide association with 1,240 members. It operates the Texas Municipal Clerks Certification Program at the University of North Texas, Denton. TMCA is dedicated to serving the demands of excellence in Texas' local government. Its mission is to motivate Texas city clerks and city secretaries to become leaders in their fields of governance and to provide an educational and state-recognized certification program for city clerks and city secretaries. For four years, Alicia was nominated by her peers for TMCA's Texas Municipal Clerk of the Year. Additionally, she served as a Trustee for two years, Treasurer in 2022, Vice President in 2023, and President-elect in 2024. Her dedicated service and leadership will continue to make an impact as she steps into this new role as President in 2025. We are proud of all that she does for NRH and TMCA!

Our employees love to give back to the residents they serve each day and were honored to be a part of the 2024 NRH Neighborhood Initiative Fix It Blitz sponsored by New Armor Restoration. We are so very grateful to ALL of the many volunteers that came out to serve their neighbors and make a difference! Now in its 20th year, this program has assisted more than 1,000 homeowners since it began. THANK YOU to everyone who made the 2024 Fix It Blitz a big success! Volunteer Groups: -New Armor Restoration (Title Sponsor/Volunteer) -GI Mow (Sponsor/Volunteer) -Cross Church -Crossmark Church -Central Bible Church -This Rock Baptist Church -City of NRH Departments including the City Manager’s Office, City Council, City Secretary’s Office, Communications, Parks & Recreation, Development Services, Neighborhood Services, Municipal Court, Library, Police, Fire, Public Works -Numerous individuals Sponsors: -Covenant Life Church -Gallery Dental -GI-Mow -Medical City North Hills -Marvin Smith & Smart Buy Homes -New Armor Restoration -Smith Lawn and Tree If you would like to give back to your community, volunteers are needed year-round to make repairs to homes within North Richland Hills that qualify. Volunteers of all ages and skill levels are welcome to participate. For more information on getting involved, to donate financially, or if you know of someone who needs assistance please call 817-427-6650, email [email protected] or visit www.nrhtx.com/NIP

We are proud to announce that the NRH Police Dept. had a perfect score indicating 100% compliance in all 170 Best Business Practices for Law Enforcement in the Texas Police Chiefs Association Best Practices Accreditation Program. They truly are the best of the best! Join us in congratulating them on this remarkable accomplishment!

We want to give a SHOUT OUT to one of our fantastic team members, Brandon! He is an Adult Services Librarian at the North Richland Hills Library and has been with us for 5 years. Recently, we received some glowing comments from NRH resident Christina G. who needed help using the Library computers for her job search. She said Brandon was very helpful and took the time to work with her on specific items that ultimately contributed to quite a successful outcome with her job. She is so appreciative of the guidance and expertise he provided. She said, “I sincerely am so GRATEFUL to Brandon and the NRH Library, as I am now employed in my Healthcare field of choice. I really appreciate the very helpful upstairs staff and the computer access. Thank YOU again!” Way to go, Brandon!

Whoop whoop! Our Communications team is one of the best in the state. The Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO) awarded them first-place for “Best Social Media Campaign (Planned)” for their work on NRH’s 70th Anniversary campaign (2023). The award-winning social media campaign received great feedback from the panel of judges including kudos for excellent storytelling, creating a sense of nostalgia, and education on the history of NRH. Overall, there were 688 entries across 13 categories including print and digital communications, video, social media, websites and more. TAMIO is a network of communications professionals serving communities throughout the state of Texas. Please join us in congratulating our team!

It’s official! Paulette Hartman is North Richland Hills’ new City Manager and also the first female to take the helm in this position, effective today. This morning, Mrs. Hartman was joined by her husband, Michael, and two of their three children when she took the oath of office to serve as City Manager. Mrs. Hartman began her career in city management more than 28 years ago with the City of Fort Worth as an administrative assistant and then with the City of North Richland Hills as assistant to the city manager. She went on to serve as Town Administrator for the Town of Copper Canyon, Texas for two years and as City Manager for the City of Joshua, Texas for seven years. She returned NRH as Assistant City Manager in July 2014 and was promoted to Deputy City Manager in October 2018. With Mark Hindman’s retirement at the end of March, the City Council unanimously appointed her to be NRH’s next City Manager. To help the community get to know her a little better, we asked Mrs. Hartman to tell us more about her life both inside and outside of the workplace. What is your favorite leadership quote and why? My favorite leadership quote is “To be unclear is to be unkind,” which is a Dave Ramsey quote. To me, it means as leaders, we should be clear in outlining vision, direction, and in giving input and feedback. We should also expect and facilitate clear and direct communication from our team. I believe clear, direct, respectful communication is necessary for a healthy culture. What are you most excited about in leading the North Richland Hills team? I am most excited about the incredible team of directors I am getting the opportunity to lead. All of the department directors are experienced, competent professionals who are experts in their respective fields. They are also passionate about their service area and providing excellent service to the citizens of North Richland Hills. I’m excited to take the organization to the next level in leadership and service. Do you have a hobby outside of work that helps you be a better leader? I love to read and to write, although I don’t get much time to do either of those things. When I do read, I usually read a non-fiction book about leadership, management or building relationships. I am currently reading “Think Again” by Adam Grant. My favorite leadership and management book I’ve ever read is “Good to Great” by Jim Collins. You can read more of our Q&A with Mrs. Hartman on the City of North Richland Hill's website: https://lnkd.in/gdxmgtQ9