Written By: Sheree Cardwell, Public Affairs Marketing Coordinator
Twenty-one years ago, on my birthday, I received the best gift I would ever get, my son, Connor. Sharing a birthday was not something I planned, but it has become my favorite co-celebration. So, every year we honor our double day the only logical way possible: by letting restaurants treat us. Kindly. Legally. Through the magical power of rewards apps.
This year marked our fifth annual Great Birthday Freebie Tour, and the lineup was chef’s kiss.
Stop 1: Chick-fil-A
We opened strong at Chick-fil-A because nothing says “happy birthday” like God’s chicken. We had a free entree reward so Connor ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. I went with the grilled chicken breakfast bowl, proving that 43 year olds make responsible choices. We also happily accept bonus spicy chicken biscuits for the road because it was Freebie Tuesday.
We left egg-stra thankful and fully fueled.
Stop 2: Starbucks
Next up was Starbucks for birthday reward drinks. Connor leaned into 21 with a Caramel Ribbon Crunch Frappuccino, because calories mean nothing to him yet. I took a more calorie cautious approach with a Passion Tea sweetened with sugar free vanilla. Free caffeine just tastes better.
Stop 3: Houston Museum of Natural Science (not free, but definitely fun)
We balanced out the calories with culture at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. This was not a freebie, but we needed to kill time till lunch, with a little t-rex and space adventures.
Stop 4: Chipotle
By lunch, we were ready to roll into Chipotle. Connor scored a free burrito. I opted for a burrito bowl. We both added chips and guac because if loving free guac is wrong, I don’t want to be rice.
Stop 5: Nothing Bundt Cakes
Then it was time for a little bundt-day magic at Nothing Bundt Cakes. We picked up red velvet and white chocolate raspberry bundtlets. In a rare display of maturity and self control, we even saved a few bites for the next day. Why not extend the birthday celebration?
Stop 6: Buffalo Wild Wings
Dinner called for wings, so we answered at Buffalo Wild Wings. Six free birthday wings each? Yes please. I chose garlic parmesan, classy and savory. Connor went honey barbecue, sweet with a little swagger. It was saucy, slightly messy, and absolutely worth it.
Final Stop: Crumbl
We finished our freebie adventure at Crumbl because ending the day with cookies just felt right. I chose the s’mores, and Connor stuck with a classic chocolate chip. A sweet way to wrap up the birthday tour.
Twenty-one years ago, I became a mom on my birthday. This year, I got to celebrate 43 and 21 with my favorite human, driving around, flashing reward emails like pros, and stacking memories higher than a Chipotle burrito bowl.
Some families pass down heirlooms. We pass down reward points. And honestly, that’s a tradition that never gets old, even if I do.
This month, our ITS has made significant strides in modernizing city infrastructure and improving operational efficiency, led primarily by our Close Support Team—Erin Cravey, Jayse Marin, Grayson Cash, and Julio Alcantar, with additional support from Levi Masterson on the Server Team.
The Close Support Team completed a technology refresh for Planning Department staff, replacing traditional desktop computers with modern docking stations that allow planners to work seamlessly with their laptops. This upgrade provides greater flexibility and mobility while maintaining the performance needed for their daily work.
In an effort to improve service delivery and reduce equipment downtime, Jayse Marin implemented a comprehensive back room inventory system for ITS. This new system helps the department maintain accurate stock levels of essential components and equipment, enabling faster response times when hardware issues arise and minimizing wait times caused by out-of-stock parts.
Behind the scenes, IT also completed critical system upgrades, updating CityWorks from version 15.7.3 to 15.8.9 and upgrading GIS from 10.6.1 to 10.9.1, ensuring our core municipal systems remain current and secure.
As 2025 comes to a close, our LIFT (Leaders in Fellowship and Transformation) cohort celebrates another year of learning, connection, and community-building across Team Baytown. Made up of employees who have completed the Manager Series or Black Belt training, LIFT meets monthly to deepen leadership skills and strengthen the relationships that help us build a better Baytown, together.
We kicked off the year by diving into Radical Candor by Kim Scott, a transformative approach to leadership rooted in caring personally while challenging directly. Throughout January, LIFT members explored what it means to give feedback that builds trust, sparks growth, and invites honest conversation. Participants used memorable scenes from well-known TV shows and movies to identify feedback styles, from radically candid to ruinously empathetic, and to better understand their effects on team dynamics. In February and March, we continued the journey, focusing on how people respond to Radical Candor and the importance of phrasing feedback with clarity, courage, and kindness.
In April, we launched a new series centered on Tribal Leadership by Logan, King, and Fischer-Wright. This book challenges leaders to elevate workplace culture by shifting from “I’m great” to “We’re great” and ultimately toward innovation driven by shared values and a noble cause. LIFT participants identified the cultural stages within their own teams and collaborated on strategies to help move their groups toward stronger, more connected, purpose-driven cultures.
We closed out the year by returning to our roots in continuous improvement. Participants refreshed their Green Belt and Black Belt knowledge and applied process-improvement tools to real City challenges. This year’s program also featured two new hands-on opportunities: the LIFT Job Swap, where participants shadowed each other for two hours to gain a deeper appreciation of the roles that keep Baytown running, and the Continuous Improvement Teams, which bring participants together to map and improve multi-departmental processes across the organization.
As we look toward 2026, we’re excited to continue this never-ending journey of learning, growing, and lifting one another higher. With more opportunities on the horizon and new participants joining the fold, the future of LIFT, and of Baytown, is brighter than ever.
Captain Robert Balsamo was awarded Baytown Fire Department's 2025 Firefighter of the Year, for his unwavering dedication to training and educating current and future firefighters and the strides he has taken to bring premier training opportunities to our department.
Community Development successfully completed its annual Angel Tree gift delivery program, distributing presents to multiple schools throughout the Baytown community. School counselors identified children who were in need of support during the holiday season, and through the collective efforts and generosity of City of Baytown employees, a total of 152 children were sponsored and received gifts.
Thank you to everyone who sponsored a child this year, your generosity truly made a difference in the lives of these students and their families.
Five staff members participated in an intensive 40-hour code training program in Beaumont. The training covered plan review and inspection of building structural systems, fire prevention measures, emergency escape requirements, and electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems. The objective of this training was to ensure staff are well prepared to learn and apply updated codes as part of our organization’s preparation for adopting new code regulations in the first quarter of 2026. Attending training in Beaumont were Cynthia Baptiste, Stephanie Blanchat, Alex Gelmis, Dallas Edwards and Zachary Start.
Multi-Jurisdictional Code Training in Sugarland
Eleven staff members attended a multi-jurisdictional code training event in Sugar Land, alongside representatives from ten other area cities. This training focused on fire-resistant construction requirements for two-family dwellings and townhomes.
The objective was to promote consistent interpretation and enforcement of fire and life safety codes across jurisdictions, supporting improved safety, collaboration, and consistency in the built environment.
These training efforts strengthen our technical expertise, support regional coordination, and reinforce our commitment to safety and high professional standards as we prepare for upcoming code updates.
This month, the City Clerk’s Office attended several fun and informative trainings, including the Open Government Conference, the Election Law Seminar, and the Vital Statistics Annual Conference. We were excited to participate and learn new tools and updates that help us better assist both our community and staff. The trainings also gave us time to connect as a team, share ideas, and talk through what we learned so we can continue improving the services we provide.
As we begin the new year, we wish everyone a happy, healthy, and successful year ahead!
Our Back to School Fair was a huge success, distributing 1,400+ supply-filled backpacks and offering services like child IDs, food boxes, meals, eye screenings, family resources, and more—thank you to all the sponsors and vendors who helped make this a success!
All of this was made possible by over 80 volunteers and many city staff — with special recognition to Sharon Rose, Monica Fabela, and Stephany Medina from Community Development for setting all of this up. Thank you for making such a meaningful impact!
We are proud to recognize Gabriella Gonzales for successfully completing her Black Belt certification project, bringing innovation and efficiency to an essential City process.
Gabriella’s project focused on enhancing the City Clerk’s process of submitting agenda items for public meetings. By creating new routing procedures, adjusting due dates to allow for proper review time, and training departments on correct submission practices, she achieved measurable improvements that will:
Save more than $2,600 annually in staff time
Eliminate frequent errors and delays
Reduce frustration by ensuring agenda items are accurate, complete, and ready to be posted
Her efforts have strengthened transparency and reliability in the City’s agenda process, directly benefiting staff and the community alike.
Let’s congratulate Gabriella for her leadership, problem-solving, and commitment to making Baytown better.
We are proud to recognize William Hibbits for successfully completing his Black Belt certification project, delivering meaningful improvements that strengthen both our organization and our community.
William’s project focused on improving the Police Department’s hiring process. By implementing new technology, streamlining interviews, and standardizing procedures, he significantly reduced hiring timelines and increased efficiency. His efforts are projected to:
Save more than $8,600 in staff time
Increase production by 23%
Save approximately $42,000 per year in background check fees
Beyond the financial impact, William’s improvements ensure a fair, ADA- and EEOC-compliant process. These changes cut processing time by months, work to reduce bias in candidate evaluations, and strengthen the accuracy of background investigations—helping us hire the right officers more quickly and effectively.
Let’s congratulate William for his leadership, innovation, and dedication to making Baytown better.
Congratulations to Jabari Jordan for completing his Green Belt Project!
For his project, Jabari looked at how to more efficiently place empty chemical storage containers for shipping. After he Defined and Measured the issue, Jabari used a Spaghetti Diagram to help him Analyze what was happening. He found out that by placing the empty storage containers in groups instead of individually, more could be transported. What a great chance to find ways to make the process better and more organized for everyone.
We are thrilled to recognize Ava Hudnall from HR who has officially completed her PIPE Black Belt certification, marking an incredible achievement in her journey with the City. This accomplishment is a testament to Ava’s dedication, hard work, and understanding of process improvement.
The Black Belt certification is no small feat. It requires using advanced tools and techniques to drive significant, sustainable improvements in processes, and Ava focused her improvements on the development of training courses here at the City. Her first two projects created an automatic and easily accessible training request form and a follow-up focused conversation to ensure all the details and needs of the training were captured up front. Previous to this, training development was done through email and went back and forth several times and included several revisions before everything was included, definitely not the most efficient use of time and resources. Ava’s third project resulted in the City’s Green Belt course being certified with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) as an approved course for six hours in leadership toward Police personnel’s required training.
Please join us in congratulating Ava on this significant achievement! We look forward to seeing all the positive changes she will continue to drive within our organization.
Here’s to many more milestones, Ava—we’re proud of you!
Congratulations to Kevin Boatswain and Rachel Philo on completing the Mastering Technology of Participation (MToP) course! This year-long journey has not only sharpened your facilitation dexterity and leadership capabilities but also equipped you with innovative tools and methods to drive meaningful engagement and transformative change. Through quarterly intensives, fieldwork, and mentoring, you’ve honed your skills in consensus building, strategic planning, and event design while fostering a supportive network of peers. Your commitment to deepening your knowledge and growing as facilitators is truly inspiring—well done!
Senior Planner, Lamyaa Salem, passed her AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) exam in November. We’re very proud of Lamyaa, as this is arguably the most important certification available for an urban planner.
Congratulations to Alex Peters (HR), Amy Shipley (Parks & Recreation), and Randy Clare (Planning & Development Services)! We appreciate your dedication to continuous learning and growth. Looking forward to having you in Level II.
The Grito Fest pre-party held at Town Square on October 4th was a fantastic event! We had a great turnout, and everyone truly enjoyed themselves. In the photo, captured spontaneously, you can see Minh Kotlarz (pronounced Men Cut-Larz), who is about to celebrate his 35th year serving the City of Baytown on November 16th. His genuine enthusiasm for working at events, even after all this time, is incredibly contagious. Our department and the community are fortunate to have such strong leadership for so long!
This year, Casey Cook achieved a major career milestone by becoming one of just 23 Public Information Officers (PIOs) to graduate from FEMA’s prestigious Master Public Information Officer (MPIO) program. With this accomplishment, she joins an elite group of only 179 MPIOs worldwide.
The journey was intensive, spanning 10 months and including 3 trips to FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute (EMI). Over countless hours, Casey poured dedication into her thesis, which ultimately scored high enough to earn a place in the National Emergency Training Center library—a significant achievement that underscores her expertise and commitment to the field.
Throughout the program, she credits invaluable support from mentors and instructors Larry Hill, Scott Thomsen, and Dr. Joe Trahan, APR, Fellow PRSA. Their mentorship, she noted, was instrumental in her success. She also extends special thanks to Nicole Shutts for her consistent support in accommodating the cohort and ensuring they stayed organized and on track.
In addition to professional growth, Casey formed lasting bonds with her fellow MPIOs. Reflecting on these friendships, she fondly recalls the camaraderie and shared inside jokes—especially their memorable whiteboard jokes—that made the experience unforgettable. “This has been, without a doubt, the most amazing experience of my career,” she shared, expressing gratitude for the connections and memories forged through this remarkable journey.
Congratulations Casey on such a great achievement and we are so honored to be able to witness these achievements in your career!
