The City of Tyler has a long history of innovative, forward-thinking management. The foundation was established in 1997, when the City of Tyler adopted the “Blueprint” Business Model to express their core values and commitment to continuous improvement in the way they conduct business and deliver services. As part of the Blueprint, Tyler has kept staffing at a minimum; the City of Tyler has a similar number of employees today as they did in 1987, even though the community has grown by 30 percent. Tyler has also paid off all general obligation debt and earned a AAA bond rating.    In 2009, as the economy continued to decline nationwide, the City of Tyler began looking for ways to do more with less while providing the highest quality services to their citizens. Following their Blueprint Business Model, the City’s operations were already quite lean and City of Tyler leaders realized that they would have to continue to seek innovative approaches that would equip City staff with the tools they needed to become even more efficient.