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10-11-16 TWIH October 11, 2016 City news, features, and updates Have you always wanted to be a zombie? A witch? A mummy? Join the City of Huntsville's Parks and Leisure Department at an open call for actors for this year's Haunted Hayride. The meeting will be Friday, October 7, at 6:00 p.m., at the City of Huntsville Service Center (Highway 75 North, across from storm shelter/H.E.A.R.T.S. Museum). The event will be held October 22, at Kate Barr Ross Park. Tickets for the hayride will go on sale at 6:30 p.m. If you are interested in volunteering, please call Penny Joiner at 936-294-5708. Stay tuned for more information on our website and social media channels. Get excited about enjoying a spooktacular time! The City of Huntsville Main Street Program invites you to the 14th annual Scare on the Square on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 2 to 5:30 p.m. in downtown Huntsville. Entry fee is $1. The community and Sam Houston State University organizations sponsor booths with activities such as face painting, games, arts and crafts, a mechanical bull, and a dunking booth. Kids, don't forget to dress up! There will be a costume contest and prizes with Mayor Andy Brauninger as a guest judge. Parents, there will be a raffle for a Huntsville Fall Fun Prize Pack (tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5). Get spooky at the Huntsville Public Library’s booth to “Pick your Prize with Frankenstein,” a silly, mysterious activity all ages can enjoy. Come to downtown and enjoy a family-friendly Halloween experience. For more information, contact the City of Huntsville Main Street Program at (936) 291-5920. Scare on the Square Halloween Safety TipsHalloween Safety Tips Are you trying to decide on your Halloween costume, or your child’s costume? Well, we have some tips from safekids.org to help keep you creative but safe!  Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible choose light colors.  Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.  Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.  When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls. We hope everyone has a safe and happy October! The last day to register to vote for the November 8 election is October 11. Make sure you get your registration in on time to cast your vote in the November election! Visit http://www.co.walker.tx.us/department/?fDD=24-0 to learn how to register to vote in Walker County. A voter's application must be submitted or mailed at least 30 days before an election date to vote in that election. Remember to Vote the Back on this November's ballot to have your voice heard in the 2016 City of Huntsville General and Bond Elections! Expert in Every Office - Joe Massey Join the City on October 11 for the annual State of the City address! Meet with City staff, hear updates on City projects from your City Manager and learn more about the upcoming Bond election. This is a great event to meet your neighbors and enjoy an evening getting to know your elected City Councilmembers. The Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the event and serving refreshments for all the guests. Admission is free and there will be a door prize given away during the event. We hope to see you there! State of the City Register to Vote! Meet Joe Massey, your Senior Water Plant Operator. Joe began working for the City in July 1996 as a water and wastewater crewman. Joe is now responsible for “overseeing the water production treatment process. My first priority is to provide safe potable drinking water to the citizens of Huntsville,” Joe said. “Other duties required daily per the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) 290 Rules and regulations are recording flow data, making flow and chemical adjustments, checking/monitoring chlorine residuals daily, operating a pressurized filtration system, servicing & maintaining 7 water wells and 3 water pumping stations, and collecting 60 microbial samples each month. We have a monthly flushing program to ensure that we maintain an adequate disinfectant chlorine residual throughout the entire distribution system. My responsibility includes completing and submitting monthly, quarterly and annual reports to the Texas Water Development Board water loss audit team, TCEQ Public Drinking Water Section’s disinfectant quarterly team, and to the Bluebonnet Groundwater District.” Joe enjoys playing basketball and continuing his education! He also shared with us that his dream for retirement is to restore an old car. “When you persevere, and make good sound decisions, your reward follows with success. Thank you City of Huntsville. I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve you as your Senior Water Plant Operator,” concluded Joe. “Joe does an excellent job at the water plants. He consistently makes sure everything is operating properly. He is a tremendous asset to the city” added Joyce Hubbard, Water Superintendent. The City is proud to have dedicated and hard workers serving our community every day! National Night Out Bond Election FAQs You have questions, we have answers! Please see below and visit www.huntsvilletx.gov/Bond for the entire list of FAQs or email us at bond@huntsvilletx.gov to submit your own questions. How did the City arrive at the amounts of the bond propositions? During 2015 and 2016, the City hired industry experts to complete professional, unbiased, objective studies on almost every piece of City infrastructure. Between the months of March and August 2016, the City Council carefully reviewed each study and identified projects needing the most significant attention. Not all of the infrastructure elements studied are candidates for funding with the bond proposals. The City Council selected the projects with the highest need and best available funding sources. How will the City pay the debt payments on the bonds if the bond propositions pass? Between now and 2021, the City will pay off a significant amount of debt that is currently on the books. There are also identified additional revenues that will be used to pay off new debt. The City Council has stated publicly that property taxes and utility rates will not be increased to pay the principal and interest on the debt issued as a result of one or more of these bond propositions passing. $128 million? That seems like an awful lot. Are we taking on too much debt? The decision about how much debt is appropriate is a matter of personal choice. However, one way to review this issue is compare ourselves with other cities. The City of Huntsville City staff reviewed the budgets of thirteen other cities in the State of Texas with populations similar to Huntsville (not more than 20% larger and not more than 17% smaller). Some Interesting observations about that analysis:  Tax Rate for Debt – The City’s tax rate needed to pay the debt supported by property taxes is just over $.10/ $100. That ranks 4th lowest among the cities compared. Since the City Council intends to use expiring debt to pay for the new debt, the City’s tax rate needed to pay the new debt will remain unchanged.  Total Debt Outstanding – The City’s total remaining debt paid for by all funds stands at just over $36.2 million. That is the lowest among the cities compared.  Bonded Debt Per Capita – The City’s bonded debt per capita stands at $939.09 (as per the population from the 2010 census). That is the lowest among the cities compared. Even if the population is adjusted down by 11,500 residents (in recognition of prison and student population counted in 2010 census), the City’s bonded debt per capita would still rank 4th lowest among the cities compared. To put the issue in perspective, the highest among the cities surveyed (Schertz and Burleson) carry over $3,100 and $3,600 debt per capita respectively. Even if all three propositions pass, the bonded debt per capita would still be less than Schertz and Burleson, or about $400 more than average of the cities surveyed. If the propositions pass, will there be continued communication about the status, cost, etc. of the approved propositions and the status of the projects approved? Absolutely. If one or more of the propositions on the November 8 ballot pass, the plan is to commence design on the project(s) approved by the voters. Depending on the project and the availability of expiring debt, work may begin very soon (which is the case with some of Proposition 3). In other instances, the City may not begin work until 2020 or 2021 (which is the case with Proposition 2). The first phases (design) of Proposition 1 will likely begin in late 2017 or early 2018. Regardless, any expenditure of more than $50,000 will require public action by the City Council at a posted meeting. Also, any decision to issue debt will have to occur at a public meeting after advertising, opening bids and evaluating the best financing method available. Finally, any decision to award a contract(s) for work to be completed will also need to be considered and awarded at a public meeting after some competitive selection process for the work. So it isn’t as if the bond will be approved and you won’t know anything until the facilities are constructed (or improvements made). On the contrary, there will be considerable discussion and transparency after the election is completed and throughout the following processes. Story Drama Hour is back at HPL! Held in conjunction with the Sam Houston State University Department of Theatre and Musical Theatre and the Center for Community Engagement, this exciting program will be led by Dr. Victoria Lantz. Three sessions will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. Thursday, October 6, October 20 and October 27. Elementary-aged children are invited to enjoy pantomime, songs, movement, improvisation, and acting as historical characters ranging from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt. Sign-up is not required. If your child likes comic books, then Comic Book Club is the place to be. Bring a comic to trade and enjoy crafls, games, raftfes, and expert speakers from the world of comic books. This event is held in conjunction with Annette Tubbs and the Comic Book Stop and Trade. October’s session of Comic Book Club will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, October 13. Ages 17 and under are welcome and sign-up is not required. Our friends from Huntsville Pets Helping People need your help: these dogs love books but can’t read! Help them out by coming to the Huntsville Public Library and reading to a trained therapy dog. Read with the Dogs is best suited for elementary and junior high ages and is great for new readers. Sign-up is not required. October’s session will take place at 4:30 p.m. Monday, October 17 in the Children’s Room. Imagine living in space. How would life be different than here on Earth? Find out at the Huntsville Public Library as we host a Living in Space presentation by Space Center Houston from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday, October 21. Sign-up is not required and all ages are welcome. Come hear about “The Shenanigans of Sam Houston” at October’s Brown Bag Lecture Series at 11:30 a.m., Thursday, October 27, at the Huntsville Public Library. Michael “Mikey” Sproat, Curator of Education at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, will tell us about how Sam Houston interacted with other family and friends of the time (sometimes good, sometimes not so good) Attendees may bring a brown bag lunch. The lecture series is planned for the fourth Thursday of each month. Beverages will be provided. Admission is free. The Huntsville Public Library is pleased to announce two new Tai Chi classes being taught by Instructor Gary Readore. An Intermediate Tai Chi Class will be held from 5 to 5:45 p.m. followed by the Beginner’s Class from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m., in the Community Room. Classes begin August 31. Readore, a Tai Chi instructor for 25 years, teaches the Yang Style Long Form consisting of 108 movements. Class size is limited so please sign up early. Register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com. The ever popular free Spanish classes are returning to the Huntsville Public Library! Instructor Beth Williamson will be teaching Intermediate and Advanced classes on Tuesdays in the Community Room. The 14-week program begins Tuesday, September 6 and materials are provided. Register now to reserve your spot – only 35 students per class. Beginning classes will meet from 1 to 3 p.m. and advanced classes from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com. Give your vision some DIMENSION! Learn to DESIGN, SCAN & PRINT in 3D. Join the Huntsville Library for a three-day introduction to 3D printing from 11:30 to 12:30 in Community Room. The first session is October 11-13, the second session is October 18-20, the third session is October 25 - 27 and the fourth session is November 1-3. Over the course of this program, participants will learn the basics of 3D printing and soflware, design a 3D model of their choosing with the soflware and print a 3D model to take home. Participates are required to bring their own USB flash drive to save their 3D print model. These classes are limited to eight patrons per session over the age of 18. Please only register for one session. Computer skills are required for this program. Beta Alpha Psi, an honor business fraternity at SHSU, in conjunction with the SHSU Student Money Management Center, will be presenting The FAFSA: Your Ticket to Financial Aid at the Huntsville Public Library Friday, October 7 at 6 p.m., Saturday, October 8 at 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday, October 10 at 6:00 p.m., and Friday, October 14 at 6:00 p.m. Space is limited so please register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary.com. There will be a series of Genealogy Classes teaching the basics of research at Huntsville Public Library on Wednesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. beginning September 28. Johnnie Jo Dickenson will guide participants in the research of their family history using investigative tools such as online databases and resources and the Library’s extensive genealogy collection. The two-hour sessions will be held every week through November 2 in the Library’s Community Room. Please register online at www.myhuntsvillelibrary. October Library Events http://huntsvilletx.gov/568/ISO- Information Contact Mary Kokot, Adult Services Coordinator, at (936)291-5471 or Rachel McPhail, Children’s Coordinator, at 936-291-5472 for more information. More Library Events! November Election Candidate Filings The City Council seats for At-large Positions 1-4 will be on the November 8, 2016 general election ballot. Filing for the positions ran from July 23 to August 22, 2016. Seven citizens have filed to run on the ballot (in order of filing): - Position One - Paul Davidhizar - Position Two - Tyler McCaffety and Matt Hannes - Position Three - Clyde Loll and Mader Hedspetch - Position Four - Keith D. Olson and Scott Hornung Email citysecretary@huntsvilletx.gov, call 936-291-5403, or visit the City's Elections page at http://www.huntsvilletx.gov/Elections for more information. The City of Huntsville Main Street Program invites you to join them every Saturday from 8 am to 12 pm October 8 through November 19 on University Avenue between 11th and 12th Streets. Vendors will be selling fresh homegrown produce and a number of handmade items such as natural bath and beauty products, leather goods and woodworking tools. This is a great opportunity to support your local community! Call (936)291-5920, email Mainstreet01@huntsvilletx.gov, or visit http://www.huntsvillemainstreet.com/ for more information. Fall Farmer’s Market Have you ever wanted to learn a new language...for free?! Then meet Pronunciator, the newest technology at the Huntsville Public Library! This program is similar to Babble or Rosetta Stone and is free. Once you sign up at the library, you are able to access the program from anywhere, and it is even offered as a mobile app. Pronunciator features over 80 languages and uses a combination of newfangled interactive techniques (e.g. virtual coaching, pronunciation analysis) and proven old-school methods (e.g. audio lessons, scored quizzes) in a structured learning approach that focuses on the intensive reinforcement of what is learned. Be sure to head to the Huntsville Public Library to sign up for free! First-time users must come by the Library with their library card to register for the program. Visit myhuntsvillelibrary.com for more information. Hello! Bonjour! Hola! Ciao! Celebrate the Wynne Home Arts Center’s 10th Anniversary