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July 2010 City Connection Volume 6, Number 10 JULY 2010 www.huntsvilletx.gov Submitted by Linda Dodson, City Librarian The renovation and expansion of the HUNTSVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY has everyone curious. Read on to find the answers to questions you may have and maybe some you have not thought of. When will we see changes? Preparation for construction is in high mode, trees and bushes are being moved, the Records Building is coming down and old Fire Sta- tion #1 has been demolished. City crews have begun leveling the property between 13th Street and the library parking-lot. And more changes will be evident once construction begins in earnest – probably early August. Will the City recycle or reuse any of the materials from the site? Definitely, City Arborist David Zeller, with the help of crews from the Parks Department and TDCJ have been transplanting bushes and trees from the library to new locations across the city. The Records Building is being removed piece by piece for reuse by a local non -profit organization. The metal in Fire Station #1 will be recycled and the foundation will be reused elsewhere in the city. Will Huntsville Public Library be open during the renovation and expansion? For the most part, the library will remain open. There will of course be days when the utilities are being rerouted or the server is down that the library will have to close. On those days, the library staff will work off-site on library related projects. Will parking be a problem? It is expected that parking will be a problem; but until the contrac- tors submit their bids, we will not know the full extent. Parking op- tions are being evaluated and a drive-thru service will be offered for customers who know which titles they want to borrow. How will the drive-thru service work? With two hours notice, the staff will pull two items per customer and have them ready to be picked up at the door on the 14th Street side of the building. Just toot your horn and we will bring your items to your vehicle. See LIBRARY EXPANSION, page 4 City Librarian answers questions about Huntsville Public Library renovation, expansion H.B. Toney Fire Station #4 completed Over the last several months, the City of Huntsville has made significant strides in not only the con- struction and completion of the H.B. Toney Memo- rial Fire Station #4, but also on the Huntsville Public Library project. According to Project Manager Tom Weger, Fire Sta- tion #4 was completed in June, and a grand open- ing ceremony has been slated for July 23. ―The H.B. Toney Memorial Fire Station #4 has its certificate of occupancy and is now open,‖ Weger said June 30. ―I feel like we ended up with a very nice building, and we came in several thousand dol- lars under budget.‖ Huntsville Fire Chief Tom Grisham also said he was pleased with the new fire station. ―Our new station is very usable, and it flows very well with the fire and EMS system we have,‖ Grisham said June 30. ―We’re very pleased with the outcome of the building, and we’re very grateful to the architect, Joiner Associates, the contractor, Teal Construction, and to Weger.‖ Grisham said the grand opening ceremony will be open to the public and will include appearances by both City and County dignitaries. ―At the grand opening ceremony, we’ll give people a chance to tour the new station,‖ Grisham said. ―We’ll also present a memorial monument for H.B. Toney.‖ Demolition at the expansion site of the Huntsville Public Library has also continued during recent months, and Weger said the entities completing the demolition have worked quickly and efficiently. ―The demolition of the EMS building, the old Fire Station #1 and the records building is nearing completion,‖ he said. ―The Christian Community Construction Team dismantled the records build- ing, and they will use some of the remaining mate- rials on their non-profit projects. ―As well, Mecozzi Heavy Equipment – the demoli- tion contractor for the remaining fire station and EMS buildings – will complete their work within the next week.‖ Weger said the bid opening for construction would be held on July 7 at 2 p.m. at City Hall, and an item will be placed on the City Council agenda for July 20 to approve a contractor. ―Hopefully, we’ll have a contractor on-site in early August, and on that schedule, I see the construc- tion process being completed in about one year,‖ Weger said. Page 2 City Connection July 2010 Understanding the Budget Process - Submitted by City of Huntsville Finance Director Winston Duke During the budget process, a role of the Finance Depart- ment is to estimate tax revenues that are dependent upon values established by the Walker County Appraisal District. Values are provided by the District during the summer budget process and are then used to calculate tax revenues for the upcoming fiscal year, 2010-2011. The Walker County Appraisal District assesses property values annually and certifies the taxable value to the city and other governmental taxing entities in the latter part of July. Properties are assessed at market valuation by various property categories. Exemptions such as those for homestead and agricultural use are applied and sub- tracted from the value. Commercial property may have exemptions applied as those for abatements or other trade designations. The resulting value of market less exemptions provides the taxable value. Values frozen for those properties owned by people over-65 are con- sidered in the Appraised values submitted by the district. The Appraisal Board also may consider values under pro- test in their determination of taxable value. In understanding the effect on an individual’s taxes, one should know that any particular property may have an increase or decrease in taxes depending on their particu- lar situation. Have there been more or fewer exemp- tions? Have there been property improvements? Has the value of the individual property risen or fallen? A single property may rise when the overall valuation has gone down, and vice versa. Therefore the city may be publishing notice of an increase or decrease, and the opposite may be happening with a single property. The Appraisal District collects taxes on behalf of the city pursuant to a contract and also reports on the effective and rollback rate, with the calculations approved by the Finance Department. These rates are published after certification at the beginning of August. The effective rate is approximately the value providing the same revenue as in the current year with the new tax valuations. If overall property values go down, then the effective rate will rise to allow the city to achieve the same level of tax revenues. If values rise, the effective rate will decline since there is a greater tax base to col- lect the same revenue dollars. The value of new prop- erty added to the role for the first time is excluded from the calculation. Essentially the effective rate is the measure to determine the rate that would give the city approximately the same revenues as in the prior year. The city may adopt the effective rate or another rate while following rules prescribed for adopting the budget. If the same rate is adopted, the city will publish a tax increase with a rising overall valuation because more revenue will be collected, and a decrease with a falling valuation because less revenue will be collected. If the city exceeds the effective rate or may present a budget with property tax collections that exceed the rate, then the city must have two tax hearings and pub- lish notices as prescribed by the State Comptroller’s Of- fice. The Comptroller’s Office publishes rules regarding all hearings, and notices that includes such details as wording, headings, font sizes, placement in the newspa- per, and web notice requirements. The rollback rate is also published with the effective rate. The rollback rate is the rate at which the entity levying taxes is subject to a rollback of taxes upon peti- tioning by the public by a certain number of voters. Upon the determination of a successful petition, the city will call an election for the public to decide whether the taxes will be reduced. The rollback rate is generally considered an increase of 8%; however, it is an increase of 8% over the effective rate. The effective rate may be higher or lower than the rate adopted for the current year, and so the rollback rate may be less or more than 8% over the current rate. To consider the budget, the City Council holds budget workshops that are open to the public. A budget hear- ing is required before adoption. The adoption of the budget and setting of the tax rate are approved by ordi- nance as separate agenda items. The Huntsville Aquatic Center summer schedule is now in effect! On Tuesday - Friday from 12 p.m. - 8 p.m. and Saturday - Sunday from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Day Passes are available for $2 for guests over 12, for $1.50 for ages 6 - 11, and free for kids 5 and under. Season passes are also available for $40 for 12 and up, and $30 for ages 6-11. Family season passes will also be available for $100 for up to 4, with an additional $20 each after first four. Swim lessons will be available for children 3 and over from July 12-23 at 8 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. for $35. (Registration open from June 28, and the deadline to register for the July 12-23 class is July 8.) Junior Guard will be available from July 26-30 from 9 a.m.-11a.m. for ages 11-15 for $10 Water Aerobics will be available on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. - noon and on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. - 9 p.m for ages 18 and over for $35 a year. For more information, call Aquatic Center Manager Jay Miller at 936-291-5433. Page 3 City Connection July 2010 Huntsville residents are encouraged to begin preparing for the upcoming hurricane season, anticipated to last through November. According to John Waldo, City of Huntsville EMC, family and household preparation are important parts of getting through the hurricane season safely, and it is never too early to collect needed items. ―Hurricane season takes place from June through November, and you need to be prepared,‖ Waldo said. ―Knowing the steps to take during a disaster – whether that disaster is flooding, tornadoes or hurricanes – can greatly reduce the danger and distress your family may face. ―Above all, having a plan is one of the most important steps you can take in disaster preparedness. Knowing what to do and how to do it can help your family manage disasters with less Hurricane Season 2010: Are You Prepared? Reminder to residents to prepare for June to November hurricane season worry, fear and uncertainty. Citizens should begin making their own preparations for the 2010 hurricane season as soon as possible.‖ Waldo said individual preparedness can include developing or updating a personal disaster plan as well as as- sembling an emergency supply kit. Typically, emergency supply kits will allow individuals to sustain them- selves for three to seven days. They include items like food, cash, a first- aid kit, extra prescription medica- tions, hygiene items, copies of im- portant documents, a battery - powered radio, a flashlight, extra batteries and keys, tools, and a NOAA Weather Radio. Families are also advised to store enough water to provide each family member with one gallon of water per day. ―Having an emergency plan and a disaster kit will help you manage in almost every kind of crisis, and there are numerous web sites which will assist individuals in the development of a personal disaster plan and emergency kit,‖ Waldo said. ―The American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Manage- ment Agency both have excellent information to offer online. ―Waiting until a storm enters the Gulf of Mexico may be too late to make adequate preparations. The time is now to start making prepa- rations to ensure you, and your family, are ready if a disaster should occur.‖ For more information, contact Waldo at (936) 291-5945. Additional information on emer- gency supply kits is also available at www.redcross.org or www.fema.gov. ELKINS LAKE RECYCLING PILOT TOTALS Recycling Tonnage - Truck #375-098 Recycling Tonnage - Truck #375-097 RECYCLING TOTAL Tonnage Cart Set-Out Count Daily Average Cart Set- Out Rate Thursday, January 7 6.39 2.73 9.12 712 57% Thursday, January 21 5.71 2.26 7.97 786 64% Thursday, February 4 5.84 2.52 8.36 772 63% Thursday, February 18 4.97 2.41 7.38 751 61% Thursday, March 4 5.26 2.52 7.78 768 62% Thursday, March 18 5.38 1.94 7.32 761 61% Thursday, April 1 5.78 2.64 8.42 812 65% Thursday, April 15 5.39 2.57 7.96 852 68% Thursday, May 6 7.47 3.65 11.12 864 69% Thursday, May 20 5.59 2.73 8.32 712 57% Thursday, June 3 5.56 2.49 8.05 765 61% Thursday, June 17 5.53 2.45 7.98 694 55% TOTALS 68.87 30.91 99.78 N/A N/A Average 5.74 2.58 8.32 771 62% Recycling Totals The six-month City of Huntsville Recycling Pilot program held in the Elkins Lake neighborhood resulted in the following total tonnage and participation levels. The pilot was held from January 7, 2010 through June 17, 2010. The total amount of recyclables collected throughout the pilot was 99.78 tons. Page 4 City Connection July 2010 Calendar July 2010 3 Recycling Pick-up in Elkins Lake 6 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M 7 Yard Waste Trimming Collection - no call in required 14 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste Collection — call in required to (936) 294-5796 17 Recycling Pick-up in Elkins Lake 20 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M 21 Yard Waste Trimming Collection - no call in required 28 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste Collection — call in required August 2010 3 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M 4 Yard Waste Trimming Collection - no call in required 5 Recycling Pick-up in Elkins Lake 11 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste Collection — call in required 17 City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 1212 Avenue M 18 Yard Waste Trimming Collection - no call in required 19 Recycling Pick-up in Elkins Lake 25 Heavy Trash & Large Yard Waste Collection— call in required Please note: All requests for Heavy Trash pick-up must be made no later than noon on Monday, the week of the pick-up. Police:Police:Police: Calls for service: 3649 Accidents investigated: 74 Animal Control complaints investigated: 74 Fire:Fire:Fire: Calls for service: 93 Main alarm calls: 13 LIBRARY EXPANSION (continued from page 1) What about library programs? Most adult programming is already held at City Hall and we will continue using City Hall until the new meeting rooms open in the Library. The children’s programs may also be moved to City Hall as well. Reading is Fundamental and the Texas Reading Club will be adjusted as needed. Will any of the regular library services be changed? Staff expects to continue business as usual. You can still borrow materials from other libraries (Interlibrary Loans), we will still take suggestions for new titles, and we will still place items on hold for customers who want a book that has been borrowed. The online catalog and web based services will still be available at www.MyHuntsvilleLibrary.com. We will still answer reference questions in person, by phone or email. Is anything else going to change? The walls on the east and west sides of the building will come down at some point and temporary walls will be built inside the existing library. To make room for these walls, the books, DVDs, audiobooks, and everything else that makes up the collection will be moved closer together on the shelves. Some pieces of the collection will be placed in storage until the new library is complete. The top shelves will be used for storage of supplies and other materials essential to running a library. Staff will be moved as neces- sary. Where can I see a copy of the plans for the new li- brary? Plans will be on display in the Friends of Huntsville Public Library’s’ booth at the Demi-Semi-Sept- Centennial celebration on July 12.