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HomeMy WebLinkAboutreporter.jul06A new web tool launched by the City provides a neighborhood-spe- cific window on police “calls for service.” For the first time, anyone with access to the internet can see police call statis- tics for any area in Georgetown by clicking on a color-coded neighborhood map, or by enter- ing an intersec- tion or address. The online tool is called CADmine, a name which refers to the Computer Aided Dispatch applica- tion used by Georgetown Police Department 9-1- 1 communication operators. Users cannot view names, addresses, phone numbers, or other personal information relat- ed to an incident. Statistics shown on the site are for calls for service by type of call and do not necessarily represent confirmed crimes. Information from January 2005 to the present is available on the site, which can be searched for data over the last 12 months or the last week. The police calls for an area are dis- played in “call type” categories such as burglary-auto, disturbance, or suspicious person. Traffic stops such as speeding tickets are not included. However, traffic-related arrests such as DUI or driving with a suspended Police Call Data Now Online license are included in the “traffic offense” category. The Information Technology Department worked with the Georgetown Police Department and the software ven- dors to develop the CADmine site. Each day, the IT depart- ment verifies that data have been uploaded from the CAD system to the website. In addition to the public site, Georgetown police officers can log into a secure CADmine interface to view more complete information and perform statisti- cal analysis. Lt. Patrick Hurley, the information technology manager for the police department, says many people have been using the site since it was announced. After two news stories about CADmine, web hits on the public site jumped to 8,000 in 12 days, compared to a few hundred each month previously. To use CADmine, go to the Georgetown Police Department page on the City website at www.georgetown.org. Instructions will guide users in various kinds of searches. © City of Georgetown, 2006 VOL.4 • NO.7 A Publication of the City of Georgetown July 2006 Georgetown police officers with the bike patrol unit recently tested a prototype mountain bike manufac- tured by Fallbrook Technologies, a research and development company in the area. The bike features a patented transmission that replaces a traditional set of gears and derailleur with a “continuously variable plane- tary” transmission using rotating spheres and rings to allow for seam- less shifting. Officer Jim Seals says, “The shifting was easy to use. The bike would work well for events like the 4th of July where there is a large crowd and a lot of starting and stop- ping or changing speed.” Officer Jack Lacy, shown with the bike, also gave it a test ride. The patented transmission has applications not only for bicycles, but potentially any device with a transmission such as A Smooth Shift Police officers test new bike wind turbines or industrial equip- ment. Learn more at www.fallbrook- tech.com.This cropped portion of this CADmine screen shows the first of many categories, all listed alphabetically. Each year on the first Tuesday in August, people in Georgetown and in other communities across the nation organize neighborhood block parties in recognition of National Night Out. The Georgetown Police Department is organizing the 10th National Night Out event this year to be held on Tuesday, August 1 from 7 – 9 p.m. “One of the best deterrents against crime is a neighborhood where peo- ple know each other, check on each other, and care about each other,” says Officer Jim Seals, coordinator for this year’s event. “Though we are growing, Georgetown still has one of the lowest crime rates in Texas. By keeping neighborhoods connected, we can continue to be one of the safest cities in the state.” Applications to register neighbor- hood block parties can be found online at www.georgetown.org, or can be picked up at the Police Department at 809 Martin Luther King, Jr. Street. Call Officer Seals at (512) 930-2597 for details. Contact persons for homeowner and neigh- borhood associations also are encouraged to call Karen Frost in the Planning and Development at (512) 930-2545, or email her at kfrost@georgetowntx.org. National Night Out on August 1 Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org The City of Georgetown moved to a double-A bond rating for the first time in April when new ratings were issued by Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s Investors Service. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services upgraded the City’s bond rating from an A+ to an AA- in an assess- ment that described the City’s “strong financial management poli- cies that have resulted in a consis- tent diversification of its revenue stream and increasingly high reserves.” The rating places Georgetown among the smallest cities in Texas to achieve a score in the AA range, according to Ted Chapman, credit analyst with Standard & Poor’s in Dallas. Other cities with an AA- rat- ing from S&P include Houston, Lubbock, Waco, Denton, Killeen, Round Rock, and College Station. Citing an “expanding tax base” and “strong financial performance,” Moody’s assigned an Aa3 bond rat- ing to the City. The previous bond rating from Moody’s was A1. “The upgrade to double-A means that the City will save more than $180,000 this year due to the lower cost of debt issuances,” says Micki Rundell, the City’s finance & administration director. City Manager Paul Brandenburg says that the elimination of utility fund transfers to balance the budget, as well as fiscal discipline to hold the line on new spending, were impor- tant factors in the good report card from the rating agencies. Control Tower Going Up at Airport Utility customers will be receiving a copy of the Water Quality Report for 2005 with this utility bill. Two addenda to the report: 1. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality completed an assessment of the City’s source water and results indicate that some of Georgetown’s sources are suscep- tible to certain contaminants. The sampling requirements for the City’s water system are based in part on contaminants identified in the source water assessment, and previ- ous sampling data. The presence of contaminants is reported in the Water Quality Report, if detected. 2. The use of treated surface water in Georgetown’s system requires that the City inform customers of the type and amount of disinfectant used. The maximum allowable level of disinfection in the system is 4 parts per million. The City uses chloramine and chlorine disinfection with an average disinfection level of 1.9 ppm. The minimum and maxi- mum amounts detected in 2005 were 0.3 ppm and 3.4 ppm, respec- tively. For more information on drinking water quality, please contact Georgetown Utility Systems at (512) 930-3555. More than 50,000 people are expected to attend or participate in the Games of Texas, which are being held in Williamson County July 21-23 and 27-30. To host the 20 amateur sporting events at 25 locations across the County, includ- ing Georgetown, more than 1,000 volunteers will be needed for regis- Georgetown Among Smallest Cities With AA Bond Rating The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of Georgetown Public Information Office located in City Hall, 113 E. Eighth Street, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. For questions or comments, contact Keith Hutchinson, Public Information Officer for the City of Georgetown at (512) 930-3690, or by email at pio@georgetowntx.org. tration, concessions, scorekeeping, traffic flow, ushering, event setup and cleanup and scores of other duties. To volunteer or get more information on volunteering, call the Round Rock Volunteer Center at (512) 388-4575 or visit www.vol- rock.org. July 4 Holiday City offices closed Pools open 1 – 7 p.m. Normal trash collection Water Quality Report for 2005: Addendum The Federal Aviation Administration will pay the salaries for the air traffic controllers in the tower, as well as $1.5 million toward the cost of the tower. An additional $517,000 of the cost for construction and for equipment will be paid by the Airport fund, which comes from revenues generated at the Airport such as hangar rents, sales tax from aviation businesses, land leases, and fuel sales. If you drive past the general aviation Georgetown Municipal Airport this summer, you will begin to see a new air traffic control tower rising above the trees near the terminal. Fazzone Construction Company from Cedar Park is building the 60-foot control tower, a process that is expected to take several months. Engineering firm PBS&J designed the tower. Currently, the Georgetown Airport is an “uncontrolled” field with no air traffic controllers to regulate take-offs and landings. That means it is up to each pilot to communi- cate their position via radio and to use their eyes to make sure the coast is clear. When the tower opens next year, it will create a controlled air space above the Airport in which pilots will communicate with air traffic controllers in the tower in order to take off or land. Volunteers Needed for Games of Texas