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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter November 2010© City of Georgetown, 2010 VOL. 8 • NO. 11 A Publication of the City of Georgetown November 2010 Nov. 2 Election: Street Maintenance Sales Tax Daylight Savings Time ends Nov. 7 The Georgetown Fire Department reminds you to change your smoke detector batteries Thanksgiving Holiday City offices closed Nov. 25 – 26 No solid waste or recycling collection on Nov. 25 only (Thanksgiving Day) Thursday slides to Friday. Friday slides to Saturday. GeorgetownHoliday.com What’s happening in Georgetown for the holidays? Go to www.GeorgetownHoliday.com for a listing of festivals, performances, and events sure to make this a hometown holiday to remember. Georgetown, nor does it affect the property tax rate. The one-quarter-of-one-cent sales tax can be used only for curb-to- curb street maintenance. It is a dedi- cated sales tax that cannot be used Georgetown is one of only four cities statewide to receive gold-level certification as a Scenic City. In September, City leaders received the award from Scenic Texas, a nonprof- it organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of our state’s visual environment. This is the inaugural year of the Scenic City certification program. Cities applying for Scenic City certi- fication were judged on a wide range of scenic elements such as parks and trails, litter and graffiti control, and development code requirements for building design, tree protection, landscaping, street lighting, signs, utility lines, and parkland dedication. “Becoming a Scenic City is the result of local government’s smart decisions regarding the develop- ment, re-development and growth of its community,” says Anne Culver, executive vice president of Scenic Texas. Georgetown is one of 14 cities in Texas to achieve Scenic City certification and one of only four at the gold level, which was the highest level awarded this year. For more details about the award, go to sceniccitycertification.org. for other purposes. Revenue cannot be used for new road construction or for hike and bike trails. The sales tax is collected from every- one who shops in Georgetown, unlike property taxes that are col- lected only from home and business owners in the City. Since 1994, the City’s street net- work has grown 143 percent from 222 lane miles to 540 lane miles. Since 2003, funds from the 0.25 percent sales tax have been used to improve and resurface streets in all areas of town. To see a map of street maintenance projects funded by the tax, go to cip.georgetown.org. The early voting period for the Nov. 2 election is Oct. 18 – 29. For information about polling locations and hours in the early voting period or on Election Day, go to the City’s website at www.georgetown.org. Georgetown residents have just one municipal item on the November 2 ballot. That proposition is related to funding for city streets. The City’s 0.25 percent sales tax for street maintenance, also called the quarter-cent sales tax, was first approved by 57 percent of Georgetown voters in 2002 and was reauthorized by 72 percent of Georgetown voters in 2006. The sales tax has a four-year sunset clause unless it is reauthorized, according to state law. The November ballot item does not increase the sales tax rate in A Gold-Level Scenic City Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org This year the Georgetown Public Library is celebrating its tenth year of holiday “gingerbread” contests. Last year we changed the name of the competition—it’s become an Edible Construction Extravaganza—but the concept remains the same. The only restrictions are that all building mate- rials must be edible and entries should not exceed 18 inches deep by 18 inches wide. Transport and dis- play will be much more successful if your entry is on a firm base. The Edible Construction Extravaganza includes four categories for original designs made by one person: age 8 and younger, age 9-12, age 13-17, and age 18 and older. There is also a category for original designs made by two or more persons and a cat- egory for entries made from kits, including enhanced designs. Georgetown Public Library Edible Construction Extravaganza Farmers Markets Sun City Market,Tuesdays 9 a.m. to Noon, 2 Texas Drive in Social Center parking lot. Georgetown Market,Thursdays 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. in San Gabriel Park, on E. Morrow Street (across from Bob’s Catfish). The Palace Theater Scrooge. The Musical, Nov. 19 – Dec. 30 Details at GeorgetownPalace.com, or call (512) 869-7469. First Friday, November 5 Downtown live music, shops and restaurants are open late. See the Downtown Georgetown Association website at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Winners of the inaugural Best of Georgetown awards will be announced—see contest details at Shop.Georgetown.org. Market Days, November 13 Chili Cookoff and Beer Garden, handmade arts and crafts, food, and more on the Square from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chili and beer served starting at noon. The Scarlet Band performs 2:30 to 4 p.m. Details at TheGeorgetownSquare.com. Lighting of the Square, November 26 Carolers, cookies, and hot chocolate as Georgetown lights the historic Square for the holiday season at 6 p.m. November Events The Georgetown City Reporter is a publication of the City of GeorgetownPublic Communications Department, P.O. Box 409, Georgetown, Texas, 78627. For questions or comments, contact KeithHutchinson, public communications director at (512) 930-3690, or by email at keith.hutchinson@georgetown.org. In September, the city council final- ized the budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year, which started on October 1. The approved property tax rate of 35.622 cents per $100 valuation is unchanged for the third year and is one of the lowest in Texas. The total budget for the 2010/2011 fiscal year is $187 mil- lion, a decrease of 2.1 percent from the prior year. The budget includes 22.5 frozen positions and a 2.5 per- cent cost-of-living increase for non- public safety employees. Public safe- ty employees will receive regular step increases in salary. Blue Santa Elves and Friends Entries will be accepted December 3, 4, 5, and 6, from 9 a.m. (noon on Sunday) until one-half hour before closing (5:30 on Friday, 4:30 on Saturday and Sunday and 7:30 on Monday). Winners will be selected by public voting, which will take place December 7 through 14. Prizes for all categories will be $25 gift cards. Several projects from the 2008 road and parks bond election are in the budget. Road projects totaling $9.8 million include a segment of Southeast Arterial 1, routing and engineering work for the Southwest Bypass, engineering for improve- ments at FM 971 and Austin Avenue, and right-of-way for the widening of FM 1460. Parks proj- ects totaling $2.6 million include design work for the amphitheater in San Gabriel Park and an extension of the hike and bike trail along the San Gabriel River. For more details on the 2010/2011 budget, go to www.georgetown.org. Property Tax Rate Unchanged Donate $15 or more to Georgetown Blue Santa and you’ll receive a col- lectable Blue Santa Elf lapel pin to show that you are a Blue Santa Elf! Blue Santa is a volunteer program of the Georgetown Police Department providing toys to more than 1,500 children in need in Georgetown each year. Make a business donation and desig- nate your workplace a Friend of Blue Santa. In return, receive a spe- cial decal for your storefront and a recognition plaque. Get all the details on Blue Santa Elves, Friends of Blue Santa, and other ways you can support Blue Santa in Georgetown at bluesanta.georgetown.org. High Demand for Food, Utility Bill Help This year hundreds of families have turned to The Caring Place for food and utility bill or rent assistance due to a medical hardship, job loss, or unexpected crisis. In August, an average of 59 people each day came to The Caring Place for food. When flooding from Tropical Storm Hermine affected more than 100 Georgetown homes and businesses in September, families whose homes and possessions were destroyed turned to The Caring Place for help with food and clothing. The Caring Place provides as much as $15,000 in utility bill assistance each month to families facing a crisis in the Georgetown area. The Good Neighbor Fund check-off on your utility bill collects only a fraction of that amount in $1 donations. The Caring Place uses revenue from other sources like the thrift store to help make up the difference. A monthly donation of $1 to the Good Neighbor Fund or a donation to The Caring Place helps families whose homes were devastated by flooding or who face a serious crisis.