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HomeMy WebLinkAboutReporter June 08© City of Georgetown, 2008 VOL. 6 • NO. 6 A Publication of the City of Georgetown June 2008 assessment of factors related to starting a business. Georgetown’s “up-and-coming business scene” is thriving, according to the article, due to a business climate with low utility rates, low property tax rates, regional business-development efforts, and a planned conven- tion center. Lifestyle factors such as parks, cul- tural offerings, fes- Georgetown—No. 2 Place to Live and Launch in U.S. Citing Georgetown’s growing healthcare, life sciences, and technology sectors, Fortune Small Business magazine picked Georgetown as the no. 2 spot in the U.S. in a recent list of 100 Best Places to Live and Launch. The ranking is featured in the April 2008 issue. Among the 100 cities chosen, Georgetown was the only city to get a perfect score of 100 in the “launch” category, which is an For the third time in as many years, the City of Georgetown has increased its credit score, which lowers the cost of issu- ing municipal bonds. Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services raised the City’s bond rating to AA from a rating of AA- last year. A concurrent rating from Moody’s Investors Service was Aa3, which was unchanged from last year. The rating upgrade from S&P will mean approximately $415,000 in savings for cur- rent and re-financed debt, according to Garry Kimball, senior vice president with First Southwest Company. Kimball, who represents the City on the bond market, delivered the good news to the City Council at the April 22 meeting. The rating upgrade to AA is “the gift that keeps on giving,” according to Kimball, because it affects present and future bonds. “That does translate into hard dollar savings.” In the rating upgrade report for Georgetown, S&P noted, “The combination of property tax base growth and a diverse revenue stream has kept the city’s tax rate among the region’s lowest at 36 cents per $100 of AV [assessed valua- tion] for fiscal 2008.” To reduce your summer usage, do outdoor watering no more often than every five days. Use the 5-Day Voluntary Watering Schedule on the City website at 5day.Georgetown.org. City Bond Rating Jumps to AA Independence Day Holiday Friday, July 4 City offices closed Normal trash pickup To encourage wise water usage and as part of our drought con- tingency plan, residential conser- vation water rates for the City of Georgetown are in effect for utility bills mailed from June 1 to October 31. For customers billed monthly, these rates will be in effect for usage during the months of May through October. For details on water rates, go to georgetown.org. Water Conservation Rates in Effect tivals, low crime rate, and the natural beauty of the area also helped Georgetown achieve the no. 2 rank. “Georgetown’s biggest asset turned out to be the historic Victorian-era build- ings around the downtown square,” the article observes. The ranking follows recognition last fall when the city was rated the no. 1 place to retire in the U.S. in the seventh edition of Retirement Places Rated, a Frommer’s publication. To see the Fortune Small Business feature 100 Best Places to Live and Launch online, go to money.cnn.com/magazines/ fsb/bestplaces/2008. Dr. Louis Brousseau and Ed Miles with Quantum Logic Devices, a nanotech company at the Texas Life-sciences Commercialization Center in Georgetown. The company is developing devices the size of a thumb drive that can detect biological reactions with ultra- sensitive single electron transistors. Quick tests for flu, HIV, cancer, and a wide range of diseases are among the potential applications. Dr. Brousseau moved his business and his family to Georgetown last year. Discover the latest news about the city at www.georgetown.org With new hours on Sunday, the Georgetown Animal Shelter expands its prime weekend afternoon hours for pet adoptions. The shelter’s new public weekly hours are: Monday and Tuesday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday:closed Thursday and Friday: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 12 to 4 p.m. Georgetown Animal Shelter, 110 W.L. Walden Drive, (512) 930-3592, animalsvc@georgetowntx.org Alarm System Registration Reminder: As noted in the last issue of the City Reporter, alarm system registration applications and fees should be submitted by June 1, 2008. An additional penalty fee will be assessed for applications made after June 1. The requirement is for all new and existing residential alarms or commercial building alarms in the City Limits. Applications and information at Georgetown.org, or contact the Georgetown Police Department Alarm Unit at (512) 930-3505. Vouchers are now available for the safe disposal of old paint, used pool chemicals, computer monitors, and other household hazards. The vouchers allow City of Georgetown residential utility customers to dispose of house- hold hazards and electronic waste at the Williamson County Recycle Center at 495 County Road 156. The vouchers, available to City of Georgetown residential utility customers at any time, replace the annual collection days sponsored by the City in the past. Vouchers will cover 100 percent disposal costs for in-City customers and 50 percent of disposal costs for out-of-City customers. Vouchers are available online for customers who have signed up for online payment. When you get to the online payment page, click on the “Submit Service Request” link. You will be prompted to indicate the Type of Service. Please select “Household Hazardous Waste Voucher.” After submitting the request, please allow up to two business days for processing. You will receive an email confirmation. Paper vouchers also are available at the Utility Billing office in the Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Avenue, or at the Collection Station, 250 W.L. Walden Drive. Please bring a recent City of Georgetown utility bill and a photo ID. Vouchers must be presented at the Williamson County Recycle Center when disposing of products. Steven Saylor Summer Reading Program Throughout June and July the library will have special events every Tuesday and Wednesday, and occasionally on Thursdays, with the grand finale, which features Jungle Jill and the Jaybird Band, taking place Saturday, August 2. Texas Teens Read For teens age 13 – 18, Game On! TTR.08 will focus on all things playing and gaming in June and July. (TTR stands for Texas Teens Read.) A June kickoff event with Suzanne Harper and activities like climbing on a rock wall, making and launching rockets, hosting a murder mystery game, and playing in a DDR tournament and a Guitar Hero tournament. The Georgetown Public Library is located at 402 W. Eighth Street. For the complete summer schedule, see the library website at library.georgetown.org. For online payment or vouchers go to: georgetowntx.municipalonlinepayments.com New Vouchers for Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Air your opinions about A Twist at the End during a discussion session at St. John’s United Methodist Church on Wednesday evening, June 4. Contact Wayne Ewen at St. John’s (wayne@stjohnsumc.cc) for more information. Steven Saylor, author of A Twist at the End, will give a public talk at the Georgetown Public Library on June 11 at 7 p.m. The book was this year’s pick for the library’s one-city-one-book program, Georgetown Reads! With O. Henry as hero of this noir romance, A Twist at the End recounts the story of a number of grisly murders in Austin in 1885. Saylor’s novel has “everything you need for a riveting historical mystery...It’s all fascinating and provocative, like a good O. Henry story,” writes Liam Callanan in the New York Times Book Review. Georgetown Public Library Steven Saylor on June 11 Author of A Twist at the End The Georgetown City Reporteris a publication of the City of Georgetown Public InformationOffice located in City Hall, 113 E. Eighth Street, Georgetown, Texas, 78626. For questions or comments, contact KeithHutchinson, Public Information Officer for the City of Georgetown at (512) 930-3690, or by email at pio@georgetowntx.org. The City’s swimming pools will be open July 4 weekend. For details, see the Aquatics page at parks.georgetown.org. Georgetown Animal Shelter New Sunday Hours New Sunday Hours