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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEuless Today Budget Edition 2006-2007200612007 Budget WON A word from the Mayor The City of Euless 201 N. Ector Drive Euless, Texas 76039 817-685-1400 www.euless.org t is an exciting time as we begin rebuilding the old and celebrating new developments throughout our home of Euless, Texas. Euless has continued on a course to prepare us for future growth and development. With more and more people discovering what we already know: Euless is becoming a thriving business community with a hometown feel. Increases in health insurance, utility costs and fuel offered many financial challenges to residents and businesses alike, but the City of Euless continues to weather these challenges and maintain a strong fiscal position. Euless' tax rate will be lowered to .489U per 100 of assessed value, which is slightly lower than the previous rate of .491777. This is the eleventh consecutive year that the tax rate has either been maintained or reduced. With a population of 52,900, the City of Euless 2006-07 general fund budget includes expenditures of $28,640,584. This provides for three additional firefighters/paramedics that will enable the City to fully staff a third ambulance to reduce response times and provide better coverage for emergency response. Other public safety enhancements include the addition of three public safety dispatchers to enable the City to continue to provide enhanced emergency medical dispatching of 911 calls. Emergency Medical Dispatch allows the dispatcher to instruct the caller on life- saving medical techniques while the ambulance is en route. Other new positions include a juvenile case manager and court clerk position, as well as an upgrade of a part-time accountant to full-time. No debt issuance is planned during the upcoming year. (continued on next page) --------------------------------------------------------- The City of Euless offers the following exemptions and deferrals for homeowners: • Homestead Exemption of 20% • Senior Exemption of $35,000 for residents age 65 and older • Freeze the property tax for homeowners at age 65 or disabled. The owner of a house valued at $100,000, who has the 20% homestead exemption, would pay $391.60 in City taxes annually. Senior citizens with the same value would pay $220.27 annually. For more information about exemptions or freezes, please contact Tarrant Appraisal District. Dear Citizens, The city of Euless has had an excellent year for 2006. Our sales taxes were up and property valuations increased for some citizens. Generally, most of your property taxes will remain the same or go Mayor Mary Lib Saleh down slightly. If the value of your home has increased, your taxes may go up. The City Council, once again, will lower the tax rate which we have continued to do since 1994. The City Council consistently studies the budget carefully and plans for the future while offering good services to our citizens and keeping a safe reserve fund. We have several new programs and projects this year which are listed under "Budget Highlights." We are able to provide our employees a pay raise and health benefits. Our employees are our most valuable asset and constantly work to serve you better. Our last two major road projects are coming along nicely. Pipeline Road will be open in late October. Glade Road is under construction and is a joint project with the city of Grapevine. Continuing with our arterial streets and drainage projects is of utmost importance. You can see the streets that are scheduled to be improved in 2007 by going to the city website. The city will add three additional firefighter/ paramedics to complete the three-year program of adding three firefighters a year. This will give us the opportunity to man an additional ambulance. We will also add three more public safety dispatchers. As our population grows, we will continue to provide the safety measures needed. There are several park improvements included, as well as a planned dog park that many of you have requested. Our mission is to provide our citizens the most efficient services possible that protect and enhance quality of life, through planning and visionary leadership. Your City Council and staff work diligently to remain true to our Mission. (continued from front page) Euless is open for business and gaining new development which totaled $55,724,905 during 2006 bringing the City's total taxable value to $2,435,771,847, an increase of 6.72% over the prior year. The Trinity River Authority (TRA) has proposed increases to both the water and sewer rates in December. Water rates are proposed to increase lU and sewer rates are proposed to increase by 15C City Council will not take any action on these proposed increases until November when we receive notice from TRA. The water and sewer fund budget includes proposed expenditures of $16,350,188. This provides for approximately $1 million dollars of water and sewer line replacement to keep the infrastructure sound. THE 2006 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS PROGRAM INCLUDES: • A new dog park • Parking lot lighting at the Preserve • Shade structures at the tee ball fields at the Parks at Texas Star • Drainage improvements and street overlay • Traffic signal and street lighting improvements • Midway Park trail additions with lighting, landscaping and benches • Park pavilion and gazebo improvements in several parks • Security upgrades for Heritage Park • Rubberized indoor running track at Midway Recreation Center • Public safety equipment "Euless employees work very hard with a dedication to excellence and a vision for the future. With commitment to the people of Euless firmly in mind, we will continue to deliver high quality service which our citizens deserve," said City Manager Joe Hennig. ---------------------------------------------------- PHONE NUMBERS TO KNOW Tarrant Appraisal District 817-284-0024 www.tad.org Tarrant County Tax Assessor 817-884-1100 www.tarrantcounty.com/etax Tarrant County College 817-515-8223 www.tccd.edu John Peter Smith (JPS) Hospital 817-921-3431 www.jpshealthnet.org HEB ISD 817-283-4461 www.hebisd.edu Grapevine/Colleyville ISD 817-488-9588 www.gcisd-k12.org General Fund Expend res - $28,040,584 Total Expenditures Admin/ Development (16%) Public Works (4%) Fire (20%) Community Services 1 (7%) Where Do Your To Dollars Go? City of 1 (18°/ Tarrant County Hospital (9%) Tarrant County College Non -departmental Z (19%) Capital (8%) Police (26%) Tarrant County ,,—) *HEBISD - $1.597. GCISD - $1.570 Where Does Your Sales Tax Go? i8%) For every dollar of taxable sales in Euless, an 8.25% sales tax is levied. The State of Texas collects 6.25% and the remaining 2% is used by the City of Euless as follows: Crime Cont and Prevent District (0.25%) Library, Par and Econon Developmer (0.5%) Property Tax Reduction (0.25%) Fund (1%) ----------------------------------------------------- If you have questions or comments about this edition of Euless Today, please contact Betsy Boyett at 817-685-1821. T M E C I T Y O F The official publicallon of EUS;#ESS