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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMayor's Newsletter 2nd Quarter MAYOR ' S NEWSLETTER CITY OF EULESS 2ND QUARTER 1981 DEAR CITIZENS : The City Council will hold our third and final budget worksession on the weekend of July 25th. City Staff and Council will consider final anticipated revenue and expenses for the period of October 1981 through September 1982. At this time it appears the budget will be very tight; how- ever Staff and Council do not want a tax increase. We will first consider a reduction in some services if the anticipated income will not cover anticipated expenses. We do feel a salary in- crease is a must for the City's employees, and except for monies necessary to provide for this increase, other increases will be kept to a minimum. Fuel , utilities, chemicals, uniforms, post- age, and printing are a few of the City' s major costs that have increased at a much faster rate than our tax base has grown. A Public Hearing will be called for August 25th or September 8th to present the 1981-82 Budget in its final draft form. If a tax increase of any consequence is required for a balanced budget next year, I would like to see our Citizens have a voice to in- dicate which services they would be willing to eliminate in order to reduce spending for the next twelve months. This could be done through several public hearings or a Referendum Election. Frankly, I feel we can provide a "balanced budget" without a tax increase, and the Council Staff will work to that end. 40 A number of Euless Citizens are concerned with SotoGrande Corporation's sale of eight acres of property, including Clubhouse, swimming pool , and tennis courts, to the City of Bedford. The owner has made no offer to the Euless City Council for Euless to purchase this facility. Bedford City Manager Jim Walker told our City Manager of the impending sale at noon of the day Bedford was to consider the purchase at their evening Council meeting. We have also been told through newspapers that Bedford would offer to sell Euless one-half interest for their actual cost. At this time we do not have Park Bond Funds available without a tax increase to pay off these bonds. Euless City Attorney is researching to see if the original zoning ordinance will be violatedb the sale of this portion of the SotoGrande Complex. The City's main concern is the loss of most $1 million in tax valuation, which will result in approximately $8,000 loss of annual to revenues. Euless Park & Recreation Board is studying the fees charged at swimming pools and other recrea- tional facilities; however, no changes in fees are likely to be made this Summer. The three pools lost almost $50,000 during last year's operation, and with other costs going up, the City is trying to keep the pool losses to a minimum. Tarrant County Waste Disposal , which serves Euless and other area cities , has recently named Mr. "Buck" Hubbard (who is also the Mayor of Colleyville) as their General Manager. Both City Manager Sustaire and I have visited with Mayor Hubbard, andfind him to be very interested in pro- viding the type service that most of our citizens desire and expect. He recently informed me that the company is purchasing over $200,000 in new equipment to improve service levels. TCWD is going to provide a large disposal unit for location near City Hall in an effortto help keep our community clean. This will provide a pick-up site for items too large to place at the curb. We do request that our Citizens not fill the unit to over-flowing since the excess may fall blow out of the unit as it travels to the dump site. More information regarding the locatio®r will follow in local newpapers. Pickup days effective August 1st are to facilitate a more efficient use of equipment. EAST of Hwy. 157 - Tuesday and Friday; WEST of Hwy. 157 - Wednesday and Saturday; Morrisdale area - Monday and Thursday. Several persons have asked about the 50Q donation for Community Betterment which appears on the City's monthly utility billings. Prior to going on our new system of billing, which allowed a brief explanation of the donation on the bill , I had included something regarding the donation in at least one Newsletter and twice in local newspapers . Initial monies will be spent in providing more Senior Citizen activities in conjunction with the Parks & Recreation Board. The Council intends that 100% of the funds collected be spent directly for Citizen programs and services. No administrative costs will be deducted, and we plan to give you details as any monies are actually spent. All funds collected are being deposited into a special Community Betterment account within the City's general fund, and none have been spent to date. If any r citizen objects to allowing such a donation, we trust they will feel free to remove before paying the regular utility charges. No record is being kept, nor are City employees noting whether or not a person is making such a contribution. We would rather have your good will and other support than the monies that 50Q ($6.00 per year) per customer will provide. On a regular basis, City Manager Sustaire and other Staff members provide the City Council with certain information in an Administrative Report. Here is some of the information regularly presented. FIRE DEPARTMENT: No major fires were reported in May. Department personnel spent 656 hours training, 508 hours on equipment maintenance, 418 hours on station maintenance, 155 hours on inspections, 11 hours on fire prevention, and 92 hours on fire emergency calls. INSPECTION DEPARTMENT: New Residential Permits issued numbered 28, with 13 Commercial and 9 miscellaneous permits issued, for a total of $3,580,227. LIBRARY: The Summer Reading Club began June 1st. A variety of other Summer programs aimed go our youth were put into effect. (These were listed in detail in the Report. ) Several new videocassette tapes were added to the Library. POLICE DEPARTMENT: The total number of offenses reported in May were 145 felonies and 186 misdemeanors, making a total of 331 offenses reported. Total number of offenses cleared in May were 70 felonies and 162 misdemeanors, making a total of 232 offenses cleared (70%). The total value of property stolen was $82,705, with $17,331 value of property being recovered. The police department answered 3,425 calls for service, issued 111 traffic violation warnings, and issued 289 traffic cions during the month of May. PUBLIC WORKS: The Street and Water Department was involved in 389 separate activities (listed in detail in the Report which totaled four pages). Some of these activities included repair of 47 street signs, 16 days sweeping streets, cleaning water and sewer lines, street overlaying, reading of meters, and setting new water meters. Over ten miles of streets have been overlayed this Summer, at a total cost of only $81,000, plus some City employees' time involved. County Commissioner Lyn Gregory assisted greatly in helping Euless hold the cost of this program to a minimum (less than $8500 per mile). We apolo- gize for the small gravel which is still on some streets. This will be a problem until there are several 100+ degree days which will soften the asphalt and allow most of the gravel to work into the street surface. After that time, the streets will again be swept for loose gravel. SERVICE CENTER AND ANIMAL SHELTER: Vehicles serviced regularly were 26, with 57 being additionally serviced for repairs. Animals picked up numbered 66, with only 19 being released to owners. Twenty-eight were adopted and 71 were released to the Tarrant County Humane Society. TRAFFIC SAFETY: Assistance was given to Arlington's Motorcycle Program; Bicycle Safety Programs and Safety Litterbags were presented in HEB Elementary Schools during May. The City of Euless is a member of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber works on a daily basis to en- courage new business development and location within our area. It has many business and community leaders as officers and committee chairpersons. Staff leadership is provided by Mike Skaggs, who serves as paid manager of the Chamber. One of th -lnovations begun after Mike became manager is the monthly publication, "The Chamber Spectrum." Since most of our Ci ns do not receive the "Spectrum," I have attached some of the information provided in the June issue. Sincerely, Harold D. Samuels Mayor Page Eight THE CHAMBER SPECTRUM June, 1981 Hurst-Euless-Bedford Business Barometer BUILDING PERMITS Residential Apr. 1981 Apr. 1980 1981 to date 1980 to date Change to date Hurst........................................... $ 341,562 $ 37,800 $ 1,124,205 $ 2,116,899 -47% Euless .......................................... $2,004,480 $ 218,240 $ 5,224,291 $ 2,596,445 +101% Bedford ...................................... $3,402,355 $5,853,997 $12,841,052 $16,804,711 -24% TOTAL ................I.............:......... $5,748,397 $6,072,615 $19,189,548 $21,518,055 +12% Commercial Hurst............................................ $ 823,000 $ 0 $ 5,473,101 $ 1,261,361 4-334% Euless .......................................... $ 352,200 $1,750,000 $ 2,528,015 $ 2,693,000 -4% Bedford ...................................... $ 377,481 $ 39,000 $ 5,278,161 $ 2,557,200 +145% TOTAL ........................................ $1,552,681 $1,789,000 $14,279,277 $ 6,461,561 -121% SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Apr. 1981 Apr. 1980 %of Change HEB ISD ................. 15,883 15,913 ON BANKS April 1981 April 1980 %of Change Bank Loans.......................................... $111,364,402 $100,255,089 +I I% Bank Assets ........................................ $212,796,250 $135,000,323 +15% POPULATION Bank Deposits .................................... $191,494,353 $167,525,746 +14% % NO.OF HOUSING SALES 1980 1981• change Residential Sales Apr. 1981 Apr. 1980 %of Change Hurst 31,449 35,700 +13.5% Euless Number of Sales.......................... 268 241 +10% Bedfo 23,927 26,250 +9.4% Bedford 20,827 23,500 +12.8% Total$Volume............................ $17,616,000 $14,900,000 +18% Average Price.............................. $ 65,700 $ 65,700 +6% 76,263 85,450 +10.8% wr Total Real Estate Sales Apra 1981 Apr. 1980 %of Change •Council of Governments estimate Number of Sales.......................... 284 255 +11% Total$Volume............................ $18,530,000 $15,428,000 f 20% Average Price.............................. $ 65,200 $ 60,500 +8% SALES TAX REVENUES April 1981 April 1980 1981 to date 1980 to date Change to date Hurst............................................ $408,445 $145,745 $1,311,348 $ 974,354 +34% Euless........................................... $106,501 $ 42,801 $ 288,021 $ 214,382 +34% Bedford....................................... $ 53,641 $ 22,939 $ 143,829 $ 92,020 +56% TOTAL ........................................ $568,587 $211,485 $1,743,198 $1,280,756 +36% BULK RATE Y/ <� U. S, POSTAGE PAID EULESS, TEXAS 76039 PERMIT NO. 28 201 N. ECTOR DRIVE EULESS,TEXAS 76039 O F ESCF J S N Q EULESS M J CHOICE, JOUR OPPORTUNITY �ti, C Iv( Mav^r H . D . Samue From: Kay Rainey Date: July 15 , 1981 Re: Mayor ' s Newsletter - 2nd Quarter - 1981 The Newsletter was delivered to the Euless post office on this date . Costs involved : Printing 5200 copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 240 . 90 Postage for 5039 pieces . . . . . . . . . . 443 . 43 TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 684 . 33 The ten copies you requested are in the attached envelope .