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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovemberMayor Whitt F. Johnson (665-4755) - Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kelly (665-6486) Council Members Cullen A. Duke (665-6621), Janice H. Lang (668-6339), Jerry Nickell (669-4624) City Manager Michael-canner Volume 19, No. 11 3500 university Blvd. - Houston, Tees 77005 - 713-664-4441 November 1992 A Conservative Plan to Save Dollars in the Water Department For several years, the City has been losing revenue in the Water Department because of underground leakage of water lines and other non-billable causes. The measured volume of water pumped or produced during the year 1991 was 722,000,(XX) gallons and the measured volume of water sold was 570,000,000 gallons or a loss of 152,000,000 gallons of water unaccounted for. The direct cost of water lost through leaks and non-billable reasons is estimated to be $0.26 per thousand gallons. To correct this condition and provide other technical assistance concerning the Water Department, the City Council awarded an agreement to JBS .Associates, Inc., Houston, Texas for $22,000.00 to investigate, research and determine the cause of lost water revenue and make certain recommendations con- cerning metering, billing, rate schedule and other related prob- ' ;ms. The scope of JBS Associates, Inc. includes: 1. Evaluate the cost allocation factors to be used in as- signing costs to users in various classifications. User class will be reviewed by type of customer as well as meter size. 2. Analyze present models used to calculate records for use in rate process. 3. Analyze adequacy of current records for use in rate process. 4. Review current structure of user classifications. 5. Examine the rate design to determine if cost recovery is fair and equitable. 6. Submit recommendations for change in pricing. We need an efficient operation in the conservation of water before the City is mandated to connect into the City of Houston Water Supply on December 31, 1992. Comprehensive Capital Improvement Plan Water, Sewer, Drainage and Streets This City Council and previous ones have considered the desirability of developing a Comprehensive Master Plan for rebuilding the Infrastructure of the City. Recently, the City Council engaged the services of Langford Engineering, Inc. to prepare a comprehensive plan to outline the needs of these facilities. The engineering services will con- list of two phases. See Wafer, Page 2 Between The Blue Signs A record budget of 58,655,180 has been proposed to the City Council for consideration. The General Fund Budget will amount to $6,209,960 and the Water Sewer Budget 52,455,220. Afive cent increase in the debt service tax rate will be required which means the overall rate will be increased from 32.5 cents per one hundred dollars assessed evaluation to 37.5 cents. The water and sewer rate will be increased in order to cover the costs of Water Sewer Fund. The budget will provide for 5400,000 of capital improvements consisting of $70,000 for new ambulance, replacement of three patrol cars and the addition of one police officer. A $15,000 expense will be required to close the landfill where garbage and trash have been buried for many years. A new service will be instituted by purchase of a chipper machine for 518,000 used to chip limbs which normally have been hauled to a landfill site. This will save the City considerable dollars. The budget includes park improvements amounting to 520,000. Building improvements for the Public Works Depart- ment amount to 527,500. Air conditioning equipment for the Community Building 516,000 and a 530,000 elevator for the Library which is required by American Disabilities Act. Com- puter equipment and new radar equipment will be purchased for the Police Department. Garbage bags will still be provided and distributed to each residentwhich is included in your monthly payment for garbage and trash service. The City Staff has recommended the creation of a Parks and Recreation Department. The new department will contain the Parks Division, Recreation Division, Senior Services and the Library. This will accomplish the following: The demand for parks and recreation activities has increased each and every year (Parks and recreation is now considered to be an essential service). The delegation of responsibility for parks and recreation activities to a number of staff workers, City Manager, Finance Director, Public Works Director ensures that service delivery will be neither efficient nor effective. The secondary impor- tance given addition responsibility, limited expertise, confusion and conflict present problems. Centralization, the creation of a Parks and Recreation De- partment and the employment of an expericnced professional will eliminate existing problems. LAJ Whitt F. Johnson, I alvor City Currents is printed on recycled paper 2 1~ Ott'?` C~t3tZi(f2iC'ct Phase One - Develop cost estimate,, based on 1992 dollars for improvements by prioritized areas. The prioritized areaswilt be developed with the assistance of the City's staff. Phase Two - Review and ulydate all prior Master Plans for water and wastewater including u,,dating all cost estimates to 1992 dollars. A ~iral draft, which has been recommended by the consulting cn - and the City Staff, will be presented within four r cost for tl?e scope o€ service of Langford Engineer- in'; is 5100.000. Tracking e Prices These numbers track the ups and downs of home prices in certain areas since the beginning of the 1990's. The first column reflects the average price per square foot in each area in January- 1990. The following columns indicate the % increase or de- crease from the price average for January 1990. These figures are compiled by the University of Houston and a realty com- pany. AREA Jan/1990 July/1991 Aug/1992 Ayrshire $66.58 1.04% 1.10% Bellaire $83.29 0.95% 0.99% Braes Heights $70.00 0.99% 1.02% Collegeview $114.16 1.01% 0.99% Colonial Terrace $104.95 0.97% 1.02% Houston Heights $47.70 0.96% 1.07% Meyerland $73.59 1.00% 1.02% Southside place $121.09 0.95% 0.98% Tanolewood $129.32 0.94% 0.93% West University $126.45 0.99% 1.01% City Currents of West University Place, Texas . is published monthly Desktop Publishing Steve Griffith City Cun-erus welcomes you, contributions. Forward to 3800 University Blvd., Houston. TX 77005 by the first of the month preceding the month of publication to assure cor mdQration. It is the policy of tite City o? VVesi University not to discriminate on the basisof race, creed, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, veteran status or disabilim City Currents/November 1992 Senior Service Volunteer of the Month We are highlighting Jim Council as our volunteer of tl Month. Jim is a Senior Services Board member and has been for many years. He is known for his insightful comments on the events happening in town and in Senior Services in general. Jim is an avid exerciser in the Sit and Get Fit class and has done a commendable job in encouraging others to join. He also plays with the Dart Baseball team on Monday afternoons. Jim helps out with our luncheons and parties by delivering food to those who cannot stand in line and is quick to offer a ride to a Senior who needs a lift home. Every six weeks, Senior Services delivers seven baskets of food to residents. Jim has helped several times in this activity, chattingwith the Seniors and carrying the rather heavy baskets. He has touched the lives of many people by volunteering in this manner and is concerned about all of his neighbors, as evidenced by his volunteer efforts as Block Cap- tain in the Neighborhood Watch Program. For all you do, we say, "Thank you, Jim." Senior Services Events Call 668-8478 for reservations to all activities. Tuesday, November 17, 2:00-3:30 Enjoy an afternoon with "The Storyteller" who will has an entertaining program and an activity that can be used for Thanksgiving decorations the next week. The cost will be deter mined later, but we expect to to be under $5. Thursday, November 26,11:00-1:00 The Honor Society of the Bellaire High School is offering a free Thanksgiving lunch to area Seniors for the 9th year. In addition to a delicious lunch, they also offer musical entertain- ment. Thursday, December 3, 9:00am to 4:00pm We are taking a bus to the city of Columbus for Christmas shopping and tours of museums and homes decorated for the Holidays. You will choose your own itinerary after a short introduction to the city at the newly renovated Opera House. The cost is S5 plus your lunch. Monday, December 7 and Tuesday, December 8 If you need to go shopping for Christmas, wewill be taking the van to the Galleria in, the morning and to Sharpstown Mall in the afternoon of these two days. There is no charge for West U residents. Call for more details. Colonial Park Renovations , The Recreation Department wishes to inform residents that a new Deck has been installed on the West end of Colonial Par,' It is an excellent area for small parties or just a casual lun& Also, a new volley ball court has been built on the Case side of the project. All you need is a ball! Come visit our renovated facility. 1L Volume 19, No. 1I,November 3 Crime Up Close ® September Burglary of Habitation 5912 Community - During day time hours on September 3, unknown suspect(s) kicked in the front door of this residence to gain entry. The suspect(s) had first attempted to kick in the back door of the residence to gain entry, but was unable to gain entry because of the the strength of the lock. Suspect(s) took a VCR, two watches and luggage. No suspects at this time. 3935 Tennyson - In the evening of September 6, an unknown suspect stole a bicycle out of an open garage. The suspect had rode to the residence on a bicycle, which was left on the driveway and apparently "traded up" by stealing our resident's bicycle. 6639 Belmont -Theson of this resident was playing basketball in his driveway. He went into get a drink of water. Two hispanic males walking down Belmont, walked up the driveway and started to take two bicycles off a rack built in the garage. The young man came out of the house and saw the two suspects. He shouted for help and a neighbor heard. One of the two suspects 1 a bike and rode away. The other ran off on foot. One cighbor attempted to follow the, suspect in his vehicle but was unable to do so. Responding officers were unable to locate the suspects. The suspects were arrested in a subsequent incident and charged in that theft. 6441 Mercer - Sometime over a two day period, September 7 &8, a bicyclewas stolen from an unlocked garage. The following day the bicycle was recovered. It had been stolen from this residence, taken to Pittsburg and Belmont where it was ex- changed for a "better" bike. 6358 Wakeforest - During the late afternoon of September 21, a bicycle was stolen from an open garage. 2826 Albans - On September 24, a resident reported that his lawn mower had been stolen from his garage. The night before, midnight shift officers had been called by a resident that saw a suspicious black male. Responding officers found John Lee Jefferson standing in a front yard drinking from a water hose. Officers recovered a lawn mower in the street that Mr. Jefferson claimed to have no knowledge of. Our officers knew Mr. Jeffer- son because he has been arrested a total 14 times since 1972. Thanks to an observant resident and the midnight shift, his tally now stands at 15? 6546 Community - During the day on September 28, un- known suspect broke the window out of the back door of this residenceand entered the house. Thesuspect took two cameras. 3722 Robinhood - A new solid mahogany door was stolen m this construction site. 3754 Sunset - An observant resident heard a noise after midnight on September 15, and saw two hispanic mates loading a bicycle and a mower stolen from their garage, Desponding officers arrested four suspects as they attempted to drive away. Charges were filed. Police Chief's Corner The assessors from the Commission on Accrc Law Enforcement Agencies have completed th_ spection. During the Wcek o.'3epte-rnber2 _ , files, our operations, taped with emplovee-i. residents and examined our programs, We receives t preliminary report. A full report will be present, to L,, Commission at its quarterly meeting in November and we expect to receive our accredited status at that time. The asses- sors were all police administrators from other states. They were amazed by the amount of community interaction and support that our department receives. Your Police Department thanks you for that continuing support. We will be very proud when we are Accredited in November. Stephen M. Griffith, Chief of Police Auto Theft 2800 Dice - During the night of September 4, unknown suspect(s) stole a 1984 Oldsmobile that was parked on the street. The vehicle was recovered in Houston four days later. The steering column had been damaged in the theft. 2704 Wroxton - During the early morning hours of Septem- ber 5th, a 1985 Toyota minivan was stolen while it was parked on the street. The vehicle was recovered in Houston later that day. 3700 Sunset. - During the night of September 6, unknown suspect's) broke the window out of a 1983 Chevrolet and attempted to steal it by breaking the steering column. The thieves were unsuccessful. 2800 Wroxton - During the night of September 7th, a 1990 Oldsmobilevan was stolen while it was parked on the street. The vehicle was recovered in Houston the following day, missing several parts. 26W Nottingham - During the night of September 21,-suspect(s) attempted to steal a 1984 Camero. Entry was made into the vehicle, but it was equipped with a steel steering column cover. No further attempt was made to take the vehicle. 3000 Nottingham - During the same night as above, officers received a call of an auto theft in progress. Officer Jack l~risbey was five blocks away and saw the stolen vehicle turn out on Buffalo Speedway. Two black male suspects had stolen the car. Officer r risbey chased the 1990 Dodge van down IH59 towards downtown. The suspect driving hit the center median and kept going. The driver crashed the van because he had been driving on a flat tire at Travis and Main. The two suspects jumped out and fled on foot. Officer Frisbey and other responding Houston units were unable to catch the suspects. After the crash the resident's van caught on fire due to being driven without a tire. The vehicle was totalled. City Currents/Novenxtrer 1932 3100 Bissonnet -During the night of September 22, unknown suspect(s) stole a 1990 Pontiac that was parked on the street. The vehicle was later recovered in Houston missing several parts. Burglary of Motor Vehicle 2617 Bissonnet - During the morning of September 2nd, an unknown suspect entered a 1986 Ford that was parked by an office building and took a radio. 2805 Georgetown - During the night of September 6, some- one took a radar detector and other items from a vehicle parked on the street. 5902 bake - During the night of September 5, someone took a gym bag and tennis shoes out of a vehicle parked in the driveway. 2715 Bissonnet - During the late evening of September 7, four vehicles parked in this business parking lot were broken into. The owners were patrons of the Marquis lounge at the time of the theft. 3034 Quenby - During the night of September 27, an un- known suspect entered an unlocked vehicle at this address and stole a radar detector from the glove box. Assault Houston Police Department contacted our detectives in refer- ence to a case that they received where a stolen credit card was used to make purchases. The card belonged to this resident. T,3 card had been used by a neighbor. Investigation revealed tha, this resident had given a key to her house to the daughter of a neighbor several years ago to care for her animals. The key had not been returned and over a period of time, several items were taken. Charges were filed. 3407 Albans - The college age daughter of residents at this address used her credit card to send a Federal Express Letter. Unknown to her, during this transaction her credit card number was obtained and used to charge several items. Some of the items were delivered to her parents house and a suspect would call and tell her parents that packages were being delivered by mistake. They were instructed to leave the packages on the front porch and they would be picked up. Other packages were intercepted by the suspects at the Federal Express office and picked up by an individual identifying herself as the resident. Detectives worked with Federal Express and arrested the sus- pect when she came to pick up another package. Detectives are following leads to find a second suspect in the case. Let's Be Sate 6400 Brompton - A juvenile was walking down the street when he was confronted by teenagers in a vehicle. The teen- agers hit the juvenile knocking him down and proceeded to continue to hit him. The teenagers took the juvenile's hat and fled. No suspects at this time. Telephone Harassment 5326 Kirby - The owner of this business had a problem with a customer and called the police department. The customer left before the police arrived. The customer started calling the owner and threatening her. Calls were made from the suspect's house and work. A trace was place on the phone and the phone number was identified. Recordingswere made of the numerous calls. The suspect worked for the IRS as a collections agent. Charges were filed and the suspect was arrested. Credit Gard Abuse 6114 Fordham - The owner of this residence reported a theft of jewelry to police. There was no sign of forced entry and the jewelry had come up missing over a several month period. One of the very special sights in our community is the resi- dents that come out in the early morning hours or late evening hours for walking or running. It is wonderful that we are able to safely exercise on our residential streets. But could we safer Yes! Please, if you are running or walking before light. after dark, WEAR REFLECTIVE CLOTHING. We can pre- vent a tragic accident! Milton Street Park The Milton Street Park has been completed in regards to Phase I. Designated as a quiet park, the. area has picnic benches for casual lunches and other quiet activities. The Park Commit- tee is selling "Brick Pavers" that go in the concrete seating area. These pavers will contain inscriptions as per the buyers. For further information contact 3errv Burns at 662-5843. Citizen Comments Your city council and staff want to be responsive. So please, write down your suggestions, compliments or problems on this form and enclose it with your water bill. Comments: Mr. E-1 Miss + first ias Name: Mrs. F-i Ms. 0 i Address: - Phone (home): Phone (work):