HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptemberT UN
Volume 23, No. 9 September 1996 1
Da.bt ser-f ON ce tax levy up 10 for
A budget that holds the line on op-
erating expenses, but substantially in-
creases funding for infrastructure for
1997, has been proposed by City Man-
ager Sherman Yehl.
"Proposed expenditures in the
City's General Fund are about six per-
cent below those budgeted for 1996,"
Yehl said. "However, total expenditures
in all funds are expected to increase
from $15.2 million to $25.9 million in
1997. This entire increase is attributable
to infrastructure improvements. Almost
$12 millhon in capital projects spend-
ing will be appropriated for these ex-
penditures."
In the City Manager's budget mes-
sage to the Council, Yehl noted that this
increase was "within the expected in-
crease in property taxes needed to fund
the City's Infrastructure Replacement
Program that was communicated to the
citizens prior to approval of the bonds."
As a result, a one cent increase in
the City's property tax levy for debt ser-
vice has been proposed, increasing the
City's total property tax levy from 37¢
per hundred dollars of assessed valua-
tion to 38¢.
According to Patricia Kwan, the
City's deputy tax assesor, property taxes
on the average assessed $300,000 home
in West U will increase from $1,110 to
$1,140, or two percent.
The budget provides for staffing of
99 employees in the General Fund,
down from 101 in 1996. Total staffing
for the City will be at 114 employees.
Major budget items for 1997 in-
clude a set-aside of $85,000 for em-
ployee salary increases, financing for a
new alarm monitoring system, a
$20,000 increase in funding for moni-
toring the swimming pool, and
$330,000 for the purchase of operating
capital assets.
Th is is an APB-
Dino is 6'8" and weighs in at 250
pounds. No distinguishing characteris-
tics reported.
Missing i alert!
Are you missing a pet dinosaur?
According to Police reports, Dino
wandered into Liberty Hill Park on
August 2, climbed on top of the hill
overlooking Bissonnet and was ob-
served acting suspiciously (the or-
ange party hat didn't help) by an as-
tute patrol officer.
Dino isn't saying much and was not
wearing a dinosaur license, so we
have been unable to determine an
owner.
If you've lost your pet dinosaur (or
know anyone who has) call Lieuten-
ant Eddie Harrold at 662.5864.
Do it quickly as Dino's lush green
coat appears to be fading.
In addition to infrastructure im-
provements, the budget also calls for the
expenditure of $2.6 million in other
capital projects, including updating the
computer system ($500,000), the con-
struction of a recycling center
($250,000), Judson Park improvements
($200,000), municipal building renova-
tion ($1,700,000) and odor control at the
waste water treatment plant ($100,000).
l LJ,
The City Council recently
passed an ordinance which
establishes the structure for
in-house alarm monitoring.
Soon you will be able to tie
your home alarm directly to
the Police Department. Look
for more information in City
Currents next month.
• City Life
3
Community Bulletin Board..
7
Employee Spotlight
4
• Inside Council Chambers.....
2
• Pool Survey
6
• Police Blotter
5
• Recycling (News
4
Inside Council Chambers Page 2
At the time I write this, the Council
and Staff are in the midst of budget
formation for 1997. The process prob-
ably will have concluded by the time
you read this issue of City Currents, but
some of you may not have followed it
to any extent. As you may know, we
have two funds that collect revenue and
pay expenses: the General Fund and
the Water and Sewer Fund. The Gen-
eral Fund pays the expenses for all six
of the City's departments (Police, Fire,
Public Works, Parks, Finance and Ad-
ministration). Revenues for this fund
for 1996 are expected to be $7,086,290
and $7,120,900 for 1997, not a big
increase so our projected appropria-
tions will be 5.1% less in 1997. Ex-
penses should remain about the same.
The Water and Sewer Fund collects
revenues and pays expenses for the ser-
vices indicated by its name. The sys-
tem and service delivery are financed
by user fees. No rate increase will be
needed in 1997.
The Debt Service Fund is an increas-
ingly active fund. As the improvement
to streets, drainage, water and waste
water systems are being constructed
with borrowed funds, i.e., bonds, this
fund will be used to collect bond sale
proceeds and make the payments nec-
essary to retire the street and drainage
bonds as they come due. The bonds
associated with water and sewer ser-
vices will be paid from the Water and
Sewer Fund starting in 1997.
During 1996, the City will issue
$13,540,000 more bonds; $7,050,000
to be retired through the Debt Service
Fund and $5,990,000 through the Wa-
ter and Sewer Fund.
These are just a few highlights of our
budget and the bottom line is that the
ad valorem tax rate for 1997 will in-
crease 1 cent from .37 to .38. No tax
increase is good news, but this comes
about as close as you can expect. The
West University City Staff has done a
remarkable job in controlling expenses
and properly allocating available rev-
enues. If all levels of government would
do as good a job, this state and country
would be in much better shape. Thanks
to all of them for a job very well done.
j&a AJ~
By Council Member
Linda Lewis
Each year Warner Cable solicits nomi-
nations for Hometown Heroes from all
of Houston's communities.
Those people eventually selected for
recognition generally have impressive
lists of accomplishments and are most
deserving of their award. Unfortu-
nately, however, all the folks who, in
my mind, are community heroes are not
recognized or rewarded. These are the
ones I would like to talk about here.
West U is full of heroes- I see them
everyday. Some of them are the jog-
gers and walkers who take time to pick
up an aluminum can or a glass bottle
from the street. (Hopefully, it's Wednes-
day so that the offending litter can be
easily disposed of in someone's recy-
cling bag!)
Heroes are the small group of volun-
teers who enthusiastically and tirelessly
man the trucks on cardboard recycling
day. Their faces are friendly and wel-
coming, (sometimes flushed from the
heat), and, for the most part, they are
nameless to the many people whose cars
they unload.
Other heroes are the parents who give
tirelessly of their time and talents to
make neighborhood schools a better
place for their children and yours, and
they are the folks who give precious time
to ensure that West U's youth athletic
programs are second to none.
Heroes are the folks who spend hun-
dreds of hours planning and implement-
ing the Park Lovers' Ball to raise funds
for improvements to neighborhood
parks. No less important are the hun-
dreds of people who attend and leave
their donations behind.
Heroes put American flags in their
front yards four times each year as well
as raise money to support the Stella Link
Redevelopment Project.
Special heroes to me right now are
those who volunteer their time on be-
half of our city government. Their
knowledge and experience in so many
areas are an invaluable resource, and
there is no question they help me do my
job better by impacting everything from
bond sales to water tank colors!
There are many heroes in West U, and
though I have not named you all, you
are all appreciated. Your efforts are a
big part of what makes living in this
community so special.
_,layor Bill Watson (665.3969)
flavor Pro Tem Tom Rushine, (666.0434)
City Council Members Teresa W. Fogler ('664.6433), Linda Le~,Nis (.662.58I2), Stan NIcC:andless (hfi9.183(!)
City Manager Sherman Yehl (662.5810; e-mail 72162.2412C-compuserve.com)
General Information: 668.4441
City Life Page 3
Allen Wayne
Darnron en
Saturday
Recording artist, spinner of tales and
master performer Allen Wayne Damron
will be the featured performer for the
September Second Saturday Concert.
Allen Wayne Damron is a genuine
slice of Texas. Allen truly connects
with his audience. This year, as Allen
celebrates his 35th year as a performer,
some friends of his will be there to per-
form and help celebrate.
Jack Hurst of the Chicago Tribune
says the Damron "leaped agilely from
humor to seriousness and back again,
sampling songs from such diverse
places as Mexico, Ireland, Canada, and
of course Texas"
According to Jerry Jeff Walker, "I
have known Allen for 20 years. As a
stylist and interpreter, he's the best there
is. I like my songs done his way."
The concert will be held at the West
University Community Center, 6104
Auden on September 14.
Tickets will be on sale at the door.
Adults $6; Senior Citizens $3; Children
under 12 free with adults. This is a fam-
ily show and homemade deserts are
available. Call 347-3235 or 495-2923
for information on this concert.
Second Saturday Concerts are pre-
sented by the Houston Forklore Soci-
ety on the second Saturday of each
month.
You have t
registeredto vote
Election Day is No-
vember 5 and all new
voter registration forms
or requests for transfers
must be postmarked by
Monday, October 7.
Voter registration forms are available
at local post offices or at City Hall. If
you need more information, call City
Secretary Kay Holloway at 662.5813.
New hours for cardboard recycling
The hours of operation for cardboard
recycling have been changed.
Volunteers will now be accepting
cardboard only from 8:00 A.M. to NOON
on the last Saturday of each month-a
reduction of two hours per month.
"This effort is manned by volunteers.
We found that it was just too hot and
too long for the extended hours," ac-
cording to Cindy Neal, chair of the
City's Recycling Committee.
Most types of cardboard are accepted
at the collection area. If you are uncer-
tain what types of cardboard are recy-
clable, just bring it to the dropoff; vol-
unteers will be available to answer your
questions on-the-spot. Trash cans are
on site for disposal of cardboard judged
non-reyclable.
What happens if you miss the 8-12
recycling hours? Neal cautioned resi-
dents against leaving cardboard after
hours.
"Save it until next month," said Neal.
According to Neal, on a couple of oc-
casions, West U Police Officers have had
to dispose of cardboard left in the middle
of their parking lot.
Cardboard will be accepted on the fol-
lowing Saturdays: September 28th, Oc-
tober 26th, November 23rd and Decem-
ber 28th.
Cardboard is collected in the parking
lot directly behind the Police Station at
3814 University. Access to the park-
ing lot is available off of Amherst.
New t ? This club's
If you're a new resident to West U, the
Newcomer's Club is planning an event-
ful third year for you.
The Club is open to all new residents
of West U and offers activities such as
gardening, luncheons, book club,
playgroups, bridge, needlework, bunco
and more. It's a great way to meet your
neighbors and have some fun.
The Annual Fall Kickoff Party for resi-
dents and new members will be held at
Viva! on Kirby and S. Braeswood on
September 21. Owner Roger Liebrum
and Chef Edi Maldonado are cooking
up a very special evening. If you are
interested, RSVP to Sarah Moore at
667.2704.
If you are interested in finding out
more about the West University Place
Newcomer's Club, please join club
members for coffee on the first Friday
of each month at the West University
Methodist Church Parlor, 3611 Univer-
sity from 10:30 AM to NOON. For mem-
bership information, contact Roheela
Malik at 667.0609.
0 • • O ® ® 0 0 • 0 ® ® O ® ® ® O ® •
®
Support West U Parks
o
®
Dine at Cent'Anni Restaurant
®
on Sunday evenings
®
2128 Portsmouth
®
Identify yourself as a West U
®
resident and 10% of your check
®
will be donated to
®
West U Parks!
®
Children's menu available
[i Li Lj L2
L r;
~7 Li
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Depw 'uWC'G€it • PUebloo Wo c 22) 31
Page 4
EmipLoYEE
SPOTLIGHT
We hope you never have to meet our
employee in the spotlight-at least not
on official business.
It's not because we think she is diffi-
cult to get along with or not glad to see
you.
However, the only time you need to
see our court clerk is when you've bro-
ken the law and need to pay a fine or
appear in court!
Iola Pickul has been a great City em-
ployee since 1970 and court clerk since
1978.
According to Ms. Pickul, her goal is
to "treat everyone fairly while provid-
ing a courteous service."
For anyone who has attended Tuesday
night court, she stays true to this goal.
When chaotic situations occur, Ms.
Pickul's leadership and high level of
professionalism keep "order in the
courtroom."
Ms. Pickul attended Texas State Uni-
versity and is a member of the Texas
Court Clerks Association.
"The municipal court helps people to
understand how important the law is.
Everyone's safety is increased by the
court's services," said Ms. Pickul.
Ms. Pickul is credited with develop-
ing a modern computer database to help
manage 10,000 cases a year. Quite an
improvement over the ledger book sys-
tem used back in the early 1980's.
She and her husband John Pickul re-
cently celebrated their 40th wedding an-
niversary. The couple resides in West U
where they reared their two children,
Kathy and David.
The Pickul's have been active mem-
bers of West University Baptist Church
for 30 years.They are also involved in
the Houston Live Stock Show & Rodeo
and as volunteers for the City's senior
services program.
Ms. Pickul's hobbies include china
painting, reading, cooking and playing
with her five beautiful granddaughters.
Recycling news you can use
by Cindy Neal
In the previous City Cur-
rents, I stated that the recy-
cling committee was plan-
ning on making a recommen-
dation to City Council to discontinue
the pickup of yard waste.
Unfortunately, yard waste has become
an expensive disposal problem for all
cities, not just West U.
The truth is, we have to change the
manner in which we dispose of this
material.
Fortunately, the Recycling Commit-
tee is in place to represent West U resi-
dents' interests and, after studying all
possible options, make recommenda-
tions to City Council and staff.
The Committee is made up of regular
people-West U residents, who, like
you, have small back yards making
composting inconvenient (but not im-
possible), and trees that drop all of their
leaves at once.
While we are, indeed, committed to
waste reduction and recycling, we have,
under my chairmanship, suggested im-
provements of West U system of solid
waste disposal, and have saved you
money in the process.
Most remarkably, our monthly card-
board drop-off, staffed by volunteers,
has deferred a monthly average of 4 tons
of bulky cardboard from expensive dis-
posal at the landfill. Not only does this
save us disposal costs, but we earn
money for the recycled material.
I received several calls from West U
residents last month, concerned about
discontinuing yard waste pickup. We
sincerely appreciate the time you have
taken to express your concerns. The
certainty of that change was overstated
in the last issue of City Currents. The
recycling committee continues to re-
search possible solutions to this prob-
lem. We will only make recommenda-
tions after thoughtful deliberation.
If you are interested about the intrica-
cies of garbage, (what's the big deal with
bags?), please join us at a committee
meeting. All are welcome!
Mark your calendars, and join us on
Tuesday, September 10th, 6:30 P.M. The
meeting will be held in the Public Works
Building Lunchroom located at 3825
Milton. Or, as usual, call me at
665.3949. I really do enjoy hearing
from you.
'ADOlice Blotter Page 5
July, 1996
L
Burglary of Habitation
6101 Lake - Several electronic items
VW and stole a CD player.
were stolen from this residence while
2600 Pittsburg - A radar detector was
the owner was in the hospital. It -
stolen from an open vehicle.
is not known how the suspect
2736 Cason - A rear vent win-
broke into the residence. The
dow was broken out of a 1985
F F
rear door was damaged where
3 Toyota. The glove box was
someone had tried to pry the s opened. Nothing was stolen.
door open, but entry was not
2915 Albans - An officer on
patrol discovered a window bro-
ken out of a 1989 VW. The suspect(s)
Auto Theft
had attempted to steal the radio.
4000 Coleridge - An officer on patrol
2932 Nottingham - A neighbor came
checked a car that was jacked up with a
out late at night to go to the store and
front wheel missing. A license plate
heard glass breaking. He saw a suspect
check showed the vehicle to be stolen
by the car door of his neighbor's vehicle,
.
The
officer parked and waited for the
parked in the street. He saw the subject
driver to return with the repaired tire.
walk
toward a small car parked by the
When questioned, the driver stated that
street. The neighbor attempted to stop
he had purchased the vehicle from a
the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. A
used car lot. He stated that the dealer
window had been broken out of the ve-
had agreed to let him be late with the
hicle and a radar detector was taken.
first payment. The driver showed the
2932 Georgetown - A 1993 Nissan
officer a sales contract for the vehicle
pathfinder was parked in the driveway.
in question
. The vehicle had been re-
An unknown suspect broke out the win-
ported stolen in Houston. The Houston
dow
and set off the alarm. The suspect
Auto
Theft detective working the case
appeared to have been trying to steal a
stated that the dealer reported that the
set of
golf clubs when he was scared
"suspect" had taken the vehicle for a test
away by the alarm.
drive and never returned. The truth was
that the dealer had filed a false report
when the "suspect" failed to make a
timely payment. The information was
referred to Houston PD for charges of
False Report on the dealer.
Attempted Auto Theft
3800 Rice - An unknown suspect
broke out a vent window of a 1990 Jeep,
entered the vehicle and attempted to
steal it by breaking out the lock on the
steering column. The suspect stole the
radio out of the dash.
6100 Fordham - An unknown suspect
broke out the front window of an 1990
r, it
hours before
your pickup
ay I
Chiefs Corner
Have you ever thought about how fast
things move in today's world? Com-
puters compute faster. Information is
accessed easier than ever before.
Just think, when was the last time your
kids had to go to the library and look in
an encyclopedia? Now, they just pop a
CD disc in the computer drive and in-
formation is instantly at their fingertips.
As a parent, I am convinced that tech-
nology and our society are pushing kids
to grow smarter faster. Yet, the one
thing that all of this technology is not
able to do, is to assist our children in
the development of maturity and self
discipline.
I believe a strong case can be made
that, in this age of technological ease
and convenience, we are teaching our
children poor coping skills for the fu-
ture challenges of life. Look at the pro-
liferation in communication technology.
Kids now have pagers and cell phones.
What a convenience... If you need to
contact your child, you can just page or
call. But, what are we missing? How
about the self discipline that is imposed
when you have to always tell your par-
ents where you are or want to go. What
about the lessons in maturity that result
from having to fully contemplate the
possible consequences of your actions
because you know that you can not just
call for assistance. And even more im-
portantly, how easy have we made it for
ourselves, as parents, if we don't have
to always keep tabs on our kids. Are
we being good parents if we are letting
technology make our parenting jobs
easier? Or are we not giving them the
structure they need to develop personal
self discipline?
Steve Griffith,
Chief of Police
Parks & Recreation Page 6
Fall tennis-the ball's
now in your court
Fall tennis is ready to begin Septem-
ber 9. Students are asked to bring a can
of balls and their own racket. Classes
are open for ages four and up. Class
size is limited to eight and all classes
are held at Colonial Park. Register at Co-
lonial Park, 4130 Byron. For further in-
formation, call Dave Pippin at 668.7642.
Registration is still available for
most other Fall Park & Recreation
classes (see August City Currents). Reg-
istration will be wherever the class is
held. Call 662.5892 for schedule infor-
mation.
Class
Age
Day/Time
Short Court Beg.
4-6Yrs
Mon/ 4:00-5:00 P.M.
Jr. Beginners
7 & Up
Mon/ 5:00-6:00 P.M.
Adult Beginner
Adult
Monl 6:00-7:00 P.Ni.
Jr. Tennis League
8-13Yrs
Tue/ 5:00-6:30 P.M.
AM Be-. Ladies
Adult
Wed/ 9:00-11:00 A.M.
Jr. Beginner
7 & Up
Wed/ 4:00-5:00 P-Ni.
Jr. Intermediate
OPEN
Wed/ 5:00-6:00 P.M.
Adult Intermed.
Adult
Wed/ 7:00-8:00 P.M.
Adult Beginner
Adult
Sat/ 8:00-9:00 A.M.
Short Court Beg.
4-6Yrs.
Sat/ 9:00-10:00 A.M.
Jr. Beginner
7 & Up
Sat/ 10:00-1 1:00 A.M.
Dates: (5 weeks) Sess
ion I: September. 9
--October 19, Session II: Octo-
ber 28-November 30
, Class Fees: $456
50 ii/r., Leagues: $25/$30 n/r.
010% olonial Park Pool: WE) need -10 know
We are interested in knowing what you
think about the Colonial Park swimming
pool. Please take a few minutes to com-
plete this survey so that we might con-
tinue to provide a quality experience.
Clip and return to: Park and Recreation
Director, City of West U, 3800 Univer-
sity Boulevard, Houston, TX 77005-
2802.
1. During the summer months, Uwe
use the pool:
❑ 1-10 times
❑ 11-20 times
❑ More than 20 times
❑ Never
2. I/We use the pool for the following
activities (check all that apply):
❑ Open/family swim
❑ Lap swim
Swim lessons
❑
Exercise classes
❑
Swim team
❑
Birthday parties
❑
Family Swim Night
❑
Teen Swim Night
❑
July 4 activities
3. Please rate from 1-9 (with 9 being
the lowest) your priority for pool
activies:
❑ Open/family swim
❑
Lap swim
❑
Swim lessons
❑
Exercise classes
❑
Swim team
❑
Birthday parties
❑
Family Swim Night
❑
Teen Swim Night
❑
July 4 activities
4. Would you use the pool during
morning hours in the summer if it were
open at 10:00 A.M. instead of the cur-
rent 12:00 NOON?
❑ Yes ❑ No
5. Would you support having the pool
open earlier during the summer months
if it meant that swimming lessons, ex-
ercise classes, and swim team might be
eliminated or reduced?
❑ Yes ❑ No
❑
Yes ❑ No
If so,
how often each year?
❑
Less than 5 times
❑
5-10 times
❑
10 or more times
7. Do you use the pool facility during
the winter months when the bubble is
installed?
❑ Yes ❑ No
If no, why not?
8. If you used the pool this past sum-
mer, please rate us on a scale of 1-5
(with 5 being the best) in the following
areas:
❑ Pool staff
❑
Pool cleanliness
❑
Locker rooms
❑
Swim lessons
❑
Concession stand
❑
Swim team
9. Number of family members:
6. Do you ever bring non-resident
guests with you to the pool?
Adults
Children
Ages of children
West University Community Bulletin Board Page 7
September 1996
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Labor Day Holiday
Friends of
Building and
No Garbage Pickup
West U Parks @ 6:15
Standards Commis-
PM, Conference Room
sion @ 6:30 PM,
Council Chamber
Parks Board @ 7:30
PM, Conference Room
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Council Workshop
Recycling Commit-
Zoning and Planning
@ 6:30 PM,
tee @ 6:30 PM,
@ 7:30 PM, Council
Conference Room
Public Works Lunch
Chamber
Room
Council Meeting @
7:30 PM, Council
Chamber
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Zoning Board of
Adjustment @ 7:30
PM, Council
Chamber
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Council Workshop
Cardboard
@ 6:30 PM,
Recycling Drop-off,
Conference Room
8:00 AM to NOON,
behind Police
Council Meeting @
Station
7:30 PM, Council
Chamber
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
The Last Page Page 8
19
Location:
Description of work or problem:
Flow long has condition existed?
Who should we contact for additional information?
Phone number:
Best time to call:
Complete and return to:
Sherman Yehl, City Manager
City of West University Place
3800 University Boulevard
Houston, TX 70005-2802
00) City of West University Place
3800 University Boulevard
Houston, Texas 77005
Cq, Currents
of
West University Place, Texas
Production for this issue provided
through the efforts of Steve Griffith,
Thelma Lenz and Sherman Yehl.
Cite Currents welcomes your
contributions. Forward to 3°14
University Blvd., Houston, Texas 77005
c/o Chief Griffith by the I Oth of the month
preceding publication to assure
consideration.
It is the policy of the City of West
University Place not to discriminate on the
basis of race, creed, color, national origin,
set, religion, ag*e, veteran status or
disability.
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