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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugustv' ST U WEQ&TY 1) The Neighborhood City Volume 27, No. 8 reading: 2001 budget Bedtime It's budget time again and by the end of October the City Council will have adopted the c'a 2001 budget and set the property tax rate. Although City government is financed by several funds, the one that gets the most scrutiny is the General Fund -this is the one that finances most operations such as police, fire, administration, and parks and recreation activities. Along with the Debt Service Fund, it is also the one most affected by the property tax rate. Almost 100% of the Debt Ser- vice Fund is financed by property taxes and about 46% of the General Fund is financed by property taxes. Since 1995, successive City Councils have maintained the spending of main- tenance and operations portion of the budget in the General Fund at or below $0.21/per $100 of assessed valuations. The rate paid this year was $0.19. While it is true that assessed values have gone up, so have government expenditures. Over 60% of the General Fund budget is related to personnel costs - salaries and benefits. Some of the costs, particu- larly related to health benefits, have seen double digit increases over the past sev- eral years. In the last month City Coun cil adopted an ordinance that sets sala- ries at prevailing wages for similar po- sitions and similar cities and for public safety employees prevailing wages plus five percent. In addition, the City will be issuing about $18 million in new debt this fall to continue to finance the infrastructure program. Next year, three areas are planned for construction activity as we speed up these much needed repairs to streets and water and sewer lines. What does this all mean for property tax payers in 2001? If we only had to raise the same amount of money in 2001 as we did in 2000, with the new prop- erty tax valuations, your tax rate would be reduced from $0.41 to $0.35. But, we will need to raise $750,000 in addi- tional revenue to cover the new debt service and $700,000 to cover the in- crease in police/fire salaries and ben- efits. While some of this increase in the General Fund will be funded through in- creases in sales tax revenue and license and permit fees, we estimate that the new tax rate to cover these expenses will be at $0.43 - $0.23 for the Debt (Bedtime reading - continued on It is a little West U activated mild drought contingency measures W under its Drought Contingency Plan on Thursday, July 201". The mild drought contingency measures require the City to notify residents of these drought conditions and request vol- untary curtailment of water usage. The Drought Contingency Plan defines a Mild Drought as existing when the water con- sumption is approaching the safe capac- ity of the water system. "While no crisis exists in water supply to West U citizens, the potential is in- creasing as the dry, hot weather contin- ues. In an effort to prevent a water cri- sis, I am asking all City departments and dr,a,v out there West U water customers to make ev- ery effort to reduce water consumption in compliance with the plan," said Wa- ter Utilities Superintendent Patrick Walters. Walters suggested that customers can reduce consumption by: • Checking for and repairing leaks, drip- ping faucets and running toilets. • Limiting irrigation of lawns and land- scaped areas to Sundays and Thursdays for customers with even numbered street addresses; Saturdays and Wednesdays for customers with odd numbered street addresses; and the hours of 8 PM and 10 AM on designated watering days. U August 2000 Y!~Iy serving HCCTV, Houston Commu- nity College's television sta- tion, welcomes the City of West U into the sphere of its City of Houston cable viewing audiences. Houston City Council recently ap- proved West U's application to restore HCCS and Houston Independent School District educational channels to the cable system operated within West U. HCCTV, a 24-hour television station, serves as a conduit for academic credit courses, seminars, workforce training, classroom activities, continuing educa- tion, teleconferencing and community interest programming. HCCTV is a prime vehicle for Houston's local and international business communities and presents an ideal venue for the health care industry. City Manager, Sherman Yehl said he anticipates being able to air the two edu- ional access channels by early Fall. Town T Hall Meetings fate Representative Kyle Janek will hold two town hall meetings to discuss his agenda for the upcoming 77'h session of the Texas Legislature. Wednesday, August 16 from 6:30 to 8:00 Pry Bellaire City Council Chambers 7008 South Rice Saturday, August 19 from 9:00 to 10:30 AM West U City Hall Council Chambers 3800 University Boulevard Dr. Janek represents District 134, which includes West U, Bellaire, Southside Place, and parts of southwest Houston. Everyone is urged to attend. ® Board & Committee Nevus 6 a Calendar of events 8 o City Life 3 o Employee Spotlight 4 m Inside Council Chambers 2 e Ordinance Spotlight 4 b Police Blotter 5 Senior Calendar 7 Inside Council Chambers Page 2 Aftsm ~Flwm ffx %tvaT 14, By: Muvor Linda Lewis Sharing good news is one of my favor- ite things, and this month there is some to pass on. Thanks to the good neighbor gesture of Southwestern Bell, River Oaks Homes, Trammell-Crow and Whole Foods Market, residents on Ruskin between Weslayan and Academy will soon have a new view from their front doors. The four businesses joined forces to pay for a fence that will block the view into Southwestern Bell's park- ing lot located at the corner ofAcademy and Ruskin. In addition to improving the aesthetics of the neighborhood, the fence should serve as a noise barrier. The soon-to-be-installed fence is a pre- cast concrete modular unit that will be painted a color chosen by the residents on Ruskin. It is located in the city's right- of-way and will be maintained by the city. Some residents have expressed an in- terest in doing some landscaping along the fence. This is another wonderful ex- ample of how partnering benefits us all and leads me, once again, to say that together we can do anything. Not long ago, I asked residents to sub- mit ideas for a new city motto and was surprised at how many entries were re- ceived. After careful consideration dur- ing the July 10 council meeting, council members chose West University Place-A Neighborhood Cite Mr. Ray Herndon, a longtime resident who, co- incidentally, also designed the city's flag several years ago, submitted the win- ning entry. The new motto will appear on such items as city publications and stationery, and on the city's website. Finally, I am excited by the enthusias- tic response from residents concerning streetlights. If you haven't done so, take a look at them in their test locations along the 3700 blocks of Georgetown and Rice. There are several different styles, and I want to know your preferences. Keep in mind that the poles and fixtures can be interchanged. Therefore, you can se- lect a pole and a light source separately. Also, pay special attention to the type of light as that choice is also important. One is a metal halide, which is a natural white light; the other is high pressure sodium, which slightly distorts color. Input from you will influence the final selection, so please contact me at 713.662.5801 or at fiherworks@hotmail.com); or contact Kay Holloway at 713.662.5813 or at kavh@ci.west- university place.tx.us with your comments. Let us hear from you during the month of August. Enjoy the dog days of summer. During this time, council and staff will be work- ing on the 2001 budget. We invite any of you who are interested in the budget process to join us. ■ 0%0%11 aft ^ vur by Council Member Dr. John Bertini The City of West U has an active Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board that meets monthly. Recently, they have begun to discuss matters of environmental awareness beyond the scope of recycling to reduce the solid waste stream. The approach that the board will take is to educate the citizenry on various ways which we can help pre- serve the environment in our small city. There are three issues, which by slight changes in our planning and behavior, will help improve the place in which we live for all. Wiser use of water for lawns and outdoor plants to avoid wasteful run- off, more effective outdoor lighting to reduce light pollution, and the avoidance of leaf blowers with their noise and dust production are all suggestions that the Recycling Board would like us to be- come more aware of. Many homes in West U have automatic watering systems that turn on and off based on a timing device. Most of these automatic watering systems cycle on regardless of the weather or moisture content in the ground. The technology exists to obtain low cost sensors which will shut off these devices if it is raining or if the soil is so moist that additional water would produce run-off. Besides the obvious savings in water cost to the homeowner, such improved regulation of these automatic watering devices would conserve water and reduce run- off. Run-off contributes to pooling in storm sewers, which during hot and dry periods of the summer, become breed- ing grounds for mosquitoes. There is an optimal amount of light which is considered aesthetically pleas- ing and enhancing to safety around a home. Indiscriminately broadcasting in- tense light is annoying to neighbors and may not create a safe environment due to deep shadowing. It certainly does no good to cast light towards the sky. Upgarding lighting systems and using lower wattage bulbs not only saves the homeowner in electrical costs, but also avoids offending neighbors with intense light shining through their windows throughout the night. To this aim, the City is currently looking at an upgrade of the street lighting which currently, for the most part, serves only to illuminate the canopy of our trees and does nothing to light up sidewalks and streets. Electric, and more often, gas powered leaf blowers used by homeowners and yard maintenance personnel create un- (Our City recycles - continued on p.4) The City of West University Place, Texas Mayor Linda Lewis (713.662.5801) City Council Members Burt Ballanfant (713.662.5847), John Bertini (713.662.5808), John K. Grubb (713.662.5848), Bill May (713.662.5889) City Currents welcomes your contributions. Forward material to City Currents, 3800 University Boulevard, West University Place, TX 77005, by the 10th of the month preceding publication. General Information: 713.668.4441 • City Manager Sherman Yehl: 713.662.5810; e-mail: syehl@ci.west-university-place.tx.us City Life till of it Page 3 Friends of West Parks Board i looking for you! There's a wonderful group of folks in West U dedicated to the acquisition and develop- ment of green space and parks. They raise money to buy land and build parks here in your neighborhood. The Friends of West University Place Parks Fund, Inc. also hosts the Park Lov- ers Ball every year! This year, the Friends contributed over $150,000 to the Parks Fund from Park Lovers Ball alone! Development of parks in West U comes mainly from funds raised by the Friends. If you are a park lover, green space ad- vocate, or just an interested West U resi- dent, who likes to raise money and would Back School Luau Get back in the groove by joining us for the Back to School Luau on August 26f'' I f from 6:30-9:30 PM at Colonial Park Pool, 4130 Byron. Grades six through nine are welcome to participate in the fun. There will be lots of music, pool games, prizes, and pizza! For more information, call 713.668.7642. Admission is free. T . 17- l T R The iliajority of fa- tal home fires happen at night when people are asleep. Contrary to Q ~ r popular belief, the'smell of smoke may not wake i i a sleepingpp erson. The poi- sonous gases and smoke produced by a fire can numb the senses and put you r into a deeper sleep. r` Inexpensive household smoke detec- tors sound an alarm, alerting you to a fj fire. By giving you time to escape, la smoke detectors cut your risk of dy- ing in a home fire nearly in half. Smoke detectors save so many lives that most states have laws requiring them in pri- vate homes. Every home should have a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. The West U Fire Department will provide and install smoke detectors for Senior residents of West U-free of charge. The West U Rotary Club has made a contribution for the purchase of 100 smoke detectors for residents and may consider contributing more funding depending on the number of requests. Smoke detectors will be available starting mid-August through Decem- ber, 2000. If you are interested in re- ceiving a smoke' detector, please call' the Fire Department at 713.662.5835 or Senior Services at 713.662.5895. Historically Speaking.. . Many West U residents enjoy the Co- lonial Park facilities thanks to the early developers of the Colonial Terrace Ad- dition, Fantham & Fantham. In 1932 Fantham & Fantham deeded twelve lots, bounded by Case, Byron, and West Point Streets, to the City of West U. The Deed stipulated that the city "maintain and im- prove said lots for public park purposes. " The grantors also stipulated that the park be named Colonial Park. It was 1937 before playground equip- ment was installed, and the park officially opened. The following year, a tennis court was built. Over the years, the City acquired additional lots on the block, and today, owns the entire block. In May of 1946 West U residents ap- proved a $50,000 bond issue for a swim- ming pool and park project. A steering Doggie deposits not excepted Most residents enjoy taking Rover for that long awaited walk/run through West U. However, if Rover happens to drop a deposit, it is the owner's or dog-walker's responsibility to pick-up and dispose of it, per City ordinance. Next time you grab the leash, grab a bag, as a courtesy to your West U neigh- bors. Another option is to visit one of two Mutt Mitts dispensers when making your rounds, located at 3814 University and the 6700 block of Community. The dis- pensers provide degradable, hygienic single-use bags for picking up pet waste. like to join a great group of people, con- tact Kaylynn Holloway at 713.668.5813 for an application and further informa- tion. Board spaces are available. committee of seven residents recom- mended to City Council in September, 1947, that the pool be built in Colonial Park. The pool and a pump house were built in the spring of 1948. A bathhouse was added by late summer. In 1977, an influx of young people into the city made it necessary to upgrade the pool and facilities. The pool was en- larged, and a bubble was installed over the pool during the colder months for year round use. Additional tennis courts were added, and a recreation center with a weight room, exercise room, and racquetball courts was built. Read more about the history of West U parks in the West U Historical Society's book, Stepping Back in Time. To purchase a copy, call June Begeman at 713.666.572 1. tfention, incoming indergartennrs! Page 4 Ordinance spotlight.. . Ernploxm~a in a This month's employee in the spotlight is Steve Ralls. Steve currently works as a shift Captain in the Fire Department where he supervises Fire Suppression and Emergency Medical Services. Steve was first employed by the City of West U in November of 1974 as a firefighter. He was promoted to fire apparatus operator in 1977 and to Lieutenant in 1984. In addition to his regular duties as a firefighter and operator, Steve attended EMT, Emergency Medical Technician school in 1974 and in 1977 went through paramedic training. Steve also attended the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg, Maryland taking classes in Fire Prevention I & II, Plans Review Management of Fire Prevention Programs. Steve is also certified as a Fire Inspector and has worked in that capacity for several years. In addition to his certifications and training, Steve is an active member of the Gulf Coast Fire Prevention Association. A devoted husband and father, Steve spends his spare time with his wife and daughter Cara. According to Terry Stevenson, Fire Chief, "Steve is a very versatile employee because of his knowledge and experience in all aspects of fire service." Congratulations Steve, on being nomi- nated employee of the month for the month of June. During the hot summer months boats, personal watercraft, and recreational vehicles play a large role in the enjoyment of our free time away from home. We all enjoy our "toys", but we need to be good neighbors and remember the laws and ordinances governing where we park and store them. There are several ordinances that govern the parking and storage of these types of vehicles within West U. Our narrow streets and close proximity to one another dictate that these types of vehicles be restricted, to a large degree, from parking in our community. Basically, it is a violation to park a heavy truck, boat, recreational or utility vehicle, trailer or any detached part of any them overnight in a street area, on private property or at any other place outside a qualified storage area for two or more days out of a period of thirty consecutive days. It is important to define some of the terms used in the above paragraph. A "qualified storage area" is a place which is covered by hard-surfaced pavement or all-weather gravel surfacing located upon private property at least 20' from the nearest portion of a street fronting the lot, behind the front main building wall of a building, and no closer to any side street than an existing garage (10' if there is no garage). A "recreation or utility vehicle" is a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight greater than 12,000 pounds, or any camper body attached to or detached from a motor vehicle. It is inconvenient to store our "toys" in a location away from home, but the ordinances contribute to the enjoyment of the neighborhood and community by all residents. If you have any questions regarding the parking and storage of these vehicles. Dlease call the West U Police Department at 713.662.5850. Work progressing in PrioribA, Areas Progress is being made in Priority Areas 6B and 7A. The contractor is currently working on Edloe between Rice and Sunset in Priority Area 6B W expect this work to be comple during the next 30 days. Work in t Wroxton/Albans area is nearing completion. Curb work and general cleanup remain. The contractor has started on the 3700 block of Sunset. During this next month he will be working to complete the northeast quadrant of the block. In early August the contractor plans to start work on the intersection of Rice and Auden. This is one of the intersections to be inlaid with the City's logo. Advance notices of the exact start date will be posted in the Community Center. In Priority Area 7A, University Boule- vard is more than half finished. The con- tractor is now working on the south-side of the street between .Poor Farm Ditch and Buffalo Speedway. Paving in the 3600 block of Georgetown is expected to get underway during the next 30 days. During the next 30 days utility work, water and sewer, will take place on the following streets: • Sewer work will occur in the 3200 blocks of Tangley and Plumb and in the 3200-3600 blocks of Georgetown. • W ater line work will take place in the Amherst, and Plumb. 00-3600 blocks of Georgetown, • Water mains work will occur on Mercer from Plumb to Amherst. (Our City recycles - continued from p.2) safe noise levels for frequent users, blow up large amounts of dust, and move the offending leaves and grass cut- tings onto someone else's property and/ or the public right-of-way. Unfortunately, most of this debris winds up in our storm sewers, becoming one of the leading causes of street flooding by its contri- bution to debris blockage in the city's surface water drainage system. While the Recycling and Solid Waste Reduction Board is not proposing that City Council draft ordinances to make unlawful any of these environmentally unfriendly behaviors, the board does want to make citizens aware that we as a city can go beyond recycling to make our neighborhood city an even more attractive place to live. ted „F, 32 he F Police Blotter Page 5 Criminal Mischief broken. Purse and credit cards stolen. 3900 Amherst - June 1. Vehicle win- dow pried out. 3500 University - June 10. Vehicle driven onto property by unknown person(s), destroying garden lights and uprooting shrubbery. 3700 Arnold - June 29. Brick thrown through window of residence, damag- ing property inside. Resident may know identity of suspect. F Burglary of Building 4100 Law - June 2. Master the saw stolen from house under construction. 2700 Pittsburg - June 4. Garden tools and potted plants stolen from ga- rage and back porch. Burglary of Residence 6400 Belmont - June 3. Lawn Burglary of a Motor Vehicle J ; mower and other items stolen from „ garage. Description of suspect 4000 Milton - June 1. Vehicle window shattered and purse stolen. 4100 Sunset- June 1. Vehicle window shattered. Purse and cell phone stolen. 4100 Rice - June 1. Stereo faceplate stolen from unsecured vehicle. 4000 Milton - June 1. Cell phone sto- len from vehicle, while door was open. 4100 Rice - June 1. Vehicle window removed and gas card stolen. 3300 Sunset - June 8. Cell phone and other items stolen from unsecured ve- hicle. 3300 Albans - June 8. Window of vehicle shattered. Handbag, credit cards and other items stolen. 3700 Georgetown - June 8. Vehicle window shattered. Briefcase and cell phone stolen. 3700 Georgetown - June 8. Vehicle window shattered. Purse and wallet sto- len. 3500 Sunset - June 8. Loose change stolen from unsecured vehicle. 3600 Tangley - June 8. Gun stolen from vehicle, which may not have been properly locked. Neighbor witnessed suspect exit vehicle. 4200 Tennyson - June 8. Vehicle window shattered. Portable CD player and CD's stolen. 3800 Tennyson - June 8. Cell phone stolen from unsecured vehicle. 4200 Bellaire - June 9. Window of vehicle parked in business parking lot broken and purse stolen from backseat. 2700 Werlein - June 17. Tools stolen from vehicle. Partial description of sus- pect and his vehicle provided by witness. 2600 Werlein - June 17. Tool box and tools stolen from bed of pick-up. 4200 Bellaire - June 27. Window of vehicle parked in business parking lot and vehicle provided by owner. 2900 University - June 3. Bike sto- len from garage. Description of sus- pect vehicle provided by owner. 3200 Robinhood - June 14. Bike stolen from open garage. Found Property (all listed property is housed at the police department) 3000 Carnegie - June 4. Bike found in Whitt Johnson Park. 4100 Rice - June 3. Bike found in bushes along back fence of residence. 6600 Rutgers - June 7. Bike found on City easement. 3700 Unversity - June 17. Unse- cured men's bike found in ball field bike rack. 6200 Auden - June 21. Unsecured boy's bike found in ball field bike rack. Telephone Harassment 4200 Emory - June 4. Resident re- ceived threatening phone calls. Theft 4200 Rice - June 1. Mountain bike, secured to rail post in front of residence, stolen. 3100 Tangley - June 10. Two plant urns stolen from steps of residence. 4200 Bellaire - June 10. Purse con- taining cell phone and other items sto- len from business. 3900 Byron - June 12. Battery sto- len from engine of vehicle. 5300 Kirby - June 13. Video tapes stolen from business. Suspects descrip- tion and vehicle license plate provided by witness. 01 1 rear by S&&- C x""v any It's hard to believe that the year 2000 is half over. It is common to look back al the first six months of the year and compare ourselves to where we were at this point last year. It helps us determine if we are making the progress we wanted to make and to make plans for the rest of the year. One of the main reasons people move to West U and raise their children here is the very low crime rate. West U is a safe place to live, proven by the crime figures for the first half of 2000, but it is getting safer. Crime is generally compared uti- lizing the eight serious crimes (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, bur- glary, larceny, auto theft, and arson) that are reported in the FBI Uniform Crime !I Report. In comparing West U figures ford 2000 to those in 1999, we find that there was a 10% decrease in these crimes.1 The most significant decrease was in thel area of aggravated robbery, which de- creased by 400%. Burglary and larceny showed a combined 27% decrease. There are a number of reasons' for these decreases, but two are primary. First, I believe residents are becoming more aware of and willing to report suspicious activity, as well as becoming more aware of measures to protect themselves and their property. Secondly, WUPD'offic- ers have worked hard to make West U a safer place to live. Their work and dedi- cation have contributed in large part to this decline. Along with a decrease in reported crime in the community, there has been an in- crease in the number of cases cleared through investigation. While patrol offic- ers in the field investigate some offenses, our detectives investigate the majority o criminal offenses. During the first six- months, there was a 59% increase in the number of cases cleared through inves- tigation. The men and women of the WUPD are committed to continuing their efforts in making this community as safe as pos- sible for its citizens and as uncomfort- able as possible for those bent on com- mitting criminal acts and interfering with our quality of life. ®Thanks and be safe! 4200 Albans - June 13. Air condition- ing unit stolen from residence. (Crime up close - continued on p.7) Page 6 vrowler shot on -IsAn by Patrick Dugan, Neighborhood Safety Board member ~%11' Recently, Sgt. Ken Macha of the West U Police Department met with members of the Neighborhood Safety Board to discuss a shooting that occurred in West U on June 27, at approximately 3:00 AM. The resident involved lives in the 2700 block of Werlein, but also owns the house next door which was vacant at the time of the incident. According to statements made to police, the resident was awakened by his wife after she heard their dog barking outside. The dog was positioned at a gate that led directly between the two properties owned by the resident. The resident decided to investigate, taking with him a 12 gauge shotgun. He turned the backyard floodlights out, ap- parently to avoid being more visible as a target himself, and went to the gate where the dog was barking. He then crossed over into the next backyard which included a swimming pool and a garage. He heard noise coming from the area of the garage. A figure emerged Rvecycle your from the bushes coming towards him. The resident yelled for the individual to stop. The resident stated that when the individual did not stop, and continued to advance toward him, he fired once. The suspect, a 29 year old male, died at the scene. The suspect was not armed. Sgt. Macha believes that the suspect did not see the shotgun due to the low lighting conditions, and that the resident was between the suspect and his route of escape. "I believe he thought that he could just push past him and hit him, knock him down and run out," said Sgt. Macha. Generally speaking, State law allows an individual to use deadly force to pro- tect land or property from theft or crimi- nal mischief occurring during the night- time, or to prevent someone from flee- ing, where the circumstances indicate there was no alternative or there was a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury to the property owner. Notwith- standing this, when a shooting occurs, such as the Werlein incident, it is tech- cardboard! nically considered a homicide. This mat- ter will be turned over to the Harris County District Attorney's Office with- out charges, and ultimately will have to be reviewed by a Grand Jury. The resident did not call police prior to investigating in the backyard himself and shooting the suspect. "If you are going outside to confront an unknown subj ect you are risking your life," said Sgt. Macha. Sgt. Macha strongly advises any resi- dent faced with similar circumstances to stay in their house and call the police. Not even an armed police officer will walk alone into a situation where a sus- pect might also be armed. The Board would like to underscore Sgt. Macha's advice. Even if you are trained in the use of firearms and self- defense, it is extremely dangerous to leave your home and attempt to confront a prowler. In West U,, where police will (Prowler shot - continued on p.7) You will find the 7 this symbol of, pt products made of F = 100% recycled pa- by Orval Marlow, Recycling and Waste Reduction Board member. p®r6oard. West U's recycling program includes cardboard-corrugated boxes, gift boxes, cereal boxes, egg cartons, paper towel and toilet rolls, clean pizza boxes, cookie cracker and other dry food boxes. Cardboard does not include packing ma- terial, frozen food boxes and boxes that contain food waste. In order to recycle cardboard, remove waxed paper liners and packing materials (peanuts, tissue paper, etc.) and flatten all corrugated cardboard. In 1999 West U recycled over 217 tons of cardboard. In fact, the City is on tar- get to increase the amount of cardboard recycled in 2000. Recycling cardboard waste reduces the City's yearly landfill costs and produces income from a waste stream. According to the American Forest and Paper Association, 68.4% recycled cor- rugated material is used to make new containerboard; 17.8%, recycled paper- board; and the rest is used for other products such as tissue. The AFPA also mentions that 75% of corrugated boxes are being recovered. Small businesses and households are becoming increas- ingly important as a source for these ma- terials. In 1999 the AFPA reported that about two thirds of all corrugated mate- rial recovered is used to make new containerboard at domestic mills. The rest is used to make recycled paper- board. Recycled cardboard is one of the com- ponents used to make paperboard. One hundred percent recycled paperboard is a high-quality, versatile product made from paper recycled every day, includ- ing newspapers, magazines, corrugated boxes, mixed office and residential pa- pers and printing scraps. It's most com- monly used as packaging to protect, pre- serve and display thousands of con- sumer products on retail shelves across America. The AFPA reports that more than half of all boxed products found on store shelves are packaged in 100% re- cycled paperboard. 100% recycled pa- perboard is also used in other products such as book covers, jigsaw puzzles, board games, greeting cards, and in video and CD covers. Currently, many of America's leading companies use 100% recycled paperboard to package their consumer goods. Approximately 50 com- panies have joined a new initiative from the 100% Recycled PaperboardAlliance, displaying the "100% Recycled Paper- board" symbol on their brand name and private label products. Airborne Express, The Dial Corporation, and General Mills are only a few of the participants. Your contributions to the recycling pro- cess is important! Please make an extra effort to recycle cardboard. Place all re- cyclable cardboard in paper bags with paper and newspaper or stack separately at the curb for Wednesday pickup. Do not put cardboard out on regular trash days. Cardboard can also be taken to RecyclExpress, West U's 24-hour recy- cling center located on Dincans at Westpark. ."Denlors calendar of events for AuguiMY • August 9, Wednesday F August 1, Tuesday Join us for a tour of Enron Field followed by lunch and an af- ternoon of games at Dave and Busters. On the way home take in the sites of Richmond Strip. 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. $22.00 includes tour, lunch and 50 game tokens. (Bedtime reading - continued from p.-1) Service Fund and $0.20 for mainte- nance and operations in the General Fund. In addition, there is the possibility that the City will make an offer to purchase the YMCA facility. Acquisition and renovation costs for this property are in the neighborhood of $5-6 million. Finally, the City may need to look at some capi- tal improvements financing for both streetlights and sidewalks. Some say the City is financially flush and doesn't need to raise taxes. The City currently has a fund balance (cash reserves) of $4 million dollars. By any definition, this is a healthy fund balance. But there is a reason we have been car- rying this large balance. First, we prob- ably need to maintain a balance of about 25% of our annual General Fund expen- ditures -$1.9 million. This is an amount necessary to cover emergency expenses should we experience a major catastro- phe such as a flood, major fire to city facilities, or hurricane. The remaining funds are being held in reserve to cover any cost overruns in our infrastructure program. When we estimated infrastruc- ture costs in 1995 of $69 million, that's what it was - an estimate. We included nominal increases over time to cover inflation, but estimating costs over 10 years is not a science. We have ben- efited from a competitive public works Learn more about Texas history from the Torch Collection housed in the Torch Energy Advisor's downtown office building. J.P. Bryan has col- lected over 10,000 pieces of Texas history in the form of maps, artwork, and utilitarian items. 1:30 - 3:30 PM. Free. environment and total costs have been close to our estimates so far. But it makes good business sense to set aside funds for the unknowns that are preva- lent in large-scale, long-term projects. While it is a little early to know for sure what the final budget numbers and tax rates will be, we encourage you to participate in the process. All of the City Council budget workshops are open to the public and at least one public hearing will be held before the 2001 budget is adopted. Stay tuned to City Currents and our web site for more information on financing West U government. You can find us at www.westu.oriz or e-mail me at syehl@c i. west-university- place. tx. us. (Crime up close - continued from p.5) 4200 Rice - June 19. Resident re- ported gun missing. Workers suspected. 6400 Buffalo - June 30. Weed eater stolen from yard. Suspect apprehended. Forgery 3700 Plumb - June 28. Resident's checks stolen and forged to make pur- chases. Domestic Disturbance & Homicide Three domestic disturbances and one homicide occurred during June. 7 • August 25, Friday Enjoy a tour and lecture at the Houston Maritime Museum. Learn about oceanic energy and glo- bal warming, or simply appreciate some famous ship models. 10:00- 11:30 AM. Donations excepted. • August 30, Wednesday (Prowler shot - continued from p. 6) respond immediately and in force, call the police and let them check it out. In addition to risking your life, the le- gal complications of a Grand Jury re- view, and the traumatic experience of actually encountering someone and hav- ing to decide whether or not to pull the trigger, you could end up accidentally harming an innocent individual. Adequate lighting deters prowlers. Make sure that your backyard and other areas around your home are adequately lit. Outside lights with motion detectors are valuable. Fencing and gated drive- ways can also make yards harder to-ac- cess. Finally, should you wake up some night and believe that someone is inside your home, it is still best to wait for the police before trying to investigate on your own. Even if you are armed, call 911. Or, if you are awakened by your burglar alarm, wait for your alarm system to dial out. Stay on the line with the dispatcher, or your alarm company when they call, and gather your family together in one room. It is important to account for your kids, particularly if you have a teenager, to avoid mistaking one of them for an intruder. Although the worst is unlikely to hap- pen, it is best to give some thought in advance as to what your response to these types of situations will be. City of West University Place 3800 University Boulevard West University Place, Texas 77005 Board @ 6:00PM in Meeting @ 2:30 PM. City Hall Conference Zoning and Planning Room. Comission @ 6:45 PCity Hail Conference 6 7 8 9 Room 1( Special Session @ Recycling and Solid Zoning Board of Ad- 6:30 Pm City Hail Con- Waste Reduction justment @ 7:30 PM in ference Room Board @6:30 PM the City Hall Council Council Meeting @ Public Works Lunch Chambers. :30 PM City Hall Room. 3 Council Chambers 14 15 16 20 Council Meeting Cc~ 7 Council Chamber CI offices Will Traffic Task Force '1 6:30PM Public Wo be dosed in Lunchroom observance of 3 labor Day 4 6:30 PM City Hall Conference Room ~ :30 PM City a l 2 !rids of West U Park he Building and 6:30 PM City Hal tandards Commis- iference Room ion @ 6:00 PM in the ks Board @ 7:3 City Hail Conference Council Chambers Room. 61 7 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID PennitNo. 6270 Houston, TX mer's ciu 10:30AM 844 Auden. 10:30AM 2 Tangley. Nn Hall Meeting 9:00PM City Hall uncil Chambers. 19 9