Utility Bills and Taxes

A question that continues to be asked is, “how much, if any are we going to raise taxes and utility bills?” In all honesty, that is a difficult question to answer.

Before getting to numbers, I am going to explain how I see our situation. We have maintained the status quo for so long and the degradation has happened so slowly that it became easy to ignore the small problems until something happens and we wondered what happened. I believe that we are at that point as many ARE asking the question! To repair our infrastructure then keep it maintained is going to be expensive, but not cost prohibitive.

Revitalization costs/needs:

1. Fix our streets (currently $15,000 per 20’ Strip one mile long)
2. Remove trash from alleys
3. Replace missing and illegible signs ($20-$50 each)
4. Paint curb corners, fire plugs, etc.
5. Repair or replace fire equipment
1. Our Volunteer Fire Department recently received a grant for a new fire truck – the city is obligated to match a portion of the cost. ($10,000 to $25,000)
6. Purchase equipment

1. Backhoe has 6,500 hours and we must plan for a new one in the next 12-18 months. (used replacement investment $25,000 to $50,000)
2. Small Road Grader – to keep ditches cleaned out and dirt streets maintained (used replacement investment $25,000 to $50,000)

i. We have numerous dirt streets that have ditches full of dirt causing drainage problems which lead to higher mosquito populations.

ii. Though we have a tractor and box blade, we depend on the county for most of our grading needs such as major road work and ditch maintenance.

3. Asphalt maintenance equipment ($7,000 to $10,000)

i. Rather than wait two to four years to re-top our main streets, owning crack repair equipment will allow us to fix cracks as they appear.

ii. This will keep streets from degrading so quickly, saving money or allowing us to re-top a greater number of paved streets.

7. Rebuild sewer plant lift station (up to $250,000)
1. We currently are at the top of the list for a grant but we have been near the top for several years. (Match requirement 10 to 20%)
8. We must have a place for residents to take non-household-waste (large items that will not fit in the dumpster)

1. Costs

i. Labor

ii. Equipment (truck/trailer)

iii. Roll-Off Dumpster(average cost $450.00 each) or

iv. Fuel/labor to haul items to Abernathy or Littlefield land fill

2. Each time that we have allowed residents to dump in the roll-off dumpsters, we end up having to clean up bigger messes than we had to begin with!
8. Water system/well maintenance

1. We recently bailed two wells at a cost of around $8,000 each on average.
2. We have another well that has a high ground that will eventually mean the replacement of the pump motor. This could cost up to $20,000 in addition to the cost of bailing the well while the pipe and pump are pulled.

According to Triple C Waste (the company that empties our dumpsters,) many small cities that they service charge from $7 to $10 per month in addition to their normal utility bills to pay for services such as the above.

A number of residents that I have spoken with have asked why we do not receive or apply for more grants. After some research, I have found that because we cannot demonstrate need, we have little chance of being awarded grants. We are near the bottom of the rate scale for both utility and tax rates. Unless the grant issuing authorities at the state and federal level see that the City is taking every measure to take care of itself, they are not going to hand us money to repair things that they feel we have the means to repair ourselves!

Average rates for cities with population of 2,000 (small cities) and below based on the 2008 Texas Municipal League Wastewater Survey

	State Average	Anton Rate	Difference
Average fee for 5,000 gallons of water in small cities	$28.68	$13.00	-45%
Average wastewater fees in small cities	$19.36	$ 9.50	-49%
Total Average water and wastewater rates	$48.04	$22.50	-47%
These rates do NOT take trash, taxes, vector control, etc. into account

As you can see, we are nearly 50% lower than cities our size in Texas in for both water and sewer (wastewater) rates. In order to be considered for most infrastructure grants, our utility bills are going to have to be much closer if not higher than the state average.

The bottom line is that if we are to revitalize our community, we are going to have to receive more revenue. As a City, we only have a few means to raise revenue – taxes, utility rates, fines, fees, and grants. You can see the paradox – low fees, no grant money available; higher fees, take care of ourselves, and need fewer grant dollars. We have the means to do this, it is going to take investment and hard work from all of us.

Please email me your thoughts and concerns.

Karl
mayor@cityofanton.org

Thanks for the hard work!

I appreciate all of the hard work that everyone is doing in and around our Community despite the oven-like heat! In the end, it is each person's individual contribution that will make Anton shine!

We plan to bring the City's chipper shredder through our alleys in the first or second week of July to turn your limbs into mulch. Please place your limbs in the alley next to your alley fence or alley property line. Limbs can be up to 5" in diameter. If you have a limb that is more than 5" in diameter, please cut off all of the small branches and put the oversized limb in my side yard next to the piece of culvert north of my carport! These larger branches make good fire wood and I can use the exercise. :)

Email questions and comments to me at: mayor@cityofanton.org
Karl
PS If you have reported a problem or issue such potholes, etc., please drop me a line and let me know when you reported it. I will follow up on it for you.

If you were not at the Church of Christ Annex today between 10:00 and Noon you missed a great event. There were a lot of attendees learning about low interest housing loans/grants and handing out boxes of food.

The food boxes are purchased for $6.00 each and are purchased with monetary donations from individual members of the community, local Churches, and Anton's Ministerial Alliance This is a great program for those living on limited means email me for more information. There is an income test in all except extreme cases. If you know someone who might qualify or if you have questions about this program, please call Gayla Smith at 997-3232.

I will let you know when I post the information and photos to www.cityofanton.org .

I know that this sounds rather like a commercial but I must tell you that to see so many volunteers come out on such a challenging day weather-wise AND keep smiling is an awesome site! Watch our Community Activity Calendar for details of upcoming events!

I will post pictures of the event on a new page when time permits.
Karl

Senior Citizens

Carol at the Senior Center asked if I would mind coming to the center a few minutes before lunch. She said that there some members of the Center who wanted to ask me a few questions. I agreed and visited the Center this morning and we had a good Question and Answer session.

If you have not been to the Center in awhile, you should take time and pay them a visit. Carol and crew have the Center looking good, the food is great and the atmosphere is full of life and excitement!

The remainder of this post will outline our visit and the concerns of our Seniors.

Q. Why does the City not give an exemption on taxes for Senior Citizens age 65 and over like the school, county, and college?
A. I spoke with Larry (City Manager) about the history of the subject of the question above. Larry told me that it had been discussed in the past and that due to our large number of Senior Citizens (over age 65,) the City would only have to offset the loss of taxes with a large increase in utility billing.


Q. Under the Freedom of Information Act, will the City Statutes and Ordinances be available if requested?
A. All of the ordinances and statutes are available for the public to view. All that you must do is come to City Hall and ask Robyn.

Q. Are golf carts illegal on City streets? Do they have to be licensed?
A. The answer is no and maybe. I have not had this question posed to me before so I had not given much thought to it. Please remember that unlicensed drivers need to be supervised especially while operating any type of motorized equipment. That being said, it is my belief that if it is not drawing the attention of law enforcement, chances of getting noticed are pretty small. If it was mine, I would put a slow moving vehicle triangle on the back and stop at all stop signs!

I will say that I have seen several golf carts licensed. Check with the TXDOT to see what it takes to make a golf cart 'street legal.'

The following sections are excerpts from the Texas Transportation Code Section 502

(7)  "Golf cart" means a motor vehicle designed by the manufacturer primarily for transporting persons on a golf course.

§ 502.0071  GOLF CARTS.  An owner of a golf cart is not required to register the golf cart if:
                       
(1)  the operation of the golf cart occurs in the  daytime, as defined by
Section 541.401;  and
 (2)  the operation:      
 (A)  does not exceed a distance of two miles from the point of origin to the destination if driven to
and from a golf course;
 (B)  occurs entirely within a master planned community
with a uniform set of restrictive covenants that has had a plat approved by a county or a municipality;  or
 (C)  occurs on a public or private beach.                                    
Added by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1320, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.

Q.  Will we at some time in the future have a city constable instead  of calling county deputies?
A.  We have a City Marshal and he works 40 hours spread over seven days.  Having held  the position
for two years, I can tell you that sometimes, it is impossible to cover  the City 24 X 7 though that is sometimes
the expectation. . .   I am adding a part time officer to the budget, it will be up to the City Council to fund it and
make it a realty.

Q.  Do you have any plans for Town Hall Meetings?
A.  YES!!  I am working with Nana B's to find the right night to have a Town Hall meeting there.
You could make planning for space easier by telling your friends to email or call me if you or they would
attend a Town Hall meeting if we held one.

Any time that I meet with any group and questions are asked, I will post a Q & A of the
general interest questions with answers.

if you have questions or comments, please email Karl at mayor@cityofanton.org
806-997-2801