Fellow Residents,
When I started I promised to bring a “Different Angle,
Common Sense” approach to our town. I have used a test for
all the decisions I have made during my time on City Council
that goes something like:
1. Is it good for Cedar Park?
2. Do the citizens of Cedar Park want it?
3. How much are they willing to pay for it?
These questions keep me centered on the real task of being
on City Council: Voting for the citizens.
It is important to point out that I do not own any land, own
a business, or do business in Cedar Park. Unfortunately, I
have to work in Austin. We need more employment
opportunities in our town and I expect we will see more in
time.
At the time I was elected to City Council, I was told that
about 70% of our tax base came from houses. Only 30% came
from business. The ratio is about 63% to 37% now, so we are
making some progress. But, we desperately need to increase
our sales tax revenues. Here is brief account of where your money
goes:
Cedar Park will collect $10.8 million in property taxes in
Fiscal Year 2005. Approximately 49% of the property taxes
collected will be used to pay for debt service. The debt
service pays for previous road and street bond programs,
municipal facilities and parkland. Only 51% of the current
property tax revenues are used for daily operations. Those
operations typically include Public Safety, Streets, Parks,
Library, Building Inspections and Administration.
Property tax collections represent 31% of the General Fund
revenues. Other major revenue sources include sales tax,
building related fees, court fees, and franchise fees.
While the City Council has made much progress and has many
accomplishments towards this goal, there are still many
opportunities out there. While our tax base is an important
issue, it is not our only concern. Traffic, park areas,
economic development, police protection, fire protection,
and community involvement are also important.
Look what has occurred in the last few years I have served
as your Councilman:
1. Business:
o BMHC is in building a second facility here.
o 1890 Ranch is a work in progress. This concept will
combines retail, office space, entertainment and
commercial development.
o Cedar Park Event Center: The CPEC will provide a
venue for concerts, ceremonies, sporting events,
entertainment, and social events.
o Seton opened Cedar Park Regional Medical Center
in Cedar Park, north of 1431. No more fighting
that 620 construction or 183 traffic.
o Retail shops built around Walmart at 183 and 1431.
o The Rail Yard has flurished.
o At Parmer and 1431 we opened an HEB, Home Depot, Wendys, CMV,
Jiffy Lube etc…
2. Traffic Solutions:
o US 183A is now open. The Central Texas Regional Mobility
Authority (CTRMA) recently sold $233 million of toll revenue
bonds, with which to begin construction and opened the first
segment and was completed in less than 2 more years.
o Vista Ridge Blvd to 1431 has been completed.
o Signal lights have been installed at the 1431 intersection for
Vista Ridge.
o Colonial Blvd. is complete from Vista Ridge to Parmer.
o The final section of East Park to Vista Ridge should begin
construction last year.
o New signals were erected at 1431 and Lime Creek Rd, New Hope at
Bagdad, Brushy Creek at Vista Ridge, Lakeline and New Hope, and
Kettering and Bagdad.
o Blue Ridge Bridge was completed, along with the extension of
East Park St.
o The section and overpass at Cypress Creek and 183, east toward
Parmer Lane.
o Parmer Ln. extension, now known as Ronald Regan Hwy.
o Little Elm and US 183 (entrance to YMCA) opened.
o Erection of signals at 1431 and Discovery Blvd after
the widening of 1431 from 183 to beyond 183A.
o Widening of Park Street and 183 intersection.
o Widening of New Hope rode from 183 west to Bagdad has begun.
o Plans are underway for widening New Hope from 183 East to 183A
4. Other Happenings
o Fire Department is built a fire practice tower to train our
firefighters and can be used by other fire departments.
o We have increased the Police Staffing each year.
o We completed the new Justice Center on Discovery Blvd.
and are now planning the expansion.
o We opened Brushy Creek Park, complete with a water feature.
o We opened Brushy Creek Sports park.
o We Opened and staffed Fire Station 4.
o The Fire department received a ISO 1 rating. Putting Cedar
Park in a group of 13 state wide and 58 nation wide out of
more than 40,700 fire stations rated in the US.
o We added two state of the art Quint Fire trucks to our inventory.
o The General fund in creased their bond rating twice to a AA-.
As you can see, we have made huge steps towards increasing our tax base and
solving our traffic issues. I am proud to say that I had a part in some of
these achievements. With your support, our city can continue the journey
towards an exciting new future.
Please vote on May 9th. Every vote counts!
