Neighborhood News
BY EDMOND ORTIZ
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CASEY HOWELL
The city of Terrell Hills has wrapped up another fiscal year and is operating with a new budget. Even so, Mayor Anne Ballantyne and city officials see this as a perfect time to have an enhanced long-term strategy, especially when it comes to infrastructure improvements. The city recently completed road improvement projects on Elmcourt, Ivy Lane and Vandiver.
“For the last 20 years, we’ve improved pretty much all city roads except for a couple of little side streets,” Ballantyne said.
The new 2016 budget, which took effect Jan. 1, will have no drawdown on reserve funds while providing an estimated $300,000 to transfer to the capital improvement fund for future street projects. Additionally, a capital equipment fund is being created to cover future major equipment needs such as fire trucks and refuse vehicles. This will account for 1 percent of the general fund budget.
Ballantyne commented that the city always strives to save enough money to support one major infrastructure project each year. Now the city plans to work with Pape-Dawson Engineers to form a new long-range methodology of monitoring street and drainage conditions to determine what areas need work, when and how much. “We’re working with the engineers on a new standard for our streets,” the mayor said. “We want to go about it in a pragmatic way and figure out a long-range plan.” Ballantyne also hopes to see more sustainable commercial development for Terrell Hills in the future.
The city’s semi-commercial sector is small and contained within a part of Harry Wurzbach Highway. It presently features small dining and bar establishments and some stores. Ballantyne said she would like to find out if there’s a way to enhance the commercial district, which in turn would help to bring in more sales tax revenue.
Local sales tax revenues have fluctuated over the last few years. The city recorded $250,432 in sales tax income in 2012, then $213,546 in 2013 and $242,959 in 2014. “We’d love to have more small office buildings and small businesses that residents would like to have there,” the mayor said. While any new or improved office buildings and enterprises would not improve the sales tax revenue stream itself, they would mean more office space and job opportunities for residents and non-residents. “We would look at ways to bring in something that is compatible with the community,” the mayor added.
The new 2016 general fund budget contains $5.22 million in revenue, a 5.7 percent increase from the 2015 budget. City officials attribute that increase to how well franchise fees have performed in recent years. Additionally, properties adding new value to the local tax rolls are expected to generate $78,000. The city has also scheduled a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for city employees this new fiscal year. No new personnel are being added.
“We’re very blessed to have a good tax base,” Ballantyne said. “Values of homes have helped to keep the tax base stable. We try to mitigate anyone’s rising tax bill by keeping our property tax rate as low as possible.”º
In the long term, Ballantyne envisions more recreational amenities for residents, such as enhancing the pocket park/community playground at the end of Crestwood and Arvin and making that area more visible and attractive to enjoy.
The mayor suggests that having more small-scale public events could help bring about a greater feel for community in Terrell Hills. The city does have a popular Fourth of July parade followed by a picnic on Geneseo Road and a National Night Out road gathering in October.
In December, the city hosted a Christmas event at the pocket park, complete with a short parade, free refreshments and Santa Claus posing for photos next to a fire truck.
“We’re really trying to get the community together more often,” the mayor said. “Everyone should be able to benefit from what we have to offer. Some people don’t even know we have a park. We should change that.”
