During a review of the City of Sealy’s Strategic Plan, a proposal was made that the mayor issue periodic “State of the City” reports so that the citizens have more visibility of the progress our city is making.
This first report covers the period beginning June 1, 2014, through October 16, 2014. During this period, we were very active and, at times, controversial. Despite controversy, much has been accomplished.
During June, Michael Kubricht was sworn in as the newest member of city council. Both Michael and I, as your newly-elected mayor, attended “Newly Elected Officials Orientation” provided by the Texas Municipal League (TML). This 2-day training session is invaluable not only to newly elected officials, but also to any elected official that would like a refresher course. It includes mandatory training on the Texas Open Meetings Act along with training in other essential areas while providing networking opportunities for sharing ideas with elected officials from other communities throughout the state.
We welcomed Tractor Supply Company, Dollar Tree, Stockyard Antiques, and Ryan Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram as our newest businesses. Expanding businesses include State Farm, Sealy Urgent Care Center, and Austin County Eye Associates. Sealy Urgent Care Center’s expansion includes a 24/7 Emergency Care Center. Hibbett Sporting Goods, Inc., of Birmingham, AL, executed a lease in the Brazos Village Shopping Center with plans to open a retail store this coming winter. Huddle House, based in Atlanta, GA, announced that it plans to open a new restaurant in Sealy within seven to ten months.
The Sealy Economic Development Commission (SEDC) has been active in attracting new businesses, to include five manufacturing companies, various restaurants, a franchise, and retail establishments, all of which are considering expanding into our community. The SEDC was recently notified that Sealy is on the “short list” for one manufacturing company’s new location, being one of only three locations left in the competition. This one company alone would create approximately 250 new jobs in Sealy.
Several members of city council and the SEDC attended a briefing by the Houston office of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The primary focus of this briefing was to discuss expansion plans for Interstate 10 from Houston to Sealy. Original plans were to expand from Houston to Highway 71 (west of Columbus). We expressed our feelings that the expansion should continue to Columbus rather than stopping in Sealy, creating a bottleneck which could result issues for our first responders. Although the TxDOT representatives could not commit to a timeline, they did state that the continued growth and increase in traffic could result in an accelerated timeline.
Of interest to many citizens is that city council lowered our total property tax rate from $0.35721 to $0.33665 per $100 of taxable property value. Therefore, if there is no change in the appraised value of your property, your property tax will go down. For example, the owner of a homestead with a consistent appraised taxable value of $150,000 will pay $30.84 less in city taxes. The council also voted to NOT increase solid waste disposal rates charged to you. As our debt obligations and tax abatements decrease, we should reduce the financial obligations placed on the individual taxpayer. These reduced obligations are attractive to businesses and when a new business comes into town, the overall tax income increases without tax rates increasing. This is the same concept as when a business reduces the prices it charges customers and then gains more customers because of the reductions, thereby increasing income.
Also, in an effort to keep costs to the taxpayers as low as possible, the city council has placed a limit on how much an individual traveling at city expense may be reimbursed per meal. Prior to this, there was no limit. The rates adopted by the council are those established by the federal government for its employees and are based on geographic location.
Our community recently hosted the 125th anniversary celebration of the Catholic Union of Texas (the KJT), welcoming its members from across the state. As a result, Sealy is now a nominee for hosting the KJT’s annual statewide convention in the summer of 2018.
To help increase community involvement in our city council meetings, the invocations are delivered and pledges are led by our citizens rather than by council members, as done in the past. All ordained ministers in the community are invited to deliver the invocations and representatives of all organizations in the community are invited to lead the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge of Allegiance. If you would like to participate, please contact either the city manager or the city secretary at 979-885-3511.
In response to concerns raised by citizens, city council is considering updates to the Code of Ordinances in regards to the discharge of firearms in the city. We have no intent of abolishing hunting, but rather we want to keep it safe for people and property on land and roadways adjacent to hunting areas. Also in response to citizens’ concerns, we have installed 3-way stop signs at the intersection of 4th Street and Loescher Street and are in the process of approving the installation of 3-way stop signs at the intersection of Ward Bend Road and Chickadee Street.
In addition to the annual appointments to the city’s various boards and commissions, we approved updates to the bylaws for the SEDC and approved the bylaws for the recently established Main Street Advisory Board (MSAB). This summer, the MSAB hosted members of the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Main Street Program (TMSP). The TMSP members spent three days in Sealy — at no charge to us — and made recommendations on the revitalization of our historic downtown area.
City council and city staff discussed and affirmed our support for two upcoming downtown events, the 2nd Annual Ghost Tour on Saturday, October 25, and the 1st Annual Boo Bash, on Friday, October 31, and for a potential return of the Movie in the Park, possibly on October 31 after the Boo Bash.
Earlier this month, several members of city council and city staff attended the annual TML conference, held in Houston this year. With multiple, simultaneous training and information sessions, the city’s representatives at the conference were able to attend sessions such as, “Enhancing Your Community’s Sustainability, Beauty, and Safety”, “Environmental Regulations”, “Downtown Low Down: Best Practices for Development and Revitalization”, “A Comprehensive Approach to Retail Development”, and “Legal Q&A”. It was a learning experience for all that attended.
Looking into the future, we have begun an engineering review of our waste water treatment facility to ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our community. At the October 28 city council meeting, we will be taking a step towards ensuring available, affordable family housing in the future by gaining a better understanding of the housing tax credit program administered by the Texas Department of Housing & Community Affairs (TDHCA). This program would only require a “general support resolution” by the city council, which does not create any financial burden on the taxpayers.
At a recent council meeting, I suggested to the council members that each one selects three organizations of which he/she is not a member and help those organizations with a project. Not only does this help set the example for community involvement, it increases the one-on-one contact the individual council members have with the members of our community, and important aspect of effective two-way communication between the citizens and their elected representatives.
As you can see, your city council has been very active in preparing for your future. I encourage all citizens to attend our city council meetings, normally held at 6:00 pm at city hall on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month. If you would like to be placed on the distribution list for the council’s meeting agendas, please contact the city secretary at 979-885-3511.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Stolarski
Mayor, City of Sealy
