9375 Corporate Dr., Selma, TX 78154-1250
Mayor's Corner
Fiscal Year 2009 Budget | February 2009 Capital Improvement Update
September 2008 Letter to Citizens |
About Selma |
Dec 2008 on Selma Budget |
Selma, a unique city that leads through providing
planned growth, quality of life, a safe environment, and a vision for
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As mentioned in the July newsletter, The first Meet the Mayor Event is scheduled for August 18th @ 6:30pm in City Hall. All Selma residents are invited and encouraged to attend who are eager to institute positive ideas to enhance our city. Mayor Tom Daly
To all my neighbors, I’ve been in office for over a month and I hope that many of you have seen progress in the aesthetics throughout the City. Our men have done a great job in cutting the grass, landscaping, wood chipping and filling pot holes. Working shorthanded they have cleaned up the entrance into Mount Crest from Lookout Road and moved the one-way barricade back behind the OLPH Cemetery (enabling much needed parking in front) on Old Austin Road. Mayor Tom Daly
LETTER TO THE RESIDENTS OF SELMA I would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Selma for your time and consideration during my campaign for Mayor. Everyone greeted me with a big smile and a friendly handshake. There wasn’t a day that went by that I felt unwelcome. I would like to assure each and every one of you that I cherish the chance to lead our fine city into the future. It is an honor to be able to work for you, for our community. I look forward to working with our experienced City Administrator (Ken Roberts), our City Council and our staff at city hall to bring positive moves to Selma. I invite you to help make this city what you’d like it to be by attending our city council meetings that are held every second Thursday. Your thoughts and concerns need to be heard for Selma to be the best it can be. Thank you again,
Capital Improvement Project Update In an effort to keep you informed of the progress that the City is making on several Capital Improvement Projects I’ve laid out a schedule to give you status and to mark that progress towards priorities established in the City’s Master Plan; 1. Elevated water Storage Tank, Selma Park Estates – Project is complete. The tank has been filled, tested and sanitized. The smaller tank will be dismantled and moved out of the City by spring. This Project is identified in Volume 2, Chapter 3 of the Plan. 2. High Service Pump Station and Ground Storage Tank – This project is completed and is fully operational. This project can be found in Volume 2, Chapter 3 of the Plan. 3. Old Austin Road Street and Drainage Improvements – Project is complete. This project was identified in Volume 2, Chapter 2 of the Plan. 4. Pasatiempo and the IH 35 Frontage Road – Though not in the Master Plan this project must be completed to allow drainage of rain water at the entrance to Forest Creek and to Rudy’s. The project is designed and we are now in the final stages of acquiring the easement to install the drainage pipe. Completion is expected in the spring of this year. 5. Paving, widening and improved drainage along Mountcrest and Alton Blvd. – This project was included in the Selma Park estates Area 6 Improvement Plan. We intend to complete this project before summer. 6. Widening and repaving of Weiderstein Road from FM 1518 to the Schertz Parkway – This is a joint venture between the City of Selma the City of Schertz and Guadalupe County. Work has begun and paving is scheduled for completion in six to sight weeks. The bridge structure over the drainage way at the Schertz-Selma City Limits will be completed in approximately six months. 7. Your new Police Station is complete and the PD has moved in. On February 19th the building will be dedicated to the public’s service. All this in an effort to keep you informed as we improve the infrastructure of our city and provide for our water needs for the present and well into the future. Sincerely,
Capital Improvement Project Update 2009 In an effort to keep you informed of the progress that the City is making on several Capital Improvement Projects I’ve laid out a schedule to give you status and to mark that progress towards priorities established in the City’s Master Plan; 1. Elevated water Storage Tank, Selma Park Estates – The pedestal is complete and the body of the actual tank is being constructed at ground level. The fabrication process should be complete by late February. The 1,000,000 gallon tank will then be painted at ground level and then hoisted into place atop the pedestal. After filling, testing and sanitizing the project completion is scheduled for August of this year. The smaller tank will be dismantled and will be sold to a smaller community in central Texas. This project is identified in Volume 2, Chapter 3 of the Plan. 2. High Service Pump Station and Ground Storage Tank – This project is taking place near the intersection of Lookout Road and Enterprise Drive. The earthwork and under ground piping for this 1,000,000 gallon ground storage tank is nearing completion. The vertical construction of the actual tank will begin before the end of February. Total completion is scheduled for June of this year. This project can be found in Volume 2, Chapter 3 of the Plan. 3. Old Austin Road Street and Drainage Improvements – Sub grade work is complete for the project down to the TxDOT tie-in at the north end and the Live Oak City Limits. There will be no access into Live Oak from Old Austin Road when this project completes. Curb work is 25% complete and drainage improvements that will guide storm water underneath Old Austin Road are approximately 50% completed. We expect to complete this project by the end of April. This project was identified in Volume 2, Chapter 2 of the Plan. 4. Pasatiempo and the IH 35 Frontage Road – Though not in the Master Plan this project must be completed to allow drainage of rain water at the entrance to Forest Creek and to Rudy’s. The project is designed and we are now in the process of acquiring the easement to place the drainage pipe. Completion should be in the summer of this year. 5. Storm water detention along Lookout Road – Your City has acquired all the lots that adjoin Lookout Road in the upper portion of Selma Park Estates. As the rain water sheets down the grade towards Lookout without storm water detention, we would be contributing to a traffic hazard on that main thoroughfare. This project was included in the Selma Park estates Area 6 Improvement Plan. We intend to complete this project by the end of this summer. All this in an effort to keep you informed as we improve the infrastructure of our city and provide for our water needs for the present and well into the future. Sincerely,
The City staff spent the months of July and August forecasting expenditures and making revenue projections and preparing proposed budgets for review by your City Council. A Public Hearing on the budget was held on the evening of September 4, 2008. The Tax Rate was adopted on the night of September 11, 2008. This Budget calls for a reduction in the overall property tax rate of $0.0123 per hundred dollars of valuation and continues to maintain excellence in levels of service while improving the quality of public facilities. The ad valorem rate for the Fiscal Year beginning in 2008 will be $0.2498 per hundred dollars of valuation, with $0.1775 of that amount being applied to debt services. Selma continues on a path of measured growth. Statistical data places our population in excess of 5,500 residents with a continued growth to over 10,000 by the end of 2010. Our challenge continues to provide excellence in service, low property taxes and continue that provision of services for today’s and tomorrow’s residents of this City. We continue our progress on the Capital Improvement Plan. This year we will bring a new elevated water storage tank, a ground storage tank and high speed water pumps on line to enhance the provision of water to our customers. Streets and drainage improvements continue to be a priority of this Council. We have purchased a new “crash truck” for the Fire Department and have ordered a new pumper to replace an aged unit that we will retain in a reserve status. Gaining an ISO Rating of 2 is admirable but we must continue to retain and improve our fire/rescue services to you, our citizens. Construction has begun on your new Police Department Building with an estimated completion in late 2009. Emergency services are always a priority. We have reorganized the staff and now have a Director of Public Works to better coordinate and supervise the provision of services. There are no additional personnel authorized in the budget. Selma received an early “Christmas Present” in November. Standard and Poor’s has raised Selma’s bond rating from BBB+ to A+. For any city to have their rating raised during these turbulent economic times is remarkable. For a city the size of Selma to have the rating raised three rating points is truly exceptional. My deepest thanks to the selfless volunteers that serve on boards and commissions, without them it would be impossible to meet the mission of running this City. The Council, your City Staff all join in wishing you the Happiest of Holiday Seasons and a prosperous New Year. Thank you all for your continued support, service and assistance. Jim Parma
Selma City Governed by City Council Challenges Services Recreation Nearby Neighborhood and Services I know you will agree with me that Selma is a great place to live and work. For additional information, please contact me at my office at (210) 651-7804 or by email at mayor@ci.selma.tx.us. Jim Parma, Mayor
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The National Civil League defines a Model City as one that has adopted the council-city manager form of government. This structure freed elected officials to lead and to work with citizens while a professional manager can focus on the details required to run the city.
I firmly believe that today, your community is a Model City. However citizens have a role to play in running for elected office and to serve on boards and commissions. Citizens must do more than vote every two years in order to perform their “Civic Duty”. This is called self government where you play a key part in making your community work. This form of city government, by encouraging self-government, enables citizens to live up to being an actor-not merely a critic.
Selma, TX (your city) is now growing at a rapid pace. It has been anticipated that by the year 2020, the City of Selma’s residential growth will exceed 15,000 and our business community will increase in proportion as well as our non-profits.
Times Are-A-Changing. At the present time, your community has been fortunate in that, problems that exist in larger towns and cities are for the most part, non-existent in your city. However, “Times Are-a-Changing” and you must start taking the role of “Being an Actor – not merely a critic”. In that regard, since this is your community, I am asking each of you to become involved in a SelmaThis Is Your Community Campaign (S-TIYCC).
Initially to facilitate this process, I will appoint a citizen of your community to be the Campaign Chairperson/Facilitator and an Alternate. I expect this facilitator will conduct one or more Town Hall Meetings per year (as needed), so that you can share information and discuss specific issues. Town Hall Meetings will include business, government, non-profit organizations and citizens who will work together effectively.
For business, government, non-profits and citizens to work together effectively, a civic or safe space must be created. Civic or safe spaces, are places where diverse perspectives are brought together by leaders to resolve differences and develop strategies to address complex issues. There are already plenty of spaces to fight, blame, and take sides in your community. Safe spaces allow people to focus on public deliberation and consensus building.
As you may or may not know, your city recently applied for and was designated All American City Finalist 2008 by the NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE. Our application was chosen from hundreds of cities nationwide and finished in the top sixteen cities nominated. The City of Selma was the only city nominated in the State of Texas (and the smallest by population), which was an honor in itself. You should start to see indications of this soon on the city’s web site and in bumper stickers which will soon be available. Information about the application and award will be on the web site in the very near future. Be sure to read it. You can be very proud of your city.
There are three stages we must take:
Stage One is the Initiating Stage, a pre-planning stage, which focuses on project logistics, the development of the actual community planning process, and the identification of stakeholders;
Stage Two is the Stakeholder Stage process and development of goals and strategies; and
Stage Three is the Implementation Stage which focuses on implementation and sustainability.
The Stakeholders will be formed in smaller groups of volunteers and will be represented by individuals from the following:
Citizens Group (consist of individuals chosen from and will represent Homeowners Associations and other residents in the community);
Businesses and
Non profit organizations.
Stakeholders will choose a facilitator and alternate to represent the group and will meet as required to discuss issues pertinent to their interests.
It is my desire, that this Community Campaign leaders, follow the procedures outlined in the: NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE’S (CIVIC INDEX) Measuring Your Community’s Civic Health, second edition, which will be made available at City Hall.
You might call this a new beginning and it is. If you want to get involved in the City and do your Civic Duty, I encourage you to become a volunteer in your community. There are many Commissions and Boards on which to serve. When a City Councilperson vacates a position on the City Council, appointments are generally chosen from those individuals who are their Leaders and who currently serve on them. Once appointed to fill a remainder of an elected term, they then continue in office only by a vote of the cities electorate.
The biggest concern of a person who wants to volunteer is:
Q. How many hours will I have to spend doing my Civic Duty.
A. As many as you wish however, I would estimate the average would be 1-5 hours per month and with proper organization, some of that time could be done in the home electronically if you have a computer.
Here is a list:
Planning & Zoning
Tax Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) Board
Retama Development Corporation
Selma Historical Commission
Municipal Development District
Added to this will be the: Selma-This is your Community Campaign (S-TIYCC).
I personally know that there are many volunteers in our community. I ask that you step up to the plate and become a Community Team Player. Your future and the future of the City of Selma depends on your participation, please volunteer.
P.S.
Also, please let us know if you are already a volunteer (i.e. Scout Leader; Church Volunteer; BMAC, etc.).
Please send a short resume and your interests to:
City of Selma 9375 Corporate Drive, Selma, TX 78154 to the a
A ttention: Mr. Ken Roberts, CPM, City Administrator/City SecretaryE-mail: kroberts@ci.selma.tx.us
Mayor - Tom Daly
mayor@ci.selma.tx.us
210-651-7804
Last updated: July 23, 2010