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Bulletin Board Bulletin Board

City adopts 2022 budget that will reduce property tax rates yet again

The Arlington City Council last month adopted the $552 million Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget, which includes a property tax rate reduction for the sixth year in a row, and slight increases for residents’ water rates, the garbage collection rate and storm water fee.

Plans for next fscal year, which begins Oct. 1, include investments in public safety, information technology, the implementation of the Unity Council recommendations, and support for Arlington’s awardwinning parks and recreation amenities. This includes new playgrounds and money to make sure parks services are available for low-income residents. The budget also includes $7.2 million to restore key services, $200,000 for more LED streetlights and $2.3 million for generators. Federal funding from the recent American Rescue Plan is also helping Arlington overcome the negative economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The council also voted to lower the City’s property tax rate for a sixth consecutive year, down from $0.6225 per $100 of assessed value to $0.6198 per $100 of assessed value. This change will result in tax savings for some residents.

The council also reauthorized a variety of residential property tax exemptions, including the largest homestead exemption by state law of 20% of the property value. The City also ofers a senior tax freeze as well as $60,000 exemptions for those who are over 65, disabled veterans and disabled persons. Exemptions are also available to surviving spouses of U.S. Armed Forces members and frst responders who are killed in action. Seniors over the age of 65 in Arlington may also be eligible to defer payments.

Arlington’s budget and business plan are built around supporting the City Council’s six priorities: Build Unity, Champion Great Neighborhoods, Support Youth and Families, Invest in Our Economy, Enhance Regional Mobility and Put Technology to Work. Plans for next year include investing $54 million in road maintenance, $169 million in public safety, $21 million for parks and $9 million for libraries.

Grand Prairie cited as 'music friendly' city

Last month, the Texas Music Ofce (an ofce of the Texas governor) certifed Grand Prairie as a Texas Music Friendly Community, making it one of fewer than 30 Texas cities to achieve this distinction.

To celebrate, Grand Prairie hosted the Texas Music Friendly Community program last month as a means to foster music-related economic development by providing a network for certifed communities, as well as a means of signaling industry professionals that certifed communities are serious about music industry growth.

Music-focused or music-related venues in Grand Prairie include: Uptown Theater, Texas Trust CU Theatre, The Epic Theater, Lone Star Park, Firehouse Gastro Park, and The Oasis foating restaurant, as well as one of the city's signature events, Main Street Fest.

Grand Prairie is also home to the Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy and the Grand Prairie Arts Council, both of which incubate, support, and train local music/arts talent.

It's time to clean up this town (in a good way)

Mayor Jim Ross is leading city ofcials in urging residents to grab their gloves and litter pickers and be part of the Arlington contingent in North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge. This region-wide litter cleanup challenge between cities and counties is taking place through Oct. 31. As part of the NTCCC, communities compete to see who can cumulatively clean up the most litter during those months to take home a trophy and bragging rights.

“Here in Arlington, The American Dream City, we are second to none," Ross says. "Help us be the community with the most litter picked up in north Texas.

Participating is as easy as 1-2-3

1. Join an existing litter cleanup event, organize a cleanup of your own with friends or family, or pick up litter each time you walk around your Arlington neighborhood or park. All of these activities count towards the goal. 2. Log your litter loot each time you pick up litter throughout October. 3. Share your eforts and pictures on social media using #NTXCleanupChallenge.

Ways to help prevent litter:

– Keep the lid closed on your trash can or cart. A lot of litter accidentally winds up in the environment when it blows out of opened trash cans or carts. If you leave your cans or carts outside, make sure to secure the lids so that critters can’t get in. – Always put trash and recycling in their respective bin. As obvious as it sounds, do not throw trash on the ground or out your vehicle window. This is littering, which is illegal and can result in a fne. – Report illegal dumping. If you spot someone dumping illegally, be sure to report it here: reportdfwdumping.org. – Reduce your use of single-use items. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. By reducing your use of single-use items such as plastic straws, plastic utensils, and plastic bags you can make sure they never have the potential to become litter in the frst place. – Don’t intentionally release balloons. While the release of balloons may seem symbolic and a great way to celebrate something or someone special, they eventually must come down and will wind up as litter where wildlife may encounter them. Check out this website, balloonsblow.org, to learn more about their impact and for ideas on alternative ways to celebrate without balloons.

The North Texas Community Cleanup Challenge is a program of the Stormwater Public Education Task Force, a subcommittee of the Regional Stormwater Management Coordinating Council. The Regional Stormwater Management Coordinating Council mission is to implement cooperative programs and projects to manage stormwater quality in the North Central Texas region. The Council is a committee of the North Central Texas Council of Governments.

For more: communitycleanupchallenge.com.

For more information on organized cleanup events within the Arlington area, please contact Dan Withers in the Arlington Parks and Recreation Department at dan.withers@arlingtontx.gov or 817-459-5486.

Local educators honored by the Girl Scouts

Two Arlington educators were among the Girls Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains' 2021 Women of Distinction honorees. Jacquelyn Minor of the Academic Foundations Department at Tarrant County College in Arlington was named Woman of Distinction. Arlington Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos won the Man Enough to Be a Girl Scout award.