September City Update & Event News/Information
Dear Neighbors,
This is the time of year when local governments set their budgets. While many of the cities around Farmers Branch are taking steps to lower their tax rates, the same cannot be said for our City Council. Please read below to find out what is happening with that and why you should plan on attending the next City Council meeting.
Additionally, Redistricting still is a hot topic and discussion about the new district lines continues.
As fall approaches, there are many fun activities on the horizon. Game Night at The Branch Connection for active adults, Halloween in The Park for kids, the last summer concert at Denton Drive Live for everyone and much more. Farmers Branch offers something for everyone!
District 1 Councilman Omar Roman will hold a Town Hall meeting at The Branch Connection on Thursday, September 8, at 6:30pm. All Farmers Branch residents are invited to attend.
Also, in case you have not heard, I will be running for Mayor of Farmers Branch next May. Please consider supporting my campaign with a donation at www.ElectTerryLynne.com. There is more on that below.
Feel free to stay in touch with me if you have a question, comment or concern about things happening in our city.
Again, thank you for your support and, more importantly, your friendship. I cannot tell you how much it means to me.
Terry
SEPTEMBER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS
Upcoming City Council meetings for September are scheduled for Tuesday, September 6th and 20th, at 6pm, in the City Council Chambers. The meetings are open to the public. The Study Sessions will take place at 3:00pm prior to each meeting in the upstairs meeting room.
Citizens are always welcome to address the City Council on any topic during the Citizen Comment portion of Council meetings or on agenda items at the proper time during a Council meeting provided they have signed-up in advance per the mayor’s order. Citizen Comment Forms must be submitted no later than 5:30pm on Council meeting days. Citizens are given 3 minutes to speak to any topic as long as they are cordial and don’t make disparaging remarks to Council or staff. This is your time to bring issues to the attention of Council and the City.
The agenda for the Council Meetings and Study Sessions may be found by clicking on AGENDA.
Call 972.919.2503 for more information about speaking.
CITY BUDGET DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE…. Taxes, Taxes, Taxes
The City Council continues to discuss the upcoming 2022-2023 budget. While many cities around us are lowering their tax rates to combat the non-stop rise in the Appraised Value of properties, the mayor and several council members continue to push to leave the Tax Rate at the current rate of $0.589 cents per $100 valuation.
As I mentioned in a previous email, the idea of offering a one-time credit on residential water service of $131 in no way equates to a 5-cent tax rate reduction, as was promoted by the mayor and a couple of council representatives.
The chart below shows three levels of home values with both the current tax rate and a true 5 cent tax rate reduction.
Even with a 5 cent Tax Rate Reduction, your taxes are going to go up! But, a lower tax rate helps.
The Appraisal District is capped at increasing your property value at 10% per year. Here is the same chart with a 10% appraised value increase at both the .589 and .539 tax rates.
WHERE IS OUR TAX BREAK?
If you want the City Council to lower your city property taxes, then you need to sign-up to speak at the next City Council meeting and say so.
Responsible City Council representatives should be listening to you and working for you… not themselves.
Simply click on the Citizen Comment Form link above and show up Tuesday, September 6th, at 6pm and let your representatives hear from you.
COUNCILMAN OMAR ROMAN TO HOLD TOWN HALL MEETING
Make plans to attend this very important Town Hall. While this is mainly for residents of District 1, all residents of the city are welcome to attend.
Friday, September 2 and October 21, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm at The Branch Connection
FREE for TBC Members, $5 for Non-members
Come enjoy a hot dog with all the fxins’ hosted by The Senior Advisory Board
GREEN GRABBER PICK-UP SCHEDULE FOR BRUSH AND BULK
The week of September 5th will be Bulk Item Pick-Up Week. The Green Grabber will pick up BULK items on the same day as your recycling bin pick-up. Bulk consists of furniture, mattresses, appliances, etc.
The other weeks of the month the Green Grabber will only pick-up BRUSH.
Please do your part to help us save our landfill by separating your brush and green items from bulk items and put brush out the remaining three weeks of the month.
Residents may call for a “special bulk pick-up” by The Green Grabber. Special Pick-ups are done on Wednesdays. Call 972-919-2597.
UPCOMING CANDIDATE MEET & GREET
Wednesday, Sep 7, 2022
Speakers 6:30p-8:00p
Gussie Field Watterworth Park Pavilion, next to City Hall
The public is invited to come and meet the following candidates who are running for County and State offices.
Scheduled Speakers
Tan Parker, Candidate for State Senator, D 12
Melisa Denis, Candidate for State Representative, D 115
Faith Johnson, Candidate for Dallas County District Attorney
Lauren Davis, Candidate for Dallas County Judge
JJ Koch, Dallas County Commissioner
Shelly Akerly, Candidate for Dallas County Treasurer
Jerry Jones, Candidate for Dallas County Constable
This event is presented by a number of Farmers Branch and other area Precinct Chairs.
FREEBIES FOR ACTIVE ADULTS AT THE BRANCH CONNECTION
The First Monday Breakfast for September takes place Monday, September 12th, at 8:15am at The Branch Connection and will be limited to the first 100 active adults. Free for TBC members and $5 for non-members. Come join us for some good food, meet new neighbors and see what all is happening at TBC!
Join The Branch Connection today and take advantage of these and so many more fun activities! Click NEWSLETTER for The Branch Connection Newsletter.
REC CENTER RENOVATIONS, PHASE 2 BEGINS SEPTEMBER 30
The upstairs of the Rec Center is about to undergo renovations.
What to expect during the closure:
- The walking / jogging track will be closed, but members are encouraged to use the downstairs cardio equipment.
- The locker rooms will be unavailable, but members may use the showers at the Aquatics Center during the hours of operation.
- Classes will be impacted by the closure and the Rec Center management is working on determining the new availability and schedule. Stay tuned for updates.
- The FREE coffee station will be moving to the lobby.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR…HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION EVENT, NOVEMBER 12TH
Saturday, November 12th, from 9am till 3pm, at the Farmers Branch Service Center, 13333 Senlac Drive
Free Household Hazardous Waste Disposal of the following items:
Chemical products for home use
Paint and home repair products
Lawn & garden chemicals
Aerosol sprays
Pool chemicals
Craft & hobby supplies
Cleaners & polishes
Batteries of all kinds
Automotive fluids & oil filters
Fluorescent light tubes
Computers and cell phones
Please help us save our landfill and dispose of these items properly at this event… Never in your garbage. Thank you!
CITY COUNCIL STILL DISCUSSING NEW DISTRICT LINES…WHAT IS REDISTRICTING?
May residents have asked me, what is redistricting and why do we have to do it? Allow me to explain as simply as I can….
Because Farmers Branch has council districts, we are mandated by federal law to look at the size of each voting district every 10 years and re-balance districts to make sure we have approximately the same number of residents in each district. In addition to the number of residents in each district, we have to look at the ethnic composition of the city and make sure that all residents are represented equally.
A number of years ago, the federal court ordered that Farmers Branch have one minority-majority council district. That became District 1, which was comprised of primarily Hispanic residents. Today, Hispanics live in many other parts of our city as well, but many still live in District 1.
How are Districts formed?
The process began earlier this year with the formation of a citizen-led Redistricting Committee. The Committee, comprised of two representatives from each council district, used the latest census data to review where residents live, as well as other information. This was done on a street-by-street basis to get to the eventual goal of having equally balanced districts. The Committee then submitted their recommendations to the City Council. One goal of Redistricting is to try and preserve neighborhoods as much as possible and not split representation within neighborhoods.
Does the City Council have to accept the Committee recommendation?
No. The City Council has the authority to accept or reject any recommendation by the Committee. They can even create their own plan. The process does need to be completed by October.
Where are we now?
Several members of the City Council did not like the proposed redistricting maps put forth by the Committee. What they noted was that many neighborhoods were going to be split or divided, which is not the goal of Redistricting. Some felt that district lines were going to be moved indiscriminately and that in some instances, would cause them harm by losing too many voters.
One example of a district being split is on the West Side or Mercer Crossing area. The committee proposed to split Mercer Crossing into two districts. The current representative for the area would lose half of the area to someone who is not familiar with and has never met the residents of the area. That’s not the goal of redistricting.
To hear more about the Redistricting process, attend the special City Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, at 6pm, at City Hall.
CURRENT DISTRICT MAP
Click here for the full report on REDISTRICTING. Click on 2022 Final Report to see entire report.
The Branch Connection Active Adult Center will be having their annual Game Night, September 17th from 5-9:30pm‼️ Presented by the Senior Advisory Board and many sponsors throughout our community. This event has been referred to as the social event of the year‼️ Tickets are available for all residents and nonresidents and are a bargain at only $20‼️ A catered meal, a night filled with fun and excitement, dancing, casino games and unbelievable Grand Prizes
MAKE PLANS NOW FOR….
Tickets for one the hottest bluegrass festivals in the nation are now available. The Bloomin Bluegrass Festival will be October 15 & 16 at the Historical Park, 2540 Farmers Branch Lane.
We’ll have two stages and two days of traditional and progressive bluegrass along with offerings of Americana and country sounds. Impromptu jam sessions are also common throughout the festival grounds.
Click BLUEGRASS for complete information.
As you can see, there’s lots happening in our city… Click on the following links to see what else is going on:
Farmers Branch Historical Park
Farmers Branch Chamber of Commerce
Please let me hear from you regarding any questions, comments or concerns you have about our great city. Thank you again for allowing me to be of service to you.
Terry
Terry Lynne
214-244-1615 cell