Richwood Focus - Fall Newsletter 2018

Focus

NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 2018

Citizens of Richwood,

I am excited to share with you all the great steps Council and city staff are taking to ensure the stability of
our city. As growth in our little city continues, we must continue to look at planning for the future.

Since our last issue, the City welcomed Stephen Mayer, Chief of Police and City Council also welcomed the
newest elected officials: Mark Brown II, Katie Johnson, and Mike Johnson.

City Council, department heads and city staff continue to plan for the growth of our city with one major
initiative – to develop plans that set clear guidelines and expectations so that we have a road map of where
we want to go and how we want to get there. In our strategic planning session for this next year, City Council
set the following vision statement; mission statement and core values as a baseline for our City.

OUR VISION
The City of Richwood is a model for safe and beautiful neighborhoods with sustainable growth opportunities
for families and businesses dedicated to serving our community for current and future generations.

OUR MISSION
To provide residents, visitors, and the business community with the highest quality of municipal services
in an efficient and courteous manner, and to enhance the quality of life through planning and visionary
leadership.

OUR CORE VALUES
• Act as good stewards of the city resources.
• Leading the city by serving our community.
• Foster economic growth for today and tomorrow.
• Maintain integrity through transparency.
• Promote a positive quality of life for our community.

City Council used this vision, mission and values to set five main goals and priorities to work towards: 1)
Financial Stability; 2) Economic Development; 3) Infrastructure Investments; 4) Community Development; 5)
City Operations. City Staff has taken these goals and prepared a balanced and well-rounded budget that gets
us closer to our vision for our City.

We still need your help! As the citizens of Richwood, we need to hear from you, and we need your input.
We want to make our decisions based on several factors: what is best for our city, how do the plans fit
into our long and short-term vision, and most importantly, what do our citizens want for our city. We are
the representatives of the citizens of Richwood. For us to know what you like and don’t like, we have to
continuously hear from you. City Council meets the second Monday of each month at 6:00 pm at Richwood
City Hall to discuss city business and get input from our residents.

The City recently appointed a group of five residents to review our City Charter and make recommendations
to City Council for any proposed changes. Our City Charter is what establishes the city’s governmental
structure and provides for the distribution of powers and duties among the various branches of government.
The Charter Review Commission will meet between October through
December and present any recommendations for changes to City Council
in January.

In closing, we are nearing the end of Hurricane Season. The city has
extensive plans in place to be protect our people and infrastructure, and get
us back up and running in the event of hurricanes or large storms. Please
make sure you and your families will be ready as well. Let us know if you
have any questions or concerns so that we can all be prepared.

Again I am honored to be here and look forward to continue serving the
citizens, business, and city employees to the best of my ability.

Mark A.Thank you, Guthrie

CITY DIRECTORY FOCUS

CITY COUNCIL In this Issue Page
Mayor
Mark [email protected] Police Department ..............................2

Council Members Public Works .......................................3
Mike [email protected] Proposed Bond Issue ..............................6
Frank [email protected] Volunteer Program ..............................8
Sarah [email protected] Upcoming Events .....................................10
Mark Brown [email protected]
Katie [email protected] You may also visit our website at
www.richwoodtx.gov
DEPARTMENT DIRECTORY

City Manager Michael Coon
[email protected]

Police Chief Stephen Mayer BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
[email protected] MEETING SCHEDULES

Finance Director Vacant City Council
2nd Monday at 6:00 p.m.
City Secretary/ Giani Cantu Keep Richwood Beautiful
Court Administrator [email protected] 3rd Thursday at 6:00 p.m.

Court Clerk Kirsten Garcia Parks Board
[email protected] (Has been combined with KRB)
Crime Control and Prevention District
Public Works Director Clif Custer
[email protected] Quarterly as called
Planning and Zoning
Customer Service Laura Tyner (Also serves as Board of Adjustments)
Lori Salazar (Currently served by City Council)
[email protected]
As called
PHONE NUMBERS All meetings, unless otherwise noted, are
Dispatch......................................979-265-2222 held at Richwood City Hall, 1800 Brazosport
Blvd.
(Police, Fire, EMS, Animal Control) All meetings are open to the public. The
If you have any emergency please dial 9-1-1 public is encouraged to attend.

City Hall......................................979-265-2082

(Administration, Utility Billing, Permitting, Inspections,
Accounts Payable)

MunicipalCourt...........................979-265-8157

Public Works (After Hours)...........979-319-6083
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MEET YOUR NEW
CHIEF OF POLICE

Stephen Scot Mayer is a thirty-year veteran of law
enforcement. He has spent most of this time serving
the citizens of the Rio Grande Valley in Deep South
Texas. He began his police career with the San
Benito, Texas Police Department. Shortly thereafter,
he joined the Harlingen, Texas Police Department
where he advanced to the position of Interim Chief of
Police. Chief Mayer retired from the Harlingen Police
Department to accept a position as Chief of Police for
the City of Weslaco, Texas. Currently, he is the Chief
of Police for the City of Richwood, Texas. He holds
a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration and Management from Kaplan
University and is currently enrolled in Purdue University Global earning a Master’s degree
in Public Administration. Chief Mayer has been married to Kimberly Mayer for twenty-
years and has four children; Weston Scot, Sarah Brooke, Wyatt Scot, and Emily Morgan.

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PUBLIC WORKS

GARBAGE COLLECTIONS 4. Contractor debris / Construction Waste
Household garbage is collected once a week. Those (concrete, dirt, bricks, rocks, tires). If a large amount of
areas north of San Saba St and west of West Mahan are construction waste needs disposal the customer must
serviced on Wednesday. Those areas south of San Saba make alternate plans with Waste Connections such as
St and east of West Mahan are serviced on Tuesday. roll-off dumpster rental.
5. Tree debris more than 6 inches in diameter
RECYCLING COLLECTIONS 6. Any debris pile exceeding 5 square yards in size
Recycling is collected every other Thursday in all areas Residents may use the 96-gallon trash caddy to dispose
of town. of grass or plant clippings / vegetative debris or any other
Acceptable Items: Unacceptable Items: household trash that is not listed above.
Aluminum cans Aerosol Cans Contractor waste should be removed from the property
Brown Paper Bags Films by the contractor performing the work. If a resident is
Cardboard (cut to 2 feet x 2 feet squares) Foam cups and unsure if an Item or items will be picked up, contact
Junk mail containers Waste Connections directly.
Magazines Food waste If a resident has items that fall under excluded waste
Newspapers Glass (concrete, dirt, bricks, batteries, cross ties, rocks, tires,
Office paper Plastic wrap and logs larger than 6 inches in diameter), they may
Paper cardboard: dairy & juice containers contact Waste Connections to arrange special pick-up
Paperboard or contact an alternate site to inquire about where refuse
Phone books can be taken such as Brazoria County or Sea Breeze Land
Plastic bottles/containers: #1-#7 Fill.
Tin or steel cans

BULK WASTE COLLECTIONS
Heavy trash services are scheduled to pick up once a
month during the first week of the month. Heavy trash
is not permitted to be put out for pick-up any sooner
that the one week prior to the first Monday of each
month.
Waste Connections will not pick up:
1. Hazardous waste (any chemical compound,
mixture, substance or article that is designated by
any governmental authority / anything with a health
warning on the container). Will pick up latex paint
completely dried if the paint cans are open and are
visible to the Waste Connections driver.
2. Any freon using appliance without a certification
of freon reclamation (i.e. refrigerator, ac, freezer, etc).
3. Electronics (TV’s, computers, microwaves
ovens, batteries)

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WATER QUALITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

A NOTE FROM YOUR PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR

Over the past decade Richwood’s public water system has had a significant increase in demand due to
new construction and population growth. Recent additions to Richwood’s water distribution have resulted
in infrastructure needs that require expansion of Richwood’s elevated storage and current potable
water pumping capacity. Richwood has been consulting with the Texas Commission on Environmental
Quality (TCEQ), as well as our contracted engineers, to determine the best solutions for our residents
while making every effort to minimize the financial impact.
Richwood is currently reviewing every option to minimize any utility rate increase that would be necessary
in October 2019 to fund the needed water distribution upgrades. The engineers are estimating that it will
cost between $2.1 million and $3.5 million for upgrades to equalize pressure throughout distribution,
provide adequate pumping capacity, remain compliant with TCEQ’s standards, and serve Richwood’s
residents the best possible potable water. Some of the options being reviewed to help finance the
project include working with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA), and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
to review all opportunities to receive funding through subsidized loans or grants.

Clif Custer

Director of Public Works
Office: 979-265-2082

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is Richwood’s Water Safe? their data gathering and has also confirmed that Richwood
Yes, the City of Richwood’s water is safe. We have been experiences too much pressure loss when our waterlines
working with the Texas Commission on Environmental are being flushed.
Quality (TCEQ) to increase the number of locations and the
frequencies at which water samples are being tested. In fact, What can be done to improve the water pressure?
water samples are now being taken in some areas of the According to the engineers the City has hired, the best
City almost daily. The results from the water samples can be way to improve the water pressure, help improve the water
seen by visiting TCEQ’s website at https://dww2.tceq.texas. quality, and to ensure compliance with all TCEQ guidelines,
gov/DWW/. is to add more elevated storage and another water well. The
City is currently working with these engineers to determine
To help improve the water quality, the City has also increased the exact improvements that are needed. It’s estimated that
the frequency at which we flush the lines, which has helped the needed improvements will cost between $2.1 million and
maintain higher concentrations of chlorine within our water $3.5 million and that it will take up to 18 months to complete
system. Prior to October 2017, the City was flushing water the needed improvements.
lines about twice a month. Then the frequency of the
City’s flushing activities increased to once a week. Since Why has there been a decrease in the clarity of water
September 25, 2018, employees have been flushing in some in Audubon Woods I and other neighborhoods?
areas daily, causing the chlorine concentrations to remain at Water clarity has decreased in Audubon Woods I and
much higher levels. in other surrounding neighborhoods due to a tear in the
filtration screen on our oldest water well, Well #1. This well
Why is the water system experiencing problems is the only one that is currently on an automated system and
with pressure? historically it has been used in conjunction with our flushing
Over the past decade a large amount of demand has been operations. So, as we began to increase the regularity of our
added to Richwood’s water system due to the new growth. flushing operations the buildup of sand in the system was
Over seven (7) miles of waterlines were added for Oakwood amplified. Recently the City has tried to rely on this well as
Shores, the Audubon Subdivisions are now completely little as possible. We are in the process of having another
built out, 508 new apartments have been added, and well automated, so we can stop taking water from Well #1
about 75 additional homes will be added within the next until there is a resolution for the tear in the screen. Once a
couple of years. This growth has caused significant stress different well is automated, we can begin flushing operations
to Richwood’s water infrastructure and created a situation to remove the sand from the impacted water lines.
where our existing water towers cannot always produce the
necessary pressures. What has happened with the two new utility
positions that were included in the FY 2017-2018
According to TCEQ guidelines, water systems need to Budget?
maintain a pressure of at least 35 PSI, at normal operating While the two new positions were approved in the FY 2017-
conditions. Most of the time our water system operates close 2018 Budget, funding for the positions was not available
to 50 PSI. However, the strains on the system are now such until October 2018 due to the financial impacts of Hurricane
that when the City flushes our water lines that the pressure Harvey. However, the City was not left without additional
can drop below 35 PSI, especially on the areas that are help.
farthest away from the water towers.
Over the past year the City has been the recipient of a grant
Why was the true extent of the water pressure from the Texas Workforce Commission that provided up to
issues not discovered until recently? two full-time employees to help the City with our efforts to
The City needs to have a better understanding of the recover from Hurricane Harvey. While the grant employees’
limitations and constrictions of both the water and primary purpose was to help with Hurricane Recovery
wastewater systems. Therefore, we have been working for projects, having the grant employees did create some
the last 18 months on funding and completing a study of additional capacity to allow the City’s other employees more
those two systems. After funding became available and the time to flush water lines and to focus on maintaining and
City completed the bidding process, a contract was awarded repairing our water and wastewater infrastructure.
to Freese & Nichols and they began work in July of this year.
While Freese & Nichols was in the process of gathering
the data to create a hydraulic model for our water system,
a TCEQ inspection found that water pressure in Oakwood
Shores dropped below the allowable limits during flushing
operations. Since then Freese & Nichols has completed

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2019 Proposed Bond Program

The Richwood City Council has called for an election to be held on November 6, 2018 to allow
citizens the opportunity to vote on three (3) propositions for a proposed $5 million bond program.
We invite you to please study the information below and to participate in the election on November
6, 2018.
Highlight of Bond Propositions

Proposition 1: Street & Road Construction ($3.0 million)
Over the years as the streets have aged the City's operating budget has not
been able to keep pace with the needed street repairs due to deterioration. This
project would help fund the needed repairs to over 25,000 linear feet, or just
over 4.7 miles, of roadways. The table to the right shows the proposed road
repairs. If the City were to systematically address these repairs with the annual
budgets in the General Fund and the Transportation Fund, it’s estimated that
the listed repairs may not be completed until 2037.

Richwood Sidewalk Improvements Proposition 2: Sidewalk Construction & Improvements ($0.5 million)
Many areas in Richwood are not serviced by sidewalks, meaning there
Possible Transportation Fund Projects are not many safe paths for children to walk to and from Gladys Polk
Proposed Bond Project Elementary. This project would add about 2,000 linear feet of sidewalk
on Moore St. to connect N. Mahan to Oyster Creek Dr. Cost permitting,
additional sidewalk improvements would also be made along Oyster
Creek Dr. Installing sidewalk in these areas would also require enclosing
the respective drainage ditches.
The image to the left shows the future sidewalk projects that are being
considered by the City and their potential funding sources. This bond
proposition would be used for the projects highlighted in yellow and
the projects in red would be funded overtime out of the Transportation
Fund.

Proposition 3: Drainage Improvements & Flood Control Projects ($1.5 million)
The City currently owns 4.6 acres of property along the section of the Magnolia
St. right-of-way that is located just west of Audubon Woods I. It is proposed that
this land be used to create a retention pond that would provide an additional
10.5-acre feet of storage, which should provide enough storage to keep the
streets in the Audubon Woods I and the northern part of the Glenwood Bayou
Subdivision from flooding during heavy rain events.
The City is also working with FEMA to determine the feasibility of a multi-
million-dollar diversion channel that could potentially mitigate future flooding.
If the diversion channel project is funded by FEMA, these bond dollars would
first be used as the City’s matching requirement for the diversion channel
project.

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2019 Proposed Bond Program

How were these projects selected? How does our tax rate compare to other
In August 2017, the Richwood City Council appointed 15 cities?
residents to serve on the Bond Task Force and gave them
the following charge:
• Review & prioritize capital improvement projects for

a potential bond election
• Review the City’s debt capacity & the potential impact

of the various proposals on the tax rate
• Provide opportunities for citizen input
• Present their recommendations to City Council
The Bond Task Force worked on developing the bond
proposal package from November 2017 to August 2018.

Why do we have bond elections?
Bond elections are held to finance the City’s major
capital improvements. When a city issues bonds, this is
the equivalent of an individual borrowing money from
a bank. To pay for these projects on a “pay as you go
plan” would require a very large increase in taxes. Since
the benefits of major capital improvements last for many
years, the issuing of bonds spreads the cost over all
residents, present and future.

Will the proposed bonds raise my taxes? How long will it take to do these projects?
If the bond program is approved, up to a 11.44 cent The design and construction of the projects would begin
property tax rate increase per $100 evaluation may be shortly after the bonds are approved. We anticipate that
necessary over the course of the next three years. The construction would be completed within five years.
table below shows the cost of the peak projected tax rate
for homes of varying values. What will happen if a bond proposition does
not pass?
If the City’s voters reject a bond proposition, bonds will
not be issued for the projects included in the proposition
and such projects will remain unfunded.

Whom can I contact if I have more questions
about the bond Program?
For more information feel free to contact the City Hall at
(979) 265-2082.

The City of Richwood would like to thank residents: John Pitts, Lavonda Potts, Blix Messick, Barry Kluge, Jo Lasiewicki,
Archie Owens, Amando Contreras, Cynthia Moriarty, Derek Rester, Josh Strawn, Jack Daniel, Mike Johnson, Jeremy
Fountain, Joan Tulloch, and Charles Pettey for serving on our Bond Task Force Committee.

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Keep Richwood Beautiful
hosts the

City of Richwood’s

Annual Fall Clean-up

Saturday, November 3, 2018
8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

P.K. Forrest Community Building
611 Audubonwoods Drive

Waste Connections will provide roll-off dumpsters for residents
to dispose of unwanted items. You may bring items such as trash,

brush, furniture, carpet, lumber, etc..

NO HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE OR HAZARDOUS WASTES WILL BE
ACCEPTED. NO EXCEPTIONS.

We need your help!

Join us in cleaning up our parks and other locations, as well as putting flags out for
Veteran’s Day. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers.

Let’s Keep Richwood Beautiful!!