January news from Richardson Coalition

by Staff of of Richardson Coalition

City economic update - January sales tax is up 0.5% relative to this time last year. The City has been working the budget and expenditures very hard to keep everything balanced. The first quarter actual expenditures are down 2.2% and 4.6% below the current budget. During the last economic downturn we experienced in 2001-2002 we not only had a severe downturn of the general economy, but we got a severe downturn in the telecom sector, which hit us very hard. During that time we had to eliminate 10% of our staff, and we have replaced only 5% of those people. The foreclosure rate in the City of Richardson is only 0.5%, which is lower than the thirteen cities we track. The City Manager is confident the City can get through this down turn in good shape.

Red Light Camera program income has decreased, as was the goal of the program. That means the program is really working and we have fewer accidents. At this time the program is approximately on a break-even footing.

The City Council Elections will be held May 9, 2009 and early voting will be from April 27th to May 5th. Filing for candidates will be February 9th to March 9th.

Outside emergency warning system test has started again. The test will be conducted the first Wednesday of each month at noon.

The Comprehensive Plan and Thoroughfare plan was approved by the City Council January 12th.

Owens Boulevard Terminus Project is now in the planning stage. This is a project to add landscape and other amenities to the area where Owens Boulevard stops north of East Lookout and starts up again at Braeburn Drive.

Athletic fields usage fees, with the upgrades to the fields, has been standardized at $4.00 per player for soccer and $5.00 per player for Baseball and softball.

UTD is now working on a billion dollar building program. A fifth DART rail station is planned at UTD, which will be the fifth station in Richardson. The Cotton Belt rail system will connect to the downtown rail system at Richardson, and should be completed in 2013.

A Crime Watch Patrol recognition luncheon was held on the 22nd. With the addition of JJ Pearce and Heights Park to the project, Richardson now has seven Crime Watch Patrols with approximately 180 volunteers patrolling their neighborhoods to hold down crime.

The Neighborhood Development Overlay program was formally adopted in December.

The hurricane reimbursement request has been submitted to FEMA. For Gustav and Ike hurricanes, the City of Richardson spent $233,000 on the relief effort, which should be refunded to the City by FEMA.

A Dallas County funded $2.5 million Central Trail Project is planned for Richardson. The trail will be a 1.9 miles long tract extending from the Arapaho DART station to Spring Valley DART station. The only funding the City will be responsible for is to solve some drainage problems.

HOV lane exit point for Richardson from Central Expressway is still on the table as is the pylon configuration that separates the HOA lane from the rest of the roadway.

RRMC - The Richardson Regional Medical Center Foundation’s $5 million capital campaign has been completed and will support the new Comprehensive Cancer Center in Richardson.

This was the foundation’s largest ever fundraising effort – the “Cancer Should Not Have the Last Word” capital campaign. On December 31, the final day of the campaign, an anonymous donor came forward with a major gift that helped the campaign surpass its $5 million goal.

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