Government
BY HALEY MCLEOD & ZACHARIA WASHINGTON
Request for residential development halted off New Hope Drive Cedar Park City Council made a unanimous decision to postpone its vote on a proposed devel- opment that would add more residential options to a property currently zoned for commercial. The gist Developer Milestone Community Builders is requesting to rezone the proposed property— located at the northwest corner of east New Hope Drive and Ronald Reagan Boulevard—to add single-family homes and townhomes. The proposed 31-acre property is zoned for local office, retail and commercial space in Cedar Park’s future land use plan. A closer look Called Crestwood Park, the proposed develop- ment is aimed to create “a true town center,” a project representative said. The following is what the developer plans for the property: • 19.5 acres of single-family residential, or 73 lots • 6.2 acres of townhomes, or 50 units • A coffee shop • A gas station and a convenience store What’s next Council voted to table the decision and rec- ommended that the developer come back with a different plan including more commercial options. The developer is slated to return to council with an updated plan in November.
Williamson County Unify project reducing response times Uniting first responder efforts for multiple agencies within the area, the Williamson County-funded Unify system by Central Square aims to create a safer community. The overview The county’s information and technology department presented an update on the implementation of the software at a Sept. 26 Williamson County Commissioners Court meeting. The Unify project is a system that links dif- ferent public safety agencies via 911 dispatch calls, allowing them to talk to each other through a data-sharing network. This enables agencies to dispatch the most suitable, near- est or ideal team to any emergency without being restricted by jurisdictional boundaries. It allows responders to arrive quicker and have the latest info they need to address the emergency. Planning ahead The Unify system serves fire departments in Georgetown, Round Rock, Leander, Cedar Park and Austin.
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What they're saying
“I see the cool shops; I see the destination commercial that’s going to support all these visitors in that area, and I think adding residential right there isn’t helpful with the traffic. It’s a tough a residential plan right there on the major corridor that we have designated as a major retail corridor to help us with alleviating property taxes.” HEATHER JEFTS, COUNCIL MEMBER “I am very supportive of denser housing; I’m not interested in
Future improvements:
Integrating panic buttons into the emergency communications network Adding fellow emergency service agencies to the network
deal; it’s a tough call for us.” KEVIN HARRIS, COUNCIL MEMBER
WILLIAMSON COUNTY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
City Council OKs $195.4M budget, lower tax rate Cedar Park’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year will focus on the city’s existing workforce, infrastructure, public safety and debt service. In a nutshell Council approved a $195.4 million budget for fiscal year 2023-24 at its Sept. 14 meeting.
Tax breakdown
FY 2022-23 FY 2023-24
In other news Council also approved a tax rate of $0.37 for the upcoming fiscal year, which is 5.1% lower than the FY 2022-23 rate of $0.39. The new rate is expected to generate $3.3 million more in taxes for the city, or a 6.4% increase from last fiscal year. With the new tax rate, Cedar Park homeowners in Williamson County will see about a $98 increase on average to their annual property tax bills, according to the city. FY 2023-24 began Oct. 1.
Average taxable home value
$417,359 $466,391
Tax rate
$0.39*
$0.37*
City tax bill
$1,627.7
$1,725.64
The overall budget includes $76.3 million for the general fund; $43.3 million for the utility fund; and $75.9 million for specific purposes, such as debt service and capital projects.
Annual bill increase
$97.94
*PER $100 HOME VALUATION
SOURCE: CITY OF CEDAR PARK/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CEDAR PARK - FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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