M
ountain City will have an election for alderman positions! Mark your calendars to vote on Election Day, Nov. 3.
The five who filed are Elva Brown, Thomas Brown, Suzanne Hallam, Ralph McClendon, and Lee Taylor (incumbent). You may vote for three, and the top three win.
Should you want to write in a name, it will not be counted. The deadline for write-in candidates to declare was Aug. 24.
A new law amended filing deadline for a declaration as a write-in to be the 74th day before Election Day. But, that new law did not take effect until Sept. 1.
As you talk with candidates, some may mention “Kyle water”.
Mountain City’s City Council recently approved a water rate increase for Mountain City Oaks Water System which will be reflected on the September water bill. Everyone will pay at least $5.40 more, for the base rate.
Our cost for water has been a flat $2.50 per 1,000 gallons. With the increase, we will pay $2.75 – $4.00 per 1,000 gallons, based on a sliding scale. The more you use, the more you pay.
The City of Kyle also has a sliding scale. Their chart starts at $4.00 per 1,000 gallons (our maximum) and goes up to $13.20. That’s the in-the-city limits rate. Out-of-city rates for Kyle range from to $5.94 – to a staggering $17.77 per 1,000 gallons.
According to John Alan Andersen, Mountain City has some “over-50,000 gallons” users. For any thousand gallons over 50,000, the rate would be $17.77 in Kyle compared to $4.00 here.
Tack onto those rates the wastewater and sewer rates, and it becomes evident why some of our neighbors across 2770 and up a ways pay more to the City of Kyle each month than some of us pay to our mortgage company.
Mountain City’s proposed tax rate for 2015 – 2016 is $0.1230 per $100 of taxable assessed valuation, the same as previous year. Kyle’s 2014 – 15 rate was $0.5383 per $100 taxable assessed valuation.
Yes, indeed, we have a little slice of paradise out here in our little city that’s still somewhat out in the country. It’s a very special place.
Wildlife sightings, with no development separating Mountain City from the wildlife preserves west of our city, have been frequent and numerous through the years.
As many as 2,200 homes are slated to wedge Mountain City from the wildlife preserves. News reports say Anthem homes are slated for availability in 2016. Some news reports say that Anthem will be annexed by the City of Kyle. Our city reports that Mountain City is still in negotiations regarding a potential release of the “Anthem” property from Mountain City’s ETJ.
Eastern bluebird sightings have been numerous and frequent at our place this past week, as the birds flock in for water and ripe poke berries.
Tidbits are neither numerous nor frequent. I need some, please. Ptom5678@gmail.com (subject: TIDBIT) or 512 268 5678. Thanks! Love, Pauline
