Garland Power and Light Press Release:

GP&L Customers to Pay Less for Electricity

Just in time for the hot summer months, GP&L announces that customers will pay less for their electricity. Beginning June 1, the Recovery Adjustment Factor (RAF) component of the rate for electric service will go down a penny, from $0.0644 to $0.0544 per kWh. The average GP&L customer uses 1,550 kWh during the summer months. At this usage, the electric bill will decline from $192.12 to $176.62.
 
The RAF component of the rate allows for the recovery of the electric system’s total revenue requirements not recovered under the Customer Charge and Energy Charge. This decrease in the RAF has been made possible by sustained lower market prices for the natural gas used to generate power and new procedures at GP&L which have reduced operating costs.
 
"I am excited that we are able to lower the cost of electric service for our customers," said Electric Utility Director Ray Schwertner. "I’m especially pleased that we are able to implement this decrease as the summer cooling [air conditioning] season begins!"

 
GP&L customers cover 85% of the city. The remainder are served by Oncor and numerous retail electric providers. GP&L has had a number of successes in the last year: settlement of numerous lawsuits within the TMPA sisterhood of member cities and a judge's decree that GP&L was improperly blocked from participating in the construction of transmission lines from West Texas. I doubt there has ever been a period when GP&L faced more challenges and I doubt that GP&L has ever been more professionally managed and operated. I know that is a big statement because genuine giants have walked the halls of GP&L. Still, operating an electric utility today involves steering through electric markets, speculating in fuels, adapting to the December launch of the nodal market in Texas, working with the Public Utility Commission and Legislature, and a hundred other activities that have little to do with the actual physical activity of delivering power to our customers.
 
Mr Schwertner's stewardship, his management team, and all the other GP&L employees that dedicate themselves to serving the GP&L ratepayers have made this a banner year. How does it get better? They announce a rate cut. After all, that's what all the work has been for. My appreciation to GP&L for a job measurably very well done!
 

In-N-Out Burger is known to every last Southern California resident and to many residents across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Just mentioning the name will literally turn millions of people hungry and salivating. The chain has a widely known reputation for fast, fresh, and favorful food. I've eaten my fair share in travels through the Golden State.
 
With little fanfare, the Council approved the request last night for a fast food outlet near Firewheel Town Center, on Lavon Ave (SH-78) across the side street from Christina's and Pei Wei restaurants. Although there have been no formal announcements, In-N-Out Burger is expected to open it's first of several Texas locations in north Garland. No schedule has been announced.
 
In-N-Out is very much oriented toward cars. At the locations I've visited, it is all drive-through although this location will have outdoor seating.
 
Since the Town Center is heavily pedestrian-oriented, a drive-through might seem to be a bit of a contradiction. Not really. The restaurant will be located on the bank of a river of cars, Lavon Ave. It doesn't affect the future potential Town Center development that should also be pedestrian-oriented because it will be outside those pedestrian areas.
 
So, drive to get a burger and walk over to the Town Center, the best of the auto and pedestrian worlds!
 
UPDATE: The DMN Garland Blog mentions this post and gathers several comments from readers.
 

Riding a bicycle across the city, in almost all areas, is a challenge and a total disregard for one's personal safety. There are a few areas to ride a bike safely, such as Audubon Park in south Garland and the Lake Ray Hubbard natural trails here in District 1. There is a designated bike route on Glenbrook north of Downtown but I seldom see anyone using that route.
 
Looking ahead, there has been some initial planning by the Transportation Dept to designate a route from south Garland to north Garland. We will be discussing and looking at the bike route issue in the next Development Services Committee meeting, date not yet set. Meanwhile, looking at what other cities are doing and identifying best practices can speed the process locally and help us make good decisions. Anyone able to attend this presentation by the North Central Texas Council of Governments and the City of Dallas should get a quick head start:
 

Click the graphic to follow a link to the event's website and more information.

 
I hope to be able to go so maybe I'll see you there!
 

 
After a very extensive search, Garland hired a marketing firm several months ago to work with us to more effectively promote the city. The Council's Marketing and Events Committee, of which I am a member, has had a number of progress reports. Of almost thirty companies that responded to a request for qualifications, Hahn, Texas was chosen. Personally, I like their style. They like to convey their message simply and directly, just how I would like to do it if I were similarly talented.
 
Council members and others in the community were recently interviewed to gather perspectives on Garland and suggestions. By mid-summer, we should be well toward identifying a brand for the city.
 
Lucia Arrant, manager of the city's Convention and Visitors Bureau, is the staff person overseeing the project. She recently distributed this FAQ that helps explain the project and its goals:
 

 
What is a brand?
A brand is simply the way people view a product. For Garland, our brand is the way people perceive our city. A good brand for us will reflect both what our community is and what it wants to be and is important to promote economic development and community identity within Garland and to outside audiences.
 
What is Garland doing as a part of this project?
Garland is developing a unified branding and marketing plan. This is an effort between the City, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and communications firm Hahn, Texas, driven by interested stakeholders. An organized and updated image will position Garland for future economic and cultural success.
 
What is the goal of this branding project?
We’re seeking to develop a unique Garland brand and identity that can be used to enhance the city’s tourism, economic development and marketing opportunities. Those of us who live and work here know that there’s more to Garland than what most people are familiar with. One of the goals of the process is to answer questions like "What do we want to be known for?" and "How can we differentiate ourselves as a city?"
 
How can I give input on the process?
Developing an authentic brand requires that we involve our citizens and local stakeholders in the process, so that we can uncover the unique characteristics of our community.
 
We will likely be asking the community for input once we have creative concepts to share. Everyone can follow the process, ask questions and offer input at www.brand-garland.com.
 
What will we see at the end of the project?
The project includes research, messaging, identity and creative phases and is scheduled to conclude this fall. Final deliverables will include a new logo and tagline, as well as a brand standards guide and a marketing plan to attract tourism and economic development opportunities to Garland.
 
How far along on the project are we?
We’re currently engaged in the research portion of the project. This research will drive the creative expression of our brand and includes:

• Reviewing past research and analyzing it from a communication and marketing perspective
• Conducting research on similar, peer cities
• Conducting stakeholder interviews

Why is now the right time for the city to be spending money on this?
This project has been a goal of our City for several years. In order to help tell the Garland story, we need a solid brand that puts our assets together, and in context.
 
This is an investment in Garland’s future. An effective and memorable brand will help us attract new businesses, residents and tourists to the city for years to come.
 

Attracting businesses and holding them are critical long-range issues for Garland. Employment opportunities for our citizens depend on it and so does the tax base that supports the operations and services of the city. Yet the "rules of the game" that lead those efforts are constantly changing. How well is Garland playing that game?
 
Overall, I'd say we're doing "okay," that we get a grade of "C" or better. And it's not really a question of how we are doing today but how will we adapt to the changing rules and how well we do tomorrow. We are doing a number of things today that match what other cities do and we're doing some things that are unique. For example, (1) we give economic incentives to attract companies while seldom expending tax dollars in those efforts, (2) we have supported a number of local companies being accepted into the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, that helps local companies but requires no local funding, (3) Garland is the home of the Dallas County Community College District's Work Force Training Center, (4) Mayor Ron Jones has personally been visiting the 100 largest employers in Garland, and (5) the city, the school district, and the Chamber of Commerce have a unique partnership to promote economic development. And this is an abbreviated list!
 
This is unlikely to be enough in the future. As Paul Mayer, CEO of the Garland Chamber (and District 1 resident), has said frequently: young people are choosing their jobs based on the community where they will work. They want to be able to ride bikes and to be entertained. They want innovative housing choices. They want to feel that their community is sustainable and contributing to the betterment of their lives. Their demands will be quite different and companies will adapt and move to get the types of employees they need to be successful.
 
As a community, we have to resist the urge to remain static. We know that we can't afford that choice and we know that we have to compete in a changing world. Sam Newburg, writing at citiwire.net, offers some challenging thoughts but also makes it clear that being in Texas can be to our advantage:
 

From citiwire.net:

Rx For Attracting Companies: Tailored Strategies Essential

Sam Newberg / May 14 2010
 

The slogan—"Keep Austin Weird," launched by Austin’s Independent Business Alliance—has caught on as a way to celebrate the Texas capital’s artistic, "hip" side. Indeed, in today’s "flat" world, any appeal to the so-called "creative" classes gets lots of attention.
 
But are companies really attracted to such culture-public art-music-park focused cities as Portland, Boulder, Minneapolis and Austin for those qualities? Will those attributes actually attract companies?
 
The answer, of course, is "it depends." "There is no perfect location. There are always tradeoffs," says John Boyd, founder of The Boyd Company, a site selection consultancy with over 30 years of experience helping firms make location decisions. Boyd explains that in addition to the bottom line considerations like cost of labor, cost of real estate, and taxes, there is also availability of qualified labor, proximity to transportation, infrastructure, proximity to suppliers – competitors with "quality of life issues."
 
Plus, there are actual incentives (tax breaks and the like) cities may offer footloose firms. Although as Boyd cautions, "Incentives last five or ten years, and then you better be in the right location."
 
One example from Austin provides some insight. Michael Wilford is CEO of Twisted Pixel, a company that develops games for Xbox and Nintendo. Twisted Pixel recently moved its operations from Madison, Ind., to Austin. "Ultimately we settled on Austin because it had everything: great weather, quality of life, low crime, (low) cost of living, (low) cost of doing business, talent pool, substantial digital media scene, university interest and collaboration, incentives for our industry, and industry support from the governor," says Wilford. He notes that other places his firm considered had many of these things, and some others were sometimes better than what Austin offered. But, he says, "Austin was the only place that had a respectable score on every single one of these factors."
 
So Austin, for being "weird" and having a great quality of life, indeed attracts companies. Of course, Texas is one of very few states with no income tax, which doesn’t hurt. It also explains why Austin isn’t the only Texas city doing well through the recession. Dallas or Houston may be equally attractive for someone (or some company) not endeared to Austin. "Keep in mind, qualitative factors are highly subjective," says Boyd. "Some of our clients like vanilla, some chocolate when it comes down to lifestyle considerations. Cost structures, however, are real, unbending, and go straight to the bottom line."
 
Of course, for every Twisted Pixel that chooses to move there, there are probably several that were created in Austin in the first place. Joe Cortright, president of Impresa Economics, a Portland, Ore., based consulting firm specializing in metropolitan economies and knowledge-based industries, points out that chambers of commerce and economic development agencies often look at it the wrong way. The key is to find the right entrepreneurial environment that supports new growth, not necessarily the one with the lowest taxes or best incentives—when a company chooses to move or expand it is because it has already achieved success, not the other way around.
 
"The trouble is, the world isn’t flat," says Cortright. "Companies have different needs." The private sector is proving that quality of life almost always enters the discussion at some level, but it is rarely the primary reason for a company to move or expand. Firms must carefully balance the issues of taxes, real estate, transportation/infrastructure, and quality of life, as if pieces of a pie, when choosing if or where to move.
 
It is true that some cities attract companies due to their low taxes, location, incentives or infrastructure. A company relying on imported goods and proximity to a strong transportation network may choose a warehouse in the Inland Empire to be near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, while a car company may choose rural Georgia for a car plant due to the right incentive package, and yet another company with time sensitive shipping needs can choose between Louisville and Memphis because of their air cargo hubs.
 
But a word of caution to those who might think a silver bullet solution like low taxes is perhaps the only thing necessary for a successful city: Fred Smith, founder, chairman, president and CEO of FedEx, stated last year in the Memphis Commercial Appeal that quality of life is the biggest issue facing the future of Memphis. Mr. Smith’s comments should not be taken lightly.
 
So where does that leave us? Not every city can be home to a major port or air cargo facility. As well, not every city will be "weird" like Austin. Still, elected officials would be wise to learn from the example of Twisted Pixel in Austin. Low taxes matter. But so does financial support for industries, and the right partnerships between government and the private sector. A strong university that can not only educate people but effectively put research in to the marketplace is important. Also critical, of course, is overall quality of life. It is finding that right balance that is tricky, as every city has unique strengths and weaknesses. The cities that truly excel in the global economy will be those that not only create an environment where businesses can succeed, but where people experience an opportunity-rich environment.

---

Sam Newberg is a Twin Cities-based writer and real estate consultant. His e-mail address is sam@joe-urban.com.
 

 
I think Garland has done many things right to get where we are. To compete in the future, we'll need to continue do as much and more—and we'll need to discover what makes us "weird," how we are unique. That is definitely a future focus that is currently being studied as we look at our brand. (More on that just a little later.)
 

From the DMN Garland Blog:

Garland's sales tax losing streak ends at 16 months

12:02 PM Wed, May 12, 2010
Ray Leszcynski/Reporter
 
The news out of the state comptroller's office is a welcome change. Sales tax numbers are trending upward.
 
The news in Garland is pretty much in step with Dallas County, where numbers are up 5.8 percent for the month, but still down 2.8 percent on the year.
 
Bryan Bradford, the city's senior managing director in charge of the budget said a little more than half of the city's increase is from one-time adjustments and is not reflective of ongoing trends.
 
"However, this is the first monthly increase in 16 months," Bradford said in a statement. "Sales tax revenues are currently trending approximately 10.5 percent below their 2007-08 peak levels."
 
State Comptroller Susan Combs notes a modest increase overall in Texas, a welcome sight after 14 consecutive months of year-over-year declines. May's sales tax allocations to local governments represent March sales that were reported to the comptroller by monthly tax filers and January, February and March sales reported by quarterly tax filers.
 

 
For additional perspective looking further back, Bryan Bradford shares this information:

 
Sales tax collections for March 2010 were up 4.1% from the same month last year. While a little more than one-half of the 4.1% increase came from one-time adjustments, these are the first positive numbers we have seen in 16 months. Year-to-date sales tax revenues are 6.5% below last year and approximately 10.5% below their 2007-08 peak levels.
 

	March 2010 v March 2009	83,697	(4.1%)
	Less One-Time Adjustments	31,429	(1.6%)
	Year-to-Date	(859,506)	(6.5%)
	Decline from 2007-08	(1,446,247)	(10.6%)

 

 
Bottom Line: It's nice to see some reversal of bad fortunes but we are at best at the bottom of the trough and have a long way to go to recover to past revenue levels.
 
Some good news: Even though sales tax revenues are lower than last year or the year before, we are ahead of what has been budgeted. The city accurately anticipated having less sales tax money, thanks also to Mr Bradford and his department. Because we're a little ahead of what was budgeted, we're not facing some of the scrambles we regularly hear in the news from other cities nationwide.
 

First my son and then others asked me what was going on at Firewheel Golf Park because there was more-than-usual promotional signs and events obvious at the courses and visible when driving past. Mystery solved with just a mouse click:

From the DMN Garland Blog:

Fans, pros descend upon Firewheel for $100,000 event

9:44 AM Thu, May 13, 2010
Ray Leszcynski/Reporter
 
In case you've driven by and wondered about the crowd, there's a $100,000 golf tournament going on this week at Firewheel at Garland. After the first round, I see a familiar name near the top of the leaderboard in the Mt. Auburn Roofing Firewheel Classic.
 
Todd Rossetti, who won the event in 2006, is a South Garland High graduate. On Wednesday, Rossetti shot 67 on the Masters and Champion nines of the Bridges Course. He enters the second round tied for second and two shots off the lead.
 
First place pays $15,000 and admission is free. The event runs through Saturday and is part of the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series.
 

 
Maybe it will be you or me in the lead next year?
 

Most of the categories of reported crime that we receive each month rose somewhat. Total incidents was lower than most months but still higher than we have seen recently.
 
Some of the incidents occurred at the same residence on different days and several were in the same area of Shorehaven, Shorecrest, and Morrison streets. Residents in that area should be especially watchful!
 
Vehicle burglaries are a common crime because parked cars are an easier target. We usually see incidents in commercial and residential areas. There was actually a drop in the commercial areas for April and more reports from the residential areas of the district.
 
The good news? A number of arrests were made for shoplifting, which represented about 35% of all the reported incidents for the month!
 
If you want to review the areas that have reported incidents over the last month, download the complete report here for address-by-address information that includes your neighborhood. If you are a Garland resident reading this but do not live in District 1, you can get reports for your area here on the Police Department's website.
 

There was only one zoning case on the agenda at the last Council meeting: to back zone a parcel from Single Family to Agricultural. I said at the time, as did several others, it was a very unusual case.
 
Ray Leszcynski, Dallas Morning News reporter, posted on the case at the DMN Garland Blog the day after and there was a similar brief story in the paper a few days later.
 

From the DMN Garland Blog:

Garland council unanimously grants 'downzoning' for wooded plat

2:38 PM Wed, May 05, 2010
Ray Leszcynski/Reporter
 
Garland, an inner-ring city rapidly approaching buildout, on Tuesday rezoned nearly 10 acres near Campbell and Jupiter roads as agricultural.
 
Property owner Craig Hastings plans to put in an orchard, but otherwise retain the trees, creek, pond and wildlife (including beavers and coyotes) that exist in the undeveloped, natural state of the property. An orchard is an agricultural use of the property that would eventually provide Hastings a tax break.
 
The "reverse zoning" was granted unanimously after testimony that the land was mostly undevelopable for the single-family zoning that was in place. Hastings' case was also bolstered by neighbors who testified that they enjoy the property in its natural state and that Hastings has kept it cleaner than the previous owner.
 
"The thing that tips the balance is what he's done with the property," said Rick Williams, who represents District 7 where the property is located. "He ridded the property of two aging, rat-infested homes at his own expense, plans to build a 4,500 square foot home and he has maintained both the property and the creek. If agricultural zoning would give him a little bit of an edge, I move to change the zoning." Mayor Pro Tem Laura Cox quickly seconded the motion.
 
The move was against the advice of staff and the city's Plan Commission. They noted that Hastings' plan for an orchard was permitted under the single-family zoning that was in place.
 
"The staff made absolutely the correct recommendation here. We should not be back-zoning," said Council member Doug Athas. "But it's a 50-50 tie and my perspective is that all ties go to the applicant."
 
The land was originally donated from the developers of the Camelot addition to the Richardson school district, which operates Big Springs Elementary and a nature center on the other side of Campbell Road.
 
UPDATE THURSDAY: I forgot yesterday to link the CGTV tape of this discussion. It's 68-minutes, so it's broken into two parts (here and here). Long, yes, but for a zoning geek like myself, this is a unique and fascinating case. Having sat through the Garland council meeting where they spent an hour discussing QuikTrip roofs, I'll readily attest that this discussion is far more invigorating.
 

 
It's a bit hard to describe why this particular case was so different, but, like Mr Leszcynski also noticed, it was. In twelve years of reviewing Garland zoning cases, and sitting in council meetings from coast to coast over the past twenty-some years, it was a first.
 
Understand that up-zoning means changing the zoning on a particular parcel to a more intensive use (say, residential to commercial to industrial). That usually means the land also becomes more valuable but if the demand isn't there, land can sit for many years unused. Of course, many other conditions control how land is eventually zoned. But that was part of the interest here: going backwards. You don't see that often because it usually means devaluing the land, which most landowners would hate.
 
And that was what the applicant in this case wanted to do. Many people know that an agricultural exemption from the appraisal district means lower taxes. However, there is no literal connection between a tax exemption and a zoning category even if both are called by the same name (Agricultural). Thus the applicant mentioned using the land for agricultural uses and, someday, he might be granted an ag exemption. He could do that with any zoning category. There's no connection. He also said that Agricultural zoning might enable him to get a lower appraisal. Land nearby, also zoned Agricultural and just to the north of his, is appraised much lower and has about the same realistic use and value. The new zoning may (or may not) get an appraisal district appraiser's attention enough that he would change the property district's appraisal, but, in any case, the applicant should be able to point to that land and say "comparable."
 
None of that is a valid reason for Garland to change the zoning, which is why I believe the staff and Plan Commission recommended against it. There was no by-the-books justification for going backwards.
 
Here's where it gets interesting. Councils can look beyond land use and other considerations and, hopefully, sometimes deliver a more equitable decision. In this case, the applicant owned three adjacent lots. Two had until recently had houses on them. Both of those lots are zoned Agricultural. The lot he wanted to change, little more than an extensive drainage area and ditches, was for the most part unsuitable for development but is was zoned Single Family. To summarize: two single-family homes were zoned Agricultural and a rural, agricultural piece was zoned Single Family, exactly backwards of what one would expect. Any council would be justified continuing the existing zoning if the agricultural use would be inappropriate to the area or if future development called for leaving the existing zoning in place. Changing the zoning to reflect the actual low-intensity uses associated with a drainage area was equally valid.
 
As Mr Leszcynski accurately quotes me, such ties should go to the applicant. Government can theorize and procedurally categorize what-ifs and what-should-bes but government doesn't own the land. If the applicant has as much reason for the change as government has to not change it, I'll go with the applicant.
 
In truth, I don't remember over those many years ever hearing a case that came down so close to an even split in the interests. As Mr Leszcynski and others sensed, it was a very unusual case.
 

That title is meant to be true in more ways than one. Since only one of four Council races was contested this election cycle—and John Willis has won re-election in that race by a commanding percentage—the current Council will remain unchanged as to members for one more year—but that cannot hold past next May. Five races will be held next year, the Mayor and four Council positions, and of those five Barbara Chick will be stepping down because she has reached her three-term limit.
 

This picture from two years ago will remain unchanged for another year.
(Seated) Laura Cox, Mayor Ron Jones, Barbara Chick
(Standing) Douglas Athas, Larry Jeffus, Rick Williams, Preston Edwards, John Willis, Darren Lathen

 
Then things start to change rapidly. Two years from now, the Council will start to look much different as Council members Laura Cox, Larry Jeffus, and I reach our term limit.
 
In three years, the current Council will be completely retired except John Willis will have one more year, assuming he runs and is victorious two years from now. It is possible a current Council member could succeed Mayor Ron Jones and there be two members from the current group but at least seven members will be different.
 

 
Congratulations to John Willis for his victory in his race yesterday. Even though he won by a handsome margin, eye witness reports from across the city for weeks have reported regular fireworks displays from the direction of District 5. By all appearances, it was a hard-fought race. There was only one of the usual candidate forums this time but there were a number of gatherings within the district that featured both candidates. We'll see if John has any new scars at the next Council meeting.
 

From WFAA.com:

North Texas traffic among worst in the country

Posted on April 26, 2010 at 6:42 PM
 
Fort Worth - A new study finds that traffic in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is the 5th worst in the entire country.
 
John Horsley, Executive Director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, relayed the information during a news conference Monday at the National Association of County Engineers' annual conference.
 
The AASHTO's report, Transportation Reboot: Unlocking Gridlock, is the first in a series aimed at boosting transportation capacity.
 
It identifies what the agency considered needed projects across the country, including in Texas.
 
The study says bottlenecks cause 40% of all congestion, and the gridlock costs Americans time and money.
 
The solutions presented Monday include using millions of dollars to build new highways.
 
Texas, however, does not have the funding.
 

AASHTO Press Release:

States Make the Case for Building Essential Transportation Capacity

• Workers with a 30-minute commute lose nearly three full work days a year sitting in traffic. In large cities like Los Angeles, delays exceed 60 hours a year.
• In the past decade, Texas added more than 3.8 million people.
• Kansas estimates it will take $1 billion to unstop the bottlenecks choking Interstate travel.

As the evidence shows, travel is greatly out-distancing available room on the roads. A series of new reports, Transportation Reboot: Restarting America's Most Essential Operating System, by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), makes the case for increasing the nation's transportation capacity. State transportation leaders have identified their most urgently needed capacity expansion projects that are critical to rebuilding the economy and keeping a competitive edge worldwide.
 
"Our first report, Unlocking Gridlock, shows that we are experiencing system overload," said John Horsley, AASHTO's executive director, at a news conference today in Texas to release the report. "While congestion levels declined with the recession, congestion is now returning, costing millions in lost time and productivity. Capacity increases are needed in transit, rail, and particularly in highways."
 
"Even with strategies to reduce traffic and improve transit, highway system expansion is critical," said AASHTO President Larry "Butch" Brown, director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation. "If most or all of our capital investment were made in system rehabilitation and little to none in adding needed capacity, road conditions would improve, but traffic would grind to a halt."
 
Urgent capacity expansion projects cited in the report range from Houston's U.S. 290 Corridor, one of the most congested highways in Texas that is projected to serve staggering growth, to expansion of the I-15 CANAMEX trade corridor in Nevada. Other projects include completion of the Interstate 905 freeway in southern California and new commuter rail links in Michigan. These urgent capacity projects and others are described in detail on the AASHTO website ExpandingCapacity.transportation.org, which also includes the full report.
 
"Texas continues to grow rapidly, even during these times of economic recession and uncertainty. As more new Texans move to our state each day, the challenges facing us in addressing the worsening urban congestion only increase," said Amadeo Saenz Jr., executive director of the Texas Department of Transportation. "Finding ways to successfully implement transportation solutions that increase capacity and improve mobility within our major metropolitan and urban communities is a high priority for Texas."
 
Susan Martinovich, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation, has seen first-hand how population increases affect capacity needs. "Over past years, Nevada's population grew faster than much of the rest of the nation," she said. "To provide mobility, increase safety, and spur commerce for this larger population, it is vital that Nevada has the ability to add needed transportation improvements and upkeep existing roads."
 
Future reports in the Transportation Reboot series will address connecting rural and urban America, and the nation's freight capacity needs. For a short video outlining key points of the report, go to www.transportation.org.
 

 
So, who is worse than Dallas/Fort Worth?
 

A major objective of this blog is to inform readers and to share information about our city government. While most everyone knows we have a city council and administrative staff, many times fewer know the various citizen committees (and boards and commissions) that play an instrumental role in the activities of the city. It is from those committees that citizen volunteers regularly advise the Council and staff and expands the day-to-day democratic input to the process of local government.
 
Residents from District 1 serve more positions on those various boards and commissions than any other district. It is a huge benefit to the city to have so many willing to serve voluntarily to support our community and to work so hard to make it better.
 
Understanding the roles and history of the boards and commissions is essential to maintaining a top-performing city organization. Many of the members of these committees, boards, and commissions have served for many years either on the same board or on several different ones. Because council members are term limited (which I very strongly support), it is important that the cumulative institutional memory of these volunteers be readily available to give advice to the council and administration; they are the glue.
 
Policy decisions rest with the Council and administrative decisions rest with the staff. Only a few individuals will ever serve more than six years on the Council. Their institutional knowledge will never equal that of the staff. It is the citizen volunteers that often retain the memories needed by the Council to give good advice so informed decisions can be made. The staff also relies upon them to understand the mood of the citizenry and to better judge the services citizens want and are willing to financially support.
 
Barbara Powers perfectly exemplifies how it is often the citizen volunteers that best know what has gone before and how we have gotten to where we are today. When we hear that Keep Garland Beautiful is sponsoring the annual Garland Trash-Off, we appreciate the effort and the benefit but we don't have a sense of the organizational effort both historically and today that makes it all possible. Barbara represents District 1 on the Citizens Environmental and Neighborhood Advisory Committee and serves as Secretary of Keep Garland Beautiful. She Guest Blogs today and shares a history that spans 30 years. Her efforts to compile this history were to again re-certify Keep Garland Beautiful but I thought the information too valuable to not share.
 
My sincere appreciation to Barbara and all of our citizen volunteers!
 
 

History of Keep Garland Beautiful

The city of Garland, Texas has been involved with environmental issues through Keep Garland Beautiful for almost 30 years. Keep Garland Beautiful (KGB) originally was certified in 1981 as an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), a national non-profit public education organization dedicated to improving America’s waste handling practices. Keep Garland Beautiful began as a program sponsored entirely by the city of Garland under the management of city staff who also served as the Board for Keep Garland Beautiful.
 
Through staff cuts, turnovers, and lack of organizational development, KGB had such little attention from city staff to the extent that, as early as 1987, Keep America Beautiful attempted to decertify Keep Garland Beautiful as an official affiliate of the national organization. Various city departments continued elements of the program, but not actively as Keep Garland Beautiful.
 
In 1990, after thorough investigation and renewed reporting to Keep America Beautiful, Keep Garland Beautiful re-established itself in the community by volunteer efforts on a grassroots level. Through education and cleanup activities under the coordination of city departments and the Citizens Recycling Advisory Committee chaired by Gayla Dodd, neighborhood organizations, churches, schools, civic groups, and businesses were brought together to impact the environment. City officials realized that the Keep Garland Beautiful program could augment other conservation and ecology-based programs such as recycling, park beautification, water conservation, and anti-littering, thus becoming the vehicle to consolidate these efforts and unite the community.
 
By 1992, Keep Garland Beautiful regained its affiliation with Keep America Beautiful and set its sights on an award. On May 8, 1992, Housing and Neighborhood Services staff, which coordinated the KGB efforts, with cooperation from both Parks and Sanitation departments and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) volunteers, applied to the 1991- 1992 Governor’s Community Achievement Award (GCAA) from the Texas Department of Transportation and Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc., a statewide affiliate of Keep America Beautiful.
 
A July 20, 1992 Report number 92-119 to the Garland City Council Work Session indicated that Keep Garland Beautiful was administered and funded by the Housing & Neighborhood Services Department. The report stated that coordinating volunteers for Keep Garland Beautiful events required approximately one-fifth of one employee’s time. But, to make the program successful, one-half of that employee’s time would be necessary.
 
Further, the Department spent approximately $2,500 for volunteer recognition and $375 for pre-certification. Although no annual fees had been paid since the program’s inception in 1981, $450 was paid in 1992 to renew affiliation. The report also listed $3,000 of in-kind donations given by July 20, 1992.
 
This report, submitted by Managing Director of Housing & Neighborhood Services Jim Slaughter and City Manager Ron Holifield, recommended that Keep Garland Beautiful become a 501c3 organization. By moving Keep Garland Beautiful into a 501c3 non-profit status, the organization could serve as a foundation in order to raise funds for various beautification, recycling, preservation, and anti-littering educational activities in the community. The mission of Keep Garland Beautiful, Inc. would be to serve as a charitable and educational organization for the purpose of educating the citizenry of Garland in ways of improving the community’s appearance. The goal of obtaining the 501c3 status would be for the organization to be self-sufficient within two years and not require additional city funding.
 
The recommendation from that report states, “Council shall authorize staff to continue the Keep Garland Beautiful re-certification process, including developing a 501c3 non-profit organization to continue KAB activities in the City.” The By-Laws of Keep Garland Beautiful were attached to the report and approved at that time.
 
Pursuant to the City Council’s action of July 20, 1992, steps were taken to form a 501c3 organization. Keep Garland Beautiful, renamed Garland Clean & Green, Inc., renewed its certification and affiliation with Keep America Beautiful in 1992. Articles of Incorporation of Garland Clean & Green, Inc., a non-profit corporation, were filed with the Office of Secretary of State of Texas Corporations Section on October 1, 1993, with Amendments being filed in the same office April 12, 1994.
 
Garland Clean & Green, Inc. began in 1992 with the Housing & Neighborhood Services Department, but throughout its existence moved to the Health Department, the Solid Waste and Recycling Services Department, and Code Enforcement. In 2000, Garland Clean & Green, Inc. was moved back to Housing & Neighborhood Services and assigned to Community Services Manager Jan Dolph. However, because proper paperwork had not been filed, Garland Clean & Green, Inc. lost its 501c3 status and on February 3, 1999, the Internal Revenue Service informed the organization that it would be listed as a private foundation under section 508b.
 
As a result of Garland Clean & Green, Inc. losing its non-profit status in 1999 and its president in 1998, the organization met with the City Council appointed Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee (CEAC) in May 1999. The Advisory Committee requested the May meeting after it heard from two Keep Texas Beautiful representatives at its April 1999 meeting. Members of the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee requested these meetings due to concerns with the lack of direction of Garland Clean & Green, Inc. and a desire to revitalize the program.
 
Gayla Dodd, founding president of Garland Clean & Green, Inc., and Gay Worth, its past chairman, told the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee that while the organization currently receives no funds from the city, it was supported during its first three years. The Advisory Committee learned that many people were needed to make this organization function efficiently. Sixteen members initially formed Garland Clean & Green, Inc., but eventually three individuals did everything, thus tiring of their burden. The Advisory Committee also learned that an effective program needs an Executive Director to devote at least 20 hours each week to manage the program.
 
After hearing from representatives of Garland Clean and Green, Inc., the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee began discussions to acquire the duties of this organization. CEAC, made up of nine members—8 appointed from each City Council Representative and one appointed at-large by the Mayor—also discussed the need for City Council to appoint members to the vacant positions. The Advisory Committee shared its concerns regarding a more focused direction for CEAC with the City Council, which then appointed the Health Department to study the issue.
 
As a result of this study, the Garland City Council recommended that the Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee be revitalized, refocused, and given higher visibility by the Council. It recommended changing the name to Citizens Environmental and Neighborhood Advisory Committee (CENAC), along with a new mission statement and specific duties. The revised enabling ordinance for CENAC Sec. 10.33 included initiating a Keep Garland Beautiful program in affiliation with Keep Texas Beautiful. This Policy Report Number 99-123 was presented in a City Council Work Session on August 2, 1999 and signed by Assistant Director of Health John Teel, Managing Director Health & Environmental Services Pat Fowler, and City Manager Jeffrey B. Muzzy.
 
In keeping with the City Council’s change in the city ordinance forming a Citizens Environmental and Neighborhood Advisory Committee and giving that committee Keep Garland Beautiful, the CENAC developed its By-Laws, the first adopted November 10, 1999, which included initiating Keep Garland Beautiful; then amended April 2001, which changed from initiating Keep Garland Beautiful to maintaining Keep Garland Beautiful; and finally Amended August 8, 2001 which covered the date of election of CENAC officers to be at the October meeting annually, in accordance with other City Council appointed committees.
 
After CENAC’s purposes came to include Keep Garland Beautiful, Cecile Carson of Keep Texas Beautiful addressed the CENAC as to how to incorporate CENAC and Keep Garland Beautiful. She informed CENAC that it could be listed as the Board, which CENAC agreed to do. CENAC decided to disband the Garland Clean & Green, Inc. designation and adopt Keep Garland Beautiful in March 2000.
 
A draft of the by-laws for Keep Garland Beautiful designating CENAC as the Board was distributed to the CENAC at its June 14, 2000 meeting. A second draft was distributed at the October 11, 2000 meeting.
 
From October 2000 to the present date, the duties of Keep Garland Beautiful have been overseen by various staff members in the city of Garland, including Neighborhood Services Department, Community Relations Department, and Environmental Waste Services Department. With Keep Garland Beautiful in the by-laws of CENAC, that committee desires a more active role in KGB. The 2008 – 2009 Goals for CENAC, approved by the Garland City Council, include working towards a 501c3 status for Keep Garland Beautiful. The committee’s goal is to fulfill the KGB by-laws with CENAC serving as the Board of Directors. As the Board, it hopes to provide more guidance in order to fully serve Garland and to truly make an impact on this community.