ANNEXATION Frequently asked questions

Transcription

1 ANNEXATION Frequently asked questons Q. What s the extraterrtoral jursdcton (ETJ) and how s the ETJ determned? The ETJ of a muncpalty s the unncorporated area that s contguous to the corporate boundares of the muncpalty. The sze of the ETJ depends on the populaton of the cty. The Cty of Nacogdoches ETJ extends 2 mles beyond the cty boundares. The Texas Legslature declares t the polcy of the state to desgnate certan areas as the extraterrtoral jursdcton of muncpaltes to promote and protect the general health, safety, and welfare of persons resdng n and adjacent to the muncpaltes. Q. What authorty does the Cty have n the ETJ? The Cty regulates subdvson plats and sgn n the ETJ. Q. What Cty servces wll be provded on the day an area s annexed nto the Cty? In accordance wth State law, the followng servces wll be provded on the effectve date of the annexaton: Polce protecton Fre protecton Emergency medcal servces Sold waste collecton Operaton and mantenance of water and wastewater facltes that are not wthn the servce area of another water or wastewater utlty Operaton and mantenance of roads and streets, ncludng road and streetlghts Operaton and mantenance of publcly owned parks and play grounds Q. How wll annexaton affect my taxes? Cty property taxes are assessed on the January 1 st after annexaton and added to the Cty s tax rolls. You wll receve your cty tax bll n the fall of the same year, whch must be pad by February 1 the followng year to avod penaltes. The Cty Councl adopts a new tax rate each fall. The current tax rate n Nacogdoches s $ per $100 assessed value. Q. Does the Cty provde exemptons on ad valorem (property) taxes? The Cty of Nacogdoches allows exemptons for a number of condtons that lessen the ad valorem taxes you would pay. Exemptons currently beng clamed by Fort Worth property owners are Homestead, Over 65, Dsablty, and Dsabled Veterans. The Cty Councl has the opton to locally ncrease or decrease any of these exemptons. These local opton exemptons nclude: General Homestead/Resdental 20% Senor Ctzen (over 65) $20,000 n addton to homestead Dsablty $20,000 n addton to homestead Other state approved exemptons may apply, ncludng agrculture Homeowners cannot clam both the Senor Ctzen and Dsabled exemptons. Q. How would those exemptons affect my tax bll? If you qualfy for tax exemptons, your actual tax bll could be reduced. Usng an example of a $100,000 value of a sngle famly resdental property, as well as property of greater or lesser values, the followng chart shows the mpact of the varous operatonal exemptons.

2 Cty taxes ($0.5928/$100) on a house wth a value of: Property value $50,000 $100,000 $150,000 No exemptons $ $ $ General homestead $ $ $ Senor ctzen wth general homestead $ $ $ Dsablty wth general homestead $ $ $ A $100,000 home wth a general homestead exempton would be assessed $ per year, or $39.52 per month n Cty ad valorem taxes, based on the 2016 tax rate. Ths amount funds fre and polce protecton, street pavng, dranage, parks, recreaton, lbrary, anmal control, nusance abatement and many other publc servces. Q. Wll I stll have to pay county taxes? Yes. County taxes are collected from all property owners throughout the county, whether a resdent of a cty or not, to provde servces admnstered by the county.

3 POLICE DEPARTMENT Contact: ZoeLnda Green, Polce Admnstratve Assstant, Emal: Q. What are response tmes? Response tmes are defned as the length of tme between a 911 dspatcher recevng a call for servce and the offcer arrvng. Offcers typcally respond from ther assgned patrol area n the communty and not from the polce staton. The Polce Department has three prmary categores of response tme: Prorty 1 s for emergency calls that need an mmedate response due to the threat to lfe. Prorty 2 s for calls that do not have an mmedate threat but have the potental to escalate or there s a threat to property. Most calls for servce are n ths category. Prorty 3 s for calls that do not requre mmedate response and have no potental threat to lfe or property. Average response tmes vary for dfferent areas of the cty and are also mpacted by frequency of calls and other factors. The Polce Department can provde response tme statstcs. Q. Wll there be neghborhood patrols? Yes, neghborhoods are patrolled. The cty s currently dvded nto 6 patrol dstrcts. There are 3 patrol shfts, two of the shfts work 12 hour shfts, gvng the Cty 24 hour protecton. The thrd shft works a 10 hour shft and s to be used for addtonal coverage for specal enforcement actons as well as busy tmes of the week. Each shft s overseen by a leutenant as well as a sergeant. Q. Wll the cty buld a polce staton n my area? The Polce Department operates out of a centrally located polce staton at 312 West Man Street. Nacogdoches does not have polce substatons and has no plans to construct any polce substatons n the near future. The department s offcers typcally respond from ther assgned patrol area and not from the staton. Q. What s the makeup of the polce department? The Nacogdoches Polce Department s dvded nto several unts: Consoldated Communcaton Center The consoldated communcaton center staff are the people you speak to when you call 911. The communcaton center dspatches calls through a computer aded dspatch system to our communty s frst responders. Patrol Unt The patrol unt s responsbltes nclude neghborhood patrol, ntal nvestgaton of crmes, communty servces, and general enforcement of federal, state, and local laws. Traffc Unt The offcers of the traffc unt have receved specalzed tranng n the area of traffc accdents. Each of these offcers are certfed accdent reconstructonsts, certfed chld safety seat techncans, and breath test operators. The prmary responsbltes of ths unt are nvestgaton of accdents wthn the cty, general enforcement of state traffc laws, reconstructon of major accdents, and communty servces. Street crmes unt The offcers of ths unt commt a large porton of ther tme to enforcement of drug related offenses. Offcers assgned to the unt receve tranng n the use of specalzed equpment commonly used n ths area of enforcement. The prmary dutes of ths unt are nvestgatons of drug related offenses, underage tobacco and alcohol related offenses, communty servces, and hgh crme area enforcements. K-9 unt The K-9 unt specalzes n nvestgatons regardng narcotcs traffckng. The offcer assgned to ths unt receves specalzed tranng n dog handlng as well as n the area of narcotc detecton. Lake offcer The lake offcer s responsble for ensurng a safe envronment for Lake Nacogdoches. The lake offcer s prmary dutes are regular patrol of the lake and Cty parks, assstng the publc utlzng the lake when needed, and enforcement of state wldlfe laws.

4 Q. How can I support the polce department? Resdents can enroll n the Ctzens Polce Academy, a popular multple sesson program that provdes comprehensve nformaton on Nacogdoches Polce Department operatons. Resdents can also become a member of the Communty Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT Team members are traned volunteers that support the Nacogdoches Polce Department n both emergency non-emergency events.

5 FIRE DEPARTMENT Contact: Keth Kplnger, Fre Chef, Emal: Q. What wll be the response tme for fre servce to my area? From 911 call to Fre Department arrval, we strve to acheve a cty-wde average response tme of 6 mnutes or less. In outlyng areas, the tme can be longer. Our response tme to a partcular locaton can be mpacted by many factors ncludng call volume, locaton of the fre staton(s), the desgn and condton of the streets, traffc congeston and weather condtons. Q. Who mantans the fre hydrants n my area? The Cty s Water Utltes Department servces and mantans the fre hydrants. Frefghters nspect hydrants annually, flow water from each hydrant perodcally and pant them when needed. Each engne carres 500 gallons of water and large dameter hose to convey water from hydrants to the fre scene. In addton, the fre department has specalzed apparatus to conserve water for frefghtng. Q. How wll the fre department locate me and know that I am nsde the Cty? Frefghters are aded by dgtal mappng programs and computer aded dspatch. Maps and response plans have been updated to nclude your area n the Nacogdoches Fre & Rescue response dstrct. Q. Wll we stll be served by the volunteer fre department that was our frst responder? Yes and no. Prmary response for propertes nsde the Cty lmts wll now be provded by Nacogdoches Fre & Rescue. Our organzaton responds wth career frefghters from 5 statons located strategcally around the Cty. In the event of a major fre, multple ncdents or a water supply challenge the County volunteer fre departments wll provde mutual ad and assstance to the Cty frefghters. Q. Why does a fre engne respond on 911 medcal emergences? All Nacogdoches frefghters are EMT s or Paramedcs. Frefghters traned and equpped to provde emergency medcal care are often frst on the scene and can provde lfesavng treatment whle awatng arrval of the ambulance. By sendng fre engnes we are savng precous mnutes on many medcal calls each day. Q. Wll the Fre Department now conduct buldng nspectons? If they fnd somethng wrong, what wll the property owner have to do? The Cty has adopted the Internatonal Fre Code and Nacogdoches Fre & Rescue conducts annual fre nspectons of commercal propertes. Specfc Fre Code standards are dependent on the occupancy classfcaton. Hazards found durng the annual fre nspecton requre correctve actons. Dependent on the severty of the volaton, certan correctve actons may need to take place mmedately. Others may be allowed to be completed wthn an approprate tmeframe. If hazards reman uncorrected, a muncpal ctaton or stop work order can be ssued. Inspectons are necessary and requred to mantan the Cty s excellent nsurance ratng. Q. What s the Cty s nsurance ratng and how does t affect me? The Cty has acheved a Publc Protecton Classfcaton Ratng of 2 from the Insurance Servces Offce. Nacogdoches Fre & Rescue s n the top 3% of fre departments n the Unted States. Each nsurance company deals wth dscounts related to nsurance n dfferent ways and you should contact your nsurance agent to nform them that you are now located nsde the Cty lmts.

6 Q. Wll the cty buld a fre staton n my area? The Cty evaluates the need for new fre statons based upon provdng the best protecton for the most people. The crtera used to determne where a fre staton s needed ncludes: response tme to a gven area, the number of calls for servce to that area, and the current, as well as, projected populaton densty and/or fre load of the area. Q. Is outdoor burnng allowed nsde the Cty Lmts? Some lmted outdoor burnng s allowed nsde the Cty Lmts unless a burn ban s n place. Commercal burnng s restrcted to land-clearng operatons and requres a permt and nspecton. Commercal burnng s restrcted to landclearng operatons and requres a permt and nspecton. Fres for recreaton, relgous ceremones, cookng, etc. are permssble but must be less than 3 feet n dameter. Fres must be at least 15 feet away from structures. Outdoor cookng s always permssble but s not allowed on balcones or porches of apartments. Burnng of yard waste such as leaves, grass, and brush s not allowed.

7 STREETS Pavng, dranage, streetlghts, sgns, and pavement markngs Contact: Cary Walker, Publc Works Manager, Emal: Q. How can I get my street repared? For mnor and emergency repars such as patchng potholes, floodng, cleanng dranage dtches, gutters, nlets, and culverts, contact the Publc Works Department at Staff wll nvestgate each request and repar work wll be scheduled and prortzed dependng on the severty of the ssue. Major repars are made through annual mantenance programs that are planned several years n advance. Q. Wll the cty put up streetlghts? Streetlghts wll generally be located at the followng locatons when cty funds are avalable: Intersectons The end of dead-end streets longer than 200 feet Sgnfcant curves n the street; and Md-block 300 feet between lghts Q. How do I call to report a street lght outage? The easest way to report a street lght n need of repars s onlne at ths address: You may also contact the Cty Engneerng Department at Q. What s the process for gettng a streetlght and how long wll t take? Once a request s receved, t wll take about 4 weeks for staff to nvestgate and assess a request. If a streetlght s determned to be approprately spaced and has the support of surroundng resdents, the streetlght s programmed for nstallaton. If power and fundng s avalable, a lght can be nstalled wthn 8 to 10 weeks. If there s no publc power avalable, ONCOR may request an easement from the property owner. If no fundng s avalable, the property owner may fund the request. Typcally, street lght nstallaton can cost between $2,500 and $10,000, dependng on the locaton s proxmty to a power source and other street lghts.

8 WATER AND WASTEWATER Contact: Steve Bartlett, Cty Engneer, Emal: Q. I have a water well and/or septc system. Wll I have to hook up to cty water and wastewater mans? Exstng water wells and septc systems (on-ste sewage systems) may reman n use untl such tme you choose to hook on to cty servces or untl such tmes as extensve repars are necessary. If a system experences problems that are unreparable and such that they create an mmnent danger to the envronment or neghborng resdents, at the tme these sort of ssues occur, you may be requred to abandon your well and/or septc system and connect to nearby cty servces. As long as your exstng servces are n good workng condtons, the cty does not requre connectons to cty utltes. Should you connect to cty utltes n the future, you are assessed a fee for these servces, only after a connecton s made. The Nacogdoches County Envronmental Health Department wll contnue to nspect your exstng systems. Q. What are the requred water and sewer connecton fees? The chart below lsts the most commonly used meter szes. Fees for other meter szes are avalable upon request. The fees shown below were adopted by the Cty Councl on December 19, Tap Sze Tap Type Tap Fee Orgnal Tap Sze Frst Splt Sze (nches) Cost (nches) (nches) ¾ $470 ¾ ¾ $115 1 $575 Water ¾ $145 1 ½ $795 1 Sewer 2 $975 4 $355 6 $430 A $25 connect fee wll also apply wth any new tap or any new splt tap. 1 ½ 2 1 $185 ¾ $235 1 $265 1 ½ $295 ¾ $255 1 $285 1 ½ $485 2 $515 Q. How soon wll water and/or wastewater facltes be avalable to ndvdual annexed lots? Several factors determne the tmng of servce ablty. These factors nclude: The dstance of a property from exstng servce mans The number of resdents n a partcular area nterested n servce The exstence of any proposed developments that may ncrease the need for the servce To provde new servce to an ndvdual sngle-famly resdence, the cty wll bear the desgn, constructon and related costs of the frst 100 feet of a water or sewer lne extenson. To provde new servce to a commercal, ndustral, nsttutonal, mult-famly or subdvson (two or more lots) development, the cty wll bear the costs of the desgn, constructon, and related costs of the frst 500 feet of a lne extenson.

9 ZONING/LAND USE REGULATIONS Contact: Larssa Phlpot, Plannng Drector, Emal: Q. Wll a property owner be able to contnue to use ther property n the same way after an annexaton? Generally, yes. The Texas Local Government Code states a muncpalty may not prohbt a person from contnung to use land n a legal manner for whch the land was beng used when t was annexed. The Local Government Code further states ths does not prevent a muncpalty from mposng regulatons related to: preventng mmnent destructon of property or njury publc nusances flood control storage and use of hazardous substances sale and use of freworks Q. Who wll determne the zonng placed on my property? When your property s annexed, t wll frst be zoned agrcultural, whch s a basc, holdng zonng desgnaton, untl an approprate zonng s determned. Your partcpaton n the zonng process s apprecated. Staff wll work to recommend a zonng to the Plannng and Zonng Commsson and Cty Councl whch best suts the current and future land uses for the area. The formal process ncludes a hearng before the Plannng and Zonng Commsson and ther recommendaton beng consdered by Cty Councl. Q. Does annexaton mean my property s n a new school dstrct? No. Cty annexaton has no mpact on school dstrct boundares. Your property s n the same school dstrct after the annexaton as t was before.

10 BUILDING CODES Contact: Davd McNeese, Buldng Inspector, Emal: Q. Do I need a buldng permt and nspectons for constructon of what was already started before annexaton? No, exstng structures are grandfathered and no not requre permttng. However, to avod confuson, t s suggested you contact the Inspectons department at to nform them of any constructon projects that began before your property was annexed. Q. Wll I have to get a certfcate of occupancy on my commercal buldngs? Yes, all commercal buldngs need to be nspected. Upon nspecton, a Certfcate of Occupancy or a notce of correcton wll be ssued. Upon passng nspecton, a certfcate of occupancy wll be ssued. Most propertes wll receve a certfcate of occupancy at frst vst. Some wll have to make repars and wll receve a certfcate of occupancy upon a subsequent vst. After ssuance of the certfcate of occupancy, the fre department wll nspect a commercal property annually. Q. Wll I have to brng my home up to code f I sell t? No, you wll not be requred to brng your home up to cty buldng code requrements n order to sell t, however durng the sale process; a real estate nspecton may note tems that do not meet code. Those tems would be dealt wth durng the sale process and could affect the sellng prce of your home. Q. How do I obtan a buldng permt? Permts may be obtaned n person n the Inspectons Department n Room 239 of Cty Hall (202 East Pllar Street). Begnnng n early 2017, permts may be obtaned onlne at Informaton needed to obtan a buldng permt: Descrpton of the land on whch the proposed work s to be done by legal descrpton and/or street address Descrpton of work to be covered by the permt Use or occupancy of buldng Plans, dagrams, computatons, specfcatons, and other data as requred to clearly defne the work beng performed The valuaton of any new buldng, structure or any addton, remodel, or alteraton to an exstng buldng Sgnature of the property owner or the property owner s authorzed agent

11 ANIMAL SERVICES Contact: Theresa Jordan, Anmal Servces Manager, Emal: Q. What purpose does Anmal Control serve? The Anmal Servces Department protects the communty from the threat of rabes and other dseases and njures caused by roamng anmals. Ths s accomplshed by promotng responsble pet ownershp through educaton, enforcement and legslaton. The Anmal Shelter s a full servce shelter offerng adopton of many knds of pets. Q. How do I adopt an anmal from the shelter? The anmal shelter s open to the publc for adoptons Monday through Frday, from 12:00 pm to 5:30 pm, and Saturday from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. There s a small adopton and regstraton fee. All anmals adopted from the shelter must be spayed or neutered. Adopters pay the spay or neuterng fee to the shelter at the tme of the adopton and receve a certfcate to present to the veternaran to have the anmal spayed or neutered when the anmal reaches 14 weeks old. Varous non-proft organzatons can assst wth the cost of the spay/neuter surgery. Q. How many pets can I have? A resdence may have no more than a total of fve cats or dogs. A maxmum of one ltter of puppes or kttens less than four months old may be excluded from the count. Households wshng to operate a kennel must obtan a kennel permt from the Anmal Servces Department. Q. Wll leash laws apply to my pets? Yes, all cty health and safety requrements become effectve upon annexaton. The Cty of Nacogdoches requres dogs to be restraned from the publc, ether behnd a fence or on a leash at all tmes. Q. Do I have to vaccnate my anmals? State law requres all dogs and cats receve annual rabes vaccnatons. Q. Wll annexaton affect my ablty to keep lvestock on my property? The Cty of Nacogdoches allows lvestock wthn the cty lmts. There must be 10,000 square feet of space avalable per anmal. If a resdent has lvestock on ther property at the tme ther property s annexed, they wll be grandfathered. If the number of anmals exceed the lmt, but are not causng a nusance, the property wll be gven a legal, nonconformng desgnaton. Pgs and commercal chcken houses may not be kept nsde the cty. Q. If I sell my property, can the buyer brng n lvestock and fowl? The new owner can have lvestock and fowl on the property f, at the tme of the sale, the property was used for lvestock and fowl. The new owner wll be allowed to contnue to keep the number of lvestock and fowl that were present on the property at the tme of annexaton or the number of lvestock allowed under the current ordnance.

12 GARBAGE COLLECTION Contact: Cary Walker, Publc Works Manager, Emal: Q. Who wll pck up my trash? The Santaton Department s responsble for collectng garbage and yard waste. Resdences are provded one roll cart for garbage collecton. Mult-famly resdental and commercal busnesses have the opton of utlzng multple roll carts or dumpsters. You have the choce to contnue your current prvate garbage servce for 2 years followng annexaton of your property. At the end of the two year perod, you are requred to use the cty provded servce. Q. Do I have to pay for water/sewer just to get trash pckup? No, f you have prvate water and sewer servce such as a well and a septc system, you may receve a bll only wth the santaton (trash) charges on t. Q. What s the current cost for trash pckup? The monthly fee s blled and collected on the monthly utlty bll. Sngle Famly Resdental: $21.40 per contaner per month Commercal: Carts monthly charge Number of Collectons Per Week Carts 1 Day 2 Days 3 Days 4 Days 5 Days 1 $24.74 $49.48 $74.22 $98.96 $ $24.74 $49.48 $74.22 $98.96 $ $38.15 $76.30 $ $ $ $51.54 $ $ $ $ Front load dumpster $4.35 per cubc yard of waste collected per collecton Roll off dumpsters may be rented for $ for three days. Each addtonal three day perod wll be charged at a rate of $ The dsposal rate s $11.65 per cubc yard. All the above (resdental and commercal) are charged an addtonal fuel adjustment whch s calculated monthly based upon current fuel prces. Q. When s my garbage collecton day? To verfy whch day your garbage s collected, please contact our Publc Works Department at Q. Is recyclng avalable? Yes, recyclng s avalable behnd the C.L. Smon Recreaton Center at 1112 North Street and at the Cty Landfll at 4602 NW Stallngs Drve. Q. I m used to beng able to burn my brush and bulky waste, what happens now? The Fre Code prohbts open burnng of trash and brush. Bagged leaves are pcked up the same day as your regular garbage servce. Brush and lmb collecton s not scheduled. A brush truck works through the cty on a rotatng bass. The cycle typcally takes two weeks, dependng on volume. Bagged yard waste and lmbs may be dsposed of at the Cty Landfll for no charge. Resdents may brng a current water bll ncludng garbage fees to dump one pckup load of household garbage per month.

13 CODE COMPLIANCE Contact: Angela Sowell, Code Enforcement Offcer, Emal: Q. What s code enforcement responsble for? The Code Enforcement Offcer performs nspectons and nvestgates complants concernng dangerous buldngs, substandard structures excessvely hgh grass and weeds, accumulatons of trash and debrs, llegal dumpng, zonng volatons, and other general nusance related volatons. Q. The structure across the way s fallng down, and no one lves there. What wll you do about t? When a complant s receved regardng a substandard structure, an offcer nspects the premses to determne f the complant s vald and warrants further acton. If suffcent cause s found, the offcer wll prepare a report documentng the volatons. A copy of the report s sent to the property owner along wth a letter drectng repars or demolton work be started. The offcer routnely montors the locaton to determne f any work has commenced, or f suffcent progress has been made. If the owner fals to respond, the offcer may ntate crmnal acton through ssuance of Muncpal Court ctatons. Alternately, cvl acton may be ntated by presentng the case to the Buldng Standards Commsson for the purpose of obtanng a demolton order. If the Commsson recommends the demolton of a substandard structure, the Cty Councl s asked to approve the award of a demolton contract. Based on the mpact of those structures on the surroundng communty and the avalablty of funds, staff determnes submsson of substandard structures to the Cty Councl. Falure of the property owner to pay the demolton costs may result n a len beng leved aganst the property.