The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutUBI 2012 OCTCITY OF COLLEGE STATION the ballot by the city council. Most of the proposed amendments would bring the charter in line with state law. Amendment No. 1 would add incompetency, official misconduct or malfeasance as grounds for the recall of council members. The other amendments concern council vacancies, an oath of office, franchises and gender-neutral language. For detailed information on proposed amendments, go to cstx.gov/elections. Early voting If you might be out of town on Election Day – or to avoid the crowd – you can vote early from Oct. 22-Nov. 2 at any early voting location in Brazos County, including the College Station Utilities Meeting and Training Facility on Graham Road and the Memorial Student Center on the Texas A&M campus. Absentee/mail-in ballots The Brazos County Clerk’s Office will accept applications for absentee mail-in ballots through Oct. 30 for voters who will be unable to cast their ballots on Election Day or in the early voting period. The mail-in Inside College Station * * * * * * * City of College Station * Home of Texas A&M University® * College Station, Texas * * * * * * * O ne of our most precious rights as American citizens is voting in local, state and national elections. It is also one of our greatest responsibilities. In the Nov. 6 election, College Station will not have any contested city council or school board places on the ballot, but voters will decide the fate of nine proposed city charter amendments. When you go to your polling place on Election Day, keep in mind that local races and issues will be located at the bottom of the ballot. City council/school board races John Nichols and James Benham are unopposed for the College Station City Council and already have been declared elected. Nichols will fill Katy-Maries Lyles’ Place 4 seat and Benham will replace Dave Ruesink in Place 6. Incumbents Carol Barrett and Paul Dorsett also are unopposed for places on the College Station ISD school board. City charter amendments Eight of the nine charter amendments were proposed by the Citizens Charter Review Advisory Commission, which was created in February 2011. The other deals with conflict of interest issues and was added to October 2012 QUICK LINKS >>> Charter Amendments cstx.gov/elections Election Information brazosvotes.org Double-Check Your Ballot Local Races and Issues will Appear at the Bottom Double-Check Your Ballot Local Races and Issues will Appear at the Bottom option is available to voters who are 65 and older, disabled, confined in jail or will be out of the county. Voter registration To be eligible to vote in November, unregistered residents have until Oct. 9 to submit an application to the Brazos County voter registrar. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and be legal residents of the county. Convicted felons are ineligible to vote unless they have completed their sentence, including probation and parole. Those declared mentally incompetent also are ineligible. Need more info? For more 2012 election information and polling places, go to brazosvotes.org. Signing up is easy! Just visit cstx.gov/recycle or call 979.764.6228. We also offer options for businesses and apartments that wish to recycle, please call or go online for details! Water IQ A seasonal water tip Want another way to raise your Water IQ and lower your utility bill? The ‘seasonal adjust’ feature on your sprinkler controller can help! With cool weather approaching, you can cut back on landscape irrigation. An easy way to do this – without reprogramming your controller – is to use the Seasonal Adjust feature. Many controllers have this option. This feature automatically reduces the run time as weather conditions change – and all you have to do is push a button. As a rule of thumb, set the seasonal adjust percentage as follows: winter 30 percent, spring 70 percent, summer 100 percent, and fall 70 percent. At 100 percent, all stations will run for their full programmed time. For example, if the front lawn is scheduled to be watered for 20 minutes in the summer, setting the seasonal adjust feature at 70 percent will automatically reduce run time to 14 minutes. Does your irrigation controller have a backup battery? It should! Without a battery backup, in the event of a power outage, all of your water settings – including the seasonal adjustment – will be lost and you’ll have to adjust the controller again. To learn more, visit cstx.gov/water or call Jennifer Nations, Water Resource Coordinator, at 979-764-6223. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start Recycling Today! City offers curbside service The City of College Station offers curbside recycling to single-family homes, duplexes and most fourplexes for free. Items accepted in the Curbside Recycling Program include: white paper, phone books, newspapers, magazines, #1 and #2 plastic, aluminum/ tin/steel cans, clear and brown glass, and lead acid car batteries. Each eligible residence is provided with clear plastic recycling bags to use to sort and store the recyclable materials. Once the bag is full, you can just place it on the edge of the curb by 8 a.m. on the scheduled recycling collection day. Recycling collection is provided once a week, on the same day as bulky items and brush collections. CITY OF COLLEGE STATION Community Development Housing Assistance Now Available The following housing assistance programs are available through City of College Station Community Development: MINOR REPAIR ASSISTANCE is provided through a grant of up to $5,000 on owner- occupied homes that require necessary but basic repairs. Eligible repairs include: the replacement of an air conditioner or heater, repair to plumbing or electrical systems, or other minor repairs necessary to ensure safe living conditions for the home owner. REHABILITATION LOAN ASSISTANCE provides up to $50,000 maximum to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes in the City of College Station. Assistance is provided in the form of a loan; half of the loan will be forgiven monthly over a 10-year period and half will be repaid to the city monthly with a low interest rate. RECONSTRUCTION LOAN ASSISTANCE provides up to $110,000 maximum to demolish and reconstruct dilapidated, owner-occupied homes that do not qualify for Rehabilitation Assistance in the City of College Station. Assistance is provided in the form of a loan; half of the loan, not to exceed $40,000, will be forgiven monthly over a 15-year period and the remainder will be repaid to the city monthly with a low interest rate. DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE is in the form of a 0 percent interest deferred loan for up to 15 percent of the purchase price of the home. This assistance can be used for down-payment and up to 30 percent can be used for closing costs for any home in College Station. This helps to lower the cost of homeownership for eligible homebuyers. PRICE REDUCED: The city has reduced the price on two homes for sale to income eligible households – applicants purchasing one of these homes will receive enhanced Down Payment Assistance of 20 percent of the sales price: 1208 Phoenix - $104,900 and 1022 Crested Point - $124,900. For more information, call the Community Development Office at 979-764-3778 or go to cstx.gov/housingassistance. Inside College Station October 2012 {PAGE 2} events coming in November Nov. 6 – GREEN SEMINAR 5:30 p.m., Public Works Office Topic: Green Gifting. RSVP at cstx.gov/recycle Nov. 8 & 19 – City Council Meetings | Workshop at 6 p.m. and Regular at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 – BRAZOS VALLEY WORLDFEST, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wolf Pen Creek Park. brazosvalleyworldfest.org Nov. 12-30 – YOUTH BASKETBALL REGISTRATION PreK- 8th grade. $60 per child. 8 games, begins Jan 7. cstx.gov/sports Nov. 14 – EXPLORING HISTORY LUNCH LECTURE Presidential Regrets with their Supreme Court Nominations by William T. Harper Aldersgate United Methodist Church | 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. $5 per person | RSVP by Nov. 9 at 979.764.6351 or email kkelbly@cstx.gov Nov. 22 & 23 – City Offices Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday. No Recycling. All other sanitation collected one day BEHIND scheduled collection day. Nov. 30-Dec. 1 – CHRISTMAS AT THE CREEK | 6-9 p.m. at Wolf Pen Creek Park. Entertainment, Santa photos, hayrides, food and more. Free admission. Park at Post Oak Mall. cstx.gov/christmas