City of Ennis

C i t y o f E n n is
E LECTION I NFORMATION
INSIDE
Election Overview
Street Maintenance
CCPD
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Dates of interest:
• Informational Forum on
September 23, 2014 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Ennis Public Library
• Informational Forum on
October 9, 2014 beginning
at 6:30 p.m. at the City
Commission Chambers at
the Ennis City Hall
• Early voting begins on October 20, 2014
• Early voting ends on October 31, 2014
CITYWIDE SALES TAX ELECTION TO BE HELD FOR
STREET MAINTENANCE AND CRIME CONTROL AND
PREVENTION DISTRICT FUNDING
In July and August, the Ennis
City Commission considered
and approved a proposal to
create the Ennis Crime Control and Prevention District
(CCPD) and called for an election for the voters to consider
a Street Maintenance Sales
Tax.
The CCPD is proposed to fund
crime control and prevention
activities and also provide
funding for the development
of a police facility. The current facility is nearly 100
years old and has not had
significant renovations in
many years. Whether a new
facility would be constructed
or the existing facility upgraded is yet to be determined.
The Street Maintenance Sales
Tax is proposed to provide
funding for maintenance of
existing streets.
Currently, the City of Ennis tax
rate is 7.75% of purchases of
taxable items. The maximum
that can be charged by cities
in the State of Texas is
8.25%. This provides capacity
to add .5% to the tax rate. If
the two propositions are approved by the voters of Ennis,
.25% would fund the CCPD
and .25% would fund street
maintenance. Each program
could receive between
$700,000 and $725,000
based on current sales and
use tax collection rates.
If approved, collection would
begin on January 1, 2015.
A joint election will be conducted with Ellis County with
early voting beginning on October 20, 2014. Early voting
will be conducted at the Ellis
County Sub-courthouse in
Ennis located at 207 South
Sonoma Trail in Ennis. Voters
may also vote on Election
Day during the general election on Tuesday, November 4,
2014. There will be multiple
polling places on Election Day
and where citizens vote will
be determined by their appropriate voting precinct as published by Ellis County.
• Election Day is November
4, 2014
• If voters authorize sales tax
increase collection will begin
on January 1, 2015
S T R E E T M A I N T E N A N C E S A L E S T A X FA Q
What is a street
maintenance sales
tax?
State legislation allows
municipalities to collect
a .25% sales and use
tax exclusively for the
maintenance and rehabilitation of existing public streets and alleys.
The legislation requires
voter approval every
four years. Based on
current collections, approximately $700,000 to
$725,000 could be
raised to fund street
maintenance.
What is its purpose?
To provide timely and
cost-effective rehabilitation and preventive
maintenance of public
streets within the city
limits of Ennis. The goal
is to improve mobility
and maintain roadways
to prevent deterioration
and costly rebuilds.
How will the money
be spent?
If approved, 100 percent
of every dollar collected
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City of Ennis
P.O. Box 220
Ennis, Texas 75120
Phone: 972-878-1234
Fax: 972-875-9086
Email: admin@ennistx.gov
Find us on the web
at www.ennistx.gov
The Bluebonnet City
will be dedicated to the street maintenance program. This includes
crack seal programs on streets to seal the surface and prevent moisture infiltration
and deterioration. Asphalt milling and reclamation treatments will be done to build
new road bases and street surfaces in several areas of the City. The City of Ennis
will develop a pavement management system and an inventory and pavement rating program. This will provide a condition rating for all streets so that improvements can be prioritized accordingly.
How would the City of Ennis determine what streets will be maintained or
repaired first?
The Public Works Department will develop a pavement management system to assess pavement conditions and determine maintenance needs. Once streets are identified for maintenance, coordination would occur with Ennis Water Utilities to ensure
water or sewer line work beneath the roadway is completed prior to street maintenance.
ENNIS CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION
D ISTRIC T FREQUEN TLY ASKED QUESTIONS
State law permits cities to
create Crime Control and
Prevention Districts for programs related to crime prevention and to fund them with
a local sales and use tax. The
Ennis City Commission has
proposed creation of a district
and an election will be held in
November for voters to consider the proposal.
What is a Crime Control and
Prevention District sales tax?
A Crime Control and Prevention District sales tax is a local
sales and use tax of .25% that
provides supplemental funding to assist local law enforcement in fighting and preventing crime.
Who manages the Crime Control and Prevention District?
The district is managed by a
seven member board appointed by the City Commission.
The CCPD Board coordinates
with local law enforcement to
establish the annual budget,
oversee expenditures and
evaluate programs funded by
the district.
What will the Crime Control
and Prevention District sales
and use tax money be used
for?
If approved, 100 percent of
the collected funds would be
used for:
1. An updated police facility.
2. Added personnel targeting
crime prevention and drug
enforcement.
3. A narcotics detecting canine.
4. Crime prevention and community education programs
and equipment.
5. A bike patrol program.
6. Personnel training.
7. Speed Enforcement Equipment.
Where will the proposed police facility be located?
Initial funding will be utilized
to conduct a feasibility study
and preliminary design. That
information will be utilized to
determine the location that is
most appropriate for the facility taking into account many
factors such as public access, court access, and holding cell access. Also, future
needs will be accounted for
as Ennis continues to grow.
Where can I learn more about
Crime Control and Prevention
Districts?
The Texas Local Government
Code Chapter 363 (Crime
Control and Prevention District Act) governs all aspects
of the CCPD. You can find
that by visiting:
http://
www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us
/Docs/LG/htm/LG.363.htm