The City of Dallas will be transitioning to a new utility bill format beginning with the April 2010 billing. The City began discussing and planning this change three years ago due to changing technology. The operating (DOS) system and printer format the department currently use have become obsolete and change was imperative. Beginning in April, customers will receive a full page bill enclosed in an envelope. It will provide the customer precise and clear information regarding their water consumption and water and sewer charges. [Additional info...]

Join them for four fun-filled classes on Wednesday evenings from 6-8:30 starting March 10. They will help you learn to take control of your financial life, covering everything from setting attainable financial goals to building good credit to buy a house or car.

Classes will be held at the Rickreall Creek Community Room at 277 SW Walnut Avenue in Dallas. The cost is $5 for Polk CDC clients, $10 for clients of ERIT and the West Valley Housing Authority, and $20 for other members of the community. Come to the first class, or contact Polk CDC at 503-831-3173 or at ndollar@polkcdc.org to reserve your spot today! [Additional info...]

What is a Political Sign?
A political sign is a temporary sign as defined in the Dallas City Code, Chapter 9.900, Sign Code. Political signs are specifically addressed in the Sign Code, Section 9.981, as follows:
Temporary Political Signs
Temporary political signs may be erected on private property for a period of sixty (60) days prior to the election in which such candidates or issues are to be voted upon. The signs shall be removed no later than the fourth day following the election.

This means that for the May 18 primary election, signs cannot be placed before March 19, 2010, and must be removed by May 22, 2010.

Restrictions for Political Sign Placement
In addition to the time restrictions set forth in the Sign Code, there are other requirements you must keep in mind if you place political signs in Dallas.
• Political signs shall not be placed inside public right-of-ways. Right-of-ways vary in Dallas, but a general rule of thumb is that it typically starts from 5 to 7 feet behind the sidewalk on one side of the street to 5 to 7 feet behind the sidewalk on the other side of the street.
• Political signs shall not be attached to any traffic signal or street light pole, or any other City property, including trees in the right-of-way.
• Political signs shall not be placed on traffic islands or park strips
• Political signs shall not be placed in the visual clearance area.
• Political signs are permitted on private property, provided you get the property owner’s permission to place the sign.

For more information:
John Swanson, 503-831-3572

Throughout the current fiscal year, the City will have cut over $210,000 from the budget. The reduction does have an impact on service levels.

The Dallas City Budget is made up of several funds that are independent of one another:
The General Fund (which includes Administration, Human Resources, Municipal Court, Fire, Police, Ambulance, Animal Control, Parks, Aquatic Center, Library, Planning, Economic Development, Finance); Urban Renewal; Utilities/Enterprise Funds (Water, Sewer, Storm, Streets); and SDC Funds (Parks, Water, Sewer, Storm, and Street).

The General Fund budget is $9,750,000, of which $3 million comes from property taxes. The remaining $6.75 million comes from revenue generated from franchise fees, licenses, permits, fines, charges for services, state appropriations, and revenue sharing funds. The total revenue coming into the General Fund is down 5%, or $450,000, this year. Franchise fees are down 9%, licenses and permits are down 6%, miscellaneous charges (Aquatic Center and Ambulance) are down 4% and revenue sharing is down 3%.

Dallas has an average assessed value for a single family house of about $164,000. Of the property taxes paid by an average home, only $688 goes to the City. The actual property taxes that fund the Fire and Ambulance Department (total budget of $1,851,010 for both Fire and Ambulance) is 75 cents per thousand dollars of assessed value (AV). As a comparison, Tualatin Valley Fire District's rate is just under $4 per $1,000 AV. The actual property tax that funds the Police Department (total budget of $2,703,400) is $1.17 per $1,000 AV.

The 2009/10 Budget reductions impact 12 departments. These impacts include: Park employee position eliminated; Building Inspection position reduced; Community Development front desk position reduced; Engineer Tech position reduced; Public Works front desk position reduced; Police Records Clerk position reduced; Community Service Officer reassigned; School Resource Officer position vacant and absorbed within Dept.; Fire Volunteer Coordinator position moved temporarily to Ambulance Dept. to fill vacancy there; reduced hours at Library continued; Aquatic Center hours reduced.

Dallas's population has increased 23% over the past ten years. In that time, the Police Department has gone from 19 sworn officers to 18 sworn officers. Overall staffing has been decreased by over 8 FTE in the past three years.

The community has purchased 15 bricks, raising funds for the continuation of the Rickreall Creek Trail as well as $800 for local charities including Kids, Inc., the Dallas Education Fund, the Dallas Senior Center, and the Dallas Library. The goal of the program is to help in the beautification of the trailhead entrances throughout the City as well as to help in the continuation of the trail and support local charities. Each brick sells for $150 ($25 more to include a custom logo), of which up to $75 goes to a local charity chosen by the purchaser. [Additional info...]

The Dallas Aquatic Center is a water lover's dream with five pools and activities for both serious swimmers and recreational users. Yet, keeping the water and facility temperature in balance for 130,000 patrons per year consumes enormous amounts of energy. Thanks to recent investments in energy-efficiency upgrades and a solar pool heating system, the center has reduced its electric and natural gas utility bills by nearly 50 percent. [Additional info...]

If you would like to be put on a list to receive notification when a new e-newsletter is published, please click the "Notify Me" button on the left side of the webpage, enter your email address and choose the "City E-Newsletter" box, or contact the City Manager's office at 503.831.3502.

Does your home need repairs? Don’t wait another day! The Polk CDC, your non-profit Regional Housing Center, is offering low-interest housing repair loans to eligible homeowners in Polk County. Contact Justin Wolf at jwolf2@polkcdc.org or 503.831.3173. [Additional info...]

The events will be held:

May 8, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
at the Polk County Shops, 820 SW Ash Street, Dallas
and

October 9, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.
at Riverside Park in Independence.

For more information, contact Jim Solvedt at 503.623.9237.