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January 10, 2008 Issue

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From City Manager
Larry D. Groth

Some of our employees could receive an extra $428 to $4,716 by taking advantage of a tax credit known as “Earned Income Credit” when filing their income taxes this year. This is a special tax benefit for hard working families like yours.

Claiming your tax break is a simple process and there are some wonderful community volunteers willing to help those who need assistance in filing the necessary paperwork. Additionally, if you didn’t claim this credit on your 2005 or 2006 taxes you may be eligible to get even more money back.

Taxpayers who receive the tax credit could use the money to pay off credit card debt, replace major appliances or furniture in their homes, go on a family vacation or even use the money for a down payment on their first home. It’s your money, you’ve earned it. All you need to do is claim it! Some community members have teamed up to educate the community about this opportunity.

I want to warn you to avoid losing money through Refund Advance Loans. Some tax preparation centers charge hundreds of dollars for a rapid refund and then offer high interest loans.

As an alternative, free tax preparation assistance centers are set up at the Harrison Center, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Central Library, NeighborWorks Waco, R.B. Hoover Library, Providence Hospital and A.J. Moore Academy. The hours are listed in the next column on this page.

Here’s information to consider in determining whether you’ll qualify for an EITC credit:

  • Workers raising one qualifying child with a 2007 family income of less than $33,241 (or $35,241 married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $2,853;
  • Workers raising more than one qualifying child with a 2007 family income less than $37,783 (or $39,783 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $4,716;
  • Workers aged between 25 and 64 on Dec. 31, 2007, not raising children, with a 2007 income below $12,590 (or $14,590 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $428.

The claim process is simple. As your City Manager, I encourage you to claim what you have already earned both this year and possibly for the tax years 2005 and 2006. You Earned It, So Claim it. Please share this information with anyone you know that may qualify.

City Staff Spotlight

New Employees

Street Services welcomes the following new employees: Alex Torres, program supervisor; and Matthew Garretson, service provider.

Solid Waste Services welcomes Glenn Juarez, service provider.

Promotions/Transfers

Fleet Services is pleased to announce that Gwendolyn Walton and Ronald Oliphant, have both been promoted from temporary to full time service technicians.

Street Services announces the following promotions and transfers: Kenneth Fickel, operation supervisor; Terry Reneau, operation coordinator; William Horton, equipment operator; and Ron LeMay, operation supervisor.

Retirement

Raymond Pena, Parks & Recreation, has retired from the City of Waco after 15 years of service. A reception was held in his honor on Dec. 21.

Joyce Southwood, program manager for Fleet and Purchasing Services, will retire on Jan. 31 after more than 12 years of service with the City of Waco.

Moving On

Bonita Schroeder, Cameron Park Zoo, is leaving the City of Waco to accept the position of advertising analyst with the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Adam Hernandez, courier with the General Services department, is leaving the City of Waco to accept a position with a local insurance company.

Congratulations

Carlotta Harris, Police Department, recently received her Master of Science degree in pastoral counseling from Regions University in Montgomery, Ala. She graduated with the cum laude distinction.

Employees at the Public Health District collected gifts for the Angel Tree program, which provides gifts to children whose parents are in prison. This year, the employees collected gifts for 62 children. The effort was coordinated by Audrey Maas.

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District Vital Statistics office received the 2007 Five Star Service award for local registrars. The award was presented to Gladys Hand, Charlie Glynn and Jenetta Taylor Williams at the 53rd Annual Vital Statistics Conference in Austin.

Street Services selected Patricia Watts as their employee of the month for November.

Join the Get Fit Club

Make your New Year’s resolution a reality by staying active and improving your health at the City of Waco Parks and Recreation Department’s fitness and wellness rooms.

The rooms provide an affordable, private workout and feature equipment such as cardio machines, free weights and weight stack machines. Hours are 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m Saturday. Cost is $1 per session or $20 for 30 sessions.

The fitness and wellness rooms are located at the following recreation centers: Bledsoe-Miller, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 254-750-8684; and Dewey, 925 N. 9th, 254-750-8677.

Poetry Chatter Workshop

The East Waco Library will sponsor Poetry Chatter, a workshop for aspiring poets, on Jan. 12 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Feb. 16 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Those who attend will have the opportunity to write or recite a poem about an event that occurred in that particular month. For more information, call Sallie Biles at 750-8620.

SkyWarn 2008

The Waco-McLennan County Emergency Management team and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth are sponsoring Skywarn 2008 on Saturday, Feb. 9 in the Bosque Theatre at the Waco Convention Center.

The free training will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue until 4:30 p.m. Skywarn 2008 is for both trained storm spotters and citizens who are interested in learning more about identifying dangerous cloud formations.

The training seminar is offered each spring prior to the start of severe weather season. For more information, contact Frank Patterson at 750-5911.

Employee MLK Luncheon

Tomorrow, Jan. 11, is the last day to purchase tickets for the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Employee Luncheon. The program will be held on Jan. 16 at noon in Knox Hall, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum.

The guest speaker is Pastor Anthony Burrus. The cost is $7.50 for lunch catered by Big Daddy’s.

Tickets can be purchased at the City Hall Information desk, Purchasing, Street Services, Police Department and Fire Department offices. For more information, call the City Secretary’s Office at 750-5750.

Earned Income Tax Credit:
Earn It. Claim It. Save It.

Some dedicated local volunteers want Waco area workers to know that they could be eligible for a tax refund of up to $4,700, and they are even willing to help you fill out the appropriate paper work.

ABC Waco is operated by NeighborWorks Waco, a local non-profit, and represents more than 50 organizations and institutions that have agreed to help spread the word about Earned Income Tax Credit or EITC, as well as free tax preparation services in general.

They promote financial awareness through supporting two free tax preparation programs in Waco; an IRS/VITA site at A.J. Moore Academy and eight sites through AARP. They also help connect taxpayers with asset-building services provided by the local non-profit community, such as financial literacy and Individual Development Accounts.

Here’s what to consider in determining whether you’ll qualify for an EITC credit:

  • Workers raising one qualifying child with a 2007 family income of less than $33,241 (or $35,241 married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $2,853;
  • Workers raising more than one qualifying child with a 2007 family income less than $37,783 (or $39,783 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $4,716;
  • Workers aged between 25 and 64 on Dec. 31, 2007, not raising children, with a 2007 income below $12,590 (or $14,590 for married filing jointly) can get an EITC up to $428.

Taxpayers should be aware that a variety of restrictions may apply and they should seek a tax preparer, preferably a free one, or consult IRS Publication 596 to determine eligibility.

List of Free Tax Preparation Centers

AARP Sites:

Harrison Center, 1718 North 42nd St.
Opens Feb. 5
Tuesday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday: 11 a.m to 3 p.m.

NeighborWorks Waco, 922 Franklin Ave.
Opens Jan. 28
Monday - Thursday: 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2710 Speight
Open Jan. 30 - March 14
Wednesday - Friday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Waco McLennan County Library,
1717 Austin Ave.
Opens Feb. 5
Tuesday & Thursday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

R. B. Hoover Branch Library,
1428 Wooded Acres Dr.
Opens Feb. 1
Monday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Providence Hospital, 6901 Medical Parkway
Opens Feb. 4
Monday & Wednesday: 1 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Hewitt Community Center, 208 Chama
Opens Feb. 4
Monday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) sites include:

A.J. Moore School Library, 500 N. University Parks
Open Jan. 17 - April 15.
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information about the tax preparation centers, call NeighborWorks at 752-1647.

Diabetes Class

The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District is sponsoring the “Do Well, Be Well with Diabetes” self-management course in partnership with the Texas Cooperative Extension.

The course will consist of 10 lessons covering topics such as diet planning, blood glucose monitoring, exercise, managing complications and more. The series is taught by a variety of diabetes and health educators, nurses and dietitians in five sessions.

The course will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays on Jan. 17, 22, 24, 29, and 31 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Preparedness Training Room at the Health District. Interested participants should register in advance by calling 750-5631 or christines@ci.waco.tx.us.

 

 

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