City of Waco - Public Notices
The City of Waco regularly posts public information and legal notices to keep the community informed. For more information contact the City Secretary at 750-5750 or come by the office on the 1st floor of City Hall, 300 Austin Avenue.
(Take me to Code Enforcement Public Notices)
NOTICE OF MEETING & POSSIBLE QUORUM
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Waco Convention Center
2013 Property Tax Rates in City of Waco
This notice concerns the 2013 property tax rates for City of Waco. It presents information about three tax rates. Last year's tax rate is the actual tax rate the taxing unit used to determine property taxes last year. This year's effective tax rate would impose the same total taxes as last year if you compare properties taxed in both years. This year's rollback tax rate is the highest tax rate the taxing unit can set before taxpayers start rollback procedures. In each case these rates are found by dividing the total amount of taxes by the tax base (the total value of taxable property) with adjustments as required by state law. The rates are given per $100 of property value. See TAX RATES CHART
FEDERAL GRANT REVIEW
The City of Waco is working with the National Park Service (NPS) and others to develop a Memorandum of Agreement for mitigation of adverse impacts to historical property and the conversion of property at Fort Fisher to remove recreational use only restrictions relating to a 1967 Land and Water Conservation Fund (L&WCF) Grant.
In 1967, the City of Waco obtained a L&WCF grant for Outdoor Recreation through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) for development of parks along the Brazos River. The grant was to assist (a) with acquisition of 4.62 acres to complete a 35 acre Lake Brazos Recreation area and (b) with the construction of service storage building, concession building, restrooms and shower facilities, camping units, picnic units, fishing piers, hiking, trails and walks, roads, parking facilities and utilities in the Park site. The land that was used for the L&WCF project included several tracts that had been acquired by the City of Waco at different points in time and had been used as a cemetery as well as property obtained from Southern Pacific Railroad through condemnation.
When Byron Johnson was hired as the Director of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in 1996, one of his charges was to develop a master plan for the Museum. He attempted to locate records relating to the work done starting in 1967, but located very few records. In the period between 1967 and 1996, files related to the initial L&WCF project and grant agreement in 1967 were misplaced, lost or disposed of. The files that were maintained were stored and not indexed in a manner that allowed them to be easily located. Consequently, the development of master plan did not take into consideration the restrictions of the L&WCF grant. Mr. Johnson was aware that a cemetery had been located in at least portions of Ft. Fisher Park, so out of an abundance of caution he proposed that the City conduct an archaeological survey prior to beginning work the foundation for the proposed Texas Rangers Headquarters and Education Center to see if anything remained from the cemetery underneath the proposed site for the new building. American Archaeology Group (“AAG”) was retained to perform the survey.
The October 2006 archaeology survey of the planned building footprint area was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit Number 4255 issued by the Texas Historical Commission (“THC”). During the survey, two burial features, i.e., crypts, were found, but no remains. AAG’s report to THC concluded with the recommendation that “the City of Waco be allowed to proceed with the current proposed project and archaeological monitoring is not necessary.” That report was filed with THC on or about October 22, 2007. THC accepted the recommendation of AAG on or about December 6, 2007.
When work on the building foundation started, some remains were discovered on May 11, 2007. Additional remains were discovered when work began on a sewer line a short time later. Since that time, several different Antiquities Permits have been acquired from THC to perform archaeological work on the site in conjunction with the Texas Ranger Headquarters and Education Center and the Riverwalk extension.
The City of Waco is seeking removal of the Ft. Fisher area from the 1967 L&WCF grant restrictions regarding outdoor recreation use by substituting another parcel for outdoor recreation use. A Section 106 review of the Ft. Fisher area is a necessary part of the conversion process under the NHPA. As part of the Section 106 process, it is necessary to develop a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the National Park Service, the Texas Historical Commission, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the City of Waco to minimize or mitigate adverse impacts on historic properties.
The National Parks Service, as the agency responsible for the oversight of the conversion process, has now issued a second draft of a proposed MOA. The NPS cover letter and that MOA draft can be downloaded for review. Interested parties are invited to review the draft MOA and provide their comments to NPS.
Comments may be sent to:
Mr. Roger Knowlton
Outdoor Recreation Planner
Recreation Grants Division
National Parks Service
601 Riverfront drive
Omaha, Nebraska 68102
