City Council Highlights

2

What’s in the

Works?

Chiefs Corner

3

4

City Calendar Business News

5

The Valley Newsletter D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 C I T Y O F S U N S E T V A L L E Y

T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

City Council Inauguration—December 6, 2016 The 2016-2017 Sunset Valley City Council met

for the first �me on December 6th, following

the swearing in ceremony of newly elected

members.

At this mee�ng, the Council unanimously voted

Mark Bruner to serve as the Mayor Pro tem,

reappointed Rae Greenough to serve as the

City Secretary and each Council member was

appointed to serve as Council Liaison to a

Standing Commi.ee, as follows:

Mark Bruner—Public Works

Walter Jenkins—Planning and Environmental

Ketan Kharod—Public Safety

Mickie Powers—Community and Economic

Development

Rudi Rosengarten—Budget, Finance and

Administra�ve.

The Council appointed Commi.ee members to

each Standing Commi.ee, including Zoning

Commission and the Arts Commission at the

December 20th mee�ng. Commi.ee rosters for

the upcoming year are posted on page 6.

Board of Adjustment To Convene on Public Works and Police Facilities Project At the October 11th mee�ng, the City Council

approved the architect’s schema�c design. The

schema�c design is an ini�al drawing that

seeks to define the general scope and concep-

tual design of the project, to include scale and

rela�onships between building components.

During the development of the schema�c de-

sign, staff iden�fied areas where the conceptu-

al design does not meet the requirements of

the local development code. This informa�on

was presented to the City Council at the No-

vember 1st mee�ng. The three areas of the

code are:

• Sec�on 2.505 (b) 1 – minimum 100 A. land-

scape buffer for both the east and west

side of the project

• Sec�on 2.1004 – 20 A. side setback for the

west side and loca�on of covered equip-

ment storage for Public Works on the east

side

• Sec�on 2.1004 - 50A front setback for both

the east and west side of the project

The Board of Adjustment will be convened on

Wednesday, January 11th on these ma.ers.

Mee�ng informa�on will be mailed to resi-

dents within 500 feet, in accordance with local

requirements, and all documents will be post-

ed on the City’s website for review. Should you

have any ques�ons about the Facili�es Project,

please contact Clay Collins.

The Sunset Valley City Council, from leA to right:

Council Member Mickie Powers, Mayor Pro tem

Mark Bruner, Mayor Rose Cardona, Council Mem-

ber Walter Jenkins, Council Member Rudi

Rosengarten and Council Member Ketan Kharod.

P A G E 2

November 15, 2016 The City Council approved the recommenda�on of the Zoning Commission to amend the defini�on of a

Guest House. The Zoning Commission recommenda�on to Council was to amend the defini�on of a Guest

House by dele�ng the reference to 600 square feet and confirming within the defini�on that a Guest House is

an accessory structure, subject to the regula�ons applicable to all accessory structures.

The adopted defini�on of a Guest House Is: A structure for human habita�on, detached from a single family

residence but located on the same lot or con�guous lots on which is located one single family residence, contain-

ing one or more rooms with a bathing facility and toilet, that would provide a single housekeeping unit. Regula-

�ons applicable to accessory structures in Sec�on 2.506 of the Land Development Code are applicable to Guest

Houses.

November 22, 2016

The City Council approved the elec�on results of the November 8th City Officers Elec�on. The Temporary Crime

Control District was also convened and approved the results of the ballot issue for the crea�on of the Crime

Control District.

December 6, 2016

New Facili�es budget and project updates presented to the City Council.

• CHASCO (Contract Manager @ Risk) presented a budget to the Council for the schema�c design. The com-

bined cost es�mate is $6,354,898 or $370.76 per square foot. This includes at 10% con�ngency. This es�-

mate is only construc�on costs and does not include fees for professional design services. Included in the

budget and discussion was a recommenda�on from CHASCO for the reloca�on of the Police and Public

Works Departments during construc�on. CHASCO Budget for review at www.sunsetvalley.org/newfacili�es

• Staff provided review of informa�on requested by Council at the October 11th mee�ng and response to

ques�ons raised during the elec�on campaign (see below). Specifically, the staff report updated project

�meline, outlined notes taken at the first Landscaping Planning mee�ng, held on November 29th and pre-

sented tasks being performed for the next phase of design from the architect.

Why was Construc�on Manager at Risk selected for the project delivery method?

There are several contrac�ng methods that are allowed by state law. The Construc�on Manager at Risk method

was selected because it allows for selec�on of the contractor early in the process and also assures compe��ve

bidding for all the subcontrac�ng trades. The CMAR process can work well under many different condi�ons,

however it is most appropriate when we have the combina�on that we do on our project – budge�ng for new

and renovated construc�on on a �ght site with exis�ng structures. CHASCO was selected based on their qualifi-

ca�ons and experience as well as their cost proposal to manage the project. With the significant constraints on

the site of exis�ng buildings, trees and u�li�es as well as the reloca�on of the portable buildings, CHASCO is

providing input and recommenda�ons now to assist with the variety of op�ons and final planning for the pro-

ject. Under other contrac�ng methods, they would not be included as a part of the project team un�l aAer

these decisions had been made without the benefit of a contractor’s input. At the comple�on of the design of

the project, CHASCO will submit a “Guaranteed Maximum Price” which will be supported by detailed compe�-

�ve bids on each component of the project.

City Council Highlights

T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

Keep Up on the Latest New Facilities Project Information.

Find the latest information, Council actions and detail on the facilities project on the New City Facilities

page on the City’s website at www.sunsetvalley.org/newfaclilities

P A G E 3 T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

What’s in the Works?

ARBOR DAY Last month’s Arbor Day Walk was a

success! Carolyn Meredith took over

20 residents on a quick tour around

the City Hall grounds. This was a

wonderful opportunity to teach eve-

ryone about the different tree spe-

cies, young and old, planted in our

City. Carolyn answered many ques-

�ons about tree species and tree

growth. Free T-shirts, trees and

breakfast were provided. Please

don’t forget to water and mulch the

base of young trees to protect them

from the weather. Thank you to eve-

ryone who a.ended our event. Your

support is always appreciated.

December 6, 2016 (con�nued)

Why are facili�es for both departments being done as a part of a single project?

Early in the planning for the project, there was discussion about building for one department and then once that was

completed, beginning on the building for the other department. With the ini�al goal of maintaining all municipal opera-

�ons at the current site, comple�on of the looped driveway and other site challenges led to the decision to plan and

construct comple�on of the campus as a single project. Due to the concerns about impervious cover, setbacks, and oth-

er site limita�ons, the only way to ensure that facili�es for both departments would be completed as desired would be

to include them in a single project. Although the City Hall project completed in 2005 was an ambi�ous project at the

�me, the lack of a defini�ve plan for the site has made the current project more difficult. If only a Police or Public

Works facility were to be constructed at the present �me, then the same site issues would need to be addressed by a

future City Council and all of the community mee�ngs and involvement would need to be repeated again.

Why is a concurrent schedule (rather than sequen�al) being used for the project?

With the decision to include facili�es for both departments in a single design project as well as a construc�on project,

the ini�al plan was to work primarily on one building first (the Police Facility, since it was to be located in an area of the

site without any exis�ng building conflicts). In reviewing the Financing op�ons for the project, the Finance Commi.ee

made a request of the Architect to evaluate cost savings if the two buildings were to be built concurrently. This resulted

in a reduc�on of the �me to construct the project from 22 months to 14 months. The ini�al es�mate was that this

would save approximately $200,000 in contractor supervision and overhead by shortening the construc�on �me.

CHASCO has looked at the schedule and commented that the savings could very well be higher if the longer sequen�al

schedule were to be used. The shorter concurrent schedule would also reduce the impact of construc�on infla�on on

the project. The downside would be more temporary moving on the site; however, the exact placement of the PD and

PW portables had not been determined at the �me this decision was made, so there were going to be complica�ons

with moving the portables regardless of the schedule.

Staff and residents will face inconvenience regardless of whether the concurrent or sequen�al schedule is; however, a

greater level of inconvenience for a shorter dura�on (and at a lower cost) has been the op�on that has been pursued.

P A G E 4

T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

Chiefs Corner S.M. Ford, MPA, LCC

Recently the American Statesman ran a story about the Sunset Valley Police Department which compared the Uniform

Crime Repor�ng sta�s�cs for the City of Sunset Valley to the City of Aus�n. While the ar�cle highlighted some posi�ves

about the Department and the community, the alarmist nature of the ar�cle raised ques�ons regarding safety of this com-

munity. Sunset Valley is one of the safest, if not the safest residen�al communi�es in our region. We have a very small per-

centage of all calls for service occurring in the residen�al neighborhoods of the city. SVPD has an average response �me to

emergency calls in our community of 90 seconds once the officer is dispatched. Rou�ne non-emergency calls for service

have an approximate 4 minute response �me. There are and will con�nue to be those rare �mes that SVPD officers are

completely �ed up with calls for service, and when this occurs, the Aus�n Police Department or other law enforcement

agencies will respond to assist us with the calls for service.

The Statesman ar�cle made references to crime sta�s�cs, but some addi-

�onal background may be useful to understanding how crime rates are cal-

culated. The Uniform Crime Repor�ng (UCR) Program has been the stand-

ard for crime sta�s�cs in the United States for more than 85 years. The pro-

gram was conceived in 1929 by the Interna�onal Associa�on of Chiefs of

Police to meet the need for reliable uniform crime sta�s�cs for the na�on.

In 1930, the FBI was tasked with collec�ng, publishing, and archiving those

sta�s�cs. The UCR Program collects sta�s�cs on violent crime and property

crime. As required by law, the Sunset Valley Police Department (SVPD) pro-

vides these sta�s�cs annually for publica�on.

Many en��es—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an

interest in crime in our Na�on—use numbers from the UCR Program to

compile rankings of ci�es and coun�es. These rankings, provide li.le insight

into the many variables that mold the crime in a par�cular city. Consequent-

ly, these rankings lead to simplis�c and/or incomplete analysis. Sunset Val-

ley has a residen�al popula�on under 700, but may have a day �me popula-

�on of visitors and/or commuters as high as 15,000. The “constant” used for

measuring UCR is the residen�al popula�on. As you can quickly determine,

this drama�cally skews an individual sta�s�c when looking at criminal

offenses created from a significantly larger visitor popula�on. Sunset Valley

is not alone in these instances, as some ci�es thrive in certain seasons ver-

sus others: beach towns, university towns, and ski resort communi�es see

this spike as well. Each month we provide the “police blo.er” in the news-

le.er and for residents that follow this informa�on, you will see that we

have very few crimes in residen�al areas. TheA, most commonly shopliAing,

is the significant criminal ac�vity in the commercial area resul�ng in the in-

flated UCR sta�s�cs. Because of our size and the fact that our merchants

know that they will get a quick response, we may have a much higher re-

ported incidence of shopliAing, but we do our best to provide a safe envi-

ronment for everyone in Sunset Valley, whether they are a resident, a pa-

tron of the commercial area, or a visitor to an event at Burger Center or Bro-

die Homestead.

As always, anyone wishing to speak with me on the topics in the Chief’s Corner or any public safety related ma.er, feel free

to contact me at sford@sunsetvalley.org or contact the police department at 512-892-1384 to schedule an appoint-

ment. Have a great Christmas holiday!

November 2016 Police Blotter

Abandoned Vehicle 1

Accidents 16

Alarms 20

Animal Related 1

Assist Others 40

Burglary Non Residence 1

Burglary Residence 1

Community Policing 495

Criminal Mischief 2

Criminal Trespass 2

Disturbance/Other 3

DWI/PI/Drugs 4

DWLI 6

Emotional Disturbed Person 1

Family Disturbance 1

Fraud 2

Found Property 2

Nature Unknown 5

Open Door/Window 2

Reckless/Aggressive Driving 7

Suspicious/Check Welfare 20

Thefts 11

Traffic Related 128

Violation of City Ord./Parking 11

Warrant Arrest 2

Criminal Investigation Unit (CID) Action

New Cases 11

Active Cases 68

Closed Case 14

P A G E 5 T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

T H E V A L L E Y N E W S L E T T E R

Monday, January 2nd City Offices Closed New Year’s Day

Wednesday, January 4th, 6:00 P.M. Community and Economic Development Conference Room

Thursday, January 5th, 6:00 P.M. Planning and Environmental Conference Room

Tuesday, January 10th, 6:00 P.M. City Council Mee�ng City Hall

Wednesday, January 11th, 7:00 P.M. Board of Adjustment City Hall

Monday, January 16th City Offices Closed MLK Day

Thursday, January 19th, 6:00 P.M. Arts Commission Conference Room

Thursday, January 19th, 7:00 P.M. Public Works Commi.ee City Hall

Tuesday, January 24th, 6:00 P.M. City Council Mee�ng City Hall

Wednesday, January 25th, 7:00 P.M. Zoning Commission City Hall

Thursday, January 26th, 7:00 P.M. Budget, Finance and Administra�ve City Hall

Coming Soon to Sunset Valley MICHAELS

Michaels is reloca�ng in Sunset Valley; moving from the Village Shopping Center (5601 Brodie) across the street to MarkeVair

Shopping Center (5400 Brodie) into the space vacated by Office Max last year. The City has no informa�on on what will go into

the Michaels space once they relocate.

BOUGIE’S DONUTS

Bougie’s Donuts, a locally owned business, will be opening soon in the MarkeVair Shopping Cen-

ter next to David’s Bridal. According to their Facebook page: Our donuts are bougie, meaning, they

are fancy but are really just the crea�ve sum of simple ingredients. We take our donut crea�ons seri-

ously, ourselves on the other hand... There is no room for snobbery at Bougie's. We welcome all levels

of donut and coffee connoisseur and hope to see you soon!!

MAD GREENS

Mad Greens, a conceptual fusion of fast casual and farm to market, will be located in the

Village Shopping Center next to Zoes Kitchen. This restaurant was founded in Colorado, in

2004, with the commitment to offering fresh, fast and healthy choices. The Sunset Valley

loca�on is one of six planned or recently opened in Central Texas. At Mad Greens you will

be able to choose from salads, wraps, paninis and a variety of fresh juices all made to order.

COOKIE CUTTERS HAIRCUTS FOR KIDS

Construc�on is underway and Cookie Cu.ers will be open in the MarkeVair Shopping Center next

to Subway. This business is a locally owned franchise that recognizes that not all children like to get

their haircut. The goal at Cookie Cu.ers is to provide a caring environment that puts both the child

and the parent at ease. Grand Opening is planned February 11th.

NEW FACILITIES LANDSCAPING MEETING Tuesday, January 17th 6:30 p.m.

Residents are invited to City Hall to participate in a planning meeting for the landscaping associated with the City

Facilities project. This is the 2nd planned meeting to discuss ideas and concepts for the project. If you were not able

to come to the first meeting, that is perfectly fine, this meeting will catch you up and give you an opportunity to share

your thoughts. Staff, along with professional landscape designers, will be in attendance. For more information,

please contact Carolyn Meredith at cmeredith@sunsetvalley.org or call 512-891-9103.

City of Sunset Valley Newsletter 3205 Jones Road Sunset Valley, TX 78745

Board of Adjustment Committee Members Randall Rosengarten, Chair Alternates Susan Durso, Vice Chair Wade Buckner Robert Browning Thomas Cedel Jennifer Fadal Sandy Cox

Richard Hayes John Moore

Marshall McHone

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Budget, Finance & Administrative Committee Members Rudi Rosengarten, Council Representative

John Bellanca

J.R. Esquivel Donny Hurwitz

Michael Francis Ketan Kharod

Melissa Gonzales Wanda Reetz

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Community & Economic Development Committee Members Mickie Powers, Council Representative Anezeka Carmona

Penny Cedel

Karen Flournoy Ruth Pifer Sandi Williams ************************************

Zoning Commission Committee Members Brant Boozer John Frick

Miguel Huerta

Robert Reetz

Robert Skewis Cynthia Nelson—alternate Philip Ellett—alternate

Rose Cardona, Mayor rcardona@sunsetvalley.org

Marc Bruner, Mayor Pro tem mbruner@sunsetvalley.org

Ketan Khrod, Council Member kkhrod@sunsetvalley.org

Walter Jenkins, Council Member wjenkins@sunsetvalley.org

Mickie Powers, Council Member mpowers@sunsetvalley.org

Rudi Rosengarten, Council Member rrosengarten@sunsetvalley.org ************************************

Arts Commission Committee Members Walter Jenkins, Council Representative John Frick

James Hart Karen Medicus Erika Montero

Cat Quintanilla Wanda Reetz

Sasha Russell Betty Dunn- alternate

Kim Moncus—Honorary—SV Elementary

Planning & Environmental Committee Members Walter Jenkins, Council Representative

Forrest Arnold

Helen Besse

Terry Cowan

Edward Grimes Lucy Hairston

Karen Medicus Patricia Murphy

Zoe Treiff Myrna Zapata

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Public Safety Committee Members Ketan Kharod, Council Representative

Jeff Burdett Rob Case

Ruth Dawson

Erwin Haddon

Rema Hariharan

Carla Jenkins Art Williams ***********************************

Public Works Committee Members Mark Bruner, Council Representative

John Bellanca

Mary Black

Alfonso Carmona

Melissa Gonzales Charles Goyette

Randy Machemehl Ken Schroeder Richard Leigh —alternate