By Sarah Stevick
Mayor, Bulverde

On April 3, the Bulverde Landowners Association will hold a special meeting with representatives from Bexar Met regarding proposed water rate increases as well as other issues that affect Bexar Met customers. The meeting will be held at the Chamber of Commerce building on Cougar Bend and start at 7 p.m. I encourage all residents serviced by Bexar Met to attend this meeting.

City staff received word this week that FEMA will be adopting the new floodplain maps for our area in September. We do not have an exact date just yet, but we will receive an official notice with that information a few weeks prior to the new boundaries going into effect. These changes will result in more land being in the flood plain in some parts of the city which will affect resident properties. Staff is currently drafting a “floodplain ordinance” for presentation to council within the next few weeks. The proposed ordinance will be designed to bring us up to date with the current FEMA regulations and allow the city to fully participate in the FIRM program, which hopefully will result in lower insurance rates for city property owners.

I am pleased to report that the audit of the 2006-2007 city budget has been completed resulting in the city having a surplus for the year even with a lower tax rate than in previous years. The 2007-2008 tax rate decreased again, but the budget is on track with expenditures and revenues. The good news for residents is that the tax rate should remain the same, or decrease for the 2008-2009 city budget.

Last week I worked with Tori Schwarzlose, a senior at Smithson Valley High School, on a project for her AP government class. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and hope that more students will become involved in their local government.