Posted 10:45 pm Thursday, July 26, 2012
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Council OKs Public Input On Half Cent Program
The Tyler City Council agreed Wednesday to accept public input on its 2012-2013 Half Cent Work Program, which prioritizes projects that are funded annually by Half Cent Sales Tax revenue.
Cumberland Road tops the list of 222 projects, which includes primarily roads, utilities, drainage and parks, records show.
A 60-day review period allows the public to examine the proposed project list and share their opinions on them, officials said.
The proposed $23 million extension from Old Jacksonville Highway to Broadway Avenue is to include a four lane divided roadway with landscaped raised medians, a bridge over West Mud Creek and a trail system connecting it to the area near Grande Boulevard.
“This project will serve as an east‐west connection for the southwest portion of Tyler,” Half Cent Board Chairperson Ralph Caraway said in a prepared statement. “This will give citizens better access to schools, retail, parks and new development. It will also improve emergency response times and help ease traffic congestion.”
The city has initiated preliminary design work, surveying and right of way acquisition, External Relations Director Susan Guthrie said, noting it may be June 2014 before dirt work begins.
City staff helps rank projects on the Half Cent Program to ensure that every project funded meets the objectives outlined in the Tyler 21 comprehensive plan, a guide for orderly development.
Ranking criterion includes a variety of factors such as transportation, circulation, public safety, infrastructure, revitalization, growth and quality of life.
Tyler’s Half Cent Sales Tax provides about $15 million per year in funding for capital projects.
Proposed projects are reviewed annually to ensure the listing reflects the changing needs of the community, and new projects are added as needed.
“Because of our objective ranking process, each year the plan ensures that we consider all parts and needs of the city,” Caraway said. “I think that we have a system in place that is flexible, transparent and easy to understand for the citizens and the Half Cent Board.”
Cumberland Road tops the list of 222 projects, which includes primarily roads, utilities, drainage and parks, records show.
A 60-day review period allows the public to examine the proposed project list and share their opinions on them, officials said.
The proposed $23 million extension from Old Jacksonville Highway to Broadway Avenue is to include a four lane divided roadway with landscaped raised medians, a bridge over West Mud Creek and a trail system connecting it to the area near Grande Boulevard.
“This project will serve as an east‐west connection for the southwest portion of Tyler,” Half Cent Board Chairperson Ralph Caraway said in a prepared statement. “This will give citizens better access to schools, retail, parks and new development. It will also improve emergency response times and help ease traffic congestion.”
The city has initiated preliminary design work, surveying and right of way acquisition, External Relations Director Susan Guthrie said, noting it may be June 2014 before dirt work begins.
City staff helps rank projects on the Half Cent Program to ensure that every project funded meets the objectives outlined in the Tyler 21 comprehensive plan, a guide for orderly development.
Ranking criterion includes a variety of factors such as transportation, circulation, public safety, infrastructure, revitalization, growth and quality of life.
Tyler’s Half Cent Sales Tax provides about $15 million per year in funding for capital projects.
Proposed projects are reviewed annually to ensure the listing reflects the changing needs of the community, and new projects are added as needed.
“Because of our objective ranking process, each year the plan ensures that we consider all parts and needs of the city,” Caraway said. “I think that we have a system in place that is flexible, transparent and easy to understand for the citizens and the Half Cent Board.”
