The City Council, at its November 13th meeting, approved the revised residential acreage assessment reduction guidelines.  The guidelines would provide an assessment reduction for properties that meet the qualifications
of a residential acreage. To qualify, a residential acreage would need to abut the roadway being assessed, have at least 150 feet of frontage on the roadway, be at least 1.25 acres in size, and have one single family residence on the property in which the owner lives.

The basic definition of an acreage did not change in this revision. Further, parcels claiming agricultural deferral
would continue to be disqualified from the Revised Residential Acreage Assessment Reduction Guidelines.  The two main modifications are a 50% reduction in assessment compared to 25.25% in the previous guidelines. The second modification is that if the property were to develop within a ten year period after the final assessment, the repayment would be prorated with yearly compounded interest being charged on the repayment amount.

The City Clerk has announced that The City of Urbandale's general election is scheduled for November 5, 2013.  The Mayor and two Council Member seats will be elected in 2013.  Candidates wishing to run for elected office may file papers from August 12, 2013 to August 29, 2013.  Election information and candidate forms are available at the City Clerk's office, 3600 86th Street, (515) 278-3900 or online at http://sos.iowa.gov/elections/candidates/.  Questions on how to file papers or election information in general can be directed to Deb Mains, City Clerk, at (515) 278-3900.

The City of Urbandale will begin patching Douglas Avenue between 64th Street and 86th Street starting on Tuesday June 11, 2013.  The work will start by 86th Street and continue to the east.  One lane in each direction will be maintained on Douglas Avenue during construction. The work is anticipated to be completed by late July.  For more information contact David McKay, PE, at dmckay@urbandale.org or at (515)
278-3950.

Urbandale Parks & Recreation is excited to announce that the online registration system will be changing for the 2013 Fall Programs.  Fall programs will come out on Tuesday, August 13.  We will not be transferring any data from our current system to the new system.  If you need any copies of receipts, please log on to reprint your receipts or contact our office at 278-3963 by July 31, 2013.
 

The Urbandale Community School District will be working on improvements at the Jeff Harm Park playground starting June 12th, and it is anticipated to be completed within 6 weeks.

The City Council, at its June 11th meeting, approved supporting Polk County's designation as a StormReady Community by the National Weather Service.  Since 2001, Polk County has been designated as a StormReady community.  As part of that effort, cities within Polk County are asked to support the effort to have a county-wide designation as opposed to having each community pursue the designation.

The designation is granted by the National Weather Service. The essence of the StormReady program is to promote the reception and dissemination of severe weather information and effort to mitigate the effects of severe weather through preparedness efforts. There are six guidelines that the County must meet to receive the StormReady designation: 

1. Maintain a 24-hour Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to receive NWS information.  
2. Maintain a 24-hour EOC capable of receiving multiple communication methods of NWS warnings.  
3. Maintain a 24-hour EOC capable of gathering ancillary weather information, such as Internet radar, river gauging stations, etc.  
4. Maintain several means of ensuring timely warning dissemination to citizens, which includes weather radios at County, City, and School facilities, outdoor warning sirens, etc.  
5. Through the Emergency Management Commission, conduct or facilitate safety talks for schools, hospitals, nursing homes and industries; publicize use of NOAA Weather Radios; send EOC staff to free NWS storm spotter training at least every other year; host a spotter training session every year.  
6. Maintain a formal hazardous weather operations plan, assure biennial visits by Emergency Coordinator to NWS, and assure annual visits by NWS official to Community.

Polk County meets these requirements and these actions are supportive or the City of Urbandale's preparedness efforts.  Urbandale's support of this designation requires only that we have an operational “all-hazards” Weather Radio located at City Hall and that we pledge to support and publicize any local preparedness presentation, such as weather safety talk and storm spotter training sessions.

The Urbandale Public Art Committee is seeking volunteers to serve on the Committee.  The Urbandale Public Art Committee was created in 2008 to enhance the appearance of the City of Urbandale through the integration of art in the public environment.  Recent Committee accomplishments include the Public Art Gallery at the Urbandale Public Library and the soon to be completed Urbandale Art Park at the City Hall Campus. 

You can help shape future public art projects in Urbandale by serving on the Public Art Committee.  To apply please complete the online form and questions about the Committee can be answered by Jan Herke, Parks & Recreation Director, by email or by calling (515) 278-3963.

The City of Urbandale will be placing asphalt on 142nd Street from Meredith Drive to ¾ of a mile north of Meredith Drive starting on Monday June 17, 2013. 142nd Street will be closed from Meredith Drive to Waterford Road for this work. The work is anticipated to be completed and 142nd Street open to traffic by June 22, 2013.  For more information contact the Department of Engineering and Public Works at (515) 278-3950.

The Urbandale Public Library is the community center for learning, entertainment, meeting friends, and making new acquaintances. We want to make a great library even better! Please complete our brief survey by June 30th and you will be eligible to win a $25 gift card. Call 278-3945 if you have questions. Thank you!

By the Iowa-Illinois Safety Council and the City of Urbandale - July is the peak month for grill fires and on average over 16,600 people go to emergency rooms because of grill injuries.  We hope your summer grilling is injury free and offer these tips.

Charcoal grill tips:

• Only use outdoors and keep away from your home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging tree branches.
• Use only charcoal starter fluid and never use any other flammable liquid to start the fire.
• When you finish grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container.

Propane grill tips:

• Only use outdoors and keep away from your home, deck railings and out from under eaves and overhanging tree branches.
• Check the gas tank hose for leaks the first time you use the grill each year.  This can be done by applying a light soap and water solution to the hose.  A leak will release bubbles. 
• If you smells gas while cooking, immediately get away from the grill and call dial 911.
• It is recommended that you turn off of main propane tank valve when finished grilling to prevent leaks from worn out hose.

Mayor Andeweg presents the State of the City - 2013 address.  The City of Urbandale has gained 1,557 persons since the 2010 Census, as estimated by the 2012 Census Estimates.  Urbandale has plenty of business and residential development land free and the City is projecting a population of almost 69,000 persons by 2050. 

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2013-2014 Budget strengthens the City's services while reducing the City's tax levy by 5 cents.  The budget focuses on strong efficient City services and includes an  emphasis on technology upgrades for GIS data sharing, increased economic development programs and maintaining strong streets, trails and sewers.  Total expenses for FY2013-14 are projected at $50.29 Million.  The combined City tax levy is $9.57 per $1,000 valuation.  The City is in a strong position to review and handle the recent State Legislative actions that adjust property tax rates and creates new property tax categories.  The City continues to collaborate on over a dozen intergovernmental cooperation initiatives, which provide shared services, increase resources and efficient cost sharing with our metro partners. 

As highlighted in the State of the City, the Mayor and Council are committed to a strong economic development program.  This new program will foster existing business relationships to engage the business community, build strategic partnerships and raise the profile of Urbandale in the metro and Midwest region. 

A strong infrastructure is critical to keep Urbandale a thriving community.  The City's Capital Improvements Program (CIP) provides over $12.2 million in street project investments, $408,000 in park projects, $350,000 in sewer projects, and $477,000 in Water Utility projects.  The City continues to fortify its Public Art Campaign with the new Urbandale Art Park at the City Complex (3600 86th Street) and the installation of 5 sculptures since 2010 across the community. 

The City is will mark its Centennial in 2017 and preparations for this banner year have already begun.  The Mayor and Council welcome all volunteers to help in the coming years to make Urbandale's Centennial an event for the century.