Here is a recap of what was featured in the Wednesday, Aug. 21, e-edition of the Taylor Press. The e-edition is emailed to subscribers and available at www.taylorpress.net.
— Compiled by Kelly Tran
TAYLOR HIGH, MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCK DOWN PUPILS’ PHONES
Taylor High School will start locking up students’ phones in secure pouches this academic year to avoid distractions in the classroom, Principal Matt Wamble told trustees Monday.
This follows last year’s implementation of the pouches at Taylor Middle School, a practice that will be enforced again this year.
The pouches are made with durable military-grade material and use RFI/EMI shielding to block signals to and from the device inside. They are locked with a retractable pin that is unlocked with a specialized magnet, similar to magnetic security tags on clothes.
Students will be issued pouches to lock their phones in as they arrive using magnet stations around campus. The pouches are unlocked at the stations before students leave campus at the end of the day.
Parents’ main concerns are how to stay in touch with their children, educators said.
Principals recommend calling the school’s front office and then someone can go notify the pupil when needed. In cases of emergencies, middle school Principal Steven Vigil said parents can send a message to their student’s school email for the learner to receive on personal school devices, but he also discouraged the practice.
Other than these logistical questions, the principals reported no pushback from parents.
HEARINGS ON TAYLOR BUDGET THURSDAY
The City Council Aug. 22 will conduct a series of public hearings on the proposed fiscal year budget, including how much tax property owners may have to pay next year.
The first hearing, agenda item number 5, concerns the annual budget. Immediately afterward, item number 6 introduces the ordinance to adopt the budget. The city will also hold a public hearing establishing the upper limit of the property-tax rate and introduce an ordinance to adopt it as well.
It is anticipated after the public hearings the council will postpone the votes on adopting the Fiscal Year 2025 budget and tax rate until the Sept. 12 City Council meeting, according to city documents.
Taylor’s total combined budget proposed for FY 2025 shows expected revenues of $67,560,022 and expenditures of $66,752,018.
The budget is based on the voter approval rate of 59.1368 cents per $100 of appraised property value. That is the highest rate increase the city can vote for without voter acceptance.
The no-new-revenue tax rate, which would result in most properties paying the same amount in 2025 as 2024, would be 55.5974 cents, officials said.
Taylor’s proposed rate would raise $896,140 more in revenue than the no-newrevenue rate.
If passed, the proposed rate would also raise more total property taxes than last year’s budget by $2.9 million, a 19.5 percent increase.
The majority of that would be raised from new development added to the tax rolls this year, according to the city.
‘CUE THE GOOD TIMES
The scent of burning wood and smoking meat wafted over the city this past weekend as 75 teams fired up the pits for Taylor’s 45th International Barbecue Cookoff at Murphy Park.
Competitors set up the afternoon of Aug. 16 to smoke their entries low and slow through the night and be ready for judging the next morning.
Taylor’s barbecue competition has always been a social affair, according to Ronnie Michna, and this year was no different. Some teams had as many as 20 people gathered around the pits in the evening, with some manning the smoker and others setting up tables of refreshments.
While the adults socialized and readied their smoking rigs, the children ran around enjoying the park. Taylor’s Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the cook-off this year; in the evening there were inflatables for the kids to play on and a movie scheduled after dark.
In addition to the barbecue contest, the cook-off featured a grilled-cheese contest for children and a margarita contest.
Tim Mikeska, chairman of the organization, said people new to the area find it confusing the event does not offer tasting of the finished products. He said it has to do with Health Department rules for food safety.
Officials said prize money awarded to the cooks totaled $7,790.
HUTTO BREAKS GROUND ON HIGHTECH WASTEWATER PLANT
HUTTO — Officials Aug. 20 celebrated the groundbreaking for a high-tech wastewater treatment facility that has been more than a year in the design and approval stages, officials said.
The city broke ground on Hutto’s $180 million South Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion, a project that will increase the existing site’s capacity from 2.6 million gallons per day to 6 million gallons per day.
The project will do more than just expand the city’s existing wastewater treatment capacity. It has been engineered to give the water a higher level of reuse.
A statement from the city said the expansion’s advanced technology will allow Hutto to treat wastewater to Type 1 reuse standards.
Type 1 reuse may be used for irrigation or fire protection, which will reduce Hutto’s potable drinking water demand.
Mayor Pro Tem Peter Gordon said the upgraded reuse level could allow the city to recoup some expenses, as the Type 1 water can be sold to construction crews or industrial users. He also said the increased capacity can help the city negotiate with developers to avoid the need for neighborhood wastewater treatment facilities or private “package plants.”
The city is working with engineering firm Garver USA and Archer Western Contractors to build the facility at 10710 FM 1660. Construction is expected to finish by Dec. 31, 2026.
The project is expected to employ 150 to 200 people at the peak of construction. Officials said that while this was the biggest project the crew has worked on in this region to date, they have constructed much larger projects in other areas.
Patricia Davis, capital improvement plan manager, said the event marked a milestone in the city’s history.
