State of the City Address
Mayor Todd Ruge gave his annual State of the City Address during the Buda Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon. We’ve included a summary and video of his address below.
State of the City Address Video - June 14, 2017
- City of Buda Staff Overview
The City of Buda currently has 91-full time employees, 3 part-time employees, and 2 Economic Development Corporation employees. Staff continues to grow each year, with new positions added to address the City’s needs.
A number of new positions have been added in the current and previous fiscal year:
Project Manager
Building Official
Mental Health Peace Officer
Main Street Manager
GIS Analyst
Licensed Fleet Mechanic
Purchasing/Inventory Control Manager
Heavy Equipment Operator
Utility Mechanic
(2) Parks Maintenance Worker
Police Officer
Police Records Clerk
- City of Buda Statistics
Buda remains the fastest growing city in Texas with a population over 10,000. In the 2010 census there were 7,295 people counted in Buda. By July 2016 that number had doubled to 15,023.
Median Age – 33
Median Household Size – 2.95
Average Household Income - $96,464
366+ Acres of Parks
- Commercial/Residential Projects
Buda Mill & Grain: The newly re-developed space offers more than 30,000 square feet of retail/restaurant/office space. Current tenants include: Sweet Cakes 4 U, Salon One 12, Willow Gardens Hot Yoga, Stella’s Women’s Fashion Consignment Boutique, Nate’s Coffee & Cocktails at Buda Mill & Grain, and Buda Bike Co.
Deep Eddy Vodka Expansion: Deep Eddy has expanded into Buda. They are opening a new distillery at 150 Precision Drive. The building is 194,000 square feet. The Buda Economic Development Corp. is providing $400,000 in cash incentives to the project. That includes $265,000 to assist with building upgrades and improvements, $110,000 for construction of a water line that will serve the project and adjacent properties and a $25,000 cash incentive if the company opens a tasting room facility in the city of Buda.
Other Recent Commercial Developments
Two Wheel Brewing
Business Park Drive (south)
Fairfield Inn and Suites
Multi-family at Silverado Crossing
Residential Permit volumes (the slide shows a graph from 2010 to 2016)
Residential permit volumes leveled out in 2015 and 2016. In 2016, the city permitted over 354 single-family homes as well as 48 additional multi-family units.
Business Side Permitting
Between October 1, 2016 and April 1, 2017 24 Certificates of Occupancy were issued. These consisted of new or expanded businesses.
32 Commercial New Building Permits issued or in process between October 1, 2016 and April 1, 2017
16 Commercial Remodel Building Permits issued or in process between October 1, 2016 and April 1, 2017
- Downtown Action
Our historic downtown is flourishing! We have seen multiple new businesses that have opened or will soon open, including the Cigar Vault, Thatcher, and Main Street Pizzeria.
Texas Main Street City
Buda was designated a Texas Main Street City by the Texas Historical Commission on January 1, 2017. The Texas Main Street Program is a revitalization program for historic downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. Our designation into this program means that we now have access to some very valuable resources through the State of Texas. This includes everything from small business assistance, to access to grants, downtown planning, project design assistance and more.
In April 18, 2017 Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott officially welcomed the City of Buda into the program during a dedication ceremony.
The City hired its first Main Street Manager, Maggie Gillespie.
- Finance (Total revenues and expenses for FY 2015-16)
Revenues
Revenue received by the city are brought in through utilities, hotel tax, property tax, sales tax, franchise tax, fines, and fees. The total revenues received in FY 2015-16 totaled $23,563,444, excluding Capital Improvement Projects. Actual revenues exceeded budgeted revenues by $485,564.
Expenses
The total expenses for FY 2015-16 were $21,150,820. Expenses were $2,263,733 under budget, excluding Capital Improvement Projects.
The city receiving a ‘clean audit’ for a second consecutive year.
Having a clean, or unmodified audit means the City’s financial records have been determined by the independent auditor to be free of any misrepresentations.
Below are some highlights of the FY 2015-16 annual audit:
The City of Buda’s net position increased by $1.7 million from FY 2014-15 to FY 2015-16. This increase demonstratives the ability of the City’s revenues to keep pace with annual expenses. The net position increased from $82.2 million in FY 2014-15 to $83.9 million in FY 2015-16. This change in net position is a positive change for the City, as reflected in the City’s audited financial statements.
At the close of FY 2014-15, the City had $3.8 million in non-designated fund balances compared to $4.1 million this year.
- Public Works
With the city booming, our Public Works crew is always busy.
Box Culvert Installation: Performing this work with City Crews resulted in significant savings for the city taxpayer.
Drainage Channel in Elm Grove Subdivision: Public Works crews reworked and installed channel armor in a portion of the drainage channel that runs through the Elm Grove subdivision that has been eroding.
Interstate Drive: During the October 2015 flood event Interstate Drive was washed out. Public Works completed the rebuilding of Interstate Drive. New Culvert pipe was installed, along with new asphalt paving, and new concrete rip-rap to mitigate from future washouts during flood events.
Interim Water Line Project: A 12 inch water main was installed by Public Works staff. The water line is approximately 2,500 feet long, and will help serve the western parts of the city with additional water flows.
Ongoing and Completed Projects
City Projects
Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
Interim Water Improvements
Well No. 5
Municipal Site Drainage Culverts
County Projects
FM 1626 Improvements South of FM 967
Buda Truck Bypass
South FM 967/South Loop 4 Improvements
FM 2001 Realignment
- Parks and Recreation
There are a number of improvements that have been made to our city parks, thanks to our parks and recreation employees.
Dog Park at Buda Sportsplex: The Grand Opening for the Dog Park at Buda Sportsplex was on Aug. 13, 2016. Below are some amenities you might want to mention.
Large Dog Area – A-Frame, Dog Walk Ramp, Hound Hoops, Adjustable Tire Ramp, Tri-level Jump, and Bow Wow Barrel
Small Dog Area – Wait Table, Teeter Totter, Agility Walk, Hound Hurdles, Adjustable Jump Bars, and Bow Wow Barrel.
Other Amenities – 8 trees (2-3” diameter), Shade Canopy (2), Pet and Person Drinking Fountain (2), Pet Waste Stations, and Bench with Back (2)
Other Projects
Installation of 4 Shade Structures, BBQ Pits, 2 Kiosks, and 3 Water Fountains at Various Parks
Replacement of Playground Equipment at Bonita Vista Park
Improvements to Jackson Tyler Norris Memorial Skate Park
Pavilion Lighting Improvements at Garlic Creek, Whispering Hollow and Green Meadow
Resurface of Multi-Purpose Courts at Bonita Vista and Stoneridge
The Buda Parks System is continuing to add new parkland. Our two newest parks, John D. and Byrd Mims Garison Memorial Park, located on Garison Road, and White Oak Park, located on RM 967, added an additional seventy-eight acres to the land inventory.
The City of Buda has eighteen parks and public areas consisting of 355 acres.
Scenic City Certification
The City of Buda once again earned the prominent “Scenic City Certification” in 2016. Buda was originally certified in 2011. Buda’s certification was based on its billboard restrictions, building design standards, parkland requirements, and landscaping.
- Buda Public Library
Highlights from FY 2015-16
Over 102,000 items were checked out
Presented 350 programs to almost 10,000 children, teens and adults
Expanded youth programming to include weekly programs for 3rd – 5th graders and monthly programs for kindergarten – 2nd graders and 6th – 8th graders.
Pop up Makerspace: The Buda Public Library was awarded a grant for a Pop up Makerspace. This has been extremely popular. When it’s not at the library, our library staff takes the makerspace to area schools for students to use. It has provided a hands-on educational experience for over 1,000 students.
Family Place Library: The Buda Public Library became a Family Place Library in training. The program focuses on expanding children’s services, while providing resources to parents on how to nurture their child’s development.
- Public Safety
In Fiscal Year 2015-16, the Buda Police Department had 11,947 calls for service. They had 317 arrests.
Accomplishments
Integrated new Record Management System
Received Mental Officer Grant at full Funding
Hired three new police officers
Started Using a New Digital Fingerprinting System
Buda PD is very involved in the community. Below is a list and description of some of their main community outreach efforts.
Blue Santa: Blue Santa is the Buda Police Department’s Holiday Season pride and joy. Each year the local elementary school counselors identify a handful of families who have experienced some type of hardship and nominate the children for Blue Santa to “Shop with a Cop.”
National Night Out: National Night Out is an annual event which focuses on strengthening the police-community relationship and increased safety within our neighborhoods.
Citizens’ Academy: The Citizens’ Academy is held each fall. This gives Buda PD an opportunity to educate our citizens on the responsibilities and procedures of their department.
Capital of Texas Police Motorcycle Chute Out: Each year the Travis County Sheriff’s Department hosts the Annual Capital of Texas Police Motorcycle Chute Out in Buda in the Cabela’s Parking Lot. The Motorcycle Chute Out is an event where Motor Cops compete to maneuver a coned-course with tight turns that test their speed and accuracy. The City of Buda Tourism Department and the Buda Police Department typically sponsor a bar-b-que dinner with live music and raffle prizes. All proceeds from the event benefit the Center for Child Protection and the Sunshine Kids Foundation.
- Tourism
The total revenue from Fiscal Year 2015-16 was $637,656.82. The total hot grants awarded were $21,500. Hot grants help fund the following events: Wiener Dog Races, Fajita Fiesta, etc.
Accomplishments
Completed Wayfinding Signage Phase I & II
Activated the Buda Connect App: the mobile app is a platform that the City of Buda uses to increase communication between Buda residents and city staff by allowing resident engagement through service request submissions within the city limits and message submissions.
Launched the Tourism Mobile Website and also redesigned their website: The previous site had been up for more than five years. The new site features larger images and focuses on natural and historic attractions, such as our parks and downtown area.
Launched Wedding Website: Tourism recently launched a new website to directly promote the wedding industry in Buda.
Redesigned the city’s website
- Public Information
Fiscal Year 2015-16 was the first year the City had a Public Information Officer. This has significantly helped our community outreach efforts. It has also streamlined how we respond to media requests.
The Public information Officer (PIO) has a variety of job duties, but written and verbal communication is the basis for all they do. They liaise between the City and the public and are responsible for issuing press releases, answering queries from the media and arranging interviews with City executives and employees. Duties also include social media and website updates, along with video production.
In FY 2015-16 the city continued to boost its social media presence. We now have close to 5,000 Facebook followers, over 1,500 Twitter followers, and close to 800 Instagram followers.
Our website had 233,470 total visits (significantly higher than the previous fiscal year.)
The city now has a quarterly newsletter “The Buda Bulletin” and a weekly citizen report, “The Big Picture.”
There were approximately 92 press releases or public outreach items sent to the media or posted on our website and social media platforms.
There were approximately 165 news stories pertaining to the City of Buda covered by the news media. This includes newspapers/online publications and television news reports.
- Bond Propositions
Prop 1 (Municipal Building) – Throughout the rest of the year citizens will see the building come together. By the end of this year (2017) exterior skin of the building will be complete, roofing will be complete, and MEP installation will be complete. Work will continue into 2018 with the building being done in April or May.
Prop 2 (Public Safety) – The Public Safety Building will be completed this year! Over the next several months, roofing will be complete, the exterior skin will be complete, curb and gutter layout for the parking area has already started, etc. The building will open in late October or early November 2017!
Prop 3 – (Streets) – Prop 3 included improvements to Main St. /RM 967, Main St., Old Goforth Rd, San Antonio St., and Cabela’s Connector.
Main St. /RM 967 Intersection: Aesthetic and traffic control improvements to intersection.
Main St: Repave Main Street from Cabela’s Dr. to railroad crossing. Add sidewalks on both sides of road. Signalized intersections at Sequoyah and Bradfield.
Old Goforth Rd: Improve from FM 2001 to Green Meadows. Widen roadway. Add bike lanes, sidewalks, and underground storm water.
San Antonio St.: Tie to City Park project. Improve San Antonio/Main St. intersection.
Cabela’s Connector: Preliminary design only of a connector between Cabela’s and Goforth Rd. authorized by Council on 3/7/17.
Prop 4 –(Drainage)
Project Area 1 – Bluff Street Area, Buda Fire Station Area, West Goforth Road Area
Project Area 2 – Houston Street Area
Project Area 3 – Oxbow Neighborhood Area
Project Area 4 – Lifschutz Headwaters Area.
Prop 5 (Parks)
Park Maintenance Facility
City Park
East Side Splash Facility
Trails
