Temple Area Builders Association

City of Belton Provides Road Map
I was recently provided an outline of the City of Belton development review process.  Fred Morris, the Development Services Director for the City informed me that the document is intended to aide the local development community in understanding the time frames and processes involved in gaining construction project approval and permits within the City limits.  The document can be accessed on the presentations page of the TABA website. 

If you have any questions about the document that you'd like me to get answered, just let me know.  Always glad to help if I can.

Educating Members Remains A TABA Priority
With the demise of the Texas Residential Construction Commission, the mandate for continuing education for those in our industry has gone away for the time being.  In our area, education was never really seen as a "have to" as much as it was embraced by our association and our members as an opportunity to remain current on industry trends and increase our knowledge on relevant industry issues.

Since September, when the TRCC closed its doors, TABA has offered a seminar related to the demise of the TRCC and what the implications are for your business, this seminar can be viewed in its entirety on our website.  If you are reading this online, just click here.  We have also held a seminar on code items relative to properly weather proofing homes.  Each of these meetings was held on site at the TABA "campus" and were well attended.  Neither of the seminars was attended by less than 60 folks, a number that is similar to the attendance we saw when education was mandated by the State.

It is clear to us that the seminars that TABA can provide are viewed as beneficial to our members and we intend to put on as many seminars as we can in the future.  From issues that our members are dealing with in the field to items that we are alerted to by the Texas Association of Builders or NAHB--your TABA staff will be glad to bring speakers to Temple to advise you on ways of improving your business practices.  Please let us know if you have any items that we can address through education here at TABA.

Upcoming seminars include a refresher by Richard Therriault, Temple Construction Safety Director and TABA member Phillip Snyder related to significant changes of the 2006 IRC and IFC.  They will also discuss amendments that were made during the local adoption process to each of the codes.  This event is tentatively planned for November/December.  I'll send out invitations as soon as we have the logistics worked out. 

In early 2010, TABA will host a 3 hour class entitled “Green is Mainstream: Building Codes, Energy Efficiency, and Best Practices in Green Building.”  This is provided through TAB and is designed to educate our members on changes to Building Code and Energy Performance Standards as they relate to 2009 building codes.  The course will also provide information about national green building programs and best practices on installation of energy efficient products.

Booking of NEW exhibitors for the 2010 Home & Garden Show has opened.  If you were not in the show this year and would like to exhibit in 2010, please call the TABA office and have the show layout in hand when you do so.  The layout can be printed from the TABA website by clicking on the Home & Garden Show tab.  A booth price guide can be found there as well.

With an anticipated 5,000 visitors over the course of the weekend, our vendors consistently tout this opportunity as one of the best ways to spend marketing dollars.  The dates of the event are February 27th and 28th with the Preview Party on the 26th.  Please don't wait to secure a booth. 

We have divided the center booth up into 3 exhibit spaces and the Home & Garden Show Headquarters booth.  We are very pleased to announce that all three exhibit spaces have been rented out and the entire Exposition Building is nearly booked.  We only have 5 10x10 booth spaces left in that building.  As you can see, exhibit space is going quite swiftly this year so please don't wait if you plan to exhibit.

We will continue a focus on GREEN for 2010.  Green continues to be a huge industry buzz word and a growing market segment.  If you have a "green" product, please let us know as we will continue to denote these booths in the Expo tabloid.

If you have any questions regarding the 2010 Home & Garden Show please contact Cheryl Hunka at 254-773-0445.

As promised in last month's edition of On the Level, the skeet slideshow is now available on our website.  Simply click the banner and wait for the download.  Thanks again to all who participated, we look forward to doing it again in 2010.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION
November  3, 2009

Chairman Dean Winkler and the Home PAC Trustees would like to advise you of the items that you can expect to see on the ballot on November 3rd.  Early voting will last from October 19th through October 30th.  As always, Home PAC encourages you to vote and to consider the constitutional amendments that are on the ballot.  For those that live in the Belton Independent School District, we encourage you to support the BISD school bond.  BISD is growing and needs the facilities to be able to properly house and educate our kids. 

Proposition 1 - HJR 132

"The constitutional amendment authorizing the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to a military installation for the prevention of encroachment or for the construction of roadways, utilities, or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation."

TAB says HJR 132 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to allow a municipality or a county to issue bonds and notes to finance the purchase of buffer areas or open spaces adjacent to military installations.  The buffer areas would be used to prevent encroachment or to construct roadway utilities or other infrastructure to protect or promote the mission of the military installation.  The municipality or county may pledge increases in ad valorem tax revenues for repayment of the bonds or notes.

Proposition 2 - HJR 36-1
"The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead."  

TAB says HJR 36-1 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to provide for the taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property's value as a residence homestead, regardless of whether the property may have higher value if used for other purposes.

Proposition 3 - HJR 36-3
"The constitutional amendment providing for uniform standards and procedures for the appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes."

TAB says HJR 36-3 would amend the constitution to require the legislature to provide for the administration and enforcement of uniform standards and procedures for appraisal of property for ad valorem tax purposes.

Proposition 4 - HJR 14-2

"The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund."

Proposition 5 - HJR 36-2

"The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to authorize a single board of equalization for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated equalizations."

TAB says HJR 36-2 would amend the constitution to authorize the legislature to allow for a single appraisal review board for two or more adjoining appraisal entities that elect to provide for consolidated reviews of tax appraisals.

Proposition 6 - HJR 116

"The constitutional amendment authorizing the Veterans' Land Board to issue general obligation bonds in amounts equal to or less than amounts previously authorized."

Proposition 7 - HJR 127

"The constitutional amendment to allow an officer or enlisted member of the Texas State Guard or other state militia or military force to hold other civil offices."

Proposition 8 - HJR 7

"The constitutional amendment authorizing the state to contribute money, property, and other resources for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of veterans hospitals in this state."

Proposition 9 - HJR 102

"The constitutional amendment to protect the right of the public, individually and collectively, to access and use the public beaches bordering the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico."

Proposition 10 - HJR 85

"The constitutional amendment to provide that elected members of the governing boards of emergency services districts may serve terms not to exceed four years."

Proposition 11 - HJR 14-1

"The constitutional amendment to prohibit the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature's authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity."