Double Oak - Friday Updates (08/04/2023)

Double Oak Town Council Meeting Monday, August 7^th at the Town Hall – Hawaiian Shirt Night

Please join us Monday evening at the town council meeting for Hawaiian Shirt Night.  You are invited to show up in your best or worst Hawaiian summer shirts.  This should be fun to see the varied colors and styles of shirts, and it will provide an excellent backdrop for our council meeting.

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Mahalo

School Starts on Wednesday, August 9^th, 2023.  Drivers, Please Be Aware!

Please remember to drive safely and obey our Double Oak speed limits within the school zones.  Our Double Oak Police Department will be present to encourage drivers to operate within these speed limits. 

The streets with school zones are Cross Timbers – Ridgebriar to Waketon, East of Meadow Knoll on Waketon to the Waketon/Kings Road intersection, Waketon/Kings Road intersection to the south of DOVFD, and a short strip of Valley View Trail.

Our crossing guard will be located at the corner of Cross Timbers and Waketon/Kings Road.

Be safe, and do not drive distracted.  Using your cell phones in a school zone is illegal in Texas.

Double Oak Town Council Town Treasurer Position

The town council is still taking applications.

The town needs a volunteer for the treasurer position. A brief description of duties is provided. Experience with government finances is a plus but optional. Please submit your interest, and thank you for volunteering to serve your town.

This is a Volunteer Position with the following Treasurer Responsibilities

This position reports to the Town Council, Mayor, and residents of Double Oak.  Despite the volunteer nature of this position, it is imperative that you are engaged in the financial matters of the municipality.  The responsibilities of must be divided appropriately between the volunteer and the employee.

The volunteer Treasurer will be responsible for:

• Reconciliation of the bank statements. Follow up with the secretary on any questions and corrections.
• Verified expenses are attributed to the correct budget account. Investigate and query any expenses or entries that are questionable.
• Presentation of financial reports at town council meetings
• Assist in creating spreadsheets to record contracts, subscriptions, and regular transactions. Maintain a record of the expenditures associated with which budget accounts for easy recall during the budget process.
• Be aware of tax filing dates and deadlines related to federal tax compliance and Denton County property tax compliance.
• Interact with town CPA during the budget process and in the finalization process of the budget and annual audit process.
• Serve on the town’s Investment committee and report to the town quarterly and annually.
• Coordination with the mayor, council, and departments during budget season

There is no formal process, as the town council will appoint the most qualified candidate for Treasurer.  If you are interested, please send your qualifications to Eileen.Kennedy@doubleoak.texas.gov.

2023-2024 Budget Process

This week the town received the first 2023 Tax Rate Calculation Worksheet from DCAD, Denton County Appraisal District.  This worksheet guides the Town of Double Oak when creating the following year’s budget.

The Town of Double Oak must have a 2023-2024 budget approved by the council by the third week of September, effective October 1^st.  In future council meetings, the budget discussions will begin. 

Some terms will be repeated repeatedly during these discussions, and the important ones are as follows. 

One will be the No New Revenue Rate (NNR) which enables the public to evaluate the relationship between taxes for the prior year and the current year based on a tax rate that would produce the same amount of taxes (no new taxes) if applied to the same properties that are taxed in both years. When appraisal values increase, the NNR tax rate should decrease.

Getting to the NNR will be the goal of the town council working within the budget process.  With rising costs in many areas of our budget, there is no promise that the NNR will be achieved, but there is a high level of confidence in this council that they will get to the rate or very close to it like last year’s budgeting process.

The voter-approval tax rate is the highest tax rate that a taxing unit may adopt without holding an election to seek voter approval of the rate. In most cases, the voter-approval tax rate exceeds the no-new-revenue tax rate, and towns will use it to set their next year's budget.  Double Oak Town Council will work hard not to use this rate for next year’s budget.

The rates are still being determined. However, the Town Council will do its best to provide a budget to serve the town and its citizens well. 

More updates on the budget in future Friday Updates.

DENTON COUNTY ISSUES BURN BAN – REMINDER FROM DOVFD

As the excessive heat continues through the weekend and into next week, the DOVFD just wanted to remind everyone to please stay safe; along with the heat comes Ozone pollution and unhealthy air, more reasons to take it easy indoors. 

Also, we would like to remind residents that we are in a burn ban for all of Denton County; there is an increasing threat of rapid ignition and spread of wildfires throughout the region due to persistent hot and dry conditions.

Stay safe, and don’t hesitate to call 911 if you need help; the DOVFD is here for you.

Jellybeans for Kids Donations – UPDATE & THANK YOU DOUBLE OAK CITIZENS

Another big week for the collections for Jellybeans for Kids donations.  They filled another vehicle and took it to PediPlace for distribution.

Thank you to all the citizens who contributed.  Another collection day is on August 16^th.

For more information, check out their website:

https://jellybeansfoodforkids.com

Reminders:

Cross Timbers Water Regarding Stage 2 Water Restrictions

CTWS is in Stage 2-Yellow.

STAGE 2: YELLOW       ODD/EVEN DAYS

1. Odd/Even Outside Watering by Last Digit of Address
   1. Odd-numbered last digits of the address will water on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
   2. Even numbered last digits of the address will water on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
2. Permitted Activities
   1. Trees, gardens, and shrubs can be watered daily if a hand-held hose, drip irrigation, or soaker hose is used.
   2. Filling of new pools must be scheduled, and three (3) days’ written notice must be given to Cross Timbers Water Supply Corporation’s office date.  A time will be determined and assigned.
   3. Lawns that have just been seeded, sodded, or mulched can be mechanically watered daily for a maximum of two (2) weeks after application
   4. Avoid watering during the following hours 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

https://www.crosstimberswater.com

Save these 2024 dates for the 50th Birthday celebration of Double Oak!

• May 4, 2024, Auto Show and Movie Night
• May 18, 2024, 50th Birthday celebration with historical museum displays, birthday cake, food trucks, band, dancing, photo booths, contests, a ceremony to honor prior town officials, and many more fun events!

Do you have photos or memorabilia from the past 50 years that you can share with our 50th birthday committee?  We plan to create a mini museum to display the progress of Double Oak over the past 50 years, so please get in touch with us to arrange to collect or scan your document/photos, etc.

Learn more about these details via the link on the town website  Town's 50th Birthday Committee | Double Oak, TX (texas.gov)

Double Oak Hazardous Waste Day Saturday, September 16^th, 2023

Double Oak town administration has confirmed the date with Republic Services for our Hazardous Waste Day.  It will be Saturday, September 16^th.  We will provide times and details as the date gets closer.  We will move this item to the reminders section in future Friday Updates.

Please mark your calendars.

We wish everyone a safe and wonderful weekend.
Double Oak Town Administration