Summer has ended and the first crazy few weeks of school are behind us.
Argyle South Elementary in Canyon Falls opened this year, serving a small part of Northlake along with residents in Argyle and Flower Mound.
Northwest ISD’ Lance Thompson Elementary is full and so they are building Johnie Daniel Elementary to open in a Pecan Square next year. The steel frame is up and crews are working hard to ensure it’s open for next fall.
Argyle ISD is working on the next elementary school in Northlake as well to be built in The Ridge and serve the northern part of Northlake.
Both staff and security and our local ISD, county and municipal police departments at all our schools serving this area are working hard to ensure a safe start to the year which is always the first priority.
The summer ended with a blitz of home sales and closings as everyone got settled into new homes just before the school year. New builds are slowing down year over year with the increase in interest rates and inflationary pressure on home values. The slower pace is helpful for our long term economics as we work on significant new investments in infrastructure to support the growth.
Our budget has wrapped up for this year. It follows the same principles we have followed for a couple years now. First, to sustain one of North Texas’ lowest tax rates coupled with a state capped maximum 20% homestead rate.
This year we added a $100,000 exemption for our seniors and disabled residents who are particularly impacted by the explosive rise in cost of living.
Second, because it is our responsibility to maintain the safety and security of all who live, work and pass through our community, we are adding eight new full time positions and a part time crossing guard team. These additions fully staff the town in order to sustain quality services.
Third, in order to ensure we have a stable labor force of trained and dedicated long term personnel, we have a policy of providing an annual cost of living adjustment that keeps our staff all paid at or close to mid-market for our area. This model has worked well to reward hard working staff with competitive wages but also balance that with the need to be fiscally responsible with our town resources.
Finally, with the growth in our town we are setting aside a large down payment to partner with the county and state for new roads and with Ft. Worth to secure millions of gallons of new water supplies to sustain our residents and businesses for years to come.
The county bond program for this fall is especially focused on partnering with local jurisdictions to deliver key roadways. Northlake is taking steps to ensure we take advantage of every opportunity to advance our road infrastructure and utilize every resource available to fund the roads our residents need. I-35W, 114, 377, 407, 1171, Cleveland Gibbs, Strader, Faught, Florance and many smaller county and local roads are all moving forward in key sections to improve mobility in the years ahead. Securing funding is the key step and Northlake has had some major advancements this summer through both the county bond program and the state Unified Transportation Funding processes.
May you all have a safe and pleasant journey through or to Northlake in the years ahead!
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