Meadows of Brushy Creek
Meadows of Brushy Creek
January 2010
Official Publication of Meadows of Brushy Creek HOA
Volume 3, Issue 1
Understanding Your Monthly “Water” Bill
Could Save You Money!
Did you know that only a small portion of your monthly water bill is actually for water? The remainder goes towards operating and maintaining the infrastructure, treating sewage, trash service, a regulatory compliance fee and a small part to sales tax on trash service. Sales tax on garbage? Go figure. Every household in the Meadows of Brushy Creek HOA pays a flat rate of $14.00 per month for water service. If you never turn on your water during the month, you still get billed a minimum flat rate of $20.00, $14.00 for water service and $6.00 for sewer. Why? The cost of operating and maintaining the infrastructure continues whether water is consumed or not. The actual cost of water itself is relatively low in comparison to the entire bill. Now let’s look into the wastewater costs. Sewer rates are based on an average of a household’s monthly water consumption between the months of November to February. Why is that done? Well, it is assumed that less water is used for irrigation, washing cars and filling pools during those months than in the warmer months. Since it is nearly impossible to put a meter on what you run down the drain and it would be unfair to charge sewer charges for water you use to irrigate your lawn, wastewater rates are based on consumption of water during the winter months. That is a good deal. If you plan on taking a month long vacation or even longer, consider doing so in November, December, January or February. It will have a significant impact on averaging your water consumption and thus lower your sewer rates. As previously stated, waste water billing has a base rate of $6.00 per month. Wastewater usage is billed at the rate of $2.70 per thousand gallons of water used during the months of November – February during the previous year. Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
As a convenience to both the MUD and us, billing for trash service is included in our water bills. Brushy Creek MUD contracts with Round Rock Refuse to collect our trash and recycling. Basic trash service is billed at the rate of $17.00 per month and $18.00 if you use a recycling bin. Add $1.13 sales tax on trash collection, and the bill is up to $39.13 even if we haven’t turned on the water during the billing period. The State and Federal governments recently enacted legislation that mandates continual inspection and reporting of storm water runoff. Brushy Creek was required to hire an additional employee to collect and report this data to the government. Rather than raise water rates, a regulatory compliance surcharge of $1.50 per month was added to each water bill. We’re at $40.63 and we have to add an additional 26 cents for a State assessment. No clue what that is but that takes the grand total of the water bill to $40.89 without one drop of water used. Here is the breakdown of my October water bill. My family of four, including 2 teenagers, used 5,000 gallons of water. My actual “water bill” is only about $26.00. The complete breakdown of my bill is as follows. 5000 gallons @ $2.10 per thousand gallons used. Base Charge Water Sewer (usage plus base rate of $2.70 per thousand) Garbage (1 cart, 1 recycle bin) State Assessment. .005% Garbage Sales Tax Regulatory Compliance Fee
$11.87 $14.00 $23.55 $18.00 $ 0.26 $ 1.13 $ 1.50
Grand Total
$70.41 (Continued on Page 3)
Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2010
Meadows of Brushy Creek HOA contact info HOA Board Members
Term Expires
Bob Grahl, Chairman of the Board............................09/2011
[email protected] Mel Callender, President.............................................09/2010
[email protected] Anna Huckabee, Treasurer.............................................09/2010
[email protected] Carole Leandra, Secretary..............................................09/2011
[email protected] Mike Baranowski, Director...........................................09/2010
[email protected] Gene Bennett, Director.................................................09/2011
[email protected] Larry Haig, Director.....................................................09/2011
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Mike Baranowski....................
[email protected]
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT (Deed restriction violations and general information) Debra Johnson - Goodwin Management, Inc. 11149 Research Blvd, Suite 100 Austin, Texas 78759 Office (512) 502-7043 • Cell (512) 745-1511 Fax (512) 346-4873 HOA Web Site
NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE
Classified Ads
Personal classifieds (one time sell items, such as a used bike...) run at no charge to Meadows of Brushy Creek residents, limit 30 words, please e-mail
[email protected]. Business classifieds (offering a service or product line for profit) are $50, limit 40 words, please contact Peel, Inc. Sales @ 512-263-9181 or
[email protected].
Robnett & Co. LP, CPA’s & Robnett Financial, LLC 13809 N. Hwy 183, Ste. 900 • Austin, TX 78750 512-258-8584 • www.RobnettCPA.com Work with a team that works as hard as you do for your money.
www.meadowshoa.com
Important Numbers
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*Offer valid 1/1/10-3/31/10. Ad must be presented at time of initial visit. I* Securities offered through 1st Global Capital Corp. Member FINRA / SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through 1st Global Advisors, Inc.
Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowners Association Newsletter - January 2010
Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
Meadows of Brushy Creek Understanding Your Water Bill - (Continued from Cover Page) When compared to surrounding neighborhoods like Fern Bluff, Avery Ranch and Round Rock, the total bills are similar. Round Rock, for instance has a higher water rate, $2.24 per thousand gallons and a higher wastewater rate of $3.02 per thousand gallons, but their trash collection rates are only $13.85 per month. They all seem to average out to about the same. As I look over my bill and think about water bills I received when I lived in other states, I am reminded that we live in an area of perpetual drought, occasionally interrupted by brief periods of rain. On average, central Texas’s annual rainfall is a mere 31 inches and averages 111 days with temperatures above 90 degrees and 198 days above 80 degrees and a 90% chance of sunshine on any given day. Low rainfall and a high probability of surface water evaporation make water conservation an important issue for all of us. Conserving usage will help preserve our precious resources but doing so during winter sewer averaging will keep a few more dollars in your wallet for the following year.
Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
Grant Awarded to Keep Brushy Creek
Beautiful
It was announced on November 18, 2009 that Keep Brushy Creek Beautiful was awarded a grant through Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), H-E-B and Central Market’s Green Bag Grant Recycling Program. The Grant is in the amount of $1,500 and will be used to place permanent recycling bins in greenbelt areas and parks. The District would like to thank Keep Texas Beautiful, H-E-B and Central Market for the honor of Keep Brushy Creek Beautiful being awarded this Grant in 2008 and 2009. The District would also like to thank all residents who have purchased Green Bags at Central Market and H-E-B. With each purchase of a Green Bag, 5 cents is donated to the Grant Fund by H-E-B and Central Market. The funding of this program is $50,000 statewide for Keep Texas Beautiful Affiliates such as Keep Brushy Creek Beautiful.
Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2010
Meadows of Brushy Creek Beautiful Creatures
By Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl “Don’t Judge A Book By Its Cover, No Matter “Witch” One You Choose” I came across Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl on the Amazon Editor’s Picks of the top 100 books of 2009…with what appeared to be an intriguing plot and a gorgeous book cover, I thought I couldn’t go wrong. I was wrong. This young adult book is about a small town and a teenage boy, Ethan, who is stuck in it. The town is pretty stereotypical—nothing changes, people are narrow minded and everyone knows everyone else’s business. It seems that ever since his mom’s death, Ethan’s dreams are filled with a strange girl whom he is trying to save but is unsuccessful. In comes Lena, the girl whom Ethan has been dreaming about and who is a supernatural being, along with her hermit uncle and bizarre family.
During the Civil War, a curse was cast, which will directly affect Lena on her sixteenth birthday. The countdown begins as Ethan and Lena together try to save Lena’s future. Does Ethan save Lena? I won’t divulge the end, but I will say that all of the effort is fruitless (not necessarily the outcome, mind you, but the effort, like the continual skipping of school to research a book that they think will have the answers they need to reverse the curse. Not the best example for our young adult audience). Even with curses, sci-fi details and an introduction to the vocabulary of the supernatural (Caster, Natural, Witches, Spells…), the book is full of fluff and is a complete disappointment. This book doesn’t even compare to the Twilight series. Lesson learned; don’t judge a book by its cover. Feel free to comment on this review, your thoughts on the book or suggest a book for me to review on my blog: http://brittsbuzz. blogspot.com.
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WWW.ATFCU.ORG
512.302.5555
15 AUSTIN METRO LOCATIONS HOME EQUITY LOANS 10 YEAR FIXED 15 YEAR FIXED 20 YEAR FIXED
4.79%* 5.09%* 5.59%*
66 MONTHS 72 MONTHS
3.59%* 3.69%* 3.89%*
NEW, USED OR REFINANCE
COMM. REAL ESTATE LOANS
MONEY MARKET
10 YEAR FIXED 15 YEAR FIXED
5.65%*** 5.85%*** 6.10%***
$25,000 TO $74,999 $75,000 TO $124,999 $125,000 AND ABOVE
1.26%**** 1.36%**** 1.51%****
20 YEAR AMORTIzATION/ NO PRE-PMT. PENAlTY
MINIMUM DAIlY BAlANCE OF $2000 REqUIRED
CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT1
CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT2
6 MONTHS 12 MONTHS 24 MONTHS
1.51%**** 1.81%**** 2.17%****
MINIMUM DEPOSIT OF $1000 IS REqUIRED
1
fREE ChECkINg
6 MONTHS 12 MONTHS 24 MONTHS
1.61%**** 1.91%**** 2.27%****
E
PROOF Engage minds and hearts will follow.
At Primrose, you’ll discover a childhood education approach unlike any other. Our proprietary, accredited curriculum assures that children are nurtured emotionally, physically and intellectually.
Free Tuition for 2 Weeks for __school_name_1__ New Families!!
Call 1.800.PRIMROSE or visit __school_name__ School __phone_1__ Name __schoRound Round Rock, Rock, TX TX 78681your 78681! Primrose School of Zip Round __address__ Address | __city__, __school_name_2__ | City, __state__ State __zip__ | PhoneRock | __phone__ 512.733.2020hool. __phone_2__
512.733.2020
MINIMUM DEPOSIT OF $95000 IS REqUIRED
2
2 5 0 + f R E E AT M S
*ANNUAl PERCENTAGE RATE. All RATES ARE EXPRESSED “AS lOW AS”. ACTUAl RATE MAY VARY DEPENDING ON CREDIT qUAlIFICATIONS. **AUSTIN TElCO WIll PAY All STANDARD ClOSING COSTS ON HOME EqUITY lOANS BElOW $100k. ADDITIONAl NON-STANDARD FEES WIll BE THE RESPONSIBIlITY OF THE MEMBER. ***RATE APPlIES TO 1ST lIEN COMMERCIAl REAl ESTATE lOANS WITH A lOAN TO VAlUE OF CONSTRUCTION/DEVElOPMENT lOAN RATES/TERMS MAY BE DIFFERENT. NO PRE-PAYMENT PENAlTY. ****ANNUAl PERCENTAGE YIElD. PENAlTIES FOR EARlY WITHDRAWAl MAY APPlY. All APRS, APYS AND TERMS ARE SUBjECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. PlEASE CAll FOR DETAIlS. THIS CREDIT UNION IS FEDERAllY INSURED TO AT lEAST $250,000 PER MEMBER BY THE NATIONAl CREDIT UNION ADMINISTRATION.
O L I M PR O V
AUTO LOANS 60 MONTHS
PlUS NO ClOSING COSTS!**
5 YEAR FIXED
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Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowners Association Newsletter - January 2010
Educational Child Care For Infants through Private Kindergarten and After School Each Primrose School is privately owned and operated. Primrose Schools and The Leader in Educational Child Care are trademarks of Primrose School Franchising Company. ©2008 PSFC. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
StDavids_OB_RRMC_7.5x9.75.ai
10/14/09
5:15:25 PM
Meadows of Brushy Creek
Choose the Doctors who choose St. David’s. Just as moms-to-be have a choice of physicians, their physicians have a choice of hospitals. They choose the one they know provides the best patient care. St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center is chosen more often than any other health care facility in Williamson County. This is a trust we don’t take lightly. Physicians share our commitment to exceptional care for any type of delivery, whether in our family birthing suites or Cesarean section surgical suites.
by highly-skilled neonatalogists, specially-trained neonatal nurses and nurses experienced in all aspects of newborn care. As a member of St. David’s HealthCare, we provide care to more mothers and their babies than any other healthcare system in Central Texas.
They know that should an emergency arise, we are prepared with superior facilities and support staff. Our Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) are staffed
If you need help choosing a physician, our free physician referral service can help you find an obstretician and pediatrician to meet your family’s needs. VISIT OUR WEB SIT E AT ST DAVIDS.COM AND FOLLOW T HE LINKS TO FIND A PHYSICIAN OR CALL 512.478.DOCS (3627)
CATHERINE ROANE-BLAKER, M.D. CATHERINE ROANE-BLAKER, M.D.
CORNERSTONE OB/GYN ANN BAYLOR, M.D. JO CHOUDRY, M.D. MICHELLE IRVIN, M.D.
OAKWOOD WOMEN’S CENTRE GEORGE SHASHOUA, M.D. MARK MAUNDER, M.D. STEPHANIE MICHEL, M.D. SUSAN ORTH, M.D. PAUL MURPHREE, M.D.
ALISON RODRIQUEZ, M.D. MICHAEL FITZPATRICK, M.D.
CORNERSTONE OB/GYN
OAKW
LONE STAR CIRCLE OF CARE MARK ANNMELANIE BAYLOR, M.D.JESSE PAGETTE, M.D. JOHNSON, M.D. MARCELLUS PEARCE, M.D. SUSAN JO CHOUDRY, M.D. TARA HEYLIGER, M.D.
MICHELLE IRVIN, M.D.
NOT PICTURED: REBECCA L. DORSETT, M.D. , FRANK HINDS, M.D.
Maternity and Newborn Care
stdavids.com Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2010
Meadows of Brushy Creek Mark Your Calendar!
Monthly HOA Meetings: Meetings are scheduled for the 4th Tuesday of every month.
January 26th, 2010 * Meetings are subject to change or cancellation due to holidays and/or board member availability.
MUD Community Center Events:
January 2 Christmas Tree Recycling & Seedling Give Away 4 Vacation Day Camp 5 Sportball 7 Adult Basketball League 8 Friday Funtastics (My Smart Hands) 15 Snowball (4th & 5th Grades) 16 Bollywood Dance Program 16 Youth Basketball League Begins 18 Vacation Day Camp 19 Evening Boot Camp 20 Adult Co-Rec Volleyball League 22 Parents Night Out 23 Brushy Creek’s Got Talent 25 Commit To Get Fit Challenge 25 Teen Fitness Boot Camp
What Is
Recyclable?
Recyclable items that are accepted: newspaper, magazines, white office paper, aluminum, steel and tin cans, milk jugs, clear and colored plastic bottles (please remove any caps or lids off the plastic bottles). Thanks for recycling!
Advertising Info Sunday Morning Schedule 9:30 . Blended Worship | 11:00 . Contemporary Worship 9:30 & 11:00 . Bible Life Groups (all ages)
Great Hills Baptist Church www.ghbc.org
10500 Jollyville Road . Austin, Texas 78759 | 512.343.7763
Please support the businesses that advertise in the Meadows of Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter. Their advertising dollars make it possible for all Meadows of Brushy Creek residents to receive the monthly newsletter at no charge. No homeowners association funds are used to produce or mail the newsletters. If you would like to support the newsletter by advertising, please contact our sales office at 512-263-9181 or
[email protected]. The advertising deadline is the 8th of each month for the following month's newsletter.
Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowners Association Newsletter - January 2010
Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
Meadows of Brushy Creek At no time will any source be allowed to use the Meadows of Brushy Creek HOA Newsletter contents, or loan said contents, to others in anyway, shape or form, nor in any media, website, print, film, e-mail, electrostatic copy, fax, or etc. for the purpose of solicitation, commercial use, or any use for profit, political campaigns, or other self amplification, under penalty of law without written or expressed permission from the Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association and Peel, Inc. The information in the newsletter is exclusively for the private use of Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association residents only.
Recipe of the Month Cheese Ball
Ingredients • 2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese • 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well • ¼ C green onion, chopped • ¼ C green pepper, chopped • 1½ tsp. seasoned salt • 1 C nuts, finely chopped
Articles and ads in this newsletter express the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Peel, Inc. or its employees. Peel, Inc. is not responsible for the accuracy of any facts stated in articles submitted by others. The publisher also assumes no responsibility for the advertising content with this publication. All warranties and representations made in the advertising content are solely that of the advertiser and any such claims regarding its content should be taken up with the advertiser. * The publisher assumes no liability with regard to its advertisers for misprints or failure to place advertising in this publication except for the actual cost of such advertising. * Although every effort is taken to avoid mistakes and/or misprints, the publisher assumes no responsibility for any errors of information or typographical mistakes, except as limited to the cost of advertising as stated above or in the case of misinformation, a printed retraction/correction. * Under no circumstances shall the publisher be held liable for incidental or consequential damages, inconvenience, loss of business or services, or any other liabilities from failure to publish, or from failure to publish in a timely manner, except as limited to liabilities stated above.
Directions Mix well. Form a ball and roll in chopped nuts. If you would like to submit YOUR recipe email it to
[email protected].
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Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowner's Association Newsletter - January 2010
Peel, Inc. of Brushy Creek Meadows 311 Ranch Road 620 S. Ste 200 Lakeway, TX 78734-4775 www.PEELinc.com
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Meadows of Brushy Creek Homeowners Association Newsletter - January 2010
Copyright © 2010 Peel, Inc.
