Dianne Edmondson
Summertime is bringing the usual Texas heat, but also is bringing some significant challenges for us at your Commissioners Court, in particular dealing with our invisible enemy, the COVID-19 virus. So, let’s talk about this pandemic.
COVID-19 Statistics
Note: for the most up-to-date and for daily information, please visit cdc.gov or dshs.texas.gov. Frankly, the trend is not good at the time that I write this column. As we are testing more people, we expect that our number of positive cases will go up, but the current rate of increase is concerning. To see the data regarding active cases by municipality, hospital capacity, etc. please visit www.Dentoncounty.gov/COVIDstats. This website contains information on the free Denton Health Dept. testing which has been expanded to include anyone 60 or older, since that age range experiences the most deaths. Please check out this very informative site and its charts.
In the meantime, please continue to use the common sense measures and the most updated recommendations: 1) Practicing hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette including sanitizing regularly. 2) Maintaining physical distance when around others. (Most of our county buildings have six-foot markers on the floors to help with that practice.) 3) Utilizing masks or face coverings when around others. 4) Staying home if you are sick or have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19.
Road Construction Updates
Crawford Road engineering is nearly complete and the necessary right-of-way acquisition is beginning. The Town of Argyle will be managing the project and maintaining the road once it’s completed, and they hope to put the project out for bids in the fall. Yes, there is still a lot of inconvenience to come, but it will be worth it! There are additional road projects coming up, several with TXDot that will also be of interest to us here in Robson Ranch, and I will keep you posted on those. Road projects take quite a while, but we are working diligently on them.
Another piece of good news has to do with the Harvest Fire Station and its route to get to us here in Robson Ranch. The new housing development just across the street is The Ridge at Northridge, and their plan for extending Cleveland Gibbs Rd. to our front gate will be several years into the future. However, to try and get that fire and paramedic access sooner, I have been working with both developers (Harvest and The Ridge) on a plan to use a street further east that would bring them in on Orangewood. I will keep you posted on how that is going.
Tax News
As you may recall, last year I was able to get a Senior Tax Ceiling passed and that takes effect next tax year. Your property taxes will never go up because the City of Denton, Denton County, and the Denton Independent School District have all frozen seniors’ property taxes. So, the value of your home can go up because of market conditions but your taxes will not increase, unless you substantially improve your property (adding a pool or a room, for instance). Conversely, should your home value and appraisal decrease, your property taxes can go down. But once your property regains its former value, your tax would revert to that capped amount.
Hope that you enjoy your summer here in our wonderful community!
If you would like to receive a periodic e-newsletter, please contact Precinct 4 Commissioner Dianne Edmondson at [email protected] and ask to be placed on the email list. You may phone her at 972-434-3960. Her office is located in the Southwest Courthouse, 6200 Canyon Falls Drive, Suite 900, in Flower Mound.