Year in Review 2022
Dear Community Member,
Dear Community Member,
hello
Whether you’re a Cedar Park resident, business owner, local employee or visitor, we’re glad you’re here. No matter what role you play in our community, it’s a vital one. You are a key part of what gives Cedar Park its vibrancy, uniqueness and connectedness. As a City government, we work every day to help preserve and protect this special quality of life here and are always looking for new ways to make it even better.
From reimagining some of our public events and activities, to earning the highest possible bond rating to help save taxpayer dollars on interest and fees, to strengthening our water infrastructure, to embarking on a mobility plan for how you get around Cedar Park in the decades to come, to staying the course on major destination projects, the City of Cedar Park made significant progress in 2022.
We hope you’ll enjoy looking back at the last year with us, and join us in envisioning the future – as Cedar Park enters its 50th year as a City in 2023. We have a lot to reflect upon and so much more to look forward to.
Enjoy,
Brenda Eivens City Manager
In May 2022, former City Council Member Jim Penniman-Morin was elected Mayor of Cedar Park, after being elected in 2021 to City Council Place One.
Earlier in 2022, Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale had announced his decision not to seek re-election, after serving as Mayor since he was elected in May 2018, and serving as a City Council Member and on City Boards and Commissions for several years prior.
Also in May 2022, Council Members Mel Kirkland, Eric Boyce and Heather Jefts were re-elected to their positions on the Council.
Mayor Penniman-Morin’s election created a vacancy for his position on the Council. In June, City Council appointed former longtime City Council Member Stephen Thomas to fill the vacancy until May 2023.
Lefttoright:CouncilMembersMelKirkland,AnneDuffyandStephenThomas,MayorJimPenniman-Morin andCouncilMembersKevinHarris,HeatherJeftsandEricBoyce
STRATEGIC GOALS SERVICE & FISCAL EXCELLENCE LIVABILITY & SENSE OF PLACE ECONOMIC VITALITY MOBILITY & CONNECTIVITY INFRASTRUCTURE & ENVIRONMENT
83,159 $113,329 35.4 $412,349 52.5% Population Median Household Income Median Home Value Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Median Age ABOUT CEDAR PARK
What is defeasance and why does it matter?
Defeasance is simply the early payoff of debt to avoid future interest payments. Through defeasance of $13.5 million over the past six years, the City has saved $5.1 million in interest. The City is planning to defease another $3 million of debt during Fiscal Year 2023.
$74.8M Tax Rate General Fund Budget Maintenanceand Operations(M&O)
2023 BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS .039*
• Lowest since 1998
Cedar
• Results in slight decrease for the average
Park homestead homeowner (75% of Cedar Park homeowners) • Public Safety (Police & Fire)
• Street Maintenance
• Parks
• Library
• Engineering & Capital Project
• Development Services
Property Tax
• Support Services Debt Service InterestandSinking(I&S) Accounts for funds used to make principal and interest payments on outstanding bonds for capital improvement projects such as roads, public safety, facilities and parks. Overall
Bill
Cedar Park 18% County 20% ACC, WCID 5% School District 57% FISCAL YEAR M&O 52% I&S 48% *Per $100 valuation
AAA for a city is akin to a perfect consumer credit score and stretches taxpayer dollars.
IN 2022, S&P Global upgraded Cedar Park to a perfect AAA Bond Rating. Think of it as having a 900 credit score.
It means we’re able to finance debt for voter-approved Transportation, Public Safety and Parks projects at a much lower interest rate.
A couple of big factors for the upgrade were our local economic health and the City’s smart fiscal policies.
The City of Cedar Park earns AAA Bond Rating from S&P Global $13.5M $5.1M $3M Debt defeased over past six years Interest savings Debt defeasance planned for FY 23
Expect even more new City of Cedar Park projects in the coming years! That’s because in May 2022, voters approved $158.8 million in new General Obligation Bond projects. Thanks to the City’s recently-upgraded AAA Bond Rating, the City was able to save around $745,000 on the first issuance of these new bonds.
$86.6 million Transportation
Projects include:
• Major intersection upgrade at Whitestone and 183A
• Neighborhood and major roads resurfacing
• New bike and pedestrian facilities
• New and widened roadways, turn lanes, traffic signals and technology
$42.2 million Parks & Recreation $30 million Public Safety
Projects include:
• Lakeline Park Phase
Two (when complete will be the City’s largest park at 200 acres)
• Trails development
• Veterans Pool remodeling and expansion
• Brushy Creek Sports Park athletic field turf improvements
Projects include:
• Design and construction of a joint training facility for Police, Fire and Emergency Management and Emergency Operations Center for emergency management use during disasters and emergencies
• This joint facility will be located on land currently owned by the City
Located along Bell Boulevard between Buttercup Creek Boulevard and Park Street, the Bell District will celebrate the best of Cedar Park with restaurants and retailers, highdensity residential, offices, ample parkland, greenspace and trails and a new City of Cedar Park Public Library.
Planning for the Bell District has been a multi-year process. It started with a robust public engagement campaign to develop a community vision for the revitalization of this area west of Bell Boulevard between Buttercup Creek Boulevard and Park Street. The City has a 20-year master development agreement with RedLeaf to lead the project.
MILESTONES REACHED
The City put finishing touches on the realigned section of Bell Boulevard in early 2022. The realignment improved safety and mobility along this section of Bell Boulevard. RedLeaf has now started construction on the internal streets network roads, underground utilities and land preparation to support walkable, mixed-use urban development over the coming years. Construction of buildings starts in 2023.
CEDAR PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY IN THE
Lake | Flato Architects presented their full, detailed design of the new Cedar Park Public Library that’s going into the Bell District. The two-story Library will include a Youth Area with museum-quality children’s interactive exhibits, Teen Area, Adult Quiet Spaces, an event space the public can rent, Makerspace (literally a place to make things!) and Outdoor Programming Areas. Construction will start in 2023 and is projected to be complete in 2024.
BELL DISTRICT
MAJOR PROJECTS UPDATES
The 2015 voter-approved $96.7 million General Obligation Bond Program is wrapping up. Here are some updates from 2022:
STREETS & ROADS
• Final paving and project completion of the Bell Boulevard Roadway Realignment Project
• Construction started on New Hope Drive from Ronald Reagan to Sam Bass Road, providing increased safety and opening an additional east-west route
• Design for Anderson Mill Road Phase Two
• Arterial overlay capital improvements project
• Right turn lane on Bell Boulevard at Cypress Creek Road
PUBLIC LIBRARY
• Presentation of final design renderings for the new Cedar Park Public Library to be located in the Bell District
PARKS & RECREATION
• Near-completion of Lakeline Park Phase One, set to open in 2023 (also funded by Community DevelopmentType 4B sales tax funds)
A half-cent of sales tax funds Community Development (Type 4B) projects. Updates in 2022 include:
• Start of construction of Brushy Creek North Fork Trail from near West Parmer Lane (FM 734) and East Whitestone Boulevard (RM 1431) to connect with the existing Brushy Creek Trail
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
• Brushy Creek Sports Park improvements – shade structures, picnic pavilion, drainage improvements, enhanced picnic areas, skate park improvements and new scoreboards and signage
A portion of sales tax (1/8 cent) also funds stormwater drainage in Cedar Park.
STORMWATER DRAINAGE
• In late 2022, the City of Cedar Park received a FEMA grant for the Ranchettes 2 & 3 project that will include drainage, utility and roadway improvements to help mitigate localized flooding
One of our City’s biggest challenges – and opportunities –is staying ahead of mobility and transportation needs. That’s why in 2022 we embarked on a Mobility Master Plan. We started with a citizen advisory committee and sought public input, asking people, how do you get around Cedar Park? How would you like to get around Cedar Park? We’ll use this input to inform our new Mobility Master Plan in 2023, consolidating and modernizing three existing mobility plans and integrating some projects.
HALLOWEEN AT THE HALL NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
EVENTS
VETERANS CEREMONY JULY 4TH CELEBRATION CONCERT IN THE PARK MOVIE IN THE PARK ELVES AT WORK VIRTUAL CRAFTS
FAMILY DANCE
KALEIDOSPOKE
HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING BREAKFAST WITH SANTA TAIL OF LIGHTS COFFEE WITH A COP
STUFFED ANIMAL SLEEPOVER AT THE LIBRARY BUBBLE PARTY FABLEFEST
MOVIE AT THE LIBRARY TWEEN GAMING
OUTDOOR STORYTIME MARIACHI PERFORMANCE
THE SCULPTURE GARDEN
For the past nine years, the Cedar Park Sculpture Garden has featured a rotating display of public art. It’s adjacent to the Cedar Park Recreation Center at 1435 Main St. In October 2022, the Sculpture Garden welcomed six new sculptures on loan for one year. Combined with the other works belonging to the City’s permanent collection, there are 11 sculptures on display in the garden – with other City-owned sculptures on display at other locations throughout Cedar Park.
Twist|PeterMangan
Kenopsia|CarolineWalker
ZigZagFish|LauraSturtz
BalancingApple
CindyDebold
NottheSame,buttheSame Knot|ShanaMartin
WE MEAN BUSINESS
Firefly Aerospace Expansion Project
Our community’s overall demographics, including a high level of education, paired with our high quality of living, have positioned Cedar Park to be the next major employment hub in Central Texas.
Our Economic Development (Type 4A) Corporation is funded by 3/8 cent from local sales tax to go towards projects that attract significant investment and jobs to Cedar Park. The Community Development (Type 4B) Corporation is funded by 1/2 cent from local sales tax to go towards projects that enhance quality of life. Work continued through 2022 on three major recently-announced Economic Development projects, with support from Community Development for Perfect Game and Project Northwest New Hope:
The largest, most comprehensive youth baseball and softball scouting organization brings $4M in capital investment, $20 million in new net revenue to the City and 150,000 hotel room nights by year 10.
PERFECT GAME
Huge retail, hotel and convention center destination anchored by NFM (formerly Nebraska Furniture Mart). Television and leading online retailer of jewelry and lifestyle products brings $50 million in capital investment and 1,000 new jobs to Cedar Park. Several thriving business headquarters in Cedar Park include: SHOP LC
NORTHWEST NEW
PROJECT
HOPE
James Avery Artisan Jewelry (Second Headquarters)
Firefly Aerospace
Hyliion (EV Trucking)
HamptonInn&Suites 110 rooms
WoodspringSuites 122 rooms
The additions of the Hampton Inn & Suites and Woodspring Suites bring the total to 13 hotels with 1055 rooms in Cedar Park.
The City-owned H-E-B Center is in its 14th year of hosting major headliner concerts, large-scale entertainment events and professional sports action – including Texas Stars AHL Hockey and Austin Spurs NBA G-League Basketball.
Popular restaurants and entertainment venues continue to flock to Cedar Park. Spare Birdie Public House is set to open soon. It’ll be Cedar Park’s one-stop shop for upscale entertainment, featuring a full-service restaurant and bar, bowling, virtual golf and live music.
NEW IN 2022
CEDAR PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY $750 243,245 $16 million 978,105 Individual savings for users Visits in 2022 Savings community-wide Materials checked out in 2022
checkout time
This allows patrons to have
Day” and get a superpopular title with no waiting!
of Things,
you can find useful things for your crafting and cooking projects
family fun activities. Examples include games, cooking tools, STEM activities, craft tools and more!
Introducing the Lucky Day collection: The hottest titles with a shorter
and no holds.
a “Lucky
Introducing the Library
where
and
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Treatment
Rehabilitation Project
Design completed on Water
Plant
Purchase and delivery of
System Resiliency Project generators and equipment
Water
Project
Started construction on $224 million BCRUA Deep Water Intake
Expansion
Completed design of BCRUA Phase 1D Water Treatment Plant
signs
use enforcement, add flashing
and integrate wireless monitoring for maintenance alerts 3,000 155 85 1,620 Sq. ft. of asphalt repairs Sidewalk repairs Lane miles crack-sealed Streets swept PUBLIC WORKS
Upgraded all the school zone
to include phone
beacons
PARKS AND RECREATION 46 1,000 34 13 17 City-maintained parks Acres of city-maintained parks Miles of trails Parks projects Parks events in 2022
CEDAR PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT
• The FY 2023 Budget established a Police Mental Health Unit, staffed with speciallytrained mental health Police Officers and mental health professionals from Bluebonnet Trails
• Police won 1st in State, 5th in nation for the 2022 National Night Out
• Maintained Accredited Status with the Commission on Law Enforcement Accreditation (CALEA)
• Maintained Recognized Agency Status with the Texas Police Chiefs Association
CEDAR PARK FIRE DEPARTMENT
• Started new “squad deployment” for certain calls, such as medical calls, to enhance response times. This basically means “right-sizing” the response with a smaller “squad” crew in a smaller-scale vehicle for minor calls
• Maintained Accredited Status with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International
• Maintained ISO 1 Rating
Cedar Park is among Top 50 Most Livable Cities in 2022
Cedar Park is a Top Ten Place to Retire in 2022
Cedar Park is one of the Best Places to Start a Small Business in 2022
Cedar Park is one of 11 Places where the Cost of Living is Low 2022
KUDOS
As we celebrate our many accomplishments of 2022, we look forward our Golden Year. The City of Cedar Park celebrates its 50th anniversary on February 24, 2023 – and all throughout the year. We’re equally excited about what’s to come over the next 50 years for you and our future generations.
cedarparktexas.gov