Events

Most "Egg"celent Egg Contest and Easter Egg Hunt

Get your basket ready for the annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 3rd, 10:00 a.m., at Witty Park (on Hickory Ridge). Special prizes will be awarded to the children finding the GOLDEN EGG in each age group. We will also have egg-citing games such as the Bunny Hop, face painting, and a balloon clown.

This year we will be hosting the MOST “EGG”CELENT EGG CONTEST with prizes to be awarded in each of the 3 age groups. There’s no rule or limit for the egg, just use your imagination!!! Complete this form and bring it with your decorated egg to the Easter Egg Hunt no later than 10:00 a.m. Age Groups: 0-3, 4-6, 7-10.

City Celebration scheduled for Saturday, April 10th

The City Celebration, which will commemorate the city’s 49th anniversary, has been scheduled for Saturday, April 10th, at McNair Park! The annual family themed event will showcase inflatable toys, food and music geared to all ages. More details to follow soon.

City Hall hosting Official 2010 Census Help Site

Official 2010 Census personnel who are ready to assist you in completing your Census questionnaire are on site at City Hall from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m through April 21st. Extra “Be Counted” forms and contact information is available here at City Hall as well.

Your participation in the 2010 Census is critical. Why? Well here are just a few of the many important reason:

• Legislative representation is calculated on the Census.
• More than $400 billion dollars of federal funding for infrastructure projects each year are allocated based largely on census data. The more complete the count, the more dollars our state and local governments will receive for programs that benefit all such as roadways, schools and emergency services.
• Many public and private organizations in support of disease research, wildlife protection foundations and industrial impact studies are based on information obtained from the Census.
• Your participation is mandatory.

You should have already received your 2010 Census Packet in the mail. If not, call the Telephone Questionnaire Assistance center at 1-866-872-6868 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Additional Census information can be accessed through their website at www.2010.census.gov.

Ruth Tully as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year

At the Candles In The Park celebration, Mayor Emel named Ruth Tully as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year. In addition to Ruth’s more than 25 years of volunteer service to Meals on Wheels, she is always behind the scenes at city events helping to set up, serve and clean. Thank you Ruth for all you do for your city. We truly appreciate you.

Reminders from City Hall

Alarm Permits and Pet Licenses - All Alarm Permits and Pet Licenses are to be renewed annually! If you have not already done so, please come by City Hall to get your 2010 permit or license. The annual fee for each is only $5.00. If you will be renewing a pet license, please be sure to bring your current pet vaccination records to show proof of updated shots.

Sign Boxes - You may not have noticed, but the city has two designated areas to advertise garage sales, local events, and other items of interest. One is located at Loch Lake and Repsdorph and the other is located in front of city hall. Signs are not permitted on any other public property within the city. If you take advantage of this opportunity to advertise, please be sure you pick up your signs within a week.

Home and Yard Maintenance - As a good neighbor and responsible homeowner, please take the time to assess your property and plan necessary maintenance.  About this time, we receive numerous complaints at city hall regarding properties whose grass is not mown or edged; weeds that are taking over the gardens and yard; pools left unattended allowing for mosquitoes to breed, etc…  Did you know that out city has ordinances against this type of home neglect?  You may find yourself not only on the receiving end of neighbors dirty looks, but alsocould be fined if you neglect to maintain your property.

New City Laws You Should Know

The following are new ordinances passed recently by City Council - please take note . . .

HOUSE NUMBERS - All buildings or structures, both existing and new, shall have an identifying address number posted, prominently displayed and maintained within twenty-four (24) inches of the front entrance to the building or structure. (The entrance refers to either the front door OR the opening of a porch, etc. leading to the front door if it is the closest to the street and has adequate wall space on which to post house numbers).
OVERGROWN LAWNS - (New height AND length restriction) It shall be unlawful for any owner, occupant, lessee or tenant of any parcel or parcels of real property situated in the City of El Lago to cause or permit lawn grasses to grow more than six (6) inches in height or more than four (4) inches in length. (The length is referring to what is typically known as runners).
POOL MAINTENANCE ORDINANCE - At the October 16th City Council meeting, Council passed a new ordinance which will require residents with pools to maintain their pools in s sanitary condition such that it cannot provide a breeding area for mosquitoes, the bottom of the pool must be clearly visible in the deepest part of the pool and it cannot give off objectionable odors. Anyone found guilty of violating this ordinance could be fined a sum of up to $500 for each day the violation continues.

STORAGE OF MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS ON YOUR PROPERTY (This applies to any miscellaneous building materials, toys, appliances or other items) - It shall be unlawful for any owner, occupant, lessee or tenant of any parcel or parcels of real property within the City of El Lago to store objects of value other than allowed vehicles, upon any real property including parkways, driveways, or public right of ways within the City of El Lago in a location in which the objects of value can be viewed from the public street or any adjacent property.

PARKING OF RECREATIONAL VEHICLES - No person shall park a vehicle or any portion of a vehicle or a towed vehicle including trailers, mobile homes, boat trailers, boats, boat rigging or carts, and some motor driven vehicles including motor homes, recreational vehicles or campers . . . on the lawn of a residence, either directly on the lawn or on blocks or on any temporary surface such as gravel, bricks and pavers located on the lawn of a residence . . .

SCOFFLAW VEHICLES - No person shall park a scofflaw vehicle on any avenue, street, or drive or in any other location in the city. (So what IS a SCOFFLAW Vehicle? It is a vehicle that has more than 10 outstanding parking tickets from the Lakeview Police Department. If a scofflaw vehicle is found to be parked in El Lago, the vehicle will be towed and held until the parking fines are settled. Additionally, the owner will be responsible for towing and storage fees for the vehicle as well.)

Just a reminder that according to City Ordinances, it is unlawful to park in the following manner or areas:

• On the street between 3-5 AM
• On the lawn of a residence
• On the curb of a residence
• Between the curb and the residence except in the driveway of the residence
• In such a manner as to block the sidewalk
• Blocking the driveway
• Parked on Street over 48 Hours
• In any area prohibited by a traffic-control sign, "No Parking" or "No Parking Anytime - Tow Away Zone"
• In any area prohibited by a sign indicating, "No Parking Any Time - Fire Lane - Tow Away Zone"

Is Your Flood Insurance Premium Increasing Dramatically?

Submitted by El Lago resident Don Peterson

If you live in certain areas within the City of El Lago (mostly south of Willow Vista Dr.) and it is time to renew your flood insurance, beware! In 2007, the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated their flood zone maps and much of the older section of El Lago was re-zoned in a higher risk flood zone. If your property was previously in Zone X and is now listed as Zone AE, your annual flood insurance premium may dramatically increase. If your zone has changed and you have not already received notification you will when the time approaches for you to renew your flood insurance.

This recently happened to me, but my flood insurance company made a suggestion that might result in a substantial reduction in my premium. Their suggestion was to have a licensed surveyor survey my property and prepare a "Certificate of Elevation." This Certificate of Elevation verifies your actual elevation and the insurance company can use it in determining your flood zone rather than using the FEMA Flood Zone map. Upon submitting a copy of the Certificate of Elevation to my insurance company, my premium was reduced from more than $1,200 per year to less than $450 per year. My cost for the survey was only a couple hundred dollars, but my premium reduction will return more than three times that much savings in one year.

Depending on the elevation of your house, this may or may not work for you. However, I have been told that the elevation of many houses in the above mentioned area are high enough to result in a considerable decrease in annual flood insurance premiums.

The City of El Lago is requesting that if you have or do get an elevation survey completed, submit a copy to City Secretary Ann Vernon at City Hall, 98 Lakeshore Drive. She will be collecting the information and forwarding it on to Representative Pete Olson's office who has shown an interest in the FEMA map elevation discrepancies.

For more information on FEMA's flood zone designations and to obtain a flood map, go to the FEMA Map Service Center at msc.fema.gov.

Mosquito Spraying Information and Schedule

The City sprays for mosquitos two to three times a week, depending on the amount of rain we have had and/or complaints of mosquito activity. When they spray it is usually on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. They begin at 9:00 PM and usually end up at the Boondoggles area at 10:30 p.m. or so. When they see people outside, they stop the spray and only keep the machine running. We use a mixture of mineral oil and Biomist3030, which contains NO DDT. It is a birth inhibitor and has not been shown to have any impact on humans.

New Animal Control Fees

Due to the increased number of both domestic animals on the loose and wild animals being trapped, City Council has increased the Animal Control fees to cover the additional expense and necessary manpower:

• Impoundment Fee: $25 (pick-up and release of animal to owner within a 24 hour period)
• Boarding Fee: $15 / day (per day after initial 24 hour Impoundment Fee)
• Animal Removal: $75 (removal of unwanted domestic animal from owner)
• Quarantine: $140 (10 days mandatory after a biting incident)
• Trap Rental (includes disposal of trapped animal): Weekly fee with a 2 (two) week prepaid minimum is $20 / first 2 (two) weeks and weekly fee after first 2 (two) week prepayment is $10 / week
• Wild Animal Removal: $20 (pick-up and release wild animals trapped by residents in their own trap)

Increased Parking Fees for Violations

City Council has increased the parking ticket fee from $13 to $15 per violation. According to City Ordinances, it is unlawful to park in the following manner or areas: on the street between 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.; on the lawn of a residence; on the curb of the residence; between the curb and the residence, except in the driveway of the residence; in such a manner as to block the sidewalk; blocking the driveway; parked on the street over 48 hours; in any area prohibited by a traffic-control sign, "No Parking" or "No Parking Anytime - Tow Away Zone;" and in any area prohibited by a sign indicating "No Parking Any Time - Fire Lane - Tow Away Zone."

Contractor Registration Now Required in the City of El Lago

After Hurricane Ike, it was apparent that there were many contractors with heavy equipment, doing very large and potentially hazardous jobs in our city. The jobs I am referring to included but were not limited to moving large trees off houses, removing and repairing siding and sheetrock, re-decking and roofing, and the list goes on and on. These jobs, though very costly and with the potential to do great harm to both homeowner and city property, are not considered "structural" in nature and are therefore, not subject to building permit requirements. The City Council determined that it was time to put into place a procedure that most other cities already practice. We are now requiring that ALL contractors, (yes even the lawn guys), register annually with the city. This registration process is both simple and effective in protecting our residents from less than careful or conscientious contractors. The registration costs the contractor only $50.00 per year and guarantees that he has liability insurance and appropriate licensing in place. This is for YOUR protection so please; when hiring a contractor make sure that they either already have or agree to register with the city before hiring them for a job. You can check to see if a contractor is already registered or get a copy of registered contractors list at City Hall.