Van Dyke announced as communications and public engagement director
Aly Van Dyke will be Georgetown’s new communications and public engagement director. After an extensive search, Van Dyke was selected from more than 130 applicants to serve in the role. This is a new position for the City to help elevate and enhance the City’s communications and community engagement.
Van Dyke currently serves as a marketing and communications consultant for the City of Austin, directing and managing strategic communications planning. She manages marketing campaign development and execution for a variety of city departments. While in Austin, Van Dyke successfully oversaw social media policy development and brought best practices for online engagement to the city.
“Georgetown has a remarkable story to tell,” Van Dyke said. “I’ve seen firsthand all the incredible things the city of Georgetown has going for it – from its beautiful town square and parks to its ability to attract talented, creative people from across the globe. With such an active and enthusiastic community, it’s thrilling to think about being part of the team working to increase pride for, awareness of, and engagement with the community.”
In Georgetown, Van Dyke will oversee the newly formed communications and public engagement department, with a focus on developing a communications strategic plan, ensuring brand consistency, and developing a culture of meaningful public engagement across the City organization. Reporting directly to the city manager, the new director will have responsibility for a team of five employees.
“Aly is the perfect match to lead our communications and public engagement department through a time a significant change. She has a record of success improving and executing strategic communications plans that involve multiple departments,” City Manager David Morgan said. “We’re fortunate to have Aly to join the City of Georgetown team. She is well-suited to elevate our communication and engagement efforts to meet the ever-changing and evolving challenges of connecting with our residents.”
Prior to Austin, Van Dyke served as the media relations director for the City of Topeka, KS where she managed social media accounts, wrote news releases, coordinated media interviews, and served as the primary media liaison during emergencies. She and her team produced all the graphic design, live broadcasts, and videos within the City, in addition to coordinating public engagement opportunities and leading the internal communications team. Prior to Topeka, she was a reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal, The Ottawa Herald, and the Kansas City Business Journal.
Van Dyke has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Kansas. She was named a Top-100 local government influencer by Engaging Local Government Leaders, won first-place for the use of video on social media at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors earlier this year, and is a regular speaker on social media and engagement at civic groups and professional associations. Her first day at the City will be Jan. 6.
Hype for the Holidays Teen Party at Georgetown Recreation Center
Georgetown Parks and Recreation hosts its annual Hype for the Holidays Teen Party for teenagers ages 12-15 on Dec. 20 at the Georgetown Recreation Center, 1003 N. Austin Ave.
The party is from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and will include pizza, drinks, snacks, video games, a dodge ball tournament, music, an ugly sweater contest, and door prizes.
The event is free for recreation center members or $5 for nonmembers.
Visit parks.georgetown.org for more information.
Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 14
The 19th annual pancake Breakfast with Santa event is Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Community Center, 445 E. Morrow St. in San Gabriel Park. Georgetown firefighters will be making pancakes and sausage served with juice and coffee. The event is 7:30 to 11 a.m.
At the event, children can climb on board a fire truck, visit with firefighters, and have a free picture taken with Santa.
Tickets are $6 per person and can be purchased at the door on the day of the event or in advance at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B. Wood Road. Children age 12 and younger are free with a paid adult.
Breakfast with Santa is sponsored by the Georgetown Fire Department, Sun City Rotary Club, YMCA of Greater Williamson County, and Georgetown ISD.
All proceeds from Breakfast with Santa provide clothing, food, and gifts for children in the Georgetown area. Breakfast with Santa aims to help children in need in Georgetown and provide clothing and gift cards to homeless teenagers served by The Georgetown Project’s NEST program.
Tax-deductible donations are accepted to help fund Breakfast with Santa. Checks should be made out to “Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation” with “Sun City Rotary – BWS” on the memo line. Mail the donation check to Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation, 116 W. Eighth St., Ste. 203, Georgetown, TX, 78626.
For details, contact the Georgetown Fire Department at (512) 930-3473.
City holiday string lights recycling available through Jan. 31
The City of Georgetown has partnered with Texas Disposal Systems to offer free holiday string-light recycling to all Georgetown residents. Georgetown was the first city in Central Texas to offer this service when the program launched in December 2017.
Residents can drop off their old or broken string lights through Jan. 31 at one of three collection stations:
- City of Georgetown Collection and Transfer Station, 250 W.L. Walden Road
- Georgetown Municipal Complex, 300-1 Industrial Ave.
- Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St.
Sun City residents may also drop off old or broken string lights at the Cowan Creek Pavilion, 1433 Cool Spring Way, in Sun City.
The program is limited to string lights. Yard art, inflatables and other holiday lighting will not be collected. Lights must be taken to a collection station. String lights should not be placed in residential or commercial recycling bins because they can damage the sorting machines at the recycling center.
Last year residents recycled more than 1,800 pounds of Christmas lights.
Georgetown Recreation Center announces holiday camps
Georgetown Parks and Recreation will offer camps for students during the Georgetown ISD holiday breaks. Pricing and schedules vary for each program.
Participants can select from two camps:
- Camp Goodwater is offered Dec. 26-27, Dec. 30-31, Jan. 2-3, Jan. 6 and Feb. 17-18. The camp runs from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with drop off beginning at 7:45 a.m. and pick up lasting until 5:15 p.m. Camp Goodwater is for children ages 5-10. The camp includes a variety of activities, such as gym games, trips to local parks, seasonal arts and crafts, and more. Daily fees are $35 for Georgetown residents and $45 for nonresidents.
- Volleyball Camp is offered from Jan. 2-3 from 9 a.m.-noon for children ages 8-13. The skills camp will cover rules of play and how to rotate, as well as basic skills such as forearm passing, setting, spiking, and serving. For more experienced players, we will also cover defense and positions. All levels will learn how to communicate well and what it takes to be a good teammate. Fees are $55 for Georgetown residents and $75 for nonresidents.
For more information and to register, visit parks.georgetown.org/camp or call 512-930-3596.
Swim with Santa at the Georgetown Recreation Center on Dec. 13
Dive into the holiday season with Santa Claus at the Georgetown Recreation Center on Friday, Dec. 13.
Grab your suits and your camera, and bring the entire family for a chance to swim with the big man himself. The event is from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the indoor pool, 1003 N. Austin Ave.
Santa will be available for swimming and photos from 5:30-6:30 p.m. The last hour of the event will feature Christmas movies in the pool and cookie decorating with Santa’ selves. Hot cocoa and candy canes will also be served.
This event is free for Georgetown Recreation Center members. Entry fees for nonmembers are: Free (newborns-3 years), $2 (ages 4-18 and age 55 and older), $3 (ages 19-54).
Electric utility grows financial reserves, still below target
At its Nov. 26 meeting, City Council was briefed on several items related to the City’s electric utility. The utility is expected to end Fiscal Year 2018-19 with reserves of more than $6 million, which is up from last year’s balance of less than $2 million. The goal of the electric utility is to have reserves in excess of $19 million.
In addition to growing financial reserves, the City is working to contain costs for energy. The expected bill for all the City’s energy in 2020 is $59.5 million, up from $55.6 million in 2019, and $52.5 million in 2018. Several factors contribute to these increased costs, including the relatively low cost of energy on the open market throughout the year, the large amount of energy the City is obligated to purchase beyond what is needed to serve Georgetown electric customers, and challenges associated with the City’s energy providers generating and transmitting energy to the statewide grid.
In 2019 the City worked to improve the finances of the electric utility to account for increased energy costs. This included selling assets, increasing rates, decreasing expenses, and completing a management assessment. Based on that assessment, the City is finalizing a new risk policy and retaining a new team to manage the City’s energy contracts. The City is currently in negotiations with Shell Energy North America and Tenaska Power Services to manage the City’s energy portfolio, with a final contract expected to go to City Council for approval in December. Finally, the City hired a new general manager for its electric utility in October.
“I am focused on ensuring our electric utility is safe, reliable, and cost-competitive,” General Manager of Electric Daniel Bethapudi said. “It is a top priority of mine to reduce our customer’s electric rates, but my immediate concern is to ensure that our community’s electric utility is financially stable.”
Earlier this year, the City took advantage of an opportunity to sell renewable energy credits, or RECs, which resulted in more than $700,000 of additional revenue for the electric utility. These RECs traditionally are retired against energy usage and measure how much renewable energy an electric utility can claim.
“The sale of the RECs does affect Georgetown’s status as a 100 percent renewable electric utility,” City Manager David Morgan said. “Right now it is more important that we stabilize the utility’s finances than maintain our renewable energy status.”
The City’s policy for its energy portfolio is for 30 percent of Georgetown’s energy to come from renewable sources.
Background on Georgetown’s electric utility
In 1910, Georgetown voters approved a bond to build the Georgetown Light and Water Works plant on Ninth Street. Over the last century, Georgetown has developed and maintained a highly reliable, community-owned and -operated electric utility. It is owned by the residents of Georgetown and reinvests directly in the community.
Historically, the electric utility has paid a return on investment to the City’s general fund in excess of $5 million annually. These dollars directly offset additional reliance on property taxes, sales taxes, or other revenues to operate core services like the police, fire, library, and parks departments.
Early voting starts Dec. 2 in District 1 runoff election
Early in-person voting starts on Monday, Dec. 2, in the runoff election for City Council District 1. Early voting is Dec. 2-6. Election Day for the runoff is Tuesday, Dec. 10.
Alex Fuller and Mary Calixtro, who received the highest number of votes in the Nov. 5 election, are the two candidates on the ballot in the District 1 runoff. The election is to fill the vacancy on the City Council for District 1. The winner of the election will complete the remainder of the term ending in May 2021.
The polling location for the runoff election is the Williamson County Inner Loop Annex, 301 SE Inner Loop. Details about polling hours are posted at the Williamson County Elections office website at wilco.org/elections.
Georgetown City Council members typically serve three-year terms representing one of seven single-member districts. To see maps of council districts, go to maps.georgetown.org/council-district-maps.
Animal shelter seeking donations for the holidays
Our furry friends at the Georgetown Animal Shelter want to remind everyone to keep them in mind throughout the holiday season, but especially on Giving Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Monetary donations are encourage; however, donated items also help to support the shelter’s animal welfare programs.
For donation ideas, there is an Angel Tree in the shelter lobby with ornaments featuring needed items, such as specialized toys, food, and cleaning products. These items are also featured on the shelter’s Amazon Wish List at tinyurl.com/WoofPurr. A portion of the money you spend on Amazon can also be donated to the shelter by selecting the animal shelter as your designated nonprofit on Amazon Smile.
Beds for dogs are also available to donate a discount to the shelter by visiting kuranda.com/donate and designating the Georgetown Animal Shelter as the recipient.
Other items accepted by the shelter include:
- Laundry detergent
- Dish soap
- Facial tissues
- Hand sanitizer
- New or used blankets and towels
The Georgetown Animal Shelter is located at 110 W.L. Walden Drive, and is open Mon., Tue., Thu., and Fri. 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat.-Sun. noon-4 p.m. The shelter is closed on Wednesdays for deep cleaning and surgeries.
For more information, including other ways to support our shelter’s furry friends, visit pets.georgetown.org.
Breakfast Bites: 2030 Plan Update
The Breakfast Bites meeting on Dec. 11 will feature Nathaniel Waggoner, the City’s long range planning manager, and Housing Coordinator Susan Watkins presenting “The City of Georgetown 2030 Plan Update.” The informal meeting opens at 8 a.m. in the Friends Room at the Georgetown Public Library, 402 W. Eighth St. The presentation will start at 8:30 a.m. Coffee and light breakfast snacks will be provided.
The update to the 2030 Comprehensive Plan is anticipated to be formally adopted by City Council in early 2020. The 2030 Plan is a guide for growth and development decisions in the City and is created based on input and feedback from the community.
During the presentation, Waggoner and Watkins will review the plan highlights including:
• Goals for 2030
• Growth scenarios
• An updated Future Land Use Map
• An updated housing plan
• A gateway vision
• A subarea plan for Williams Drive
Over the coming months an implementation plan will be reviewed by the 2030 Plan Steering Committee and City Council. For more information on the 2030 Plan update, visit 2030.georgetown.org.
At the Dec. 11 meeting there will be updates from City staff on:
• Arts and culture
• Public library
• Convention and Visitors Bureau updates
• Downtown construction projects and parking improvements
Also, learn about updates from downtown partner organizations and find out about new businesses in the downtown district that have opened or are under construction.
Breakfast Bites is a quarterly meeting of the Georgetown Main Street Program. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, to Kim McAuliffe, downtown development manager for the City of Georgetown, at (512) 930-2027 or at kim.mcauliffe@georgetown.org.