Dean Highland Neighborhood Association

Category: Membership

  • A Message from the McLennan Central Appraisal District (and a reminder about our upcoming quarterly meeting)

    Hey Dean Highland,

    Jim Halbert, the Chief Appraiser of the McLennan Central Appraisal District, recently asked us to pass this message along:

    My name is Jim Halbert, and I serve as the Chief Appraiser with the McLennan Central Appraisal District.  I wanted to share an opportunity for members of your neighborhood association to get involved in the local property tax process by serving on the McLennan County Appraisal Review Board (ARB).  The ARB is a panel of local citizens that hears property owner protests and helps ensure values are fair and equitable. It plays an important role in the property tax system by providing an independent review of appraisal district decisions.

    Basic qualifications to serve include:

    • Must be at least 18 years old.
    • Must have lived in the appraisal district for at least two years.
    • Cannot be an employee, officer, or board member of the appraisal district or a taxing unit.
    • Cannot be serving in an elected or appointed office for local government.  This includes election judge, alternate election judge, and election clerk.
    • Cannot have delinquent property taxes (over 60 days past due).
    • Cannot be closely related to someone involved in property tax appraisal or representation in the district.

    Service typically involves attending hearings during the protest season (generally May through July), along with completing required state training before participating.  Pay for ARB members is $175 per diem.  If you or someone in your association is interested in serving, you can apply here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mcadarb

    I would appreciate your help in sharing this opportunity with your members.  Having engaged community representation helps ensure a fair and balanced review process for everyone.

    Please let me know if you have any questions.

    Also, don’t forget about our quarterly meeting, which is coming up this next Thursday (April 23rd). If you have a yard sign for our quarterly meetings, please put those in your yards. If you would like a yard sign to put in your yard, shoot us an email. Catch you next Thursday!

  • IT PASSED!! Plus some other news and odds and ends about your favorite neighborhood

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Yesterday’s (Mar. 3rd) city council vote — to approve or not approve a Municipal Settings Designation for the empty Hillcrest lot – has passed. Hooray! You can check out the video here. Once you click on the link, it will take you to a screen where you can click on the “Executive Session” button:

    This will take you right to the vote. Hillcrest Park was first on the agenda.

    A big “thanks!” to Melett Harrison at Waco’s Neighborhood Engagement team for digging up the link, and a big “thanks!” to our city councilman, Darius Ewing, for representing us so well. If you feel so inclined, please shoot him a “thank you” message via email to ccouncil4@wacotx.gov.

    There will also be another television segment about our advocacy for a world-class park in Dean Highland airing tonight on KWTX 10 News. It will be part of the 10 o’clock edition.

    This is just a tiny step towards making our vision for Hillcrest Park a reality. We still have a lot of work to do. Your humble neighborhood association board is currently hatching a plan to keep us engaged in service, advocacy, and fellowship (the DHNA’s stated goals) throughout the neighborhood while the city’s bureaucracy does its thing. Stay tuned!

    In fact, you can start by tuning in to our “Voices from Dean Highland” oral history project. Thanks for all your support.

  • First quarterly meeting is in the books; don’t forget about Mitchell Park cleanup tomorrow

    Hello Dean Highlanders,

    Our first quarterly meeting of 2026 kicked off with a bang. We were graced by the presence of Waco Police Dept., Waco’s Neighborhood Engagement team, Waco’s Parks & Rec Dept., Highland Baptist Church, For Keeps Coffee (thanks Cameron!), Waco Fire Dept., and Grassroots Waco. And thanks goes, as always, to Dean Highland Elementary School for opening its doors to us.

    The neighborhood association also got to update attendees on what our goals are for 2026.

    And speaking of goals for the year, tomorrow’s cleanup of Mitchell Park is still on! It’s going to be from 10am – noon. Here’s Mitchell Park (3024 Mitchell Ave., Waco, TX 76708) on a map:

    It’s going to be cold, so dress warmly, and don’t forget to bring the kids!

  • Our First Quarterly Meeting is tonight

    Hello Dean Highlanders,

    I trust you all survived the ice storm. If so, please join us to celebrate the thawing of Dean Highland at our first quarterly neighborhood meeting of the year!

    It’s tonight at 6pm at Dean Highland Elementary School (3300 Maple Ave., Waco, TX 76707). Here’s the school’s location on a map:

    In a neighborhood news update: we had a water line burst on Wenz Avenue. Here’s some pics:

    Thanks to guys at the City for getting on this issue and fixing everything so quickly!

  • Mitchell Park cleaning postponed

    Hi Dean Highlanders,

    Due to the inclement weather, our scheduled park cleaning for this Saturday (Jan. 24th) has been rescheduled for January 31st (another Saturday). We hope to see you there! Here’s Mitchell Park (3024 Mitchell Ave., Waco, TX 76708) on a map:

    Oh, and don’t forget: our first quarterly meeting is happening next Thursday (January 29th) at 6pm at Dean Highland Elementary School (3300 Maple Ave., Waco, TX 76707). Here’s the school’s location on a map:

    The meeting will feature updates on what your neighborhood association board is up to, as well as comments and information from various City departments and non-profit organizations that operate in Waco. If you haven’t already, please check out the updated membership page, and be sure to either sign up for the first time, or renew your membership with us.

    Stay warm and safe out there, Dean Highlanders and, as always, feel free to shoot us an email if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!

  • First quarterly meeting is January 29th; renew or update your membership today!

    Greetings Dean Highlanders,

    The year’s first quarterly meeting will be held on January 29th (a Thursday) at its traditional time (6pm) and traditional location: Dean Highland Elementary School. Here’s the school on a map:

    We are trying to gather as much information about the needs and wants and demographics of the neighborhood before the meeting, so please fill out (or re-fill out) a membership form before the 29th.

    As always, if you have any questions, shoot us an email at deanhighlandwaco@gmail.com.