Weatherford
Weatherford City Council, April 23, 2013: 13 items; Proclamation for "National Telecommunications Week" April 14-20, 2013
0 consent items, 13 regular items, 3 public hearings, 1 executive-session topic; 10 recorded votes, all unanimous. Written from the minutes.
Proclamation for "National Telecommunications Week" April 14-20, 2013. Mayor Hooks issued the proclamation and thanked all of our dispatchers for their hard work. Proclamation for "Arbor Day" April 27, 2013. Mayor Hooks read the proclamation and urged all citizens to plant trees. Acknowledge "Recognized Yard" award recipients for January - March 2013. Danielle Felts, Director of Parks, Recreation & Special Events, stated that the Keep Weatherford Beautiful (KWB) Recognized Yard Program has been revitalized after being dormant for approximately four years. KWB recognized yards for January through March 2013 are: Richard Talley at 2266 Old Dicey Road; Gary and Sharon Jordan at 803 East Park Avenue; Von and Shae Dunn at 306 West Spring Street; Mark and Debra Smith at 702 South Waco; and Chuck and Sandy Canton at 1210 Forest Park Drive.
Hold a PUBLIC HEARING and consider approval of Resolution R2013-08 designating a certain area within the corporate boundaries of the City as a Reinvestment Zone, as authorized by Section 312, Texas Tax Code, for commercial/industrial tax abatement, for property identified as proposed Lot 6, being a 3.67 acre tract situated in the A.M. Krouse Survey, Abstract No. 785, Parker County, Texas and being a portion of the 51 Center, LTD. tract as recorded in Volume 2051, Page 523, Deed Records, Parker County, Texas; commonly known as 116 E. Interstate 20, "Weatherford MarketPlace Center", Weatherford, Texas. Dennis Clayton, Executive Director of Weatherford Economic Development Authority, presented this item. The Texas Tax Code requires a taxing unit to designate a Reinvestment Zone in order to enter into a commercial/industrial tax abatement agreement. The City of Weatherford adopted guidelines and criteria governing tax abatement agreement in February 2012. Mayor Hooks opened the Public Hearing at 6:50 p.m. As there were no speakers, the Hearing was closed at 6:50 p.m. On the motion of Heidi Wilder, second by Craig Swancy, the Council voted unanimously to approve the Resolution R2013-08a designating Reinvestment Zone 2013-01. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Hold a PUBLIC HEARING and discuss and consider Ordinance 617-2013-11 approving a Zoning Change for property zoned AG Agricultural to C1 Commercial, located at 2302 FORT WORTH HIGHWAY, City of Weatherford, Parker County, Texas. Craig Farmer, Director of Planning and Development, presented this item. The subject location is on the southeast corner of Center Point Road and Fort Worth Highway. Currently, it is an upholstery shop, with a tire facility on the front, and some vehicles for sale. The zoning requires this to be C-1 commercial. Staff has received one comment in favor. This location will still be subject to platting and building codes. Mayor Hooks opened the Public Hearing at 6:53 p.m. As there were no comments, he closed the Hearing at 6:53 p.m. On the motion of Waymon Hamilton, second by Heidi Wilder, the Council voted unanimously to approve the Ordinance 617-2013-11 for a zoning change at 2302 Fort Worth Highway. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Hold a PUBLIC HEARING and discuss and consider a request for recommendation of approval of a replat for property located at 1902 BAY LAUREL DRIVE, City of Weatherford, Parker County, Texas. Mr. Farmer stated that this replat is for a lot in a subdivision. The developer and adjacent property owners are in favor. Planning and Zoning recommended approval on April 10. The lot does meet the minimum size. Mayor Hooks opened the Public Hearing at 6:55 p.m. As there were no comments, he closed the Hearing at 6:55 p.m. On the motion of Heidi Wilder, second by Jeff Robinson, the Council voted unanimously to approve the replat for 1902 Bay Laurel Drive. Motion carried 5 - 0.
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Discuss and consider Ordinance 609-2013-03 approving a Municipal Code Amendment to allow chickens inside the city limits. THIS ITEM WAS TABLED ON FEBRUARY 26, 2013. On the motion of Craig Swancy, second by Jeff Robinson, the Council voted unanimously to remove this item from the Table. Motion carried 5 - 0.
City Secretary Malinda Nowell presented this item to the Council. Mrs. Nowell reviewed the methods by which Staff tried to encourage citizen feedback. Staff received 174 responses to a survey, which was the most effective method in gaining feedback. Respondents were required to live inside the City limits and addresses were verified by the GIS/Mapping department. Nine were outside the City limits and staff has been unable to confirm one address. The remaining 164 were confirmed inside the City limits and were tallied as follows: 90 (55%) in favor and 74 (45%) opposed. Mrs. Nowell reviewed several cities comparable in size, as well as other cities as small as 900 population and as large as 1.39 million that allow chickens. Certain cities were found to have notable requirements including: Farmers Branch; only allows chickens at residences where they were present before December 31, 2004 North Richland Hills; only allows chickens in areas zoned agriculture Fort Worth; must be 50ft from any house including your own Heath; allowed on tracts of 2 acres or larger Houston; not within 100 feet of a residence, church, school, or hospital Oak Leaf; at least 150 feet from adjacent living quarters White Oak; recently amended ordinance reducing the distance from neighbors from 200 to 25 feet; no roosters Mrs. Nowell provided slides prepared by the GIS/Mapping department which [...]
Discuss and consider a recommendation from the Park Board to update the current Parks and Recreation 2002 Open Space Master Plan. Danielle Felts, Director of Parks, Recreation & Special Events presented this item. She spoke about the components of a park master plan: Background/Existing Conditions, General Management Plan, and Conceptual Development Plan. The General Management Plan establishes park purpose and classification, describes existing conditions and constraints, details the desired visitor experience and identifies "management zones." Park master plans require review to ensure they are current and continue to meet the Park Board vision and needs of the citizens. All master planned sites benefit from reassessing the overall goals, evaluating the condition of built facilities, and examining the long CC042313 Page 3 of 6 range vision for the park's role in the community. Park master plans should be reviewed every five to seven years as staffing and funding allows. At their April 16 regular meeting, the Park Board voted unanimously for staff to request Council's approval to begin the process of selecting a firm to move forward in updating the 2002 Open Space Master Plan with the use of Park Dedication Fees. Because the current park master plan was adopted over 11 years ago, the Board considers it crucial that a new plan be developed. On the motion of Heidi Wilder, [...]
Consider and/or act upon the 2013 Cost of Service Adjustment filing from Texas Gas Service Company within the City of Weatherford. Janina Jewell, Chief Financial Officer, presented this item. Texas Gas Service Company submitted its 2013 filing pursuant to the Cost of Service Adjustment (COSA) Clause with the City on March 28, 2013. Texas Gas Services states that the proposed increase is primarily the result of capital investment made by their company in the North Texas Area in 2012 to modernize infrastructure, upgrade the system, and maintain exemplary service and safety standards. According to the filing there would be a $1.62 per month increase for Texas Gas Services customers inside the City of Weatherford. Ms. Jewell introduced Wyatt Irby and Stacy McTaggart with Texas Gas Services. Several years ago, the COSA was signed by agreement of all the cities in our region so that smaller adjustments could be made annually, instead of one large adjustment for several years. Texas Gas spent approximately $5 Million in capital last year. This COSA does not include increases for Texas Gas employee raises, benefits, or anything of that nature. The railroad commission requires Texas Gas to replace a certain amount of pipe; this will be a five to six year process. The rates come down over the life of the pipe; this is gradual over about 30 years. Once the pipes are replaced, maintenance [...]
Discuss and consider approval of a Revised Economic Development Agreement between the City of Weatherford and Cutter's Crossing LLC, Developer to provide for the dedication and CC042313 Page 4 of 6 construction of certain public improvements as described for property located at the intersection of West IH-20 and West Park Avenue. Mr. Farmer presented this item containing a developer agreement and an economic development agreement. The agreement was originally signed in 2010 with a three year time frame dependent upon the development of frontage roads. The current agreement expires this year. The time frame has been readjusted for another three years. On the motion of Jeff Robinson, second by Craig Swancy, the Council voted unanimously to approve the revised agreements for Cutters Crossing. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Discuss and consider an appointment to the Historic Preservation Commission. On the motion of Waymon Hamilton, second by Craig Swancy, the Council voted unanimously to appoint Kevin Hamilton to the Historic Preservation Commission to serve out the unexpired term of Ms. Stokes. Motion carried 5 - 0.
Monthly Management Report from the Director of Management and Budget, including the City's monthly financial report for March 2013 and a presentation of the Weatherford Electric's substation maintenance program. Chad Janicek, Director of Office of Management and Budget presented this report. Mr. Janicek highlighted Weatherford Electric's "SmartCOW" mobile substation maintenance software. The software was developed by MinMax and helps staff conduct inspections. The troubleshooting feature ensures staff does not miss anything. All results are stored in a database from which further analysis can be conducted anywhere at any time. Benefits include quicker inspections, regulatory reporting, more accurate data, and timelier reporting. No action was required or taken on this item. Receive an update regarding the Granicus Transparency Suite and implementation of the live camera feed. Troy Garvin, Director of Information Technology, stated that the City began broadcasting meetings and recording them via Granicus in March 2010. From the Internet and Cable Channel, only audio was available until September 2012. At that time, we began broadcasting the presentation screen and the agenda/voting information on the Cable Channel and on the Web. Staff has been testing a live camera. Next month, we plan to incorporate that content to our broadcast. Citizens can access this information live from [...]
Update regarding the "Big Tent" project. CC042313 Page 5 of 6 Mr. Fleeger asked the Council to remove this item from tonight's Agenda. The Council moved on to the Executive Session.
Action on executive session items: To take action, if necessary, pursuant to Chapter 551, Texas Government Code, VTCS, (Open Meetings Law): A. In accordance with the authority contained in Section 551.087- Deliberations regarding economic development negotiations - a) Weatherford Square, LP; b) Gamertags, LLC; and c) KEG1, LLC. On the motion of Waymon Hamilton, second by Heidi Wilder, the Council voted unanimously to approve the development agreements with Weatherford Square, LP and Gamertags, L
Executive session topics, as posted: accordance with the authority contained in Section 551.087- Deliberations regarding economic.
Compiled from the city secretary's minutes by the Ledger's extractor, in the minutes' own wording, item by item; the Ledger adds no characterization. Read the minutes for the full record.
Sources: City of Weatherford: council minutes, April 23, 2013 (Granicus); Agenda for this meeting (Granicus); Meeting video (Granicus)