City Council Preview – March 4, 2014
Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins with a Work Session at 2pm, followed by our Regular Session at 6:30pm. Both meetings will be held at our main City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street. Click here for a full agenda with backup reading material. Here are a few items of interest…
COMPREHENSIVE ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT AND ANNUAL AUDIT
Did you know that you can have access to all the major documents and data relating to the city’s financial budgets, plans, strategies, and reports – it’s all here. One of the major reports we receive each year is the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) – this represents the entire financial position of the city for the year of the report (in this case, ending on September 30, 2013). Each year, the city goes through an annual audit from an outside firm where the CAFR comprises one of four major components.
It is important to our values of open government that our books are open, accessible, and transparent to the citizens. We’ll be receiving the best possible report from our auditors and receiving an update on the CAFR. Because I sit on the Audit/Finance Committee of the council, I have the privilege of hearing this twice in one day!
STANDSTILL AGREEMENT EXTENSION (WITH EAGLERIDGE) and what a NO vote to this would really mean…
Up for a vote as part of the Consent Agenda will be an extension of the Standstill Agreement. As a reminder, this agreement was the initiating agreement that brought the city and Eagleridge to the table to discuss a possible “global settlement” as it relates to gas drilling operations in the city. While a certain amount of drilling activity was allowed to continue under the terms of this agreement, it also represents a “standstill” on any further drilling activity by the operator over the course of the agreement.
To be clear: the goal of these negotiations is to fix problems with a large amount of existing well sites that can’t be sufficiently addressed through municipal regulations. While our most recent gas drilling ordinance updates gave us a much more robust ordinance from the perspective of NEW gas drilling in the city limits, we will continue to be plagued with the problem of drilling OLD gas sites previously permitted and vested under earlier rules (especially as new technology and business models have sparked new interest in these otherwise old sites).
And to be even more clear: a YES vote on this standstill agreement is a YES to a continued stand down on new drilling activity by Eagleridge and a YES vote to continue negotiating in hopes of finding a solution to these old sites. Therefore, a NO vote on this standstill agreement is a vote to allow Eagleridge to pull new permits and the continued possibility of drilling in dangerously close proximity to protected uses. A NO vote on this standstill agreement is a vote to continue with the status quo. I don’t think that is acceptable. Negotiations may or may not be successful, but given the consequences of the current status quo, we owe it to the city to try.
As a reminder, here’s a post from this past November on the subject where I attempt to give a more comprehensive overview of the problems with these old gas well site.
As always, let me know your thoughts…
My Decision
I’ve heard from hundreds of you over the last couple of days. Beyond the many encouraging comments, I am most inspired by your vision for Denton and your willingness to work hard to accomplish it.
What has become most clear to me through this and over these last three years I’ve served on council: the creative class of Denton is emerging. They want a city that is smart, innovative, ambitious, and continually solving big problems. Having been reared politically through the abstract mess of national politics, they are discovering true democracy locally and becoming beautiful citizens with a love for their city. They are dissatisfied with the traditional role and scope of local government. Understanding that cities can and should be the incubators of innovation, they see government as one of the many essential platforms upon which people can be brought together to create great things and solve the toughest issues of our day.
As most of them are from elsewhere, they are frankly uninterested in hearing narratives about how far we’ve come. They want to know where we are heading. And, perhaps more importantly, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and be part of that movement forward. They want to create, innovate, tinker, and do.
They are looking for civic leaders who inspire them, involve them, connect them with others, and unleash them to create a great city. In reality, we as a city should be following them.
After taking seriously your comments, spending time assessing the political landscape, and recognizing that there will be many changes on council come June, I have decided that the best thing to do is continue my term as the council representative of District 1 and not seek the Mayoral seat.
Several of you are now paying attention to this race. Jean Schaake and Chris Watts are both good, honest, smart, and hard-working servants who love this city and want what’s best for it. Insist that this year’s election for Mayor be about vision and big ideas.
Jean and Chris – I look forward to working with either of you, helping you be a great mayor of this city, and helping move this city forward. There’s an army of our city’s best and brightest ready to help as well. Inspire them. Lead them.
Should I run for Mayor? Join my 24 Hour Exploratory “Committee”
Over the last couple of months, a growing number of people have asked me to consider jumping into the already crowded Mayoral race. But I’ve been told that its too late, that each candidate already has significant support and there’s no room for a third candidate. The problem is, the vast majority of our citizens have not yet engaged in this election. That’s why I’m coming to you to ask: should I run for mayor?
I’m of the opinion that Denton deserves a robust campaign for Mayor that mirrors its greatness and ambitions. Because my entire tenure on council has been marked by civic engagement, I want to take 24 hours to listen to you – to hear your thoughts and ideas. It’s your ideas, thoughts, and passions that are already shaping and creating this beautiful city. Now I ask that you help shape the landscape of our upcoming Mayoral race.
This May, the campaign for Mayor will be about what sort of city you want to help create.
I’m launching a 24 Hour Exploratory “Committee” where I am asking anyone who sees this to help me decide whether or not I should run for Mayor.
To help you decide, I’ll give you some insight into what a Roden for Mayor campaign might look like…
- Perhaps you’d see a TRACK RECORD OF LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES.
- Perhaps you’d see a VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF DENTON and a SET OF IDEAS TO GET US THERE.
- Perhaps you’d see a candidate who has the ability to BRING ATTENTION TO OUR CITY THROUGH A LONG LIST OF MEDIA STORIES.
Get educated and check out the other candidates: find out what you can about Jean Schaake, Chris Watts (no website available), and Donna Woodfork (no website available).
Then use this form to help me make a decision of whether or not to run to be the next Mayor of Denton…
Your Ideas for the City – Recap of the Denton Creatives Mixer
Some of Denton’s most innovative citizens packed out Rubber Gloves Rehearsal Studios on Monday, February 17 for the latest installment of the Denton Creatives Mixer. The focus of the event was a time where anyone could sign up to give a 2 minute “pitch” for a great idea for Denton. We called it the “Ideas for the City” Forum.
There’s something pretty special about a city where its best and brightest are eager to spend an evening together brainstorming how to make the city they love even better.
Here are the pitches (click on each image to make larger), condensed into brief abstracts. Just about everyone here is on Facebook or Twitter, so if you want to work to make one or more of these happen, track that person down…
And thanks Rubber Gloves for hosting and Hayes, Berry, White, and Vanzant for buying everyone’s first round of drinks!
City Council Preview – February 18, 2014
We’ll kick things off with a Work Session at 3pm followed by a 6:30pm Regular Session, both at City Hall at 215 E. McKinney Street. Click here for a full agenda with backup materials. Here some items you might be interested in…
TAMS STUDENTS HONORED FOR SCIENCE PROJECTS IN A BOX
My two worlds are colliding – students at the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science at UNT (where I work) are being honored with a Mayoral Proclamation at the council meeting for their work in creating and donating a series of Science Projects in a Box for each of our three libraries. Check out the Denton RC article about their fine efforts.
REPORT ON POTENTIAL BAN ON HANDHELD WIRELESS DEVICES WHILE DRIVING
This is the second time the council will hear a report and hold a discussion on a possible ban on texting and other handheld uses of a mobile phone while driving. The rise of smart phones and all their bells and whistles has led to an epidemic in distracted driving, especially among younger and less experienced drivers. It is no longer an issue of distractions while talking on the phone, now we see increasing numbers of people having text conversations, checking their facebook and Twitter accounts, and even emailing people while driving a car. Is there anything city regulations can do to curb this dangerous trend? Is that the best approach, anyway? All this will be a part of today’s discussion.
CONVENTION CENTER – UPDATE ON DESIGN PROCESS
The Council approved a Master Developer Agreement to move forward with the Convention Center project back in December of 2013. At the time, we agreed to enter into a Feasibility Period whereby all parties could assess cost projections upon entering into the design phase of the project – at the end of this period, all parties will once again have to give approval that the plans are in line with acceptable costs. We will be receiving an update on the design process during our meeting.
FOOD TRUCK ORDINANCE TWEAKS
Following a series of recommended changes to the relatively new food truck ordinance, several members of Denton’s food truck community came out to express their concerns, particularly with a provision that would prohibit on-street operating of food trucks. After a series of amendments were offered during our last meeting, staff as reviewed the ordinance and we will be discussing and possible acting upon these changes.
SOLAR PANELS IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS?
The Historic Landmark Commission heard an interesting case recently involving a proposal to place solar panels on a home in the West Oak Historic District. All homes in our historic districts are governed under special regulations aimed at preserving and protecting these homes. As such, special aesthetic standards are at play – even down to the type of siding or the color of paint. This proposal seemingly pit two important city values against one another: historic preservation and sustainable practices. The Commission ultimately voted against the proposal and the applicant is appealing the issue to the Council.