June 21, 2011 Council Meeting Preview
In my attempt to make your city government more accessible to you, here’s a rundown on some highlights of this week’s council meeting. Our council Work Session begins at 3pm at City Hall and we’ll convene in Regular Session at 6:30pm. Work Session is a time to go over details relating to upcoming votes in the Regular Session – a way to vet issues and gauge council direction on upcoming votes. No votes are taken in the work session – votes on items and public hearings typically take place during the Regular Session. As always, you can access the meeting agenda and back-up information (more detailed information for each agenda item) here on the city website.
Here are some of the highlights…
- REDISTRICTING – as a result of the 2010 Census, the city district maps show disparity in populations among the 4 council districts. Council has started the process of looking at options (since April) and we will hear about a couple of proposals that seek to bring the districts into balance.
- STATE LEGISLATION – been following the drama in Austin over the summer? We’ll hear a report on how the recent budget cuts and other legislation impact Denton for better or for worse.
- CITIZEN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS – Each summer, the council examines the make-up of the various citizen-run boards and commissions and takes the opportunity to select new people to serve in these various capacities. This will be the first meeting where the council addresses vacancies and re-appointments to these bodies. We will revisit this issue next month before finalizing our decisions.
- DOWNTOWN INCENTIVE GRANT MONEY – two property owners in the downtown area have applied for grant money (from a pot of $50,000 per year) to help in the revitalization of older properties. Mellow Mushroom Pizza is slated to come to Hickory Street (previously Garbage Kings) in the Spring of 2012 and is seeking $15,000. Aw Shucks Oyster Bar (with a location on lower Greenville in Dallas) is hoping to be one of the first businesses to invest to the East of Bell Ave. You know that funky-looking yellow house just to the South of the Arts Center? Imagine SE Denton neighborhoods and train riders having access to a mostly outdoor cajun seafood joint, thus sparking business interest on the other side of Bell… they are seeking $5000 from the grant program to help with facade work at that location.
- LOUD PARTY REQUEST – don’t be too loud at your house party, because some irritated neighbors may try and keep you from being allowed to do it again. A house on Myrtle Street is requesting a noise ordinance exception for a party and is being recommended for denial due to their track record of complaint calls.
If any of this interests you, come on out and observe the dialogue and deliberation. You are also welcome to comment on any of the consent agenda items at the onset of the 3pm Work Session meeting.
Let me know if you have any thoughts on these issues or questions – kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com.
Downtown Living Focus Group
A preference for urban living is growing, even right here in Denton, Texas. There is an increased desire among many to live in a place where you can work, shop, play, and socialize all within walking distance. We are already beginning to notice this in many of the core neighborhoods connected to our historic square. A slow renaissance is emerging as young professionals and young families are opting for a post-suburban experience and willing to take a chance on neighborhoods previously in decline. Additionally, with the continual revitalization of the downtown area and the new train line, interest in urban-style apartments and condominiums has and will continue to attract new development projects in this part of town.
As the council member representing this area of town, I’d love to hear from those of you on the front-lines of this emerging living option, so that we can be better advised on livability issues in this area – what are the joys and struggles of downtown living? what infrastructure is needed to help you get around sans cars? what amenities can the city or developers provide in order to make this area a more attractive choice for future residents? etc…
If you live in the heart of downtown or one of the surrounding neighborhoods, please consider serving your city by chatting with me over drinks this Thursday, June 23 at 8pm at Simone Lounge – 222 Hickory Street #104.
RSVP at this Facebook event page.
Gas Drilling Fee Vote – Some Context
June 7, 2011
No doubt there will be some chatter regarding my vote tonight at my first city council meeting regarding the reduction of fees for gas drilling operations in Denton. I voted with the rest of council to adopt an ordinance effectively doing away with the fees voted in by the council nearly a year ago as part of their Phase I review of the city’s gas well ordinances and instituting a new fee structure as recommended by an outside consultant. The Denton Record-Chronicle’s Lowell Brown already caught up with me after the vote with a very honest question: “During the campaign, you argued that you would nickel and dime the hell out of the industry. How does your vote tonight match with that claim?” (in reference to a statement I made regarding local gas drilling regulation at the Denton Neighborhood Alliance forum.)
I invite everyone to spend some time with the back-up agenda material that is available online relating to this item (4N of the Consent Agenda) – go here and then click on the link for the “Agenda with Backup.”
The city Planning Office admittedly “shot from the hip” when they suggested the new fee structure voted on by city council last August. The fees were attempting to cover the costs of needed employees and support that would allow the city to effectively regulate the industry. And this is a good thing – it would be a bad idea to essentially subsidize the gas industry on the backs of taxpayers. Unfortunately, without having the Gas Well Inspection Division in place, the planning team had very little internal background in order to justify their fee suggestions. Without this justification, the city risks a legal challenge that they are imposing a fee beyond what the service actually costs. J. Stowe and Co., LLC came in to attempt a more thorough analysis. It is unfortunate this issue played out in this way. The increase of fees was a more popular component of the Phase I process. I imagine the fees suggested under the current proposal would have been welcomed had they been a part of the original proposal last August. Unfortunately, it now appears that the city is actually lowering the fees – and this perception is meaningful.
Here’s one silver lining – the council opted not to assess annual inspection fees of gas well sites in the Extra-Terrestrial Jurisdiction areas following their August 2010 review. The consultant has argued that this should happen and tonight’s ordinance made this happen. Considering there are 762 wells to be inspected in the city’s ETJ (and only 210 in the actual city limits), at $580 per annual inspection, this means a yearly increase of around $400,000 in fees assessed to the industry that resulted from tonight’s ordinance that wasn’t in play in the previous fee proposal approved last August.
Unfortunately for the general public, most of the discussion on this issue happened during a closed session called by the city’s legal department. I can say this: concerned citizens would have appreciated the rather spirited discussion that took place on this issue. Several questions remain about the new fee structure – and here are some of mine:
- Little to no analysis was done on certain items by the consultant, making some of his fee suggestions seem as arbitrary as the original city analysis. This came to light specifically relating to the fee for the Gas Well Development Site Plan, which is why this suggestion was pulled out from the motion to approve the ordinance tonight.
- It is still unclear how the books balance between the costs associated with the new Gas Well Inspections Division (which now stands at 6 Full Time Employees – an increase of 2 since last August) are completely covered by the new suggested fees. Taking into account just the annual inspection fees (which cover all wells – even those that have been around for a while both in they city and the ETJ), assuming a 85% collection rate, the salaries of the Division are covered. Other items still need to be accounted for such as vehicles, equipment, office space, technology, administrative support, etc. We will continue to examine this – there should be NO subsidization of the industry with tax payer money.
- Much of what we mean by “inspection” will not be filled-out until we proceed with Phase II of the ordinance review – the costs associated with this may certainly rise depending on the levels of protection we afford our citizens from these sites.
Rest assured, this issue of drilling and production fees will be fully vetted as we move through the Phase II process – and the fees can be re-examined at any point where it appears discrepancies exist.
It should be noted that two other encouraging decisions were made tonight for those concerned about natural gas drilling activity in Denton. First, the council voted unanimously to adopt the Fair Share Resolution in order to encourage TCEQ to mandate new control measures for the release of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the gas drilling industry ahead of its upcoming vote on a new DFW Air Plan. The technology is already in place that can help both our air quality and the industry save more money – a rare win, win for this issue.
Second, there was support on the council to examine how citizens will be involved in the process of the Phase II gas well ordinance review. Denton’s citizens are up for the task. If you are interested in helping out, let me know.
As always, please share with me your thoughts and your questions – you can email me at kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or call me at 940-206-5239.
Roden for Denton T-Shirts
We now have a new and fun campaign t-shirt on limited supply… This is a great way to spread the word about our vision for Denton as we head into the final weeks of the campaign.
For a minimum donation to the campaign of $12, this shirt can be yours! Just click on the PayPal link to the right and put your shirt size in the comment section of your donation submission. But don’t feel confined to $12 – please consider a $20, $50 donation or more. We need help as we push to get the word out to as many District 1 voters as possible!
Here’s the front:
And here’s the back:
DCTA Tower Update and Thoughts
The Denton City Council tonight voted to approve a controversial DCTA communications tower set to be built just off Teasley Lane in the SE Denton neighborhood. The vote passed by a margin of 6 to 1 with District 1 council person Charlye Heggins voting against it. At issue was the approval of a Special Use Permit allowing the construction of a 180 foot tower on DCTA property. Prior to approval, the council attached three conditions to the permit including: 1) landscape screening surrounding the tower, 2) monitoring of possible TV, radio, or cell interference complaints for six months, and 3) only DCTA communication can be used on the tower. DCTA claimed the site was the best of possible options. Neighborhood concerns centered on neighborhood aesthetics, electrical interference from communication equipment, health and safety concerns, and placement decisions.
After a lengthy work session discussion with DCTA officials, council members at tonight’s meeting said they felt comfortable that the neighborhood concerns were met with the answers to their questions and the conditions placed on the project.
This entire issue sheds light on the problem of a decision-making process that tends to treat otherwise connected issues in isolation from one another. Sure, the city council tonight technically addressed some of the concerns raised by the neighborhood critics concerning this tower. But there is a larger narrative at play with this A-Train issue that runs beneath the surface of this specific neighborhood fight. The fact is that the SE Denton neighborhood, more than any other Denton neighborhood, has bore the brunt of the issues relating to the upcoming A-Train. They have had to deal with a rail line suddenly becoming active again. They have had to deal with the future knowledge that a train would soon be running through their neighborhood. They have had to deal with the constant construction with its associated road closures for the last couple of years. They have had to deal with the possible safety issues for their children who might play around the tracks. And much more…
Add to this the more fundamental subtext of a neighborhood that has a tragic history of being slighted by the city ever since the citizens voted to uproot and forcibly move historic Quakertown to make way for a city park back in the early 1920s.
To be sure, DCTA has made attempts to work with the neighborhood on a variety of issues: investing in previously non-existing infrastructure, insulating a house near the train, working with local schools to provide education to the students, and communicating with neighborhood leaders and businesses on key issues. But at the end of the day, it is not DCTA’s responsibility to make sure neighborhoods are treated fairly with such a process – that is the job of the city council.
Although attempts have been made throughout the process to ease the burden of the coming train and its associated construction, the impression has been that these attempts are “just enough to get by.” But a more important question must be addressed by our city council: What has been done to get the SE Denton neighborhood on board with the train?
What has been done to meaningfully sell them on the great possibilities this train can create for their families, neighborhood, and businesses? All the focus of the potential of the train has been aimed in one direction – away from SE Denton and toward the downtown area. No doubt, the square area stands to benefit from this, as it should. But what plans are in place to make sure the neighborhood most impacted by these changes stands to gain considerably from this train?
As the train comes to town, it’s time for District 1 to have an experienced, proactive, and visionary voice sitting on the City Council to make sure their interests are represented. Given the large sacrifice put upon the SE Denton Neighborhood, here are just some of my ideas of how they should benefit:
- Every school age child living within a certain proximity to the A-Train tracks should be given a free train pass that is good for the entire summer. This should be done as a joint partnership between DCTA, the City of Denton, and private donors who can even set-up SE Denton neighborhood outings to help the children learn more about train safety and to sell them on the benefit of the train.
- DCTA is planning a series of Rail Safety days to introduce the train to the public. The Denton day, scheduled for May 21, is set to be held at the Med Park station. No such day is scheduled for the downtown station – the station closest and most available to residents of SE Denton. This is a mistake. Either the location should change or an additional day should be scheduled to accommodate the needs of that neighborhood.
- Through adequate signage and brochures, the city should work with SE Denton businesses to develop a “Discover SE Denton” marketing campaign to direct out-of-town train visitors to the amenities to the East when they pull into the Downtown Transit Station. This should highlight SE Denton eateries and businesses as well as other historic attractions in this historic neighborhood.
- The city should fast-track a mobile food cart pilot program aimed at helping SE Denton businesses take advantage of rail traffic. There are already existing taco stands along McKinney and other local businesses just waiting for the relaxing of regulations that would allow such an option. The A-Train station is a great place to try out such a program and the SE Denton businesses should be given special consideration.
- and let’s keep brainstorming…
The train is coming – let’s make sure it is a good thing for ALL of our residents. Justice requires as much.