City Council Preview – December 17, 2013
Looking for something to do this week before Christmas? Why not come to a City Council meeting on Tuesday night? We’ll kick things off at 3pm with a Work Session followed by a Regular Session at 6:30pm at the main City Hall at 215 W. McKinney Street. Click here to see the full agenda with backup materials.
COOL CITY WEB TOOLS
This is not on this week’s agenda, but I wanted to take the opportunity to show you a few new web tools to help enhance your citizen experience in the city of Denton. I’m a fan of civic tech – finding technological solutions to civic problems. I’ve gone the last two years to the annual Code for America Conference, brought many of those ideas back to Denton, and have been advocating for an Open Data policy in Denton through my role as Chair of the Council Committee on Citizen Engagement. Check out these great tools, each of them utilizing GIS mapping technology and demonstrating the power and possibilities of Open Data to help you better connect with your city…
- CITY OF DENTON INTERACTIVE MAP – this tool gives you a bunch of layers you can use to visualize anything from “No Sex Offender” zones to sewer lines to flood plain information to City Council districts.
- GAS WELL LOCATOR – simply put in your address and find out how many gas wells are within 1000 feet, .5, 1, or 2 miles from there. Dig down to discover city and RR Commission permitting information and get a handle on the geographical proliferation of gas drilling operations in the City of Denton.
- INTERACTIVE CURBSIDE COLLECTION MAP – when do I put the trash out, honey? There’s now an app for that.
- MOSQUITO SURVEILLANCE AND RESPONSE MAP – Denton is a national leader in our aggressive approach to studying mosquito trends in order to have data-driven policies to protect our citizens. Check out this map which takes you on a chronological journey of our city’s mosquito trapping program.
WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF WATER WORKS PARK?
Water Works Parks has averaged a budget shortfall of $777,414 per year for the last four years. Surveys by the Parks staff indicate a number of reasons why people are not utilizing this resource more frequently. The City Council is being asked to give some direction on the future of the Water Park. Do we invest $4.2 million in it to add a wave pool, interactive play structure, and permanent concession facility in hopes of increasing annual revenue? Or do we continue on without investing in such capital projects, knowing that the city will continue to subsidize its annual operating budget?
While we are on that subject, here’s a commercial for Water Works Park you have probably seen. It is done by Denton’s own Jon Collins and features my friends Jason, Jane, and Ruby Danger Upshaw along with the always talented Claire and Owen Nichelson…
DEVELOPMENT ON RYAN ROAD – mixing homes and gas wells
We’ll be returning to a rezoning application near Ryan Road for the third time. Due to its proximity to a gas well site, three of us voted to deny the application, causing the application to be denied. After agreeing to pursue notification options with the aim of securing consent from any future homeowners within 1200 feet of the existing gas well, the applicant requested that council reconsider its denial (which has to be initiated by one of the council members who initially voted against the project). We did so and the matter is coming back to us again. As I stated before, my vote will be contingent on a robust notification process that guarantees that all future home buyers within 1200 feet of the well will be fully aware of this gas well prior to purchasing the home.
AMENDMENTS TO THE GAS WELL ORDINANCE
On October 29, we amended a section of the Fire Code to clarify the proper ordering of permits leading to the full permitting of a gas well drilling permit. We’ll be officially changing the Denton Development Code related to this. Doing so requires a process whereby the amendments go first to the Planning and Zoning Commission and then to City Council. This will help clarify that the Planning Department, not the Fire Marshall’s office, has the final authority in permitting gas drilling in the city.
As always, please let me know any questions or comments you have on any of these items – kevin.roden@cityofdenton.com or 940-206-5239.