March 2010 City Council Meeting

This month's council meeting was a little shorter on agenda items and concluded by 8pm. It was nice to see our new police Chevy Tahoe out front for attendees to view. The department was able to obtain the Tahoe unit for less than the cost of a Crown Victoria and the truck will be helpful for parts of the city where the pavement ends and scofflaws continue.

During our work session the council reviewed a suggested change to speed limits on a portion of FM917 from downtown west to the city limits by TxDOT. The council agreed with our city engineer that the portion of 917 that is Main St. through downtown should remain 30 mph for consistency and safety instead of the proposed 35 mph.

During the regular session the council approved a conditional use permit for The Pines Pet Pampering who recently relocated to 609 N. Broadway allowing the kennel portion of their services at the new location. Their new building looks nice and I welcome them to the city.

An additional well permit was requested by Chesapeake for 1156 N. Main St. and approved by the council.

Councilman Isom requested separate discussion of a consent agenda item approving an agreement with the city engineering consultants to design the first portion of drainage improvements that passed the bond election last November. Mr. Isom's concern is that the overall design plan simply moves water downstream instead of attempting to retain some locally to benefit the local water table especially during drought years. This is a good point and a concern I share as well, but I voted to approve the agreement because I felt that this portion of the work doesn't allow much option to retain surface water. I wholeheartedly support further exploration of options before larger projects are planned though and I look forward to Mr. Isom's experience in these matters contributing to a well thought out plan that will benefit the local environment for future generations.

The full agenda for the meeting is available here. As usual if you have any questions or concerns let me know.

A.J.