Council Meeting August 6th

Yesterday had some interesting things to consider.  In the afternoon session we were confronted with a very large problem looming on the horizon.  Fire Chief Don Crowson is responsible for the communication aspect of our first responders, both Fire and Police.  Our radio system is thirty years old and it is not only hard to get parts but also our neighbors all around us are changing systems from analog to digital.  The Ft. Worth system is our backup system, and it will cease to exist in December of 2014, because they have gone digital.  So if our main system goes down after December of next year we are down to cell phones.  Therefore, we need to join the rest of the neighboring communities in purchasing a new digital communications system.  The price tag is 14.8 million dollars, however with the use of some grant monies the price tag due the city is 10.8 million.  There is no doubt that we need the new system but we need to find the money, because it is a huge expenditure that currently isn't in the budget.  The most popular solution for this problem is a lease to own program by Motorola.  We would pay 1.5 million for 10 years and at the end we would own the system.  I think that this is going to be the solution to the problem.  It will take 16 months to install the system and get it up and running.

Last night also had some drama.  A car wash has been proposed for the corner of Green Oaks and Ball Park Way.  It has been postponed at the P&Z level four times and was finally defeated by them about two months ago.  The developers petitioned for a hearing to present to the City Council and make a determination on their development plan.  They made a very strong case, and an impressive push to become successful.  I personally had reservations concerning the compatibility of the project, and the concerns of the majority of the citizens in and around this neighborhood.  I did not know how the vote was going to come out, but I knew that either way the city would either get a good car wash or something better in the future.  The vote was very close, 5-4 against.  I was proud of the Council in that we validated the concerns of P&Z and upheld the concerns of the majority of the citizens in the surrounding area.