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With three separate executive sessions,
the DeLeon City Council addressed a lengthy agenda Thursday, November
8, 2007, in front of a larger than usual crowd.
Many of those present were there for an
agenda item described as “Discuss and consider ownership and
renovations of baseball and softball fields.”
Dr. Randy Mohundro, DISD superintendent,
was unable to attend the beginning of the meeting, so that item was
delayed until later.
The first reading of Ordinance # 015-07
vacating and abandoing portions of an alley in Block 1 of the Bender
Subdivision, was again on the agenda, with Mayor Danny Owen
immediately calling the meeting into executive session. This
particular item, originating from a property dispute involving an
alleyway, has been on the agenda numerous times in the past several
years. During an October council meeting, with most of the interested
property owners present, the city attempted to abandon and vacate the
property but were met with resistance from one owner, Bob Menzel, who
wanted his attorney involved.
After the executive session ended last
Thursday, Owen asked everyone back in, and after reading the agenda
item description again, Councilman Roy Dale Freeman made a motion to
“Take no action at this time.” By way of clarification, Gayle Stroud
said, “We will leave things as they are and we will not maintain this,
so it will be between the neighbors. We will take no action.” The two
property owners in attendance expressed satisfaction with this
arrangement.
There were five different agenda items
relating to the DeLeon Police Department, one of which was discussed
in executive session.
In open session, Chief Ralph Dickey asked
the council to consider giving him the authority to adjust the shift
hours of his men -- such as sending them home early as he deems
necessary -- while there are only three DPD officers. The Council
voted unanimously to approve his request.
The next agenda item, a request by Chief
Dickey to promote Ben Rowell to corporal and K-9 officer, with a
possible pay increase, was discussed in executive session, after
which, the Council voted unanimously for approval.
Another police department item was then
discussed (raising the starting pay for officers from the current
$10.50), in open session. At the conclusion of the discussion, Council
members voted unanimously to adopt a pay range “from $10.50 to $12.50
based on experience.”
The next item, a request to drop the
requirement for a police officer to have to live within the city
limits, and instead have a 20 minute response time, was discussed in
open session.
This item, just as the one before it, was
being presented by Chief Dickey as possibly another means to attract
new officers. After a brief discussion, Council members approved the
request unanimously.
The last police department related agenda
item, “Reinstating Robert Kluge as patrolman and/or fire marshall” was
not discussed, and Mayor Owen noted that the Council would take no
action on that item.
In other business, Council members:
• Approved the minutes from the October
25, 2007 meeting.
• Approved the October 2007 Tax
Statement.
• Voted to have the City’s Christmas
party December 8, at Hwy. 6 Cafe.
• Nominated Gaylon Atkins to the Comanche
County Appraisal District board of directors.
• Approved the placement of a street
light at the corner of Texas and Wofford streets (at the request of
nearby residents) to discourage criminal mischief in the area.
• Approved transfer of title for a 1972
Chevrolet pickup. Mayor Owen explained that this was a pickup that had
been donated to the fire department, many years ago, and that the
title was in the city’s name for insurance purposes. The fire
department “retired” the pickup recently and needed the title to sell
it.
• Discussed Ordinance #016-07, an
ordinance taxing tangible personal property in transit which would
otherwise be exempt pursuant to Texas Tax Code, section 11.253. When
some council members expressed confusion as to exactly what this
ordinance referred, City Attorney Lois Rockefeller offered an
explanation. “Goods in transit is inventory basically,” Rockefeller
said, “that someone may have here, and they’re moving them -- they may
have them in a warehouse, or a truck. But you as an entity, as well as
all the other taxing entities, have the power to tax personal property
-- as versus real property. The Legislature has now passed a law that
says that goods in transit will be exempted from personal property
taxation -- unless the city wants to continue to tax it. Then you have
to pass an ordinance before January 1. Actually, you have to have a
public hearing before you can pass this. (Planned for the next regular
meeting). This is just for information tonight, you will not vote on
this. And if you pass this ordinance before January 1, you can
continue to tax goods in transit.”
“This basically though, is just like a
business’ inventory that’s been taxed previously,” Councilman Howard
Gifford said.
“Right,” Rockefeller said.
“That’s what I was told,” Karen
Wilkerson, city secretary, agreed. “If we were currently doing
personal property tax, then we needed to have this ordinance in place.
And I checked with Juanita (Gray) and we are doing that. So we’ll have
a public hearing at the next meeting (November 29).”
In the open discussion between City
officials and employees, Mayor Owen discussed the latest progress at
the new Community Park, noting at one point that there was now
“lighting at the back part of the park” and “the bathroom partitions
are in” along with several other notable improvements.
“So we are still making headway,” Owen
said.
Council member Stroud discussed a display
that the City would prepare for the Country Christmas at City Hall
early in December. Stroud said that she and the other city employees
thought that an informational display, including a video of the
building process, a history of the project, small Community Park
calendars, and a donation jar would be appropriate. “We’re just going
to do a promotional thing,” Stroud said, “instead of trying to sell
anything.”
Stroud also discussed the latest DDT
(Developing DeLeon Today) report, in which she noted that Ben Barnes
wanted to do something in memory of his mother, the late Ina Barnes,
and the things which had been suggested included improvements to City
Hall.
Council members Freeman, Locke and
Gifford had no city-related business to discuss.
Karen Wilkerson informed the Council that
the sign for the Community Park had arrived, but there was one
misspelled business name on the sign, and it was not what she had
ordered.
After a brief discussion, Council members
encouraged Wilkerson to pursue attempts to, “get the sign as she’d
ordered it.”
At that point, Superintendent Mohundro
arrived, and discussion of agenda item #7 began.
“I come tonight on behalf of the DeLeon
School District,” Mohundro said, “to entertain a proposal that we
have. As you know, for the past many years, the softball and baseball
fields, which are currently owned by the city, has been maintained
pretty much entirely by the school. We do use it for our softball and
baseball..and we are interested, as a school district, in doing some
improvements out there. And when I say improvements, we’re looking at
some major improvements, particularly on the baseball field, including
new dugouts, new stands, new score box. We’ve had pledges made by the
Athletic Booster Club, in the amount of $10,000; the youth baseball
(DeLeon Sports) Association has pledged $5,000, and the School Board
has committed $15,000. So we have $30,000 on the table for
improvements. However, I cannot in good conscience, invest my
taxpayer’s money in that project unless the school district has full
control.”
Mohundro said with three entities
involved, the city, the school, and the baseball association, the
potential for problems is greater. But if someone is in charge of the
facilities and agrees to takes the responsibility, and has the
resources to do it, fewer problems should arise.
“There is a desire on our part,” Mohundro
said, “to take responsibility for it. We’re already doing a lot of it
anyway. We basically want all of it, so we can take care of it. We are
willing to work with the youth baseball association and draw up lease
agreements, for the long term safety of their program. We’re not
trying to preclude any access on their part.”
Mohundro said that with improved
facilities, hosting playoff games was a distinct possibility, which
would be a benefit to the city.
“My goal,” Mohundro said, “is to have the
best facilities possible for our school district...the other option
the school district has is to go out and buy a piece of land and put
it in ourselves, and it will be strictly school facilities, but for
the best interest of the community, I don’t think that’s the way to
go.”
At the conclusion of Mohundro’s remarks, Mayor Owen asked if any of
the DeLeon Sports Association members, or Athletic Booster Club
members, had any input.
Todd Griffin, board member of the DeLeon
(youth) Sports Association, said that he knew the association didn’t
have the funding to make needed repairs to the fields, and outlined a
few of them, including “inferior lighting.”
“But my concern right now,” Griffin said,
“is that as soon as high school baseball is over, that field is pretty
much ours until school starts. This last year, we had four tournaments
out there. There’s not a better playing surface probably within 75
miles of here. We had tournaments here that were supposed to be in
other towns, but they got rained out. It brought more traffic into
town. I know that short term, it (Mohundro’s plan) would be an
improvement to our baseball program, but I just want to make sure we
don’t get excluded, in any shape, form, or fashion. Because our
baseball program has grown in the last two or three years, we’re up to
over 300 kids now. I’m a strong believer that these kids have to have
something to do in the summer.”
Griffin then discussed a few more
specific concerns, including who will pay for the use of lights at
night, if it’s school property.
“I know those are things that can be
worked out,” Griffin said, “but they’re just sort of things that pop
up.”
Lacy Gibson, DeLeon Sports Association
co-secretary, also discussed some concerns including being able to use
the fields for practice after hours, during the school baseball and
softball season, which is the current practice.
“We schedule our practices around high
school baseball and softball, we know they come first” Gibson said,
“but we just need to know that we can schedule practices for our 300
youth, when the fields are not in use.”
“I don’t think that’s a problem at this
point,” Mohundro said. “I think that’s more of a logistics problem.”
Gibson went on to say that she and other
Youth Baseball Association members feel protective of their youth
because they’d “built it from nothing to something financially” and
they wanted to keep it that way.
Mohundro said he understood their concerns, and recognized the
importance of a youth baseball organization.
“The reality is, from a long term
standpoint of having a successful high school program, you want a
successful youth program,” Mohundro said. “Because if they’ve not
touched a ball or a bat until they get to high school, it’s not going
to be a very good program.”
After a short executive session, Council
members voted “to convey the property to the school, with the
stipulation that they work out an interlocal agreement with the City,
and a lease agreement with the DeLeon Sports (Youth Baseball)
Association.” |
