At the regular scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 19, City Administrator Julie Arrington discussed the possible increase of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). She said the PUCT has allowed municipalities to raise their telephone franchise tax rate due to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
This year, they are proposing an increase of 2.2484% for inflation. Arrington said Whitesboro has not made an increase to this amount in the past. Whitesboro is currently at .21% and the highest amount Whitesboro can increase to would be .41%. If the City of Whitesboro decided to increase this tax at the maximum amount of .41%, it would add an additional $43,762 to the city’s revenue. This would mean that residents’ bills with fiber optic and landline accounts would increase by 20 cents each month.
Alderman John Moore asked for the potential revenue increase to be broken down because the number of over $43,000 seemed like a lot. Alderman Colby Meals said the reason this hasn’t been increased for the past several years is due to the information given to them at the time, which was that this would only add a few hundred dollars to revenue. He said $43,000 is a shock. The City Council agreed to table this item until the next meeting to give Arrington some time to do more investigation on the matter.
In other news, Arrington had a discussion with the City Council regarding the restructuring of the Whitesboro Preservation Board. This was a discussion only and no action was taken during this meeting. In efforts to learn more about civic organizations that can be selected to make up the board, Arrington has spoken with several staff and community members. Arrington is to reach out to those interested in serving on the Whitesboro Preservation Board.
Next, Mayor Pro-Tem Ben Edwards moved to approve Michael Vaughn to the Board of Adjustment, three City Council members approved and two opposed. Alderman John Moore motioned to approve Suzanne Greear, but the motion died for lack of a second. Then, Alderman Moore moved to approve Susan Vardell, three City Council members approved and two council members opposed.
The City Council unanimously voted on the reappointment of David Bertino and Russell Wilson to the Planning and Zoning Board. The council also approved the reappointment of Joleen Stow and Karen Brannan to the Library Board.
Council approved Resolution 8703 to Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) requesting to close a portion of Main Street and Union Street for Whitesboro’s first Chili Fest chili cook-off in April.
This month, the Whitesboro Fire Department (WFD) received two donations, a $700 contribution from Firefighter Rolloffs and a $600 donation from Helping Hands of Faith in Gainesville, Texas. Both donations received are for the volunteer fund. According to the Fire Department’s updates, Chief Jeff Patterson opened the Whitesboro Emergency Operation Center (EOC) on a Wednesday night this month due to a lost hiker at Lake Texoma. Dispatcher Barger was on the call for over two-and-a-half hours while Sherwood Shores Fire Department crews searched.
Whitesboro EOC requested a Department of Public Safety helicopter through the Grayson County EOC. The request was canceled after the lost hiker was found before the request could be complete. The WFD recognized that Barger did an outstanding job managing this incident.
This month, Chief Jeff Patterson and Chief Stephen Wilcox met with the nursing home staff at Whitesboro Health and Rehabilitation Center in preparation for their opening. The facility currently has four patients and is working on growing their staff and patient numbers. All EMS crews have attended and completed Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications.
An approval was made by the City Council on engineering plans for the Texoma Drive Rehabilitation Project. A meeting with residents from Texoma Drive and Red River Drive this month went well. According to the agenda, residents were given the opportunity to provide input to the project. All input has been taken into consideration and the plans are 100% complete. The engineer will advertise the request for bids and the city can move forward with the project.
Arrington discussed the city needing a $1.3 million bond to get the work done on the Texoma Drive Rehabilitation Project along with other road work needed in the city. All is currently under discussion and in the planning stages.
Regarding the Elevated Water Tower Project, Arrington sought direction from the City Council regarding the right-of-way on Highway 56. The engineer working on the project suggested the purchase of a waterline easement 10 feet outside of the right-of-way to allow for the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) future expansion of the highway without causing an expense to the city in the future to move the line.
After discussing the possible costs to the city, council agreed they are all currently satisfied with the existing right-of-way on Highway 56. No purchases will be made at this time.
Lastly, after nearly 90 minutes in executive session, the City Council approved unanimously to authorize the City Administrator to engage in negotiations to purchase property for future city projects. All expenditures exceeding the City Administrator’s authority in the amount of $68,976.73 were approved.