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Council priorities taking shape
By BLAINE CRIMMINS, Staff writer
On the heels of a previous work session earlier this month, The Colony City Council will continue to discuss its priorities for the next three years during a work session at 7 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.
Council member Kirk Mikulec said the first work session on June 18 was productive.
“It was a great opportunity for the council to discuss and come together on several of our priorities. Led by Mayor (Joe) McCourry, we reached preliminary agreement on what several of our goals are for this city council,” Mikulec said. “The work session was a positive start to the vision we seek to implement for the citizens of The Colony. There is more work to be done, and we will continue to finalize the plan in the upcoming months.”
“Leading the list of what the group saw as a high priority was our plan to proceed with Phases I and IA of the police and courts building,” Mikulec said.
Council member Allen Harris agreed. “Without a doubt,” Harris said. “There’s just so many reasons for getting that done.”
Phase I includes expansion of the jail and the addition of storage space to the facility, as well as constructing an enclosed area for police vehicles enabling more efficient transport of prisoners to and from the facility, McCourry said.
Another council priority will be lowering the tax rate.
“In addition to a half-cent reduction in the property tax rate in the proposed 2009-10 budget, our goal will be to establish a half-cent reduction per year in each of the next three years while working towards 67.5 cents (per $100 valuation) at the end of three years,” Mikulec said.
Harris said the council will be looking at efficient budgeting in order drive down the tax rate while also working on economic development.
“We have to be as aggressive as possible. Opportunities are few and far between,” Harris said.
Harris and Council member Joel Marks recently attended a conference in Las Vegas where they had face-time with prospective developers from around the country.
“The conference was different than in previous years. It probably had about 40 percent of previous attendance but it gave us the opportunity to meet with a lot more people,” Harris said. “Appointments were easier to get. Opportunities weren’t always there but deals were being made. The people that were there were serious.
“When you’re a smaller city it’s a matter of first getting some awareness of who you are. After that, you start getting interest. More importantly, when the commercial development economy starts to turn around, they’ll remember us.”
In addition to expanding the police and courts building and lowering the tax rate, the council is considering improvements to library operations.
“There is preliminary agreement regarding consideration of additional library hours and electronic resources to better serve our citizens,” Mikulec said.
At its regular meeting on June 15, the council:
*approved an agreement for additional design services for the Shoreline and Austin Ranch trails;
*approved an amendment to the Sedalco Construction Services contract for site utilities and paving of the police and courts expansion; and,
*approved the sale of two parcels of land totaling 20,465 square feet to the Texas Department of Transportation for $664,225. The majority of the square footage is located in front of City Hall, where parking spaces currently fronting Main Street will be lost to the widening of FM 423 by TxDoT. The remaining square footage comes from the property containing Office Creek Pump Station.
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