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Council denies billboard request
Submitted Photo - McKinney Police Association and McKinney Fire Fighters Association members met with the McKinney City Council after the council ratified Meet and Confer Agreements with both associations at a special meeting Tuesday afternoon.
By Dan Eakin, deakin@starlocalnews.com
The McKinney City Council on Tuesday night voted against a request for a 36-foot-wide electronic digital billboard on the southeastern corner of U.S. Highway 75 and Rockhill Road.
For more than a year, Doug Parker has been requested a rezoning of the property to allow for the sign. Had it been approved, the sign would have flashed different advertisements every few seconds.
The Planning and Zoning Commission first voted against the request several months ago and voted against it again several weeks ago.
The proposal was on the council's agenda at a meeting a few weeks ago, but was tabled at Parker's request after several people in the audience spoke against allowing the sign. An even larger sign was earlier proposed, but the size was reduced in an attempt to get council approval.
Jill Alcantara, one of the most outspoken opponents of the sign, said, "In the end, our city council, led by Mayor Loughmiller, decided to vote on the issue. The applicant was not present, but those of us who had worked so hard to oppose this billboard had the privilege of seeing it voted down."
Parker will not be allowed to resubmit his proposal for at least another year.
The council held a special meeting at 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss and approve Meet and Confer Agreements with the McKinney Police Association (MPA) and the McKinney Fire Fighters Association (MFFA).
City representatives and MPA members began discussions last January and agreed in April on the first Meet and Confer Agreement, which covers market competitive pay and phased-in pay for certification and education for employees. The agreement also increases sick-leave pay upon separation.
The agreement with the MPA is for three years, from this Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2015.
The Meet and Confer Agreement between the city and the MFFA includes most items from previous agreements, according to city spokesperson Anna Clark.
Additions include an agreement on market competitive pay, phased-in education pay, sick-leave pay upon separation and sections regarding fair treatment and management rights.
Terms of this agreement will be for two years, from this Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2014.
City Manager Jason Gray said, "All parties involved in the Meet and Confer process are pleased with the final agreements. Our public safety personnel are among the most talented and dedicated in the country. These agreements allow us to maintain market competitiveness in order to continue to recruit and retain the best employees."
The agreements were previously ratified by MPA and MFFA members, respectively. During the special meeting, council approved a resolution that ratified and finalized the agreements.
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