Carrollton City Council Regular Worksession & Meeting - August 16, 2022

The Carrollton City Council held a regular worksession and meeting on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, beginning with a pre-meeting at 5:45 PM and the regular meeting at 7:00 PM. The council discussed and took action on the Fiscal Year 2023 preliminary budget, a bond election ordinance, and other consent agenda items. Public comments were heard on several community issues.

Consent Calendar

• Items 8 through 12 and 15 through 16 were approved unanimously (7-0) by roll call vote. These included approval of minutes from previous meetings (July 15-16 strategic planning session, July 26 regular meeting, August 2 regular meeting), software maintenance agreements with Oracle (two-year total not to exceed $225,000), an amendment to a Microsoft licensing enterprise agreement including Azure cloud services (annual amount not to exceed $868,589.50), a resolution for engineering design services for the Webb Chapel Road reconstruction project, acceptance of the investment officer's quarterly report for the third quarter ended June 30, 2022, and an agreement with AT&T/FirstNet for cellular communication services (three-year total not to exceed $849,600). Items 13 and 14 were pulled for separate consideration.

Public Comments & Testimony

• John Sutter (2304 Watermill Court) spoke in support of the proposed bond package, noting the city's conservative approach to debt and encouraging residents to vote yes on all five propositions.
• James Lockridge expressed opposition to the city's code compliance actions against his agricultural property, arguing the nuisance ordinance violates state law. He requested a meeting and asked for a hold on citations pending investigation.
• Amber Ramirez (2811 Staffordshire Drive) raised concerns about a short-term rental property next door, citing safety, noise, and privacy issues. She asked the council for stronger regulations on short-term rentals.
• Chris Toby (Nottingham HOA president) reinforced Ramirez's comments, urging stronger code enforcement for short-term rentals.
• Pat Cochran (former Mayor Pro Tem) advocated for the creation of an arts and culture commission, citing the city's diversity and the success of similar programs in neighboring cities.
• John Sutter (second appearance) suggested that the city coordinate with plumbers for a reduced fixed fee when issuing sewer inspection violations, to assist residents unable to make repairs themselves.

Discussion Items

• Fiscal Year 2023 Preliminary Budget and Rate/Fee Changes (Worksession): City CFO and staff presented an overview of the preliminary budget, including property tax rate scenarios, additions to base (ATBs), and employee compensation. Council discussed various ATBs, such as:
  • Public Safety Officer positions (2): Deferred for further consideration pending current hiring.
  • Fire station cosmetic improvements ($167,400): Consensus to fund.
  • CPR training program ($42,230): Moved from recurring to non-recurring for one year, with a search for grant funding.
  • Library improvements at Hebron & Josey ($300,000): Supported.
  • Parks master plan update: Supported.
  • Dog park lights ($35,000): Supported.
  • Generator funding: Consensus to fund one generator initially (estimated $515,000-$610,000) for either Crosby Rec or Central Service Center.
  • Traffic calming program increase: Supported; staff to evaluate further.
  • Other items discussed included sidewalk improvements, animal shelter improvements, Christmas in Carrollton expansion, and payment kiosk.
  • Employee wage increases: Council expressed desire to approach a 6% total increase (built-in 4% plus adjustments) and maintain the one-time Carrollton Difference payment. Final decisions deferred until receipt of complete appraisal data from Denton County.
• Bond Election Ordinance (Item 13): Councilmember Polter expressed objections to Proposition C ($18.9M for parks, including an indoor walking track and Perry Barn event center) and Proposition E ($2M for trails specifically mentioning TC Rice Park). He argued that TC Rice is unknown to voters and that the language was misleading. After debate, Councilmember Pendleton moved to approve the ordinance as written, seconded by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Cline. The motion passed 6-2, with Councilmembers Polter and Fleming opposed. The ordinance orders a bond election on November 8, 2022, for five propositions totaling $136,950,000.
• Webb Chapel Road Design Contract (Item 14): A resolution authorizing a professional services contract with Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson for engineering design ($339,185) was approved unanimously (6-0, with Councilmember Klein abstaining due to a conflict).

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda (Items 8-12, 15-16) approved 7-0.
• Bond election ordinance (Item 13) approved 6-2; bond propositions will appear on the November 8, 2022 ballot.
• Webb Chapel Road design contract (Item 14) approved 6-0.
• Budget ATBs: Council provided direction on numerous items, with final decisions on employee raises and tax rate cuts to be made at the August 30 and September 13 meetings, contingent on updated appraisal data.
• Tax rate: Council indicated interest in a possible tax rate reduction of 1 to 2 cents per $100 valuation, pending budget adjustments.
• Future meetings: The next worksession on August 30, 2022, will include further budget discussions and a presentation from Woven Health Clinic regarding a funding request.