Carrollton City Council Regular Worksession & Meeting - September 27, 2022

The Carrollton City Council convened for a Worksession at 5:45 PM followed by a Regular Meeting at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 27, 2022. The Worksession included an executive session, a controversial update on tree removal at the Hebron and Josey Library, a discussion on the proposed Citywide Beautification Program, and a presentation of proposed updates to the Downtown Carrollton Master Plan. The Regular Meeting featured two proclamations, the unanimous approval of a substantial consent agenda covering IT contracts, police equipment, and CDBG funding, and a public forum where residents requested the re-establishment of an environmental committee and raised concerns about city services.

Presentations

• Proclamation Recognizing Hunger Action Month: Mayor Babick read the proclamation recognizing September 2022 as Hunger Action Month. A representative from the North Texas Food Bank highlighted that the organization provided over 136 million meals in the last year across 13 counties and thanked the city for its partnership.
• Proclamation Recognizing Emergency Preparedness Month: Mayor Babick read the proclamation recognizing September 2022 as Emergency Preparedness Month. Emergency Management Director Elliott Reep accepted and reflected on the community's response during the February 2021 winter storms.

Consent Calendar (Items 12-33)

Councilmember Polter moved to approve, and Councilmember Sung seconded the motion. The consent agenda was approved unanimously via roll-call vote.

• Item 13: Technical rescue equipment (battery-operated extrication tools/Jaws of Life) purchase from Siddons-Martin Emergency Group, not to exceed $100,055.25 from 2021 UASI grant funds. Fire Chief Thompson noted the equipment replaces older hydraulic units.
• Items 14-26: A series of IT-related items presented by the Information Technology Committee. Councilmember Nancy Cline, committee chair, explained that an internal audit prompted the bulk ratification of expenditures for cloud services, hardware maintenance, telecommunications, and software licensing to accurately reconcile accounts following the transition of IT operations back in-house. Items included contracts with Abacus, Alpha & Omega Wireless, Carahsoft, CentralSquare, Charter, DataVox, ESRI, Frontier, Granicus, N Harris Computer, Tyler Technologies, and Verizon.
• Item 27: Purchase of police uniform items and concealable body armor from Galls, LLC through an interlocal agreement with NCTCOG, not to exceed $1,000,000 total ($200,000 annually).
• Item 28: Authorization for the City Manager to negotiate a contract with Immix Technologies for the implementation of Infor CloudSuite Public Sector software (ERP system upgrade), with a total contract amount not to exceed $3,514,115 over five years.
• Item 30: Amending the contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc. to provide support services for the NORTEX SWAT consortium, increasing the annual amount by $50,000.
• Item 31: A resolution verifying that all applicable city employees completed the state-required cybersecurity training program in accordance with HB 3834 for Fiscal Year 2022.
• Item 32: A resolution authorizing an extension of the Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) subrecipient agreement with Woven Health Clinic to allow the clinic to spend down a remaining balance of $96,037.47. City Manager Rinehart clarified this was a carryover of a prior appropriation and did not represent new funding.
• Item 33: A resolution authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Dallas County for an asphalt mill and overlay project on various streets in the Country Place Subdivision (Phase 3), not to exceed $507,674.00.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public spoke during the Public Comment period for items on the regular meeting agenda (Item 11).

Public Forum (Item 34):

• Pat Cochrane: Expressed strong opposition to the removal of 20 mature bald cypress trees at the Hebron and Josey Library. She urged the council to re-establish the Wildlife and Environmental Advisory Committee (WEAC) to provide oversight on environmental decisions, preserve natural resources, and bring back the Tree City USA designation.
• Susanna Dooling: Seconded Ms. Cochrane's request to re-establish an environmental committee, stressing the importance of balancing urbanization with green space, managing water retention, and educating the public on environmental value.
• John Holland: Requested to be placed on a future agenda to discuss discrepancies in his water bills over the past four years. He asked for the formation of an audit committee to investigate the billing issues.
• James Lockridge: Argued that he is being unlawfully harassed by code compliance officers regarding nuisance citations on his property, which he maintains is agricultural. He cited the Texas Agriculture Code and requested that the City Council intervene to stop the enforcement actions.

Discussion Items

• Management Update on Hebron and Josey Library (Item 4): City Manager Erin Rinehart provided an update on the controversial removal of 20 mature bald cypress trees. She stated the primary reason was to restore line-of-sight communication between the library's weather station, the central irrigation control system, and a repeater, which had caused irrigation systems to run during rainstorms. A secondary reason involved microwave network connectivity for city Wi-Fi. Staff attempted alternative solutions (raising antennas, boosters) before deciding on removal. Regreting the negative public response, Rinehart committed to an After Action Review (AAR) to identify process and communication gaps. Councilmembers expressed disappointment over the loss of the trees and suggested reviewing the replacement landscaping (crepe myrtles) to ensure denser screening for adjacent residents. Rinehart confirmed that while the city plants over 1,000 trees annually, this specific operational maintenance action did not typically require council approval. Mayor Babick characterized the situation as an opportunity to improve going forward.
• Citywide Beautification Program Components (Item 5): Director of Development Services Ravi Shah presented a recommendation to use the $1.2 million budgeted for beautification on an illuminated overhead street sign program. The plan aims to install new signage at 72 of the city's 131 intersections, using LED technology and incorporating distinct logos for the Downtown and Trinity Mills districts. The concept was reviewed and recommended by the Redevelopment Subcommittee. Councilmembers expressed general consensus in support of moving forward with the program.
• Downtown Carrollton Master Plan Updates (Item 6): Planning Manager Loren Shapiro presented a recommendation to update the 2008 Downtown Master Plan using a phased approach. Phase 1 would focus on areas east of I-35, including the downtown core, station areas (in light of the upcoming DART Silver Line), and the Belt Line Road corridor. The scope would include a land-use inventory, market study, transportation analysis, and public input. Council consensus was to move forward with the proposed scope and process to issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a consultant.
• P&Z and PSB Appointments (Item 7): Following discussions in Executive Session, it was reported that candidates for the Planning and Zoning Commission and Property Standards Board would be invited for interviews at the next meeting.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (7-0).
• Beautification Program: Council expressed consensus to proceed with the recommended illuminated street sign program.
• Downtown Master Plan: Council expressed consensus to proceed with the scope and process for updating the master plan, focusing on Phase 1.
• Library Tree Removal: Staff was directed to conduct an After Action Review and report back on findings and potential improvements to procedures and communications.
• Interviews Scheduled: Candidates for P&Z and PSB positions will be invited to interview at a subsequent meeting.
• Council Reports (Item 8): Councilmember Sung reported on a community engagement event, noting that the Mayor and Public Safety Director attended a commissioning ceremony at a Korean church.