Carrollton City Council Regular Worksession and Meeting: June 17, 2025

The Carrollton City Council met on June 17, 2025, for a combined Regular Worksession and Meeting at City Hall. The council heard funding presentations from Metrocrest Services and the Children's Advocacy Center, received a final legislative update from the 89th Texas Legislative Session, and amended school zones due to anticipated school closures. The regular meeting included a unanimous consent agenda vote and the appointment of council leadership. Councilmember Christopher Axberg was absent.

Consent Calendar

• The council unanimously approved the Consent Agenda (Items 11–24). Discussion preceding the vote provided context on several items:
• Item 11 (Credit Card Processing): Staff justified a contract increase to $4.5 million due to growing credit card transaction volume. The city passes a 2% fee to users but incurs a net cost of approximately 1.5%.
• Items 13-14 (PID Assessments): Agreements with Denton County for Castle Hills PIDs 1 and 2 are pass-through arrangements for private infrastructure development funds, administered by DTA (formerly Tossig and Associates).
• Item 21 (School Zones): An ordinance modified school zone boundaries and times due to the anticipated closure of seven schools (Furneaux ES, McCoy ES, Central ES, Long MS, Polser ES, and Life School Carrollton). The Rosemeade Parkway zone adjacent to Harmony Science Academy will be converted to a "when flashing" classification with no designated times.
• Item 22 (Parks Master Plan): The 2025 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan was adopted as the city's guiding strategic framework.
• Item 24 (DART Board): Doug Hrbacek was reappointed to the DART Board of Directors for a two-year term.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Consent Agenda Hearing: No members of the public spoke.
• Public Forum (Item 26):
  • William Cole Pepper (speaking for Joseph Dan Peral): Appealed a code enforcement violation requiring the removal or drastic cutting of decorative bamboo planted 45 years ago on Rock Springs Court. Mr. Peral, aged 84 and hospitalized, requested an alternative solution allowing the bamboo to remain with continued trimming and mowing to confine it.
  • Sal Trippie: Criticized the city utility billing cycle, asserting bills are mailed on the 3rd, typically not received until the 10th or 11th, and due on the 17th. He complained about aggressive late payment warnings, water shutoffs, and an unreliable online payment system in April and May.
  • Terrence Vidovich: Was recognized to speak on justice; however, the council meeting was adjourned immediately following his introduction and no testimony was recorded.

Discussion Items

• Metrocrest Services Update: Tracy Eubanks reported serving a projected 14,698 Carrollton residents (11% of the city's population, a 21% increase). He highlighted a funding crisis: non-government donations were down 29% since January, and the North Texas Food Bank lost $11 million in USDA funding (losing one in four meals). A one-time funding request of $102,284 was made to stabilize operations over the immediate emergency.
• Children’s Advocacy Center for North Texas Update: Kristen Howell reported nearly 5,000 children served across three counties. Carrollton referrals dropped from approximately 214 to 148 due to a 2023 legislative change, but are expected to rebound to prior levels. The center requested roughly $101,000, representing 20% of the per-child cost normalized over a three-year rolling average.
• Legislative Update (89th Session): Larry Gonzalez provided the final session recap. Key outcomes included successfully blocking the destination sales tax bill through a broad coalition focused on transit authority impacts, and the passage of the child abuse investigation bill (SB 1833), which is awaiting the governor's signature. The omnibus hotel bill died over a single Senate amendment. A potential special session on Congressional redistricting was identified as a key variable.
• Council Liaison Appointments: The mayor presented a proposed assignment list ensuring equitable distribution of six appointments per council member. A potential new liaison for nonprofit grants was deferred pending budget finalization.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda (Items 11-24): Approved unanimously (7-0). Motions were made by Councilmember Klein [transcript name; agenda lists Councilmember Nancy Cline] and seconded by Councilmember Andrew Palacios.
• Council Officer Appointments (Item 25): Approved unanimously (7-0). Councilmember Christopher Axberg was appointed Mayor Pro Tem, and Councilmember Daisy Palomo was appointed Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, effective July 1, 2025.
• Proclamation: Adopted recognizing the week of June 22–29, 2025, as Amateur Radio Week.
• Funding Requests: Presentations from Metrocrest Services and the Children's Advocacy Center were received. No formal action was taken on the specific funding requests during the meeting; formal appropriations require a future council vote, likely through the budget or an agenda item.