At the Helotes City Council meeting on Thursday, June 25, 2009, Council members discussed imposing an additional tax on Helotes homeowners and businesses by establishing a Municipal Surface Water Drainage Utility System.

The purpose of this Drainage Utility System would be to raise revenue that will be dedicated to drainage projects that have been identified by Council.  All existing drainage facilities within the City limits (the City’s ETJ [Exterritorial Jurisdiction] would be excluded) will be dedicated to the Utility System.

The taxes collected would be used for the creation, operation, planning, engineering, inspection, construction, repair, maintenance, improvement, reconstruction, administration, and other reasonable and customary charges associated with the Utility System.  The City can also borrow money based on the revenue collected through this tax.  The City will maintain sovereign immunity and will not be liable for flooding or adverse water quality.

All Council members appeared to be in favor of approving this new tax, but they couldn’t agree on the amount that will be charged.  They finally agreed on a tentative tax of $5 per home per month.  This amount could be reduced before the ordinance is finalized, but it could not exceed the $5.  They also voted to limit the amount of Drainage Utility tax paid yearly by a business to $200.

Whatever amount is finally agreed upon will appear on the City’s fee schedule, and it could be changed by Council at any time.  Usually the fee schedule is reviewed at least once a year, but it is done at Council’s discretion.

The complete proposed ordinance will have to be published in the Helotes Echo three times, and there will be a public hearing held to discuss this new tax.

COMMENTS???

AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNCIL MEETING:

The Mayor’s report will include an update on on-going public works projects and on the police and fire station construction.

CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS – (Unless a Council member has a question about, or pulls, an item from the consent agenda, all the items listed will be voted on without any discussion.  These items are considered by City Staff to be non-controversial.)

Approval of the minutes of the last Council meeting.

Approval of the bi-weekly Revenue/Expenditure Report (a copy of which is usually linked to the agenda on the City’s website, but was not this time for some reason).

Authorizing Mayor Schoolcraft to execute an Encroachment License Agreement between the City and the Bluffs at Old Town Helotes (in particular involving the sign for Stellar Books), 14391 Riggs Road, for an existing sign encroaching onto City right-of-way to accommodate planned capital improvement projects within the Old Town Helotes Special District (i.e., sidewalks).  Bluffs at Old Town Helotes is owned by Ken Dempsey.

Approval of a conceptual design plan for the expansion of an existing building, housing Stellar Books, at 14391 Riggs Road, including site plan, building design, and exterior lighting.  The expansion will accommodate a coffee shop serving coffee, drinks, and pre-packaged foods.

Approval of a request for a fee-in-lieu of detention and a request for a variance to platting requirements and procedures for property located at 14391 Riggs Road (you guessed it – Stellar Books again).

Approval of the following board, committee, and commission appointments and City Council liaisons (*denotes new members).

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT - Ed Villanueva, liaison

Regular Members – Niels Jenson, Chair; Robert Logue; Douglas B. Deptuch; Charles E. Roberts (not listed – Paul Friedrichs)

Alternate Members – Donny R. Jones; *Frank Thompson (replacing Barb Galland); Jerry Cotton (not listed – Steven Ritchie)

ETHICS COMMISSION – David Legendre, liaison

Michael Black; Thomas Robey (not listed – Gary Dawkins, Joe Reiter, Kathy Oliver, Reudy Loeffler, and Ben Miles)

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE - Whoever replaces Jeff Ellis, liaison

Linda Montemayor; Bert Buys, Maria McCarns; *Donny Jones; *Megan Mutschler, and Scott Muenz, Chair (not listed – Phyllis Jackson)

PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION – Cynthia Massey, liaison

Gregg Michel; Alex Blue; Joe Edmond; Richard Hawk, Ron Hozza, Sandra Ethridge; Michael McGlothing; Jerry Cotton (not listed – Alison Rivenburgh who just resigned, and John Cooper)

FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS – Rich Whitehead, liaison

Approval of an application for the Adopt-a-Street Program by the Helotes Heritage Association for debris/trash cleanup on Old Bandera Road and Scenic Loop Road from Hwy. 16 to the corporate city limits.

Approval of a resolution proclaiming support for the creation of a league of suburban cities receiving franchise fees from CPS Energy whose mission will be to increase the franchise fee payable by CPS Energy to suburban cities.

AGENDA ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION:

Approval of an ordinance amending the City’s Major Thoroughfare Plan.

Discussion of and action on the creation of a 9-hole disc golf course within the Helotes Natural Area at Parrigin Road and FM 1560 to be funded through remaining monies authorized by the City Council for the Helotes Natural Area improvements.  (To find out more about Disc Golf go to www.discgolfassoc.com.  To read more about disc golf in Helotes, go to the City’s website, www.helotes-tx.gov, click on Agendas and Notices at the top of the home page, click on City Council Agenda, click on July 9, 2009, go to agenda item #13 and click on attachments 1, 2, and 3.

And last but not least, discussion and action on the appointment of Alderman, Place 3 (replacement for Jeff Ellis who resigned in May).

Fence Removal Came as a Surprise to Some

It’s early on a Thursday morning and you get a frantic call from your next-door neighbor.  “Your back fence has been taken down and your dogs are loose.”

This happened to Helotes residents who live on the street behind the Helotes Plaza (previously known as the Helotes Shopping Center) where the new CVS is being built.  The contractor is replacing all the residents’ fences that run along the back of this shopping center.

On the previous Tuesday, he had notified the residents that were home, and if no one was home, he taped a note to their front door.

Unfortunately, at least one of these residents was out of town until late Wednesday night and did not see the note.  That note was the contractor’s only effort to contact the absent homeowners to tell them they would be removing their back fences.  No phone calls.  No letters through the mail.  No emails.  No confirmation that they knew what was going to happen.

This resident was able to find her dogs and get them home safely, but the outcome could have been very different.  What if she had already gone to work that morning or she had still been out of town and her dogs had been loose all day?

To make this situation even more frustrating and somewhat puzzling is the fact that on several occasions in the past, at meetings between the owner of the Helotes Plaza and the residents living behind the Plaza, and at several Helotes City Council meetings, the owner had made it clear to everyone that he was not going to replace the fence running behind his shopping center.  He had declared that the fence was the responsibility of each of the homeowners, and our City Council had not had a problem with that.

What  happened to change his mind?  When was the decision made to replace the fence?  Was this change approved by Council?  Surely if Council had known about this, they would have required the contractor to notify each of the homeowners in a more official way than by taping a note to their front doors, and surely they would have required more than just a day and a half notice.  Wouldn’t they?

Most of us would not have been happy with such an intrusion early on a Thursday morning.  We would have had to make arrangements to secure our animals and our property.  Would a day and a half have been enough for you?

Let us know what you think.