June 19 Council Workshop notes

The Combine City Council held a workshop on Monday, June 19 at 7:30pm at the Combine City Hall Combine TX to address the following agenda. Since this was a ‘workshop,’ all agenda items were for discussion only and no votes were taken.

1. Notification of Kaufman County Burn Ban and Restrictions: A burn ban is effect for Kaufman County. Therefore, a burn ban is in effect for all areas within Combine corporate city limits. This means no open fires, no container fires and no fireworks that go up in the air such as bottlerockets and missiles with fins. If a burn ban is called in Kaufman County, the City of Combine recognizes the burn ban for both the Kaufman and Dallas county sides of the city. http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9371466/detail.html
2. Amended budget proposed by the Budget Committee: The City’s fiscal year runs Sept 1 through August 31. Before May’s election, the previous Council had begun discussions of amending the 2006 budget. This is common and necessary because expected revenues and expenditures will rarely match actual revenues and expenditures. The Budget Committee (comprised of Mitzi Boyd, her husband Phillip and Beth Junelle,) reported an unofficial “audit” of the City’s accounting for the 2006 fiscal year. Apparently Ms Junelle is a registered CPA who has seen fit to offer her services to the City, although she did not offer her services to the previous Council. Ms Junelle actually presented the Budget Committee report and stated she had traced “every penny” that had been received and spent so far and had found no irregularities. The Council will now need to make the necessary line item adjustments so that the budget is balanced which is required by law. The amended budget will be required to be presented in a Public Meeting and then it will be voted on by the Council. The date of that Public Meeting has not been set at this time. (NOTE: The 2007 budget will also have to be created, presented to the public and voted on before September 1, 2006.) (Further NOTE: The members of the “Budget Committee” were selected by Mayor Taylor at some point after the May election but not at a posted and open Council meeting. It is curious to this writer that Mitzi has no problem with this “committee” consisting of a Council member and her spouse when her campaign literature stated, “…one of the candidates, if elected, could have significant control over development with husband and wife on City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission.”
3. Proposed new Animal Control Ordinance: Mayor Taylor stated his “research” has revealed most cities in Texas defer to the State Health & Safety Code Chapter 822, Regulation of Animals, Subchapter E. (He didn’t say how he knows this; maybe he called “most cities in Texas” to ask them…?) He admitted this section of the State code is not fully integrated into the proposed new ordinance. The proposed new Animal Control ordinance remains under further consideration by the Council. Appx 300 citizen petitions and letters expressing opposition to the new ordinance were turned in to Mayor Taylor. See this link for an incomplete list of some Texas cities/countys that do NOT defer to the State code, http://www.api4animals.org/b4a2_exotic-animals-ords.php.
4. Long Range Plan for Roads from Combine Road Committee: This “committee” consists of Edward Sexton and Betsie Dennie. Betsie reported the patching of all Combine roads totaled appx $5900.00. No new plans for road repair will be made until the Council can determine if Albert Harlan will finish and present his drainage study which was started prior to the May election. Mayor Taylor announced he would be serve as the City’s designee for the Trans Texas Corridor project which will completely change the face of Combine if the preferred route is chosen. That route would follow the path of the big power lines at a width of 1,400 feet which brings it directly through the middle of Combine. Public Hearings for this project are in JULY. For more info, see http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/publications/files/NR%20announce%20pub%20hearing%20list.pdf and http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/faqs
5. Revisions required to the Resolution resolving Tunnell v. The City of Combine Lawsuit: The Council acted on this “Resolution” at the June 5 meeting. However, an Ordinance is required so this “resolution” will be finalized at the July 10 Council meeting. But this is very scary. Come to find out the document the Council voted on at the June 5 meeting was NOT WRITTEN BY NOR PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY!! It was written by Mitzy and Phillip Boyd!!! This means YOUR City Council acted on a resolution to a legal matter which was before the City without benefit of counsel and which had not been reviewed by the City attorney. Granted this resolution is great for Mr. Tunnell and apparently saved the City a few dollars in Attorney’s fees. BUT what unknown liabilities is the City now opened to due to this fiduciary irresponsibility?? That should scare the bejeebbers out of all of us.
6. Make your concerns known to the Mayor and Council members, http://www.nctcog.org/rd/regdir.asp?search=city&citycode=0937