Saturday, May 30, 2020

The Week of June 1st - 5th, 2020 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Neighbors,

I hope everyone is doing well!  The Praise Ride is not a City event but still wanted to get the word out there about it. 

Here are the draft minutes from the P&Z Meeting last week: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1gyMIZPO03mQbrPl69D7XsaGHRsCVQCwj

There's only one meeting this week and it will be held via telephone conference.  The good news, however, is that this should be the last meeting held this way.  I've been told that the next Council meeting, on 06/15, will allow for people to be present and will have public comments back on the agenda!

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Monday, June 1, 2020
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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Telephone

Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/62817/6-1-20_City_Council_Agenda_Packet.pdf

** If you have any problems joining or participating in the meeting, please call our help line at (469) 309-4012. **

This is a relatively routine meeting.  The only item on there, which I will need more clarification on is item #5, which reads: Consider authorization of the Mayor and/or his designee to file application for funds from the Coronavirus Relief Fund or any other funds providing grants for Coronavirus related costs, including all understandings and assurance contained therein and act in connection with the application and provide such additional information as may be required.

I just want to be sure that if we accept federal/state aid that we don't have to implement procedures such as contact tracing.  Since there's no backup material in the packet, I'll get more clarification prior to or at the meeting on Monday.  Everything else on the agenda is pretty routine.

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I hope that everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend and have a wonderful week ahead, Waxahachie!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com



Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Week of May 25th - 29th, 2020 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Neighbors!

Sorry for the delay in getting this week’s newsletter out.  Our family took a much-needed vacation and we’re back with renewed energy!

This week we only have the P&Z meeting, but it is an important one!

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Tuesday, May 26, 2020
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7:00 PM - Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting
Teleconference


***VERY IMPORTANT***
If you are trying to participate in one of the public hearings, you must press *9 to be acknowledged to speak.  If you encounter any problems joining or participating in the meeting, please call our help line at (469) 309-4290 for assistance. The numbers to call in to the meeting and passcodes are in the agenda packet, linked above.

Here are some of the items on the agenda for this meeting:

# 7 : Consider a plat for Willow Springs phase two. 

# 9 - 16 : Public hearings for electronic signs at Wedgeworth, Felty, Cliff and Marvin Elementary schools. 

#17 : Consider the revocation, amendment or renewal of an SUP, specific use permit, for Oak Cliff Recycling. Due to technical difficulties at the last P&Z meeting, the item was continued to this meeting.  The City has set specific rules and standards to ensure safety and stop the multiple fires at this location and is recommending that the business be allowed to continue operations as long as the company agrees and adheres to those guidelines. As stated in a recent newsletter, the primary cause of the fires was a certain machine, which was actually damaged in the December 2019 fire.  Our fire department feels that the business can continue to operate safely if the measures in the development agreement are followed.  My main reason for initially calling for the business closure was because of the danger to our firefighters and to those who live in close proximity to Oak Cliff Recycling.  I trust the judgement of our fire department in making this business safe.  If a large fire were to happen again or if they do not adhere to the terms of the development agreement, I have no doubt that there would not be much forgiveness for the company at that point.  I think that if the business is allowed to continue in a safe manner, that would be ideal, but we will have to see what information is brought forward at the P&Z and Council meetings.   

This is your opportunity to speak for or against the operation of this business.

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I hope that everyone has a safe Memorial Day weekend and a wonderful week ahead!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com

Saturday, May 16, 2020

The Week of May 18th - 22nd, 2020 in the City of Waxahachie

 







Happy Saturday!

Here are the draft minutes from the P&Z meeting this past week.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kX6W95l0biPnElBmcLdAdMv6LSQ4sHNy

Regarding Oak Cliff Metals, there were too many technical issues with the phone system at the P&Z meeting, so that case has been continued to the 05/26/20 P&Z meeting and Council will vote Monday, 05/18/20, to continue the case to the 06/01/20 City Council meeting.

There's only one meeting this week, which is the City Council meeting and I'd like to point out just a couple items of interest.

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Monday, May 18, 2020
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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Teleconference

Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/61899/5-18-20_City_Council_Agenda_Packet.pdf

The only public hearing on the agenda is being continued, so if you'd like to listen/watch the meeting, the online link here is probably the most reliable method.  http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php  If you'd like to call in to listen, please do so via the information provided in the agenda packet above.

A couple of items that are up for consideration and discussion are:

Item # 8 : Consider a petition for relief request for an impact fee waiver associated with First Look Pregnancy Center.  This is an interesting scenario and I will be asking if the necessary infrastructure is already in place or not for this building.  Impact fees are those fees that pay for infrastructure for developments and buildings.  Usually, the developers are able to pass those fees through the cost of the homes that the infrastructure will support.  Being able to tie in to city services such as water and wastewater is important, however, First Look is a non-profit.  They don't necessarily have the means to pass those fees on to others, but the money for the infrastructure must come from somewhere.  If the city waives the fees, then it's quite possible that the funds will come from the sale of bonds or from the general fund (which is largely funded by taxpayers).  If the city doesn't waive the fees, then First Look must either have or raise the money to pay for them.  As I mentioned, this is an interesting scenario, and I'm not sure how the discussion will go.

Items # 11-13 : These items are regarding Oak Cliff Metals and as stated earlier, due to technical issues with the phone system at the P&Z meeting, the Council will vote to continue the case to the 06/01/20 City Council meeting.

 Item # 14 : Discuss and take any action related to the city's response to COVID-19.  I requested that we have a discussion about reopening the city's playgrounds, but this item has been listed in such a way so that Council can receive an update on the COVID-19 situation from our emergency response manager and then discuss items such as reopening the playgrounds.  Using the data from 05/15/20 (the pictures included at the top of the newsletter), I've calculated how many people in Waxahachie currently have COVID-19 and that would be 0.09% of the population [(31/36,000) * 100].  In Ellis County, that number drops to 0.05% [(73/140,000) * 100]. Given this information, I feel it is safe to open the playgrounds.  Not only that, I think that parents should have the right to choose what is best for their children.  There may be additional information presented at the meeting, so I will always reserve my final decision for the meeting itself, but this is where I stand on the issue as of now.

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As always, I welcome your feedback on any of these items or anything else that you'd like to contact me about.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend and has a wonderful week ahead!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com

Saturday, May 9, 2020

The Week of May 11th - 15th, 2020 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Neighbors!

First and foremost, happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I hope you have a wonderful day!

There is only one city meeting on the calendar, so far, for this week.  There is only one major item on that agenda, but I think y'all will be very interested in it.


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Tuesday, May 12, 2020
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7:00 PM - Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting
Teleconference

Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/61711/5-12-20_P_Z_Agenda_Packet.pdf

Please note that people will only be able to phone in to speak on public hearings.  Meetings are still held by teleconference.  When calling in, you must press *9 when that item comes up so that the meeting moderator can acknowledge that you wish to speak.  The number to call, meeting ID and meeting password are all on the first page of the agenda packet, which is linked above.

The item that I think most would be interested in is #15 on the agenda.  This is a public hearing by the City of Waxahachie to consider revoking, amending, or extending a Specific Use Permit (SUP) at 500 Brown Industrial, the address of Oak Cliff Recycling (OCR). Most of you will probably remember, at the very least, a large fire that was at this business in December of 2019.  Staff will provide more information at the hearing, so please call in or go to http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php to stream the meeting live so you can hear what they present.  The last information I heard about this business, and this was a while back so things may have changed, was that the fires started occurring at OCR once they installed one particular machine.  This machine would sort the "fluff" from the metal, but whenever metal is involved and you have sparks, that fluff could and would catch fire.  I have been told that rather than shutting this business down, they can simply get rid of this machine and it would virtually stop them having fires.  City staff and legal department have proposed a development agreement to go in place with stipulations to help insure that no more fires will occur at this location.

Please feel free to read through the proposed development agreement to see the terms that the City wants to have in place.  It starts on page 48 of the agenda packet.  The safety of our first responders and citizens is paramount and from what has been presented, it appears that the company may be able to operate safely under the new parameters.  Again, this is from the information provided, but as always, I refrain from making any final decisions until all information is presented.

If you would like to speak on this item at the public hearing, please do so.  Public input is incredibly valuable and is also greatly appreciated.
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I hope that everyone enjoys the beautiful weather this weekend!  Have a wonderful week ahead, Waxahachie!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com

Monday, May 4, 2020

Why I Voted No on May 4, 2020

Two years ago I was sworn in to the Waxahachie City Council and this is a copy of the oath I took. I have it hanging on my refrigerator as a daily reminder of what I'm here to do.  I'm here to protect and defend the Constitution and serve the people of Waxahachie.  Tonight, I had a decision to make and it was something I thought about a lot, but in my gut I knew what I had to do.  I had to vote no on item 16 on tonight's agenda. (Link here: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/59029/5-4-20_City_Council_Agenda_Packet.pdf )

I voted down the resolution to align our disaster decree with Governor Abbott's.  As always, it is harder than you'd think to go against the grain and vote differently than my counterparts, but I had to vote for what was right.  Abbott's current order, GA-18 (link here: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-18_expanded_reopening_of_services_COVID-19.pdf ) only allows SOME businesses to open and those new businesses in the order can only open at 25% occupancy.  What does that do to our small businesses?  Many can't afford to open at 25% occupancy.  We need ALL businesses opened and we need them opening at 100% occupancy. 

The three points I'd like to make about this are:
1) It isn't the government's place to discriminate between businesses - deeming some essential and some not.  Every single business is paying a wage for someone.  Someone who may depend upon that pay to put food on the table for their kids.  Someone who may need that money to pay their mortgage payment or rent.
2) Allowing all businesses to open at full occupancy would not be mandatory.  It just makes it so that businesses CAN do so, if they are ready, willing and able. 
3) Since when should it be the government ALLOWING businesses to open?  What happened to freedom?  What happened to our natural rights? I thought about coming up with trying to compromise at a lesser occupancy than 100%, but freedom isn't something to be compromised.

Business owners have a right to run their businesses.  They also have the right to mandate face masks or lessen their occupancy as they deem necessary. People have the right to stay home and not go out.

For someone like myself who has never even had a speeding ticket, to take a stand and say no to what the Governor has ordered was hard... But this is bigger than that.  This is about freedom.  This is about men and women who lay their lives on the line to defend our freedom, only to have the government take it away and slowly being thrown scraps of it here and there, as in GA-18.  I voted no to GA-18 and this is why I voted no.


Saturday, May 2, 2020

The Week of May 4th - 8th, 2020 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Neighbors!

To all my fellow geeks out there, Monday is May 4th, so May the 4th be with you. 

Here is a copy of the DRAFT minutes from recent meetings:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p3z1vrFsrWYO2RC38mIFuGCBFfv6-qaS

Also, we only have one meeting scheduled so far for this coming week and it's a Council meeting. 

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Monday, May 4, 2020
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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Teleconference

Agenda Packet: https://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/document-uploads-001/uploads/video/agenda_file/59029/5-4-20_City_Council_Agenda_Packet.pdf

Individuals are not allowed to physically attend the meeting, but instructions on how to participate in the meeting are in the agenda packet (link above).

If you are not calling in on any public hearing item, but would like to watch/listen to the meeting, you can do so via the live-streaming link here: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php


There are a couple of P&Z items on the agenda, like a Bahama Bucks location in North Grove business park; a few proclamations, and a few items dealing with water and sewer lines.  The item that I think most people will be interested in is item #16. 

#16 Is to consider a proposed second ordinance declaring a local state of disaster due to a public health emergency and enacting regulations related thereto. It will defer to the governor's executive order GA-18, which you can read here: https://gov.texas.gov/uploads/files/press/EO-GA-18_expanded_reopening_of_services_COVID-19.pdf  While the governor's order does open up some businesses, it does NOT get rid of the shelter-in-place and leaves many businesses unable to open. Because Waxahachie doesn't share the same density as cities such as Dallas, it would be reasonable to see all businesses in Ellis County opened up, even if it is with the 25% occupancy rules.  Some businesses may choose to stay closed and that is absolutely their right, but they should at least have the opportunity to open.

This may not be a possibility at this time, unfortunately because the Attorney General's office has already issued a letter clarifying some points in GA-18 which you can read here: https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/sites/default/files/images/admin/2020/Press/image2020-04-30-163351.pdf  The city's attorney will likely have to make the determination of what we can legally do to help our small businesses.  If approved, the orders will remain in effect until May 15, 2020, as that is the day, as of now, that Abbott's executive order is to go through.

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As always, please feel free to contact me directly or leave a comment with your thoughts on how you feel about what is happening in Hachie or if you have any questions.  Email/text/comments are the fastest ways to reach me.

Thank you all, for hanging in there during this time.  It's not easy for sure, but we are slowly, but surely getting through it - together.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a wonderful week ahead, Waxahachie!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com