Sunday, January 31, 2021

The Week of February 1st - 5th, 2021 in the City of Waxahachie

 Hello Friends,

Before we start in, I've received many messages regarding the availability of the COVID vaccine, and I'd like to provide an update regarding that here.  Ellis County, along with the City of Waxahachie and Baylor, Scott & White, have established a vaccine hub located in Waxahachie.  You can learn more information and if you'd like to, register to receive the vaccine if you are in either the 1A or 1B groups by following this link. https://www.co.ellis.tx.us/1023/COVID-19-Vaccine  

We have had some recent city meetings and I have scanned the draft minutes from those meetings for your review.  You can access them here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-YFSqE4itkoIUy6V2XETiZ_biHebStew/view?usp=sharing

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Monday, February 1, 2021
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6:00 PM - City Council Briefing Session
Council Conference Room, City Hall
 
 
This briefing is held to discuss items for the 7:00 PM regular Council meeting.  This is an open meeting and residents are welcome to attend; however, it is not live-streamed.
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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall

 
Much of this agenda is from Planning & Zoning although there are a couple of items that may be of interest.
 
22.  Consider proposed Resolution in support of Navarro College's pursuit of legislative approval to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Degree
 
23. Consider proposed resolution accepting a petition to create the Emory Lakes public improvement district, calling for a public hearing to consider the feasibility and advisability of establishing the district and authorizing and directing the publication and mailing of notices of the public hearing.
 
24. Consider proposed resolution of candidate nomination for the Ellis Appraisal District Board of Directors vacancy for the year 2021.  We have another vacancy.  If you or someone you know is interested in this volunteer position, please contact me prior to Monday's meeting.
 
25. Consider authorization of smart meter funding analysis with Performance Services, Inc.
 
This is an open meeting and residents are welcome to attend, but if you are unable to be there in person, it will also be live-streamed at the following link.  http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php
 
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Thursday, February 4, 2021
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8:30 AM - Cemetery Board Regular Meeting
Council Conference Room, City Hall
 

There were a couple of items carried over from the previous board meeting that will be discussed and any necessary action will be taken.  In particular, setting the prices for plots and columbarium niches and discussing permanent marker fees.

This is an open meeting and residents are welcome to attend, however, the meeting is not live-streamed at this time.
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3:00 PM - Park Board Regular Meeting
Council Conference Room, City Hall


This is a fairly routine meeting with one exception.  Staff will present a standard operating procedure to the board for the board's review regarding staff approval of service projects such as Eagle Scout projects.  This SOP is included in the agenda packet linked above, if you would like to review it as well.

This public meeting is open to residents, but is not live-streamed at this time.
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That is all for this week.  I hope that everyone has a blessed day and wonderful week ahead!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson
Waxahachie City Council, Place 3
molson@waxahachie.com
(text) 817-507-5162


 

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Sunday, January 24, 2021

The Week of January 25th - 29th, 2021 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Friends!

I hope that everyone is doing well!  We only have the P&Z meeting and briefing for public meetings posted so far for this week.  You can always check back on the city's calendar to see if more meetings have been added.  http://www.waxahachie.com/calendar.php

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Tuesday, January 26, 2021
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6:15 PM - Planning & Zoning Commission Briefing
Council Conference Room, City Hall
 
 
This briefing will discuss items for the 7:00 PM P&Z regular meeting.  It is open to the public, should you wish to attend, but is not live-streamed.
 
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7:00 PM - Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall
 
 
Much of this meeting is routine in nature, although the one case below, may be of interest.
 
20 & 21 -  A zoning change request by George Salvador, Lilian Custom Homes, from a Single Family Residential-1 to a Single Family Residential-3 located at 401 Ovilla Road.  SF1 homes are larger and have larger lots than our smallest category of home, which is SF3.  Staff is recommending denial of this zoning change.

This is a public meeting, but if you are unable to attend, you can also watch online at: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php
 
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Well, y'all that was it for this week!  I hope that everyone has a blessed day and a wonderful week ahead!

Your Friendly Councilmember,

Melissa Olson, CMO
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com
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Sunday, January 17, 2021

The Week of January 18th - 22nd, 2021 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Friends!

Since we've had a busy couple of weeks, there are several board draft minutes that I've scanned in for your review.  They are a great glimpse at what has happened at our recent public meetings.  You can view them here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JY6oj-QPFDc_lvYPmuM3pACK4PxUeSxe/view?usp=sharing

If you missed the recent P&Z meeting and would like to see how things went, you can click on this link to view the meeting: http://waxahachietx.new.swagit.com/videos/111294  Once you've gone to the link, you can select which items on the agenda you'd like to view, if you don't want to see the whole meeting.

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Monday, January 18, 2021
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* Martin King Luther Jr. Day *  City Hall will be closed for the holiday.  See above picture for details.
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Tuesday, January 19, 2021
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6:30 PM - City Council Briefing
Conference Room, City Hall
 
 
This briefing will discuss items for the 7:00 PM regular meeting.  The meeting is open to the public to attend; however, it is not live-streamed at this time.
 
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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall
 
 
The meeting is mostly comprised of P&Z items which you can view the minutes from the recent P&Z meeting in the link at the beginning of the newsletter.  A couple of other items of note:
 
6 - Letter of Commendation presentation by the Fire Chief for Officer Austin Rollins due to heroic actions performed by Officer Rollins on January 9, 2021. (The full letter is in the agenda packet, linked above.)

7 - Proclamation proclaiming January 26, 2021 as "Bessie Coleman Day".

19 - 21: Continue public hearing for apartments to go in between the daycare and Park Place Apartments located on Park Place.  

23 - Consider proposed ordinance ordering an election for at-large council members places 4 & 5.

This is a public meeting and residents are welcome to attend.  For those who are unable to attend, the meeting will also be live-streamed at the following link: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php

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Friday, January 22, 2021
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3:00 PM - Parks Board Work Session
Parks Conference Room
401 South Elm, Waxahachie


The Park Board has been chosen to be the steering committee for the lake parks master plan and this meeting will involve a lot of conversation regarding future ideas for the lake parks.  Even though I am the Council representative to the Park Board, it was decided that a different Council member will serve on the steering committee due to their close proximity to the lake.

This is, however, a public meeting and all are welcome to listen in to the discussion.  There aren't going to be public comments, but this is the opportunity to hear about the future of those parks around the lake and which direction they may go.  Very interesting!  This meeting will not be live-streamed.

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That's all for this week!  I hope that each of you has a blessed day and a wonderful week ahead!
 
Your Friendly Councilmember,
 
Melissa Olson
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com
 

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Sunday, January 10, 2021

The Week of January 11 - 15, 2021 in the City of Waxahachie


Hello Friends!

Happy snowy Sunday to you all.  I hope everyone is staying warm! 

We have several meetings this week, so let's jump in. To check the city's calendar at any point, you can go to the following link: http://www.waxahachie.com/calendar.php

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Monday, January 11, 2021
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8:30AM - Firemen's Relief & Retirement Fund Board Regular Meeting
Waxahachie Fire Station No. 1
407 Water Street


This agenda has some out of the ordinary items that you might find interesting.  Items 3-7 deal with adding a new firefighter and a new civilian member to the board.  They will then reorganize the board.  The rest of the agenda, which can be viewed above, is routine.  This meeting will not be live-streamed; however, it is a public city meeting and residents are welcome to attend.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2021
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3:00 PM - Waxahachie Community Development Corporation (WCDC) Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall
 

4 - Hear Fiscal Year 2020 4th Quarter Financial Report for the WCDC (details are in the agenda packet link)

The rest of the meeting is routine, but the agenda packet for this meeting holds details of Civic Center activities, community beautification efforts, list of activities at the Sports Complex and more.  Even with COVID, the city has continued to run as normally as possible in many respects.  This meeting will not be live-streamed at this time, but is open to the public should you wish to attend.

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6:15 PM - Planning and Zoning Commission Briefing
Conference Room, City Hall

 
This briefing will discuss items for the 7:00 PM regular P&Z meeting.  These are often highly informative and open to the public.  It will not be live-streamed at this time.

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7:00 PM - Planning and Zoning Commission Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall
 
 
17 -18 :  Public hearing on a zoning change for apartments to go next to Park Place Apartments.  The zoning already allows for multifamily zoning and the developers have had multiple meetings with surrounding residents and have incorporated that feedback into their project.  Staff is recommending approval.

19 -20 : Public hearing on a request for approval of a planned development to allow a development of single family homes, cottage style homes, retail/office, and park/open space on 188.46 acres West of 2374 W Highway 287 Bypass. Staff is recommending approval.

This meeting will be live-streamed at the following link: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php

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Wednesday, January 13, 2021
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Today is the first day to file your application to run for City Council Place 4 or 5.  Candidate packets with the necessary paperwork can be picked up during normal business hours at the City Secretary's office.  You can find more information about the upcoming election and which candidates have filed (once filing begins) by going to this link: http://www.waxahachie.com/departments/city_secretary/elections.php

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Thursday, January 14, 2021
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4:00 PM - Mid-Way Regional Joint Airport Board Regular Meeting
Upstairs Common Area of Mid-Way Regional Airport
131 Airport Dr., Midlothian, Texas
 
 
A couple of interesting items on the agenda include:
 
5 - Introduction of new board members
 
6 - Consider Ground Lease and Layout Design for Mark Singleton
 
9 - Consider Pancake Breakfast & Fly-In
 
10 & 11 - Election of officers and appointment of Sub-Committees
 
This meeting will not be live-streamed,  but is open to the public, should you wish to attend.
 
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5:30 PM - Heritage Preservation Commission Regular Meeting
Conference Room, City Hall
 

This is a very short agenda, dealing mostly with the approval of new and renewal HT tax exemption applications.

This meeting will not be live-streamed, but is open to the public, should you wish to attend.
 
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Those are all of the meetings that we have scheduled so far for this coming week.  Stay warm and healthy and have a wonderful week ahead!
 
Your Friendly Councilmember,
 
Melissa Olson, CMO
molson@waxahachie.com
(text) 817-507-5162
 



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Sunday, January 3, 2021

The Week of January 4th - 8th, 2021 in the City of Waxahachie

Hello Friends,

Happy New Year!  I hope and pray that 2021 will be a great year for everyone!  Being the first full week in the new year, we have several meetings going on.  It will be a busy first week in the city so let's jump in.  As always, please review the city's calendar to see if there are any added meetings after the publication of this newsletter. http://www.waxahachie.com/calendar.php

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Monday, January 4, 2021
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6:30 PM - City Council Briefing
Conference Room, City Hall
 

Conduct a briefing to discuss items for the 7 PM regular meeting.  This meeting is open to the public for attendance, but it will not be live-streamed.

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7:00 PM - City Council Regular Meeting
Council Chamber, City Hall


We have a relatively short agenda but there are a couple items I'd like to point out.

# 6 - This is the new ordinance that will reflect our new polycart trash system which will start on April 1, 2021.  I will be requesting a couple of revisions to what has been presented, but overall it is okay as an ordinance.  For example, it specifically does NOT state that you must keep your polycarts out of sight from the street.  If you don't have room in your garage for your polycarts, you may store them on the side of the home, as long as it is behind the build line (not okay to keep them at the curb).

# 8 - Proposed Resolution of Candidate Nomination for the Ellis Appraisal Board of Directors vacancy.  I currently do not have anyone in mind to serve in this capacity, but other council members may.  If you are interested in serving on the appraisal BoD and you meet the qualifications (in the agenda packet), please get in touch with me ASAP.

# 9 - Consider appeal for exemption to Police Chief's decision related to City Ordinance #3096 relating to sexual offenders.  The details are in the agenda packet above, but there has been a young man who was convicted of an offense that requires him to be registered as a sex offender.  He has been released from prison and is now 22, but the home in question is within 1000' from a city park.  The police chief has denied the exception to allow him to live in this home within the safety zone, but the family has appealed the decision to the City Council for us to make a determination.  None of the work that we do on Council is to be taken lightly, but especially something of this magnitude.  We will most likely speak with the city attorney regarding this matter.

This meeting is open to the public, but will also be live-streamed at the following link: http://www.waxahachie.com/government/city_council/city_council_meeting_live_stream.php
 
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Tuesday, January 5, 2021
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There are currently no city meetings scheduled at this time.

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Wednesday, January 6, 2021
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12:00 PM - Civil Service Commission Regular Meeting
Conference Room, City Hall


There are a few action items for the Waxahachie Police Department on the agenda.  Details are inside the agenda packet.

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Thursday, January 7, 2021
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8:30 AM - Cemetery Board Regular Meeting
Conference Room, City Hall


We have some important items on this agenda including:

# 6 - Discuss columbarium niche pricing and take any necessary action.

# 7 - Discuss permanent marker fee and take any necessary action

# 8 - Discuss cemetery clean up and take any necessary action.

This meeting is not live-streamed at this time, but it is a public meeting and therefore open for residents to attend.

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2:30 PM - Park Board Regular Meeting
Conference Room, City Hall


Being that this is the first Park Board meeting since July 30, 2020, I expect there to be a lot of information to be covered. In addition to routine agenda items, we will:

# 7 - Discuss steering committee participation for lake parks master planning.

# 8 - Discuss pavilion rental fees and take any necessary action.

# 9 - Discuss Eagle Scout projects and take any necessary action.

This meeting is not live-streamed at this time, but it is a public meeting and therefore open for residents to attend.
 
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4:30 PM - Keep Waxahachie Beautiful Committee Regular Meeting
Conference Room, City Hall
 
 
Due to COVID, this will be the first meeting since March 12, 2020.  Even though we haven't met for a while, this meeting seems to be routine in nature.  Please review the agenda packet for details.
 
The meeting will not be live-streamed at this time, but is open to the public, should you wish to attend.
 
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Friday, January 8, 2021
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No public city meetings are schedule at this time.
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I look forward to 2021 and the upcoming busy week.  I hope that you have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead!
 
Your Friendly Councilmember,
 
Melissa Olson, CMO
(text) 817-507-5162
molson@waxahachie.com
 



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