July 1, 2024 Newsletter
July 1, 2024 – Volume 18 Number 27
Highlights:
* The city council approves millions in corporate welfare deals.
* P&Z denies 331-unit apartment complex proposed for southeast Arlington.
Taxpayers' Funds at Risk:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
Citizens Defending Freedom vs. AISD
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_14.html
Arlington is a city where citizens are relegated to being spectators, rather than players on the field. The SPECTATOR helps citizens know what is happening on the field. Only a few of the in-house team members are allowed to play ball in Arlington. The SPECTATOR helps citizens understand the game.
GAME SCHEDULE:
Thursday, July 4: Independence Day holiday.
Wednesday, July 17: P&Z meeting, 101 W. Abram Street, 5:30pm. (Work session at x:xxpm.)
Thursday, August 1: AISD Board meeting, AISD Administration Building, 690 E. Lamar Boulevard, 6:30pm. (You must be signed up online by 3:00pm if you wish to speak.)
Tuesday, August 6: City Council meetings, 101 W. Abram Street, 6:30pm. (You must preregister by 5:00pm to speak during citizen participation.)
From THE LOCKER ROOM
Arlington City Council Update
Last week the council met on Tuesday, June 25 for a full slate of meetings. Council Member Hogg was absent all day. Council Member Odom-Wesley was absent for the evening meeting.
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Committee Meetings
The Municipal Policy Committee meeting was held, but they did not have a quorum until about half-way through the planned meeting, so they did not address the tree mitigation. They had planned to split their time on two subjects, tree preservation and mitigation (presentation) and a cultural district update (presentation). The stadiums are not cultural district material. The committee agreed to the application for a second cultural district.
The Arlington Housing Finance Corporation (a quasi-committee) met (agenda). Their agenda included a development discussion on the Center Place Apartments (184 units, wanting to convert approximately half to affordable housing [Section 8 vouchers]), four resolutions, four reports, and a miscellaneous item of training and updates.
[Commentary: Do you ever wonder why Arlington is not as great as it was in the past? Let's say you are operating an apartment complex at nearly 22 units/acre [the maximum as defined by the UDC – Unified Development Code] and following all the rules. How are you supposed to compete when the clowns (developers and city council) keep approving PDs for apartments at somewhere near a gazillion units per acre? The answer appears to be to have more Section 8 vouchers...]
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Afternoon Meeting
The afternoon meeting may be viewed at: https://arlingtontx.granicus.com/player/clip/4859?view_id=9&redirect=true . Council Member Hogg was not present.
(11:46) Meeting started and went into executive session. The executive session agenda included discussions of the Brittney Kennedy lawsuit, the purchasing option of 501 N. East Street, five easement rights-of-way that were on the evening agenda, and the offers of incentives to business prospects.
The open portion of the afternoon meeting had seven work session items and four informal staff reports.
Work session items.
(2:06:31) 1. FY2025 Budget Preview (presentation). [presentation added after the meeting]. No questions.
(3:03:29) 2. 2025 Bond Election & Citizens’ Bond Committee (presentation).
(3:11:11) 3. Methodist Mansfield Medical Center Update (presentation).
(3:42:57) 4. Ambulance Contract and Rate Increase (presentation). All performance standards are based on national standards. They are fined if they do not meet standards. “Ready Care” insurance is available to the public, 259 households are currently in the program. AMR is requesting a 15% increase. The average medical bill would increase from $1,542.41 to $1,896.65.
(4:15:37) 5. Ikon Technologies: Business Retention and Expansion (presentation). This was what was approved by the EDC last Tuesday and was on the evening agenda for the council. They are currently a $30 million/year company with 116 employees. For $7 million they will build to 266 employees and will be here for at least 15 years.
(4:26:11) 6. Division Corridor Redevelopment Opportunity (presentation). For $13 million dollars and a ten-year city tax revenue dead zone, they want to put up [another] 145-unit hotel at the southeast corner of Division Street and Collins Street. This was on the evening agenda for approval. For a positive spin on the story go to the Kailey Broussard and Emmanual Rivas Valenzuela article in the Arlington Report/Fort Worth Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2024/06/27/kera-arlington-partners-with-local-business-owner-to-revitalize-division-street .
(4:47:16) 7. Comprehensive Plan Element: Comprehensive Plan (presentation).
(4:57:16) Informal staff reports.
1. Park and Ride Uses (staff report).
2. July 4th Fireworks Holiday Period Response Plan 2024 (staff report).
3. International Corridor Vision Implementation Options (staff report). A management corporation is probably in the future, but not currently.
4. Support Youth and Families newsletter (newsletter).
(5:11:30) Committee meetings.
(5:21:43) Appointments and evening agenda items. 53 appointments. Council Member Odom-Wesley felt one library board appointment would be disruptive. The appointee was not named at the afternoon session (Melodie Morris) but would be named when they pulled her from the list during the evening. [NOT stated, but probably because of anti-LGBTQ statements.]
Ms. Boxall and others had a problem with the quality of the hotel (third public hearing).
(5:47:24) Future agenda items. Define a ride share major routes/stops areas. Clean highway corridors.
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Evening Meeting
The evening meeting can be viewed at: https://arlingtontx.granicus.com/player/clip/4860?view_id=9&redirect=true . Council Members Hogg and Odom-Wesley were absent. The agenda included five executive session easements, two sets of minutes, 51 consent agenda items, six public hearings, and three corporate welfare resolutions.
(16:51) Start of the meeting.
(32:19) Appointments, executive session easements, and minutes. There were 53 appointments nominated. 52 were approved with one vote. Melodie Morris' appointment to the library board was tabled in a second vote. Both votes were 6-1, with Pham opposed. The five executive session items and two sets of minutes were approved with 7-0 votes.
(39:22) 51 consent agenda items. There were 13 speakers opposed to item 8.41, the second reading of the Duke drill site. The consent agenda was approved, 7-0.
Consent agenda item 8.50 was for ambulance rate adjustments (staff report).
Consent agenda item 8.51 had four parts. The first item was correcting information regarding the EDC and Bell Helicopter agreement. The last three were extending agreed upon deadlines for Anthem (old Lincoln Square), Espace, and special friend/buddy developer Dodson (staff report).
(1:28:44) Public hearing #1 was for zoning case ZA24-4 to change the zoning at 1865 Wimbledon Drive and 5031 Mansfield Road to OC (Office Commercial) zoning (staff report). It was approved, 7-0.
(1:32:37) Public hearing #2 was for zoning case PD24-1 for a planned development MF22 for an assisted living facility at 498 Debbie Lane (staff report). It was approved, 7-0.
(1:38:52) Public hearing #3 was for zoning case PD24-11 requesting rezoning to a planned development for a hotel at 4400 S. Collins Street (staff report). The applicant requested a continuance until August [after the work session discussion]. It was tabled with no discussion /presentation, 7-0.
(1:39:41) Public hearing #4 was for the Non-Urban Indoor Recreation grant (staff report). It was approved, 7-0.
(1:41:00) Public hearing #5 was for the Non-Urban Outdoor Recreation grant (staff report). It was approved, 7-0.
(1:42:10) Public hearing #6 was for five new gas well permits for the Duke drill site, 1011 W. Harris Road (staff report). There were ten speakers in opposition.
(2:14:31) Corporate welfare resolution #1 was an agreement between the EDC and Ikon Technologies that the EDC approved last week and to which the council needed to give its blessing (staff report). It retains (116) and adds (150) many new jobs over 15 years in Arlington for $7 million. It was approved, 7-0.
(2:19:15) Corporate welfare resolution #2 was the hotel agreement deal for the southeast corner of Division Street and Collins Street (staff report). For $13 million and the creation of a ten-year city revenue dead zone, we get a pile of __?__ (you fill in the blank) at Division Street and Collins Street. For a positive spin on the story go to the Kailey Broussard and Emmanual Rivas Valenzuela article in the Arlington Report/Fort Worth Report: https://fortworthreport.org/2024/06/27/kera-arlington-partners-with-local-business-owner-to-revitalize-division-street . It was approved, 7-0.
(2:28:15) Corporate welfare resolution #3 was an agreement with LiftFund (staff report). For $300,000 of city funds, 22 small business owners will get an interest free loan (up to $100,000/loan). It was approved, 7-0.
(2:30:53) Citizen participation. There were only four registered speakers still present and who spoke.
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Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
We do not know when the next EDC Board meeting will be.
Arlington’s EDC is easily the largest sales tax supported EDC in the state. This gives spending addicted politicians greater than $20 million annually with which to fund their buddies.
Upcoming Public Hearings
On Wednesday, July 17, P&Z will hold a public hearing on Zoning Case PD23-26, 500 block of Veritas Way and 2200 block of Veritas Way. They wish for approval of a revision to the approved Development Plan for Residential Single-Family-5 (PD-RS-5) uses, on approximately 5.499 acres. If this passes, it will go to the city council on August 27.
On Wednesday, July 17, P&Z will hold a public hearing on Zoning Case SUP24-7, 333 South Bowen Road. They wish for approval of a Special Use Permit for a banquet hall. If this passes, it will go to the city council on August 27.
On Wednesday, July 17, P&Z will hold a public hearing on Zoning Case PD23-39, 1117/ 1219/1221 Dan Gould. They wish for approval of a change in zoning from Residential Estate (RE) to Planned Development (PD) for Residential Medium-Density-12 (RM-12) for a Cottage Community with a development plan, on approximately 1.966 acres. If this passes, it will go to the city council on August 27.
On Tuesday, August 6, the city council will hold a public hearing on zoning case SUP22-3R1, 2118 East Abrams Street. They wish for approval of a revision to Specific Use Permit SUP22-3R1 for Used Vehicle Sales, on approximately 1.63 acres, currently zoned General Commercial (GC), to amend restrictions on assignability and transferability or other conditions.
On Tuesday, August 6, P&Z will hold a public hearing on Zoning Case SUP24-6, 1700 West Park Row Drive. They wish for approval of a Special Use Permit for a tattoo parlor.
On Tuesday, August 6, the city council will hold a public hearing for PD24-11, at 4400 S. Collins Street, for construction of an upscale hotel.
P&Z Commission
P&Z met this past Wednesday, June 26. They had four zoning cases on their agenda but only three were heard. The meeting may be viewed at: https://arlingtontx.granicus.com/player/clip/4868?view_id=10&redirect=true .
(2:50) The first case, PD23-26, 502 Veritas Way was continued until July 17.
(3:54) The second case, PD23-39, 1117/1219/1221 Dan Gould, was to change RE (residential estate) to RM12 for a cottage community on 1.996 acres (staff report). There are six deviations from UDC standards. This was also continued until July 17.
(5:49) The third case, PD24-10, 300 East Stephens Street, was to change zoning to Planned Development (PD) for Residential Multi-Family-22 (RMF-22) on 9.792 acres (staff report). They wish to build three 4-story buildings with 331 apartment units with [now] ten deviations from UDC standards. There were no speakers in opposition. The motion to approve failed, 2-7.
(1:06:13) The final case, SUP24-6 is for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) for a Tattoo Parlor at 1700 W. Park Row Drive (staff report). It was approved, 6-3.
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AISD School Board
The school board is scheduled to meet again on Thursday, August 1.
[Commentary: The AISD budget for FY25-26 is likely to be very difficult. The FY24-25 budget saw an operational deficit of $79 million, which was then made into a $29 million deficit by transfers from other funds. Then they awarded a 4% pay increase to the employees, who already were the highest paid in the area to add another $23 million to this year's [and next year's] deficit. For example, the FWISD and GPISD, a pair of the “closer”, but still distant, competition gave 2% raises. The 4% raise was justified according to some board members, to remain “competitive”. There is a real problem when you must increase your #1 status to “remain” competitive.]
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TEA Accountability Data:
2022 Accountability
In 2020, the AISD was tied for the highest M&O rate of all the school districts in Tarrant County. Since then, there has been NO tie. The AISD HAS the highest M&O rate in Tarrant County. [school district tax rates]
Top 5 of Tarrant County's 21 ISDs M&O Rates
1. Arlington ISD $0.824900
2. Fort Worth ISD $0.790400
3. Mansfield ISD $0.789200
3. Birdville ISD $0.789200
3. Everman ISD $0.789200
Of Tarrant County's 21 ISDs - Lowest Tax Rates
1. HEB ISD $0.921100
2. Burleson ISD $0.924700
3. Carroll ISD $1.002500
4. Azle ISD $1.025000
5. Fort Worth ISD $1.062400
6. Keller ISD $1.087500
7. Northwest ISD $1.090200
8. Everman ISD $1.094146
9. Arlington ISD $1.115600
10. Lewisville ISD $1.130100
AISD Under Performs on STAAR
The Arlington Report story as reported by The Fort Worth Report written by Dang Le: https://fortworthreport.org/2024/06/21/arlington-isd-still-lags-behind-in-staar-heres-a-breakdown-of-results .
Mr. Le states that, “No grade or subject saw over 45% of students meet grade level.” Couple that with the fact that the AISD has the highest paid teachers [for several years, and yet test scores are not even close], and the question becomes, when is the real problem going to be fixed?
Press Box
County Increases Homestead Percent
Tarrant County Commissioners voted to approve an increase of the homestead exemption from 10% to 20%. This will apply to the county and hospital district taxes. The Texans for Fiscal Responsibility article: https://www.texastaxpayers.com/tarrant-county-increases-their-homestead-exemption/ .
HELPFUL CONTACTS
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Taxpayers' Funds at Risk:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_83.html
City Council grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_39.html
AISD Board grades:
http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_1.html
City of Arlington website: www.arlingtontx.gov
e-mails of mayor and council
.................... first.last@arlingtontx.gov
mayor = jim.ross
district 1 (north) = mauricio.galante
district 2 (sw) = raul.gonzalez
district 3 (se) = nikkie.hunter
district 4 (west) = andrew.piel
district 5 (central/east) = rebecca.boxall
district 6 (all) = long.pham
district 7 (all) = bowie.hogg
district 8 (all) = barbara.odom-wesley
AISD website ....................... www.aisd.net
McMurrough............ - sarahforaisd@gmail.com
Fowler ................... - fowler.aisd@gmail.com
Mike .................. - larrymike.aisd@gmail.com
Wilbanks .......... - david@wilbanksforaisd.com
Chapa ...................... - chapa.aisd@gmail.com
Richardson ... - brooklyn.richardson.aisd@gmail.com
Haynes ................... - haynes.aisd@gmail.com
TEA Accountability Data:
Opinion Arlington
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