Published: July 17, 2008 08:49 am      

Council sets aside funds for home buyouts

Board tells city staff to earmark $500K to offer owners of 15 flood-prone properties the chance to sell

By David May
editor@mineralwellsindex.com

“Oh, thank God.”

Those were the words expressed by Margaret Thompson at the City Hall annex Tuesday evening once she realized she once again will have a chance to sell her home on “The Circle.”

“Yes, I am (ready) to get out,” she added.

She and the owners of 14 other residential properties located in the 1200 block of S.E. 2nd Avenue will get that opportunity in the near future after Mineral Wells City Council, in a 4-0 vote, instructed city staff to dedicate $500,000 in next year’s budget to make offers to those owners.

The vote came after a 45-minute closed session Tuesday involving Mayor Mike Allen, Mayor Pro Tem Margaret Colton and council members Tommy Blissette and Chris Crawford. Councilmen John Ritchie and DeArtis Nickerson did not attend the meeting, and the panel’s Ward 2 seat remains unoccupied.

It’s a bit of trickle-down prosperity. The city finds itself in a position financially to move forward with the buyout offer to help property owners in an area that is the deemed the city’s worst as far as flooding problems.

Allen said one of the keys to agreeing to dedicate funds for the program is that those funds are not being diverted from other programs or needs for the upcoming fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

“It has always been a hard decision,” said Allen afterward. “The city is growing and we need to move on. It will not affect any other city issues. We have the opportunity to do this and I’d like to move forward.”

While details will need to be crafted by city staff and presented to council in the future, city officials can now move forward with preparing a budget to include the buyout program. Unlike an attempt to buy the 15 properties in 2005, this will be a voluntary buyout for the owners. They can accept or decline the city’s offer on an individual basis. Before, the proposal hinged on 100 percent acceptance, and two owners of properties, including Nickerson, balked at the offer.

Any of the 15 homes purchased by the city would be demolished and cleared away.

Denials

Council on Tuesday denied two requests from applicants seeking changes in property status.

One came from attorney Judith Hearn, seeking a change in zoning from single-family residential to light commercial zoning for property at 1201 N.W. 4th Ave. so she could use it for her law practice. The city’s planning and zoning board previously denied her request.

“All I can tell you is I will take very good care of that house,” Hearn told council. “I don’t think it’s going to have a negative effect because of the amount of improvements in the house.”

But the neighbors urged council to keep the current zoning in place to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood.

“We have a nice neighborhood,” said Malinda Pugh, saying she was concerned that one approved rezoning request could lead to another. “We want to continue living in a neighborhood. I don’t think this has any place in a neighborhood of families.”

Tom Sikes joked that if it was an ice cream parlor, he might go along with it. But he said he was not in favor of Hearn’s request.

Councilman Crawford said approving the request would amount to “spot” zoning and moved to accept P&Z’s previous denial of the request. Council approved the motion 4-0.

In a second hearing, Mike Barron and Kevin Cross were seeking changes in the city’s definitions and regulations of manufactured home parks to accommodate changes for a 4.83-acre tract at the intersection of U.S. Highway 281 South and Municipal Highway 379. The property is currently zoned for and used as a mobile home park.

Looking to take advantage of the gas boom locally, Cross told council they were wanting to remove the trailers and allow for recreational vehicles to stay there.

“We want to keep the cash flow going, that’s our goal,” Cross stated. “We think RVs will bring people into the city.”

However, City Manager Lance Howerton told council that there are differences in land designated for RVs and manufactured homes, and that the property in question would require substantial upgrades in infrastructure and surface costs such as parking pads as required under the ordinance.

Cross said requiring such improvements would not be feasible financially, and said he was hoping for a compromise, one that would allow them to accommodate RVs under basically the manufactured homes regulations.

“We want to let RVs come in there and stay more than 14 days,” Cross said.

Howerton raised concerns with allowing exceptions to the city’s ordinances. He said at present the city has 22 permitted manufactured home parks – not all them currently used as manufactured home parks – saying that some are “detriments to the growth of the community.”

Council again voted unanimously to turn down the request, with Crawford saying he hoped the group could work with city officials to find a way to make changes and help them if possible.

Board revitalization

The Mineral Wells Industrial Development Corporation in recent years lapsed into inactivity. City Clerk Juanita Formby told council the terms of the board’s 10 members expired earlier this year, and said they had not met for several years. She said some members had died and others had moved away.

With the board’s authority to issue bonds on behalf of the city to aid in the development of business and industry, there was a desire to revitalize the board as the city is maneuvering through a period of growth and looking to implement a tax financing district in the downtown and Baker Hotel area to help support development.

Formby asked council to reappoint members Randy Nix, Bill Pierce, Linda Dobbs and Dale Brown and requested the appointments of new members Mitchell Huffaker, Lottie Eubanks, Riley C. Peveto and Ken Williamson.

Council approved the requests unanimously. Formby said staff will look to fill two remaining seats on the 10-member board.

In other action Tuesday, council:

• Approved an ordinance closing an alley between Lot 1 and the west half of Lot 2, and Lot 5 and the west half of Lot 6, all in Block 5, Richard’s Addition 1st Filing to the City of Mineral Wells, Palo Pinto County, Texas (Gwen Voss, applicant).

• Approved an ordinance denying the proposed change in rates for Oncor Electric Delivery Company LLC, finding and determining the meeting at which this ordinance is passed is open to the public as required by law. Oncor requested the action so it can request from the Public Utility Commission a system-wide rate for transmission of electricity charges. Officials said these charges account for about 21 percent of an individual’s electric bill.

• Approved repealing the existing Appendix C Flood Damage Prevention of the Mineral Wells Code of Ordinances and enacting an updated Flood Damage Prevention ordinance as new Appendix C to the Code of Ordinances, providing for an effective date.

• Approved the sale of the east one-half of Lots 3 and 7, Block 4, East End Addition, to Frank McInroe for a total of $500. The properties are located on S.E. 8th Street and S.E. 8-1/2 Street.