The Dublin City Council welcomed in new councilmember Bo Kabala in a regular meeting which addressed annexation, code enforcement and several items of business Monday, June 9.
Before Kabala was sworn in to his place 1 seat, outgoing member Barrett Joiner was thanked by the council and audience for his service in the city. Sammy Moore was unanimously approved to continue serving a Mayor Pro-Tem.
A public hearing was held for the annexation of 12.52 acres at the back of the Dublin City Park. When asked which portion it was, interim city manager Cameron Ray reported the land includes the soccer fields and rodeo arena and the land behind. Ray said former city manager Bobby Mendez has started work on this annexation but they were now working to formally approve it. This was the second hearing, and the council will be able to approve it in the next meeting. There were no public comments.
The council unanimously approved the annexation of the Stephenville-Dublin KOA campgrounds on Clinton/FM219 around the loop. Ray said the city has been working with site owners Ken Stephens and Jordan Ditty since 2023 for the annexation and the city already services them for water and emergency services and they owners have a lot of development planned for the campgrounds.
The council also approved a contract service agreement with Texas Communities Group LLC for assistance with code enforcement service. Ray recommended seeking an expansion of the partnership as the many roles of code enforcement/animal control officer Larry Stanford lead to a busy schedule and the need for assistance.
Ray said the city would be able to pick a portion of town and determine major trouble areas. TCG can help with administration and locating property owners for contact. He said it would be more on the paperwork end of it and was assured the group only looks at the most severe, aiming to get compliance for the benefit of the city and property owners.
The contract approved for Oct. 1 also lowers the cost of dealing with substandard structures for the city. Ray reported they had another contract with Comcate for code enforcement and felt those funds would be better served with TCG.
Acting on a recommendation from the planning and zoning board, the council denied rezoning 430 Henry Street into a business for automotive repair. P&Z member Ben Pate reported there were concerns expressed by neighbors when they reviewed the property and the board expressed concerns of spot zoning if it were approved.
The council unanimously approved an agreement with TxDOT after they approached the city about funds available for railroad signage and striping. Public works Director Cory James said there would be no cost to the city. He also said he had looked into the cost to have Dublin declared a quiet zone for railroad traffic and found it was more than $500,000. Accepting the signage agreement would decrease that cost if the city ever wanted to pursue it.
In staff reports, EMS director John Tadlock said he ‘just wanted to brag on his employees’ after they were recognized by Ranger College in a partnership in mentoring EMS students. In feedback, all of the Dublin EMS members were commended in their conduct as providers.
Municipal Judge Juanita Torres reported the court brought in $5,800 in 23 citations. Stanford reported the adoption rate at the shelter had increased to 93 percent following a couple of partnerships/placements, and the shelter was empty for the first time in three years.
Public Works Director Cory James reported they are still working on plans for the city park recreation hall and Ray said the in-car computers approved for Dublin PD through a grant were installed while the department was also approved for a fully-funded $67,000 grant for radio equipment.
In public comments, Mindy Gardner read a prepared statement from Carmen Andersen of her business’ dissolution with Wich Kids, citing issues with their rental agreement.