During the regular meeting Monday, Sept. 11, the Dublin City Council approved the tax rate and budget for 2023-24, which includes several items to make improvements.
City Manager Bobby Mendez reported that the line item for abating code issues was increased while money was budgeted for record retention, which will allow the city to digitize vital records and clear physical space.
The budget also includes $10,000 for park improvements, funding for newsoftwareforthemunicipal court to help in tracking cases, fuel for the airport and longevity pay for city employees in a one-time bonus each November.
This budget was unanimously approved (minus the absent Lee Jones) after the council approved a tax rate of .8021 per $100 valuation. Although this is lower than the 2022 rate of .8275, it effectively raises the tax rate by 3.49% due to new construction over the past year and the raising in property values by the appraisal district. (The new rate will raise the tax costs on a $100,000 home by $29.20 per year.)
The meeting included public hearings on both the budget and tax rate with no public comments issued on either.
The council also unanimously approved a bid from Northstar Construction, LLC for sidewalk repair in the 100 block of East Blackjack. Mendez reported that the $102,000 bid was the lowest the city received and that the business was given the thumbs up by engineers Jacob & Martin, who did reference checks.
There were questions about the scope of work with items like the number of ramps, but Mendez said the scope could be addressed/revisited with Northstar.
ThingsCelticOwnerLanora Davidson, who has spoken on the need for improved sidewalks in the block, issued a public comment on the agenda item at the beginning of the meeting. Davidson said she was interested in how the sidewalks would look based on the scope of work and asked the city keep the public informed on the project and if there are any changes.
The council also unanimously approved a State Infrastructure Bank loan to secure funding for water line relocation in North Patrick Street. This project is being done to satisfy TxDOT needs as they remove the bricks under the roadway and renovate a more stable roadway. The project is expectedtoresultinarelatively minor payout that can be spaced out easily for the city. The council also unanimously approved a request by Dublin Police Chief Cameron Ray to enter into a 5-year contract with Axon Enterprise for incar, body and interview room cameras.
Ray said the annual fee will be around $30,000 and will include warranties to replace them if needed as well as regular rotations to keep them current. He said the biggest difference is the new cameras will require digital uploading of videos for the prosecutor’s office, but Stephenville PD has been using the service for a couple of years so the office is familiar with the process.
The council also approved a Planning and Zoning request from Miles Gilman who is dividing the property on Travis and North Post Oak into six properties. Gilman is planning to construct three 1100 squarefoot homes along Travis and then determine what to do with the other lots. The P&Z board approved the request earlier and recommended the council accept it for Gilman to begin work quickly.
The council also accepted a board of adjustments request for a setback variance so Michael McCabe could construct a carport in line with his home.
The meeting ended with discussion from Revitalize Dublin founder/real estate developer Rod McNeal on behalf of RD which is seeking to improve the look of Dublin through more active code enforcement.
McNeal thanked the city for its assistance in picking the first cleanup project on 354 W. Blackjack and providing a dumpster/access to the dump. The public cleanup project is set for 8 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, weather permitting. (The group will announce if it is postponed via its Facebook group) McNeal then inquired about several issues including the work schedule of the code enforcement officer and the timeline for property owners to repair code issues once they’ve been notified. Mendez said Keith Riley is full time with hours managed through a digital time clock and owners have 180 days to repair issues after notification.
McNeal inquired about a list of more than 30 properties provided that he said haven’t worked to address issues. Mendez suggested RD seek an open records request on the properties so they could be sure work had not been done in addressing issues.
McNeal then suggested solutions including seeking advice from groups in Stamford and Cisco as well as assistance for those first receiving 180 days notice to fix up their property.
Discussion also included the process for seeking back taxes on properties with McNeal suggesting a service out of Lubbock, which had spoken to council a few years ago. Mendez reported that Dublin employs an agency alongside the county to collect taxes and foreclose the property if they are unable to collect. The property then goes to auction and if unsold goes to a trust between the four tax entities. The foreclosure auctions typically happen twice per year.
McNeal used an analogy of officers observing speeding vehicles in monitoring code issues, saying the faster a vehicle goes the more cause for concern and more likely an officer is to pull over the driver.
The council also:
■ Adopted the 2023-24 budget for Dublin Economic Development Corporation
■ Appointed Darrell Curry to the Dublin EDC
■ Adopted the city’s investment policy (unchanged from last year)
■ Adopted the resolution appointing the Dublin Citizen as the official newspaper of Dublin
■ Rescheduled the Oct. 9 meeting to Oct.16 due to Columbus Day