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Coupland City Council Meeting Highlights for September 26

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At its regular meeting, the Coupland City Council took care of some necessary business and talked about a few possibilities for the future.

There were 5 attendees at this meeting, which tied the previous record. In addition to Mayor Jack Piper, four of five Aldermen attended the meeting. Eldridge Tidwell was absent.

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt (September 12, 2013)

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt (September 12, 2013)

Here are the highlights of the meeting:

  • Mayor Piper reviewed the process whereby the budget was developed, which included a public hearing. The budget ordinance for Fiscal Year 2014 was unanimously adopted. This budget becomes effective on October 1.
  • The Council approved a resolution to establish a fire protection/life safety code agreement with Emergency Services District #10. The exact terms of that agreement were a matter of inquiry for the Aldermen as well as one of the attendees during the Citizen’s Communications portion of the meeting. Mayor Piper said that, in essence, simply by passing the resolution, the City of Coupland is saying to EDS #10 that it does not have its own fire and medical emergency system and that it wants EDS #10 to provide such services to Coupland. [Publisher’s Note: The EDS does this through the Coupland Volunteer Fire Department as well as through mutual aid agreements with other, nearby fire departments and emergency medical services.]
  • The Council authorized the execution of an agreement with Oncor for franchise fee revenue. They will make an annual payment in December. The good news is that this first payment will be retroactive to the time that Coupland incorporated, which was November of last year. Mayor Piper reviewed the various factors that are included in the calculation of the payment. [Publisher’s Note: The purpose of franchise fees are to reimburse municipalities for costs they incur as a result of the effect of utility activities upon local infrastructure. This includes things like wear and tear on the roads.] The Mayor noted that the rates are the same for all municipalities. The agreement is valid through 2032 but it allows for the possibility of rate changes, which are sometimes mandated by the state.
  •  The Council engaged in a discussion of the possibility of establishing zoning within the city limits. Barbara Piper said that there had been someone looking into the possibility of establishing a wild hog slaughterhouse recently and that we need zoning for the preservation and protection of Coupland.  Other Aldermen were concerned about the possibility of landfills, sludge farms, and junk cars in or near Coupland. [Publisher’s Note: The subdivision ordinance covers all of Coupland as well as its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Zoning would only be effective within Coupland city limits.] Karen Marosko said she was opposed to zoning. She asked if zoning were to come to Coupland, how it would be done. No one could provide a clear answer and Ms. Piper said that more study was needed, including examining how it has been done in other cities. Everyone agreed that zoning would not affect current property usage but would affect future usage or changes in existing usage. Ms. Marosko wanted to know how zoning would affect the number of homes on a lot and how zoning itself would be controlled. Susan Schmidt referred to Hilltop Storage as an example of a business that would not have been allowed in a residential area if Coupland had zoning.  Susan Garry said that residential zoning is generally based on density, meaning the number of family units allowed in a given area. Everyone agreed that more research was needed, including input from citizens. Mayor Piper proposed that a planning and zoning committee be formed to get ideas from other citizens. He will ask for volunteers via the Coupland Herald. Formal establishment of such a committee would require Council action. Ms. Garry wondered how agricultural zoning would work within city limits. Ms. Schmidt said that other zoning areas (besides residential and agricultural) could include cultural, historical, and business zoning.
  • The Council discussed the mowing and clearing of areas that were blocking the views of oncoming traffic. Mayor Piper told the Council about a situation at the intersection of Herrin and North Austin Streets. He had received a complaint from a local citizen about vegetation that was obstructing the view of traffic coming over the hill from State Highway 95. The mayor talked to the owners of the property and contacted the state highway department. It turned out that the vegetation was in the right-of-way of FM 1466 and so the state came out and cut the bushes down. He said the property owner was grateful for the assistance. The Mayor encourages citizens to bring such issues to the attention of the Council.
  •  The Council engaged in a discussion about the possibility of a fall cleanup campaign. Ms. Piper said the civic organization used to be able to get dumpsters donated but is not able to do that anymore. Ms. Garry wondered about the costs of dumpsters. Ms. Piper said that little things make a difference. Mayor Piper said that the city should make an effort to encourage voluntary cleanup as an alternative to requiring people to clean up junky properties. Ms. Marosko said it would be nice to come up with a way to help people who are not able to clean up their own yards. Mayor Piper said he would like to promote the concept in the Copeland Herald. Ms. Garry noted that the next issue the Herald will be out by November 1.
  • During the citizens communication portion of the meeting, Luther Draehn inquired about state guidelines for agreements with emergency service districts. Mayor Piper said that he did not know the answer to that question. Mr. Draehn also said that he felt that we needed fire codes for new construction and said that fire code information could be obtained from the state fire marshal. He brought up other questions that were related to subdivisions but Mayor Piper said since it was not on the agenda he could not respond to those questions and referred Mr. Draehn to the subdivision ordinance.

The next regular meeting of the city Council will be on Thursday, October 10 at 7 PM at the Coupland Fire Station.

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble! — Coupland City Council Meeting Highlights for Sept. 22

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The City Council met in a special meeting on Sunday, September 22. The only action item on the agenda was “discussion, reading, and action” on a subdivision ordinance. Five citizens attended the meeting, which was a new record. Two citizens signed up to address the council. Mayor Piper moved that agenda item ahead of the subdivision ordinance item to allow those persons to address the council before they considered the ordinance.

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt (September 12, 2013)

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt (September 12, 2013)

Max Marosko spoke against the adoption of the subdivision ordinance. It was his opinion that there were flaws in the ordinance and that more time was needed to address those flaws before the ordinance was adopted. He said the existing county ordinances and regulations could be adopted in the meantime.

Becky Sutton spoke next and thanked the Council for their work on the subdivision ordinance. She spoke about problems in the past with a manufactured home community near Pflugerville. She attributed those problems to the lack of an ordinance in existence at the time that community was established.

After this, the City Council discussion on the ordinance began. Mayor Piper spoke about the work that had been done on the ordinance by the Concerned Citizens Committee prior to the establishment of the City Council. He said there was not much difference between that ordinance and the one before the Council. Karen Marosko passionately addressed some of the things that she considered to be flaws in the ordinance. She was especially concerned that the ordinance was applicable to all parts of Copeland, not just the areas outside of the immediate town. Ms. Marosko was part of the Concerned Citizens Committee but said that she had not noticed that aspect of the ordinance before. She was also concerned that the ordinance made reference to a City Master Plan that was not yet in existence.

A back-and-forth discussion ensued between Ms. Marosko and Susan Schmidt, at times becoming rather heated. Other Council members made contributions to the discussion. Barbara Piper expressed her concern about a large portion of land on FM 1660 that might be a target for developers. Eldridge Tidwell expressed concerns about how lack of zoning has affected the city of Houston. [Publisher’s Note: the subdivision ordinance does not address the issue of zoning, a discussion of which is on the agenda for the September 26 meeting of the city Council but not as an action item.]

Ms. Marosko wanted to know why there was such a rush to enact this subdivision ordinance. Mayor Piper said that there had not been a rush up until now but that there was credible information that a developer was considering the establishment of a manufactured home community within Coupland city limits. He noted that work had been done on a draft subdivision ordinance for several months prior to the establishment of the City Council. He noted that even though it was not required, public meeting notices were posted and all citizens were invited to participate. [Publisher’s Note: The meetings were also advertised via the community email network. A variety of citizens attended the meetings.] He advocated putting this ordinance in place now to protect the community and then addressing any flaws that might exist via an amendment process.

Susan Garry said that the city attorney had expressed his concern as well and advised the City Council to get something in place quickly and then go back and make revisions as needed. Ms. Garry said, “I feel like we were all elected to keep less desirable developments away from the community as a whole and if we’re going to have a new neighborhood, to try to have a nice neighborhood rather than the one like Becky was talking about.” She said that the Richland area was not incorporated and that they had even hired an attorney to try to do something about it but that they had no power.  She said that we could not count on the county to enforce its own regulations because they are too busy with other issues. She said that the city would be able to effectively focus on such issues.

Ms. Garry spoke about an area just over the Travis County line where people could put anything up and that many homes had no septic systems and relied upon open sewers. She said she knew somebody that kept calling the county to report it but that Travis County did nothing about it. She went on to say that preventing things like that was why the community incorporated and that we don’t need to stand by and let something come in that we were trying to prevent. Mr. Tidwell confirmed her statement and said that the subdivision was out on Wolf Lane in Travis County. Mayor Piper said that the Concerned Citizen’s Committee considered shorter, less comprehensive ordinances but that they felt that the ordinance should cover most contingencies and that it could be fine-tuned later according to experience.

Finally, Ms. Garry made a motion to vote to adopt the draft ordinance. Ms. Schmidt seconded her motion. Parliamentary procedure required that action be taken upon the motion and since there was no further discussion the ordinance was put to a vote. Voting in favor of adopting the ordinance were Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Eldridge Tidwell, and Susan Schmidt. Voting against adopting the ordinance was Karen Marosko.

About a minute after the meeting was adjourned, an altercation erupted between two of the men attending the meeting, apparently over things that were said after the meeting was adjourned. This reporter stepped in between the two men in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. Since no one else was willing to assist in separating the two men and neither one was walking away from the situation, I decided to let it go. The two men eventually took their dispute outside.

˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜ ˜

COMMENTARY: I don’t recall who it was but at some point after I walked away from the two adversaries, someone said to me, “Welcome to Coupland.”

This is the second public meeting I have been to where harsh words were exchanged. The other was a recent meeting of the Coupland Water Supply Corporation.

Effective consultation is an art and a skill that can and must be learned. I don’t accept that the kind of behavior I witnessed at both of these meetings is indicative of the general attitude of most of my fellow Couplanders. However, it is obvious that long-standing schisms within the community have festered just beneath the surface. If we are to move forward as a united community, those old wounds must be acknowledged and eventually healed. 

Many times in my life I have experienced first hand just how thin the veneer of civilization can be and I am not exempt from the influence of my more primitive instincts. Therefore, it is not my intention to criticize any specific individuals for their actions . . . or lack of actions, as the case may be. I understand that sometimes people are provoked beyond their limits, that sometimes people get what they deserve, that sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do, that sometimes you have to fight back, that everyone has the right to defend themselves, and that when faced with an unexpected situation people react in different ways. 

We should be passionate about the things that are important to us. Nevertheless, I applaud the members of the City Council who, like Susan Garry, spoke calmly and clearly, sharing their opinions and concerns in a level-headed manner. It doesn’t matter whether we agree or disagree. What matters is that everyone be heard and that wise counsel be given due consideration. Sometimes, what is right is clear. Sometimes, even though we may be in the right, wisdom dictates another approach. In the end, if we are going to govern ourselves, we must first govern our baser emotions.

In his first inaugural address in 1861, just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, addressing the Southern States, closed with these words*:

I am loth to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stre[t]ching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

*Retrieved from the Library of Congress website: http://loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trt039.html

Stewart Dale Spencer

Special Meeting for Subdivision Ordinance Set for September 22 (Corrected)

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[Publisher’s Note: The meeting begins at 5 PM, as shown on the agenda, and not 7 PM, as it appeared in the text of the original article. To repeat, the meeting begins at 5 PM on Sunday, September 22 at the Coupland Fire Station.] 

Last night the City Council held a workshop to review and revise a draft of a subdivision ordinance. One citizen attended the meeting. Jim Huntington signed up for the citizen communication portion of the meeting. He expressed his concern and hope that the City Council would find a good balance between individual property rights and the legitimate concerns of the general community, whether that be in a subdivision ordinance or in a future zoning ordinance.

The City Council spent the rest of the meeting discussion various elements of the draft ordinance, which is based on the City of Bertram’s subdivision ordinance. The draft was the work of the Concerned Citizen’s Committee, a group of citizens that met several times earlier in the year, before the City Council was formally established, to look at subdivision ordinances and regulations from Williamson County, Weir, and Bertram. The group settled on the comprehensive Bertram Ordinance and worked to refine it to reflect local concerns. They then passed it on for consideration by the City Council.

At last night’s meeting, the City Council discussed various elements of the draft ordinance and made revisions. The Council was satisfied that the revised ordinance was appropriate to protect all parties who might be affected by future commercial and residential development, both within Coupland city limits and its extra-territorial jurisdiction. Due to their concern that developers may already be considering property in the Coupland area, the Council set a special meeting for this Sunday (5 PM at the Coupland Fire Station) to consider and potentially adopt this ordinance.

The preamble of the ordinance explains the rationale behind it:

. . . to better provide an attractive living environment, maintain a rural way of life, and to protect the health, safety and welfare of the present and future citizens;

You may review the proposed ordinance by clicking on this link: Coupland Subdivision Ordinance

Special Meeting 9-22-2013

 

City Council Meeting Highlights – September 12, 2013

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The real highlight of this meeting was a custom gavel made and donated by Eldridge Tidwell to Mayor Jack Piper.

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt

L-R: Susan Garry, Barbara Piper, Jack Piper, Karen Marosko, Eldridge Tidwell, Susan Schmidt

The entire City Council was present along with the City Secretary. One citizen attended the meeting.

Prior to the regular meeting, a public hearing was conducted on the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2014, which begins on October 1. Mayor Piper reviewed the budget (see the story from September 3 for details on the budget). The only question from the public was related to road maintenance. Becky Sutton wanted to know whether or not Williamson County will take over maintenance on Pflugerville-Berkman Road (CR 459). Barbara Piper said that the council has not yet heard back from the county on this matter. There were no other questions or comments from the public. The budget will be formally adopted at the next regular meeting.

After the public hearing was closed, the regular meeting of the City Council began. Here are the highlights:

  • Mayor Piper presented a financial report to the Aldermen.  The beginning bank balance was $1,935.64 on June 26. Income was $1,415.93 (Liquor Tax Allocation). Expenses totaled $583.33 (checks, office supplies & equipment, Texas Municipal League Risk Pool). The ending balance as of August 30 was $2,768.24.
  • Oncor expects to provide the information needed to establish an agreement for franchise fee revenue by October.
  • Mayor Piper provided information on expected sales tax revenue in the event that the sales tax propositions are passed by the voters in November. Based on figures provided by the State Comptroller’s office, average state taxable sales within the City of Coupland during the period of July 2012 – June 2013 were $51,358 per month. This would result in general sales tax revenue of $629 per month ($503 for regular sales tax, $126 for road maintenance tax).
  • During the Citizen Communication portion of the meeting, Becky Sutton asked a general question about how many readings are required for ordinances before they can be adopted. Mayor Piper responded that it depends upon the type of ordinance. He also noted that an extensive ordinance would not have to be read in it’s entirety but would be summarized and copies would be available to the public in advance. Ms. Sutton also asked how much Oncor will pay in franchise fee per meter. Mayor Piper that this figure is not yet known but that it will be in the contract with Oncor.
  • Another citizen, Stewart Dale Spencer (City Secretary and yours truly) read a prepared statement. He advised the City Council that considering his position as City Secretary, the best way for him to express his opinion on City Council matters was during the Citizen Communication portion of the meeting. He spoke about the issue of zoning, reminding the Aldermen that they had all run on a platform of “Keeping Coupland, Coupland.” He noted that Coupland has never had zoning and that he felt that existing state and county laws and regulations were sufficient to ensure the safety and well-being of the general community. Click here to see the full text of his comments.*

The next regular meeting of the City Council will be on September 26. However, Mayor Piper has set a special work session for the Council to review and possibly revise a draft of a subdivision ordinance. This meeting will be on September 18 and will be open to the public.

*[Publisher’s Note: It is admittedly somewhat uncomfortable to be in the position of serving the community as City Secretary while also reporting on City Council activities and decisions and then, as in this story, reporting on my concerns about the same. It’s a small community and many Couplanders serve in multiple functions. It can’t be avoided and, in my opinion, should not result in the loss of anyone’s rights to express their opinions. Nevertheless, I wish to make it clear to our readers that it is the policy of the Coupland Times to clearly separate objective reports upon City Council meetings from opinions and/or concerns that I or others may have about the activities and decisions of the City Council. As City Secretary, I am the servant of the City Council. As private citizen and publisher of the Coupland Times, I am a watchman who stands ready to praise and admonish the City Council as circumstances warrant. This is the essence of a democratic republic and I encourage all Couplanders to attend City Council meetings and be involved in the process of governing this wonderful community. This forum will be equally available to all respectful expressions of personal opinions about city government and other community matters.]