City Council Meeting held Feb. 8
Olney City Council met Monday, Feb. 8, at City Hall. Mayor Rue Rogers called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. The Councilmembers present included Mayor Pro-Tem Tom Parker, Phil Jeske, Tommy Kimbro, Chuck Stennett and Terri Wipperman. The meeting began with an invocation by City Administrator Neal Welch.
The Citizen Comment Period was filled with a presentation by Oscar Munoz asking to reconsider the ban for vendors selling alcohol within 1,000 feet of Olney ISD schools. (Refer to the full article on Pages 3 and 4, along with Dr. Roach’s response on Page 8.)
Mayor Rogers motioned to accept the minutes from the Jan. 25 council meeting, and Wipperman seconded the motion. The mayor tabled agenda item 5, the 10-year Longevity Award, to Michael Jacoba until the next meeting where Jacoba is expected to attend.
The next presentation was made by Girl Scout Troop 8504 regarding approval for Lake Cooper Cleanup Day March 20. The Council approved their request and offered to partner with the girls for cleanup and help solicit volunteers. Refer to the article on Pages one and three for additional details.
Code Enforcement Officer Dustin Hudson facilitated the discussion for agenda item 7, “Council Acting as Building Commission.” Councilmembers listened to Hudson’s report and recommendations concerning code violations for properties located at 205 York Street and 401 South Avenue F.
Hudson presented pictures showing the accumulation of junk. The junk comprised multiple tires, lawnmowers and RVs, among other items. Hudson indicated that he attempted to work with the owner to clean up the property located at 205 York Street, but the plan was abandoned for various reasons. Now it has come to the matter of abatement, admitting, “It will take some time and resources on the City’s part to get this [property] abated,” said Hudson. He noted that he would work under a maintenance warrant to remove all the debris that violates the code.
Next, Hudson presented his case on 401 South Avenue F, indicating that he has been working on that property for the past year. He recommended moving forward with the disposal of junk on the property for all items not titled. For all other titled items, Hudson recommended that the city store the items for 30 days. But first, Hudson will issue a citation and proceed with abatement for noncompliance if applicable. The Council did not take action, but the properties will “move forward through legal.”
Regarding agenda item 8, tax resale bid for 801 North Avenue C for $3,200, the Council voted to accept the bid. The property does not have a structure on it. All councilmembers were in favor.
The Council favored authorizing City Administrator Neal Welch to enter into a contract with Texas Communities Group (TCG) with a price tag of $6,000 for a 12-month agreement. TCG will work with the city to implement an effective plan for the dilapidated and abandoned properties around town in an effort to restore the property values. We will report more about this topic in future issues.
The meeting ended with the discussion of the City wage scale and monthly departmental reports. Please look for additional information about these issues in an interview with Chief Dan Birbeck in upcoming issues.
You may view the entire meeting online by visiting olney.tx.citygovt.org or by clicking this link:
https://transcripts.gotomeeting.com/?utm_source=recordingReadyNotificati....