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E-mail This StoryChristina Rowland, Staff Writer
The first reading for ordinance No. 944 calling for a homestead exemption, was heard for the first time Tuesday night by the Southlake City Council. The item has to go before council a second time and a public hearing set to take place Sept. 16, before it becomes a new ordinance.
The ordinance proposes a $15,000 exemption for property owners that of land during the previous tax year. According to the memorandum, the item is also meant as a compliment to the over-65 exemption, the disabled exemption and the over-65 tax freeze.
The ordinance was part of the of the proposed FY 2009 budget.
In addition, there were also two other ordinances that will be part of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget, if approved in a second reading, and could be including in public hearing on Sept. 16.
Ordinance No. 942, adopting and approving the annual budget for the 2009 fiscal year and approving the revised budget figures for the fiscal year 2008 and the multi-year CIP was considered along with ordinance No. 943 which levies the ad valorem taxes (property taxes) at a rate of $0.462 for the fiscal year. The new fiscal year will begin Oct. 1st.
All three of the ordinances have to have a second reading and a public hearing, all of which will take place Sept. 16.
Later in the meeting, an ordinance was read to raise natural gas rates. Atmos Energy Mid-Tex Division filed a city application on April 14 to increase natural gas rates pursuant to the Rate Review Mechanism tariff. The filing was asking for a $33.5 million rate increase.
“The city of Southlake, along with 150 other cities served by Atmos, is a member of the Atmos Cities Steering Committee (ACSA),” said city representative Pilar Schank. “The city worked with ACSC to analyze the schedules and evidence offered by Atmos to support its request to increase rates. As a result of the negotiations, ACSC was able to reduce the company’s requested $33.5 million RRM increase by more than 35 percent. Approval of the ordinance will result in rates that implement a $20 million increase in Atmos’ revenues effective October 1, 2008.”
This was the first reading of Ordinance No. 945. The second reading and the public hearing will take place Sept. 16. The actual monthly impact to Southlake residents cost would be about $0.81.
There was a zoning request for the neighborhood Cotswold Valley, formally Estancia to be zoned residential planned unit development. New zoning was requested because, according to Schank, the developer proposed changes to the entry of the neighborhood. The original plan was for the neighborhood to be themed Spanish and the primary building materials were to be plaster, ceramic and terracotta tile. The theme has been changed to include old English-type stacked stone as the primary building material for the entrance. The architecture of the houses will change to match the new theme.
The city adopted an ordinance to dedicate piece of city property for a public utility easement. This property will be used for a deceleration lane and will also house an eight-foot sidewalk the amount of land dedicated was 0.010 acres.
The city also awarded a construction contract to Legacy Contracting in the amount of $776,876. The money is for wholesale meter station improvements. The City of Southlake is pairing with Keller on this project. The two cities built a transmission, line from Fort Worth where wholesale water is delivered to Pearson Road Pump Station. The new upgrades will allow each of the cities to make meter upgrades so that the cities may be billed separately for their water consumption.
In other council news, several items were tabled until the next meeting including request for two sign permits and the site plan for relocating the mechanical equipment for Watermere Clubhouse from the ground to the roof.
The next meeting will take place Sept. 16.
