Three citizens attended the Coupland City Council meeting on May 8. Eldridge Tidwell was out of town. Here are the highlights of the meeting:

• There was $38,692 in the bank as of April 30.
• No one signed up to speak to the Council but Mayor Piper mentioned that there was a hole developing under the road on Hoxie Street, near the Post Office and the sewage pumping station. It will be on the next agenda but he asked Council members to take a look at it if they haven’t already seen it.
• The final plat for the Prinz Estates still has not yet been submitted.
• There was a discussion about a TxDOT project to widen and improve FM 1660 between Rice’s Crossing and SH 95. Susan Garry presented notes that her husband, Buz Garry, had taken when he attended an information meeting for landowners who will be affected the project. The City had not been informed about this meeting or the project. The Mayor reported that he contacted TxDOT and that, among other things, they said the city was supposed to pay for a part of the cost of the project, which they estimated to be about $14,000. The upshot of the following discussion of the Council members was that we simply cannot afford to make such a contribution. The Mayor said he contacted the City’s attorney, who advised taking no action at this time because the city has not yet been formally contacted. TxDOT expects to sign contracts for the work in June.
• The details of the cleanup day scheduled for May 17, which is history now, were discussed.
• There was a discussion about putting liquor by the drink on the November ballot. Currently, only private clubs are allowed to sell mixed drinks in this part of Williamson County. Tim and Barbara Worthy, the owners of the Coupland Dance Hall, were present at the meeting and the Mayor asked them for input. They said that if such a measure were passed, it would be possible to set it up so that liquor could be served until 2 AM. However, they said they are not interested in changing their current schedule. They close at midnight on Fridays and at 1 AM on Saturdays. They said they have been doing this for over 20 years. Tim said that it is primarily a dance hall and that although they serve alcoholic beverages, people primarily come there to dance. There was some discussion about the potential for additional tax revenue. The Council approved a motion to have the mayor proceed with gathering information about the process of getting liquor by the drink on the ballot.
• There was a discussion about the development of the city’s website. The City Secretary (Yours Truly) reported that, in accordance with previous instructions from the Council, he has completed work on a minimal website (cityofcouplandtx.us) which can be used to post agendas and other official documents and information. He noted that the current subdivision ordinance is available for download from the site. The Mayor said he had received a request for information from Matt Eiben to help him prepare a proposal for a website. The City Secretary reported that he has neither the time nor the skills to establish anything beyond a basic website and that if the Council would like to see a different type of website, they should provide that information so that a proposal can be drawn up. The mayor requested suggestions from Council members about what they would like to see on the website and said he would work with the City Secretary to respond to Mr. Eiben.
• There was a discussion about future audits of the city’s financial records. The Mayor said he had visited with the City Secretary of Weir, who told him that they use Leland Stevens, a CPA in Taylor, for their audit. Loretta Patschke, who was present at the Council meeting, said that Mr. Stevens has always done the audit for their real estate business and that he is very well respected in Taylor. The Mayor noted that the City of Weir does an audit only every three years.
• For the Events and Recognition portion of the meeting there was a hodgepodge of topics mentioned including the cleanup day, an uncapped well, and a discussion of rundown lots, including some that would require a brush mower at this point. Council members acknowledged that some people simply don’t have the resources to properly maintain their property, often for reasons beyond their control and that we should consider ways to assist these property owners.

The next meeting of the Coupland City Council will be on June 12.

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

The Coupland City Council followed up on some old business, continued working on plans for a Spring Cleanup Day, responded to a citizen complaint about trashy & overgrown properties within the city limits, discussed the mowing of city streets, talked about city records and the city’s website, and took action to secure additional tax revenue. Four citizens attended the meeting. Eldridge Tidwell was unable to attend. Here are the highlights:

• The City has 38,355.47 in the bank as of March 31, 2104.
• The final plat for the Prinz Estates Subdivision has not yet been submitted to the city for approval.
• The Council discussed plans for the Spring Cleanup Day, set for Saturday, May 17. The youth group from St. Peter’s Church will assist. Other organizations have been invited. There will be a large dumpster available. Only Coupland residents may bring their refuse to the dumpster. Proof of residency will be required. Hazardous materials and large appliances will not be accepted. The event will begin at 9 AM and end at dark.
• The Council engaged in an extensive discussion in response to a request from a local citizen that the City adopt an ordinance dealing with trashy & overgrown properties. Barbara Piper received the complaint and promised that it would be brought before the Council.  She said that she believes that it is the proper role for the city Council to take complaints and address concerns. She reported that the citizen said the appearance of Coupland had gone downhill. During the discussion Council members pointed out that the city was taking positive action, referencing the plans for the cleanup day, which was already in progress before the complaint was received. Karen Marosko said that we should talk to people and try to find help for them if they need it. She said that there were different reasons for people’s property to become unsightly. She said, however, that only if it was a health or sanitation problem, or a danger such as a burn threat should the city take action. She said it should start with a letter to the property owner. Susan Garry said that she thinks that the appearance of various properties has improved lately and gave specific examples. Susan Schmidt said she had seen a family cleaning up a lot that did not belong to them, apparently taking matters into their own hands. Mayor Piper said that at the beginning of the incorporation process there had been discussions about communicating with people to address these types of issues. Ms. Piper said that we should find solutions short of adopting an ordinance that would help to make Copland more attractive. She said there should not be any official government action except for health or safety issues and in those cases the County should be able to assist us. Ms. Gary commented that sometime back, Ms. Piper had been able to get the County to take care of a property near the school which was the source of bee attacks upon children. Ms. Schmidt acknowledged the difficulty of approaching people whose properties are in bad shape. Ms. Piper said that she felt that the cleanup day might help inspire people and that letters are sometimes sufficient. During the discussion, citizens were allowed to freely address the Council with one resident commenting that dealing with unattractive properties treads a fine line and that we don’t want an “HOA situation.” In the end, the official consensus of the Council was that they would continue to discuss the issue but that they were not interested in pursuing the establishment of a specific ordinance at this time.
• Regarding the mowing of city streets, Mayor Piper reported that there were 5 miles of roads within the city limits. However, because many residents maintain their properties up to the streets, a contractor would not have to mow all of those 5 miles, which would really be 10 miles to do both sides of the streets. The Mayor is going to solicit bids for the mowing. He hopes to be able to present those bids to the city Council at the May meeting.
• Under state law, the city is required to have a specific policy for records management and retention and a specific person is to be designated to oversee the implementation of that policy. An ordinance establishing the policy must be filed with the state. The City Secretary (yours truly) summarized the current practices: Paper copies of official documents such as agendas, minutes, and ordinances are on file in the city office in the Coupland Fire Station. Digital copies are stored online in a Dropbox.com account, with multiple backups on the Mayor’s personal computer and the Secretary’s personal computers. The Secretary and the Mayor may have some items in their possession while they are being prepared but once work is complete, they are stored at the city office and in digital formats. The Secretary and the Mayor will draft the formal policy and present it at a future City Council meeting.
• The Mayor presented an ordinance repealing the sales tax exemption that was in existence by default for telecommunications services sold within the City. Section 1, subsection (a) of the ordinance says this: “A tax is hereby authorized pursuant to Section 321.203(g) (Consummation of Sale) of the Texas Tax Code on all telecommunications services sold within the City.  For purposes of this section, the sale of telecommunications services is consummated at the location of the telephone or other telecommunications device from which the call or other communication originates.  If the point of origin cannot be determined, the sale is consummated at the address to which the call or other communication is billed.” Such services would be subject to the existing 1 ¼% city sales tax. The vote to adopt the ordinance was unanimous and it will be submitted along with the official minutes to the State Comptroller.
• The previous two items (records management and telecommunications tax) came to the attention of the Council as a result of articles in the official magazine of the Texas Municipal League.
• There was a discussion regarding the development of the city’s website. The Secretary showed the Council the new website. It is still under development and contains no official information at this time but it can be found at www.cityofcouplandtx.us. There was a brief discussion about whether or not to establish official email addresses for City officials. Matt Eiben recommended that instead of email addresses, which are easily spammed, the City utilize a contact form on the website. He also said that the City’s website needs “curb appeal” and that he would submit a proposal to help stimulate ideas. He also suggested that the Council look at websites of other cities. Mayor Piper said that he would review options with the Secretary.
• During the citizens and events recognition portion of the meeting only the cleanup day was mentioned.
• During the citizens communication portion of the meeting, Sarah Torluemke spoke on ordinances in general. She said Coupland is going to change and that when ordinances are brought forth, the intent should be clearly stated but that the primary purpose should be to protect Coupland. Ruby Wabbel spoke about the potential ordinance on junky properties. She said that any such ordinance should address only safety and health issues and that the City Council should not adopt the role of a homeowners association. She also thanked the the Council members for volunteering their time, for being concerned about the welfare of Coupland, and for helping keep Coupland at its best.

The next meeting of the Coupland City Council will be on May 8.

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)

The Coupland City Council covered some nuts and bolts issues pertaining to the Subdivision Ordinance, future elections, and the first re-platting of an existing property to be handled by the City. There was also a discussion about zoning. Present for the meeting were Mayor Jack Piper and Aldermen Barbara Piper, Susan Garry, Eldridge Tidwell, and Susan Schmidt. Karen Marosko was unable to attend.

Here are the highlights:

• The Mayor presented the financial report. As of January 31, the City hd $31,103 in the bank. He directed the Aldermen to the itemized income and expenses report. The City has collected about $24,000 in property tax revenue so far. The budget calls for $32, 000 but he expects more to trickle in over the coming months. He also noted that about half of the annual budget for street repairs was used to make repairs to CR 458.
• Susan Garry had proposed an amendment to the Subdivision Ordinance to incorporate family grant provisions that were inadvertently left out of the final version of the ordinance. The Council approved a motion to amend the ordinance accordingly. Mayor Piper pointed out that when the exact wording is developed, the revised ordinance will be on a future agenda and will require a vote.
• An application to replat the Prinz property was received by the City. Mayor Piper reported that it was submitted to the City’s engineering firm. They found some issues that required correction. The Mayor pointed out that they were all minor and easily corrected. A motion to accept the preliminary plat with the caveat that the exceptions be resolved to the satisfaction of the City Engineer was approved by the Council.
• In a discussion about road maintenance, the Mayor said that now that the repairs to CR 458 were complete, we could look at other needs in the city. More than one Alderman expressed a concern that illegally overloaded grain trucks cause excessive wear and tear on the roads, thereby increasing road maintenance expenses.
• The Council adopted an ordinance changing the City election from May to November and altering the terms of office of all Council members accordingly. This was made possible by a state law allowing newly incorporated cities to make such a change within 2 years of their incorporation date. The Mayor said that this move would save money for the City.
• A resolution to form a Planning and Zoning Committee was tabled by the Mayor. He said he was still waiting to hear back from some potential members of the committee.
• During the recognition portion of the meeting, Barbara Piper mentioned the Annual Coupland Volunteer Fire Department Chili Supper on Saturday, February 22 and asked everyone to come out and support the event. She also mentioned that Dr. Dana Boehm will make a presentation at the Coupland Civic Organization General Meeting on Monday, February 24. She will be talking about her mission trip to Kenya, which involved teaching sustainability to villagers. Eldridge Tidwell mentioned that some members of his church were going on a mission to the University of Ghana. Finally, Mayor Piper announced the early voting dates for the County elections in May. Early voting will take place April 28 through May 3 and May 5 through May 6. The election is on May 10.
• During the Citizen’s Communications portion of the meeting, the City Secretary (yours truly) read a letter from local resident Jim Huntington, which he had asked to be read into the record of the meeting. Mr. Huntington expressed his opposition to the establishment of zoning in Coupland. Although at least one Alderman said she understood and sympathized with Huntington’s comments, other council members expressed their concerns about things like junk vehicles, the possibility of gun ranges, and the possibility of the establishment of a wild boar slaughterhouse within city limits.

The next meeting of the Coupland City Council will be on March 13.