Council nominates appraisal district board members, approves replacing abandoned China King and more
Council nominates appraisal district board members, approves replacing abandoned China King and more
City council made central appraisal district board nominations, approved an agreement demolishing and replacing Wilshire’s abandoned China King and discussed updating impact fees at its meeting Monday
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BURLESON – City council made central appraisal district board nominations, approved an agreement demolishing and replacing Wilshire’s abandoned China King and discussed updating impact fees at its meeting Monday at City Hall.
Council nominated Duaine Goulding, John Wood, Amy Lingo and Paul Jones to the Johnson County Central Appraisal District Board and Gary Losada to the Tarrant County Central Appraisal District Board.
“I'm more than willing to take a chance on these folks,” councilmember Ronnie Johnson said. “They’re just like us, one of us, so you’re darn right I’m interested in them.”
Wood is interested in being on the board because he’s for taxes to fund the county’s infrastructure and education and is concerned with voters’ growing discontent with the “ever-increasing” appraisal values, he said at the meeting.
“I feel that, above all else, keeping the taxpayers informed on the benefits that having robust county services and schools to support our citizens is critical,” Wood said. “It’s also critical that our community is able to feel that they have a conduit to the appraisal board and its decision-making process.”
Jones shared a similar sentiment when speaking on his candidacy at the meeting.
“I know we need money to run our schools and fund the government, maintain our roads and other infrastructure, but sky-high property taxes, which we have now, are hurting our neighbors, family and friends,” Jones said.
Lingo said she wants to be part of the balance between paying for government entities without making it impossible to own a home.
Council also approved a performance agreement bringing Shipley Do-Nuts, Black Rock Coffee, Brident Dental and another business to 425 Southwest Wilshire Boulevard, where the abandoned China King Super Buffet sits.
The agreement is between the Burleson 4A Economic Development Corporation and C&C Burleson, LLC.
Mayor Chris Fletcher is ready to see the development, he said at the meeting.
Council also discussed the Capital Improvements Program Advisory Committee’s (CIPAC) impact fee-updates recommendations and updating the water/wastewater master plan and mobility plan.
CIPAC recommends Burleson increases its roadway impact fees to $1,632 per service-unit for residential, non-residential and industrial services from $408, $300 and $200, respectively, increases its wastewater impact fees to $1,731 from $1,312 and decreases its water impact fees to $2,492 from $2,624.
The roadway and wastewater impact-fee increases are a “tough nut to swallow,” Mayor Pro Tem Dan McClendon said at the meeting.
“I think we’re going to have to accept that this kind of a jump is really the necessary answer that we have to voice to those people in the community who rightly claim that we are engaging in development all across the city without having the infrastructure in place to support it already,” McClendon said.
McClendon requested reexamining Burleson charging a stormwater impact fee or stormwater utility fee for properties at a future meeting.
The mobility plan’s roadway-project priorities include Hulen Street realignment and construction, Alsbury Boulevard reconstruction and projects on Lakewood Drive, Hidden creek Parkway, Greenridge Drive and Wicker Hill Drive.
The mobility plan’s pedestrian-project priorities include sidewalks on Park Meadow Lane, Rand Street/Newton Street/Cindy Lane, Elk Drive, Clark Street, Ellison Street, Bransom Street, Maple Avenue, Vaughn Drive, Hollow Creek Road, Renfro Street and FM 1902/County Road 910.
The mobility plan’s bicycle and trail-project priorities include shared-use paths on Stone Road, Village Creek Trail, Shannon Creek Trail, Heberle Park Trail, Johnson Avenue/Tarrant Avenue/Miller Street, Hurst Road, Alsbury Boulevard, Hulen Street and Lakewood Drive/County Road 914 and a Hemphill Street bicycle lane.
The wastewater system capital improvement plan will cost $126 million.
Council also approved changing the zone of .35 acres at 255 Centre Drive to industrial from agricultural and approved a site-plan request for Liquid Stone Concrete at that location.
With Liquid Stone requesting six variances to Burleson’s zoning code for the facility, councilmember Larry Scott suggested Burleson reevaluate the code. Burleson development services director Tony McIlwain said Burleson has been working on revising the code for several months.
Council also approved a $1.8 million reimbursement resolution for public works projects.
The resolution funds projects, including engineering, development and planning internal personnel costs, prior to issuing bonds in June
“We’re fortunate to have engineers and inspectors in house,” city manager Tommy Ludwig said at the meeting. “If we didn’t have those individuals, we’d be paying bond proceeds to pay for them through a third party. We think there’s a better cost recovery for us to bring those services in house.”
Council also approved increasing the speed limit between Hulen Street and FM 731 and Commons Drive from Greenridge Drive and Southwest Wilshire Boulevard to 35 mph from 30 mph.
Council also approved adopting Burleson’s economic development incentives program guidelines and criteria.
City council’s next meeting will be at 5:30 p.m. October 16 at City Hall.
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