Arlington, TX

When the city raised storm water fees by a phenomenal amount this past summer, Arlington school superintendent Mac Bernd called the increase “unconscionable” and refused to pay. The city threatened to turn off water to the schools and the district was considering a lawsuit.

The city caved and at last night’s City Council meeting, voted to exempt all local school districts from paying the fees. City leaders say they hope this will help to reopen communication with the school district so they can concentrate on more important issues,  such as gang violence.

The fee increase, which was implemented on October 1, would have cost the school district an estimated $110,000 more this year. The AISD had been paying about $6,000 a month. Since the increase, the school district has withheld the storm-water fee payment, setting the money aside in an escrow account, and has paid the rest of their water bill. 

Other items approved at the City Council meeting included:

• Spend $1.6 million to dredge the west pond north of Randol Mill Road by the Ballpark and part of the channel south of Randol Mill that leads to the pond.
• Spend $200,000 to update zoning regulations.
• Begin bidding on gas leases on 274 acres of city-owned land, including Rush Creek Linear Park and Veterans Park.
• Spend $153,000 to maintain medians and rights of way in the entertainment district and $113,000 for grounds maintenance, such as mowing, on city-owned land.
• Create a tax increment financing district around the Viridian project planned for far north Arlington.

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Another Municipal Court employee has been arrested. Stacie Marciel, 43, is facing a charge of misuse of official information, a third-degree felony punishable by 2 to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. She is accused of not entering three citations into court records so that the recipients would not have to pay fines. Marciel blames inadequate staff and a backlog of work for the citations not being entered.

A man was arrested Sunday after a stand-off with police. Shots were fired in an apparent domestic disturbance. Marcus Cooper, 29, barricaded himself in a home in the 1100 block of North Cooper but surrendered peacefully to police after about 2 hours. No one was injured. (more…)

Two southbound lanes of North Collins Street (between Sanford Street and Rogers Street) will be reduced to one lane. The Water Utilities Department will be installing larger sanitary sewer pipelines in the area. Northbound left turns in this area will not be available. For nine days, beginning Thursday, July 26. This sewer line improvement project is scheduled for completion by Friday, Aug. 3, depending on weather. Alternate northbound and southbound routes are Center Street and Cooper Street.

The City Council has come to a decision on the Storm Water fee increase. The Council voted 7-2 Tuesday to slightly increase the monthly storm-water fee starting in October but will wait until 2010 to fully implement the higher rate it had considered. Monthly residential rates will increase from $1.30 to $2 in October. Businesses, churches, apartment complexes, the school district and others will pay $2 a month for every 2,800 square feet of impervious surface that creates storm-water runoff. The rate will increase to $2.75 in 2008, $3.50 in 2009 and $4.25 in 2010.

Two men were arrested after robberies at two Arlington apartment complexes last night. Police responded to two calls within minutes of each other around 1 a.m. Officers said two suspects robbed a man as he walked home in the Regency Apartments and then robbed a couple walking through the Brandon Oaks Apartments. One suspect held a gun to the woman’s head and fired shots as they left. With the assistance of the K-9 unit, police were able to find and arrest both men. 

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Tonight, there will be a town hall meeting for Arlington residents and businesses to discuss the proposed Storm Water Fee increase. Mayor Pro Tempore Ron Wright will host the meeting. Environmental Services Director Robert Byrd will make a presentation about the storm water ordinance.

The Storm Water Ordinance is scheduled for a final reading at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 24. The town hall meeting is being held to get community feedback about the proposed fee before the City Council takes action.

The meeting will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, July 23 at the Arlington Municipal Building located at 101 W. Abram St. in downtown Arlington.

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The three right lanes of eastbound Interstate 20 between Great Southwest Parkway and Carrier Parkway will be closed between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday for construction of the Hwy 161 bridge. The eastbound entrance ramp from Great Southwest Parkway will also be closed. At times all eastbound traffic on Interstate 20 will be temporarily stopped until the beams that support the bridge are in place. For an alternate route, exit Great Southwest Parkway and go south to Bardin Road.  Take Bardin east to Carrier Parkway, then turn north to get back on I-20.

Churches are joining the AISD and local businesses in the “unhappy about increases in storm water fees” camp. Leaders from hundreds of Arlington churches are meeting today to figure out a way to pressure the city council to eliminate the increase or exempt churches. Some churches could face an increase of 300 percent or more. The Arlington City Council unanimously approved the plan July 3 but needs to vote on it one more time before it becomes official. It is set to discuss the plan again Tuesday but may decide to table it due to the concerns.

An Arlington daycare worker has been accused of breaking a baby’s arm. The parents were first accused, but after an investigation and a long ordeal with CPS, the Rivera family has been cleared and the daycare has come under scrutiny. The accused worker is no longer employed at the Primrose School of North East Green Oaks for reasons unrelated to the case.

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The Arlington ISD and businesses like the General Motors Assembly Plant are worried about the storm water fee hike the City Council approved last week.   The Council voted to raise residential fees a little over $3.00 per month, but that’s nothing compared to what commercial customers would pay.  The AISD would go from paying about $6,000 per month to over $31,000, an amount that Superintendent Mac Bernd calls “unconscionable.”

Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks has purchased the Stonegate Pines mobile home park south of the Ballpark.  The site was originally slated to be purchased for the Cowboys stadium project, but the city decided not to purchase it due to escalating costs for the development.  Many residents have moved, but some remain.  Their future is unclear at this point.

Mansfield will join other local communities in putting photos and information on registered sex offenders online but the City Council rejected a proposal to place stricter limits on where they can live.  They decided that the state laws are sufficient and no further restrictions would be necessary.

A man was killed in Grand Prairie yesterday when a Chevy Blazer ran a red light and struck his vehicle at West Main and NW 6th Street.  The Blazer was being pursued by police just prior to the accident, but police had called off the chase due to public safety concerns.  The driver and his passenger were both apprehended.

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Happy Independence Day!  If you need to know where the celebrations are, you’ve come to the right place.

I told you about Kaitlyn Wade yesterday.  Horace McKee, who was driving the car that hit the vehicle Kaitlyn was riding in, bypassed an interlock device on his truck which was imposed for a previous drunk driving conviction.  Drunk drivers get off too easy.   

The City Council voted yesterday to install parking meters near the Municipal Court.  Make sure you bring change!

The City Council also voted on an increase in storm water fees.  They approved a $3 increase for homeowners, which will bring the storm water fee to $4.25 a month.  Also discussed at yesterday’s meeting:  Johnson Creek, an eminent domain lawsuit, Annexation of neighboring areas and crime in East Arlington.

Wildflowers or Weeds?  Arlington attorney Frank Hill, of the Hill-Gilstrap Law Firm, and the city disagree.  What do you think? 

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