Richardson City Council Meeting January 8th, 2024
OPENING
All councilmembers are present as well as City Manager Don Magner and City Secretary Aimee Nemer.
Councilman Barrios leads a prayer and the pledges.
Mayor Dubey recognizes the life of Eddie Bernice Johnson. Congresswoman Johnson represented Texas’ Congressional District 30 (Central & South Dallas area) for 30 years.
Mayor Dubey also takes the opportunity to recognize the life of Howard Kennedy. Howard was a Texas Instruments Retiree and Past Master of Richardson Masonic Lodge #1214 A.F. & A.M.
December minutes are approved unanimously.
Eleven written public comments are received regarding a ceasefire resolution for the War in Gaza. One public speaker expresses concerns about the purchase of Flock cameras in tonight’s consent agenda. He states that he has issues with how these cameras store and upload data. He asks Council to carefully consider the regulation of the use of these cameras. He also speaks about the considerably lowered value of commercial property at Cityline. He states that the Collin Appraisal District seems to undervalue commercial property and overvalue residential property. He also states that there is an issue with multifamily developers finding loopholes to avoid paying property taxes for up to a century because they are considered a public improvement.
IT’S TIME TEXAS CHALLENGE
The first discussion is an introduction to this year’s It’s Time Texas Challenge. Corporate Recreation Manager Jonathan Winters presents. This is an annual health challenge that will take place over the next two months. Participants can download the mobile app to log activities and earn points toward the community and individual competition. Communities and individuals with the most points are recognized and awarded prizes. The city is planning to host free group fitness activities/classes on Saturdays throughout the competition period. For January, the Heights Rec Center will have Zumba and Dance Fitness classes. Huffhines Park will host a Walk & Yoga event. In February, Heights Rec Center hosts Women’s Functional Fitness and Zumba. Huffhines Rec Center will host Yoga and Dance Fitness. Heights Rec Center will also host one more Yoga class on March 2nd before the competition period ends. If you are one of the first 100 to arrive at the Jan. 20th Walk, you will get a t-shirt! If anyone reaches 25,000 points, you get a tumbler! The city is also offering a 20% discount on annual rec center memberships for the competition period.
CLEAN PARKS PROGRAM
The second discussion is on the Clean Parks Program. Parks & Recreation Director Yvonne Falgout presents. Yvonne states that they have noticed an increase in trash at Richardson parks. This program aims to reduce that litter. It includes additional signage, social media campaigns, and a dedicated webpage to increase education on how to combat litter. Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Richardson Rotary Club, the program will also provide program-branded swag, trash bags, and additional trash bag dispensers and signage. These funds also allow for the creation of a ‘Clean Park Patrol Passport’ program. These passport booklets, geared towards elementary-aged children, will include a park map, litter facts, activities, quizzes, a pledge to keep parks clean, and contact info for reporting littering issues. Prizes will be awarded for completing challenges. These will be distributed to rec centers and local daycare centers as well as Richardson ISD. The city is also installing new trash cans with larger capacity at several parks. Lastly, the city will partner with a contractor to increase monitoring and collection of trash.
The city offers five different ways to report litter. You can email either AskRichardsonParks@cor.gov or Litterfree@cor.gov . You can also report through the MyRichardson mobile app. During business hours, you may also call Parks & Rec at 972-744-4300. The 24/7 response is also always an option at 972-744-4111. These are the options for reporting litter. For criminal activity or a noise complaint at a park, the city asks that you call 911 or the non-emergency line at 972-744-4800. Council thanks the department for the creative approach.
Councilman Hutchenrider asks if any penalties exist for those who leave trash behind at parks. Yvonne answers that a deposit is required for groups to rent out pavilions. The return of a deposit is dependent on the group cleaning their area before leaving. Councilwoman Justice encourages community members to create group litter cleanups and log them in the It’s Time Texas app to maximize impact.
PUBLIC HEARING - GLENVILLE MULTIFAMILY
The next item is a public hearing on ZF 23-14, a rezoning request for a five-story multifamily planned development at 2520 N. Ctrl Expy. This was also covered in the Dec. 19th CPC meeting. Staff provides a background of the request. Councilman Hutchenrider asks if state law allows cities to dictate the garage façade enhancement. City Manager Don Magner clarifies that state law prohibits cities from requiring specific finishes so it would just be an unenforceable recommendation if approved. Councilman Corcoran asks about the applicant’s proposal for enhancements to trail connections. Staff clarifies that the enhancement would be a staggered fence barrier for additional safety at the rail crossing. The applicant gives their presentation and offers to answer questions. The applicant states that they intend to de-emphasize the garage façade with lighting sconces instead of staff’s recommendation to install illuminated vertical louvers. Councilman Dorian makes several recommendations for softscaping, greenscaping, and lighting/art elements but is again reminded by Councilman Hutchenrider that state law prohibits cities from requiring any of these elements. Mayor Dubey asks about safety and security measures. The applicant answers that doors will have automatic electronic locks. One public speaker expresses concerns about traffic backing up onto the U.S. 75 service road.
Councilwoman Justice asks about planning for expanded emergency services as more multifamily developments attract new residents. City Manager Don Magner answers that they can look at adding an emergency services impact analysis to the development process. Once the update to the comprehensive plan is finalized, the city will have a better idea of how many new residents to expect. Councilwoman Justice states that this growth needs a proactive approach in the next budget. Councilman Barrios expresses concerns about the parking garage entrance being located on the service road. He is leaning towards opposing for that reason. City Manager Don Magner states that the property previously operated as medical offices without ever affecting traffic. Development Services Director Sam Chavez adds that this garage would have two entrances, not just the service road entrance. The request is approved unanimously.
ALCOHOL VARIANCE
The next vote is on an alcohol sales variance request. Burger Island at 525 W. Arapaho is requesting a variance to allow on-premise consumption of alcohol. Since they are within 300 feet of a church, Iglesia Cristiana Familias de Fe, they require a variance. The church does not oppose the request. The applicant states that approval of the request would allow him to not raise food prices and give his employees a raise. This request is also approved unanimously.
CONSENT AGENDA & CLOSING
Next is the consent agenda. Mayor Dubey asks for Item C.7 to be pulled to allow for discussion. This is the bid approval for the purchase of 20 Flock cameras that the public speaker expressed concerns about at the beginning of the meeting.
The remainder of the consent agenda is approved unanimously. It includes two ordinances codifying the approvals of zoning files 23-12 and 23-13. It also includes a resolution casting the city’s vote for Michael Hurtt of DeSoto in the Dallas County Appraisal District Runoff Election. Setting aside the Flock camera bid, six other bids are also included: a $109K annual requirements contract with Peerless Events and Tents for special event tent rentals, a $3.6M 3-year requirements contract with Durable Specialties Inc. for traffic signal maintenance and construction, $207K to Kompan Inc. for the playground renovation at Woods Park, $172K to Professional Turf Products, LP for golf course maintenance equipment, and $64K to Texas Air Systems for HVAC repairs at the Fire Training Center.
City Manager Don Magner explains that these Flock cameras are automatic license plate readers, similar to the Axon cameras mounted in police vehicles. These will be used to assist in identifying vehicles associated with crimes. Data is stored for up to 90 days. Councilman Hutchenrider explains that Methodist Richardson Medical Center also uses Flock cameras which have helped to recover stolen vehicles in the hospital’s parking garage. Councilman Barrios asks if the storage of data is managed by the city or a third party. Don states that data is managed and shared nationwide through Flock/Axon’s system. Councilman Barrios asks for specific details about the type of data stored. Don answers that license plate information as well as specific visual features of vehicles are documented.
Councilman Barrios asks if the item could be continued until official answers to citizens’ concerns can be provided. Councilman Hutchenrider doesn’t think that’s a good idea. Councilman Corcoran agrees that there is no need to continue the item. He reminds Council that Flock provides transparency pages to address exactly these concerns. He suggests the city could share audits and reports with residents to ease concerns. Council agrees that there should be a response to data collection concerns but does not want to delay the vote. Council unanimously awards the $75K bid to Flock Systems for 20 Flock cameras.
Council discusses the new disc golf course at Breckinridge Park, the passing of Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, library renovations, the RPD Toy Drive, and an art exhibit at the Eisemann Center, and the meeting adjourns.