Hard to believe we are already in May!
Please welcome Jon Donahue as our newest Council member who was appointed to replace Eric Lamon. Councilman Lamon will be missed and I thank him for all his hours of service, bringing his engineering background to decisions on building standards, roads, and even tree preservation. Thank you, Eric for your service and time. You will be missed. Little Elm is a lucky town to have you join their community.
With much gratitude to Eric, his replacement Jon Donahue will be a powerful addition to our Council. He has been a volunteer fireman for Argyle, helped establish our Emergency Service District and served on our Planning and Zoning Board. He and his wife, Valerie, have lived in Argyle for over 20 years and raised their son, Helm, here. His finance background and familiarity with present challenges of our Town are going to be a fantastic addition.
We had a great April meeting starting our public workshop with a question and answer session on crucial topics. We started with a presentation regarding the establishment of railroad “quiet zones” within the Town. Argyle has five intersections in a short distance and, if the quiet zone is implemented, we must construct each intersection at the same time. The cost for each intersection is expensive. The Council expressed a desire to implement the quiet zone at the same time as the widening of Hwy 377. We will discuss this in more detail as we are looking at 2018 budget.
We welcomed the successful Argyle Archery team. The Council quarters were filled with the state finalist including Merritt Hawkesworth, the state champion! Congratulations to Coach Wittmas and Bradford for their success this year.
The Council called for the consideration of a proposed levy of assessments for the Waterbrook of Argyle Public Improvement District. The discussion began with an open hearing. The Council had no one speak for or against the action from the Citizens. Council passed unanimously. This is a development located at the corner of 377 and 407. The town will be sharing the burden of the implementation of sewer lines with this approval. This is the answer to ceasing a long-time debt the town has been burdened with for many years. To eliminate this financial liability, we needed to find partners to help with the cost of construction. The Council approved a resolution approving a Reimbursement Agreement between the Town and Terra Manna, LLC for the Waterbrook Public Improvement District.
After accepting Councilman Lamon’s resignation and swearing Jon Donahue into office, we adjourned and continued our work session to discuss Tree and Hill preservation in the Town of Argyle. Although this was a public meeting, we had no one attend other than our Council and staff. I was very encouraged with the great ideas, new concerns and solutions from our newest member, Councilman Donahue. The Council is eager to incorporate a stricter tree and hill preservation ordinance. This has become the number one concern for the Council and the work session provided the venue for innovative ideas that need to be reviewed.
We compared our tree ordinance to many other towns to find that even though we have a very strong ordinance, there is improvement to be made. Council gave staff direction for additional research that Council needs prior to future meetings. Please watch for upcoming meetings. This is an important topic that needs your input. We will discuss these topics early in the agenda so hopefully Citizens will be able to attend.
I have enjoyed serving as your Mayor for the last four years and want to tell you what a privilege it has been to serve a Community that is so dear to my heart. I am looking forward to serving Argyle for many years to come! Congrats to our graduating seniors and I wish you the very best luck and success in your next chapter of life.
I also want to give a big thank you to the President of the Youth Advisory Council, Reeves Moseley. He is a graduating senior and has shown his leadership skills in everything he does. I have been blessed to watch Reeves grow his passion for current events and political issues. I have been honored for the opportunity to work with him on ideas for the Town through our youth’s eyes. We will see Reeves in leadership roles for many years to come. I am predicting a future President of the United States! Good luck Reeves and congratulations for all your accomplishments.
Have a great May and be safe!
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