May is a transitional month, my beautiful spring weeds begin to blossom, our high school seniors are getting ready for the next phase of their lives and we celebrate our mothers for the wisdom they have worked so tirelessly to provide for us, no matter what our age. In the case of soon-to-be mothers, such as my daughter (which makes me a soon-to-be Grand-Pa for the first time), this is by far one of my favorite times of year.
The Annual Clean Up Day on April 27, 2019 was a huge success. From the time it started at 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. there was a steady stream of cars and trucks lined up to get rid of everything such as old lawn furniture, car batteries, electronics and personal documents. I want to thank Republic Services for their assistance and Keep Argyle Beautiful for their tireless efforts in our community.
During the council meeting on Tuesday April 23, 2019, the Town Council continued its review of the land use charts. While this started out as an effort to simplify and clean up these charts for future applicants, it mutated into one of the most contentious items seen in our town in the last couple of years.
“Consider approving an ordinance amendment (ORD‐18‐002) regarding amendments to Section 14.1.5, Definitions; Article III, Part 3, Zoning Districts, and Article III, Part 4, Use Regulations, Section 14.3.97, Use Charts, of the Town of Argyle Town Development Standards, adopting various amendments to use charts and zoning districts in the Town Development Standards.”
A motion was made to deny approval of this ordinance and that motion was passed unanimously by all members of the council.
I will not go into all the arguments that were had on this subject both in the council chambers as well as on social media, but I can say this was one of the ugliest times for our town that I have seen in many years. Let’s all remember that we are all leaders in one respect or another. To our town, in our schools and churches, and in our homes, we are all examples for young minds.
As a result of this whole issue, I have proposed the formation of the Argyle Agricultural Board. This will be a citizen-driven board and while its purpose will be evolving, the number-one duty they will have is to be an advisory board for the P&Z, Council and Staff on all matters Ag. This will not be a regulatory board or an oversite committee. It will be a body of education and knowledge for us to go to when questions and concerns arise. One such question that has already been posed to me is why does Argyle ISD not have an Agricultural Program? That is a question I cannot answer right now but I will talk to Dr. Wright about. You will see this Agricultural Board on the May or June council agenda.
Two separate items on the agenda were approved during the April 23, 2019 meeting for zoning change requests for two businesses. Domino’s Pizza, which will be located on 377 near Independent Bank and a to-be-determined restaurant with will be at the corner of 377 and Cook Street.
Now that the elections are over, it is time to get back to the business of the town. As we start looking at budget season, staff has already had several projects submitted for approval. This will no doubt require long hours in the council chambers in order to work through these items. It is for this reason I will suggest we move to a two-council meeting per month format. While this would mean an extra meeting each month, the agenda packets would be smaller and ease the workload on the council and staff.
I feel as if this election season shoved the Argyle hospitality, love and sense of family aside. But remember, just like many families, we have spats, arguments and sometimes flat out fights. But, “We Are Argyle” no matter what side of town you live in, how long you have lived here or the appraised value of your home. “We are all Argyle”. We all have our own unique Argyle Community Pride. We are all the Argyle Family whether in ETJ, Town proper or just ISD boundaries. Let’s share that with one other again.
I am the mayor for the next two years and part of those duties will be to bring this community back to a centered place of togetherness and community.
I will be asking other leaders in our community to help us get back to that. I will be extending invitations to all the leaders in our churches to attend a council meeting and provide the invocation for us at the beginning of each meeting.
I am publicly renewing my Pledge to Integrity, Transparency, and Community to all the citizens in the Argyle area. This includes Town Limits, ETJ, ISD, and Zip Code.
“The Town of Argyle is committed to preserving our small-town character and natural beauty through thoughtful growth, stewardship of resources, and citizen-focused government.”
Seniors Update
Our thanks to the Argyle Town Council for supplying our meat and dessert and helping to clean-up after our April luncheon.
Our next luncheon will be Friday, May 17, at noon. Come at 11 a.m. to visit and enjoy some coffee and donuts.
Everyone is asked to bring either a covered dish to share, or pay $5.
If planning to come, please let Stella or Karen know, so we will know how much meat to purchase.
The seniors meet on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 10 a.m. to exercise and at 10:30 a.m. to play Hand and Foot.
We are looking for a full time person to work in the kitchen once a month. If interested, please call Stella McDaniel at 940-464-7438 or Karen Kiel at 940-464-0506 to discuss duties and salary.
-Submitted by Stella McDaniel
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