A caddywompus City Council meeting

“Everyone’s a bit caddywompus”

Mayor Karen Hunt described the atmosphere in the City Hall building while she took her seat in the City Council meeting, which started 13 minutes late. Although it got off to a shaky start, the second meeting this month offers strong support from council members.

The words “none opposed, motion carries” would be repeated throughout the night following every item on the consent agenda.

To begin the meeting, First United Methodist Church Associate Pastor Bill Eason led the invocation. Since no one signed up for the citizen’s appearance that followed, the schedule skipped to the consent agenda.

Managing director of Grant Thornton audit firm Debbie Rowlands presented results found within the 2014-2015 Annual Financial report to the council.

After announcing they had no unresolved audit issues, no disagreements with management, and no audit adjustments, Hunt praised them for all their hard work.

“We want to thank you and your group for working with our outstanding staff to get this completed,” said Hunt, holding up the thick report binder to the audience. “We are very thankful for this because it means all is good.”

City of Coppell director of finance Jennifer Miller announced the $3 million budget for the fiscal year for the council to approve.

Along with service center reconstruction, economic development, water and sewer, expenditures, utility operations, and a few fees associated with engineering software project, the budget also included special revenue funds.

“Some of those being included in this amendments are in the tree preservation act,” Miller said. “We allocated some of those funds for the Andy Brown renovation project, in our recreational fund a monument sign at the core and the replacement of a wooden shape structure at the wagon wheel complex. That is the bulk of this budget amendment.”

After a few questions, the council voted unanimously to pass the budget. They would also agree to renew the Curfew Hour for Minors article presented by Deputy Chief Chris Aulbaugh.

“In 2015, the police department issued a total of 15 curfew violations,” Aulbaugh said. “It’s an increase over previous years, in 2013 we had four and in 2014 we had nine. [The law] Is a very useful tool for our officers, not only for them but for parents and businesses in establishing guidelines for children under 17.”

The final vote was on the approval of the repaving and reconstruction of Plantation drive and Mossy Oaks street. While showing pictures of the damaged Plantation roads, Coppell technology integration specialist Jamie Lakey recalled something Ken Griffin, the city director of engineering, had said to her.

“[Plantation] was constructed in the 1980s in two phases,” Lakey said. “In 1984, phase one and again in 1985. It’s quite old. [Griffin] was joking with me earlier that he remembers the construction of this project and he’s seen it full circle, now it’s back again.”
To conclude the consent agenda, every council members hand shot up and the contract was passed.