On Tuesday night, the Coppell City Council approved the publication of the reduction of the tax rate from $0.58400 to $.05800 for the 2020 tax year. This rate will then be discussed in the Sept. 8 council meeting, after which it will be presented in a special council meeting to vote on virtually at 6 p.m. on Sept. 15. 

To be published on Saturday, this rate is less than the no-new-revenue tax rate, which is the tax rate that will raise the same amount of property tax revenue as in the 2019 and 2020 tax year. The proposed tax rate is less than the no-new-revenue tax rate, meaning that the city is not proposing to increase property taxes for the 2020 tax year. Once the rate is advertised, it cannot increase, but it is possible to decrease during the discussions at the public hearings. 

“Based on the feedback from citizens, it’s been very clear that we’ve been living in a very special place,” council member Wes Mays said.  “The council does not make decisions for the short term, we make long-term decisions for the benefit of our citizens and for the City of Coppell. It’s unbelievable that we’re able to present a budget to the City of Coppell that’s actually including a tax rate decrease.”

The Council approved an addition of $95,000 for the reconstruction of Belt Line Road. Director of public works Kent Collins shared how the landscaping plan is in the process of being amended in order to design around the existing trees, along with complete design by spring of 2021 so that construction can begin around May and June of 2021. Additions to the previous plan include a Traffic Control Plan to accommodate higher volumes of traffic and a Paving Section. 

Parks project manager John Elias gave a presentation regarding the implementation of the Emergency Trail Marker System across the Coppell Nature Park, the Andrew Brown Park trail system and the Campion Trail. The project was a 2020 City Council goal, and in June, 36 Emergency Trail Markers were installed on the Andrew Brown Park trail systems and the Campion trail. 10 Emergency Trail Markers were installed in the Coppell Nature Park in the fall of 2019. In the event of an emergency, a person on the trail can locate the nearest Emergency Trail Marker and give the dispatcher the color, letter, and number code on the marker. 

Other items approved and discussed include the Interlocal Cooperation Agreement between the City of Coppell and Denton County Transportation Authority, irrigation and rerouting on the MacArthur Trail Project and an amendment to the Master Fees Schedule. 

The full-length recording of the meeting can be found here.

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