On Tuesday, Coppell Mayor Karan Hunt said that the main hindrances of American citizens voting were missing voting deadlines, being unfamiliar with the registration process, and the COVIS-19 pandemic. Hunt declared Sept. 22 as National Voting Registration Day, in order to encourage more Americans to vote. All members of the council voted in favor, sealing the proposal.  

Following the voting, the council discussed the budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The presentation began by proposing the budget for the crime prevention district, which gets its funds from a quarter portion of sales tax. The total crime prevention district revenues are projected to be $3,765,625 for the next fiscal year. Sales tax, being the primary source of revenue for the crime prevention district, is projected to be $3,324,759, or 88.5% of the revenue. The proposed sales tax revenue reflects a 45% decrease from the current city budget. 

After discussing the crime prevention district budget, the topic moved to the proposed budget for 2020-2021. The total general fund revenue is projected to be approximately $64.1 million, 63% of the proposed revenue coming from H&O property taxes. The revenue generated is derived from eight different categories, 80% of the revenue coming from property and sales tax. 

After hearing the presentations, in the open forum Coppell citizens said that though the tax rate fell to $.05800,  it is not enough as the valuation stayed the same. They were taking into account the unemployment that occurred due to the pandemic. One citizen claimed that the decrease sounds insignificant, and they should strip the costs of public gatherings, since they are not allowed right now anyways. 

Other citizens wanted to know where the police funds were redirected, and why they were reduced by 10%. Coppell Police Chief Danny Barton responded to this common question by stating that they did it to get rid of the inefficiencies that were prevalent, and that it had nothing to do with the protests that have been occurring. He confirmed that the police department made this decision, and was not opposed to the reduced funds. 

The meeting concluded with a vote to remove the 550 linear foot portion of the screening fence located on the south side of Deforest Road. This vote was also open to the public hearing. After hearing the presentation, all members of the council voted in favor of the removal, approving the proposed plan. 

The full meeting can be found here.

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