DESOTO—Those in the meeting at the DeSoto City Council earlier this week were happy when the council unanimously passed the regular agenda item to negotiate and enter into a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the closing on the properties located at 109 N Hampton Road, Lot 3; 109 N Hampton Road, Lot 3.1; 140 Morris Street; 168 Church Street; 231 W Belt Line Road; and 115 W Belt Line Road.
Community Baptist Church of DeSoto sold the new property to the city for $6,650,000.00.
The seller also negotiated retaining the use of the property for two years free of charge.
One person said the exclusive right to market and purchase the property for a year originally existed, but that expired in September with no sale.
DeSoto City manager Majed Al-Ghafry said the opportunity to purchase and develop this property will be a catalyst for an anchor at the city’s most important intersections and an incredible destination for economic development. Al-Ghafry said he believed the property would spur growth once the city found a suitable partner “for us to develop.” It was noted that the city already owns 24 acres to the south.
One speaker on this topic was Judge Mike Jones, a DeSoto resident who had previously served on the city’s council. He talked about this being a return on investment, and he said developers are “knocking on DeSoto’s door, and you have to make big purchases to bring those individuals in.”
Councilmember Place 5 Dinah Marks wanted to know how the city is paying for this and Al-Ghafry explained the first $2 million, the first payment upon closing escrow would be from the 2015 bond program. The remainder $4.65 million will be split into two payments of $2.325 million using a combination of things such as a grant from the District’s US Representative Jasmine Crockett at $1.66 million and other opportunities as well as being aggressive in pursuing a developer.
Councilmember Place 3 Nicole Raphiel wanted to know if an environmental assessment had been done, and Al-Ghafry said it was currently in the process.
She also wanted to know if the agreement would include provisions to address any environmental costs necessary for redevelopment or an exit strategy if the redevelopment did not materialize.
Al-Ghafry didn’t have an answer other than “It is important for us to keep a positive outlook on this,” stating that he is not looking at an exit strategy but at partners.
Councilmember Place 4 Andre Byrd said that to control the future of DeSoto, the city must control the land, the zoning, and what is being built there.
DeSoto City Attorney Joe Gorfida addressed an issue regarding conflict of interest. He said it might be the case that one or more council members have a conflict of interest regarding this item and would be precluded from voting.
He explained conflict of interest comes into play when it involves business, property, and relationships. He added no council member fell into this category.
The item passed unanimously.
Revitalizing Thorntree Country Club
A number of comments were in favor of revitalizing Thorntree Golf Club. Pam Smith spoke, encouraging the city council to support this effort.
“It is something DeSoto needs to do right now,” she said. “The current owners don’t seem to have any plans beyond collecting green fees and waiting for the clubhouse to fall apart and the golf course to become unusable.” She said if that happens the city will lose a huge asset and the entire community would feel the impact. She said a great golf course adds value to the property tax base. Smith is a real estate agent and said losing the golf course could cause home value in that area to go down by 50 percent, which would be a big hit for property tax revenue in DeSoto.
Tanya Cole was there to support the revitalization of ThornTree Golf Club, as were Don Wise and Bob Benjamin, who did not speak.
Patricia Davis said she is proud to live in Thorntree Golf Club and supports what is needed to revitalize it, as is Joe DeCorte, who thanked the city council and said the grant to support Thorntree was important. He has been a member of HOAs for a long time and has participated in grant programs, and he felt this would be an economic boom for the city. He also gave kudos to DeSoto Police Chief Joe Costa and said he knew Costa personally and you could not find a better chief.
Frank Benedict came to DeSoto from Michigan and supports the golf club’s revitalization, as are 38-year residents Phillip Strand, Alice Reyna, and Trey Cockrell, who said the Thorntree initiative is “a great way to invest in that image to build a thriving community.”
Kathleen Heartless, Ann Cavender, James Culp, Shane Ransom, and Rana Gulza supported the Thorntree Golf Club initiative.
Anna Williams mentioned grants from 2014 to 2024 of $50,000, matching $100,000, to the golf club and wondered what happened to that money.
Other public comments included Keisha Dixon, who said she still has a problem with the Police Department and police chief. She felt like the city was allowing his lack of oversight and accountability, and she urged the council to investigate his “mishandling police resources and bias.” She said her concerns are not personal, and she demands some action from the city council “before someone in my household ends up dead.”
Mary Bonaparte thanked DeSoto PD and mentioned an incident with a homeless individual who was caught in a neighbor’s yard and apprehended by use of a drone. She thinks there needs to be more money for additional police in DeSoto in next year’s budget. She also said she believes every citizen in Desoto has the right to question the integrity and ethics of city policies, and the city needs better communication. “We have to be more proactive versus reactive, and it relates to city policies and plans.”
Mitchell Cheatham, Deputy mayor pro tem in neighboring Lancaster, told the council he is proud of what they are doing on “this side of 35.” He believes the council is making moves for the future of the entire Best Southwest area.
Oscar Epps spoke about being excited about what the city is doing now and Roosevelt Baker, a 40-year resident said the city is making progress and he wants the city to let the residents know what they can do to help.
Twenty-eight-year resident Andre Gosa said, “The council is moving Desoto in a positive direction. We need five-star hotels, five-star restaurants, and shopping centers, and we shouldn’t have to go outside DeSoto to purchase things we need.”
Gosa also thanked the Police Department for all they do.
Steve Jackson, who has lived in DeSoto for 20 years, said he has most recently seen significant improvement in the city, and he believes that is due to the leadership.
“You have done a fantastic job of moving our community forward,” Jackson said, which has much to do with “relationships outside the city’s walls.”
A resolution to move Executive Sessions to before the city’s Regularly scheduled City Council meetings in 2025 passed unanimously.
Council passed the public hearings unanimously to amend the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan to renumber Chapter 8 “Implementation” to Chapter 10 “Implementation” and to add two new Chapters to the City’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan (Chapter 8 “Streetscape Guidelines” and Chapter 9 “Urban Design Guidelines).
All consent agenda items passed, including the approval of the Regular City Council meeting minutes from September 17 and October 1 and the Special City Council meeting minutes from July 25, September 6, and 16, 2024.
Council approved authorizing the City Manager to execute an agreement with ABM Building Solutions of Irving for $73,282.00 for the purchase and installation of four Roof Top Units for the Senior Citizen Center at 204 Lion Street in association with the Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program as well as to execute a contract with Got You Covered Work Wear & Uniforms for $95,000.
An ordinance was approved to define the number of authorized Civil Service positions within the Fire Department, as well as an ordinance amending the City of DeSoto’s Code of Ordinances to adjust annual permit fees, and late fees, for Environmental Health Services (Food Establishment Operator’s Permits, and Boarding Home Health Inspection.
The City Manager was also authorized to execute a contract with Chastang Ford at $52,977 for the purchase of a 2024 Ford F-250 Regular Cab truck for the City’s Parks & Recreation Department, to execute a professional services agreement with Rarestep (DBA Fleetio) for a five-year term at a cost of $25,350.00 for Year 1, which includes the initial set-up and installation of a web-based platform to track fuel management and fleet maintenance and an annual fee of $23,550.00 each of the remaining four years, and to execute an amendment to the Energy Efficiency Investment-Grade Audit agreement to increase the scope of work to include architectural drawings including architectural and interior design, structural engineering, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineering for Fire Station 263 and the Joe Brown DeSoto Fire Training Center in the amount of $158,000.
Southwest Regional Communications was given the green light for the installation of two radio consoles from Motorola Solutions in the amount of $233,570 and two 911 telephone positions for $94,587 from Motorola Solutions as well as the purchase of new uninterrupted power supply (UPS) equipment from LED Enterprises, INC, for $166,531.
Two discussion topics were heard. The first one reviewed and recommended amendments to the City Council Rules and Procedures, which will be continued in further discussion.
The second topic will also be returned to council at a later date, as DeSoto Mayor Rachel Proctor said the idea was not ready for a vote to consider a four-day work week schedule for the city’s administrative office.
