Midlothian – With Midlothian Mayor Justin Coffman out at this week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Clark Wickliffe ran the meeting with all items passing.
On the regular agenda, the council passed two items unanimously for an ordinance designating an area within the Midlothian city limits, including extra-territorial jurisdiction as a qualified Media Production Development Zone, also designating 8291 & 8281 Baucum Road as the Qualified Media Production Location.
On November 7, 2023, the city received an application for a Media Production Development Zone (MPDZ) Exemption from “The Chosen, Inc.” to encourage the development of more permanent moving image production sites to help strengthen Texas’ economy. This zone will allow for a sales and use tax exemption for constructing, maintaining, expanding, improving, or renovating a media production facility at a qualified media production location over two years.
Council also passed an ordinance appointing directors for Midlothian Municipal Management District No. 3 with Place 1 Allen Moorman not voting.
Also passed unanimously a resolution authorizing an expenditure in the amount of $150,720.90 by the Midlothian Community Development Corporation (MCDC) to the City of Midlothian Information Technology Department for costs associated with the expansion of the City fiber network to Hawkins Spring Park, a resolution authorizing an expenditure in the amount of $82,953.98 by the Midlothian Community Development Corporation (MCDC) to the Midlothian Police Department for costs associated with a park and event security grant request to include radios, ATV’s and a trailer, an agreement with Precision Flow Engineering (PFE) for Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) at the City Hall/Library facility at cost not to exceed $40,400.00, an agreement with Network Cabling Services (NCS) to migrate the City’s Municipal Area Network (MAN) fiber from current City Hall to the new City Hall Facility for $81,662.62 plus a 10% contingency of $8,166.26 for an amount not to exceed $89,828.88, an agreement with Network Cabling Services (NCS) to migrate the City’s Municipal Area Network (MAN) fiber from the current Police Department to the new Public Safety Facility for $89,959.21 plus a 10% contingency of $8,995.92 in an amount not to exceed $98,955.13, an agreement to be executed for a “Communications Facilities License Agreement” with New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (an AT&T Mobility Corporation), for the installation of antenna facilities and equipment shelter at the City’s water tower located at 3232 Mockingbird Lane, nominations for appointment/reappointments to the Historic Advisory Board, Midlothian Community Development Corporation, Park Board, Midlothian Economic Development, Midlothian Development Authority, Planning & Zoning Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Utility Advisory Board, and an ordinance amending the FY 2023-2024 Conference Center budget appropriations in the amount of $26,698.60 from the Conference Center unreserved fund balance for expenditures encumbered but not yet expended from the FY 2022-2023 Conference Center budget.
Passing in one vote were ordinances amending the FY 2023-2024 General Fund budget appropriations for $925,445.91 from the General fund unreserved fund balance for expenditures encumbered but not yet expended from the FY 2022-2023 General Fund budget; an ordinance amending the FY 2023-2024 Utility Fund budget appropriations for $1,827,604.23 from the Utility Fund unreserved fund balance for expenditures encumbered but not yet expended from the FY 2022-2023 Utility Fund budget; an ordinance amending the FY 2023 – 2024 General Fund budget appropriations for $863,704 from the General Fund unreserved fund balance for expenditures not encumbered nor expended from the FY 2022 – 2023 General Fund budget; and an ordinance amending the FY 2023 – 2024 Utility Fund budget appropriations for $130,707 from the Utility Fund unreserved fund balance for expenditures not encumbered nor expended from the FY 2022 – 2023 Utility Fund budget.
An item authorizing the City Manager to enter into an agreement with Precision Flow Engineering (PFE) for Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) at the Public Safety/Court facility at a cost not to exceed $79,900.00 was passed unanimously after an executive session.
All consent agenda items passed unanimously including minutes from the City Council meetings of November 8 and 14 and December 5, 2023, a resolution authorizing a grant in the amount of $35,000 to be awarded by the Midlothian Community Development Corporation to Midlothian Chamber of Commerce to provide promotional funds for sponsorship of the 2024 Wine, Art & Craft Brew Festival, a two-year Regulatory Services Contract with the Trinity River Authority of Texas (TRA) for industrial inspection services, industrial sampling services and analytical services in an amount not to exceed $90,000, a resolution authorizing the 2024 City of Midlothian Special Events hosted by the City of Midlothian, in the calendar year 2024, in accordance with a Special Event Permit as established by the City of Midlothian Zoning Ordinance, a Midlothian Chamber of Commerce request to expend $15,010.00 of Municipal Hotel/Motel Tax monies for advertising and event expenses for the April 2024 Wine, Art & Craft Brew Festival, and the award of a contract to Mesotech International Inc. for the Automated Weather Observation System III with Present Weather Sensor and Thunder Strike Alert.
Two public hearings were granted a continuance until the City Council meeting on January 9, 2024.
Additional public hearings were heard and passed, including a public hearing to amend the zoning north of Mt. Zion Road and +/- 1500 feet east of Sudith Lane from Planned Development-28 for the residential development with the change addition of a 25-foot setback on the garage.
A public hearing for a Specific Use Permit (SUP) for a water well for use and development of 9.808± acres at 1011 Ashford Lane, located in Agricultural (A) Zoning District, passed, as well as an ordinance amending the development regulations to allow temporary storage containers in Planned Development-24, in the Walmart Addition at 400 S. Highway 67.
The final public hearing passed 4 -2 for a Planned Development Amendment (PD) ordinance at 4521 N. US Highway 67 allows for industrial manufacturing uses and outside storage.
