Jacksboro City Council approves new zoning

Jacksboro City Council hosted a third and final public hearing concerning the proposed changes to the City of Jacksboro zoning ordinance and zoning district map Monday during its regular meeting.

City Manager Mike Smith said city staff had compiled all of the comments and input received from the community, council and planning and zoning commission into the final draft. 

Smith said neither he, no City Secretary Brenda Tarpley had received many comments and no negative feedback concerning the zoning changes.

“Just some requests for clarification on how it will impact property values if (a property) goes from residential to commercial those types of things,” he said. “But overall, it’s been met pretty positively.”

Councilman Gary Oliver made the motion to accept the new zoning ordinances. Jeff Miller seconded. The council members present voted unanimously to accept with Mayor Alton Morris and Councilman Jason Nash absent.

A significant change to the ordinance makes formerly residentially zoned areas of West Belknap Street now zoned light commercial.

The council also voted in favor of allowing personal fireworks to be discharged at the Jacksboro Lake on Tueday for the July 4th holiday from 7 p.m. to midnight. There will be Jacksboro fireman and police on hand to help ensure all celebrate Independence Day safely.

Also at the meeting, Smith presented council members with a 2017-18 fiscal year budget calendar.

He said he will have a draft budget prepared by July 21 and plans to host meetings next week with the various city departments to develop the draft.

Smith added the city’s annual debt obligation will decrease significantly next year from $1.2 million to $800,000 with 60 percent of the decrease in the utility fund.

“That doesn’t automatically mean we’ll have an extra $400,000 to play with for a couple of different reasons,” he said. 

He said he needs clarification on what percentage of the change in debt service will go to the interest and sinking fund or tax rate and what can go to maintenance and operation or M&O.

Oliver said concerning the budget, he feels the city should consider hiring someone with significant street building experience.

“We’ve talked about it in the past and I think we really need to force the issue and see if we can get someone to get in there and oversee the street department,” he said.

Joe Mitchell, mayor pro tem, said the council had previously discussed hiring someone in that capacity on a “job-by-job basis.”

“My only thing is with the budget and the way things are with the economy here can we hire somebody full-time, then we don’t have any money to do any work, then they’re just sitting there doing nothing,” Mitchell said. “You’ve got to balance that.”

Smith said after last year’s discussion on the matter, he reached out to try and find someone to work as a consultant on street construction before finalizing the budget.

“I still have a few other names that I can reach out to and see what it would cost us and try to plug that in as a line item,” he said.

Jacksboro Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Lynda Pack announced during public comments Jacksboro received a certificate of achievement for economic excellence from the Texas Economic Development Council. The certificate recognized the Jacksboro’s city administration, elected and appointed officials for its commitment to professional economic development and exemplary professional standards demonstrated by the EDC staff.