City Council receives ‘financially sound’ audit report

By DELANIA TRIGG

Register Staff Writer



It was business as usual for the Gainesville City Council during an election night meeting at the municipal building on Rusk Street Tuesday night.

After some preliminary tasks including approval of the consent agenda from the Feb. 26 regular meeting, the Council heard from certified public accountant Tom Schalk of the firm Schalk and Smith.

The city is apparently operating in a financially-sound manner according to Schalk who distributed copies of the city’s fiscal year 2009 audit, financial statement and opinion.

Schalk said the city passed the audit with flying colors and received “the highest attestation we can give.”

The spiral-bound report included an overview of city financial statements, net assets and changes in net assets, financial statements, cash flow statements and required schedules.

The city’s general fund is set at $705,231 — a figure which reflects a healthy increase over fiscal year 2008, Schalk noted.

Only two entities showed a negative balance — the Frank Buck Zoo and the Gainesville Municipal Golf Course.

Schalk said he expects both to reach a balanced budget.

“It’s just going to take some time,” he said.

The city’s cash balances are also rising and its debts are decreasing, he said.

Mayor Glenn Loch pointed out that the city reduced its debt load by $2.5 million.

“I take my hat off to our city manager (Barry Sullivan) and our city staff,” Loch said.

Councilman Ray Nichols also had praise for city officials.

“I think Barry and (other city administrators) have done a great job cutting expenses,” Nichols said.

Loch also noted the Schalk audit contained no “management letter” — a document which often accompanies the audit and points out administrative or other management weaknesses.

“We didn’t find any areas that we needed to point out,” Schalk told the Council.

The Council voted unanimously to accept the Schalk report.

Councilman Charles Draper was absent.

The Council also voted to authorize the city manager to enter into an agreement with Gainesville Independent School District, North Texas Medical Center and the North Central Texas College to share a polling location in certain voting precincts for the May 8 general election.

The agreement will provide “one polling place for all entities,” Sullivan said.

Each entity will be responsible for its own election officials including election judges, he added.

He also noted that the collaborative effort was thanks in large part to City Secretary Kay Lunnon who “spearheaded “ the effort.

In other election-related business, the Council voted to authorize an agreement with Cooke County to provide a voting machine for the May election.

Sullivan said, so far, the machine hasn’t proven very popular with voters as no voter has opted to use the machine during a city election.

Next, the Council held a public hearing on reenacting the city’s juvenile curfew ordinance which must be renewed by the Council every three years.

Police Chief Steven Fleming was on hand to talk about the curfew which was first enacted circa 1995.

Fleming noted that the purpose of the curfew is public safety.

The curfew is designed to keep teenagers off city streets during late night hours. It applies to children and teens under the age of 17.

The law makes it an offense for those under 17 to be in public places or establishments between 11:01 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On Fridays and Saturdays, children and teens who are out in public between the hours of 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. are subject to being stopped by police and ticketed for curfew violations.

There are some exceptions, Fleming noted.

These exceptions include children or teens taking part in church or civic functions during which they are accompanied by adult sponsors.

Job responsibilities, certain travel conditions, emergencies and times in which kids are being supervised by their parents are also exceptions, he said.

Fleming also said the curfew has been a “valuable tool to the police department” which “helps prevent violent crime.”

Depending upon the circumstances, parents are often notified of their childrens’ violations, he added.

Last year, the department issued 51 curfew violations, he said.

“Whenever we see juveniles out after curfew, it gives us a reason to stop them and see what they’re doing,” Fleming said.

Next, the Council revisited a matter from the previous Council meeting involving an effort to rezone the Gainesville Memorial Hospital property.

In February, the Council discussed rezoning the area from single family (SF-2) to a restricted commercial designation (C-1).

Sullivan said the restricted commercial designation is “the most restrictive” designation for commercial properties.

He noted that land usage under the C-1 designation is limited to certain types of businesses. These businesses include day spas, barber or beauty shops, tailor shops and religious education centers.

Limited commercial businesses are restricted from placing their merchandise outside, ruling out the possibility of auto dealerships or motorcycle sellers, he said.

Restricted commercial businesses are also limited in the manner in which they operate.

These restrictions also apply to outside lighting and storage capabilities.

Sullivan said restricted commercial zoning would prohibit large box stores such as home improvement centers from setting up shop on the property.

Councilwoman Beverly Snuggs who lives in the O’Neal Street area, said she has conducted some informal investigations into the issue and found that her neighbors are all for using the building which has been empty since North Texas Medical Center opened.

“People want (the O’Neal Street building) used,” Snuggs said. “They are worried about it not being used…They want some activity there.”

The Council voted to suspend the charter and amend the city ordinance on second reading.

In other property matters, the Council voted to allow the rezoning from single family to general commercial of some property at 205 South Morris St.

Loch noted that the property is slated to be used as a parking lot by a local bank.

The Council also voted to suspend the city’s charter and approve an ordinance allowing the rezoning of a piece of property at 2700 East Highway 82.

Finally, the Council tackled an issue that has caused city planning and infrastructure headaches for some time when it voted to suspend the city charter and approve an ordinance repealing in its entirety the Gainesville Subdivision Ordinance passed and approved in September 1990.

Sullivan said the changes make sense.

In the past, the city relied on a subdivision ordinance that was confusing and difficult to use, he said.

The changes will establish an appendix to the City of Gainesville’s Municipal Code and will allow city engineers to create “quality infrastructure” for the city, he said.

There was no executive session and the meeting adjourned before 8 p.m.

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