The Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 44, Ed. 1 Friday, January 23, 1998 Page: 1 of 43
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THE COLON TX 75056-1219
SPORTS
Cougars rip Rider in
district basketball
PAGE 8B
Friday, January 23, 1998
Vol. 16 No. 44
50 cents
A Scripps Community Newspaper
Serving the communities oe The Colony - North Carrollton • Hebron
City begins planning
uses for additional
Battling the blackout
Voters pass
sales tax revenue
By RAYMOND DIAZ-HOLGUIN
Staff writer
THE COLONY - Now that the election is over, city officials
are beginning to make plans for the additional sales tax rev-
enue.
Members of the 4A board will conduct their first formal
meeting this week. It’s scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesday at Hidden Cove Park.
The 4A board is responsible for attracting new businesses
with the help of residents.
Board member Jorge Diaz said plans for Wednesday
include touring several city sites and land parcels to give the
group a better idea of what to offer potential developers.
The group also will hear presentations from City Manager
Lanny Lambert, finance director Tony Johnston and other
city officials.
“We will also be given copies of the economic development
plan developed about a year ago,” Diaz said.
Lambert said changes will be made to the economic devel-
opment plan, not necessarily this week, but in the near future.
“All we really want to do (Wednesday) is talk to them about
where to go from here,” he said. 'We'll update the economic
plan and see what businesses to go after.”
Saturday’s election victory will increase the city’s sales tax
by a penny, putting it at 8.25 cents - the highest rate allowed
by state law.
The additional revenue will be collected beginning in July.
The city, though, will not feel the increase until October.
The extra cent is expected to generate an additional
$800,000 annually.
Mayor Mary Watts credited residents of The Colony for
supporting the proposals. But she said their job has just
begun. -
“In order to be successful, we need residents to stay
involved,” she said. “They can continue to make an impact by
saying what types of businesses they want here.”
Public hearings will be conducted by both the 4A and 4B
boards over the next several months to give residents that
same opportunity.
Wednesday’s meeting, Diaz said, won’t include a public
hearing. But some will be conducted in the near future, he
assured.
The 4B board, which is responsible for promoting commu-
nity facilities, hasn’t scheduled any formal meetings, Lambert
said, although he expects that to change soon.
Already, a conceptual plan for a multisport athletic com-
plex has been put together by members of the city’s parks
and recreation department.
sales tax
rate boost
The Colony’s rate rises
to 8.25 percent in July
By RAYMOND DIAZ-HOLGUIN
Staff writer
THE COLONY - Voters last weekend overwhelming-
ly approved two propositions that will raise the city’s
sales tax by a penny - from 7.25 cents on the dollar to
8.25 cents.
The additional cent will be collected beginning in
July, but the revenues won’t show up locally until
October, or the third quarter of the year, City Manager
Lanny Lambert said.
That’s when members of the 4A and 4B boards will
focus their attention on the types of projects and busi-
nesses they believe will complement the city.
“We’ve got plenty of time to get our plans together,”
Lambert said. “It’ll give us time to upgrade our economic
development plan and figure out what businesses to go
after.”
Proposition A, which dedicates a half-cent toward eco-
nomic development, was approved by a margin of 252
votes, with 1,225 votes in favor and 973 against
Proposition B, which allows a half-penny for community
facilities such as a sports complex and library, passed by a
margin of 376 votes, with 1,290 in favor and 914 against
“Residents saw (the tax increase as a way) to improve
their city,” Mayor Mary Blair Watts said. “I think the 900
who voted against it are the ones who routinely vote no
whenever they see the word tax.”
Turn to TAX, Page 8A
Liquor store
Jeremy Chesnutt/Staff photo
Morgan Herd from Denton County Electric works on restoring power after a
backhoe knocked down a power line in the 7100 block of North Main
about 3 p.m. Thursday. It took workers more than an hour to restore power
to parts of The Colony.
lawsuit goes to
court Monday
Griffin band wins international award
By SANDY SEGRIST
Assistant news editor
Griffin Middle School’s band program has
experienced recognition at the state level, but now
the recognition is coming from as far away as
Japan.
The school’s music program recently won the
Sudler Cup, a contest that pits the young musi-
cians against middle school bands from across
North America and the Asian nation.
“To my knowledge, there’s only one other
middle school in the Metroplex area - DeSoto -
that has ever won the Sudler Cup,” said John . .
Benzer the school’s band director Jeremy Chesnutt/Staff photo
The award is the Shos T international Band direc,0r J°hn Benzer and assistant
award recognizing junior high and middle school Shelly Warburton stand in front of their
band programs for outstanding musical excel- award-winning Griffin Middle School Band,
lence, Benzer said. To win, a huge amount of Th© band won the Sudler Cup, an interna-
information, along with performance recordings, t,onal award for middle school bands,
must ke provided to judges. years, according to information from the founda-
The contest is administered by the John Philip tion
Sousa Foundation, an organization that helps The award is given in conjunction with the
musiccrograms across the country. Tie purpose “Sousa Flag of Honor,” which The Colony High
of the Sudler Cup is to recognize and honor junior Schoo! won a few years ago.
high school and middle school concert band pro- Q^ ^vo middle school bands from the United
grams j have Demonstrated significantly high states, Canada and Japan were selected for the
standards of excellence over a period of several .___.
lurn to HONOR, rage 7A
•Case is the first of three legal battle:
Zoning of soon-to-be for the city of The Colony.
annexed property
concerns residents
Battle lines drawn over how to use
open land left in land-locked Carrollton
By DEON DAUGHERTY
Staff writer
CARROLLTON - The public hearing on zon-
ing for The Homestead might be reopened after
a chorus of angry homeowners filled Carrollton
City Council chambers Tuesday night.
Residents living in north Carrollton confront-
ed council members during a public hearing on
the annexation of about 158 acres of property,
owned by the Toew family, at the intersection of
Josey Boulevard and Rabbit Run Road just south
of Hebron Parkway. They were angry, many
said, because the city is not adhering to its
Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Plan
and is allowing zoning for smaller lots and
homes.
Those plans call on city officials to “encour-
age” large-scale single-family homes to be built
on lots not smaller than 5,000 square feet.
The Homestead would feature homes ranging
Turn to ZONING, Page 8A
By RAYMOND DIAZ-HOLGUIN
Staff writer
THE COLONY - One of the three lawsuits filed by
liquor store chains against the city last year will be in
court Monday.
Goody Goody Liquor Inc. is seeking a special-use
permit to open an alcohol-related business along the
State Highway 121 corridor.
The company, which filed its lawsuit on Sept. 2,
claims the city denied it the SUP even though the site
it’s proposing to build on lies within the “wet” area des-
ignated for alcohol sales.
While the city doesn’t prohibit the sale of liquor, it
can determine where it will be sold, Mayor Mary Watts
said.
City officials insist on keeping the state highway —
also referred to as the city’s “golden corridor” —
liquor-free in order to maintain a positive image.
“That is the front door of our city, and that is the
image the (rest) of the Metroplex will have of our city,”
Watts said. “We want people to know we are a family-ori-
ented community. Lining up liquor stores along 121
would hurt our image.”
Dallas attorney Jason Marshall, who is representing
The Colony in all three cases, said the Goody Goody
case will be a one-day trial.
“The city strongly believes its SUP ordinance is legit-
imate,” Marshall said. “The city needs to be able to con-
trol the vision along 121.”
Turn to LAWSUIT, Page 7A
TC sells bonds worth $7 million
New bond rating results in lowest interest rate in city’s history
By RAYMOND DIAZ-HOLGUIN
Staff writer
THE COLONY - Members of the City Council this week approved
the sale of $7 million in bonds at an interest rate of 4.72 percent - the
lowest in city history.
The lower rate, city officials said, came as a result of this month’s
trip to New York by city leaders seeking a bond rating upgrade from
two agencies.
Although the upgrade the city received wasn’t exactly what local
leaders had hoped for, it will save the city $544,000 in debt service over
the next 20 years - the time it’ll take to repay the latest loan.
City Manager Lanny Lambert said the city will not receive any of
the bond money until Feb. 15. At that time the city will finalize the pur-
chase of the vacant Food Lion building at the corner of North Colony
Boulevard and Main Street. Officials also will solicit bids for other pro-
jects, including water towers for two pending developments, Austin
Ranch and Wynnewood Peninsula.
The 32,000 square-foot Food Lion building, being purchased for
$1.5 million, will be converted into a new City Hall and library.
The 10,000 square-foot facility that currently houses all municipal
Turn to BONDS, Page 8A
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Call 972-422-SELL to find out how
you could get the same results
Carrollton bond issue passes
•Voters approve $45 three propositions, which
1 1 addressed street, drainage and
million TO go toworol traffic improvements. Sixty-seven
street, drainage, traf- percent of the package will fund
A : street development, 22 percent
fiC ImprOVOmOntS. will concentrate on drainage
By DEON DAUGHERTY problemsand the final 11 percent
Staff writer will help correct city traffic flow.
CARROLLTON - Three per- The infrastructure improve-
cent of Carrollton’s 60,940 regis- ments are part of the city’s 10-
tered voters passed a $45 million year plan, currently in its second
bond Saturday for infrastructure year. Director of finance for the
improvements. city, Bob Scott, said that as the
City Councilwoman Judy city is retiring some old bond
Scamardo said although the over- debt, city planners do not expect
all voter turnout was low, she was to raise taxes to fund the new
pleased that the referendum bonds.
passed. He said that fact was likely
“This truly showed that our instrumental in the popular vote
community is behind what we are supporting the measure. Despite
doing,” she said. low numbers at the polls, voters
The ballot was divided into Turn to VOTE Page 8A
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Watterson, Tim. The Leader (The Colony, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 44, Ed. 1 Friday, January 23, 1998, newspaper, January 23, 1998; The Colony, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1677558/m1/1/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The Colony Public Library.