Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, July 25, 2003 Page: 1 of 20
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July 25,2003 Serving Coppell, Valley Ranch And HACKBERRY Creek Since 1984 Volume XIX, No. 30
CISD Accepts $2.1
Million Bid on Land
Board Approves 2 1/2 Cent Tax Increase
Come Over, Rover: Citizens Want Dog Park
By Jane Moore
Coppell School Trustees on
July 17 accepted a $2.1 million
offer for CISD property located
at Samuel and MacArthur Bou-
levards, agreeing to sell about 10
acres originally designated for
an elementary site to a devel-
oper who will build residential
housing.
“We’re very pleased with the
$2.1 million,” said Sid Grant, di-
rector of internal business ser-
vices for CISD, who said the
land was appraised at $1.8 mil-
lion. He said 35 interested par-
ties picked up bid packets on the
land and CISD received eight
bids starting at $485,000. The
winning bidder was Geometric
Land Group of Lewisville, which
is associated with Street Cus-
tom Homes.
Grant said the sale should be
finalized in about a month, pend-
ing deed approval by the Texas
Education Agency, which is re-
quired anytime a school district
sells land.
Selling the land, which was
originally intended for an elemen-
tary school site, was just one of
many measures the District is
taking to nurse its ailing budget,
outlined in June’s budget work
session. Superintendent Jeff
Turner said tax rolls might not be
as flat as the District had ex-
pected, with fewer property
valuation disputes than usual.
Final tax rolls come out July 25.
Turner said the District would
save some money by not filling
some vacated positions, includ-
ing the assistant superintendent
role of longtime employee Vonita
White. In addition, 33.5 positions
were eliminated and budgets
were cut 15 to 20 percent across
the board. In other budget boost-
see LAND on page 19
Coppell Dog Park Association members and their canine friends include, from left: Ed and
Karen Dzialowski and Maya; Janice Turner and Moose; Robert and Rachelle Smouse and
Bella; Ed and Michelle Voyek with Sara Lee and Sonny; and Carol and Ron Belanger with
Gid get and Kaysi.
By Jane Moore
Coppell canines deserve a
little haven in the city where
they can run free, some resi-
dents say, and they are asking
the City’s help in creating a park
where dogs and their humans
can unleash, exercise and social-
ize.
Support is growing for
Coppell Dog Park Association,
a group of residents who say
there are numerous benefits of
allowing dogs to run free with
one another.
“It’s hard to give your dog
really good exercise on a
leash,” said Janice Turner, part
of the core group working with
see DOG PARK on page 19
Year 2003 Actual Revenue
Covers City Land Purchase
Emails Spread Confusion About
City’s Half-Cent Tax for Schools
By Jean Murph
In brief session Tuesday,
the Coppell City Council ap-
proved an amendment to the
City budget for Fiscal Year
October 1,2002 through Sep-
tember 30,2003, that includes
payment of $2.9 million for the
Carter-Crowley property in old
downtown Coppell. The mid-
year amendment of the bud-
get takes into account actual
revenue for the year, which
was able to cover the land ex-
penditure. The sale of the old
service center tract on
DeForest Road also added rev-
enue to the current budget.
The total budget amendment
called for a $3.5 million expen-
diture.
The Council also denied
TXU Gas Company’s request
to up rates, joining 125 other
Texas cities representing 63
percent of TXU's gas custom-
ers. The cities asked for a 300
day extension for negotiation on
the contract.
In other business, the
Council:
•Approved an ordinance estab-
lishing 40 miles per hour as the
maximum prima facie speed
limit on Southwestern Boule-
vard from its point of intersec-
tion with Coppell Road to its
point of intersection with
see COUNCIL on page 19
By Jane Moore
4
A recent spate of email re-
garding the City's half-cent sales
tax for schools stirred up con-
troversy and confusion for resi-
dents unfamiliar with the legal
limits of the program and how
the School District is using it.
Coppell ISD this week re-
ported a flood of questions from
residents after emails were cir-
culated earlier this month assail-
ing how the sales tax money
was being used. The email criti-
cized the use of large- percent-
ages of the funds for programs
that benefit relatively few stu-
dents, including English as a Sec-
ond Language and Literacy In-
tervention Support.
The main criticism sur-
rounded the amount of sales tax
grant money ($693,000) CISD
requested last year for funding
Coppell ISD Announces
Fee Changes for Bus Riders
Registration Begins August 4 for All Bus Riders
By Jane Moore
First the good news — some
Coppell ISD students who par-
ticipated in the District’s Pay-
to-Ride bus service last year will
ride free this year, depending on
where they live. However,
those who don’t ride free will
ESL programs. The District ex-
pects to receive at least $ 1.5 mil-
lion per year from the tax, which
see EMAILS on page 19
pay more this year to catch the
bus.
At a budget workshop last
Thursday, Board members
agreed to raise the Pay-to-Ride
rates $30 per year to compen-
sate for about half its paying rid-
ers becoming eligible to ride free
see BUS on page 3
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Citizens' Advocate (Coppell, Tex.), Vol. 19, No. 30, Ed. 1 Friday, July 25, 2003, newspaper, July 25, 2003; Coppell, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1687253/m1/1/: accessed July 6, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Cozby Library and Community Commons.