July 20, 2012

Welcome to the first issue in a series of newsletters that will summarize the events of Westover Hills Town Council meetings from this point forward. As discussed below, the Town is implementing these newsletters in an effort to increase the transparency of the Town's governance and raise awareness of key issues among residents.

The June 19, 2012 Town Council meeting was held at Town Hall, utilizing new audio/video equipment provided by an anonymous donor. The meeting was well-attended, with every seat filled. The following is a summary of the significant topics discussed and actions taken at the meeting.

Swearing In of New Council Members and Election of Mayor Pro-Tem

• The Mayor swore in the attending Council members elected by popular vote in the May 12th, 2012 election.
• At the Mayor's recommendation, the Council elected Kelly Thompson as Mayor Pro-Tem.

Initiative to Improve Communications with Residents

• The Council discussed the need for improved transparency of government in Westover Hills.
• Specific objectives include improving the communication of Town business to residents, establishing new methods to gather resident input for important decisions, and moving the Council meeting to a later time of day to facilitate attendance by more residents.   The Mayor set the next meeting scheduled for July 17, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
• As a first step in the communications objective, the Council asked Town staff to study alternatives for an opt-in email distribution system through which the Town will send updates about Town business and activities to residents.

Moratorium on Water Well Ban

• By an ordinance passed in February 2002, Westover Hills banned the drilling of private water wells by its residents.
• The Council reported a number of recent resident inquiries into the rationale for the ban as well as the fairness of the ban considering that Fort Worth residents are allowed to drill water wells.
• A presentation by the Chairman of the Westover Hills Water Committee outlined certain risks and opportunities of water wells and recommended passing the proposed moratorium on the water well prohibition.
• The moratorium passed by a vote of 3 to 1, with Councilmen Thompson, Snyder and Goldman voting for and Councilman Koslow voting against the measure. Councilman Koslow wanted to wait to vote on the measure until he had more time to study the economic impact of the decision.
• Notably, the Council urged residents not to rush to drill water wells immediately for a variety of reasons, including the inherent risk that many wells may not be adequately productive, the water produced for irrigation could contain quantities of minerals or iron sufficient to damage landscaping, and the potential for wells to become less economically attractive if the Town reconsiders the current water rate structure, an open item pending completion of the Council's budget analysis. Estimates obtained from a local water well drilling company with experience in Westover Hills indicated a range of $25,000 to $50,000 to drill a traditional residential water well, excluding costs related to damage to landscaping or other remedial requirements caused by the well.

Potential Reduction of Building Permit Fees

• The Council observed that some residents have recently expressed dissatisfaction with the cost of building permits in Westover Hills.
• Town staff presented a comparative analysis showing that permit fees are much higher in Westover Hills than they are in Fort Worth.
• Town staff expressed a preference to base any redesigned fee schedule on objective criteria such as square footage rather than subjective criteria such as valuation
• The Council tabled the topic pending completion of the Council's budget analysis.

Review of Variance Request

• A variance request was presented for the property located at 1209 Shady Oaks Lane.
• The request was tabled to allow the property owner seeking the variance to collaborate with their neighbors over specific concerns expressed at the Council meeting.

Removal of Construction Site Noise Ordinance Notification Signs

• The Council noted that some residents have recently expressed dissatisfaction with and inquired about the need for noise ordinance notification signs in the front lawn of each house undergoing remodel or construction activity.
• At the request of the Council, the Mayor asked Town staff to remove and discontinue placing noise ordinance signs within plain view of the street.

Budget Workshop Scheduled

• The Mayor and Council scheduled an open Budget Workshop meeting for 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012.
• The agenda was established to include an employee benefit proposal by Town staff as well as discussion and potential action on the Town's general operating, water enterprise, and capital expenditures budgets for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2013.

Residents who would like to receive these newsletters electronically but are not currently on the distribution list may contact Westover Hills Public Works Director Tim Chambers (t.chambers@westoverhills.us or 817-737-8442) to "opt in" to future communications.