February 16, 2025 – Volume 8 Number 7

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

* City council meeting this Tuesday; 3 interlocal agreements for approximately 13,700 of linear feet of roadway reconstruction projects to be approved.

* Senior Tax Freeze missing.

 

SCHEDULE:

Monday, February 17: Presidents Day holiday.

Tuesday, February 18: City Council meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 25: EDC (Economic Development Corporation) meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 27: P&Z meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 9: Daylight Savings Time begins, 2:00 a.m.

Tuesday, March 11: Keep Kennedale Beautiful (KKB) meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 11: Parks Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day.

…..

 

Senior Tax Freeze Missing

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_7.html

 

Kennedale Observer website:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/index_3.html

 

Latest Kennedale Observer newsletter:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_44.html

 

Kennedale Observer city council grades:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_26.html

 

City Council Comparison (May2021-May2023 vs. May2019-May2021):

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_77.html

 

KNOW WHAT YOUR CITY IS UP TO...

Your City Council

The city council will meet this Tuesday, February 18 for their regular monthly meeting. The agenda packet for the meeting may be found at: https://kennedaletx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3563/files/agenda/9940 .

The agenda for the meeting includes six presentations, reports and announcements, two consent agenda items, seven individual consideration items (all action items), and an executive session.

The six presentations include:

A. Oath of office to Fire Captain Joey Craddock,

B. FBI-LEEDA Trilogy award to the Police Department,

C. Library, Communications, and Senior Center annual reports (presentation),

D. Municipal Court annual report (presentation),

E. Finance Department annual report (presentation), and

F. Community Development annual report (presentation).

 

The reports and announcements includes a city manager update on a 380 agreement with MKP and Associates and financial reports (unfortunately the usual monthly financial reports were NOT included in the packet).

The consent agenda includes the minutes from the January meeting (minutes) and the racial profiling and the Police Chiefs Association annual report from the police department (profiling report and other reports).

The six items for individual consideration are:

1. Hire Westwood Engineering for upcoming engineering projects.

2. Preliminary study for design and construction of the baseball fields by Callahan and Freeman Architects (survey proposal, $7500 for preliminary design),

3. Amendment #1 for Valley Lane stream bank stabilization ($111,982, staff report, itemized information),

4. Amendment #1 for the T4 ground storage water tank ($560,896) [evidently removed from the agenda-was in the original packet that I looked at, but not a later one],

4. Interlocal agreement with Tarrant County for reconstruction of Eden Road S. (Kennedale Parkway to Hudson Village Creek, approximately 3,000 feet) (ILA),

5. Interlocal agreement with Tarrant County for reconstruction of South New Hope Road (railroad crossing to Hudson Village Creek, approximately 7,100 feet), (ILA) and

6. Interlocal agreement with Tarrant County for reconstruction of Swiney Hiett Road (Collette Sublett Rd to Joplin Rd, approximately 3,600 feet) (ILA).

The executive agenda includes two main discussion items, legal discussion regarding a code enforcement complaint, and prospective 380 agreements.

 

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Filings for May 3 Municipal Election

Voters will get to vote for City Council Places 1 (Glover), 3 (Michels), and 5 (Nevarez). Filing to be on the ballot closed this past Friday, February 14. Early voting will start on Tuesday, April 22. Election Day is Saturday, May 3.

Filings started Wednesday, January 15. The current list of candidates on the city website includes:

Place 1 – Glover (i), Bobby Goff.

Place 3 – Michels (i), Amanda Hollins, Ryon Ray.

Place 5 – Nevarez (i), James Connor, Megan Burns (write-in).

Senior Tax Freeze Missing

Back in June of 2023 the city council approved a senior tax freeze. This would be applicable for the city portion of property taxes where properties have a homestead exemption, and the owner is 65 years of age or older. The KISD, the county, and Tarrant County College also have senior tax freezes.

Details of some of the issues can be seen at: http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_7.html .

The city administration has done a MAJOR INJUSTICE to Kennedale seniors by a) writing an ordinance incorrectly and/or b) failing to explain how the ordinance was to start back in June 2023. For example, Fate, Texas, in Rockwall County, implemented a senior tax freeze (with the ordinance written correctly) in August 2023, two months after Kennedale, and their seniors saw a freeze on their October 2024 statements.

However, the situation does generate many questions.

Question 1: Should the city attorney be fired? If it is true, as he claims, that the tax freeze is happening as planned and written in the ordinance, [and he approved the writing of the ordinance] why was the public and the majority of the June 2023 City Council not told the truth which is different from what their expectations were? Should the city attorney be fired?

Question 2: If the above conditions are not true, should the city attorney be fired? If the above conditions are not true, he was very dishonest with the Kennedale citizens. Should the city attorney be fired?

Question 3: Should the city manager be fired? If it is true, as he claims, that the tax freeze is happening as planned and he was responsible for getting the ordinance written to the city council's expectations, should he be dismissed? At the June 2023 meeting he made no attempt to explain that the truth was different from what the council's expectations were. Should the city manager be fired? [Note: it would take four votes on the city council to dismiss the city manager; something I do NOT believe would happen with the current council as it sits today.]

Question 4: If the above conditions are not true, should the city manager be fired? If the above conditions are not true, he was very dishonest with the Kennedale citizens. Should the city manager be fired?

Question 5: What share of the fault falls on the June 2023 council members who thought the full benefit would already have happened by October 2024 statements? Answer: none. They implement policy and the city manager's responsibility is to follow through on actions. You do not want a city council that micromanages. They were trying to do the right thing.

Question 6: What share of the fault falls on the June 2023 council members who claim they knew the full benefit would not be on October 2024 statements? Why did they not explain this at the June 2023 meeting? Why did they not try to get this corrected? Do they belong on the council?

 

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Last Week

Last week the KKB (Keep Kennedale Beautiful) (agenda) and the Parks Board (agenda) are scheduled to meet on Tuesday evening.

The KKB meeting may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBwQ3St_n8U . The two items for individual consideration are: 1) (12:46) purchase of KKB t-shirts approved and 2) (6:20) signage for Texas Trash Off event (April 12) – no quotes, no vote.

The parks board meeting may be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLwuDBbbNWs . The work session reports include: 1) (2:30) more seating at Sonora Park [table area?], 2) (5:38) outdoor fitness equipment [stationary gliders], 3) (11:02) a plaque stating how many laps around makes a mile, and 4) (12:22) drinking fountains at city parks.

 

This Week

The city council meeting is on Tuesday.

 

Public Hearings

On Thursday, February 27, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PZ25-03 regarding a planned development at the old drag strip. The city council will have a similar public hearing on Tuesday, March 18.

On Thursday, February 27, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PZ25-01 regarding a planned development at 409/413/429 W. Kennedale Parkway.

On Thursday, February 27, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PZ25-04 regarding a replat at 124 W. 5^th Street.

On Thursday, February 27, P&Z will hold a public hearing on PZ25-05 regarding a replat at 110 Caylebaite Street.

On Thursday, March 6, the Board of Adjustments will hold a public hearing for BOA25-01 for a side set reduction of 25 feet to 12.5 feet at 708 Corey A. Edwards Drive.

On Thursday, March 6, the Board of Adjustments will hold a public hearing for BOA25-02 to allow for an impound storage lot at 1208 E. Kennedale Parkway.

On Thursday, March 6, the Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing for BBA25-01 for the demolition of a single-family house at 6713 Lindale Road.

 

EDC

The next EDC (Economic Development Corporation) Board meeting will be on Tuesday, February 25.

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P&Z

P&Z will probably meet next on Thursday, February 27. The agenda should include the public hearing on PZ25-03, a planned development at the old drag strip. I tried to contact the planning department, but the director was out of the office until next week. My comments and information of the zoning request change from 2021 can be found at: Old Texas Raceway property project:

http://www.arlspectator.mysite.com/whats_new.html .

There are also three other public hearings scheduled to appear on their agenda. One of those is a planned development in the 400 block of W. Kennedale Parkway, which could also be a very interesting case.

 

Other News....

TAD Rates

Tarrant Appraisal District has published the tax rates (October 2024) for the county. Kennedale is now the fifth highest municipality. [https://www.tad.org/content/rates/2024TaxRates.pdf ].

Top ten of 41 (everyone else is < 0.65)

1. Everman 1.0260800

2. Sansom Park 0.7796050

3. Forest Hill 0.7240940

4. Blue Mound 0.7220330

5. Kennedale 0.7061900

6. White Settlement 0.6798160

7. River Oaks 0.6758270

8. Fort Worth 0.6725000

9. Burleson 0.6627000

10. Grand Prairie 0.6600000

 

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Other News

Bill Filed to Oppose Part of TAD Changes

(D) Chris Turner filed a bill that will make part of TAD's recent changes illegal. The new bill would require annual appraisals. The Emily Wolf article from the Fort Worth Report can be found at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/02/13/new-bill-would-make-part-of-tarrant-appraisal-districts-reappraisal-plan-illegal/ .

[Commentary: Long-time abused Tarrant County taxpayers try to do something to stop the abuse and to the rescue of the abusing taxing entities comes Chris Turner to keep that fat rolling. Instead of attacking the issue (defined in the article as some school districts will be losing revenues) whereas the problem is (school funding definitions/rules) he would rather keep charging the taxpayer.]

 

HELPFUL WEBSITES and CONTACTS

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Senior Tax Freeze Missing

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/blank_7.html

 

Kennedale Observer: KennedaleObserver@yahoo.com

The Kennedale Observer can be found on Facebook as KennedaleObserver.

 

Kennedale Observer website:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/index_3.html

 

Latest Kennedale Observer newsletter:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_44.html

 

City Council Grades:

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_26.html

 

Old Texas Raceway property project:

http://www.arlspectator.mysite.com/whats_new.html

 

City Council Comparison (May 2021-May 2023 vs. May 2019-May 2021):

http://arlspectator.mysite.com/rich_text_77.html

 

The City of Kennedale website: www.cityofkennedale.com

 

Mayor and City Council Emails:

Mayor – Brad Horton BHorton@cityofkennedale.com

Place-1 David Glover DGlover@cityofkennedale.com

Place-2 Thelma Kobeck TKobeck@cityofkennedale.com

Place-3 Kenneth Michels KMichels@cityofkennedale.com

Place-4 Chris Gary CGary1@cityofkennedale.com

Place-5 Jeff Nevarez JNevarez@cityofkennedale.com

 

Recordings of City Council meetings can be viewed at:

[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4a2pjrnxZ5XrbsXcoLOP4Q?view_as=subscriber].

 

To apply for appointed positions:

https://www.cityofkennedale.com/boardapp

 

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