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Home ============ Open Letter to AISD Taxpayers ============ Teachers' Salaries ============ Citizens Defending Freedom vs. AISD Lawsuit ============== Taxpayers' Funds at Risk ============ January 20, 2025 Newsletter ============= Arlington City CouncilGrades ============= AISD Board Grades ============ January 13, 2025 Newsletter =========== January 6, 2025 Newsletter ============ December 30, 2024 Newsletter ============ December 23, 2024 Newsletter ============ ================ Jim Ross, Mayor ============= Mauricio Galante, District1 ============= Raul Gonzalez, District2 ============= Nikkie Hunter, District3 ============= Andrew Piel, District4 ============= Rebecca Boxall, District5 ============= Long Pham, District6 ============= Bowie Hogg, District7 ============== Barbara Odom-Wesley, District8 ============= Sarah McMurrough, AISDPlace1 ============= Melody Fowler, AISDPlace2 ============= Larry Mike, AISDPlace3 ============= David Wilbanks, AISDPlace4 ============= Justin Chapa, AISDPlace5 ============= Brooklyn Richardson, AISDPlace6 ============= Leanne Haynes, AISDPlace7 ============= Fact Sheet - November 8, 2022 Election ============ ++++++++++++ ============= Kennedale Observer Homepage =========== Kennedale Missing Senior Tax Freeze ============== Kennedale City CouncilGrades ========== Kennedale Observer - Latest Newsletter ============ Prior to That Newsletter ============== Brad Horton, Kennedale Mayor ============ David Glover, Kennedale Place 1 ============ Thelma Kobeck, Kennedale Place 2 =========== Ken Michels, Kennedale Place 3 ============ Chris Gary, Kennedale Place 4 =========== Jeff Nevarez, Kennedale Place 5 ============== Kennedale City Council Compare ========== 1083 Bowman Springs Road Kennedale ============ What to Know About the Texas Raceway Project ================ Kennedale EDC MMA contract information ==============

January 12, 2025 – Volume 8 Number 2

HIGHLIGHTS:

* Senior Tax Freeze missing; Any reduction is very unlikely. Question 2.

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, January 14: KKB (Keep Kennedale Beautiful) meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 14: Parks Board meeting, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, January 15: Filing to run for city council opens. Filing runs through Friday, February 14.

Monday, January 20: MLK Holiday.

Tuesday, January 21: City Council meeting, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 23: P&Z meeting, 6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, January 28: EDC (Economic Development Corporation) Board meeting, 6:00 p.m.

…..

Senior Tax Freeze Missing

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Kennedale Observer website:

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Latest Kennedale Observer newsletter:

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

Kennedale Observer city council grades:

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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 did not meet this past week. Their next scheduled meeting is their January monthly meeting on January 21.

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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 .

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?

Last Week

There were no meetings last week. The Board of Adjustments and Board of Appeals meetings for last Thursday were canceled (weather).

This Week

The Keep Kennedale Beautiful (KKB) meeting and the Parks Board meeting are scheduled for Tuesday evening.

The KKB meeting agenda can be found at: https://kennedaletx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3584/files/agenda/9874 .

The parks board meeting includes a discussion of potentially installing more restrooms at Sonora Park and a discussion of the pavilion getting a makeover. The meeting agenda can be found at: https://kennedaletx.portal.civicclerk.com/event/3511/files/agenda/9872 .

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Public Hearings

???, the Board of Adjustments will hold a public hearing for BOA24-04 for a side set reduction of 25 feet to 12.5 feet at 708 Corey A. Edwards Drive. The meeting was scheduled for January 9 but was canceled (weather).

???, the Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing for BBA24-01 for the demolition of a single-family house at 6713 Lindale Road. The meeting was scheduled for January 9 but was canceled (weather).

???, the Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing for BBA24-02 for the demolition of a single-family house at 110 Caylebaite Street. This was NOT on the agenda for last Thursday. We must assume it has been resolved.

EDC

The next EDC (Economic Development Corporation) board meeting will probably be Tuesday, January 28.

P&Z

P&Z should meet again on Thursday, January 23. They are projected to have the modifications of the UDC (Unified Development Code) to review and maybe approve.

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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Senior Center Closed

It is also expected to be closed January 20 – January 26 for floor installation.

High-Speed Rail Legal Fight

Apparently, officials seem willing to spend $1 million on potential legal fights to get this baby through. Eric Garcia of the Fort Worth Report has a story on the brewing fight at: https://fortworthreport.org/2025/01/06/north-texas-leaders-prepare-to-spend-1m-on-legal-fight-related-to-high-speed-rail-line/ .

The RTC (Regional Transportation Council) is a subgroup of the NCTCOG (North Central Texas Council of Governments. They spend federal dollars in the area (I believe in our case it represents 265 city and county governments). So that is $1 million less for other projects.

[Commentary: If someone was ever serious about cutting the federal spending and debt, they need to start reducing funding to ALL of the many councils of governments, both staffing and projects.]

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Senior Tax Freeze Missing

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City Council Grades: