Safe, attractive neighborhoods ensure quality of life, but parts of Cleburne are more in a state of decline than upward bound, Mayor Ted Reynolds said.

“In my way of thinking, one of the most important duties of city government is to promote the establishment and maintenance of safe and attractive neighborhoods where our citizens can enjoy a high quality of life,” Reynolds said. “Performing our duties in this regard requires that we continuously monitor rules, plans and procedures in our city so that we can respond to an environment of growth that is constantly changing.”

Reynolds, speaking in Tuesday’s city council workshop before the regular council meeting, called for support from council members, city staff and residents in forming what he called the Better Neighborhoods Task Force.

“The purpose of this group would be to examine the condition of our existing neighborhoods and recommend changes that might make our city a better place for all of us,” Reynolds said.

A partial list of the committee’s charges would include examining existing codes, zoning ordinances and infrastructure needs, studying the actions of other cities in these regards and determining ways for neighborhood residents to provide more input on what happens in their area.

“It is important to me that all areas of the city be represented in this group.” Reynolds said. “All of the different areas of our city have unique problems that need to be discussed and addressed.”

With the council’s blessing, Reynolds said he hoped to formalize the task force and appoint members during the Aug. 14 council meeting.

“It is my hope that the task force can complete their work and report back to the planning and zoning board and council by shortly after the first of the year,” Reynolds said.

Council members saluted Reynold’s idea — with certain conditions.

“I’m concerned we have 10 vacant positions on five boards right now,” Councilman Sonny Russell said. “We need to fill the boards and commissions we have now before we start a new one and have to go out and find even more people.”

Russell said he didn’t oppose Reynold’s idea in theory.

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Russell said, “as long as it’s a small group operating for a short term under specific goals to be determined by the council. I don’t want it to be just an open invitation to anything.”

Russell and Councilman Kyle Boles said such a committee should exist only long enough to complete the project and be granted no authoritative powers past making suggestions. Reynolds agreed.

“If they want to get the pulse of the community and find out what people in specific neighborhoods are thinking, that’s fine,” Boles said. “I just don’t want to create a bureaucratic entity that’s going to take up the city’s time.”

Boles suggested the committee members work together and hold town-hall meetings to gather input from residents.

Councilman John Warren told Reynolds he would need more information about how the proposed task force would be set up and work.

“There are certainly needs around town that need to be addressed,” Warren said.

He credited Economic Development Director Jerry Cash and Cash’s office with improvements to the area.

“But there are other areas of town that look like Third World countries, and that’s part of Cleburne too,” Warren said.

Warren and Russell said the task force would need to regard the different needs of different city areas and include representatives from each region.

“What works for Hyde Park won’t necessarily work on Trinity Street, for example,” Russell said. “So we need to look at both sides of town.”

The committee would help gather information if nothing else, Reynolds said.

“Some things in Cleburne are not very pretty, and we all know they’re not very pretty,” Reynolds said. “I don’t see anything negative about calling attention to those problems, which could, maybe, lead to some changes.”



Revenues, unemployment up

The council also heard a report from Cash, who said sales-tax revenues are up 27.2 percent over last year and June’s numbers registered 39.9 percent higher than those of June 2006. Cash attributed the increase to growth and the presence of gas-industry workers in the Barnett Shale natural gas play. Unemployment in Cleburne rose from 3.5 percent to 4.2 percent, Cash said. The increase is not unusual in summer, he said.

Cleburne Finance Director Greg Wilmore reported that water revenues for the year are $828,000 below budgeted expectations mainly because of recent heavy rainfall. The city could come in $1 million below expectations in water revenue by year’s end, Wilmore said. Expenses have also remained well below budget this year, he said, and the two may come close to canceling each other out.

Wilmore didn’t discount the possibility of recouping at least part of the revenue shortfall.

“It all depends on the weather,” Wilmore said. “If we have a scorching August and September, and people need to water, we could get some of that back.”

Rain is likewise responsible for construction delays at Winston Patrick McGregor Park on West Henderson Street and road-repair projects in city cemeteries and the Cleburne Municipal Golf Course, City Manager Chester Nolen said.

“The contractors have been working seven days a week at the golf course,” Nolen said. “I don’t know how they can proceed any more diligently than they’ve been doing, but the weather just continues to eat our lunch.”



Matt Smith can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2339, or msmith@trcle.com.