After months of haggling, the Snyder City Council came closer to establishing a street maintenance fee, but stopped short of voting on the fee Monday night.
The council tabled action on the fee and asked the city staff to increase the residential fee to $5 per month — increasing 50 cents per year for five years — and to bring back a plan that increases multi-family, commercial and industrial fees from the proposed $2.50 and $11 per month, respectively.
The fees will be added to city utility bills for customers inside the city limits.
Public Works Director Eli Torres had previously told the council that with his current staffing and the interlocal agreement with the county, the city could reasonably spend about $600,000 on sealcoating each year.
On Monday, Torres added that more than 40 percent of the city’s streets need to be rebuilt, which is substantially more expensive than sealcoating.
Three citizens spoke during a public hearing before the council discussion.
Dr. Berry Jordan likened the fee to a tax.
“It’s like a tax. It’s taking out of their pocket to pay for a city service,” he said.
Jordan said the fee structure would unfairly penalize low-income families.
“It’s a 10 percent tax increase on someone with a $60,000 home,” Jordan said. “The poorest people are going to get hit the hardest. People (businesses) with the most money are only going to pay $11 per month.”
Bobby Doyle asked why some businesses, such as UPS, who drive heavy trucks on city streets don’t have to pay.
The fee, which would take effect in January 2020, would have to be renewed after five years, as it is currently written.
After council member Steve Rich suggested a $7.50 monthly fee, with a $1 per year increase, others said that was too high and the consensus was $5 per month with a 50 cent increase.
Council members also agreed that customers should only be charged for one meter, even if they have a second meter for their irrigation systems.
The fee must still be approved twice before taking effect.
Municipal Judge Deborah Boyd was sworn in and presented information on the teen court program.
Teen court will be run through Snyder High School, with teenagers serving as prosecutors, defense attorneys and jurors. Teenagers who received a misdemeanor ticket would be able to plead guilty in municipal court and apply to have their case transferred to teen court, where the sentence would include community service and jury duty — but the original offense would be removed from their record.
Juvenile case manager Rochelle Anderson will oversee the program.
The council approved the Snyder Chamber of Commerce’s quarterly report and the city’s August financial report.
Bill Robertson and Tommy Henderson will replace Mark McClain and Dennis Westmoreland on the Development Corporation of Snyder’s (DCOS) board of directors and the council nominated four individuals, who had already been nominated by other taxing entities, to the Scurry County Appraisal District’s board of directors. They are Jerry Boyd (Snyder ISD), Fred Cross (Scurry County), Jay Waller (Ira ISD) and Clarence Spieker (Hermleigh ISD).
During the public forum, Frank and Mary Chapa spoke about their business, Smoothilicious Café. DCOS Executive Director Brooke Proctor has begun inviting local businesses to the meetings to spotlight the different businesses DCOS is involved with in the community.
Proctor also shared a video from Saturday’s airport terminal dedication event during the public forum.
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