Breed Specific Legislation Discussed
July 9, 2008
Are you for or against BSL? Don’t know what BSL is? Neither did I until a few days ago.
BSL stands for Breed Specific Legislation. That is, an ordinance that applies to a specific breed of dog.
Think pit bulls are more aggressive than other breeds and want to do something about it? Well, you can’t. At least not under the law as passed by the Texas Legislature.
The Texas Legislature prohibits cities from passing ordinances designed to address specific dangerous dog breeds.
All this came up because the Council had received numerous complaints from citizens about dogs — pit bulls especially — wandering around neighborhoods “terrorizing” the citizens.
Normal ordinances don’t work very well. We can pick up the dog and impound it. We can even impose escalating fines and impoundment fees. But the irresponsible owners, who don’t care for the animal anyway, never claim it. They just go get another dog and start the process over again.
Citizens told us compelling stories about their experiences with pit bulls. One poor lady said she was charged by a pit bull and her small dog jumped in to protect her. She ran to a safe place and watched as the Pit Bull mutilated and fatally wounded her dog.
Another citizen was recently attacked in her own yard when a pit bull got out of a neighbors yard. In that case, the pit bull was euthanized and the citizen agreed to help with the medical bills.
The issue before the Council last night was not a specific BSL. Rather, it was a resolution asking the Texas Legislature to remove the prohibition to BSL so local governments can pass ordinances that are right for that community. In my view, it provides flexibility for municipalities.
The issue got the attention of several animal groups. In the days leading up the meeting, the Council received emails from Wisconsin, Washington, and a host of area cities. A rather large crowd gathered.
In emails, BSL was called “doggie profiling.” Some of its opponents compared it to the KKK or Al-Queda. One person at the Council meeting said that America was fighting the war in Iraq to protect the rights of persons wanting to own pit bulls. I was called some pretty mean-spirited names in emails when I challenged some of their arguments.
Last night’s resolution passed unanimously.
Also on the Net: Cedar Hill Addresses Pit Bull Problem, from Best Southwest Citizen.
City Accepting Board Applications
June 5, 2008
The City of Cedar Hill is accepting applications for voluntary membership on the following boards and committees until June 27.
- Board of Adjustment
- Planning and Zoning
- Zula B. Wylie Public Library Board
- Building Appeals and Advisory Board
- Main Street Development and Preservation Board
- Parks and Recreation Board
- Tri-City Animal Shelter Advisory Committee
- Economic Development Corporation
- Community Development Corporation
- Neighborhood Advisory Board
Applications are available during business hours Monday through Friday from the office of the City Secretary at City Hall, located at 502 Cedar Street.
Deadline for acceptance will be 5:00 p.m. June 27. For more information, call 972 291-5100 ext. 1011.
Cedar Hill Food Pantry in Need
May 31, 2008
When the economy struggles, so do some of the people on the fringe. And the Cedar Hill Food Pantry is there to help.
This demographic — often called the ‘working poor’ — has been on the rise lately. Nearly 300 people have been added to the food pantry rolls since the beginning of the year.
Several weeks ago I was talking to Greg Patton, another one of our City Council Members, who works at the food pantry at least one day a week. He told me that in all his years, he has never seen such a demand for food.
Because of the increased need, the stock of food is running low.
The food pantry buys the food in bulk from the North Texas Food Pantry, so they can make every dollar go far — each dollar feeds 5 people.
Please help contribute, if you can.
Links: Cedar Hill Food Pantry
Financial Fumble in Longhorn Stadium
May 29, 2008
In a classic example of the rule ‘be careful about picking the cheapest vendor,’ the Cedar Hill ISD will have to spend $850,000 to fix drainage problems that were caused 2 years ago by a now defunct company.
The field in Longhorn Stadium apparently has always suffered from poor drainage since 1999. In 2004, the district spent about $480,000 to fix a drainage problem where water would stand on the field. The company, now bankrupt, didn’t perform the work correctly and it must be redone. Except now, it’s the district that is getting drained.
The School Board is understandably upset.
Too bad, really. $1,300,000 is a lot of money to fix a drainage problem that probably should have been corrected by the original contractor when the stadium was built in 1999.
Source: Dallas Morning News
Cedar Hill Library, Fire Hall Look For City Bond Construction Money
April 26, 2008
Steve Snyder / Today Newspapers via Pegasus News
Zula B. Wylie Library Director Pat Bonds didn’t want to call it a “competition.”
But the library and the Cedar Hill Fire Department may be competing for capital improvement dollars in the coming fiscal year.
At the first of several workshops April 15, the Cedar Hill City Council began the process of sorting out what capital improvement projects to fund and how.
Unfortunately, the city is about $260,000 short of addressing all of the requests it received, outside of using debt-based money.
The winners from current budget funds are fire station and public works office improvements. Pushed off into bond-based funding is a Cedar Hill Museum of History at the Zula B. Wylie Library, along with expansion of the library itself. Read more
Marchant Warns Taxpayers to Beware of Scams During Filing Season
April 3, 2008
IRVING, TX – U.S. Congressman Kenny Marchant (TX-24) has advised residents of District 24 to beware of e-mail and telephone scams currently targeting individuals anticipating standard refunds or one-time rebates.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued a warning to consumers to be on the look-out for scams that use the IRS name and claim to provide advanced payments. Those who commit scams often do so electronically in order to cover their tracks before the victim becomes aware of the theft.
The most recent scams the IRS is warning taxpayers to be aware of are described below:
Rebate Phone Call
At least one scheme using the word “rebate” as part of the lure has been identified. In that scam, consumers receive a phone call from someone identifying himself as an IRS employee. The caller tells the targeted victim that he is eligible for a sizable rebate for filing his taxes early. The caller then states that he needs the target’s bank account information for the direct deposit of the rebate. If the target refuses, he is told that he cannot receive the rebate.
This phone call is a scam. No legislation has yet been enacted that would allow the IRS to provide advance payments to taxpayers or that determines the details of those payments. Moreover, the IRS does not force taxpayers to use direct deposit. Those who opt for direct deposit do so by completing the appropriate section of their tax return, with bank routing and account information, when they file; the IRS does not gather the information by telephone. Read more
Cedar Hill goes Uptown
March 24, 2008
Our good friend Loyd Brumfield over at NeighborsGo.com has a nice article about the grand opening of the Uptown Village at Cedar Hill:
“I always wondered what being a premier city meant,” he said. “It really starts with premier people, and what they were looking for was a premier project.”
Source: Cedar Hill Goes Uptown
Uptown Village at Cedar Hill Ribbon-Cutting
March 12, 2008
The big day is finally here! The day Uptown Village at Cedar Hill opens.
Here are a couple of links to stories on the web:
- Doors Open at Uptown Village, Neighbors-Go
- New Mall Means Economic Boost, More Options, MyFox Dallas
I also took a few pictures of the event. Enjoy.
Campaign Filings
March 11, 2008
The filing deadlines for the upcoming elections in May was yesterday at 5:00pm. Here’s the breakdown on the matchups:
City Council, Place 2: Daniel Hayden (incumbent) — no opponent.
City Council, Place 6: Clifford Shaw (incumbent) v. Wirt “Stoney” Jackson
School Board, Dan Hernandez (incumbent) — no opponent
School Board, Valerie Banks (incumbent) — no opponent
School Board, Michael Quildon v. James Charles. This is an open seat vacated by Randy Gaubert.
Cedar Hill 2008 Region 6 POWERLIFTING Champions
March 3, 2008
The Cedar Hill Boys Powerlifting team won the Texas High School Powerlifting Region 6 Meet. It was an awesome day. Our lifters competed against the best in the Metroplex. Congratulations to these young men who won:
- Marquise McBride - 2nd
- Tyre Oliver- 1st
- Chad Williams - 2nd
- Anthony Caston - 3rd
- Brandon Akpunku - 1st
- Burnell Hall - 8th
- Roberto Reyes - 4th
These young men qualified for the state meet in March:
- Brandon Akpunku
- Marquise McBride
- Chad Williams
- Anthony Caston
- Tyre Oliver
These boys will be traveling to Abilene, TX March 29, to compete in the 2008 Texas High School State Powerlifting Meet.
Government Center Nominated for Building of America Award
March 2, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dear Mr. Alan Sims:
We are pleased to announce that the Cedar Hill Government Center project has been nominated to win a Building of America Award and will be featured in the upcoming Real Estate & Construction Review- Texas Edition. The publication is highly utilized by State, County and City Economic Development groups to highlight the vitality of their respected communities. Each project featured will show how it is making a difference for its community. Construction Communications works closely with each region’s cities, counties, major associations and organizations, developers and project teams to ensure the top projects are covered in each regional Real Estate & Construction Review. Each project is portrayed in a very positive manner, with the case study covering what makes each innovative and unique. Every project is chosen for its editorial merit and benefit of the readers; there is no charge for projects being included, and no one can pay to have a project included. We will be happy to provide you with copies of the finished publication that will showcase your project. Because of the positive nature of every case study, many owners choose to use the publication as a tool for employee recruitment and retention or as a third-party credible collateral marketing piece.
In addition, each regional edition of the Real Estate & Construction Review can now be viewed online at our website. You can get there two ways. Just go to www.constructionreviews.com and click on the Regional Editions button or go to the regional editions directly at www.constructionreviews.com/regional_ed/index.html. Our online editions not only dramatically increase visibility, they also allow you to view any or all of a particular magazine with a simple touch of a button.
Lawrence Street Publications, the parent company of Construction Communications, has been in business since 1996 and publishes in more than 25 markets throughout the United States. We take pride in helping owners and tenants learn to build better facilities through positive experiential analysis.
Sincerely,
Amy Pagett Editor-in-Chief
Shared City-Schools Building In Cedar Hill Scheduled To Open In July
February 23, 2008
The new Government Center, which houses the School District Administration offices, the City Hall, and the Police Station, is set to open in July.
Already it is getting attention.
The Dallas Morning News has an article about this unique building and all the relevant specifications.
But officials say the facility in the 200 block of Uptown Boulevard is on track as Texas’ first government building with city and school district offices under one roof.
“From what we can research, this is the only building of its kind in the state where the city and school administrations are located in one building,” City Manager Alan Sims said. “This is not an easy project, but building this together is saving the taxpayers money and is going to benefit the community.”
This is the continuation of other partnerships between the City and the schools, such as shared parks and athletic fields.
Time Capsule Update
February 19, 2008
It was two and a half years ago that I first suggested the concept of a time capsule in the new Government Center. Fortunately, we were able to get that included in the specifications for our new building.
As we prepare for the grand opening, we need to start thinking about what this time capsule is going to mean for the citizens of Cedar Hill — both from an historical perspective and a future perspective.
Where has our city been and where is it going? In 50 or 100 years, what will the citizens of Cedar Hill like to know about their history and the people that directed Cedar Hill during this transformational period?
With only a 12” X 36” cylinder, there is not much room, so we need to think carefully about what should be included.
Some ideas that came to my mind were the Bond Election flyer from the campaign that funded the construction of the building and perhaps a recorded message from the Mayor to the people who will open it in the future. Another idea might be notes from members of the community describing life in 2008.
What items would you include in the time capsule?
Public Servant’s Day
February 17, 2008
On Sunday, February 17, 2008, the House of Hope Church in Cedar Hill had a special service to honor some of the public servants in Cedar Hill.
Pastor Leroy Armstrong, Jr. thanked the Fire Department, Police Department, and all the other city employees and elected officials for the service they provide to the citizens of Cedar Hill.
2008 Longhorn Football NCAA Signings
February 16, 2008
The National Letter of Intent Signing Ceremony was held at Cedar Hill High School on February 6th. The Class of 2008 had ten young men who were awarded football scholarships to various national universities.
- Greg B. - University of Kansas
- Imari T. - University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Osaze I. - University of Kentucky
- Jarvis H. - University of Texas
- Michael W. - Trinity Valley Community College
- Elijah O. - Pittsburg State
- L.B. - Abilene Christian University
- James M. - Navaro College
- James H. - University of North Texas
- Brandon A. - University of North Texas
The Longhorn family is proud of you!
Welcome!
My name is Wade Emmert and I am a Council Member for the City of Cedar Hill. This web site is a way for me to share with you some of my thoughts about issues important to the City.
It is my sincerest goal to be a good steward of the citizens’ trust. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to serve you.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at Wade.Emmert@cedarhilltx.com or (214) 740-3164.