PALESTINE —
Palestine City Council members took no action Monday on an ordinance which would have made a section of Michaux Street one way and provided for angle parking on one side of the street in that stretch.
With expected increased usage of Reagan Park due to the newly-added Splashpark and other improvements, Tim Perry, Palestine’s public works director, said he and other city staffers have been exploring ways to create more parking areas. With no funding to construct new parking lots, he said the idea has been pitched to use existing streets to combat the problem.
“This is an easy solution” to provide additional parking in the area, Perry told council members.
The proposed ordinance called for Michaux Street being one way north-to-south between Reagan Street and Park Avenue, with no parking on the west side of the street and angle parking on the street’s east side.
Perry, however, said he believed the ordinance should be amended to call for angle parking on the street’s west side and no parking on the east side.
Out of 27 notices distributed to residents living in the affected area, Perry said the city received three responses. All were opposed to the change, he said.
Ultimately, Palestine City Manager Mike Ohrt suggested that the council should perhaps wait until next year to revisit the ordinance.
“Given the timing of the opening of the Splashpark, we don’t know if we’re going to have a parking problem or not because school was in session when we opened the thing,” Ohrt said during the council meeting. “Our thoughts were maybe if we paused a little” the issue could be revisited next summer.
“There’s no reason to rush into it,” Palestine Mayor Bob Herrington concurred.
In some of the other business Monday, the council:
• REJECTED ordinance deannexing property located at 226 Wall Dr. at the request of the property owner
• APPROVED an ordinance OKing amendments to Appendix A, Zoning, Section 16.9, Nonconformities classifying an existing single family attached unit as a legal permitted use regardless of the zone in which it is located.
• APPROVED a request to display artwork donated by UT Tyler students on City Owned Property located at the intersection of Spring Street and West Oak Street.
• APPROVED authorizing city staff to work with Palestine Tomorrow Inc. for purposes of developing a plan for a public park to be constructed on city owned property in downtown Palestine.
• APPROVED an ordinance OKing amendments to Appendix A, Zoning, Section 16.17, Temporary Sales and Special Events and Article 3. Definitions of words, adding regulations and definitions for Mobile Food Units.
• APPROVED an ordinance OKing amendments to Section 4.6, Zoning Use Graph of Appendix A, Zoning to allow the use of a building and materials sales business on properites zoned C-2, local retail commercial district by specific use permit.
• APPROVED amendments to the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13.
• APPROVED an ordinance adopting the budget for Fiscal Year 2012-13.
• CONSIDER an ordinance providing for the assessment, levy and collection of Ad Valorem Taxes for 2012 (a) for the maintenance and support of general government (general fund), (b) for payment of accruing interest and providing for debt service and bonded indebtedness and (c) to increase property taxes with the adoption of a total tax rate of .639 cents per $100 valuation (roll call vote).
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Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com
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