City Council Receives Update on Proposed Parks District

Denise Bell
Post Managing Editor

July 9, 2009

At Tuesday evenings meeting of the Forney City Council, Brandon Aghamalian, of Hillco Partners, gave the Council and the small crowd attending a brief presentation on the City of Forney’s Legislative Agenda.

Representing the Austin lobbyist firm hired by the City of Forney, Aghamalian first thanked State Representative Betty Brown, State Senator Bob Deuell, Chairman Mark Homer (D-Paris) and Chairman Royce West (D-Dallas) for their assistance is passing House Bill 4789 through the Texas House of Representatives.

He also thanked both the past and present Forney Mayor and City Council, as well as City Manager Brian Brooks and his staff for assisting in pushing through the bill that could implement Forney’s first parks district.

Passage of House Bill 4789, “authorizes elections for the voters to create a parks district”, which according to Forney City officials will “serve the growing population of four utility districts because the vast majority of park users are youth sports leagues.”

Creation of a Parks District will allow the City to “levy property taxes, as approved by the voters, to fund park operations and capital costs to relieve the inequitable burden currently being placed on Forney taxpayers.”

If approved by the voters of Forney, the new Parks District will “run congruent to the Forney ISD boundaries” and will exclude all property owners living within the Forney City limits.

Park “user fees” will be only accessed to youth sports leagues or associations operated by organizations located within the Forney ETJ. If voters elect to have a Parks District a “governing body” will be established and this body would be responsible to “adjust future rates and to establish a budget.”

After updating the Council on House Bill 4789, Aghamalian next spoke of several bills due to be presented before the House of Representatives at their next legislative session including House Bill 2291 which “changes magic words used in adopting a property tax rate.”

The Hillco presentation was the last item on the Council’s official agenda so immediately following their legislative update, the Council adjourned into Executive Session.

After a forty-five minutes Executive Session, which included former Mayor Darrell Grooms, the Council emerged and re-opened the regular public meeting.

Ready to close the long meeting, newly appointed Councilman Wade Gent quickly made “motion to authorize the City Manager to enter into negotiations with George Allen (Fox Hollow Properties) to purchase additional property for the park.”