I am saddened to announce the resignation of Councilman Cantrell. He was forced to resign due to personal reasons. We will miss Dr. Jeff Cantrell and the tremendous value that he added to our council. We have great respect for Jeff and will always seek his advice, opinions and ideas. We hope Jeff has a speedy recovery.
We had a great budget meeting and are so proud of the wonderful job Kim Collins has done toward balancing our budget. We are still working on final numbers to insure our money is spent prudently.
As you all are aware, there has been a lot of interest by developers in our community. It seems Argyle is definitely a town that everyone wants to be a part of. Because of this interest, the Argyle Town Council and the Planning and Zoning Board put together an open workshop in order to clarify the future vision of Argyle
The workshop began with the two most important factors that a town should not ignore because it drives the value of a town.
The number 1 factor is the school system. This has been proven to be the most influential factor in the success of a town. I am happy to say Argyle has the school issue covered with the best of both public and private schools in the state. This is a result of excellent administrators, staff, teachers, parents and students. It is imperative that town leaders work with the school leaders to support each other. We want to keep the school informed of any changes in the community that may affect the schools, so administrators can plan and manage accordingly.
The second reason behind the success of a town is connectivity. Park and trails. Argyle’s park board is working with the school on a few possibilities. My dream is to have a hike and bike trail starting on the north end of Argyle, west of the railroad tracks, eventually ending at Argyle’s future school on FM 1171.
Another important factor that must be addressed today for a successful tomorrow is the thoroughfare plan. We need more north-south and east-west roads. The response of emergency services increases dramatically when there are alternative routes available to get to a specific destination. The prospect of more roads for a town is cost prohibitive without looking at one of two ideas: raising taxes or joining forces with developers. The town requires a developer contribute to a road system with any building that happens. The town could also ask that the developer help contribute to the park system.
This is where it gets controversial. Neither option is popular. No one wants higher taxes and no one wants higher density development projects that help the developing partner contribute to expensive roads. This leads to very important questions in considering the partner idea … Is it the size of a project or the density that concerns us? Keeping our value is our major concern when considering any future projects.
These are the questions that council is faced with. How do we keep our character and charm? How do we finance roads and parks when we are still looking for ways to have silent crossings and bringing sewer to 35W?
We know we need partners but at what price? We are very busy trying to find that answer. We continue to reach outside our town for the right other ideas.
The town is working on collecting citizen’s emails and cell phone numbers so we can contact you about future meetings and proposals. Please call Kristi Gilbert, our town secretary, at 940-464-7273 if you are interested in getting personal reminders.
Stay informed. We have never had the opportunities and struggles that we now have. It is more important than ever before to let the council hear from you.
Please call and schedule a meeting with me or a council member at any time. I have enjoyed meeting with and receiving emails from many concerned citizens. Your ideas and concerns are important.
Welcome back to school! Let’s have another great year!
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