Know Combine

INTELLIGENT and POSITIVE

2008-06-11T09:21:00.002-05:00

An intelligent and postitive post that deserves to be repeated:
Anonymous said...
Once again, some of the citizens that bother to post comments on this site are not concerned with the real issues facing Combine.There seems to be a great deal of concern that the police department makes a lot of traffic stops. I was in Kaufman County a few weeks ago and heard numerous traffic stops by your officers and it sounded an awful lot like police officers doing their job. Ask any officer that has been on patrol for a while and he or she will tell you that most of the drugs, weapons, felons, and burglars are caught by making numerous traffic stops. If the police are making a number of traffic stops where I live, and they do, I feel much more secure. Eventually, the word gets out that if you drive through this town you are going to be stopped. It has been my experience that people who reside in small towns want the “criminals” stopped but not themselves. This is counter productive in terms of preventing crime and it is not the way a police officer is trained and goes against the fair expectation that you demand of your officers.

There was also a comment relating to “rent-a-cops.” This comment only shows your lack of knowledge and understanding of the laws regulating peace officers in the State of Texas. All peace officers have the same license regardless of where they work. That’s right; a police officer in Combine has the same license as a police officer in Plano. Then to say other police officers that have worked in Combine were “ticket happy Nazi’s" is just a stupid comment. What that says is I received a citation I probably deserved but since I live here I should be able to drive any way I want to. As far as tickets go, the police department does not get all of the ticket revenues that are generated by writing citations. The police department gets a small percentage and if the citation revenue goes over the projection for the year it is lost.

This is just another example of the lack of knowledge by some of the people who write comments on this site.Remember; thieves do not call the police when they are stealing or burglarizing your residence. However, they usually drive vehicles and often that is how they are caught.
6/11/08 12:20 AM

Your City Council at work...

2008-04-10T08:45:00.002-05:00

Now may be a good time to reapply for a variance request you may have made to the Combine City Council that was rejected. Ignoring your Combine city ordinances, your City Council has given Councilwoman Betsie Dennie a variance to build a log house in R-1 zoning on FM 3039.
So how can the City Council now deny the variance YOU want?
(Though it is hard to complain. At least Betsie will finally be a citizen of Combine...assuming she actually moves in when the log house is done, that is.)

Combine VFD web site

2008-03-24T16:49:00.000-05:00

Check it out!
www.combinefire.org

New Police Chief and Roads...

2008-02-08T13:56:00.000-06:00

http://www.suburbianews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=612&Itemid=2
Combine Road Project Hits Bump in The Road

Written by Jerry Pugh
Thursday, 07 February 2008
At the February 4, 2008 Combine City Council Meeting, the council addressed many issues that are of great concern to their residents.
Combine Police Department:
The Council announced that Gary O’Pry, the new Police Chief, has passed all the required background and ethical investigations and is already working, however he will not officially assume the full time duties of the office until March 5, 2008. An introduction of Chief O’Pry to the community of Combine will be published in an upcoming issue of The Suburbia News.

Combine Fire Department:
The Combine Fire Department notified the Council that they are in need of at least two new volunteers. The Volunteer Firemen meet at the Fire Station on the second and forth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM.
The Council encourages those citizens of Combine who wish to become part of the Department to apply at the stated meeting of the Volunteer Firemen.
The Council was also reminded that the City of Combine is still under a burn ban and that the fire hazards are still with us. Citizens are reminded that burning in barrels require that a screen over the barrel be in place and that a water hose be on site prior to burning.

Agreement with Dallas County:
The Council proposed an agreement with Dallas County that would address nuisance and environmental problems in the City of Combine. This agreement would permit the city to contact Dallas County to enforce the State of Texas Civil Environmental and Nuisance Laws for the City of Combine.
Approval of this action was deferred to the March meeting to allow the council members the opportunity to review the agreement.

Combine Road Project:
Road Repair dominated the meeting of the Combine City Council this month. The council had planed to review the cost estimates for resurfacing Davis Road and Lanier Road this month, a portion of Harlan Road scheduled for the spring, and doing a chip seal on Circle Drive and Loren Boyd Road later in the spring.
Some members of the Council expressed their dissatisfaction with the work on the roads that had been done in the past, and ask if it would be possible to find a contractor who would be willing to resurface the roads in such a way that they would last for five or ten years.
The concern of money quickly came into the conversation and the best use of the road funds for the citizens of Combine. There were two approaches to the spending of the road funds, one) resurface as many of the roads as possible, two) go beyond just a resurface and construct a road that will not need repair every few months. This second approach would take into consideration and repair road base and drainage problems.
The Council decided to hold this agenda item until the next meeting; during that time they will contact professional road contractors to get some guidance on the cost and scope of such an undertaking.

2008 Combine City Council elections

2008-01-09T16:24:00.000-06:00

For 3 places on Combine City Council:
(places currently held by Brandon Barber, Mitzi Boyd and Paul Norman)
**First Day to File for Place on Ballot February 9, 2008
**Last Day to File for Place on Ballot March 10, 2008
Last Day to Order General Election March 10, 2008
First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail March 11, 2008
Last Day to Register to Vote April 10, 2008
First Day of Early Voting April 28, 2008
Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (received not postmarked) May 2, 2008 (May 3rd is the 7th day, but deadline moves to preceding business day, Friday)
Last Day of Early Voting May 6, 2008
May 10, 2008 - Uniform Election Date

Local political subdivisions: county local propositions, cities, school districts, water districts, hospital districts, and any other local government that conducts elections. The majority of these elections are conducted on the May uniform election date.

**Filing period : Generally, the filing deadline is the 62nd day prior to election day (70th day prior to November General); however, the Election Code may provide a different special election filing deadline. See Section 144.005(a) of the Texas Election Code. Local political subdivisions, other than cities or school districts, might not have a "first day" to file. Filing deadlines vary for special elections to fill vacancies. See Section 201.054 of the Texas Election Code. Write-in deadlines for general and special elections also vary, but the deadline is usually on the 5th day after the regular filing deadline for the election.

People want to know...

2007-12-26T09:24:00.002-06:00

Some are interested in comments concerning (1) the placement of the new 'Seagoville' sign on Hwy 175 at the Combine exit and (2) the TVEC tax appearing on your electric bills.
So...comments anyone??

One comment on the Seagoville sign - you might be interested to know that one reason the Seagoville sign is at the Combine exit could be because that is Seagoville's city limit line. Seagoville has annexed all of the property on their east side all the way to the Combine city limits.
(Note: This blog has now been updated to include a date as well as time stamp on your posts.)

SCHOOL BOND PASSES

2007-11-06T21:18:00.000-06:00

Crandall ISD voters have passed the $50,000,000 school bond election with a vote of 782 FOR and 576 against.

HIGHER TAXES IS A LIE!

2007-10-24T08:52:00.000-05:00

Opponents of the school bond election are putting out signs that say "SAY NO TO HIGHER TAXES."

Higher taxes?? Your CISD tax rate is decreased!!

Most people hear ‘bond election’ and immediately equate that with ‘tax increase,’ but that is not the case with this bond election. The 2007-08 tax statement you recently received from Kaufman county reflects a 29cent tax decrease for Crandall ISD.

Just do the math! The 2005-06 CISD tax rate was $1.7665; the current rate is $1.4786. The $1.4786 tax rate will remain in effect for three years. After that, Texas law will keep the CISD tax rate to no more than $1.54.
Read the FACTS for yourself, http://www.crandall-isd.net/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=392

2007-10-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

EMERGENCY COUNCIL MEETING!

2007-10-15T08:42:00.000-05:00

Your Combine City Council is having an emergency meeting tonight, Monday Oct 15 regarding the Combine Police Department. The new Chief resigned recently. There are no other officers at this time.
This council previously discussed DISBANDING the police department entirely with the idea of depending on Kaufman County Sheriffs for law enforcement.

Sign in at the door for Citizen's Comments at the beginning of the meeting. This is your opportunity to let your issues or concerns be known to YOUR city council about a police department or NO POLICE DEPARTMENT.

The truth

2007-10-03T11:37:00.000-05:00

Don't listen to the stories about the $50m school bond some are telling.
Get the FACTS for yourself Thursday night October 4 at Pointview Baptist Church in Combine.
And you can READ them for yourself here
http://www.crandall-isd.net/files/documents/News_bondElection0708.pdf

Talking Combine

2007-07-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

What's the word??
Everybody wants to know what people are talking about around town.
So tell us!

Special Called Council Meeting

2007-06-19T11:45:00.001-05:00

Your City Council held a Special Called meeting last night. All were present except Mitzi Boyd. Agenda items were:

1. The Road Committee (Edward and Betsy - and just Edward really because Betsy is not legally serving on the Council) made recommendations for the next phase of road improvements in Combine based on information received from the County. The unanimous vote was to accept the recommendations to prep the majority of roads this year and chip seal them next year. The roads receiving attention now will be Davis, Valtie Davis, Haines, Lanier, Ramsey, Circle Drive and Loren Boyd in an amount not to exceed $100,000.
No drainage improvements are to be made to Combine roads in Kaufman county.
Combine roads in Dallas county will be regraded.

2. The Council is considering the appointment of Curtis Mathis as Code Enforcement Official/Officer and Animal Control Official/Officer. Such an official could issue citations which could end up in city court if the citizen did not respond to the citation. Judge McBurney was concerned the court could not issue Failure to Appear warrants for citations issued by someone who is not a sworn peace officer. The issue was tabled.

3. The Council is collecting information to write an Animal Control Ordinance for the City of Combine so an Animal Control Official/Officer could have an ordinance on which to base citations especially for loose/mean/vicious dogs.
The issue was tabled.

4. The Council is considering the possibility of adding fencing ordinances for Combine. Mayor Taylor asked the P&Z to research and get some information to bring back to the Council.

5. The Council convened in yet ANOTHER Executive Session to discuss Combine Police Department personnel issues. But this time something was actually decided and acted upon.

In a stunning development, Paul Norman made the motion to terminate Chief Chuck Armitage for "no confidence." The Council will extend a provisional offer of Interim Chief to Glenn Grady.

Mayor Taylor explained this particular action required a "super majority" to pass - meaning the vote must pass by 4 of the 5 Council members. Mitzi was not present to vote. But Brandon, Paul, Edward and Betsy all voted to terminate Chief Armitage.

The question now is since Betsy is not legally serving on the Council - was the vote really a "super majority?"

No police in Combine?!

2007-06-12T17:19:00.000-05:00

At the close of the June council meeting, Councilman Paul Norman proposed that your Combine police department be DISBANDED.
Is that what we want?!

No police in Combine?

Maybe the thieves who broke into the new Pointview Baptist Church building to steal the wiring right out of the walls will be glad to hear it.
Maybe they will tell all their friends, too.

The Betsy Dennie Saga

2007-05-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS FROM MAY 7 COUNCIL MEETING

The Combine Police Department is back to one full-time officer and one part-time reserve officer. Interim Chief Chuck Upton resigned effective April 30, 2007.

Discussion & Action items:
1.Final review of the City’s fiscal year 2006 books by the City auditor was unanimously approved. (Review is less in scope than a full-blown audit which is roughly twice the fee. However a full audit will be required at some point.)
2. The City is embroiled in an issue with some Combine Rd property owners who have erected a structure without proper permits or adherence to P&Z requirements and who have failed to respond to the City’s letters regarding this structure. Though it is a long process, the City can ultimately take the property through District Court action if the issue is not resolved by the property owners. The Council voted unanimously to pursue this action.
3. The Council voted unanimously to install security cameras inside and outside of City Hall. The appx $3,000 cost will be split 50/50 with the Municipal Court’s Technology Fund.
The Council voted unanimously to go forward with repairs to City Hall. The current budget already provides for painting inside and outside, and general repairs to lighting and a new toilet. The City will get some bids/prices to replace the carpeting in the entire building with different flooring.
4. Discussion only (no action:) The City has a budget surplus of appx $40,000 which is required by law to be resolved before the end of the 2007 fiscal year. There was some discussion of reallocating money to road repairs and/or City Hall repairs. Some remarks were made about maybe building a new City Hall soon.
5. And the Council convened in yet ANOTHER Executive Session to discuss Combine Police Department personnel issues.

And in the continuing Betsy Dennie saga:
During Citizen Comments, several citizens spoke about their concerns regarding the illegality of Betsy Dennie’s candidacy for the next Council term of office. Putting it simply - Ms Dennie has not owned property within Combine city limits for 20 months, and therefore should not be eligible for this office.

Sounds reasonable…except Mayor Taylor read a letter from the City Attorney in the open meeting in which the attorney stated he does not agree with that interpretation. In his opinion, as long as Ms Dennie has the “intent” to live in the City, her residency should not be challenged.

Do you think you could get away with intending to do something for 20 months? Do you think the Combine water co-op would allow you intend to pay your water bill for 20 months? Do you think the County would allow you intend to pay your tax bill for 20 months? Probably not.

So, based on the attorney’s opinion and advise, the Council does not intend to do anything about this issue. Unless the City is forced to comply by some judge or court, Betsy Dennie will be seated on the Council in June 2007 for another two year term of office.

Two more years of Betsy Dennie not paying City taxes…
but deciding how your taxes should be spent.
Is that what you want?

ELECTION

2007-05-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

EARLY VOTING FOR CITY COUNCIL

AND CRANDALL ISD SCHOOL BOARD
NOW THROUGH MAY 8 @ CRANDALL COMMUNITY CENTER.
ELECTION DAY IS SATURDAY MAY 12.

April 2, 2007 COMBINE CITY COUNCIL MEETING REPORT

2007-04-05T13:27:00.000-05:00

1. Chuck Upton gave the police report. He is officially on the job.
2. The minutes for the March meeting were approved.
3. The Treasurer’s reports for February 2007 and March 2007 were approved.
4. There was a long discussion concerning the disrepair of City Hall. The building has a leaking roof, water damage, rotting wood, mold, etc. There was discussion to tear down/ rebuild or repair. The Council will be getting bids.
5. Action on an ordinance to cancel the Municipal election this year was tabled. Candidate for Mayor Keith Taylor is unopposed and candidates for Council Ed Sexton and Betsy Dennie are unopposed which means they are automatically reelected. BUT as we all know Betsy does not own property within Combine city limits and therefore is not eligible to be a candidate. The Council has failed to remove her over this one year period of office and now are faced with an unopposed candidate who is not eligible to be reelected.
6. A work session was set for Monday April 23 at 7:30 p.m. to amend the City of Combine fiscal budget for 2007.
7. Information concerning security cameras for City Hall was reviewed. The Council is considering spending appx $2000 of the Municipal Court’s security fund for security cameras.
8. There was discussion but no action regarding the status of the City of Combine audit for fiscal year 2006. The City auditor is supposed to provide the City Secretary more QuickBooks training, but has cancelled the last two appointments.
9. The Council convened in yet another Executive Session to discuss personnel items regarding the Combine Police Department.

Please pray

2007-03-23T08:01:00.000-05:00

Pit bull fatally mauls 2-year-old girl

By LaKISHA LADSON / The Dallas Morning News lladson@dallasnews.com
A 2-year-old girl was fatally mauled by one of her family's pit bulls Thursday afternoon, a Dallas County sheriff's spokesman said.
"We're not sure if criminal charges are going to be filed as of yet," said Deputy Michael Ortiz, who was withholding the names of the girl and her father until a decision on charges was made.
The incident happened in the 2200 block of Bois D'Arc Road in Combine, a town of 2,500 on the Dallas-Kaufman county line.
The Sheriff's Department received a 911 call about 3:45 p.m., and a paramedic – over the phone – helped a man, believed to be the girl's father, to perform CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Shocked neighbors gathered Thursday evening near the family's doublewide mobile home with a toddler swing and slide out front. They said the father had told paramedics that he was using a weed trimmer while his daughter rode her tricycle. The male pit bull – the family also owns a mother and puppies – apparently was chained nearby, they said. All of a sudden, the neighbors said, the little girl was on the ground, and there was blood all over her and the dog.
"She wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing or nothing" when she was taken to the ambulance, neighbor Stephanie Olive said.
Deputy Ortiz said the girl's injuries were mainly on her face and head. Neighbors said she also appeared to have been bitten on the throat and buttocks. They said Combine Senior Patrol Officer Michael Henderson, the first officer on the scene, had been crying all afternoon.
"It's a tragedy. You hate to see any child hurt in any way," said Mayor Pro Tem Paul Norman, a former pit bull owner who said he would never own another because "they're basically insane."
Neighbors said they had called authorities about the family's pit bulls before for being aggressive toward children. Authorities took the dog involved in the attack to the Balch Springs animal shelter, where its fate was unknown.
Although the dog apparently had been chained, residents said roaming dogs are a problem, too, because many people drop off unwanted dogs in Combine.
"They think that this is the country and they'll find a home," Mr. Norman said.
While authorities were at the scene Thursday evening, one loose dog chased a squirrel up a tree and others roamed freely nearby.
"It is one of the few problems we do have," said Mr. Norman, who has lived in Combine about 25 years.
The town has a leash law but lacks an animal control agency. It has one police officer and relies largely on Dallas and Kaufman counties for enforcement, depending on which side of town is involved.

New Police Chief

2007-02-26T07:53:00.000-06:00

Chuck Upton has been named Combine Police Chief.

New P& Z

2007-02-09T07:32:00.000-06:00

New P&Z (Property & Zoning) committee members were duly appointed and voted in at the Feb 5 City Council meeting. They are Omega Hawkins, Bob Woodward and Wallace Boyd. Returning P&Z members are Michelle Henry and Dale (or Dell...sorry but don't know the last name...) and Fred Nowitzi is an Alternate.
(NOTE: Carlton Stanton had previously added his name to a list of those interested in serving on the P & Z, along with other residents of the area. Mr. Stanton grew quite upset during the Council meeting when Mayor Taylor explained an existing City ordinance mandates P&Z committee members must actually live in the city for a period of at least 6 months. Mr. Stanton does not live in the City which everyone knows because he will repeatedly and proudly tell you he does NOT live in the City.)

In other action, the Council set the date of the City election for Saturday, May 12. Assuming the City follows the uniform election dates set by the Texas Secretary of State, election dates will be:
**First Day to file for Place on Ballot February 10, 2007
**Last Day to file for place on Ballot March 12, 2007
Last Day to Order General Election March 12, 2007
First Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail March 13, 2007
Last Day to Register to Vote April 12, 2007
First Day of Early Voting April 30, 2007
Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (received not Postmarked) May 4, 2007
Last Day of Early Voting May 8, 2007

You can receive the proper forms to file for a place on the ballot at City Hall.

A Policies and Procedures agenda item as tabled. Then the Council adjourned for yet another Executive Session regarding the police department.

2007 City Election

2007-02-01T16:43:00.000-06:00

Combine City Council positions up for election in 2007:

Mayor (2 year term)
Two Council seats (2 year terms)

New Police Chief?

2007-01-31T16:28:00.000-06:00

Reportedly after another emergency Executive Session held Monday night January 29, a motion was made and seconded to begin the search for a new Chief of Police for Combine.
Did he resign?
Was he terminated?
We don't know...

If the next scheduled meeting of the Combine City Council is Monday night, February 5, notices of date, time and agenda should be posted no later than 5pm Friday Feb 2. More than likely, one agenda item to expect would be an explanation about the search for a new Chief of Police.

LOOP 9 INTERESTED PARTIES

2007-01-02T17:12:00.000-06:00

Two Public Meetings will be held during the month of January to present the revised Loop 9 alternative alignments and solicit comments from the public. You are invited to attend these meetings being held,
1. January 16, 2007 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Seagoville High School
15920 Seagoville Road
Seagoville TX

2. January 18, 2007 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Midlothian conference Center
1 Community Circle Dr
Midlothian TX

Identical information will be presented at both meetings. The meetings will be an Open House format with no formal presentation.
New alignments maps will be placed on the Loop 9 website http://www.loop9.org/ no later than January 9.
If you have any questions concerning the public meeting or the project, please contact the Dallas County Public Works Department, 214-653-7152 or email loop9@dallascounty.org.

LOOP 9 UPDATE

2006-11-17T07:56:00.000-06:00

Dear Loop 9 Interested Parties:
Just a quick update on the status of the Loop 9 Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) process:
Environmental analysis of the potential alignment alternatives is continuing, as is the refinement of the conceptual designs of those alternatives.
We expect to announce a public meeting in the upcoming weeks so the public can view and comment on the updated findings of the DEIS.
Project overviews, maps and more information is available from the study website http://www.loop9.org. This site includes a map showing the 2 alignment alternatives, locations where Loop 9 would connect to crossing highways and major arterials, and locations where minor arterials would cross over or under Loop 9.

Don Koski
Transportation Planner
Dallas County Public Works
411 Elm St., 4th Floor
Dallas, TX 75202
214-653-6417
dkoski@dallascounty.org

Frequently Asked Questions About the Loop 9 DEIS
Q. What is a DEIS?
A. A DEIS – or Draft Environmental Impact Statement – is a federally-required document that provides decision makers with detailed, site-specific information about the potential environmental impacts of a proposed action (such as a new highway or toll facility) and alternatives to that action (such as not building), and suggests how adverse impacts might be mitigated.
Q. When will Loop 9 be constructed? When will it open to traffic?
A. If approved, the proposed facility would be constructed and opened to traffic in the 2012-2015 time frame.
Q. Which roads will access the tolled facility? Which roads will connect across Loop 9? Which
roads will get cut off?
A. All U.S. highways, state highways and FM roads will have access to the tolled facility. Major arterials (identified as such in local thoroughfare plans) will connect over or under Loop 9. Local streets and collectors are currently being planned to “T” into the access roads to maintain access to properties.
Q. Is Loop 9 a part of the Trans-Texas Corridor-35?
A. Loop 9 is being studied as a potential connector to the Trans-Texas Corridor. Loop 9 is also being considered by the North Central Texas Council of Governments as a section of the region’s Outer Loop.
Q. How much Right of Way is needed?
A. A 450' Right-of-Way is the rule of thumb with flaring out to 600’+ at direct-connect interchanges.
Q. What type of facility will Loop 9 be?
A. If approved, the proposed facility type would consist of three mixed auto and truck tolled lanes (with room in the center of the alignment for future separation of tolled lanes for autos and trucks) and three free access lanes on the outside of the alignment.
Q. What happens once the Loop 9 DEIS study is completed?
A. Following the completion and state and federal agency approval of the DEIS, a public hearing will be held to receive comments. Those comments will be addressed and a Locally Preferred Alternative selected. The Final EIS will then be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for approval of a Record of Decision (ROD).

Questions About Preservation and Acquisition of Right of Way
Q. I am trying to subdivide or sell a piece of property that lies in the path of one of the proposed
alignments. Do I need to disclose Loop 9 to potential buyers? Can TxDOT buy my property now?
A. You are legally required to disclose that your property may be taken if the alignment is selected for the Loop 9 facility. TxDOT cannot begin to purchase right of way until after the Record of Decision is granted by the Federal Highway Administration, which is expected in late 2008 or early 2009.
Q. How much will I receive for my property?
A. As a property owner, you have a constitutional right to receive “just compensation” for the property that will be purchased from you. An independent appraisal of your property would be conducted to determine fair market value.

2006-11-14T09:53:00.000-06:00

About 200 people attended last night's Loop 9 information session at the Combine fire station. What is your reaction??
More information can be found at http://www.loop9.org/

EMERGENCY SESSIONS

2006-10-17T13:02:00.000-05:00

The Combine City Council has called emergency sessions on Oct 9 and Oct 16. Emergency means they were not required to post a notice for the public to be informed of their meeting. The Council convened into Executive Session regarding the police department for both of these meetings.

Does anyone know WHAT they have been discussing??

CVFD Auction!!

2006-10-04T16:22:00.000-05:00

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!!
You are invited to attend an evening of food, friends and fun.

YOUR Combine Volunteer Fire Department is holding its annual DINNER & LIVE AUCTION fundraiser on Saturday October 28 2006 starting at 5pm at the Combine Fire Station, 125 Davis Rd, Combine Texas.

All you can eat BBQ Brisket, Chicken and Sausages with all the fixins' ($10 Adults; $5 Kids 10 and under)
Halloween Costume Contest for the kids (Judging at 7pm)
LIVE Auction starts at 7pm
See the department's Engine, Tankers and Squad
Watch Careflight land their helicopter
Meet your Combine Volunteer Firefighters
Get the opportunity to make the winning bid for a date with two of our single Firemen

The Combine Volunteer Fire Department is also seeking donations of goods and/or services to be auctioned off. If you are interested in donating, please call the station at 972-476-2632 or contact Amy Decker at 972-742-2853.

So, come on out and support your community...support your

COMBINE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED:

2006-09-22T15:45:00.001-05:00

Combine City Council special meeting held Monday September 18, 2006:
Discussion & Action - Resolution to adopt results of Halff Associates, Inc survey as certified and monumented Combine Corporate City Limit line: Mayor Taylor read the resolution prepared by City attorney Shepherd and agreed to by Tunnell attorney Hahn. Parties are agreeing to set the City limit line on the Tunnell property at 50 feet from the center of Combine Rd. This will settle all litigation with Mr. Tunnell once properly filed with the County. The resolution passed with a vote of 5 - 0.

Discussion & Action - Acceptance of candidates to be considered for the position of Interim/Acting Chief of Police for the City of Combine: Officer Shelton has resigned. Officer Garcia has been placed on administrative leave. Officer Henderson is the only working officer at this time unless the City has acted on this since the meeting and the date of this post.

The Council members then convened into Executive Session for personnel matters concerning candidates proposed for the position of Inerim/Acting Chief of Police for the City of Combine.

August 21 Public Hearing summary

2006-08-25T12:47:00.000-05:00

The Combine City Council held a Public Hearing Monday August 21 @ 7:30pm with the intent of setting the tax rate for the 2006/07 budget year which begins October 1, 2006. Previous Councilman Bruce Coates explained State law requires cities to prepare their budgets first and then set the tax rate. After that, a few comments were made and the Mayor blamed their miss-start on advice from the Texas Municipal League.

The Council has not done any work on the 2006/07 budget, and they will have to get busy on it. The timeline will be tight to comply with State law and Kaufman County Tax Assessors office requests. The council plans a Budget Workshop for Monday August 28 (public input appreciated) and a Public Hearing for September 8. The next regular Combine City Council meeting will be Monday September 11. Watch for agendas for all of these meetings posted at the proper times at the usual locations.

Mayor Taylor said Kaufman County Appraisal District reports 2006/07 taxable value for Combine property as $79,890,853.00. That figure with the current tax rate of 0.251000 cents/hundred dollar value projects 2006/07 revenue to be $200,526.00 at a receipt rate of 89% making the total projected property tax revenue to be approximately $178,468.00. (See http://www.kaufman-cad.org/taxinfo3.htm )

Several members of the council stated that total expenses for 2005/06 totaling $371,218 have been found to be in line with the 2005/06 budget prepared by the previous Council, and the current tax rate should stay the same in order to keep needed funds coming in (this from Councilpersons Barber, Boyd and Mayor Taylor.) Considering all the needs of the City as well as citizens expecting much more work to be done, the 0.251000 rate would probably be needed to meet the needs of the 2006/07 budget.

However, the final 2006/07 tax rate will not be known until the 2006/07 budget is prepared.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30pm.

August 7 2006 City Council meeting

2006-08-09T09:27:00.000-05:00

Here is what happened at the Combine City Council meeting Monday August 7, 7:30pm:
1. Pledge & Invocation
2. Citizen Comments (limited to 3 minutes; you must sign in on a form furnished by the City before the start of the meeting.) No comments from citizens.
3. Reports (Police; Municipal Court; Fire Dept; Building Inspector; Planning & Zoning;)
4. Minutes of previous Council Meetings/Workshops/Public Hearings; and Treasurer's Reports May, June and July. Mitzi Boyd questioned the minutes for the workshop and public hearing, but all minutes were voted accepted. Various items in the Treasurer's Reports were questioned, so the reports were not approved. The Council tabled the Treasurer's Reports for the second consecutive month.
5. Discussion and Action on the following:
Road Committee report & recommendation by Councilperson Dennie
Councilperson Dennie reported that Albert Harlan has finished his study and drainage plan for Davis Road with the recommendation to raise the level of the road by 8 inches, clean out the ditches on both sides, and repair the culverts. The Council voted to order the work through Kaufman County requesting to add appx 6 inches of material to raise the level of the road at a cost of $32,620. There will be no work on the ditches at this time. This is for Davis Road only.
P&Z recommendation for City final plat approval on Waldrum Addition Phase III
P&Z recommendation for City final plat approval on Riverbend Estates
Set date, time, place for Public Hearing regarding 2007 tax rate
This Public Hearing will be Monday August 21 @ 7:30pm @ City Hall. Immediately following this Public Hearing, the Council will convene in order to adopt the 2007 tax rate.
Executive Session regarding employment contract for Combine Police Chief Armitage
The Executive Session lasted appx 1 hour
Action concerning employment contract for Combine Police Chief Armitage as discussed in Executive Session.
The Council returned to report no action will be taken on the Police Chief's contract at this time.
The meeting adjourned at appx 11:00pm.

2006-08-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

Combine City Council meeting scheduled for Monday August 7, 7:30pm agenda:
1. Pledge & Invocation
2. Citizen Comments (limited to 3 minutes; you must sign in on a form furnished by the City before the start of the meeting.)
3. Reports (Police; Municipal Court; Fire Dept; Building Inspector; Planning & Zoning;)
4. Minutes of previous Council Meetings/Workshops/Public Hearings; Treasurer's Reports May, June and July.
5. Discussion and Action on the following:

Road Committee report & recommendation by Councilperson Dennie
P&Z recommendation for City final plat approval on Waldrum Addition Phase III
P&Z recommendation for City final plat approval on Riverbend Estates
Set date, time, place for Public Hearing regarding 2007 tax rate
Executive Session regarding employment contract for Combine Police Chief Armitage
Action concerning employment contract for Combine Police Chief Armitage as discussed in Executive Session.

2006-08-01T17:26:00.000-05:00

THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE COMBINE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD MONDAY, AUGUST 7 @ 7:30PM AT COMBINE CITY HALL, 123 DAVIS ROAD, COMBINE.
(THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING WILL BE POSTED BY 5PM FRIDAY, AUGUST 4 AT COMBINE CITY HALL.)

Thanks to the Shipley's for their constructive comments.
Just for the record, please understand anything POSTED here is TRUTH.
Comments are opinions of the person who decides to make a comment. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and entitled to choose to sign or to not sign that opinion/comment.
Signing or not signing a comment neither validates nor invalidates it. All comments have worth...signed or not.

July 10, 2006 City Council meeting

2006-07-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Well folks...what did you think about Monday's council meeting?! You really should not miss those meetings. You learn some very interesting things.

Let's start with Ms Dennie. In response to a citizen request regarding Ms Dennie's residence status, Mr Mayor reported that TML (Tx Municipal League) and the city attorney say that the address on her driver's license is in the city limits and some mumbo-jumbo about lots of people who serve on government boards have more than one address (...one would HOPE at least ONE of those addresses is within that board's jurisdiction) and basically there is "nothing I can do." So it is obvious the council is not going to do the right thing and replace her. But that dl address is EDWARD SEXTON'S ADDRESS and everybody in town KNOWS Betsy is NOT living at Edward Sexton's house. Plleeeeaassee.....And besides she happens to be looking for a lot within city limits to build another house on (you should call her if you have something to sell...) and as long as she intends to be in the city limits she doesn't plan on stepping down. But wait....isn't that her admitting she isn't living in the city limits??!!! Please don't insult our intelligence. The GOOD news is at least we can all hope she won't be able to run again next time!

And then there is Mr. Norman. He commented that the "crisis has passed" as far as the animal ordinance goes. The cat owners have moved and are supposedly renting/selling their property on Hwy 1389. Gee, they should have rented to Betsy....Anyway, he is quite perturbed that his private property rights were suddenly changed when the February animal ordinance to prohibit dangerous wild animals was passed. It is his contention that before the ordinance was passed, he had the right to harbor any animal he wanted to have (...think he mentioned bears...) and now he does not have that right. Admittedly this writer's knowledge of constitutional rights might not be as sophisticated as Mr Norman's, but it seems pretty simple and basic to me. Any 'rights' I might have (personal or property) stop at the exact point they begin to infringe on someone else's 'rights' particularly in cases of public safety. I guess Mr Norman thinks he should have the 'right' to mount a 50 caliber cannon on the top of his trailer. His neighbor's would think otherwise and the council might be asked to pass an ordinance prohibiting 50 caliber cannons I guess.
And later in the meeting Mr Norman started talking about what could be done about the abondonded property up the street from him. There is very tall grass and a two story house that is about to cave in. He had no hesitation whatsoever in assuming the city should do something to that person's private property. Is it just me or does anyone else see this correlation??

That's enough for this post. Look for more to be posted about Mr Tunnell, the city budget and the ROADS.

June 19 Council Workshop notes

2006-06-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Combine City Council held a workshop on Monday, June 19 at 7:30pm at the Combine City Hall Combine TX to address the following agenda. Since this was a ‘workshop,’ all agenda items were for discussion only and no votes were taken.

1. Notification of Kaufman County Burn Ban and Restrictions: A burn ban is effect for Kaufman County. Therefore, a burn ban is in effect for all areas within Combine corporate city limits. This means no open fires, no container fires and no fireworks that go up in the air such as bottlerockets and missiles with fins. If a burn ban is called in Kaufman County, the City of Combine recognizes the burn ban for both the Kaufman and Dallas county sides of the city. http://www.nbc5i.com/news/9371466/detail.html
2. Amended budget proposed by the Budget Committee: The City’s fiscal year runs Sept 1 through August 31. Before May’s election, the previous Council had begun discussions of amending the 2006 budget. This is common and necessary because expected revenues and expenditures will rarely match actual revenues and expenditures. The Budget Committee (comprised of Mitzi Boyd, her husband Phillip and Beth Junelle,) reported an unofficial “audit” of the City’s accounting for the 2006 fiscal year. Apparently Ms Junelle is a registered CPA who has seen fit to offer her services to the City, although she did not offer her services to the previous Council. Ms Junelle actually presented the Budget Committee report and stated she had traced “every penny” that had been received and spent so far and had found no irregularities. The Council will now need to make the necessary line item adjustments so that the budget is balanced which is required by law. The amended budget will be required to be presented in a Public Meeting and then it will be voted on by the Council. The date of that Public Meeting has not been set at this time. (NOTE: The 2007 budget will also have to be created, presented to the public and voted on before September 1, 2006.) (Further NOTE: The members of the “Budget Committee” were selected by Mayor Taylor at some point after the May election but not at a posted and open Council meeting. It is curious to this writer that Mitzi has no problem with this “committee” consisting of a Council member and her spouse when her campaign literature stated, “…one of the candidates, if elected, could have significant control over development with husband and wife on City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission.”
3. Proposed new Animal Control Ordinance: Mayor Taylor stated his “research” has revealed most cities in Texas defer to the State Health & Safety Code Chapter 822, Regulation of Animals, Subchapter E. (He didn’t say how he knows this; maybe he called “most cities in Texas” to ask them…?) He admitted this section of the State code is not fully integrated into the proposed new ordinance. The proposed new Animal Control ordinance remains under further consideration by the Council. Appx 300 citizen petitions and letters expressing opposition to the new ordinance were turned in to Mayor Taylor. See this link for an incomplete list of some Texas cities/countys that do NOT defer to the State code, http://www.api4animals.org/b4a2_exotic-animals-ords.php.
4. Long Range Plan for Roads from Combine Road Committee: This “committee” consists of Edward Sexton and Betsie Dennie. Betsie reported the patching of all Combine roads totaled appx $5900.00. No new plans for road repair will be made until the Council can determine if Albert Harlan will finish and present his drainage study which was started prior to the May election. Mayor Taylor announced he would be serve as the City’s designee for the Trans Texas Corridor project which will completely change the face of Combine if the preferred route is chosen. That route would follow the path of the big power lines at a width of 1,400 feet which brings it directly through the middle of Combine. Public Hearings for this project are in JULY. For more info, see http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/publications/files/NR%20announce%20pub%20hearing%20list.pdf and http://www.keeptexasmoving.com/faqs
5. Revisions required to the Resolution resolving Tunnell v. The City of Combine Lawsuit: The Council acted on this “Resolution” at the June 5 meeting. However, an Ordinance is required so this “resolution” will be finalized at the July 10 Council meeting. But this is very scary. Come to find out the document the Council voted on at the June 5 meeting was NOT WRITTEN BY NOR PREVIOUSLY REVIEWED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY!! It was written by Mitzy and Phillip Boyd!!! This means YOUR City Council acted on a resolution to a legal matter which was before the City without benefit of counsel and which had not been reviewed by the City attorney. Granted this resolution is great for Mr. Tunnell and apparently saved the City a few dollars in Attorney’s fees. BUT what unknown liabilities is the City now opened to due to this fiduciary irresponsibility?? That should scare the bejeebbers out of all of us.
6. Make your concerns known to the Mayor and Council members, http://www.nctcog.org/rd/regdir.asp?search=city&citycode=0937

2006-06-22T10:49:00.000-05:00

The next regular City Council meeting will be Monday July 10, 7:30pm at City Hall, 123 Davis Rd, Combine. The agenda for this meeting is required to be posted in writing at least 72 hours prior to meeting time. Agendas are typically posted at City Hall, Matlocks Store and Heard's Store.

2006-06-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

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