City approves water tap request

by Dolores Hamilton
In a split vote Monday, the Iowa Park City Council approved a request for five 3/4-inch taps off the city’s 24-inch water line to property on Rifle Range Road.

The request was made by Joe Ellis who is negotiating to purchase land on Rifle Range Rd. and wants to move his business from Wichita Falls to that location.

He said he would pay the expense of adding the taps.

During the discussion, City Manager Mike Price pointed out that the area in question is not, and never will be, in Iowa Park’s extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ), but is located in the Iowa Park school district.

Ellis said his business and those to come would benefit Iowa Park in additional business traffic and also some of the employees possibly choosing to live here. He said that when he works at another business he owns on Rifle Range Rd., if possible he purchases goods and services in Iowa Park before driving into Wichita Falls. He believes his employees would do the same. He said that his business would pay approximately $100,000 a year in school taxes.

Mayor Joe Ward asked the city manager, “If this is allowed, would we be setting a precedent for anyone who wanted water outside our ETJ? To which Price answered, “Probably.”

Councilwoman Lori Shierry commented, “If we grant taps, I think the upside is it will increase school revenue and increase revenue to different businesses in the city.”

When the mayor called for a vote, a motion was made to allow the taps, and it passed 4-1, with Mark Raby voting against it. “I’m totally for tax money for our schools,” Raby explained. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to set a precedent of allowing taps outside our ETJ.”

A second request was made for water by Scott McClure. He asked for outside-city water service to his home on Lenz Rd. and two homes on Harmony Rd. that are all within the city’s ETJ.

McClure said they had been hauling water to their homes out there for 30 years.

Several options were discussed, and the mayor suggested that the matter be tabled until McClure and the city manager could work out details that would be acceptable to both the families and the city. The council members agreed and voted to table the request until a future meeting.

In other business, the council passed an ordinance annexing the 7.382-acre tract of land in Industrial Park that will be the future home of S-5! Manufacturing. S-5! has leased and will be operating out of the former Wal-Mart building on West Highway until their building in Industrial Park is constructed.

The bid from Mandela Concrete was accepted for concrete work to be done in conjunction with the city’s street rebuild and slurry projects.

Council members looked over a list of streets for them to consider for rebuild or slurry projects. It was suggested the selection be postponed until council members had a chance to study the list and look at the streets. It will be brought back for a vote at the council’s annual retreat on Jan. 21.

Charles Dudley was appointed as the city’s Fire Marshall/Fire Code Inspector. He will fill the vacancy left with the retirement of Public Works Director Belvin Lytle.

Budgets for the General Fund and Water and Sewer Fund were amended to reflect adjustments of expenditures to pay the costs for contractual financial management services.

The city manager explained rules and regulations having to do with removing privately-owned dilapidated structures from within the city’s floodway.