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Major items approved during the Feb. 27 City Council Meeting were:
10th Street Paving and Water Line Reconstruction
The portion of 10th Street from N Avenue to Jupiter Road is receiving $4.5 million in improvements. The contractor is replacing 3,525 linear feet of full-width collector street pavement, sidewalks, driveways, barrier-free ramps and 1,320 linear feet of water line. These improvements include the existing undersized-drainage system along 10th Street, which results in minor, localized flooding during rain events. Additional pipes and inlets will be added to the closed drainage system to mitigate minor flooding issues with this construction project.
Ambulances
Five Braun Chief XL F-550 Ambulances are being purchased by Fleet Services for Plano Fire-Rescue for $2.3 million through an existing contract.
Two ambulances are pre-orders for scheduled equipment replacements from Capital Outlay FY2023-24. The current build time is 32 months, so these must be ordered now to ensure timely delivery. The pair of ambulances are essential for maintaining current service levels.
The other three ambulances are additions to the fleet approved in the Capital Outlay FY 2022-23. Two will be staffed medic units needed to improve medical response times and reduce the number of incidents where no medic unit is available. This increases Fire-Rescue’s number of full-time med units per station, which reduces the population-per-med-unit ratio. The remaining additional ambulance will be placed in service when other ambulances are being repaired or maintained.
Election Services
The City of Plano has contracted with Collin County for the administration of the Saturday, May 6, 2023 City Elections. The total cost to administer the election is $140,500. This ensures ease of access to voting for all Collin County registered voters. Collin County provides all administration services including voting equipment, staffing and ballot handling. The City provides the ballot layout in English and Spanish. (The Denton county contract will be on a future agenda.)
Heritage Tax Exemption
Eighty-six properties were recommended for approval of heritage tax exemptions. Based on current property values and tax rates, this equates to approximately $68,000 in city taxes and a total estimated exemption of $285,000 from the three participating tax entities: City of Plano, Plano Independent School District and Collin College (Collin County’s tax abatement program for historical properties is separate). The actual value of the tax exemptions is not final until the taxing entities set their 2023 tax rates and the values of the properties are determined by the Collin Central Appraisal District. This includes other applicable property exemptions related to Homestead, Over 65, etc. The heritage tax exemption allows property owners to reinvest in the maintenance and long-term preservation of historic structures.
The next regular City Council meeting is Monday, March 13 at 7 pm. The agenda becomes available after 5 pm on the Wednesday leading up to the meeting. Watch the meeting live on Facebook, YouTube or planotv.org.
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