City of Richardson, TX : News List : Week In Review, July 6, 2012

News Review

Week In Review, July 6, 2012

Posted Date: 7/6/2012

July 6, 2012
Here is the latest edition of Week In Review - a series of weekly messages from the Mayor and City Council to help Richardson residents and businesses keep up to date on events at City Hall. A list of links for stories in this edition is available at the bottom of the page.

David Morgan Named Deputy City Manager
Richardson City Manager Dan Johnson has announced that Assistant City Manager David Morgan has been selected to serve as Deputy City Manager for the City of Richardson, effective Thursday. Morgan fills the position vacated by Johnson when he became City Manager June 1.

In his new capacity, Morgan will serve as chief operating officer and coordinate City operations and development.

Morgan joined the Richardson staff in 1998 as an administrative assistant in the City Manager’s Office. He was promoted to Assistant to the City Manager in 2000 and was promoted to Assistant City Manager-Community Services in 2003. Previously, Morgan worked as a management intern for the City of Lubbock in several departments, including the City Manager’s Office.

Morgan has administrative responsibilities for the Parks and Recreation Department, Community Services Department and Sherrill Park Golf Course facilities. He serves as a liaison for the more than 67 neighborhood associations in Richardson.

Morgan received a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University. He served on the advisory board for the Texas Tech Center for Public Service and currently is a member of the Urban Management Assistants of North Texas, the Texas City Management Association, and the North Texas City Management Association. He is also a member of the International City/County Management Association and was in the first class of Leadership ICMA.

Morgan is a graduate of Leadership Richardson Class XVII and was selected in 2008 as 21 for the 21st Century by Inside Collin County Business. He is a member of the Richardson East Rotary Club and also has coached for the SVAA and the Richardson Family YMCA, which recognized him as “Father of the Year” in 2008. Morgan, his wife, Leticia, and his sons, Will and Grant, live in Richardson.
Assistant City Manager David Morgan Community Services
David Morgan

Click the link below to read the full press release:
http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=73&recordid=311&returnURL=%2findex.aspx

Main Street/Central Expressway Corridor Open House to take place Tuesday
Business owners, property owners and other participants will be able to provide input on the future of the Main Street/Central Expressway area at an open house at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Civic Center Grand Hall.

The open house is the first of three public input sessions that will be held as the City studies potential enhancement and redevelopment opportunities in the area. To register for the open house, e-mail maincentralstudy@cor.gov.

The study area is approximately 415 acres, including the Central Expressway corridor from approximately the southern City limit to Arapaho Road, as well as the City’s historic downtown. Both areas were identified for further study in the 2009 Comprehensive Plan.

A wide variety of interested individuals, groups and stakeholders, including business owners, property owners and other participants will attend the open house, which will be structured around a series of topics at various stations in the meeting room. Participants will be able to visit any or all of the stations to provide comment. A presentation will be made at approximately 7:20 p.m., with more time for the open house afterwards.

Participants will be able to discuss and prioritize issues for the corridor, imagine their own preferred future for the area and participate in the identification of action items for advancing study goals.

The study will continue throughout the year, and a final report is expected to be presented to the City Council in December.

Click the link below for more information about the Main Street/Central Expressway Corridor Study:
http://cor.net/index.aspx?page=1438

Study Examines City Solid Waste Services
A study under way to evaluate solid waste service in Richardson has found that the program is well liked by residents but that there are opportunities for possible service enhancements.

The study, presented to the City Council on Monday, has identified no system deficiencies and has found that solid waste services in Richardson compare well to other service in other Metroplex cities.

However, the study has found that there are opportunities to improve and enhance Richardson’s solid waste system. Possible enhancements include increasing recycling participation, offering regular yard waste collection services and offering residential construction and demolition collection services. Those potential enhancements and Richardson’s future solid waste management needs will be evaluated in the remaining four phases of the study.

Expanding recycling to commercial businesses and multi-family communities and evaluating a program to allow residents to recycle grass clippings and other lawn care waste are identified in the 2011-2013 City Council Goals and Near-Term Action Items.

Future study tasks include defining program options to meet needs and goals identified in the study’s current phase, selecting final Richardson-specific program options, and developing cost estimates and an implementation plan.

The study is expected to be completed this December.

Click the links below to watch Monday’s City Council briefing:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#6
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#7

City Council to Consider Approval of New District Boundaries
The City Council will vote on an ordinance revising Richardson's Council District boundaries on Monday, July 9. The vote follows a Council work session held Monday, July 2, and a public hearing by the Council on June 25, on recommendations from the Council District Boundary Commission.

Federal regulations require that the population distribution among City Council districts be approximately equal and that district boundaries be nondiscriminatory. The City Charter requires that the City Council appoint a Commission every 10 years (after the U.S. Census is complete) to review the district boundaries and ensure population equality. Current district boundaries must be realigned because population growth in some areas of the City has led to an imbalance in the population distribution among districts.

On Jan. 30, the City Council appointed the City Plan Commission to serve as the Council District Boundary Commission. Over the course of seven meetings, including two public hearings, the Commission reviewed nine different options. Two options have been forwarded for City Council consideration.

New district boundaries must be approved by the City Council by ordinance no later than July 30, 2012.

Click the link below for detailed redistricting information:
http://www.cor.net/index.aspx?page=1565

Click the link below to watch Monday’s City Council work session discussion:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#8

Richardson City Secretary’s Office Receives Petition For Charter Change
Just before 5 p.m. Thursday afternoon, a petition supporting direct election of the mayor was submitted to the Richardson City Secretary’s Office. If certified, the petition would place a charter amendment on the November ballot for Richardson voters to decide how the mayor is selected.

Currently, under the Richardson city charter, a council member is elected to the position of mayor by the council members. Under state law the city charter may be amended by initiative of the city council adopting an ordinance calling an election on proposed amendments, or by petition, if a proper petition is submitted and signed by a number of qualified voters of the city equal to at least five percent of the number of qualified voters of the municipality, or 20,000, whichever number is the smaller.

Dallas County and Collin County election records indicate there are 49,966 qualified voters in the city as of the date of the filing of the petition. Based on those numbers, 2,499 qualified voters are required to sign the petition.

The petition was received with approximately 397 signature pages. The total number of signatures on these pages has not been calculated. The city secretary is currently reviewing the signatures on the petition to determine if the requisite number of qualified voters signed the petition.

Library Strategic Plan Sets Blueprint for the Future
As demand for Library services continues to grow, a new long-range plan will help to guide the Richardson Public Library’s future.

The plan, developed by the Library Board using input from focus groups and a community survey, sets five strategic goals to fulfill the Library’s mission and to address four challenges that were identified. The City Council met with the Library Board on Monday to review the plan.

Goals identified were to:

Create welcoming, safe spaces that promote a sense of community pride and are responsive to public access concerns.
Facilitate customer-centered services.
Develop and deliver outstanding library collections and services that reflect the interests and needs of our diverse customer base.
Raise awareness and visibility of RPL services and increase recognition of the library as an essential community asset.
Continue to dream and plan for the future.

Specific action items to address those goals will be developed on an ongoing basis. Some actions, including refreshing the Library’s website, improving traffic flow outside the Library, continuing to expand the eBook collection and developing a Facebook page for the Library, have already been completed or are currently planned.

Click the links below to watch Monday’s City Council discussion:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#3
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#4

Library Plans to Implement New RFID System
A new Library management system that will speed check-out and check-in of materials is expected to be implemented this fall.

The new system, funded by the 2010 Bond Program, will include a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system that will allow for automation of some Library operations. The project also includes a new automated materials handling system.

A committee is currently reviewing proposals for installing and implementing the new system. The current materials handling system is 40 years old, and replacement parts are not available, which leads to breakdowns. In addition, a backlog of items awaiting check-in can develop because they must be checked in by hand.

Circulation at the Richardson Public Library continues to break records, and the 1.35 million items checked out last year has stretched the Library’s capacity. The new RFID system will allow the Library to increase the speed of the check-out process, and self-checkout stations will allow the Library to increase capacity.
2010 Bond Program

Click the link below to watch Monday’s City Council briefing on the RFID system:
http://richardsontx.swagit.com/e/07022012-623/#5

New Fire Station 4 to be Dedicated Thursday
The Richardson Fire Department will hold a dedication ceremony and open house at the new Fire Station 4, funded by the 2010 Bond Program.

The new station will replace the current Fire Station 4, built in 1973, and includes features to meet regulatory requirements not able to be accommodated at the old site. It will also accommodate today’s operational staffing needs, as well as the larger fire vehicles used today.

The open house will take place 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 12, at 1500 Apollo Rd.

Click the link below for more information about the new Fire Station 4:
http://cor.net/index.aspx?page=73&recordid=287

UT Dallas to Remove Construction Cranes
Two construction cranes will be removed from the UT Dallas campus tomorrow and Saturday, July 14. The process could extend into Sunday each weekend.

Crews will use a route from Synergy Park Boulevard to Floyd Road, entering the UTD campus from Lookout Drive. No traffic flow problems are anticipated.

The cranes were used to assist with construction of the exterior of the new 155,000-square-foot Arts and Technology Program building, which is set to open in fall 2013.
Cranes

President George Bush Turnpike Lanes to be Closed Sunday Morning
All eastbound lanes of President George Bush Turnpike from Independence Parkway to east of Custer Road and the eastbound entrance ramp from Independence Parkway will be closed 7-9 a.m. Sunday, July 8.

The closures are needed so that law enforcement personnel may conduct an accident investigation.

Message boards will be placed along the roadway to advise motorists of the closures. All closures are subject to weather conditions and may be postponed, if necessary.

For more information about upcoming lane closures and traffic-related news along NTTA roadways, go to the “Scheduled Lane Closures” listing at www.ntta.org or call 214-224-3030.

Richardson Animal Shelter Pet of the Week
This is Lilac! She is a female, domestic short hair, up to date on all vaccinations, and has been at the Shelter since March 2012. She is approximately 7 years old, very friendly and great with everyone! Contact the Animal Shelter (972-744-4480) about Lilac or other animals available for adoption.

Animal Shelter Facebook Page

Lilac Pet of the Week