Cumby renames service roads

CUMBY- The city of Cumby city council met on Tuesday evening to discuss zoning for mobile homes and renaming service roads, among other business. 

After opening the meeting at 6:30 p.m., Chief Paul Robertson delivered the police report, Mayor Doug Simmerman delivered the maintenance report and firefighter Dustin Miller delivered the fire report.

The council unanimously approved both their consent agenda and December financials. 

During citizen comments, Judy Machen thanked the VFW post in Cumby for their donation of 20 rods and reels to the Larry Buster Memorial Kids Trout Fishing Day, which will take place on Feb. 8 in Sulphur Springs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

“It’s free and the kids don’t have to have a fishing license that day,” Machen said. 

Citizen Donna Saucier stated she read about Cumby’s consideration of renaming their north and south service roads. As a resident of the service road she stated that while she supported such a change, she requested it be postponed until after the city’s May special election as it would be difficult for voters to change their addresses for voting registration. 

“There are all sorts of things connected with change of address, and I want some time,” Saucier said.

Simmerman thanked Saucier for her input and said they would take her opinions into account when they discussed the agenda item.

Simmerman then notified the council they would have to rescind the authorization of Mike Ward to complete the city’s financial audit, as Ward was “booked up.” The council did so unanimously, and then unanimously appointed Evans and Knauth to complete the financial audit. 

Citizen Kyle Pettit inquired if this was the same company that was hired to do the forensic audit and Simmerman told him no. Evans and Knauth, of Frisco, has no disciplinary violations and a license valid through January 31, 2020, according to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. 

The board then discussed renaming Interstate-30 north and south service roads. Simmerman asked city attorney Jay Garrett if citizens would need to change their driving licenses immediately after renaming the road, and Garrett said if citizens were to move, they have 30 days to change their license. However, Garrett said, that does not apply in this case. Garrett said he believed citizens would still be on the voting roll in their precinct since they had not technically moved. 

Saucier pointed out that her electricity had twice been shut off “because the directions were not right” due to confusion over the naming of the roads. Citizen Audri Mayo stated it could also be confusing for 911 dispatchers

Hopkins County fire chief Andy Endsley, who was a member of the citizen audience, said, “You have to remember, for 911 it’s the first time we’re coming to your house if ever. If it’s at night time it’s even more difficult, especially if you don’t use the proper signage of six inches or larger and reflective.” 

Council member Betty McCarter inquired what the proposed names for the road had been, and Simmerman told her acting postmaster Anita Jo Cross proposed Cole Road, but he was not in favor of the name as Cole is often misspelled. 

Simmerman proposed Blackjack Road for the North (West) side Saucier exclaimed, “Oh yes! I love it!” Pettit said he wanted Blackjack as he lived on the South side and preferred it, but proposed Grove Road for the South (East) side of the road. 

The council unanimously voted to rename the roads Blackjack Road and Grove Road, respectively. 

The council heard updates from Endsley about an interlocal agreement with Hopkins County Fire Department and the Ark-Tex Council of Governments 911 city addressing system, and unanimously approved both. 

Water clerk Kelsie Thomas presented that she would like the city to add AVR, Inc. for online water billing payment. 

“I just think it’s good because it’ll give customers the option for automatic draft, and they can log in and see their billing history, payment history, usage charts… they can pretty much log in and see everything,” Thomas said. 

Pettit asked if the service would work with water meter company RG3 and Thomas said it would. Thomas added that people could still mail in payments.

The council unanimously approved the addition of AVR billing software. 

The council then entered into a discussion about an ordinance that would limit the new construction of mobile homes, manufactured homes and so-called “tiny homes.”

The ordinance, according to Garrett, would prohibit the placement of new mobile homes or manufactured homes within the city limits. Those mobile or manufactured homes already within the city limits will be grandfathered in, and if those with such a home want to replace it, they are not prohibited from doing so, Garrett said. 

Pettit questioned whether or not the city had the authority to enact such an ordinance as the action is usually taken by a zoning commission. Garrett told Pettit than in the absence of a zoning commission, the city council acts as a zoning commission.

“What’s wrong with them?” Saucier asked. “I don’t live in a trailer, but what’s wrong with it?”

“Probably we’d like to get more permanent structures,” Simmerman told her. 

Precinct 4 commissioner Joe Price, who was a member of the citizen audience, wanted to know if this applied to storage buildings and “tiny homes.”

Garrett said that both of those structures fall within a category of stick-built structures under 1000 square feet. 

“Carports, sheds, this doesn’t address that,” Garrett said. “It has to have living quarters.” However, Garrett said, tiny homes would likely be both a code and zoning violation. 

Citizen Ryan Horne, whose grandmother lives in a tiny home on his property, stated that the homes are “just not built the same.”

“They’re not meant to last forever, and we don’t want to trash up our community. Let’s think of it like that,” Horne said. 

Although city council member Julie Isham Morris moved to enact the ordinance, no other member seconded it, and Simmerman declared that the motion died for lack of a second. 

The group then unanimously voted to enact an ordinance to pursue monies from delinquent utility accounts.

“We have some people that run up a big water bill and move out of town,” Simmerman said. “We collect a $175 deposit and they have an extremely high water bill that the deposit would not cover.”

Jarrett said the passage of this ordinance will allow the city to pursue legal action against those with outstanding water balances.

The group then unanimously voted to remove police chief Paul Robertson as a signatory from the police seizure account and replaced him with city secretary Codi Reynolds. 

According to Simmerman, funds in the police seizure account can only be spent by the police department on non-budgeted items.

“We’re just cleaning up the way it should be,” Robertson said, and further clarified that the account was “goofed up by the prior mayor.” 

The group then entered into executive session regarding “police department” from 7:24 p.m. to 7:37 p.m., but did not give an additional information. After reconvening into open session, no additional action was taken, and the meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. 

*An earlier version of this story had "Audri Mayo" misspelled as "Aubrey Mayo." The article has been changed to reflect the correct spelling.