The City of Pampa Commissioners met on Monday afternoon for a regularly-scheduled meeting.
During the meeting, Pampa Police Chief Lance Richburg and City Manager Shane Stokes recognized Pampa Police Department with the Texas Police Chief’s Association “Law Enforcement Agency Best Practices” award.
Stokes said the TPCA “Best Practices” program was started in 2006 and Pampa first participated in 2008. This is Pampa’s fourth time to win the award, the second under the leadership of Chief Richburg.
“This is quite the accomplishment and the gold standard for law enforcement in Texas,” Stokes said. “So we appreciate [Chief Richburg] and his work with this thing.”
Richburg said the recognition program is not only a tool for policies and standards, but for the implementation of those standards. At the inception of the program, there were 143 standards, now there 170 standards.
“Every one of those standards must be met in your department’s written policy,” Richburg said. “Not only that, but you have to be able to show documentation that your employees have been trained and educated in each of those standards.”
The standards must also be a part of the day-to-day operations. Assessors for the program came in August and said PPD’s assessment was “one of the easiest he had done.”
Mayor Brad Pingel lauded Chief Richburg and his staff for the accomplishment.
Earlier in the meeting, a public hearing was held with the extension of the City of Pampa’s nocturnal curfew ordinance.
Stokes said the ordinance doesn’t change the 12 to 6 a.m. curfew, rather just extends it for another two years. Richburg added that it’s not a big problem in Pampa and citations for breaking the curfew have decreased each year.
“We’re fortunate that it’s not an enormous issue in Pampa the way it is in some places,” Riburg said. “In 2019 we issued 14 citations and there were seven in 2020.
“But it is a tool we use from time-to-time to make contact and make sure kids aren’t out getting into stuff that maybe they shouldn’t be getting into.”
There was no comment from the public concerning the issue and was later approved.
The Commissioners also approved a Resolution by the City Commission authorizing the submission of a TxCDBG Program Application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the 2021 Downtown Revitalization Project and authorizing the Mayor and City Manager to act as the City’s Authorized Representatives, as well as determining that an area of the City constitutes as a slum/blighted area for funding under the Downtown Revitalization Program.
These items are related to a grant the City applied for last year and just missed on. The earlier of the two items mentioned was just following through in a process to apply for the grant.
“Last year it was $500,000, this year it’s been reduced to $350,000,” Director of Community Services, Dustin Miller, said. “We’re basically committing to apply for this grant and it’s awarded on a point-scale system. The matching 15 percent of the grant gets us five points.”
In the latter part of the item, Miller stressed that the wording of “slum” and “blighted” is not meant to be an insult to any downtown property/business owners, but to highlight the need for new sidewalks in the area.
“We are specifically referring to the sidewalks,” Miller said. “We’re not referring to anyone’s property or business. Our sidewalks are a danger to our citizens and in some areas are really bad. We’ve had some engineers come in and walk through downtown and prioritize some as we apply for this grant.”
Miller said Foster Street and Cuyler Street both have sidewalks included in the project. The reduction in the amount of the grant caused the City to reduce to two parts of the project. But, should the City be able to fund the difference for all three parts, they can add to the project.
Mayor Pingel asked when the grants are awarded and Miller said it could be awarded in August/September.
The Commissioners approved both items related to the grant.
The following items were also approved:
• The minutes of the March 22, 2021 Regular Commission Meeting as presented.
• First reading Ordinance No.1745, an Ordinance by the City Commission amending the revenues and the appropriations for the fiscal years beginning October 1, 2020 and ending September 30, 2021.
• Adopting Resolution No. R21-013, a Resolution by the City Commission adopting Executive Order GA-34 and extending the City of Pampa’s Declaration of Local Disaster until May 10, 2021.
• Act on adopting Resolution No. R21-014, a Resolution by the City Commission reestablishing Tax Abatement Guidelines and Criteria for Tax Abatement Agreements.
• Awarding a bid for Real Property located at Lot 11, Block 1, John Bradley Addition, commonly known as 736 Sloan Street, to Robert K. Blalock for $350 and authorize the Mayor to execute the Contract of Sale and Warranty Deed.
• Awarding a bid for Real Property located at the North 25 feet of Lot 4 and all of Lot 19-A, Block A, Talley Reserve Addition, commonly known as 413 Naida Street, to Chris Phillips for $350 and authorize the Mayor to execute the Contract of Sale and Warranty Deed.
• Awarding a bid for Real Property located at Lots 24 and 25, Block A, Talley Reserve Addition, commonly known as 505 Naida Street, to Martha Palomares for $477 and authorize the Mayor to execute the Contract of Sale and Warranty Deed.
• Awarding a bid for Real Property located at Lot 10, Block 2, Tulsa Addition, commonly known as 424 Dwight Street, to Robert K. Blalock for $300 and authorize the Mayor to execute the Contract of Sale and Warranty Deed.
• Accepting a bid from Keith Kelley in the amount of $300 for delinquent tax property located at Lots 7 and 8, Block 2, Cohen Second Addition, commonly known as 413 Harlem Street.
• Accepting a bid from Keith Kelley in the amount of $300 for delinquent tax property located at Lot 10, Block 1, Cohen Second Addition, commonly known as Lot on Oklahoma Street.
• Tax Abatement Agreement with 2 Bar S, LLC, pursuant to Chapter 312 of the Texas Tax Code. The following information is required by Texas Tax Code 312.207:
I. 2 Bar S, LLC is the property owner and applicant for the tax abatement agreement.
II. The property subject to the agreement is located in the North Reinvestment Zone #1, located at: Lot 1, Re-Plat of Edwin Park Subdivision, an Addition to the City of Pampa, in Gray County, Texas, according to the map or plat thereof, recorded in Volume 993, Page 798, of the Deed Records of Gray County, Texas.
III. The general description of the nature of the improvements included in the agreement is as follows: construction of a full-service optometrist practice.
IV. The estimated cost of the improvements being contemplated by 2 Bar S, LLC, is approximately $2,000,000.00.
