Coppell Chronicle Vol. 3, No. 16

Trustees Have Tough Decisions to Make • Bonds Generate Multiple Types of Interest • Coppell Kids Love to Read • Irving Tries to Regulate BYOB Joints

Trustees Have Tough Decisions to Make

Coppell ISD trustees had a sobering discussion about the district’s finances last week.

The district’s bean counters always budget conservatively, meaning they assume every position will be filled for the entire year and all employees will sign up for the district’s health insurance. Neither of those things ever happens, which leads to savings relative to the budgeted amounts.

For example, last August, the trustees approved a budget for 2022-2023 that included a $9.7 million deficit. But during Monday’s budget workshop, Chief Financial Officer Diana Sircar said it’s looking like the actual deficit for this past school year will be $3.5 million.

Sircar also showed the trustees the second draft of the budget for the upcoming school year. That draft shows a deficit of more than $13 million. The trustees have elected to dip into the district’s reserves to cover deficits, but that’s not a viable long-term strategy.

“We could see more revenue, but it’s not going to erase a $13.6 million deficit,” Sircar said. “So I think that as we look at planning for the ’24-’25 budget, we’ve got to be considering what could be done to increase revenues [and] reduce expenditures for that school year.”

Board President David Caviness said a particular slide in Sircar’s presentation is the one that gives him the most angst. It was the one below, which shows the district will have less than 90 days’ worth of cash on hand by the time the 2024-2025 school year ends.

“This burn rate that we have now is not sustainable, period,” Caviness said.

During a workshop in March, the trustees said the idea of closing a campus remains on the table. (See “Trustees Remain Open to Closing Schools” in Vol. 3, No. 6.) Nobody said a word about such a drastic move during Monday’s workshop, but such discussions are likely to happen. Earlier on Monday, demographer Bob Templeton of Zonda Education said he expects the district’s total student body will start dwindling in a couple of years.

“We’ve got a real issue facing us,” Caviness said Monday, “and I don’t think we can continue saying, ‘Well, we’ll deal with that later,’ because that later is now here.”

To generate more revenue, the trustees have already greenlit a widened version of open enrollment, to include residents of Lewisville and the children of City of Coppell employees, regardless of where they live. But Sircar said adding 100 open enrollment students would mean less than $1 million worth of additional state funding.

“We have been pushing for increasing revenue for a long time, for multiple years, and we have taken every chance and brainstormed every idea about it,” Trustee Manish Sethi said. “There will come a point where we will have to talk about cutting our expenses, and those are not easy decisions.”

It’s possible that the Texas Legislature may provide more funds than they have in years past, but that’s about as likely as the follicles atop my head providing more hair than they have in years past.

“I don’t think there’s a Hail Mary in this special session,” Superintendent Brad Hunt said. “I mean, get out and call [legislators], and keep doing what you’re doing, but if we’re expecting something from the state, again, I think we’re going to be sorely mistaken.”

Sircar plans to present another update during the board’s July 24 meeting, and a final budget workshop is set for Aug. 7. The trustees are scheduled to vote on the budget and tax rate for 2023-2024 on Aug. 28.

Hunt, who jokingly admitted to “stress eating” during Monday’s workshop, later delivered what he labeled his “kumbaya” speech: “I don’t want us to leave here with a ‘the sky is falling’ type mentality, because that doesn’t serve our community well.”

People can see just a snippet about the district’s finances on social media, Hunt said, and get themselves and their friends worked into a tizzy without a lot of information.

“We’ll be strategic and thoughtful, and we will plan towards the future, and there may be some tough decisions that need to be made,” Hunt said, “but they’ll be made with a lot of input.”

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Bonds Generate Multiple Types of Interest

The dollars in the previous article are mostly generated by Coppell ISD’s maintenance and operations tax rate. When voters approved the sale of $321.5 million worth of bonds last month, they also approved an increase to the district’s other tax rate, its interest and sinking rate.

There are multiple ways to be involved in that $321.5 million bond package, besides paying your taxes and sending your kids to school.

Overseer: As I wrote two weeks ago (“Bond Projects Need Multiple Managers”), the district is seeking volunteers to serve on a Bond Oversight Committee. During Monday’s workshop, the trustees were told 48 people had already applied for the 19 openings on the committee. Those folks’ identities will not be revealed to the trustees until the application deadline passes. If you want to throw your hat in the ring, click here before July 12.

Investor: Earlier during Monday’s workshop, Trustee Nichole Bentley asked when and how people could purchase Coppell ISD bonds. “There’s a definite interest in that,” Superintendent Brad Hunt said. “We heard that from several community members.” George Williford of Hilltop Securities said individual investors will get their chance before institutional investors, and investors who reside in 75019 and 75063 will be prioritized. The district will provide more details on the process next month, when the first bonds will be sold.

Manager: Because I’m a big nerd who still scans the classified ads in The Dallas Morning News, I know that 2 p.m. on June 27 is the deadline to submit a proposal to be the district’s construction manager-at-risk for the bond projects. A pre-proposal conference has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Coppell ISD Service Center behind CHS9. If you want to see the request for proposals, email Erin Bossart at erin.bossart@corgan.com.

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Coppell Kids Love to Read

Here’s some news that’s especially uplifting to someone whose career revolves around the written word: The kickoff party for the Cozby Library’s summer reading challenge drew a record number of attendees.

During Thursday’s meeting of the Coppell Library Advisory Board, Interim Director of Library Services Amy Pittman-Hassett reported that 550 people attended the May 20 party. Last year’s edition of the same event drew 400 people.

Pittman-Hassett also reported that the library’s staff has already distributed more than 2,400 reading logs as part of this year’s summer challenge. The first prize a participant can win is a book, appropriately enough, and the library had awarded more than 180 books by Thursday.

“We always feel very, very strongly that books should be given out as prizes, and they should be that first thing you get,” Pittman-Hassett said.

If you have a young reader in your house, take note of this: The Cozby Library and the Friends of the Coppell Library are teaming up to bring best-selling author Stuart Gibbs to town this fall. He was scheduled to be at the Coppell Arts Center on Oct. 8 to promote the latest edition in his Spy School series, but that event is going to be rescheduled for a date to be determined due to a conflict. Whenever Gibbs does visit the community once known as Gibbs Station, expect a big crowd.

“We can’t keep his books on the shelf,” Pittman-Hassett said.

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Irving Tries to Regulate BYOB Joints

Irving restaurants and hookah lounges with BYOB policies will soon need a city permit to continue doing so.

I’ve always interpreted that abbreviation as “bring your own beer,” but it can also mean “bring your own booze” or “bring your own bottle.” Code Enforcement Director Shane Diller used both of those phrases during Thursday’s City Council meeting.

Diller told the council that a new ordinance regulating BYOB venues will help address public-safety and quality-of-life concerns experienced by residents and businesses near such establishments. The quality-of-life concerns include noise, loitering, and overflow parking on residential streets; the public-safety concerns include violence, drug use, and lewd behavior.

I did not hear Diller or Police Chief Derick Miller use the word “hookah” when they briefed the council on Thursday. However, many of their statements that day echoed what they said earlier this year when detailing myriad problems with Irving’s hookah lounges.

(See “Irving Targets Hookah Hooligans” in Vol. 3, No. 4.)

In that article, I quoted Miller as saying Irving police had responded to 376 incidents at the city’s hookah lounges in recent years. On Thursday, Miller used that same number in reference to “these types of businesses.” And Diller showed this chart that demonstrates most of the police calls at “some known BYOB venues” happen between midnight and 5 a.m.

Nothing good happens after midnight.

“There’s a group of businesses that, without an ordinance like this, after midnight or 1 o’clock, we don’t have any authority to intervene in their activities,” the police chief said Thursday.

Under the new ordinance — which takes effect on July 8, 30 days after the City Council approved it — an establishment with a BYOB permit would be forced to close at 12:15 a.m. on Monday through Saturday but could stay open until 1:15 a.m. on Sunday. A permit for a BYOB venue would cost just $35 and would be good for three years. But establishments that violate the ordinance could face daily fines of up to $500.

The lone vote against the ordinance came from Council Member Brad LaMorgese, who said some residents and business owners were confused about the city’s intentions. He advocated for postponement so the city could do a better job of explaining the new ordinance, but Council Member Phil Ritter said time was of the essence.

“We’ve got some establishments that are problem-causing establishments, and I think we need to address them. I think we need to address them now,” Ritter said. “If we need to do follow-up education for the public, then we do that, but I don’t think we need to push this down the road.”

Here are some other highlights of Thursday’s Irving City Council meeting:

• The council authorized Irving’s attorneys to sue the operators of three hotels over delinquent hotel occupancy taxes: the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas-DFW Airport North, the Sheraton DFW Airport Hotel, and the Homewood Suites by Hilton Dallas-Irving-Las Colinas. The DoubleTree and Sheraton owed the city $485,582.79 and $419,015.50, respectively, as of April 19, according to the council’s agenda. The Homewood Suites owed the city much less, $89,646.11, which is still a significant chunk of change.

• A public hearing on a plan to build more than 75 townhomes on a vacant lot next to MacArthur Boulevard Baptist Church was canceled after the developer and the church, which owns the land in Valley Ranch, withdrew the proposal. “They are relooking and revisiting, probably to come back with a zero-lot-line product,” Planning Director Jocelyn Murphy said.

• Mayor Pro Tem Al Zapanta said he meant to vote against the Walton Boulevard zoning case that I detailed three weeks ago in “Affordable Apartments Planned in CFBISD.”

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Chronicle Crumbs

• The Irving City Council will soon have two new members. In Saturday’s runoff, Abdul Khabeer (66 percent) trounced incumbent Mark Zeske (34 percent) in their second battle to represent District 3, which includes the Parkside West neighborhood within Coppell ISD. Meanwhile, former Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Mark Cronenwett (56 percent) bested Heather Stroup (44 percent) for the open seat representing District 5, which includes Coppell ISD’s Parkside East neighborhood.

• Most City of Coppell facilities will be closed on Monday in observance of Juneteenth. The exceptions are The CORE, which will be open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the Wagon Wheel Tennis and Pickleball Center, which will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The holiday won’t affect trash collection.

• Tuesday’s Coppell City Council meeting will include two public hearings. One will be about the proposed Kroger fuel station I wrote about in Vol 3, No. 13 (“Some Neighbors Pumped About Gas Station”), and the other will focus on the plans for a battery energy storage system I most recently wrote about last week (“Prospects Brighten for Batteries Facility”).

• During Monday’s meeting of the Coppell Parks and Recreation Board, Angela Lancaster reported that the Coppell Youth Soccer Association has a new home. The city gave her organization some space in the building at Andrew Brown Park Central. Lancaster also reported that her title with the CYSA has changed from president to executive director. As a reminder, registration for the fall leagues is open through July 6.

• I like all kinds of music, but when I hear anything besides a country song on the speakers at Whataburger, it just doesn’t sound right. Who’s with me?

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Community Calendar

Tracy Walder Q&A: Dallas resident Tracy Walder was recruited to join the CIA when she was a student at the University of Southern California. After a few years, she began working for the FBI. Walder will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 6 p.m. on Wednesday to discuss her book, The Unexpected Spy.

Civilian Response To Active Shooter Events: The Coppell Police Department will host a free class at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at the Coppell Arts Center. There is no need to RSVP; just show up.

Work in Coppell Job Fair: Need a new gig that’s close to home? Stop by the Coppell Conference Center within the Four Points by Sheraton hotel between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Thursday.

Father’s Day at Coppell Heritage Park: The Coppell Historical Society will offer a number of free activities for kids — including snow cones and an opportunity to create a Father’s Day card — between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on June 17. During that same time frame, you can take a picture with a 1929 Ford and a 1964 Corvette.

Superhero Adventures: Theatre Coppell will offer two workshops for young thespians during the week of June 19-23. Superheroes in first through third grades will assemble between 9 a.m. and noon; superheroes in fourth through sixth grades will team up between 1 and 4 p.m.

Storytime at Coppell Heritage Park: The Coppell Historical Society is hosting free storytimes on select Wednesdays this summer. A historical book will be read at each storytime followed by an activity. The next one is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 21.

Situational Awareness: Coppell Police Department officers will be at the Cozby Library and Community Commons at 3:30 p.m. on June 21 to discuss situational awareness with high school students.

Parade Down Parkway: If you want to participate in the City of Coppell’s Independence Day parade, which is scheduled for the morning of July 4, you must submit a completed application by 5 p.m. on June 23.

Coffee With a Cop: Coppell Police Department officers will be hanging out at Coppell ER between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. on June 24.

The Hit Men: Relive rock’s greatest hits with a band comprised of five musicians who have shared stages with Billy Joel, Elton John, and Sting, as well as members of Cheap Trick, Foreigner, and Journey. The amps will get cranked up at 7 p.m. on June 24 at the Coppell Arts Center.

How to Make Great Coffee Every Time: Coppell resident Justin Runyon, who sells his Runyon Coffee Roasting Coffee beans at the Coppell Farmers Market, will discuss how coffee is grown, sourced, and roasted at 2 p.m. on June 25 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons. This free event, which is for adults 18 and older, will include tastings of different preparation methods.

Wings of Fire Fest: Fans of the dragon-centric series of “Wings of Fire” novels are invited to stop by the Cozby Library and Community Commons for crafts, activities, and games between 2 and 3 p.m. on June 28.

Sparks & Stripes: The City of Irving’s Independence Day parade is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 4 in the Heritage District. A fireworks show preceded by live music is scheduled for the evening of July 4 at the Levy Event Plaza in Las Colinas.