Coppell Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 18
Council Assigns $400K to Storm Cleanup • Coppell’s Federal Funds Likely Spoken For • STAAR Results Released for Spring Tests • Coppell ISD Surveys Voters About Tax Hike
Council Assigns $400K to Storm Cleanup
Coppell will spend as much as $400,000 cleaning up debris from last month’s intense storms.
On Tuesday, the City Council convened a special meeting to consider one item — allocating $400,000 worth of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to a contract with two companies:
Crowder Gulf owns the claw trucks that have been collecting tree limbs from curbs around the city.
Living Earth owns the Lewisville facility where all of those limbs will eventually go.
Prior to Tuesday’s vote, Deputy City Manager Traci Leach updated the council on the cleanup process. She said the initial plan was to hire two Crowder Gulf trucks for five days (at a cost of $36,000), with Republic Services joining the effort on June 17. In the first six days, the two claw trucks collected 140 tons of debris and made 20 trips to the Living Earth facility in Lewisville.
“Round trip drive times were up to an hour and a half and were significantly impacting the amount of time the trucks had available to do pickup,” City Manager Mike Land wrote in a memo to the council. “Some homes had enough debris that filled half of the truck at a time, so pickup was moving slower than we had hoped.”
A third Crowder Gulf truck arrived in Coppell on June 16, and the city also established a staging area in Wagon Wheel Park where the debris could be dumped before being transported to Lewisville. “This dramatically increased the efficiency of the operation,” Leach said. In the six days prior to her presentation, the claw trucks picked up 504 tons — a 260 percent improvement over the first six days.
(Land’s memo said Crowder Gulf prioritized neighborhoods south of Sandy Lake Road, because that’s where most of the city’s mature trees are. If you’re not sure whether your home is north or south of Sandy Lake, keep that to yourself, or I might go off on a rant again.)
As of Tuesday evening, the Crowder Gulf trucks had completed a full sweep of the city. A second sweep was scheduled to begin yesterday. Meanwhile, one of the three Crowder Gulf trucks will focus on hauling the debris from Wagon Wheel Park to Living Earth. Republic’s claw truck — which has half the capacity of a Crowder Gulf truck — will be deployed on July 1 to pick up any stragglers.
The contract approved Tuesday includes $50,000 for Living Earth and $349,600 for Crowder Gulf. Nearly a third of that latter amount is a contingency in case the claw trucks need to be hired for an additional 10 days, but Land’s memo said the staff doesn’t believe that will be necessary. If they’re right, the leftover money will be reallocated to the construction of a veterans memorial. (See the next article for more on that.)
Council Member Don Carroll said the city’s employees deserve a huge “attaboy” for their efforts in the wake of the storms.
“It just goes to show one more time how much the staff cares about this community,” Carroll said. “I don’t think you find that in every community, and you do find it here.”
Many of his peers on the council echoed those sentiments, including Jim Walker.
“There are a lot of people in a lot of other cities in North Texas looking at us and wondering what kind of mojo we’ve got going here,” Walker said, “and I think the mojo is our staff and the attitude y’all bring to the table, and the care and concern that you bring to the table every day to serve our citizens.”
Coppell’s Federal Funds Likely Spoken For
Coppell received $10.2 million from the federal government for COVID relief, and the $400,000 approved by the City Council on Tuesday should be the last major expenditure covered by that money.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Nevels relayed a question that a constituent had asked him: Why are we spending COVID money on storm cleanup? Deputy City Manager Traci Leach said the law includes several eligibility categories, and the broadest of those is “revenue loss.”
“For any governmental service that you would normally provide, ARPA dollars can be used to provide that service,” Leach said.
The deadline to allocate American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds is the last day of this year, and all of the money must be spent by the end of 2026.
Until Tuesday, the council had assigned $420,000 worth of ARPA funds to the construction of a veterans memorial behind Town Center. Because that money was diverted to storm cleanup, the memorial will likely be funded by the sales taxes that go into the Coppell Recreation Development Corporation fund.
The $420,000 was the largest amount on a spreadsheet the council approved on May 28, when they allocated the remaining $1.28 million in the ARPA bucket. Eleven days later, during their June 8 retreat, a majority of the council declined to reassign any of that money to residential rehab grants.
(See “Rehab Grants Program Appears to be Over” in Vol. 4, No. 16.)
Council Member Don Carroll referenced that June 8 debate during Tuesday’s meeting.
“We were talking about using ARPA funds for the benefit of the whole community,” Carroll said, “and I think this is a prime example of where we can use funds for the beautification or for the aid of the entire community.”
A subscriber recently asked me where he could find a complete accounting of the ARPA dollars. I compiled this list from several slides that Leach showed the council on May 28:
Click here to read previous ARPA articles.
STAAR Results Released for Spring Tests
The Texas Education Agency has released the spring results for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, also known as the STAAR tests. The scores for high school students came out on June 7, and the scores for students in third through eighth grades were published on June 14.
When sending links to individual students’ scores to their parents, Coppell ISD downplayed their importance.
“As you receive your child’s STAAR test results, please keep in mind that this is only one assessment of a student’s academic progress,” the message said. “Coppell ISD supports a comprehensive, Community Based Accountability System (CBAS), which relies less on STAAR assessments and more reflects the expectations of our district community, which includes our staff, our students and their families, our businesses, and our community members.”
The Texas Education Agency provides a research portal where you can look up results for entire districts and specific schools. I used that portal to compile results for the past three springs in Coppell ISD; the city’s two other public school districts, Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD and Lewisville ISD; and the city’s two charter schools, Coppell Classical Academy and Universal Academy.
Coppell ISD Surveys Voters About Tax Hike
Coppell ISD has retained a polling firm to survey a randomly selected group of voters about a potential tax increase. As luck would have it, your correspondent was randomly selected.
I received text messages on Tuesday and Wednesday from The Campaign Solutions Group, asking me to share my insights. I didn’t get around to answering their questions until Thursday. While I was doing so, an unknown number called my phone for the fifth time in three days; I finally answered, and this was also The Campaign Solutions Group. Persistence!
(That unknown number was 972-499-4638, just in case you want to check your missed calls log to see whether you were also randomly selected.)
The questions were about the tax ratification measure that will probably appear on Coppell ISD voters’ ballots in November. Putting that measure on the ballot is one of several strategies the Board of Trustees is exploring to erase a $9.9 million deficit for the 2024-2025 school year. The trustees have been covering deficits for the past few years by dipping into the district’s fund balance, which is not a sustainable approach.
(See “Trustees Discuss Tax-Ratification Election” in Vol. 4, No. 3.)
After asking whether I’m a registered voter and whether I have a positive or negative impression of the school district, the survey presented several statements and asked whether each one would make me support or oppose a three-cent increase to the district’s maintenance-and-operations tax rate. Here are a few examples of those statements:
• “Coppell ISD is facing a budget shortfall and the additional revenue generated by the rate increase will be used to increase compensation by 2 to 3 percent to keep teacher salaries competitive, and to help fund additional safety and security personnel.”
• “The legislature just passed the largest property tax cut in history, and as a result the Coppell ISD property tax rate is now 18 cents lower than it was last year. If the tax rate increases by three cents, then it would still be 15 cents less than last year.”
• “The tax rate for Coppell ISD is set to decrease by three cents next year because of a mandate in state law which will add to current budget challenges. The proposal to increase the rate three cents will simply offset the three-cent cut and keep the rate at its current level.”
• “Because of the state’s so-called Robin Hood laws, 50% of the additional money generated by the rate increase, and through local taxpayers, will be taken by the state.”
• “The three-cent increase in the property tax rate would increase property taxes by 30 dollars per year for every 100 thousand dollars of taxable property value, which equates to an additional $147 per year, or $12.25 per month in property taxes on the average home valued at $463,000.”
Coppell ISD Director of Communications Amanda Simpson said the survey may still be ongoing today, depending on how many people have responded.
Chronicle Crumbs
• CORRECTION: Last week’s edition included an article called “Districts Struggle to Fund Pay Raises” that contained an error. I reported that Coppell ISD administrators had recommended payments that would offset increases to employees’ health care premiums. Actually, the administrators told the trustees how much such payments would cost but did not recommend them. After being informed of this error, I revised the posted version of the article.
• While poking around in the guts of the City of Coppell’s website on Friday, I noticed that a new demolition permit for the dormant church at 509 W. Bethel Road was issued on Thursday. A previous demolition permit that was issued in May of 2023 expired a year later. Would-be developer Chris Collins’ name was attached to the expired permit; property owner Steven Chadick’s name is attached to the new one. I’ve reached out to both of them, and I hope to provide more information in next week’s edition.
• On Wednesday, Greg Axelson was named the new principal of the Coppell High School Ninth Grade Campus. He’s replacing Cody Koontz, who accepted a position as the principal of Marcus High School in Lewisville ISD. Axelson has completed a pair of three-year stints as the principal of Coppell Middle School North, sandwiched around one school year (2020-2021) as Coppell ISD’s Chief Operations Officer. No word yet on who will replace him at North.
• Victoria Kalina is a second-generation Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader from Coppell. Her mom, Coppell resident Tina Kalina, was on the squad in the ’80s. Victoria is prominently featured on the promotional poster for America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, a series that debuted on Netflix last week. That’s her in the 6 o’clock position.
• To celebrate their 60th anniversary, the Coppell Lariettes are inviting all alumni of the drill team to participate in a special performance on Aug. 30. I’m told the registration deadline is July 15. Click here for more information.
• Coppell is about to have a new option for desserts. A shop called Fropical Frozen Yogurt (yes, Fropical with an F) has placed signage at the Shops at Riverchase. That’s the shopping center anchored by O’Reilly Auto Parts on the northeast corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Belt Line Road.
• Last Monday, the Grapevine City Council approved a permit for a fireworks display sought by Fellowship Church. The house of worship that sits just outside Coppell’s city limits plans to light up the sky this Saturday, which happens to be the same night that the City of Coppell will shoot off fireworks during its Party in the Park. (That party at Andrew Brown Park East is being sponsored, in part, by the Coppell Chronicle.)
Community Calendar
Avatar: Battle of the Elements: Elementary school students who are fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender are invited to the Cozby Library and Community Commons between 3 and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, when they’ll explore the elements of earth, wind, fire, and air through games, activities, and crafts.
Teen Bridge Building Contest: Teenagers can test their STEM skills by competing in a bridge building competition between 5 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Cozby Library and Community Commons. There will be snacks for all and prizes for the top teams.
Recycling Fundraiser: The Coppell Community Chorale will gladly accept your unwanted electronics, clothing, and toys between 9 a.m. and noon on Saturday in the Coppell Arts Center parking lot.
Let’s Draw With Gale Galligan: The Friends of the Coppell Public Library are bringing the best-selling cartoonist to the Cozby Library and Community Commons for three workshops on Saturday. Tickets are free, but each workshop will be limited to 50 participants.
Party in the Park: The City of Coppell’s Independence Day party will feature fireworks, a drone show, music by the Taylor Pace Orchestra and a Journey tribute band called Escape, a variety of lawn games, and several food trucks. The festivities will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Andrew Brown Park East.
Sensory Sensitive Fourth of July Celebration: The Sound at Cypress Waters will host an event on July 3 featuring LED bracelets that “synchronize to create a dynamic and immersive light display, offering a unique and engaging way to celebrate.”
Parade Down Parkway: The City of Coppell’s Independence Day parade will begin at 9 a.m. on July 4 in the St. Ann Parish parking lot and proceed down Samuel Boulevard and Parkway Boulevard before ending at Town Center.
P.S. I’d like to dedicate the Coppell Chronicle’s official theme song to everybody who has contributed to our city’s recent cleanup efforts.
Also Kelli Finglass is the DCC director and lives in Coppell. She’s in every episode of the Netflix show.
1. LOVE the Chronicle theme song!
2. I read the current segment on rehab grants twice, and linked up to the referenced past article. Is it just me who is confused as to its continuance?
3. Excellent summary of debris cleanup, Dan!