Coppell Chronicle Vol. 4, No. 28
CISD Moms Form Political Action Committee • Coppell Council Approves Lower Tax Rate • Drinks Will Flow During St. Ann Carnival • H-E-B Announces First Dallas County Store
CISD Moms Form Political Action Committee
One week after Coppell ISD trustees placed a tax proposition on the ballot, a group of moms formalized an effort to support its passage.
The paperwork for the “Yes! Committed to Our Schools” political action committee was filed with the school district on Monday. It says treasurer Trudy Baade was appointed by Rebecca Bailey.
Bailey informed me that she and Baade are two of the committee’s four co-chairs; the others are Jill Hill and Amanda Nevels. Each of these women has at least two children enrolled in Coppell ISD schools. Baade is the only one of the four women who is not a former Coppell ISD student.
The quartet will be encouraging Coppell ISD voters to support the voter-approval tax-ratification election (VATRE) that will be on the Nov. 5 ballot. If a majority of voters do so, the district will add 3.17 pennies to its maintenance-and-operations (M&O) tax rate, resulting in $2.4 million worth of extra funds that can be used to pay teachers, school resource officers, and other employees.
If the VATRE is successful, the average Coppell ISD homeowner would pay an additional $163 per year, according to the webpage linked in the previous paragraph. Homeowners who are at least 65 years old would see no increase, because their school taxes are frozen.
Baade, Bailey, Nevels, and your correspondent were among about a dozen people who showed up at Coppell Middle School East last Tuesday for a VATRE information session hosted by Superintendent Brad Hunt, Chief Financial Officer Diana Sircar, and Chief Communications Officer Angela Brown. Similar sessions are scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday at Coppell Middle School North, and 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 at Coppell Middle School West.
When I arrived at last Tuesday’s session, I did not know the political action committee had been formed, nor did I know three of its co-chairs were seated at the cafeteria tables nearby. But I do recall that Baade and Gaby Anene co-chaired a political action committee with the same name last year that encouraged voters to support the school district’s bond election.
An anti-bond political action committee did not file its paperwork until the day before the May 5 election. By that point, more than 4,100 early voters had already cast their ballots. I wonder if any anti-VATRE committees will get an earlier start before the November election. Early voting will begin on Oct. 21.
Coppell Council Approves Lower Tax Rate
Approving municipal budgets can be almost as difficult as creating them.
Tuesday’s Coppell City Council meeting began with a closed-door consultation with City Attorney Bob Hager “regarding Chapter 102 of the Texas Local Government Code and Chapter 26 of the Texas Tax Code,” per the agenda. Those chapters are titled “Municipal Budget” and “Assessment,” respectively.
I can’t tell you exactly what was said during that executive session, but I’ve got a good guess based on something Director of Strategic Financial Engagement Kim Tiehen said during Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed budget: “Council has been provided the language that must be used if council decides to amend the proposed budget and then the tax rate with the changes shown on this slide.”
The changes to the budget laid out on that slide would allow the proposed tax rate for fiscal 2025 to be reduced from 46.2222 cents to 45.8632 cents. (For frame of reference, Coppell’s current tax rate is 49.1818 cents.) That would reduce the increase in the average Coppell homeowner’s property tax bill from $75.36 to $56.07. Even though either 46.2222 or 45.8632 would be the city’s lowest tax rate in decades, tax bills will still increase due to rising property values.
During a July budget workshop, Jim Walker suggested to his fellow council members that they figure out how to shave $1.55 million from the budget so nobody’s municipal tax bill would increase. The changes on that slide were included in one of three scenarios that City Manager Mike Land presented to the council. The other scenarios would have reduced the average homeowner’s tax increase to $4.14, but a majority of the council declined to pursue those budget cuts.
(See “Coppell Taxpayers May NOT Pay More” in Vol. 4, No. 24, and “Council Declines ‘11th Hour’ Budget Tweaks” in Vol. 4, 26.)
During Tuesday’s public hearing on the budget, Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Nevels was one of many council members who thanked Tiehen and her team for their efforts.
“The work that you guys put into this is … is … I don’t think I have a full grasp of all the work that you guys put in, let alone the average citizen in town,” Nevels said. “I want to make sure that I express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the entire city for all the work that you guys do.”
Nevels then made a motion to approve the budget as presented, without any amendments, and Brianna Hinojosa-Smith seconded the motion.
“The budget process is complex, and I can’t think of a better finance team than the one that’s here before us,” Hinojosa-Smith said at the beginning of a written statement. “They’ve spent countless hours preparing, calculating, explaining, recalculating. and reexplaining our city’s budget, and ensuring the stability of our financial status.”
Only Mark Hill voted with Nevels and Hinojosa-Smith, so that motion failed. Walker then made a motion to approve the budget with the amendments, and the second motion passed unanimously.
“I really appreciate everything you did to respond to everything that we threw at you — that I threw at you,” Walker said before the initial vote. He said the city staff lead “with a real servant’s heart,” and he agreed with Hinojosa-Smith: “Y’all worked so hard on this, and it’s incredibly complex.”
Ramesh Premkumar, who joined the council in May, seconded Walker’s motion. After referencing the debates during the council’s July workshops, Premkumar said this: “You can’t change directions on a dime. The council gave clear instructions to the staff back in the January retreat, and to try to change any of that in two weeks’ notice was not the best thing to do.”
When it came time to approve the tax rate, nobody bothered with a motion regarding the advertised rate of 46.2222 cents. Instead, Biju Mathew made a motion to approve the amended rate of 45.8632 cents, and that motion was approved unanimously.
During the public hearing on the tax rate, Tiehen said, “Just like the budget item, you were provided the language to use if you wish to amend the proposed tax rate.” That’s why I laughed out loud when, less than a minute later, Mathew asked this while making his motion: “Need to read the whole thing?”
Drinks Will Flow During St. Ann Carnival
Another public hearing during Tuesday’s City Council meeting wasn’t nearly as complicated. For the third consecutive year, the council unanimously approved a variance to city rules so beer and wine can be sold during the St. Ann Community Carnival.
The variance is necessary because St. Ann Catholic Parish’s parking lot, the venue for the carnival, is within 300 feet of another church and two schools. The temporary variance applies only to the dates of this year’s carnival, which will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday and end at 6 p.m. on Sept. 8.
Mayor Wes Mays said the concern in previous years was whether there would be “incidents with people getting inebriated,” but Ken Whisler, who identified himself as the Parish Pub manager, assured the council there were no such problems last year or the year before.
“It’s a really rough crowd that you guys have out there,” the mayor said sarcastically, and Whisler replied, “Most people pop in, grab one beer, put it in the stroller, and head on out.”
The St. Ann Community Carnival is not Coppell’s only kid-centric concern that aspires to serve adult drinks. This morning, I noticed that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has placed a poster in the window of Urban Air, informing the public of a permit application.
As someone who spent a lot of time in such trampoline facilities when my sons were younger, I’ll say this: I get it. I totally get it.
H-E-B Announces First Dallas County Store
H-E-B made it official last week: Its first flagship store in Dallas County will be built in the Coppell ISD portion of Irving.
The San Antonio-based grocery chain issued a press release on Wednesday announcing that it has purchased land along Interstate 635, between Olympus Boulevard and Home Depot Drive. Construction is expected to start before the end of the year, and the store should be open in late 2026.
As you know, I’ve been writing about the prospect of an H-E-B on that site since January. After reading the article in last week’s edition, some people questioned whether there is room for an H-E-B on that parcel, especially because a building formerly occupied by Fry’s Electronics still stands on the north end of the land.
A sign along 635 says 11.7 acres of the 19.5-acre Irving property were available. Collin Central Appraisal District records indicate that H-E-B’s stores in McKinney and Plano are on much larger parcels — 26.3 acres and 22.1 acres, respectively. However, the H-E-B in Allen anchors a 12.4-acre property.
“We are confident our acquisition will meet or exceed all the requirements for development,” H-E-B spokesperson Mabrie Jackson said when I asked about the size of the Irving property.
Jackson couldn’t speak to the future of the Fry’s building, because it was not included in H-E-B’s purchase. My attempts to reach anyone from Los Angeles-based LaTerra Development continue to be unsuccessful, but the company’s website still touts its plan to convert the Fry’s building into a storage facility called Radius by LaTerra.
Wednesday’s press release says the H-E-B store “will provide convenient shopping for Irving, Coppell, Grapevine, and West Dallas residents.” Plans approved by the Irving City Council last January make it look like shoppers arriving at the H-E-B via 635 will be able to access its parking lot through an entrance between Olympus Boulevard and Home Depot Drive. That entrance from the frontage road does not yet exist, but Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Tila Grant told me an access permit has been filed.
Once shoppers leave the H-E-B via the 635 frontage road, they’ll be able to take advantage of a new U-turn lane on the east side of Belt Line Road. The Texas Department of Transportation began working on that project last month, and it is expected to be completed by next summer.
Meanwhile, H-E-B’s announcement prompted a few of my subscribers to request an update on the Trader Joe’s grocery store that’s coming to the heart of Coppell. Trader Joe’s spokesperson Nakia Rohde could not provide a specific timeline, but she said they plan to be open on the southeast corner of Denton Tap and Sandy Lake roads before the end of 2024.
That would give Trader Joe’s two years to establish customer loyalty before the H-E-B opens.
Restaurant Roundup
• An eagle-eyed subscriber alerted me to some activity at the former home of Carmel Restaurant and Lounge, which used to be across Denton Tap Road from Coppell ISD’s headquarters. That prompted me to start snooping in the more remote areas of the city’s website, where I found documents indicating the future tenant will be called Melt Creamery.
• Speaking of creameries (a phrase no one has ever spoken), Dumont Creamery & Cafe will soon be opening its Coppell location on South Belt Line Road. That’s according to a post on Dumont’s Instagram account.
• My report in last week’s edition about Luigi’s Italian Bistro has been confirmed by signage that’s gone up at the former home of Smashburger on Denton Tap Road. Meanwhile, on the north end of Denton Tap, signage has been placed for the Swig location that I’ve been obsessing over for months.
• A couple of months ago, I spied posters that said Artsy Cakery would be “coming soon” to the newest building in Old Town Coppell. A form filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation last week indicates it will not be coming any sooner than December.
• If you routinely make a beeline from the mailbox to the recycling bin, I’d advise you to pay more attention to what your postal worker delivers. On Saturday, my mail included coupons for free appetizers at San Daniele Italian Eatery & Bar, which is marking its first anniversary, and J. Macklin’s Grill, which is celebrating its 15th. As I dug deeper through Saturday’s delivery, I found a second set of those coupons.
• The former home of Ascension Coffee in Cypress Waters will be taken over by Miriam Cocina Latina, a restaurant whose only other location is by Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. That was first reported by The Dallas Morning News, which made me laugh by calling Cypress Waters a “hidden D-FW waterfront spot” in the article’s headline.
• After being completely rebuilt from the ground up, the Maple Mart gas station at MacArthur Boulevard and East Belt Line Road reopened last week. It now includes a restaurant called Maple Taqueria. Does anybody else think these decorations near the restrooms will be potentially confusing?
• Last Christmas Eve, I reported that the Grapevine City Council approved a zoning change that would allow the 7-Eleven at Grapevine Mills Boulevard and State Highway 121 to be renovated so that a Laredo Taco Company could be added. That work is now underway. On Thursday, the Irving City Council approved a zoning change that will allow another Laredo Taco Company to be built at the intersection of Las Colinas Boulevard and State Highway 161.
Wow. The taco options in and around Coppell are really stacking up. I don’t know about y’all, but I don’t care if Taqueria La Ventana ever opens here.
Chronicle Crumbs
• If you’d like to serve as a volunteer on one of the City of Coppell’s boards and commissions, you have until Sept. 20 to apply. The deadline to apply for service on one of the City of Irving’s boards and commissions is Sept. 13.
• When the DART Board of Directors got together last Tuesday, their agenda included a briefing on “Silver Line regional rail project litigation, costs, and claims.” As you might expect, this briefing happened in an executive session, which meant the rest of us couldn’t watch. New subscribers to the Chronicle may want to catch up on our previous Silver Line articles.
• If you want to participate in the Coppell Arts Council’s curated exhibit of quilts and fiber artwork, then be advised that the submission deadline is this Friday. Cash prizes will be awarded to three participants. The exhibit will be displayed at the Coppell Arts Center from Sept. 18 through Nov. 4.
• Shout-out to Morris Salerno, the owner of Bistecca in Highland Village. Friday’s edition of the Coppell Lariettes Spaghetti Dinner was the 35th, and he has provided the catering for all 35 of them. Back in the day, Salerno owned a Coppell restaurant called Gibbs Station, and somebody is selling a used Gibbs Station matchbook on eBay. If you’re interested in more useful items, it’s not too late to browse the Spaghetti Dinner’s online auction. A Lariette’s mom told me you have until 5 p.m. today to place your bids.
Community Calendar
Labor Day Tennis Social & Match Play: All area tennis players — and those considering taking up the sport — should be at the Wagon Wheel Tennis and Pickleball Center between 8:30 and 11 a.m. on Monday. That’s when you can meet other tennis enthusiasts, learn about local facilities and programs, and play or observe others in match play.
Two-Fer Tuesday: The “two-fer” in this event’s title refers to mammograms and meals. The Mammogram Poster Girls truck will be at Ole’s Tex-Mex from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The mammograms will be free, but appointments are required. Call 214-933-7200 if you’re 40 or older. Otherwise, call 214-947-1771.
Las Colinas Bowl-A-Thon: One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event at Pinstack on Wednesday evening will benefit Irving Cares. Teams of six can register for $500; that price gets each bowler two rounds of bowling, two drink tickets, dinner, dessert, and an unlimited game card. Non-bowlers can get all of those perks for $25.
Rotary Club of Coppell: Coppell ISD Trustee Anthony Hill will be the featured speaker when Rotarians get together at 6 p.m. on Thursday at 3401 Olympus Blvd.
Caregiving Heroes: This support group for people who are assisting loved ones with aging or other concerns will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday at First United Methodist Church of Coppell.
Hot Dog Lunch Benefitting Coppell Humane Society: Stop by Jabo’s Ace Hardware between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday, when the Coppell Humane Society will have hot dogs and chips for you plus treats for your pet.
Jigsaw Puzzle Swap: If you’re looking to refresh your puzzle collection, stop by the Cozby Library and Community Commons between 2 and 4 p.m. on Saturday. Please leave your puzzles with missing pieces at home.
Amanda Churchill: The local author will discuss her debut novel at 2 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Cozby Library and Community Commons. The Turtle House was inspired by Churchill’s grandmother, who was a Japanese war bride.
Miss Southlake Competition: The titles of Miss Southlake and Miss Westlake will both be bestowed during an event that will begin at 5 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Coppell Arts Center.
Patriotic Peace Ceremony: Troop 841 will mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks during its meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 at Andrew Brown Park East, and the public is invited to participate. Weather permitting, the ceremony will include the release of a dozen white doves.
Coppell Chamber Golf Classic: Coppell Chamber of Commerce members will hit the links at Grapevine Golf Course on Sept. 12.
Raina Telgemeier: The author and illustrator of Smile and other bestselling graphic novels will be at the Coppell Arts Center at 3 p.m. on Sept. 14. This free event is made possible by the Friends of the Coppell Public Library. Attendees are welcome to bring one book for Telgemeier to sign. Books will also be available for purchase through Grapevine’s Talking Animals Books.
Coppell Cheer Bingo: This annual fundraiser filled with fun, food, and prizes is scheduled from 6 to 9 p.m. on Sept. 20 in the CHS cafeteria. Entry tickets are $20 each and can be redeemed for 10 bingo cards; raffle tickets are $5. Contact your favorite Coppell cheerleader to buy either type of ticket.
The Diary of Anne Frank: Theatre Coppell will stage nine performances of one of the 20th century’s most haunting stories. The first show is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the Coppell Arts Center.
AAA Travel Show: Stop by AAA Texas headquarters between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sept. 21 for a free event featuring informative presentations, raffle prizes, and “food options.”
Lone Star Circus Presents Wild West Circus: As I understand things, Lone Star Circus is a group, and Wild West Circus is their show. Performances are scheduled for 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Coppell Arts Center.
Town Hall with Sen. Tan Parker: Parker represents not only Coppell in the Texas Senate but also a portion of Tarrant County, about half of Denton County, and the entirety of Wise County. He’ll be at Dallas College’s Coppell Center for a town hall meeting at 9 a.m. on Sept. 25. Admission is free, but RSVPs are requested.
A subscriber told me she just bought the used Gibbs Station matchbook. 😀🔥
Dan, I love your newsletter but I take exception to your headline “CISD Moms form Political Action Committee.” Would you have used a similar headline if it had been a group of CISD dads? Maybe a better choice of words would have been PARENTS, unless you find the fact that it’s four women newsworthy? I’ll keep subscribing though, since you’re still my favorite read on Sunday. 😊