Published: September 14, 2008 10:18 pm      

Dance hall rules on council agenda

Hearings on budget, tax rate to be held

The Corsicana City Council will face a long agenda including approving the budget, tax rate and a change to the city’s dance hall rules when it meets at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Government Center, 200 N. 12th St.

The meetings will begin with a work session at 5 p.m. in the conference room, followed by the regular meeting at 6 p.m.

The change to the hall ordinance would allow for both dance halls and social clubs, but it would put limits on the clubs requiring them to police their audiences to prevent fights and disturbances to the neighborhoods, according to City Manager Connie Standridge.

“There’s no request for a dance hall, but we have had requests for businesses that would be covered by this ordinance,” Standridge said.

The ordinance change, if approved, does not address alcohol.

Also on the agenda is final approval of the city’s 2009 budget and tax rate. The tax rate, about 63 cents for every $100 in value, will not change from last year, but that same rate will mean more taxes because of higher appraisals.

In addition, the council will be asked to amend the current city budget slightly, to allow for the purchase of new software. The budget already includes about $160,000 for new software and some new computer equipment, but the city has been comparing various vendors and software offerings and has decided on one that will cost about $8,000 more than budgeted.

Also during the regular meeting, the council is expected to change the EMS charges, and to approve the contract with the county to provide ambulance, fire, library and animal shelter services to the residents outside the city limits, and to approve contracts for water chemical purchases for next year, fuel, road and gravel supplies, and a software and hardware purchase.

In the 5 p.m. work session, during which no votes will be taken, the council will discuss residential trash collection, as well as the dance hall ordinance change, the software project, and the contracts for EMS billing and collections.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com