| City Government
Sulphur Springs City Council considered three proposed ordinances — one for a residential zoning change, one to the city’s pet rabies ordinance and another to repeal at the regular February meeting
Rezoning request
After months of lobbying to keep property around their residence from being rezoned for industrial or commercial uses, the G.L. Turner’s family tried a different tactic. They asked Sulphur Springs City Council to rezone their Main Street property residential so that the family would have some protection should an industrial business be permitted to set up shop next door to them.
Tenny Tanton, the designated spokesperson for parents Gary and Sandra Turner, reminded the City Council that February marked the second consecutive month in which she addressed them regarding her parents’ request that their 5.192-acre property on Main Street be rezoned from light commercial to to single family — the original zoning for the tract when they purchased it several decades ago.
“We’re just asking for them to go back to what they are actually using the land for,” Tanton told the City Council. “We’re doing that just because we know there’s a big possibility it will go to a nonresidential, to an industrial area [in the future]. We would just like the protection the city can possibly provide for the residential, if something goes in next to my parents on the 10 acres next to them. Again, we are just asking for it to go back to residential what it’s actually being used for, where it’s residential across the street and behind, strictly for the protection we’re hoping to get if industrial goes in there.'
Last month, she reminded the City Council that the property had been zoned light commercial many years ago when the city indicated it was needed based on the type of business he ran out of his shop on the family property. Since then, for quite some time, that business has ceased to be. Her parents are in their 80s and retired. They just want to live out their days on their property on Main Street. Allowing the property’s zoning to be made single family again would be the appropriate designation for the current use of the land.
“We want this just in case the land next to us does go industrial so we do have some protection from the city to possibly come in and request that a fence be built so my parents aren’t looking out their kitchen window, through a living room window and seeing an industrial plant next to their home,” Tanton told the City Council during the previous meeting on Jan. 2. “Y’all know that it’s residential all around them, houses across the street, behind the street, behind them, next to them is residential.”
Tanton at the January meeting noted that a local resident at a previous Planning and Zoning meeting pointed out there are 18 houses on that end of Main Street before there’s a business that’s actually operating; the business is Ginger Brooks and Elise Douglas’ counseling center.
Following the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation that Turner’s request be approved, in January the City Council approved on first reading Ordinance No. 2847, rezoning G.L. Turner’s property to single family residential on a 5-2 vote, passing it forward for second and final approval in February.
On Feb. 6, when Ordinance No. 2847 was presented for a second reading as required per city policies, Place 1 City Councilman Jay Julian made a motion to approve the request. The motion and request failed for lack of a second.
Rabies vaccination
Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jason Ricketson asked the City Council to consider approving on first reading Ordinance No. 2851, which would amend Chapter 5, Section 5-7 in the city Code of Ordinances.
Essentially, Ricketson reported a letter was received from a citizen concern the city’s ordinances regarding animal control and protection, specifically concerning vaccinations against rabies, were outdated. The ordinance stipulates animals are to be vaccinated every 12 months. After doing a little bit of research and speaking with local veterinarians, officers learned the new standard for rabies vaccinations is once every 36 months. However, because the ordinance stipulates animals are to be vaccinated every 12 months, pet owners are still required to have their pets vaccinated against rabies annually instead of every 3 years as recommended by veterinarians. Ricketson recommended changing the ordinance to state that beginning at 3 months of age, pets are to be vaccinated for rabies at regular intervals every 36 months.
“I think the only concern that was brought up by one of the local vets was people trying to remember to have it done every 3 years. Sometimes they have trouble trying to remember to have it done every year,” Ricketson told the City Council.
Place 6 City Councilman Tyler Law made a motion, which Place 5 City Councilman Gary Spraggins seconded, approving Ordinance No. 2851, amending the Code of Ordinances as recommended. The motion was unanimously approved 5-0 on first reading; Place 2 Councilman Oscar Aguilar and Mayor John Sellers were absent from the meeting.
Curfew Ordinance
Chief Ricketson also approached the City Council about Ordinance No. 2852, which would repeal a prior ordinance and amend Chapter 15 of the city’s Code of Ordinances by removing Article VII, regarding curfew hours.
“Most of you know, Governor [Greg] Abbott signed House Bill 1819, which prohibits a political subdivision from having a curfew ordinance. All this is to take the curfew ordinance off of our books. It’s no longer a good law, so we just need it off the books.” Ricketson said.
Councilman Julian made a motion, which Place 4 Councilman Tommy Harrison seconded, to remove Article VII regarding curfew hours from the City of Sulphur Springs Code of Ordinances. Ordinance 2762 amending Chapter 15 was approved.