Allen City Council met on Tuesday, April 26. Read on for the highlights and approved projects. The full agenda and meeting video is available here.
Planning and Zoning Commission gives annual report
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed a total of 38 cases in 2021, totaling 980.2 acres of property zoned or planned for commercial, residential or mixed-use development. Highlights include Twin Creeks Watters (mixed used and single-family residential); Senior Co-Operative Living (senior independent living); The Farm (mixed use), Reserve at Watters (single-family residential), and the future Stephen G. Terrell Recreation Center.
Manhole rehabilitation project approved for $851,314
Council approved a $851,314 agreement to rehabilitate 41 manholes located at Village at Allen and the Watters Creek shopping area. Deterioration of these structures is taking place due to hydrogen sulfide gas buildup in the sewer line system.
Left unchecked or unresolved, the presence of this gas dissolves the concrete surface over time, exposing the metal reinforcement within the structure and compromising structural integrity. While this deterioration is not widespread in the city, certain conditions can lead to damage in our city sewer lines, as well as in the regional lines maintained by North Texas Municipal Water District.
Mayor’s proclamation for Building Safety Month
Mayor Fulk proclaimed May as Building Safety Month, a campaign led annually by the International Code Council. This year’s theme, Safety for All: Building Codes in Action, encourages us to raise awareness about building safety and the importance of safety codes that communities can rely on for generations to come.
Building and Fire safety officials work year-round to develop and enforce building codes that safeguard our community in the buildings where we live, work, play and learn. This month, Allen residents are asked to acknowledge the essential service provided to all of us by the City of Allen’s building code and fire code staff.
Pictured: Building Official Mike Sizemore, Assistant Building Official Bill Johnson, and Assistant Fire Chief David Cannady accept this proclamation from Mayor Fulk
Allen Finance Department Recognized with National Award
City of Allen continues its winning streak! The Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA) has awarded the City of Allen the award for Outstanding Achievement for the Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.
The GFOA administers the most prestigious national award program for governmental accounting and financial reporting. The Annual Comprehensive Financial Report has been judged by an impartial panel to meet the high standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive "spirit of full disclosure" to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.
The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.
As part of its commitment to financial transparency and accountability, the City of Allen prepares a Popular Annual Financial Report to extract and convey information from the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report in a condense and easily understood format. It provides an overview of the City’s audited financial position, local taxing information and economic climate.
Read the Popular Annual Financial Report for FY 2021
Recognizing our Municipal Clerks
During the April 26 council meeting, Mayor Fulk declared May 1-7 as “Municipal Clerks Week,” recognizing the work and service this profession provides to the community. Read more about Allen’s municipal clerks: City Secretary’s Office
Pictured: City Secretary Shelley George and Deputy City Secretary Rocío Gonzalez accepting this recognition from Mayor Fulk and City Council
Honoring Hometown Generosity (engage and connected community)
Three Allen elementary schools were honored during the April 26 Council Meeting for their efforts collecting shoes for children and families in need.
Soles4Souls’ annual Reuse-A-Shoe program collects unwanted shoes and clothing and distributes them to communities in need, rather than letting these items go to waste. Of all participating schools, Bolin, Anderson and Evans Elementary Schools collected the most shoes this year per student. This year, Allen ISD schools and the City of Allen collected a total of 4,503 pairs of shoes, which were donated to the Reuse-A-Shoe program.
- Bolin – 1,182 pairs collected
- Anderson – 503 pairs collected
- Evans – 722 pairs collected
Pictured: Keep Allen Beautiful Employee Josué Diaz sorts through bags of donated shoes and clothing
Follow council news and future meetings
Allen City Council meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. Meetings are held in Council Chambers at Allen City Hall (305 Century Parkway). A calendar of upcoming meetings is available on the City website.
To receive a link to upcoming meetings by email, visit CityofAllen.org/NotifyMe and sign up for City Meeting Notices. Meeting agendas are posted at least 72 hours prior to each meeting. Agenda links are provided within the meeting details of each calendar listing and at CityofAllen.org/Agendas.