Hope City Board
The Hope City Board held their first meeting of March on Tuesday (4-1). After a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, the minutes were approved.
Jason Holsclaw of Stephens, Inc. was present to discuss bond pricing. The bond closing is expected to happen around May 13th. These bonds will be funded by the recent sales tax approved by the citizens of Hope to fund a variety of improvements to the parks, construction of a new fire station, and construction of an aquatic center.
Joel Hendry of Hendry Oil asked the board for a petition for a rezoning for the construction of a truck stop/convenience store. The current Zone is I-1 Heavy Industrial, thus not allowing the construction of the truck stop/convenience store. The City of Hope Planning & Zoning Commission considered this proposal on March 17th. They voted to recommend this to the Hope City Board. The board approved the rezoning. The proposed truck stop would be located on highway 29 north across from Big Mac’s Bar B Que.
Hope’s lease on the Union Pacific/AMTRAK Depot property has expired.Union Pacific is ready to execute an updated lease. The city attorney has reviewed the lease and has worked out any problems involving insurance requirements. The topic was tabled for the time being.
There was a complaint by Willie Walker about a sewage backflow preventer. Mr. Walker says that the city is responsible for private sewage lines. The board disagreed with that statement. Mr. Walker was present to discuss this. He made the case that when it rains heavily, the wastewater was flooding his house. Mr. Walker said that the city has neglected maintenance of the sewer system. The board discussed the problem and agreed to find the backflow valve to make sure it is in working order.
The Hope Fire Department asked the board to approve for a Firehouse Subs grant. The department is asking to apply every quarter for 2025. There was a motion to approve the grant application. The board approved the grant application.
The City Manager gave his report. The meeting was adjourned.
