Whitesboro City Council adopts comprehensive plan, addresses SB 1851, upgrades dispatch capabilities

The Whitesboro City Council adopted the city’s new comprehensive plan and codified contingencies on tax revenue collection in the wake of Senate Bill (SB) 1851 last week in a special session held at the First State Bank Community Room. 

Much of the meeting focused on the City Council’s response to SB 1851, specifically the establishment of a temporary revenue increment reserve and contingent appropriation procedures. 

The council discussed a resolution to comply with SB 1851 and the recent inquiry by Attorney General Ken Paxton by setting aside any incremental revenue increases until further guidance is received.

Council previously adopted a property tax rate of 58 cents per $100 of valuation. This adoption contradicted the wishes of many local citizens as well as State Representative Shelley Luther, who cited the recently passed SB 1851 that prohibits cities from raising tax rates if they were delinquent on the previous year’s audit. 

SB 1851 took effect Sept. 1, so the City has maintained that any enforceable implications therein cannot be retroactive. As such, they moved forward with the higher rate. 

AG Paxton then issued a press release in which he stated he was launching an investigation into the City of Whitesboro along with three other Texas cities who raised tax rates after being delinquent on last year’s audit. 

As such, City Administrator Phil Harris asked the council, upon collection of this year’s taxes, to set aside the difference between the new rate and the old rate in a separate fund pending the outcome of the AG’s investigation. 

“This way, folks will get one tax bill,” Harris said. “Mortgage companies will get one bill. We will set aside the difference in the two rates. Once this is resolved we’ll move forward accordingly... we won’t touch those funds until we get a final opinion from the AG’s office.” 

After a brief public hearing, the council adopted the draft version of the newly commissioned 2045 Comprehensive Plan. 

The Plan is the culmination of a year’s long collaboration between City staff, community members and consultants with Dunaway Associates to develop a blueprint for the next 20 years of development in Whitesboro. 

The plan addresses growth management, future land use, transportation, economic development, housing, parks and recreation and city services. 

See future editions of the News-Record for a series of features exploring the Comprehensive Plan. 

Additionally, at last week’s meeting, there was an in-depth discussion about upgrading the city’s emergency dispatch system to improve accuracy and efficiency in emergency response.

Council approved the purchase of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) Solution system. 

Once installed, the new CAD will replace the current dispatch system which has limitations, according to Emergency Management Director Jeff Patterson.  

The existing emergency dispatch system is over 20 years old and lacks real Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) capabilities, Patterson said. This can lead to frequent errors in dispatching emergency personnel to correct locations.

The new CAD system will automate call sheet creation for 911 calls, auto-populate addresses and integrate with judicial software, reducing manual entry errors and improving response times.

It will also provide officers with in-car computers capable of receiving real-time call notes and messages, improving situational awareness and officer safety without relying solely on radio communication..

According to Patterson, the main advantage for citizens is faster and more accurate emergency response. 

The council discussed the costs involved and the value provided by the system upgrade, emphasizing improved public safety and service delivery.