Dunbar School resolution stirs emotions at city council meeting
Dunbar School was once again a hot topic at Monday night’s city council meeting.
A letter sent to Mayor Newell Clark by Judd K. Roth asked for the council’s support, through a resolution, regarding their grant application. According to the correspondence, if the grant is approved “it will be utilized to pay for a small portion of the cost of developing the vacant school building into affordable rental housing for low- and moderate-income elderly.”
The grant, administered by the Dallas Federal Home Loan Bank, provided the following guidance: an approved resolution from the governing body of the municipality setting forth that City Council supports the AHP application for 71 units of affordable senior housing, and that the project supports Lexington’s revitalization efforts.
Beverly Roberts, whose mother lives in the neighborhood where the school is located, spoke on behalf of “seniors and families near Dunbar.” She asked the council not to sign off on the resolution without conducting its due diligence, which included finding out the details of the grant.
Lexington Deliverance Tabernacle pastor, Barbara Walser, called into the meeting to voice her opinion. Citing her previous work with housing grants, she offered support of the resolution. Chauncey Parrish and Zane Matthews also endorsed the council moving forward with the declaration. Matthews shared that the developer has reached out to members of the community.
Cynthia Miller stated she has a “vested interest in all activities in their beloved neighborhood.” While admitting to the council that she believes their opinions don’t matter, she asked members to take more time to review documents before voting.
Citing his constituents’ concerns, Councilor Donald Holt inquired about the grant application because the council hadn’t seen it. He asked how much the grant was worth and what was their intended use of it.
Ned Fowler, lead developer for the project, informed Holt that the application wasn’t complete. Roth disclosed the grant was worth $750,000. If received, it would be given to the Mid-Atlantic Foundation, a nonprofit, for the hard cost of construction. The deadline for the grant application is May 13.
The City Council was made aware of the resolution when the agenda was forwarded last Thursday. Believing they hadn’t had enough time to assess what the developers were asking for, Councilor Garrett Holloway asked Office of Business and Community Development Director, Tammy Absher, when she had received the request.
Absher stated she would have to search her emails to confirm when correspondence began. She noted that the initial ask was for a certification but she didn’t feel comfortable taking that route. Roth mentioned he reached out to Absher approximately four weeks prior.
Holloway referenced other instances in which he believed council wasn’t provided with an adequate amount of time to make an informed decision. Councilor Tobin Shephard noted that it sounded to him as if the council needed more time to review before voting.
With a majority vote, the council concurred to delay voting on the resolution. Members will reconvene on April 22 at 11 a.m. to render a decision.
Other business conducted at the meeting included:
Approval of a resolution by the council to repeal the scheduling of tax discounts. Previously, taxpayers who paid their property taxes by July 31 or August 31 received a discount.
The Office of Business and Community Development is in the process of launching an online permit system. The system will make it easier for persons to accomplish tasks such as apply for permits, pay for inspections and request inspections. The program - Build Lexington - is scheduled to go live in mid-May.
There has been an update to the technology used to dispatch linemen when there is a power outage. The system will now send texts to the on-call crew as well as provide crews with the address of any outage.
Effective April 12, City Hall’s public access hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday’s hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Davidson County Health Department Director, Lillian Koontz, accepted the council’s resolution declaring April as Public Health Month. Additionally, Koontz provided an updated regarding COVID-19 and vaccinations. She asked members of the council to encourage citizens to get the vaccine.
Toby Prince, Executive Director for the Lexington Housing Community Development Corporation provided an overview of services offered by the non-profit organization. Their next Financial Fitness Club classes will begin in July.
