Public safety, street improvements and beautification topped the feedback received from the Mineola city budget priorities survey. The results were disclosed at a city council workshop last Thursday.

City Secretary Cindy Karch reported that Mineola residents submitted 119 completed surveys. Those results followed social media release of the survey, a front page article in the Wood County Monitor, over 900 emails to residential customers, direct mailers and flyers delivered to churches. 

The survey was anonymous, and no demographics were collected from the results.

“Transparency is very important to us,” stated Karch in her opening remarks. 

The 26-question survey posed questions to determine relative importance of six key themes: street improvements, support for public safety, economic development and tourism, code enforcement and beautification, preparing for future growth, and senior and community services.

Over half of respondents (65 of 119) indicated that they believed 50% of the city budget should be allocated to public safety. Public safety was generally defined as police, fire and emergency services. Karch advised that this result was encouraging as presently 49% of the city budget is targeted for public safety.   

Public safety received 30 specific mentions in comments submitted in the survey. This was followed closely with street improvements, which garnered 25 specific mentions. 

Although there were 84 responses to the question, “Which area or streets do you believe need the most urgent improvements?”, 57% of those responding were unwilling to increase property taxes if it meant better street maintenance and improvements.

On a scale of 1-5 with 5 the most important, the highest rating of importance was for city beautification. Most respondents were pleased with the current efforts in keeping the city tidy, however they also identified 80 specific areas or locations that were in dire need of clean-up.

Closely related to the issue of beautification, respondents split on the issue of code enforcement with practically identical numbers reflecting effective or ineffective city enforcement. Interestingly, 70% of respondents indicated that they were willing to participate in community clean-up or beautification events organized by the city. 

In her concluding comments, Karch reminded the gallery that city budgets are posted on the city website, and proposed budgets are posted 30 days before the council acts on them. 

An open session then ensued with nine of the 25 residents in attendance speaking. 

Mayor Jayne Lankford took the opportunity to address the funding for street repairs and maintenance. She announced that the budget for street repairs will be increasing to $300,000, a three-fold increase. 

Alderman Mitchell Tuck added that in the last budget, each ward received an equal amount for street repairs, however, in the upcoming budget a consolidated list of prioritized repairs will be used to dispense the funds.   

Citizen Sue Jones began the open forum by thanking the council for taking input and acknowledging the hard work of the Streets Department in clearing the city from the most recent storms. 

Resident Lori Hays spoke to the continuing code enforcement efforts, especially along the main accesses into town. She thanked Alderman Tuck for his support on this initiative in the east Hwy. 80 area. 

Rosemary Shaver-Medrano highlighted the speeding issue, especially by large trucks, on northeast Loop 564. She was informed that a school zone ordinance was on the agenda for the next council meeting, and that this should help to curb speeding on that section of the loop. 

Shaver-Medrano also spoke about large pieces of trash left on curbsides.

Lankford responded that if residents call the city, the city will schedule pick up for large items. The pick ups are only once a week, usually on Thursdays. 

Sarah Gillogly requested increased vigilance on the streets around the new Primary School, especially the secondary roads and their intersections. 

Richard Evans, a 22-year resident of Mineola, questioned if Mineola has a tornado siren warning system. Fire Chief David Madsen explained that the city has three sirens – one at the civic center, one downtown and one at the high school. The system is designed to alert the public to seek shelter in the event that a tornado is imminently approaching the city. 

Madsen noted that people may not hear the siren inside their homes, and that the sirens would only be sounded if a storm was destined to enter the city proper.    

Evans also brought concerns about speeding by FedEx drivers; the need to study traffic flow around Newsom Street; and the need to expeditiously remove remnants of dwellings that have been largely consumed by fire.  

Resident David Barbour addressed three challenges facing the city: code enforcement and vacant homes; adding more police officers; and how to entice businesses to make Mineola their home.  

City Manager Mercy Rushing addressed the city efforts to entice police officers to serve in Mineola.

“We are paying for their training at the police academy and in return we contract the new officer for three years of service on our force,” she explained. She also noted that Mineola offers peace officers health insurance and the health insurance policy includes a 70% coverage of spouse and children.

Rushing also shared that the city is investigating the hiring of a second code enforcement officer. This, Rushing explained, would allow Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Justin Clower to focus on new construction and building inspection duties, and the new hire to be exclusively engaged in code enforcement. 

Rushing stated that Mineola is a General Law City which means that many actions must be conducted exactly in accordance with state requirements. One area which requires very long lead times is action taken to address abandoned properties. 

In response to Barbour’s comments on economic development, Rushing recounted how Sanderson Farms still cannot source their required number of employees with local talent. She added, however, that upgrading the city’s connectivity, which is presently underway, will greatly assist in enticing businesses to Mineola. 

In addition to thanking the board and city employees, Pastor Demethrius Boyd advised that three youth groups have been organized from area churches to revitalize the area around the newly rebuilt skate park. He also suggested that the council look forward and try to determine how the social make-up and traditions of Mineola will change over the next generation.

“It’s a knock-out, beautiful city,” he remarked, “but the traditions on which it was built will change, and we would be well-served to plan for it.”   

Karch responded that Mineola has received a Texas Land Office Grant in the amount of nearly $300,000. This grant is designed to fund a demographic study and construct a future plan for Mineola. 

Vic Savelli took the floor and shared his hopes that a land use plan would feature prominently in such a study.