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Dallas Symposium is this month
By: Kathy Carlton, Director of Government Affairs
Dallas Symposium is this month
Hopefully, if you own or operate rental property in Dallas, you already have this marked on your calendar. The Safe Complex Symposium is a joint effort of the Dallas Police Department, Code Enforcement, Fire Rescue, SAFE team, and the city attorney’s office. All multifamily properties, defined as 3 units or more, are required to send a representative to the Symposium. If you have multiple properties, one person may represent up to six properties, but this is good information that all managers should review.
The Symposium will be held Tuesday, August 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Dallas Music Hall at Fair Park, located at 909 First St. The Music Hall doors will open at 7:00a.m. Food and beverages will be available for sale. Be sure to arrive on time, as the doors were locked last year and several people who came late were turned away. At the end of the presentation, you will receive a sticker that should be put on your Crime Watch Attendance form to verify your attendance. If you are unable to attend this month, the city will hold a make-up session on Tuesday, September 16 at the same time and location. For more information, check the City of Dallas website at www.dallascityhall.com and go to Latest City News, or call: 214.948.4105.
Carrollton tackles immigration
There’s a new mayor in the City of Carrollton, and with him comes new ideas about immigration issues. Carrollton has long held a moderate stance on the issue of illegal immigration, not wanting to attract the spotlight that neighboring Farmers Branch has. But in May, former council member Ron Branson won the election amidst a flurry of rumors circulated about the sitting mayor. He has said that one of his top priorities as mayor will be to work to rid the city of illegal immigrants, some of whom he said moved to Carrollton after neighboring Farmers Branch made them unwelcome with its effort to prevent them from renting property. Making good on his campaign promises, he raised the issue of illegal immigration in the city at the Council Retreat in July.
Mayor Branson and council member Terry Simons proposed a resolution affirming English as the city’s official language, but could not get enough support from the other members. Carrollton already participates in the Criminal Alien Program, which has jailers contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers when they think a detainee is in the U.S. illegally. And in April, the city was accepted into a federal program that trains local police to act as immigration officers.
Some council members did not want to be lumped together with cities such as Farmers Branch that have drawn widespread attention, while others questioned whether such an ordinance would have much of an impact. As a compromise, the council agreed to appoint a residents’ task force to develop possible approaches to illegal immigration. The council is likely to vote on the structure and membership of the task force in September.
Mesquite enforcing Pool Rules
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) pool and spa rules became effective on September 1, 2004 and are the standard by which all property owners should operate and maintain their pools. However, the authority for enforcing the rules is delegated to local cities and counties. Numerous area cities have adopted these rules over the last few years. Other cities have delayed adoption, preferring to operate under their own set of ordinances until they were fully able to review the rules.
We have been notified that the City of Mesquite is now conducting swimming pool inspections and is enforcing the TDSHS rules. Although most apartment pools are already in compliance with the state rules, property owners in Mesquite should be aware of a fine distinction in the rules that may require an alteration. The state pool yard enclosure rules are very specific and are written to prevent cities from enacting rules that are different or more stringent…that is unless the ordinance was adopted before January 1, 1994.
Mesquite adopted their pool enclosure ordinance, requiring fences to be constructed a minimum of five (5) feet in height, in 1989. Okay, so the fences in Mesquite are a little higher than in most cities. What does it matter? Well, it matters when you are installing the necessary emergency telephone. In a rarely quoted section of the pool rules, it states that the telephone must be located outside of all other pool yards if all of the following occur:
(A) The entry gates or doors are locked on either side of the gate or door (at any time).
(B) The enclosure entry gates and doors and the enclosure fences and walls are all higher than 4 feet 4 inches.
(C) The pool or spa is operated in conjunction with lodging such as apartments or condominiums.
In layman’s terms, that means that most of the swimming pools in Mesquite, which have fences five feet tall, must locate their emergency phone somewhere just outside the fence, and the gate or door must have a sign stating the location of the telephone. Several property owners have been informed that they are not in compliance with the rules, and must therefore move the phone. Please be sure to check the details in the TDSHS swimming pool rules to be avoid costly replacements and citations as cities begin increased enforcement.
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