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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON THE CITY OF DESOTO FY 2024-2025 BUDGET

In accordance with Texas Local Government Code 102.006, a Public Hearing on the City of DeSoto 2024-2025 budget will be held on September 3, 2024 at the City Council Meeting starting at 7:00 PM at 211 E. Pleasant Run Road, DeSoto, TX 75115.

The Proposed Budget is built on a proposed tax rate of $0.684934 per $100 per valuation. The public hearing on the tax rate will be conducted at the Regular City Council Meeting starting at 7:00 pm, September 17, 2024.

This budget will raise more revenue from property taxes than last year’s budget by an amount of $6,389,424, which is 13.87 percent increase from last year’s budget. The property tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll is $1,067,228.

The post CITY OF DESOTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FY 2024-2025 BUDGET appeared first on Focus Daily News.

Editor’s Note: When covering City Council meetings, our goal is to provide a recap/overview, including citizen comments for those residents and interested parties who cannot attend or watch the meetings. We encourage everyone to watch the meetings themselves for additional information or context.

DESOTO – Place 6 Crystal Chism and Place 7 Letitia Hughes were not in attendance at Tuesday night’s city council meeting. Hughes was on a virtual call and able to comment and vote as necessary.

At the opening, Place 2 councilmember Pierette Parker wanted residents to be aware of a virtual public meeting on August 22 to discuss road construction off Parkerville and Hampton Road in the southern part of the city.

Resident Arthur Anderson spoke in public comment and said he had appeared before the council several times and was still waiting on answers he asked on April 16 and May 7. He said he has documented written correspondence “which has been routinely ignored.”

Anderson said, “We have a pattern of injustices being committed in DeSoto now with accountability and the lack of integrity on full display for the entire city. The officials who are responsible for serving the people ignore and deflect with no commitment to justice. Too many people in DeSoto have experienced injustices, and one of them is Dr. Dinah Marks, who is the rightful mayor pro tem.”

Anderson said, “Today, though, I want to address a repeated issue of people in this city being above the law and weaponizing the police.”

Anderson held up a document that was a police case where police were called for an allegation of assault that was listed as harassment. Names were not called, but Anderson said the document reported the incident was unfounded and the incident did not occur, and it appeared there was a false police report filed to have someone in the neighborhood arrested. He went on to explain this was similar to another case brought to the council based on a person who was claiming to be the victim of an assault with a gun, which was based on a false report on someone in the neighborhood to have them arrested after losing the election to the HOA Board of Directors.

“There was no evidence of any crime,” Anderson explained, as well as no motive, witness, or weapon, and the police report stated when they arrived at her 911 call, she was in the front yard watering her flowers. There was also another person in the neighborhood who said he had reported this same woman’s harassment on city property and at his home, and he was told he could not file a report against her and the police would “talk to her because they knew her.”

Anderson then asked why people with relationships with the chief of police, the mayor, and Councilmember Chism can make false reports, have people arrested, and not be held accountable?”  He wanted to know what steps would be taken on this matter.

Tracy Nelson spoke during public comment and said she was discussing the possibility of the city partnering with Vesper to affect an energy storage facility at the corner of Eagle Drive and Westmoreland. “We are extremely opposed, so we have to speak to you and let you know we are going to do that at every opportunity.”

Bernadine Harrison spoke and mentioned she would be referring to Councilmember Place 5 Dr. Marks as the mayor pro tem “because you are the mayor pro tem under Roberts Rules of Order, and what I don’t quite understand is we have a city attorney here and I am sure we the people pay his salary and I do not understand why, if there is an issue, the attorney does not clarify that issue and share with us where we have gone wrong or perhaps where the mayor has gone wrong. As I said, this issue is not going to go away. We are still very upset about it, we followed the rules, came to a conclusion and then certain members of this body chose to change those rules at will. Again, I say you cannot do that.”

Harrison

DESOTO – The DeSoto Police executed search warrants at four establishments in DeSoto
earlier this week after uncovering possible illegal gambling using 8 Liner gaming machines.

Police pointed out some of the machines are referred to as 8 Liners because a person wins by having matches eight different ways, which results in a gaming win.

The four locations that were uncovered for illegal gaming law violations included:

Happy Mart – 1100 E. Pleasant Run #133
Family Mart – 1231 E. Pleasant Run #114
Daily Food Mart – 900 N. Polk #102
DeSoto Food Mart – 901 N. Polk #303

The warrant search located 60 machines and seized $17,000 in cash. DeSoto Police were not able to share information about how that amount was detected.

DeSoto PD has been watching these four businesses for some time and will periodically also
execute random checks in retail companies throughout the city.

When the officers see the 8 Liner gaming machines, they then relay that information to
detectives who follow up to determine if there are violations involved.

According to DeSoto PD, it is not sure if individuals own these four businesses or
corporation, but police said, “Detectives are still looking into the true ownership of these
businesses.”

There is also a good chance other business establishments in the city are involved in illegal gaming, and if discovered, police said enforcement is planned.

“This is just the first wave of warrant searches conducted against area establishments suspected of illegal gaming, and violators should know that we are monitoring other reports of alleged illegal activity and will be coming for them next,” said DeSoto Police Chief Joe Costa. “This type of activity hurts our community and our residents and will not be tolerated.”

While DeSoto Police have uncovered the illicit gaming activity, they are also working with the DeSoto Fire and Development Services departments to enforce other possible city violations.

For each business undergoing a warrant search, inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with fire regulations, City-issued Certificates of Occupancy, and building permits.

The investigations into the gaming violations are ongoing, and police are not only probing how those utilizing these gaming machines are made aware of their locations but also looking into any other illicit activities that might be going on at them.

According to a press release from the DeSoto Police Department, “The businesses in question were found to have committed a Class A Misdemeanor for Keeping of a Gambling Place but have not been formally charged at this time pending continued investigation.”

Residents who suspect illegal gambling is occurring in their community can contact DeSoto Police at (469) 658-3050.

DeSoto Police indicated an effective way to determine if a location is part of an illicit gambling ring is to observe these types of machines in businesses throughout the city and then contact police to make that determination.

Police also said they believe these machines are prevalent in other metroplex cities. It is unknown how severe the Dallas DA’s office will consider this type of illegal activity, and DeSoto Police said they have not spoken to DA John Creuzot on the matter.

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