As a long-time resident of Farmers Branch I am concerned about the direction our current leadership is taking us.
The Farmer’s Branch City Council claims that the intensely restrictive Code of Ordinances was written for our Health, Safety, and Welfare …… that rigorous control of every aspect of a citizen’s home is “Proactive” and “Innovative” … and for our own well-being.
While there is no question that the members of a community should be bound by certain rules, the Farmers Branch ordinances far overreach what common sense and equability allow. No one wants to live next to someone whose home is unsafe, or creates a health hazard, or is bursting at the seams with people, or animals, or trash. That’s common sense. But does it hurt anybody if a neighbor has an empty flower-pot in his yard … or is one of those charming old folks who likes to decorate with little gnomes? Reasonable people would just smile at that homeowner’s “eccentricities”, or “character”‘. At least that neighbor is not driving the streets knocking down mailboxes, or poisoning pets, or terrorising little kids. Chances are, that neighbor is the one who will help you out in a time of need. Besides, that sort of thing lends character to a community and shows its humanity. And it is totally harmless.
We are a diverse community, and should be proud of our diversity. Instead, many people are forced to erect fortress-like walls around their yards to prevent prying eyes from snooping into their private living areas – and complaining about anything that they don’t like. As a result, we are rapidly becoming a community of strangers. Strangers hiding behind fences.
Do you really want to live like that …… in a city that encourages citizen-against-citizen behaviour; where your private property is under constant microscopic-level scrutiny; where you are forbidden to display even a modicum of individuality or creativity in your own back yard?
- Is that what makes a community desireable?
- Is that what you look for when you’re shopping for a home?
- Is that what makes a neighborhood “vibrant” and “park-like” and “friendly”?
I certainly don’t think so. I feel like I purchased a pleasant home in Mayberry and now I’m living in Stepford horror. But Farmer’s Branch used to be a pleasant comfortable community.
The City Council has made it a top priority to remake the entire city into their idea of our city’s so-called brand: “The City in the Park”. In order to achieve that at a low cost they are enlisting every resident to take part in their Park-Building effort. And how are they doing that? By creating and vigorously enforcing some of the most oppressive residential codes ever devised, to include:
- Forbidding “permeable” structures – essentially the appealing garden structures and gazebos that are in vogue today – the ones with fabric shades and curtains. Every fine gardening magazine in the country features these as outdoor living spaces – but in Farmer’s Branch they are forbidden.
- Constant surveillance of resident’s private living areas – the city thinks it is fine to search alleys and easements in order to write citations for empty flower pots, wheelbarrows, restricted lawn furniture, and an extensive list of prohibited items stored in residential back yards: areas that should be private to the homeowner.
- Limiting the amount and type of decorative item in Front Yards: whether it be statuary, flower pots, lawn furniture, the list goes on and on. You are allowed only 5 items or less – no matter the size of your yard, what the items are, or how attractive they may be.
- Insisting that items be stored in storage buildings, yet restricting the amount, size, and even the architecture of those buildings: whether they are in public view or not. The aluminum storage buildings from Lowe’s or Home Depot are not acceptable in Farmer’s Branch.
What fulfills the City Council’s idea of the perfect setting? Sterile McMansions surrounded by fortress-like brick walls. Front yards for looks only – God Forbid anyone would really want to enjoy their own home. No character, no individuality, no “Zing”.
Today they’re taking your yard ornaments; tomorrow they’ll be telling you what color to paint your home and what your landscaping should look like. What next?
- When did Community Service turn into Community Surveillance?
- When did Code Compliance turn into Code Enforcement?
- Why?
- Are we better off now than we were 5 years ago?
- Do our citizens deserve to be treated like this?
In the middle of a worldwide financial crises, this bunch has decided to raise taxes so that they can purchase “distressed” properties and “improve” them. Is that what we need right now?:
- Scattered and costly “improvements” to fulfill someone’s idea of what the city “needs”:
- A new logo
- Painted electrical utility boxes
- New street signs and posts
- Purchasing “distressed” properties
- Useless fountains in Pocket Parks that are not accessible to the public. (Look – but don’t touch.)
- High maintenance gardens with limited accessibility.
- Walls, walls, and more walls. (Soon, driving down Webb’s Chapel will seem like driving in a canyon.)
Are they pretty? Why yes, most of them are – but is it the best use of our money, especially in the current economic market? Consider that:
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People lost their jobs so that The City could “afford” these things.
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Our Property Taxes were Increased so that The City could “afford” these things.
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Our Services were Diminished or Eliminated so that The City could “afford” these things.
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Fewer trash bags
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Discontinued mosquito spraying
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Reduction in Children’s activities
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And who is footing the bill? We are!
Please pass this blog address on to your friends and neighbors. It’s time to take a stand:
Together we can restore the community-based, friendly small-town atmosphere that prompted us to move here in the first place .
45 comments
Comments feed for this article
September 15, 2009 at 9:37 pm
Guy
Run for City Council and change the code.
June 2, 2010 at 6:20 pm
BJ
She ran, she lost. There is a God!!!!
October 25, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Guy
So what is the latest with FB outlawing renting to undocumented people? Has it prevented any cases of swine flu from showing up in the fair burb?
October 25, 2009 at 4:06 pm
caroline
Keep it up, Kathy!
October 27, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Ryan
What a great blog! Although I don’t completely agree with everything you have to say it is quite refreshing to find someone commenting on the issues in Farmers Branch.
December 23, 2009 at 9:18 am
David
Hi, Yesterday I was in court about my 2 code enforcement citations. One was for a shed that I had in my back yard for 20 years since I bought the house. The other was for 2 areas of loose paint in front of the home. I am actually a Paint Contractor for a living. I never received a notice however, I received these citations to appear in court. I now feel that I was extorted for the $200.
December 28, 2009 at 10:31 pm
evergreen
That “uroclub”: beautiful. Sometimes you see those guys standing and standing and the rear kinda wiggles. I thought they were fine-honing like cats do just before a strike. Oh my!!
April 8, 2010 at 5:52 am
kevin
Scattered and costly ”improvements” to fulfill someone’s idea of what the city “needs”:
A new logo
Painted electrical utility boxes
New street signs and posts
Purchasing “distressed” properties
Useless fountains in Pocket Parks that are not accessible to the public. (Look – but don’t touch.)
High maintenance gardens with limited accessibility.
Walls, walls, and more walls. (Soon, driving down Webb’s Chapel will seem like driving in a canyon.)
There is nothing wrong with the logo
I do think the painted electrical utility boxes are a bit much
I really like the new street signs and posts it makes the neighborhoods look alot better then just some gray pole
Purchasing the distressed properties is a good idea, why have some rundown area in the city?
Useless fountains in Pocket Parks that are not accessible to the public. (Look – but don’t touch.)…….wasnt this one fountain dedicated to a Preacher?
You can get to this fountain by walking to it or driving to the nearest parking lot and using the crosswalk to cross the street, i dont know about not touching it but i assume if a park bench is there then you can sit and enjoy it i am pretty sure they dont want anyone putting there feet in the water.
High maintenance gardens with limited accessibility, by the gardens you mean the rose garden? well you can park and cross the street at the cross walk.
Walls, walls, and more walls. (Soon, driving down Webb’s Chapel will seem like driving in a canyon.)….i dont know what you mean by this? The only wall i really know of is the one on valley view.
April 8, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Evergreen
A fountain dedicated to a preacher that you can sit on a bench and look at. This must have been your preacher; that’s nice. We all have preachers we admire, as we should. Will there be a fountain for all? Perhaps there was only one admirable preacher in FB, that’s too bad.
As to walls, just wait, they will be there. If your property is just too nice you don’t want just anyone sitting there looking at it, you might get uneasy, and if you can’t afford to have a fountain or something , well, build a wall and make it a nice wall.
Some cities ask people to tear down their own derelict buildings and soon. FB has lots of money so yes, buy these buildings from those that don’t care and tear them down and put fountains there. Every important person should be honored in a way that shows.
April 9, 2010 at 10:34 am
kevin
i remember hearing something about a vegas style fountain that they wanted to put in at mercer crossing i belive thats the name of that huge field, but everyone didnt want that.
April 8, 2010 at 1:17 pm
mutterkat
Aw Kevin, No – there is absolutely nothing wrong with changing the logo, or replacing the street signs with pretty new ones, or putting in useless pocket parks (which the City Council has stated are not meant for people visits – they are meant for looks only). Even painting the electrical boxes is okay: IF we were rolling in money and could afford it and had absolutely nothing else to do with all the spare cash.
In reality, the city laid off employees, cut services (last year the mosquitoes were so bad that no one could go outside after dusk), raised taxes, and borrowed money: so we can have their idea of “pretty”.
That is so very wrong.
April 9, 2010 at 10:41 am
kevin
isnt that what the new street signs and putting in the pocket parks are there for? to make the city look pretty, its for the look of the city.
you dont like the new street signs?
the mosquitoes issue should be brought up at one of the meetings before the mosquitoes get bad. other wise iam sure they will spray this year so it wont be so bad
April 10, 2010 at 1:34 pm
fbcitizen01
Sorry, Kevin, but the new fountains look cheap, I’d rather not be drawn to look at electrical boxes when I’m driving (why are they that important that we have to spend tax dollars on them anyway? Especially when I should be looking at the road because of all the pot holes!), and the new street signs don’t even look that good.
You can always dress something up to look pretty, but that doesn’t mean its reputation changes. Look at Farmers Branch’s wikipedia page. People who don’t even see our cheap fountains already get a bad impression. Google Farmers Branch. Same thing. We should be embarrassed that we’re even relying on fountains or signs to improve our tarnished image. Hey! But the fountains got benches! Wow! We’re doing good now! Taxes are going through the roof, but at least City Council is buying new signs! Ridiculous.
Go Kat Holmes.
June 1, 2010 at 9:10 pm
UpsetFBCitizen
Well said fbcitizen01. I do not mind the city looking better, but not when there is not even enough money to keep the basic, daily operations of the city going.
For those that like the signs and think they are worth it- Do you realize how much those signs cost? Do what I did and talk to one of the street workers, and you can even call the company to see how much they run. The city may get a good deal for buying lots and employees may have their figures wrong, but based on what they have said, each sign costs roughly $1500 after installation. Our street employees can’t even install them; the company we purchased them from has to install them. Maybe this information is coming from several upset employees, but they have all told me the same thing on different occassions.
So, $1500 a pop…how many have we purchased so far? There are many more important projects that the city could use the money for. Or maybe not forcing employees into early retirement or leaving.
Oh and about the fountain on Valley View & Webb Chapel. It might look nice to some people, but do not get caught playing in the fountain or even let your dog near it. You might be going to the city court for a wonderful $200 fine. And how many benches are there? How many people can sit there? Not enough to support the cost of it in my opinion. I drive by there several times a week and rarely see anyone “enjoying” the almost 1/2 a million dollar fountain.
April 8, 2010 at 6:11 pm
Evergreen
Well said. A city is really about people.
April 9, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Evergreen
Well said Mutterkat. Actually, pocket parks are so much bubblegum, good flavour for awhile, then the fountains run dry and look crappy. Cities are about people. Driving in the city you HAVE TO watch the traffic. If you want to look at a little fountain build one at home, it’s easy, and you can drink your iced tea right there in a comfy chair and even cool your feet if it makes you feel good. In July and August not a bad idea.
People, people, people are what makes a neighborhood and neighborhoods are what makes a city. You have to be mindfull when you drive that the humans in the cars around you want to get home because there is where the heart is. Home is where you can be you with your plants and pots and gnomes and fountains and fences and hedges and gazebos. If we were all alike, OMG!
Come on, Farmer’s Branch, home is what you make it and should be your castle, just for you, no matter how big or little.
April 9, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Bavarican
Sure Kevin, glad that you like it! Unfortunately you have missed the point. But I guess that is what the discussion is all about: missing the point!
The reason why America (and the rest of the world because of America) is in a recession, is that people over spent their realistic budgets. So there you go… The city spends all this money on “neat things” but can we afford it? Apparently not: The city raised our taxes, fired employees, diverted money from the water and sewer fund, and cut services so that they could spend money on projects like this instead of what is important. Now you may think: “We still want to live it up and have something neat and new to look at!” I agree, because that is how we work. People want something to admire and enjoy. but don’t you agree that there is more pressing matters to attend that at the same time would dramatically increase our life quality and standards. And that is every day – and not only when we have time to go to a park. (Mosquitoes, city service, lower taxes, etc.)
April 9, 2010 at 5:43 pm
kevin
how would you use the 4 corners? would you tear it down or leave the buildings up?
The whole point in putting up the fountain and the signs is to improve the city looks, the tearing down of the 4 corners buildings and the wanting of tearing down the building by the fire station and putting up something better is for the future of the city, the big vegas style fountain is to bring people to farmers branch and to put farmers branch on the map and to stand out in dallas, sure it my bring more people here and taxes would have to be raised to build these things, but thats makes the city better, i love farmers branch i love how its a quite little city in a big city.
If more people come to live in the city then taxes can be lowered after the city has made its improvements, if the city has to cut here and there and fire people and diverted money from the water and sewer and cut services then so be it, i know what your saying, why should they have to do that when they could just stop fighting the law suits in court about the immigration.
April 10, 2010 at 8:36 am
Evergreen
Farmer’s Branch should emulate Las Vegas? I think not.
April 10, 2010 at 10:03 am
kevin
farmers branch isnt trying to be vegas
April 10, 2010 at 11:25 am
Evergreen
I am rethinking the Las Vegas style fountain, but, is that what draws people to Las Vegas? No, and this will save us. Texas is kind of in the middle of the USA, well, the southern middle. If Farmer’s Branch built the fountain, plus a first class casino we could make millions. Not only that, think of the jobs. In this recession we could be hiring a lot of people and be a city for the times.
There will have to be affordable apartments for the workers. Otherwise there would be parking lots and they are never pretty. If the workers could rent in apartments close to the fountain and casino they could walk to work. Surely there is space.
Back to fountains, Rome has gorgeous fountains and some artistic person, a Texan, could do this. Now Rome has the Coliseum and all that and that is beyond us, but the bling bling in Vegas, “piece of cake”.
April 10, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Guy
Kevin, I hope you are voting for Kat Holmes!
April 11, 2010 at 10:17 am
mutterkat
Hey – I like Guy’s thinking!
Kevin – You ask some good questions: most of which have no easy answers that can be properly addressed in the Comments section.
The short answer for this comment is: The city, the country, and the world are in a recession – a bad one. Have been for a while. People are hurting. Is this really the time to borrow money, raise taxes, and spend, spend, spend for things we don’t really need? Do the fountains and parks do anything for our health and safety and welfare? That should be the top priority for any community. People expect their leaders to take care of them. Decorating the town for their amusement is secondary, and a luxury to be enjoyed only when you can afford it.
I’ll answer your questions and explain my views in detail in future posts. Stay tuned. In the meantime, read my newest post on the Seniors in Farmers Branch. And if you haven’t read my earlier posts please do so. You should find some answers there – I haven’t been holding back!
If you, or anyone else reading this, want to talk with me personally (outside of the public comments section) email me at kathleen.holmes@ymail.com. If you want to avoid “going public” with any of your communication just say so and I will certainly honor your request.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with this thought: Successful businesses and communities have been weathering the storm by going “Lean and Green”. They will emerge from this recession stronger and smarter. Will we?
April 21, 2010 at 7:29 am
kevin
Were you at the city council yesterday mrs holmes?
April 21, 2010 at 12:11 pm
mutterkat
I was, and I carefully listened to all the speakers. Many of them: pro and con; had very good arguments, which tells you that there are no easy Yes or No answers. That makes me wonder how the city council can continue to vote Unanimously on issues that are contoversial: is there not one member of the council who speaks for the people who don’t agree?
April 21, 2010 at 12:32 pm
kevin
all 5 of the council members all feel the same about 2952, i wish you spoke yesterday i would have loved to hear your views.
April 21, 2010 at 1:00 pm
mutterkat
That’s the problem Kevin: that all 5 of the Council Members felt the same. I would have hoped that they had represented the people. You didn’t speak either – I would have loved to hear your views. Mine are well-documented in this blog and in the answers to various campaign questionnaires.
April 21, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Evergreen
I used to think Kevin was a person. This is only an echo that echoes city council. Where did council get this?
April 21, 2010 at 2:30 pm
kevin
thats true i can still read your blog or email you, iam just saying since your running for city council that you would have said your peace for your constituency
i wish i heard from mr wenthold also but he must have been still out of town.
iam for 2952, arizona and oklahoma are also fighting the same fight.
wouldn’t you want to keep the city save by keeping out illegal immigrants that cant even respect the border? this isnt about race is about the law
April 21, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Evergreen
You are right, Kevin, illegal immigration is about law, and there are laws. Instead of spending and spending and sending your city deep into debt this entire country must change it’s handling of the law. The present methods are driven by fear and stupidity. Real Christians have fought this fear and stupidity for ages.
By the way, Kevin, your spelling is awful. Calm down.
April 21, 2010 at 5:51 pm
kevin
yeah my spelling is pretty awful, iam sorry for anyone who has to read my posts
the laws on the books need to be enforced and that isnt happening so the city needs to take action, atleast intill obama grants amnesty which we all know he will
April 21, 2010 at 8:41 pm
mutterkat
Aw Kevin: you, as well as almost everyone who had something to say last night had valid points. And you are right: illegal is illegal.
But … are we spending our limited funds wisely? What will we get for our investment? Will we just be another name in a long list of cities who tried and failed? At what point do we pick up our chips and leave the table?
There are other ways to show our displeasure with the Federal Government’s inaction. Immigrants: legal and illegal; have been blamed for America’s problems since the Mayflower landed. We need to find the root of the problem and address it there, not by inventing our own laws and stereotyping everyone that is different, and by creating vigilante mobs. That, too, is illegal.
April 27, 2010 at 4:30 pm
A 32 year FB Taxpayer
Some time back there was a link posted here I recall, that was a PDF list of all code violation citations, with names, addresses and the violation written in the past year. It was a huge list. I cannot find that now. Do you know where that is? Can’t find it on the City’s site either.
THANKS
April 27, 2010 at 6:33 pm
mutterkat
The city’s site is hard to navigate – the paths to a lot of the postings are not filed intuitively. I offered to help over a year ago, but …… well….. .
To find the list you are asking about: from the home page of the City of Farmers Branch website look to the right and click the button titled “Report A Code Violation”. You’ll get a dropdown with a section labeled “To Register a Complaint”: under that is a link labeled “Visit the Complaint Center”. Click on it. Ha – you thought you would get to something called the “Complaint Center”, didn’t you? Naw, but you’re almost there. In the section titled “Code Enforcement” you’ll see an explanation that states “Use the links below to report Code Violations, such as weeds, junk cars, trash, etc.”. Heh – they would like you to submit a report on your neighbor, but you’re only here to see the reports, right? So don’t believe that that’s all those links do. Find the one that says “report and subscription center”. Click it, and you’ll get your choice of reports showing all the heathen criminal activity in The City in the Park. Happy Reading.
April 27, 2010 at 7:50 pm
A 32 year FB Taxpayer
Thank you I followed your directions and I certainly agree and see what you mean, it is really buried! I got the info I needed: how many code violation notices they sent out last year, 7,916.
May 27, 2010 at 4:39 pm
B.J.
I am glad you lost the election Kat and I hope Brenda loses in the run off.
I like all the improvements the city has made. You need to maintain your property, this city needs strong codes and they need to enforce them, otherwise things will look trashy and property values will decline. That’s like the lawless attitude of allowing illegals to live here. I shop at the Kroger store on Valwood and every time I go, the Mexicans park in the fire lane, they jay walk across that street constantly. They hit my car a couple of weeks ago in a parking lot here in FB and they had no insurance of course, the driver had a Mexican driver’s license. I am stuck with the deductible and a portion of the car rental cost. They stole the insurance cards from my company trucks and duplicated them for their own use (an employee told me this when I asked why the cards are constantly missing). I don’t hire illegals by the way, this happened before I learned how to check every employee’s status by calling the Social Security office. I was given fake documents, another thing they do. I could go on with endless examples of how they harm us, but most people only think of the billions they steal in welfare and medical benefits. There are many more.
June 1, 2010 at 9:34 pm
UpsetFBCitizen
I am sorry that you have to experience that B.J. But how many “illegals” have you had to deal with? I put that in quotes because there are many people that assume a person is illegal because they are Hispanic and did something wrong. I am sure you have not dealt with 1% of all the illegals in Texas, let alone F.B. The person that hit you was illegal based on what you said, but I was also in an accident that was the other driver’s fault. He was legal, but did not have a drivers license or insurance. So, I still got stuck with the bill. It is not simply illegals that cost us money.
Now that was said, I despise illegal immigration and would love to stop it. It is sad that someone here illegally has more rights than citizens. Also, my friend’s wife recently obtained her citizenship legally (after 3 years and several thousand dollars) and she was from a country that the U.S. allows very few to become citizens annually. If someone wants to come here, do it legally.
I agree that the government needs to enforce it and I am all for sending more to patrol the border. I would love to have the right answer to eliminate it, esp with all the heartache and money legal citizens spend. But when should our city stop trying to do it all alone? I think the smart thing to do would be to get other cities to join us in this fight, even get the governor to assist.
Unfortunately, I do not forsee this happening and our city has spent way too much money fighting it. It seems to me that it is more of a pride thing than a belief thing that keeps the city council (esp Tim) pursuing this matter. If it is about beliefs and values, then good.
The city does needs codes and enforce those codes. I would have loved to see the city purchase the apartments at Fyke, Cookscreek, Heritage, and Villa Creek, and then. tear those down to improve the city. Just look at crime stats that the PD puts out on a normal basis. A lot of our crime comes from those areas and the police spend a lot of time in those areas.
One more thing and I will be done (sorry, sometimes I cannot stop myself from typing). Back to our illegal immigration ordinance. There are plenty of other cities with similar (even ones against renting to illegals) ordinances and regulations, so why are they so successful? It is because they keep it on a low profile and do not make it as wide known as Tim O’Hare did. This only leads me to believe that he is not in it to fight immigration, but to get his name out there to advance his political aspirations (governor, senator, congressman?).
June 2, 2010 at 6:19 pm
BJ
Let’s see, why did I think he was illegal? He had a Mexican driver’s license and spoke no English. (I made a copy, I am not making this up).This is the fourth accident my family has had involving illegals, the other three were my husband and daughter and happened on a highway, (the illegal’s fault both times),so the police were able to determine they were illegal and arrested them. They got off with a ticket, my husband and daughter had totaled cars and injuries. My best friend was rear ended by an illegal and has neck injuries and suffers from frequent migraines. I could go on and on, but won’t. I lived in Arizona for 40 years and it was and is the car theft and kidnapping capital of the US. The cars are stolen and driven across the border. My daughter had her license plates stolen off her car and the police told her it was probably put on a stolen vehicle going to Mexico.
August 6, 2010 at 5:39 pm
fbcitizen01
Hey B.J. – Arguing on the internet is like being in the special olympics. Even if you win, you’re still retarded.
June 2, 2010 at 10:04 am
Evergreen
Another sorry thing, people with limited minds think only Hispanics are immigrants. We need laws that allow people from other countries, good people. Haitians, for example, are not given the status they should have. Oh my, I heard the FB screams, “they’re black”. Yes indeed, you Bible thumpers, civilization started in Ethiopia; they were once called “prophets” by intelligent people in the western world. Of course, you need to read, read your history.
Arizona is under siege by outsiders that understand nothing. When pressed to the ultimate we do things we don’t understand. Look at the citizens of FB that would rather live under the tyranny of a few people than think for themselves.
Hopefully Arizona will wake up the frightened, shaking, useless, stupid politicians in Washington. Now is the time to stand up for people willing to do what is necessary to come to the USA and be one of us. People of all colors and creeds. Other countries have laws and some don’t help US citizens. Mexico for instance, lives under the most awful government in the western world, only the elite like it and it’s a shame Obama panders to it. I voted for him by the way, but the choices were not good.
Wake up, America the Beautiful, your people are hurting.
February 17, 2011 at 8:36 pm
chris
If you voted for Obama, you are a moron. That being said, Arizona and Texas are being invaded by CRIMINAL ALLIENS that have a route to citizenship and they refuse to take it. Now to the problem in Farmers Branch…. We have all been dupped!!!!! Entire neighborhoods are being harrassed. We have HOME OWNERS in our jail right now for code violations. Farmers Branch has violated the ADA and thier own code for years with out any reprisal. We have phone poles obstructing the walkway along josey lane, putting own children at risk of being hit by any car or truck speeding along. I live on Fieldale, where 3 out of 6 neighbors I have talked to have had Wes Caperton claim that there has been a complaint about the INSIDE of thier house, at which time Wes comes in and writes up everything he doesnt like ( even if its not in our code, he lables everything as a violation of code 56/83. Why is the city so concerned with this neighborhood?
February 17, 2011 at 8:46 pm
chris
Our code enforcement is harrassing entire neighborhoods. We have homeowners in our city jail right now because they couldnt afford to pay the fines on rediculas code violations.
February 17, 2011 at 9:13 pm
chris
The citizens of FB have been lied too. This has never been about Criminal Aliens. It is about running all lower income families out of FB. I live on fieldale, where 3 out 0f 5 of the neighbors I have talked to has had Wes Caperton claim that there has been a complaint about the INSIDE of thier house. These neighbors have spent Thousands in repairs only to have Wes reinspect and find other problems. I have been given 5 days to correct problems that are not even in the code. Mabee it is time this neighorhood to file a class action suit against the city for a willfull and continued violation of the ADA. The utility poles in the side walks on both sides of Josey Lane have been brought to the cities attention, the public works dept has given the city estimates to have it fixed. However the continued harassment of lower income families is much more importment.
March 24, 2012 at 11:35 pm
David Spencer
I’m a disabled combat veteran of Iraq. I can’t stand an abuse of power and authority. I like to think that i’ve earned all the respect I need in this life for what I had to go and do. Government atop of government needs to stop. I just moved to the area and was welcomed by accusations and had to make 4 visits to the city to get permits and to shit straightened out. Everything was in my favor because I was right by all my actions. It took heated arguments for the sway in their decisions. I ask you, why does a new or existing resident in farmers branch have to deal with crap like that. After the last confrentational meeting with a particular woman with code enforcement. I learned 3 days later that 3 farmers branch trucks went to my house for god knows what. Workers there walked outside and they split. Welcome to farmers branch. Little do they know that I finish what I start and if I continue to get rubbed the wrong way I will make it a top priority to have the parties removed from their position. I’ll go there every single day and I will succeed. I must say that on Friday I was greeted with a wonderful inspector that impressed me with his attitude. We shook hands and left on great terms.
March 31, 2012 at 3:12 am
Wes
I received 3 notices. I corrected all 3, but now I have 2 citations. It is confusing because one of the citations I didn’t even receive a correction notice on. I’m now afraid to live in Farmers Branch. I am afraid to have a birthday party in my own back yard. I am afraid if I have guests, that they may inadvertently park with a wheel on the grass. I’m afraid and will most likely move to Addison, Dallas, of Carrollton.
My household income is over $200,000 but I am Hispanic (legally born here 3rd generation). I am a chemical engineer. My wife is a Dr. My parents were both engineers. I’m afraid no matter what, my color will leave me with expensive citations and I will be the first in my family to have a record, albeit misdemeanors over a strand of grass growing in the sidewalk.
My brother sold his startup in San Francisco and wanted to move to the Branch to be closer to us, but I can’t advise it. I don’t want him to live in fear. I tell everyone I know not to mobe here. It is not a community and the people are not represented.
One more house will be for sale soon contributing to declining home values in Farmers Branch.