[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6697795,"mediaKeyId","2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a","parentId",2255837,"title","Police chief reports higher call volume, retail theft and progress on LPR rollout and new facility","audioSeconds",862,"startMs",30000,"endMs",892000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a&start=30&end=892","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a/thumbnail_30000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6697795/Decatur/Wise-County/Texas/Police-chief-reports-higher-call-volume-retail-theft-and-progress-on-LPR-rollout-and-new-facility","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6697795-be981939e5f9d2134a49bfe9668c8042/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628559&Signature=hBarU6YIf1L5cHvC05A5oeJzW7hk2eGbYZDhCRZJ6eGAuU5cP5yI1MXtpTcZzWs6ytIT59xwM00wtUvVXv5CyT7sb9r3JXb9C1odMEv0EWduSdoCI0sJdDaIQSz271lbVsjhEDt8YukbWhQAUcYy2q7pE7yGNfU2zbRr82TeKo2phWubz-7djsbwXoO2k8ODQHOu7tNuouoFz6TCvUTWKyrcE2X4EF6krhl95u0UT-IVXlcw~HW8zAYzVN14TCIz3skiGiQzoJQdP5hcQsjlAFQuYBF4wAPCdK-~YiWSl4QEhyz53oMKQrOrcUqMmHpmUK0FL0GGRFAj5sENi1l7Rg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Decatur","date","2025-02-10T00:00:00Z","article","The City of Decatur police chief presented the department’s quarterly and annual totals, saying officers handled thousands of calls for service and highlighted operational and community programs as the department continues to adapt to rising demand.

The chief told council the department’s call-taking center logged the equivalent of more than 42,000 calls and referenced a system-export figure of 49,000 dispatch-call records; he explained the new CAD/RMS generates event counts differently and that per-event counts may understate unit activity when multiple units respond. The department reported 691 arrests for the year.

The chief flagged retail theft as an ongoing issue, reporting roughly 267 theft calls and 207 theft offenses that resulted in 161 arrests. Traffic incidents included 564 dispatched incidents and 327 accidents that officers worked; the chief said some crashes are settled between drivers before an officer arrives. Enforcement totals included about 6,546 citations and more than 2,400 warnings for the year.

Criminal-investigations clearance rates were presented: approximately 41.4% for theft, 44.3% for assault and 20% for fraud offenses. The chief noted fraud investigations can be resource‑intensive, especially for online and cross‑jurisdictional cases, and reported an overall clearance rate near 52.1% for cases handled by CID.

On technology and operations, the chief said the department paused a trailer-mounted license-plate‑reader (LPR) while securing a memorandum of understanding with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the required TCIC permission for data integration. He reported that state-side TCIC approval was granted last Friday and that he expected formal TxDOT approval in writing soon; following that, the city will resume implementing LPR cameras on major highways and city streets and return the trailer to service.

The chief also described community programs and department highlights: Santa Cops (assistance to families at Christmas), a drug take-back event that collected 190 pounds of medication, summer programs for youth and a Back the Blue fundraiser that netted roughly $7,500 for scholarships. He said the department received re‑recognition through the Texas Police Chiefs Accreditation Program for the fifth time and noted the agency was among the earliest adopters in the state’s program.

Finally, the chief gave an update on the PD’s new facility: a generator has been installed and electrical work was expected to be completed by the week’s end, with interior tiling starting soon. He invited council members to tour the facility.

Why it matters: the figures reflect growing service demand and show how operational changes in dispatching software can affect performance metrics. The LPR rollout and facility improvements are near-term operational steps that may affect staffing, patrol patterns and equipment costs.

Council asked clarifying questions about data-counting methods for dispatched calls, the scope of dispatching (police only versus combined public-safety dispatch for fire/EMS) and the status of the LPR program.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Decatur - City Council - Feb 10, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The police chief presented the department’s quarterly and year-to-date totals: a rise in calls for service, continued retail-theft problems, clearance-rate statistics, accreditation recognition and next steps for license-plate-reader deployment and a new facility.","taxTitle","Decatur, Wise County, Texas","taxId",52370,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6697800,"Decatur City Council approves water rate increase, replat, lease purchase and routine fiscal items",0,3704000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a&start=3704&end=3704","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a/thumbnail_3704000.jpg","/articles/6697800/Decatur/Wise-County/Texas/Decatur-City-Council-approves-water-rate-increase-replat-lease-purchase-and-routine-fiscal-items","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6697800-96aa65f3b511638783b4a4d62b7b0eb0/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628559&Signature=essqRQnY5lDHcr~2wTT8zsRzmScsMznAse6967FmbQrlq7d4w-By-818HJdIvzDyLmvXRYtQEIpWuyRTWmmLlWOR9Mcz5FBDyG7Fdu7JNCmTSHTsmKgdwM1rTfhvHxocs3HN4~W8ay2MEqKcucM7VweWZeyxEK0SfWXD2SNFMTDkm2-wrJtlyziZdSIW9hV4dubUQGFK5rxqTOnTDLLd4LSmrfTwWCZ8oN3xqQDmikXvlcq1e0SbuwSBhZ0oC5Ekl~yWEjFI7gFCyH6vOlTGxGGI17wW63DFXNMIkaoQsqQipeDXuR4zjb-toms~7s4rm5geDIQpKJM0uDB7QtMYWA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City Council of Decatur approved multiple ordinances and consent items Monday, including a second reading to increase water and wastewater rates, approval of a residential replat, authorization for a vehicle lease purchase for public works, and acceptance of the city’s quarterly investment report.

The council adopted the second reading of the water and wastewater rate ordinance; if implemented as printed in the ordinance, the new rates are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1, 2025. The item was the second reading of Ordinance No. 2025-0203 and passed on a council motion.

On land-use matters, council approved a replat (RP2024‑13) for 204 South Stratton Street. The replat had received unanimous recommendations from the planning commission and was contingent on three special exceptions approved earlier by the board of adjustment: a 1.5‑foot encroachment for an existing structure, a 5‑foot encroachment for an existing AC unit and a lot-depth variance for the newly formed lot.

In other actions, council approved a government lease-purchase agreement for a 2024 Ford F-350 for the Public Works Department to be financed through American National Leasing Company (budgeted in FY2025); accepted the quarterly investment report; and approved a hold‑harmless agreement to allow remediation work at 2002 Deer Park Road in partnership with First United Methodist Church, enabling the church to reconstruct a failing north‑side retaining wall and then granting the city a drainage easement for future maintenance.

Why it matters: the water/wastewater rate increase sets a new utility revenue baseline for the city’s utility fund going into the next fiscal year. The replat and remediation actions resolve specific local land‑use and drainage issues; the lease purchase replaces an aging fleet vehicle; and the investment-report acceptance is a routine financial oversight action.

Votes at a glance
- Replat RP2024-13 (204 S. Stratton): motion to approve passed (voice vote).
- Ordinance No. 2025‑0203 (water and wastewater rates, second reading): approved; effective Oct. 1, 2025 if adopted as printed.
- Government lease-purchase agreement (2024 Ford F-350): approved; authorized city manager to execute the agreement.
- Quarterly investment report (October–December): accepted.
- Hold-harmless agreement with First United Methodist Church for remediation at 2002 Deer Park Road: approved.

Council recorded voice votes on several of these items and no public opposition or contested roll-call votes were recorded in the transcript.","Council adopted an ordinance increasing water and wastewater rates, approved a replat and several routine items including a vehicle lease purchase and quarterly investment report, and authorized a remediation hold-harmless agreement.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6697805,"Decatur approves Libertas development agreement, levies PID assessments and sells bonds for Nature Creek Reserve",1146,2664000,3810000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a&start=2664&end=3810","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a/thumbnail_2664000.jpg","/articles/6697805/Decatur/Wise-County/Texas/Decatur-approves-Libertas-development-agreement-levies-PID-assessments-and-sells-bonds-for-Nature-Creek-Reserve","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6697805-810f82cee074585c048c8fdfab715491/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628559&Signature=nttvt9rKwl84UGEmRdEVIz9~BDX081xnjIZlqa0Rd7x6W96R5tcLG9cWuTYg-lHHcFvcR0eVQjrNvB~hQGoxREfkyc3~lGn3v7DgIlAdCrh6f6F1Kd0STdJ65yj07jDhbmWdVTbvsplRWeejPcSkjIC5dlEOADwmMuBterfV0KbE0RnZpseJ8VWseuSxm~~dvReX3bHRkwe1kFDyUa0CoZ-RGatKmg2Z5IK5zIO9-jQwyMlTEttjwWhX7lHmij2w261PSj7qQu7ALDA51nnk~EhAtyC24010mWxEjgFib-glK6oQVRbd70j9kbYvpUChv~M4lcdi~d7LUcclXIaykA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The City of Decatur on Monday approved a development agreement with Libertas Decatur LP related to the Nature Creek Reserve project and adopted assessment ordinances and bond issuances to finance public improvements for the associated Paloma/Loma Trails public improvement districts.

Council took the actions after an executive session under Texas Government Code Section 551.087 for economic-development negotiations with Libertas Decatur LP and public hearings on two PID assessment ordinances. The city then approved ordinances to levy assessments, authorized bond documents and approved a development agreement that adjusts several financing terms requested by the developer.

The development agreement, described in the council packet and discussed in open session, increases the previously proposed PID authorization from $30 million to $32 million. The agreement sets a minimum “tax equivalent assessment rate” of $1.00 per $100 of assessed value per parcel (unless requested in writing by the developer), with a cap of $1.20 per $100 of assessed value. The agreement also includes value-to-lien protections: the city will not levy assessments on a parcel if the overall value-to-lien ratio would be less than 1.5:1 using an independent appraisal, and bonds will not be issued with a value-to-lien of less than 2.0:1 unless otherwise agreed to by the city.

City financial advisers and bond counsel described the municipal market pricing used when the bonds were sold on the open market earlier that day. The city’s financial adviser reported that the sale was oversubscribed and that pricing produced interest-cost results slightly lower than preliminary estimates, reducing expected borrowing costs.

Council voted to adopt the two assessment ordinances (for the improvement-area and the major improvement-area assessment rules) and then approved ordinances to authorize the sale of special-assessment revenue bonds that will be secured by those assessments. Council also voted to approve the development agreement with Libertas subject to final legal approval as noted in the motion.

Why it matters: the approvals put in place the assessment structure and financing mechanism the developer will use to construct public infrastructure for the Nature Creek Reserve/Paloma Trails project. The value-to-lien protections and the specified tax-equivalent assessment range are city-level safeguards intended to limit fiscal exposure while enabling the private developer to access PID financing.

Council next steps and implementation: bond documents and related developer agreements referenced in the ordinance will be finalized and executed following council approval. City staff and bond counsel will continue to monitor construction progress and assessment roll implementation.

Votes at the meeting: city council approved the assessment ordinances, authorized the bond issuances and approved the development agreement with Libertas Decatur LP. The clerk recorded voice votes; no public objections were recorded during the hearings or the ordinance votes.

Notes: the council conducted a closed executive-session negotiation on the Nature Creek Reserve PID before returning to open session and taking final action.","City Council approved a development agreement with Libertas Decatur LP, adopted assessment ordinances for two Paloma/Loma Trails public improvement districts and authorized sale of special-assessment bonds tied to the projects after executive-session negotiations.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6697790,"Council hears quarterly updates from municipal court, fire, planning, library and finance departments",648,982000,1630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a&start=982&end=1630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2255837-25ab4b96911d9dd755ce016631acd38a/thumbnail_982000.jpg","/articles/6697790/Decatur/Wise-County/Texas/Council-hears-quarterly-updates-from-municipal-court-fire-planning-library-and-finance-departments","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6697790-cb091375b3237c7733b493840027f84f/orig.mp4?Expires=1773628559&Signature=gWsaoyAGqCsmrPZX860fVtBapZmW~VL1OkDz6qKQB~e4LmRutxoNTUSAd749agoMcj5CLQ0LDqieLkgQaU14NOdy5NkW-YMKVnpqjJiGcVwFbk3c2EwpJnFaZIKEfje4yg7QIAgW3VCE44QSECYu0wKfASHm3dBM-VsglA-SuaZ4cSXMoZk16sXncKteTFVUUPV7ZvFYGVvmHKQnEF2IMwQuX-7e21Is4v3VEsII3CQ5XB3UUFsRoJ9HxPj08MymJf8euSWif65Zc5YBMEtHkyzj0eLsRUPtHxTGV2BHjBNy6-v4aqQsY-sgP91xSPUF2pBeyX2wmVu3BCVFUv0Daw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City department leaders presented fourth‑quarter and year‑to‑date reports to council covering municipal court, fire/rescue, planning, library and finance activities and workload metrics.

Municipal court (presented by Lisette) reported October–December activity: 47 driver-safety course completions, 648 deferred dispositions, 81 dismissals and 1,530 closed cases including dismissals and compliance closures; the court also processed 971 online payments and 556 in‑person or mail payments. Lisette noted that closed-case totals combine deferred dispositions, compliance dismissals and other closures and confirmed that convictions are included in the closed-case figure.

The fire department reported 661 incidents in the quarter and 2,739 “tones” or responses for the year. Chief Mercer (prevention) presented 75 inspections for the quarter (225 for the year), plan-review totals and public-education activity including 3,167 students reached through prevention visits. The department increased fire-recovery collections and plans to present conceptual elevations for a new fire station in roughly six to seven weeks after a regional station tour.

Planning reported staffing additions — including Senior Planner Lisa Hannon and a new GIS analyst — and integration of planning/permitting into the city’s GovWell software. Planning processed 39 applications in the quarter (99 for 2024) and conducted design‑studio meetings to streamline homeowner and small-contractor pre-application guidance. Active projects in the pipeline include Rose Avenue Apartments and Chisholm Trail apartments; several items are scheduled to come before planning and zoning in coming weeks.

The library reported circulation and program statistics following renovation. The library circulated several thousand items (monthly and annual totals were presented), hosted adult and children’s programs with hundreds of attendees and received an Achievement of Excellence in Libraries award for 2024. The presenter noted borrowing/lending through interlibrary loan saved the city purchase costs.

Finance reported year‑to‑date revenue and expenditure summaries: property tax collections, hotel/mixed-drink taxes, building and planning fee collections and sales tax trending about on target with last fiscal year. Utility collections and escrow reconciliations were discussed, and staff said ARPA-funded projects are winding down by the next December.

Why it matters: the reports provide council with operational metrics and identify staffing and process improvements (planning staff additions; GovWell permitting; fire station conceptual design) that affect service delivery and budget planning.

Council asked clarifying questions about case-count composition in municipal court, numbers of inspections and plan reviews in planning, and next steps on the fire-station design schedule. Several council members thanked staff for their work.","Department heads presented fourth‑quarter and year‑to‑date statistics: municipal court workloads and collections; fire incidents, inspections and station design progress; planning hires, online permitting and active projects; library circulation and programs; and finance revenues and fund status.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Police chief reports higher call volume, retail theft and progress on LPR rollout and new facility

Decatur City Council approves water rate increase, replat, lease purchase and routine fiscal items

Decatur approves Libertas development agreement, levies PID assessments and sells bonds for Nature Creek Reserve

Council hears quarterly updates from municipal court, fire, planning, library and finance departments