Council approves multiple alley abandonments; council clarifies when city pays survey costs

The Waxahachie City Council on May 20 approved ordinances abandoning sections of alley and portions of right‑of‑way after staff explained the alley segments serve no public purpose and present maintenance and liability issues.

Public‑works staff described three separate items the council considered: abandonment between North Grand Avenue, Poplar Street and North Central Street; abandonment at East Ross and Penn Street; and a petition to abandon a portion of University Avenue right‑of‑way adjacent to railroad property. In each case staff said the alley or right‑of‑way is effectively landlocked, is not used for public access, and has become overgrown or obstructed by private fences and structures.

Staff recommended approval and said the city would record utility easements for existing franchise lines and private access easements where needed. For the University Avenue item, staff said the alley would be split between two property owners and that utility easements would remain in place for power lines.

Council discussed who pays for the surveys required to document the abandonments. Staff said the city paid survey costs when the abandonment is city‑initiated and involves many property owners or legal complications; for simple, resident‑initiated abandonments the property owner typically pays. Staff listed survey costs for recent items: $17,200 for the North Grand/Poplar/North Central abandonment and $4,690 for the East Ross/Penn abandonment (the transcript recorded combined survey costs of about $22,000 for the items discussed). Council members voiced concern about opening a precedent and asked staff to limit city‑funded surveys to cases where multiple owners or legal complications justify the expense.

Council approved the ordinances and authorized the city manager to execute documents necessary to record the abandonments and easements. Staff said abandonment typically increases private tax parcels — generating property tax revenue — and reduces city maintenance liabilities for alleys that are not publicly used.