Votes at a glance: Waxahachie council confirms fire chief, approves SUPs and zoning changes, OKs SRRG lease and property conveyance

The Waxahachie City Council took multiple formal actions on Jan. 12. Below are the motions, outcomes and the most relevant details reported at the meeting.

Confirmed fire chief Scott Safford was confirmed by council after a city-manager recommendation; Safford, who served as interim chief for six months and has 21 years in the department, was sworn in during the meeting (motion carried).

Consent agenda The consent agenda (items a–h) was approved by motion (motion carries).

Public-hearing continuances and annexation The council granted a continuance of public hearings for ZDC 02/2024 (items 22–24) to Jan. 26, 2026, and also continued an associated annexation request by Presbyterian Children's and Walton Texas LP (about 204.94 acres off Brookside Road) to the Jan. 26 meeting (motions carried).

Short-term rentals and accessory dwelling permits Council approved a series of specific-use permits (SUPs) to allow short-term rentals: ZDC1372025 for 105 Indian Court (Joshua and Tiffany Bell), ZDC1442025 for 311 Maureen Avenue, and ZDC1652025 for 211 Pecan Street; staff said Planning & Zoning recommended approval for each and police reported minimal issues coded to STR calls. Council also approved CDC159-2025, a SUP for an accessory dwelling unit at 301 Buffalo Creek (motion carries).

YMCA zoning and development agreement The council approved CDC139-2025, a plan-development zoning change for a large YMCA expansion at 100 YMCA Drive, and later approved a related development agreement; staff had described a 21,000‑square‑foot building addition, a covered 29,000‑square‑foot pavilion and expanded outdoor activity areas and recommended consideration of waiving roadway impact fees in light of the YMCA’s nonprofit status. The planning commission had recommended approval.

Commercial rezoning on N. US Hwy 77 Council approved ZDC4032025, a rezoning to a planned-development commercial district for property at 3705 N US Highway 77 (owner NH Waxahachie LLC) with staff‑recommended use restrictions and landscaping/screening conditions. Council added a requirement for a right‑in/right‑out entry (a pork‑chop) at the Highway 77 connection, subject to sufficient driveway width and to be constructed at the applicant’s cost (motion carries).

Animal shelter study appropriation Council approved a supplemental appropriation of $14,500 (city share) to fund 50% of an animal-shelter feasibility study, to be conducted by Quorum Architects in coordination with Ellis County; staff described the work as a planning and information stage only.

SRRG armored-vehicle lease and transfer Council approved naming the city lessee for a five‑year tax‑exempt lease to finance a second SRRG BearCat armored vehicle (total cost discussed in the presentation as $379,694) with payments to be made through SRRG funds and approved a resolution authorizing the master lease and related documents. Council also approved a memorandum of understanding to transfer ownership of the city's 2022 BearCat to the City of DeSoto (motions carried).

Fiscal report and property conveyance Council accepted the preliminary fourth-quarter fiscal-year 2025 financial report and later authorized the city manager to file a quit-claim deed with Ellis County for an approximately 1.02‑acre tract at 216 North College Street (APID 217175).

Votes: In most cases the minutes record "motion carries" (voice vote). Where individual tallies were not recorded in the transcript, the outcome is recorded as approved by council motion at the Jan. 12 meeting. For details and the staff reports, council packet materials and staff presentations were cited during each agenda item.