John Storace has been named Mineola Citizen of the Month for May, 2012. The nomination we received speaks of John’s “six consecutive years of dedicated service on the city council. Mr. Storace represented the city of Mineola with the best interest of the citizens in mind.” Mr. Storace’s term ended this year and he did not seek another term on the Mineola City Council.

Recipients of the award receive a $25 gift certificate from East Texas Burger Company, two movie tickets from Mineola’s Historic Select Theater (now fully digital video with digital surround sound audio) and a plaque from Hometown Trophies in Mineola.

If you would like to nominate someone for Mineola Citizen of the Month, click here. If you nominated someone who did not win, please nominate them again. Nominations are not carried over from month to month.

Many thanks to our sponsors of Mineola Citizen of the Month:

• East Texas Burger Company
• Historic Select Theater
• Hometown Trophies

Mineola enjoyed its 10th month in a row of increased sales tax revenue. The figures for February are in and February was a record breaker.

We saw a jump of $17.501 in February over 2011 figures. This is a percentage gain of 18.14%.

February’s gain was the largest single month sales tax gain for Mineola since May 2007.

Over the past week, you might have noticed the many Airstream RVs at the Mineola Civic Center and RV Park. The Airstream rally in Mineola was a smashing success. Quite an impact is made by these large RV events at the civic center.

Over the 5 days of the rally, 66 local businesses were patronized by the RVers and $30,139.78 was spent in those businesses. Add to that the $22,984 spent at the civic center and the economic impact of the event is $53,123.78 for Mineola.

Charlotte Hall, manager of the Mineola Civic Center and RV Park, collects receipts from the guests for a grand door prize given away on the last day of the event. This drawing generates a tracking mechanism for merchants.

The Mineola Civic Center and RV Park is a very nice, and very useful public facility for the citizens of Mineola. It also works to spur commerce.

Congratulations to Charlotte and Terry on a job well done.

The sales tax figures for January, 2012 were published today and Mineola is still showing a terrific increase in sales tax revenues.

The figures show a gain of 18.14% over the same period last year. Sales tax revenue helps our city pay for necessary services without having to raid property tax or other taxes to pay for it.

This is a real sign of economic progress.  Below is a display showing this data for Mineola and surrounding areas.

Click the image below for a larger version.

Sales Tax Comparison for January, 2012

After much effort in design and creation, the Local Coupon module on MineolaBuzz.com is live. Mineola area merchants can create an account and post coupons that customers can print and redeem in their stores. This is a FREE service to customers and merchants alike.

In the past few years the use of coupons to stretch household budgets has grown immensely. Large companies like Groupon are cashing in on this market and connecting merchants with new customers each day. We realized the need for this even in small towns. Since small-town merchants don’t have the budget to advertise on the big national sites, we developed this Local Coupon section and have made it a part of our site. We do not charge merchants to post coupons and we never will. This is and will remain a free service for the merchants of Mineola to use.

Over the past few years, Mineola Buzz has become more and more popular. Today we are getting about 1.4x the population of Mineola in unique visitors to our web site every month. About 40% of these visitors are from the DFW area, Tyler, Longview and other surrounding towns and cities. This is a perfect way to market to these people visiting our town without spending a lot of money. The only money you spend is the redemption of the coupon you offer. We think that’s a more than fair deal.

We are open to suggestions and ideas regarding the Local Coupon section. Feel free to leave comments here or on our Facebook page regarding this.

Thanks

From left to right: Michael Jones - Builder, Novada Bingham - City Council, Pat Hamlet - Century 21 Realtor, Ryan James - Bank Texas, Bo Whitus - Mayor

Mineola will soon have a new apartment complex that is sure to add to the value of our city. Today, Michael Jones of 5J Builders, along with city officials and others had a brief ground-breaking ceremony for Mineola’s newest apartments.

The apartments will be directly behind Tractor Supply and will contain some 60+ individual units, along with a pool and other amenities.

This is great news for Mineola. This is not only a large investment in our community, but 60 new families is enough to make an impact to our local economy.

Michael Jones, his brothers and their father make up 5J Builders.

YOU GET TO NAME THE APARTMENTS

As of this moment, the apartments do not have a name. The builder has agreed to accept submissions for a name of the apartments. Comments left on this page and on our Facebook page will be reviewed and considered by the builder for the name of the apartments.

If a name from this site or our Facebook page is selected, MineolaBuzz.com will give $100 to the person who submitted the name. Only one entry (the first one) will be selected in the case of multiple people submitting the same name.

So with that being said…reply to this comment or to the relevant post on our Facebook page and let them know what to name these apartments. Leave your comment below or on our Facebook page.

The new apartments are located behind Tractor Supply in Mineola.

Yesterday, Mineola Mayor Bo Whitus refused to sign the EZ Mart lease that was unanimously approved by the Mineola City Council. City Manager David Stevenson took the lease to Novada Bigham, Mayor Pro Tem, who signed it. Mayor Whitus’ refusal to sign the lease did nothing but show contempt for the city council as well as the citizens of Mineola.
Mayor Whitus was a driving force behind the failed petition to turn EZ Mart, a thriving Mineola business, into a parking lot.

Having been re-elected to office in 2011, it appears that the city of Mineola is stuck with Mayor Whitus until he is up for re-election in 2013. Our city does not have a recall mechanism in its charter.

Meanwhile, with Mayor Whitus at the helm, the city spends time, money and energy in an effort to move backward. If it were not for the courage and level-headedness of our city council, who knows where this city might end up.

For the first six months of 2011, sales tax revenue for the city of Mineola was up over 2010 by $6408 or .91%.

For the months of July through December, sales tax comparison shows an increase of 8.8% or $60,746.

Sales tax revenue increased for our city for the second half of 2011 by almost 10 times the increase shown in the first half of the year.

The first beer was sold in Mineola on June 30th, after the propositions were passed by voters to allow the sale of beer and wine in Mineola. Although we have not spoken directly with Police Chief Chuck Bittner regarding alcohol-related crime in a few months, all indicators are that there is no increase in crimes or incidents involving alcohol since Mineola stores started selling beer and wine.

The Mineola City Council adopted ordinances regarding signage and other issues regarding the sale of alcohol well in advance of the election and has stuck to those ordinances with no resistance from local merchants.

For the year of 2011, sales tax revenues were up a total of $67,154 or 4.82%.

City Councilman, Ken Pearce, just emailed a letter to me and asked me to share it with you. It addresses the numbers behind the EZ Mart decision and the details of their new lease with the city.

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The current lease is $300 per month. This was negotiated in 1977. It was an economic development initiative by the city council at that time in an effort to lure a business to Mineola.

For the first 5 years of the modified lease, the rent increases to $1500 per month, $1750 in the next 5 years, $2000 in the third 5 years, and $2250 in the final 5 years. This is total lease revenue of $450,000 over the 20 year extension. This equates to a 500% increase in the first five years, to a 750% increase in the last five years.

Our estimates are that EZ Mart pays about $2,650 per year in water utilities, about $1,200 per year in personal property taxes currently, and if they make the additional $350,000 of improvements they said they would, another potential $1,900 of property taxes on those improvements. We do not have any way of verifying the sales tax EZ Mart pays, but my personal estimate is about $10,000 per year. So, total tax and utilility revenue to the city is about $15,750 per year. Unadjusted for inflation, this would total about $315,000 over the 20 years of the lease.

It was originally estimated that it would have cost the city about $102,500 to demolish the building, remove the gas tanks, soil & environmental mitigation, and to pave a parking lot. It was later determined that the lessee would have had the responsibility of tank removal and mitigation, but that still may have left the city having to spend $50 to $80 k to make a parking lot.

So, adding that all up, it would have left us with an $845,000 parking lot. That is the total of lost revenue and actual construction costs. That would have been a terrible financial move for the city! The council knew that, as evidenced by the 5-0 vote, with one alderman absent.

There are other alternatives to increasing parking in downtown. They include possible purchase or lease of the lot at Line and Commerce, and possible renovation of Commerce Street between Line and Johnson. Both of these options combined would cost taxpayers far less than $845,000!

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See our Facebook page for more information and comments.

Tonight the Mineola City council voted unanimously to renew the contract of EZ Mart Inc. in Mineola.

The council chamber was standing room only. Speakers for the leveling of EZ Mart, including Mineola Mayor Bo Whitus, spoke of merchants in downtown Mineola who are hurting because of a lack of parking.

Councilman John Storace pointed out that not one single downtown merchant or restaurant was at the meeting. When I mentioned this, Mayor Whitus told me that many downtown merchants did not want to speak publicly about the lack of parking and their opposition to the renewal because it would hurt their business.

A representative of EZ Mart was at the meeting and spoke to the council in the public forum. He stated that EZ Mart would do a complete facelift on the business and install new gas pumps and underground tanks.

End result? Mineola is getting a new, shiny EZ Mart.

Scott Hazard – Mineola Buzz

Sometimes my intrigue gets the best of me. Today that intrigue led me to a sit-down with Warren Brown of Mineola.  Mr. Brown was very nice and very gracious to offer a me a few moments of his time while at his office at City National Bank, Mineola.

I asked Mr. Brown to  summarize the reasons for wanting the city to raze the EZ Mart and put a parking lot in that spot. His answer was that for a long time, leaders of the city have realized that they need more parking downtown. Adding parking to downtown will draw more people to local businesses and generate more tax revenue and income for the city.

My next question was: Will that parking lot generate enough income for the city to offset the loss of revenue generated by EZ Mart?

According to Mr. Brown, the EZ Mart is #2 in alcohol sales in Mineola, there is “no way they’re going to abandon Mineola.” Mr. Brown has it on good authority that if the city did not renew the lease, that EZ Mart would have a new store built and open by the time the original lease runs out. When asked if EZ Mart had been formally approached about this, he said he did not know if they had or not. When asked who owns the EZ Mart, Mr. Brown could not tell me who owns it. Mr. Brown is the Chairman of the Mineola Industrial and Economic Commission.

Is it the fact that EZ Mart sells beer and wine that is causing some people to have a problem with it?

Mr. Brown stated that he knows two former employees of EZ Mart who felt unsafe working nights, many “drunks” come into the store and the clerks apparently are sometimes uncomfortable with that. Being a former overnight clerk at a 7-11 in Arlington, I can understand that, but it is part of the job and that would not change at a new location. Mr. Brown then stated that the EZ Mart does seem to attract some “unsavory characters” because it brings people in to the town from outlaying areas to purchase beer and wine. Statistics at the Mineola Police Department will show a non-noticeable move in alcohol-related crimes in Mineola since the 2011 election when propositions one and two were approved by the voters of Mineola.

I came right out and asked Mr. Brown if the beer trucks were a problem. He replied that many people have complained about them being parked next to the Mineola First Baptist Church and Youth Center. I am in no position to make any offers on behalf of anyone, but to that I had to ask if the beer was delivered by non-branded trucks if that would make things any better. The answer was that every little bit helps, but in general, no. I see beer trucks at EZ Mart during the day on weekdays. I have never seen beer trucks or any other type of trucks for that matter, at the EZ Mart during or even close to church services or events.

When asked about the cost of removing the underground tanks and the cost of the associated cleanup, Mr. Brown initially stated that this would be the responsibility of EZ Mart. Since the city owns the land and EZ Mart leases it, we would then essentially tell a thriving Mineola business that they have to relocate then come back and clean up the previous location. I can’t imagine any business in that situation that would do that. After we discussed that point for a moment, he was also questioning how that scenario would work out.

When asked about the employees at the EZ Mart, Mr. Brown’s response was that if the company relocates, there would be more employees. When asked what would happen if they did not relocate, he referred to these as “minimum wage jobs.”

Mr. Brown stated that there are two large churches adjacent to the EZ Mart and that seems to be a problem with some. Soon after the 2011 beer/wine election, city officials were tasked with determining if EZ Mart was far enough away from the churches to legally sell beer and wine. Obviously, that determination was a “yes.”

In summary, my conversation with Warren Brown gained this:
I never said the word “church.” He used that word multiple times. If the EZ Mart draws unsavory characters, relocating it will only get them away from the church. The logic leads to a conclusion that the churches seem to be spearheading this movement. This theme was also mentioned by several commenters on our Facebook page.

I’d like to thank Mr. Brown for his time. Upon parting, I mentioned that I would see him at Monday night’s City Council meeting and he assured me he would be there.

If you are concerned about a small minority of people using their power to make changes to our town that the majority does not want, come to the City Council meeting on Monday, January 23rd at 6:00 PM. Your city needs to hear your voices! The city of Mineola is NOT behind this effort. They will, however, be the ones to act on it one way or another.

Scott Hazard – MineolaBuzz.com

At the 1-19-2012 City Council workshop at Mineola City Hall, a petition was presented to the Council asking them to not renew the lease for the EZ Mart in Mineola. Not only does this group want to not renew the lease, they want the city to foot the bill for removing the building, removing the underground fuel tanks and then pave the lot for parking.

Whether you like the EZ Mart or not, the fact remains that it is a thriving business in the city of Mineola. It generates sales tax revenue, it consumes utilities, it employs 8-10 people and it provides a valuable service to the people of Mineola in that it is open 24/7 for any emergency needs they may have in the middle of the night. Being open around the clock also serves those who go to work early, sportsmen who are out early and anyone else who might need something during the overnight hours.

When the EZ Mart lease came up on the agenda at last night’s meeting, it was referred to executive session, meaning that the council will meet on it privately before Monday’s regular City Council meeting. The council then may or may not bring it up for open discussion during the regular, public, city council meeting.

We mentioned this on our Facebook page last night and have gotten several comments from various viewpoints.

In the name of public information, we have provided a PDF copy of each of the petitions. They are worded slightly differently, but both ask for the same end result. We did not feel it necessary to print the addresses of those signing the petition, so they have been erased from the pages. Names that were scratched out were also removed.

Petition 1 –  Petition 2

If this is an issue that is of interest to you, please attend the Monday, January 23rd meeting of the Mineola City Council at City Hall at 5:30.

On May 14, 2011 the people of Mineola approved two local options. One of the cleared the way for stores to sell beer and wine in Mineola. The other option cleared the way for Mineola restaurants to have a full bar. June 28, 2011 was the date of the first beer sold in Mineola.(video)
Today, the Paredes Family Restaurant opened its bar. Tina and Felipe Paredes could not be more proud and rightfully so. It’s a nice place.
The bar is attached to Paredes Family Restaurant and will be open until 10 PM weekdays and midnight on weekends.
Paredes Family Restaurant has undergone several upgrades in the past year, from floors to their new bar.
Come check it out. It’s clean and nice. The prices are good and the service is always great at Paredes.

Felipe and Tina Paredes - Proprietors

The bar is nice. It has plenty of room and it's bright. It's a great place to meet with friends.

Mineola Sales Tax Up 12.1%

The sales tax figures for August are in and the city of Mineola increased it’s monthly sales tax collection by $12,810. This equates to better than a 12% increase over August of last year. These figures are disseminated from the State Comptroller’s office and are issued 45 days after the actual collection period, which is why we get August’s figures in October.

This is at least partially attributable to the decision of the voters of Mineola to allow the sale of beer and wine in the town. On a related note, October 8th, 2011 was the Mineola Gypsy Market. This year’s Gypsy Market was the first ever event in downtown Mineola that offered beer for sale. All TABC and local laws and ordinances were followed and not one single alcohol-related event was reported during the Gypsy Market.

DUI and other alcohol-related crimes in the city of Mineola remain on a decline over comparable periods in 2010.