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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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.

The sales tax allocation figures for July have been published by the State Comptroller’s Office.

In July, 2011, Mineola received $125,667 in sales tax proceeds from the state, compared to $105,571 in July of 2010, a monetary increase of $20,096 for the city of Mineola.

This is, no doubt, largely attributable to the delivery of beer and wine to local stores in late June and early July.

This is more money that can be spent on roads, emergency services and other necessary maintenance and upkeep of our town.

In a phone conversation with David Stevenson, Mineola City Administrator, it was confirmed that during this period the city saw no increase in alcohol-related crimes or arrests.

The state of Texas collects sales tax and distributes it back to municipalities. This process takes place over a 30-40 day period, making the September sales tax posting reflect actual taxes collected in July.

2011 vs. 2010 Sales Tax Collection for Mineola, Texas

June 28, 2011 is the day that beer arrived in Mineola and, of course, Mineola Buzz brings you the story first.

Pat Hamlett bought the first beer, a six-pack of Miller Lite, at Brookshire’s this morning.

I had a chat with Shiloh Alexander of Haute Stuff Boutique. In the time that this shop has been open, it seems to have taken Mineola by storm. Shiloh has many useful nuggets of information for the upstart business owner. In our chat, I asked her about some of her ingredients for success.

If you don’t know Shiloh, stop by Haute Stuff Boutique and say hello.

Haute Stuff Boutique

206 W Broad
Mineola, TX 75773

(903) 569-5646

Wed – Fri: 10 AM – 6 PM
Sat: 10 AM – 4 PM

Books mentioned in this interview:

This issue has drawn nearly as many emotional responses as the alcohol issue did. Because we are not a merchant within the historic overlay district of Mineola, we have remained silent about this.

As I listened to people discuss this issue tonight, I was overcome with the level of fear on the behalf of citizens and council members alike, fear that if we allow this man to open a pawn shop in Mineola, that a sea of pawn shops would soon follow. It’s a good thing our founding fathers had a greater vision than to worry about the hypothetical.

Rob Carter of The Ponderosa make his case in city hall.

Simple laws of economics will dictate saturation levels that a local economy can support of a given type of business. Ask any antique shop owner in any of these East Texas towns and they will certainly agree with the principles of over-saturation that lead to diminishing returns.

I understand that laws and ordinances are set forth for the long term, but isn’t the principle of modern conservative economics to let the markets dictate what will and what will not last? Or is it that nobody wants to be next to the pawn shop? We have multiple small loan companies in the historic overlay district. Are they really any different than pawn shops?

After this town voted to repeal prohibition I was excited at the surge of progress. What I saw tonight was the quashing of progress in the name of “What if…” scenarios that may or may never come true and are driven by fear.

Kudos to Rob Carter of Ponderosa for doing what he thinks is right and for taking his fight to the council. Hopefully his pioneering spirit will be rewarded by having a successful business despite some members of his community and government rallying against him.

On May 14, 2011 the voters of Mineola came out to vote and voted for Propositions 1 & 2. The rhetoric was hot and heavy and both sides seemed very emotionally charged. At the end of the day, the prospect of extra sales tax dollars won out over the fear of our town becoming a haven for sin, crime and other evil things.

The video below is the announcement from David Stevenson, City Administrator. The video just below that is just for fun. I cannot take credit for the very appropriate music video. It was suggested to me by a friend. If that person wishes for people to know their identity, they can make that known.

The numbers are:
Prop 1
For: 440
Against: 419

Prop 2
For: 441
Against: 406

Congratulations to the people of Mineola!

We need people to work the polling places tomorrow, Saturday, May 14th. This simply consists of being present, standing the legal distance from the polling station and holding a sign for Propositions 1 & 2.

This may sound like a fruitless activity, but the bottom line is that we can guarantee that the other side will be represented at the polls, so we need people there to represent the correct side as well.

If you can do this for any time at all, please contact Pat Hamlet at 903-920-4103. You can call or text this number.

Again, there are no shifts and you are not required to stay for any period of time. Any time that you can donate, whether you are a resident of Mineola or not, will make a difference.

Thank you for doing your part to convince the people of Mineola to VOTE YES FOR PROPOSITIONS 1 & 2.

We just received a report on sales tax revenues in Mineola.

These figures are based on March and 1^st qtr 2011 sales by our local merchants and businesses.

• Sales tax collections were down 4.81% compared to May 2010.
• Local sales tax collections were down 7.69% from calendar year 2008 to 2010.
• These figures indicate a significant reduction in retail sales for Mineola during the 2 ½ year period.

How can we make up this revenue without raising taxes?

Passing Propositions 1 & 2 will more than make up for these revenues.

Our town already operates on a shoestring budget.

• Our Mayor is not paid.
• Our city council members are not paid.

City services are already at a minimum level. So if this missing revenue is not made up, the next steps are to further reduce service and/or raise taxes.

Is this enough to convince you to VOTE on May 14th?

Source: Texas State Comptroller’s Office

Vote YES for Propositions 1 & 2 on May 14th.

After reading the past few editions of the Mineola Monitor, I feel compelled to get out my hypocrisy umbrella and put on my BS boots. The churches are out in full force and are trying to scare the people of Mineola to death. Some are comparing Saturday’s vote on Propositions 1 & 2 to Nazi Germany while others are warning us that our children and grandchildren will be consumed in a sea of alcohol and their blood will be spilled in the name of collecting tax dollars.

Vote YES for Propositions 1 & 2 on May 14th.

I guess the churches are really feeling like their grip on the city of Mineola is slipping. That is very apparent. The real irony of this situation is that many of these are the same people who said that the judge should show leniency on the teacher who had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a high school student. Are our priorities really that skewed? Are some people really looking the other direction while a teacher abuses our children but those same people think that stores selling beer and wine will lead to the destruction of our society? Really?

Are our Christian values directly tied to the fact that we force our citizens to drive 30 miles to buy a bottle of wine to have with their dinner? I know they are not. I know that we also don’t worry less about pedophiles teaching our school children than we worry about people being able to buy a legal product in the store of their choice.

This is obviously a very emotionally-charged issue and some people are willing to say whatever they feel is necessary to oppose it, even if the things they say are little more than a terrible embarrassment or a direct insult to our town and its citizens.

Most articles the churches have published have not been against drinking alcohol, but against buying it in Mineola. This clearly makes no moral or fiscal sense.

I hear that there are still communities in some states where the residents ride horse-drawn carriages and use oil lamps because they refuse to adopt modern culture. If these people believe that alcohol is the root of all evil and do not want it in their community, I urge them to bring forth legislation outlawing alcohol all together in Mineola.

I urge you to stand up to the hypocrisy of this faction of people in Mineola. Vote YES on Propositions 1 & 2 on Saturday, May 14th.