Flower Mound Leader > News
Top stories of 2012
By Chris Roark, croark@starlocalnews.com
With the end of 2012 just days away, The Leader takes a look back at some of the top stories in Flower Mound during the past year.
1. Flower Mound council fires town manager
After weeks of speculation, the Flower Mound Town Council unanimously voted to fire Town Manager Harlan Jefferson on Oct. 8 in a special meeting.
Jefferson, who has been the town manager since 2006, was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 22 during a special meeting. His contract was set to expire in October 2015.
Mayor Tom Hayden said the council wanted to go in a new direction and referenced several instances, including unfavorable developer survey results, that indicated how difficult the town had been to work with.
Jefferson’s attorney said his client wasn’t made aware of the concerns, though others disputed that claim. His attorney also said Jefferson was simply following the ordinances, though others said he had the opportunity to make exceptions, which they said he did not.
2. Hayden, Dixon and Webb win election
Tom Hayden, Bryan Webb and Steve Dixon overwhelmingly won the Flower Mound Mayor and Town Council races on May 12.
The victory put an end to the term for Mayor Melissa Northern and councilmen Al Filidoro and Steve Lyda, also known as NFL.
Hayden defeated Northern and Al Cloud. Webb defeated Filidoro in Place 2. In Place 4, Dixon beat Lyda and Jay Cannon.
Economic development was a big issue in the race as Hayden, Webb and Dixon made it a centerpiece of their campaign. The three candidates continuously discussed how hard it is for developers to do business in Flower Mound and how they would like to change that image.
Northern said NFL used the platform of maintaining a strong master plan and SMARTGrowth program.
3. Kroger gets approval
On July 16, the Flower Mound Town Council approved a site plan for $14.3 million in store improvements and a specific use permit (SUP) for a fueling center at the store located near the intersection of FM 1171 and FM 2499.
This came eight months after the council, which consisted of different members, had denied the same request because of concerns about traffic flow along FM 1171 because of the fueling center.
The improvements are set to include a new natural foods department, a new bakery department, an expanded deli, a new cheese/olive island, an expanded fresh sushi department, a new upscale wine area, a new pharmacy with a drive through, a new express checkout area, wider aisles and more.
The expansion is also set to create 75-80 new jobs.
Kroger officials had said the fuel center helps support the improvements.
4.Flower Mound conducts aerial spraying
On Aug. 8, the Flower Mound Town Council unanimously voted to go forward with aerial mosquito spraying to help combat the West Nile Virus.
Earlier in the week, Denton County Judge Mary Horn declared a West Nile Virus health emergency and requested that the Department of State Health Services make additional resources available to Denton County in the form of aerial spraying.
The virus was a health concern throughout the summer as 28 human cases of the virus were confirmed in Flower Mound.
Residents differed on their views of aerial spraying. Some agreed it needed to be done because of the potential deadly effects of the virus.
Others were concerned about the environmental effects of the product known as Duet, a dual-action adulticide composed of Prallethrin and Sumithrin. Both ingredients are pyrethroids, or synthetic chemical insecticides. It is said to break down in sun and with water and does not stay active after five hours.
Spraying took place on two nights during the first week of September. Results showed that Flower Mound saw a 67-percent reduction in mosquitoes as a result of the spraying.
5. Stathatos named town manager
The Flower Mound Town Council named Jimmy Stathatos as Flower Mound’s new town manager on Nov. 19.
Stathatos has been Roanoke's city manager since 1998. During that time, he has turned the small city into a hotbed for economic development. It has been a decade-long effort that has garnered statewide attention. In fact, Roanoke has been named the "Unique Dining Capital of Texas" by the state, and the city even obtained legal rights to that distinction.
While he was in Roanoke, the city’s tax base grew from $99 million to approximately $1.7 billion and sales tax revenue increased to more than $10 million a year.
1. Flower Mound council fires town manager
After weeks of speculation, the Flower Mound Town Council unanimously voted to fire Town Manager Harlan Jefferson on Oct. 8 in a special meeting.
Jefferson, who has been the town manager since 2006, was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 22 during a special meeting. His contract was set to expire in October 2015.
Mayor Tom Hayden said the council wanted to go in a new direction and referenced several instances, including unfavorable developer survey results, that indicated how difficult the town had been to work with.
Jefferson’s attorney said his client wasn’t made aware of the concerns, though others disputed that claim. His attorney also said Jefferson was simply following the ordinances, though others said he had the opportunity to make exceptions, which they said he did not.
2. Hayden, Dixon and Webb win election
Tom Hayden, Bryan Webb and Steve Dixon overwhelmingly won the Flower Mound Mayor and Town Council races on May 12.
The victory put an end to the term for Mayor Melissa Northern and councilmen Al Filidoro and Steve Lyda, also known as NFL.
Hayden defeated Northern and Al Cloud. Webb defeated Filidoro in Place 2. In Place 4, Dixon beat Lyda and Jay Cannon.
Economic development was a big issue in the race as Hayden, Webb and Dixon made it a centerpiece of their campaign. The three candidates continuously discussed how hard it is for developers to do business in Flower Mound and how they would like to change that image.
Northern said NFL used the platform of maintaining a strong master plan and SMARTGrowth program.
3. Kroger gets approval
On July 16, the Flower Mound Town Council approved a site plan for $14.3 million in store improvements and a specific use permit (SUP) for a fueling center at the store located near the intersection of FM 1171 and FM 2499.
This came eight months after the council, which consisted of different members, had denied the same request because of concerns about traffic flow along FM 1171 because of the fueling center.
The improvements are set to include a new natural foods department, a new bakery department, an expanded deli, a new cheese/olive island, an expanded fresh sushi department, a new upscale wine area, a new pharmacy with a drive through, a new express checkout area, wider aisles and more.
The expansion is also set to create 75-80 new jobs.
Kroger officials had said the fuel center helps support the improvements.
4.Flower Mound conducts aerial spraying
On Aug. 8, the Flower Mound Town Council unanimously voted to go forward with aerial mosquito spraying to help combat the West Nile Virus.
Earlier in the week, Denton County Judge Mary Horn declared a West Nile Virus health emergency and requested that the Department of State Health Services make additional resources available to Denton County in the form of aerial spraying.
The virus was a health concern throughout the summer as 28 human cases of the virus were confirmed in Flower Mound.
Residents differed on their views of aerial spraying. Some agreed it needed to be done because of the potential deadly effects of the virus.
Others were concerned about the environmental effects of the product known as Duet, a dual-action adulticide composed of Prallethrin and Sumithrin. Both ingredients are pyrethroids, or synthetic chemical insecticides. It is said to break down in sun and with water and does not stay active after five hours.
Spraying took place on two nights during the first week of September. Results showed that Flower Mound saw a 67-percent reduction in mosquitoes as a result of the spraying.
5. Stathatos named town manager
The Flower Mound Town Council named Jimmy Stathatos as Flower Mound’s new town manager on Nov. 19.
Stathatos has been Roanoke's city manager since 1998. During that time, he has turned the small city into a hotbed for economic development. It has been a decade-long effort that has garnered statewide attention. In fact, Roanoke has been named the "Unique Dining Capital of Texas" by the state, and the city even obtained legal rights to that distinction.
While he was in Roanoke, the city’s tax base grew from $99 million to approximately $1.7 billion and sales tax revenue increased to more than $10 million a year.
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