MPAC Issues for 2016
Monitor City Council (standing committee) - Members of this committee attend (or monitor) every work session and meeting of the Arlington City Council and distribute summary reports to MPAC members.
Monitor Arlington Tomorrow Foundation (standing committee) - The plan for 2016 for this committee is to observe the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation grant award process to ensure MPAC is well informed and to impact the process as deemed necessary. They will attend as many ATF committee meetings as possible.
Honeybee - The goal or objective of the Honeybee Task Force is to increase citizen awareness of pollinator issues and their importance in our community and to encourage the community to provide and conserve our pollinators and their habitats through education and by providing resources. The plan for this year is to 1. Encourage the City to insert information about honeybees in the water bill on what citizens can do for them and what they do for us. 2. Find ways that Arlington citizens can facilitate honeybee habitats. 3. Tap into the Monarch Butterfly Corridor by including plantings favorable to honeybees. 4. Increase the number of bee hives in Arlington through citizens, businesses schools and scouts. 5. Find resources to safely remove, transport and release honeybees residing in inappropriate locations.
Keep Rangers Baseball Team in Arlington -This task force will monitor efforts and assist where possible to keep the Texas Rangers in Arlington at the end of their Globe Life Park lease in 2024. The plan for 2016 is: 1. Educate ourselves and MPAC members on all issues related to the Rangers decision to stay in Arlington or to relocate at the end of their lease. 2. Be aware and assist where possible any opportunities to keep the Rangers in Arlington, such as petitions. 3. Meet with Mayor Williams to get his input on all of the current activities and issues surrounding the efforts to negotiate with the Rangers.
Transportation - The goal of this task force is to learn about the City of Arlington's plans for managing the increased traffic to be generated by the future expanded sports/entertainment district, circulating patrons from one venue to the next while maintaining an acceptable level of traffic flow in an existing heavy traffic area, and any plans for utilizing existing or new transportation services.
Smoking Ordinance - Our elected officials take an oath to serve and protect constituents. Science clearly supports implementing comprehensive smoking ordinances in order to protect the citizens who live, work, play, pay taxes and vote in Arlington. To date 38 cities have passed comprehensive smoke-free ordinances that protect all workers. Some of those include Dallas, Highland Village, and Flower Mound in North Texas, and yes, even New Orleans. Over time, following the passage of these ordinances, the number of people hospitalized for diseases caused by secondhand smoke has dropped dramatically, while businesses affected by the change saw an increase in profit. In past years, Arlington was on the forefront of this issue.
This task force plan for 2016 is to determine whether enough support exists on the City Council to move forward with efforts to enact a comprehensive smoke-free ordinance in Arlington. If so, they will support the American Heart Association in an effort to do so.