Denton City Council slates meeting today

The Denton City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. today at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney St., in the council chambers.

To see the agenda for the meeting, visit www.cityofdenton.com and click on the “agendas and minutes” tab on the left.

For more information, call 940-349-8200.

Hearing set on plan to rezone Bell Avenue site

A public hearing is set for Wednesday on a plan to rezone land in the Bell Avenue Historic Conservation District to allow a rental duplex development.

The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney St.

The 1.1-acre project site would include six two-story duplex buildings facing University Drive, across the street from Texas Woman’s University.

Many neighbors say the Lux at Bell Avenue project — expected to include 36 bedrooms — would be too dense for the area.

A separate certificate of appropriateness for the project is pending before the Denton Historic Landmark Commission.

The commission initially rejected the certificate, but the City Council asked it to reconsider the case.

— Lowell Brown

City postpones hearing on proposed tree code

A public hearing on Denton’s proposed new tree code won’t take place Wednesday as planned.

The hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission was postponed to Nov. 4 to allow city workers more time to tweak the proposal, planning supervisor Chuck Russell said Monday.

For more information on the code overhaul, visit the planning department’s page on the city’s Web site, www.cityofdenton.com.

— Lowell Brown

Candidates to address area Democratic Club in Bartonville

Bill White, mayor of Houston and candidate for the U.S. Senate, will address the Denton County Democratic Club monthly breakfast at 8 a.m. Saturday along with U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Neil Durrance.

The breakfast will be at Andrews Restaurant at 2652 FM407 in the Bartonville Town Center restaurant and shopping complex across from Lantana.

White, who has served as U.S. deputy secretary of energy, was elected Houston’s mayor in 2003. He’s been re-elected twice and received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2007.

For more information, contact Mary Infante at 940-566-1165.

— Bj Lewis

Ethics group accepting feedback on proposal

The Texas Ethics Commission is accepting public comments on its proposal for new rules that require candidates to be more specific in describing their campaign contributions and expenditures.

For example, if a candidate uses campaign funds to repair a flat tire, the appropriate category for the expense would be “Transportation and Related Expenses” and an acceptable description would be “repair flat tire on a campaign vehicle,” according to the commission’s Web site, www.ethics.state.tx.us.

The entire rule change, which was proposed at the commission’s Oct. 15 meeting, can be viewed, with examples, at the Web site.

The public may submit a written statement by mailing to Natalia Luna Ashley, Texas Ethics Commission, P.O. Box 12070, Austin, TX 78711-2070, or by faxing to 512-463-5777.  

To comment in person, information concerning the time and location of commission meetings also is available on the Web site or by calling 1-800-325-8506 or 512-463-5800.

— Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe

Author to speak at GOP women’s club

Lt. Col. Christopher Hatley, a 27-year U.S. Army veteran, will speak at the Denton Republican Women’s Club lunch meeting at noon Wednesday at Miguelito’s Restaurant, 420 E. McKinney St.

Hatley, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, the Command and General Staff College and the Air Warfare Center, is a former Republican candidate for the Texas House of Representatives.

Hatley has completed the first of two books, which together outline specific reform ideas for America with the purpose of promoting meaningful societal, political and economic development around the world.

Active in conservative Republican politics, Hatley regularly speaks at various events around the state to promote his vision for Texas and for America, according to a news release.

Those attending may go through the Tex-Mex buffet line at 11:30 p.m.

All interested Republicans are welcome to attend the meeting.

— Bj Lewis