A city committee tapped to review property maintenance issues won’t meet behind closed doors after all.

Joe Mulroy

Chris Watts

Charlye Heggins

Denton Mayor Perry McNeill said Tuesday he would alter his plans for the committee by adding a third City Council member, meaning the sessions will be subject to the city’s open-meetings rules.

The council agreed to appoint three of its members — Charlye Heggins, Joe Mul­­roy and Chris Watts — to work with city employees as they study results from a city-commissioned property maintenance survey.

The survey of 450 Denton property owners and renters found that overwhelming majorities believed the city had enough property maintenance codes but didn’t adequately enforce them. Leadership Denton, a training program affiliated with the Denton Chamber of Commerce, conducted the survey last winter and announced the results in April.

Last week, McNeill said he wanted to appoint Mulroy, a business owner, and Watts, a real estate investor and lawyer, to act as a “sounding board” for city staff members studying the survey results.

McNeill also indicated that the sessions could be closed to the public, since the city isn’t re­quired to post an open meeting if fewer than three council members are present.

Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp criticized the plan, saying most council committees include three council members and allow for public input. She also complained that the plan came forward without feedback from other council members.

Questions also arose over whether Watts’ presence on the committee could be viewed as a conflict of interest. Watts owns multiple rental properties, but he has pledged to put aside any personal interests and work to build consensus among all stakeholders.

During a council meeting Tuesday, Kamp said she supported the committee with the addition of Heggins, a retired nutrition coordinator.

Council member Bob Montgomery agreed, saying the city successfully used a similar process to develop its tree preservation ordinance in 2004.

Besides studying the Leader­ship Denton survey, committee members also will look for holes in city codes and places where ordinances conflict, McNeill said. The mayor said he also wants the committee to gather feedback from neighborhood groups and other stakeholders.

“This is in response to a longstanding citywide concern about code enforcement and the relevance  — or lack — of pertinent ordinances,” McNeill said.

The group should bring back a status report within about 60 days, he said.

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .

Also Tuesday, the Denton City Council:

• Approved naming the soccer building at North Lakes Park after Jane Malone, retiring president of the Denton Youth Soccer Association.

The association funded construction of the building, which will be called the Jane Malone Soccer Building.

• Set a limit on the amount of time city employees must spend responding to an individual’s public information request before charging for personnel time.

Starting Oct. 1, the city will require a person to pay personnel costs if city employees spend more than 36 hours on his or her requests in the same fiscal year.

The policy is allowed under House Bill 2564, which the Texas Legislature passed this year.

• Heard complaints from three residents during a public hearing about the city’s proposed 6.4 percent property tax rate increase in 2007-08.

The increase would allow the city to pay off bond debt and increase spending on drainage improvements.

Residents Tom Buckley and Marvin and Billie J. Crabb said city taxes are too high already.

The City Council will vote on the budget and tax rate Tuesday.

• Approved the rezoning of a total of 8 acres at Loop 288 and Kings Row to allow for retail development.

—Lowell Brown