Here are the headlines that Peggy Heinkel-Wolfe read on-air this weekend:
AC requirements changing for local rental properties
Soon, air conditioning will be required in rental homes and apartments in the city. A majority of city council members agreed this week to write new rules requiring landlords to provide air conditioning in the summer, similar to heating in winter. The city will also block homeowners associations from prohibiting window-mounted air conditioners.
The change came after a longtime resident complained to council member Paul Meltzer that his mobile home park banned window units for aesthetic reasons.
The US Energy Information Administration estimates that about 83 percent of Texas homes have central air-conditioning. Another 16 percent use a wall or window-mounted unit to stay cool in the summer. About 5 percent of Texas homes have no air-conditioning at all.
City leaders cited public health and safety for making the changes. Last summer’s record-breaking heat wave triggered nearly 40 days of dangerous heat. Over the next five years, scientists expect Denton to have more than 40 dangerous heat days per year. And by 2050, that will climb to 56 dangerous heat days each year, due to climate change.
In an exchange with the city attorney, Mack Reinwand, Mayor Gerard Hudspeth said he was concerned whether the city could require air conditioning.
Mack Reinwand: “The state has the authority also to—and they have, from time to time, come back and said, ‘HOA’s, we’re going to stop you from enforcing certain restrictions’—whether it’s rainwater collection, solar panels. They have done that in a number of cases.
“This would be us affirmatively taking the same type of rule. As a home rule city we have the same authority as the state. And it’s us saying [that] we’re not going to allow you to forbid window units in your HOAs. And so that’s us for public health and safety reasons taking aim at certain specific provisions and saying there’s a regulatory reason why we think that should not be enforced.”
Gerard Hudspeth: “Ok, to pick up on that then—health and safety reasons—are we disadvantaged in that argument if we say only for rental properties? To council member [Chris] Watts’s point, if we’re taking the position that is health and safety, but we’re only concerned about segments of health and safety, does that weaken our . . .”
Mack Reinwand: “I hear your point. I don’t think it does completely. I mean, the law allows for us to go at a situation and not solve all the world’s problems at once. When can go at it in one phase, we can look at it and solve some problems. It doesn’t require us to solve every problem if we’re going to take aim at something.”
More information at cityofdenton.com.
Living center population declines, but financial needs increase
A new report from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services shows the number of Texans with developmental disabilities living in the state-supported living centers continues to decline, but at a slower pace than officials planned for.
Most new residents are coming from the criminal justice system. In addition, state officials say the pace of transitioning other, longtime residents back into the community has slowed because the community resources aren’t there. About 2,500 people live in 13 different centers statewide. About 100 residents die each year.
Last year, Governor Greg Abbott announced significant pay raises for the thousands of people who care for the residents. Severe staffing shortages began during the pandemic and turnover rates hit 40 percent or more. State officials say the pay increases appear to be stabilizing the turnover.
However, the report also identified a half-billion dollars in maintenance needs to the aging campuses. The Texas Legislature appropriated just $64 million for the current biennium.
More information at hhs.texas.gov.
Local unemployment drops
Local unemployment dropped in March to 3.7 percent in both the city and the county after inching upward for several months. The rate was slightly lower than the national rate of 3.8 percent and the statewide rate of 3.9 percent. More information at texaslmi.com.
Earth Day, Thin Line coming up
The Thin Line Festival opens Wednesday with a public reception a photo exhibit at UNT CoLab downtown. The free, five-day festival features film, music and art. More information at thinline.us.
Monday is Earth Day. Explore this year’s theme, planet versus plastics, at earthday.org.
Local News currently airs each Wednesday at 10 a.m. on KUZU 92.9 FM-LP in Denton, Texas, with rebroadcasts airing at 3 p.m. Thursday, and 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday. The Weekend Edition of Local News airs each Saturday at 4 p.m., with rebroadcasts at 9 p.m. and midnight; and 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. Sunday.
Send news tips by email to newsonkuzu@protonmail.com or by calling 940-241-7531.
On air since 2017, KUZU is Denton’s only volunteer-run, nonprofit community radio station. You can learn more and listen online at kuzu.fm.
Local News and Weekend Edition scripts are published on Substack. Subscribe for free at peggyheinkelwolfe.substack.com and follow live microblogging of Local News on Mastodon @phwolfe940@denton.social. Peggy is an award-winning, veteran journalist and a Denton County resident since 1993.