The contentious political climate is not letting up in Argyle.

A day after the Town Council approved a no confidence resolution for Mayor Bryan Livingston, town manager Erika McComis announced that she is on leave until May 8, after Saturday’s election.

McComis said she decided to use her vacation time for her leave after she received an email from Livingston “attacking” her regarding negotiations with Oncor over a proposal to build a high-voltage transmission line stretching from near Rhome in Wise County into southern Denton County.

Oncor says the transmission line is needed because of the growth in North Texas.

In her email to the Town Council McComis wrote: “A person can only take so much and I cannot continue to be a political punching bag without starting to punch back. For the most part I truly love my job, my staff, and the council and I do not want to do anything to jeopardize that.”

McComis told the Star-Telegram that she was surprised to get the email from Livingston.

“I know he’s just frustrated with everything going on. As I said before, I’m not going to be the punching bag,” she said.

Livingston said his email to McComis was “businesslike and professional” and that he sent it in response to the council’s April 24 decision to remove him from negotiations with Oncor, shifting those discussions to the council.

Livingston said that McComis is also handling the duties of the town secretary, which includes administering elections.

Livingston added that the state of affairs is rooted in differing points of view on keeping the Denton County town rural versus working with other communities.

“The idea of working with other communities is new to Argyle,” he said. “They want to keep things rural.”

He said he believed that the town has to be a larger part of Denton County and that Argyle needs to look at shifting more of the tax base to commercial development.

“That’s what the election is all about, keeping things frozen and not building the tax base,” he said.

The council approved the no confidence resolution on April 24 by a 4-1 vote with Sherri Myers voted against the motion. The came after Livingston released attorney/client privileged information concerning an investigation into an incident involving the mayor and a former employee.

Livingston is not seeking re-election as mayor, but he is running against one of his political foes, Ronald Schmidt for the town council.

A new shopping center will open next year in Argyle and feature eight to 10 businesses.

The two-story complex, to be called Argyle Neighborhood Shops by Slate and being built on FM 407 just east of US 377, will include Dallas West Dance Centre, a business that will have 5,320 square feet.

“We believe this will be a true local neighborhood retail center serving the community for many years to come,” said Sahil Kurji, vice president of Slate Land & Development Co., in an email.

A groundbreaking was held May 17.

The details

Slate is looking for tenants, Kurji said. In addition to the dance studio, the shopping center also will feature a nail salon called Prestige Nails of Argyle. The complex also is looking for a sitdown restaurant, such as something with a Mexican, sushi/hibachi, hamburger or pizza concept, Kurji said, adding a sitdown coffee shop would do well here, too.

“We are also looking for medical-/dental-type tenants as well,” Kurji said.

A deeper dive

The total size of the project will be 19,675 square feet, Kurji said.

“We are expecting the retail center to be a great addition to the local community and serve the needs of the residents of Argyle so they don’t have to go outside the city to Northlake, Flower Mound, Roanoke, Highland Village for some of their services,” he said.

What’s next?

An opening date and construction finish date for the complex is February or March, Kurji said.

469-438-1905. https://slatecommercial.com

Don Munsch joined Community Impact Newspaper in February 2023. He holds a journalism degree from Northwest Missouri State University and has worked for newspapers all over Texas and one in Oklahoma. During his time as a reporter, he has covered all aspects of news and sports, and he can say he has covered high school football—regular season and playoffs—just about everywhere in the state, from Crane to Krum to Katy to the Super Centex. When he’s not working, he enjoys reading, walking and watching movies and sports.

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A heated discussion during a specially-called meeting Monday led to a no confidence vote in mayor Bryan Livingston, but he will remain in office until the votes from the May 6 election are canvassed.

The no confidence vote stems from Livingston’s decision to release a report containing attorney/client privileged information concerning an investigation into the resignation of former town secretary Laura Calcote last June.

The Town Council voted 4-1 in favor of the resolution declaring a no confidence vote in the mayor.

Sherri Myers voted against the motion, stating that she never observed the mayor behaving inappropriately or yelling at employees.

When asked to comment on the vote, Livingston said, ”It is purely symbolic ... I am disappointed in the outcome.”

The votes will be canvassed May 15. Livingston is not seeking reelection for mayor but he is running for the Place 2 seat against Ronald Schmidt. Rick Bradford is running unopposed for mayor.

Council member Cynthia Herman, who asked for the no confidence vote, said it was a sad time in Argyle because of the divisiveness.

“The fact that we’re here tonight is not taken lightly,” she said.

She described how she and Livingston used to be friends.

“I sat next to him. I worked closely with him. I considered him to be a friend,” Herman said. “We campaigned together. I felt like we were moving this town in the right direction. However, I no longer recognize the person that sits to my right. I do not understand what has happened,” she said.

Brenda McDonald, an attorney representing Argyle, said the mayor can continue to hold office, and the council would have to file a petition with a district court to remove the mayor.

Several council members chastised Livingston for refusing to follow McDonald’s advice against releasing the report.

Livingston released a report regarding an investigation into allegations that he created a hostile work environment. ‘The report, conducted by an outside law firm, cleared Livingston.

On Thursday, Livingston sent a text message with a link to the report to all residents

This story was originally published April 24, 2023, 9:50 PM.

As issues with mobility in Argyle persist, town officials hope to get some clarity on construction projects planned for its two major roads.

Denton County has seen massive population growth in recent years, and Argyle has been no exception. Argyle’s population grew by 34.16% from 2010-20, while neighboring Northlake grew by over 200% in that time, according to U.S. Census data.

To help with Argyle traffic, plans to widen FM 407 and US 377 are currently in the planning stages. US 377 will eventually be expanded to two lanes on either side, while FM 407 will become three lanes on either side.

Both projects are a while away from full completion, but the town is hoping to see progress in 2023.

“This is a town that has really severe mobility issues because of the pace of development around us,” Argyle Mayor Bryan Livingston said. “The buildup of population around us has been quite rapid, so interior mobility in our town is really a problem. That's an issue that we're trying to cope with.”

The FM 407 project will get a head start with a breakout project that will add a lane to a 1.4 mile stretch of the road from Gateway Drive in Argyle to Cleveland Gibbs Road in Northlake. The breakout project will hopefully begin utility coordination around April, with a letting date set for late 2024, according to Argyle Public Works Director Robert White.

Livingston said the breakout project would not be possible without cooperation between all of the communities affected by the project.

“There's really had to be a fair amount of teamwork here, and it’s been effective,” Livingston said. “If we weren't working as a team, we would not have succeeded in getting a breakout project.”

As the FM 407 breakout project moves towards utility relocation, the US 377 project is hoping to break free of the delays caused by its own utility issues. Livingston said the project has seen several delays because “almost a dozen different underground utilities all operated by different owners had to be moved out of the way.”

White is hopeful that utilities will be relocated by August.

“Because of the utility relocation, [the US 377 project] was spinning its wheels for a while,” White said. “We're trying to make sure that we not only get our utilities moved off center, but the sewer lines have to fit within certain regulations—that means that if it's not done right, we could cause others needing to be relocated... Our hope is to try and have that done before September so we can get with (The Texas Department of Transportation) on pushing for the 377 project to go as quickly as possible.”

Another thing that may ease some of Argyle’s traffic issues is the completion of the Stonecrest Road reconstruction project, which is set to finish early this year. That project’s completion could also have some major benefits on the larger projects looming, according to White.

“With the condition of Stonecrest, from my understanding, it needed to be redone,” White said. “The question came up whether or not it would be better done before, during or after the US 377 widening... getting it done before is good, because that helps our local users, because they’ll have the alternate route of taking Stonecrest while [US] 377 is under construction.”

Livingston added that the Stonecrest Road project would have some other safety and quality of life advantages.

“Because the road surface was just a series of massive potholes and bumps, it had to be replaced for safety reasons,” Livingston said. “But you’ve had people who are losing their driveways for 24 hours or longer, and you’re also dealing with the road being fully blocked by equipment. It's just been hard, because we're dealing with narrow rights of way.”

Town officials are also hoping to address some of the thoroughfare issues with an update to its comprehensive plan. The update process began in December, and it is expected to conclude in July.

While the town is taking steps to deal with its mobility issues, Livingston said he knows that it will remain a challenge in the future due to the area's growth.

“When you rebuild small roads in a small town environment, there will inevitably be disruption, and it's not fun,” Livingston said. “The town has to make some decisions that balance the desire of most residents for preservation of the town’s small town character, as well as coping with being in one of the fastest growing counties in the United States.”

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The Argyle Town Council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution to formally oppose proposed routes for a disruptive transmission line through town.

Oncor Electricity Delivery Company recently informed area residents that it is proposing a new transmission line from a new switch outside Rhome, in Wise County, to a proposed switch southeast of the FM 1171/Hwy 377 interchange in west Flower Mound. The company is considering many different routes for this transmission line — dubbed the Ramhorn Hill-Dunham 345 kV Transmission Line Project — including some that would cut through developed areas in Argyle and Northlake. Residents said they were concerned about the impact a transmission line would have on their property values, the environment and “prudent avoidance of EMF exposure.”

Leaders in Argyle and Northlake have been working together to do what they can to discourage the most disruptive routes through their towns. They came up with their own route, farther south and more direct than all of Oncor’s proposed routes, and they’re asking U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, TX-26, and both U.S. senators from Texas to ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permission for the transmission line to go through part of the Corps land just west of Lake Grapevine. During Monday’s meeting, Mayor Bryan Livingston said that after initial talks, the Corps is open to the idea of the line going through its land, but the time crunch may be an issue in getting it done.

On Monday night, the council unanimously approved a resolution stating “in the strongest language possible, the Town of Argyle opposes the proposed alignments of the Transmission Line through the Town.” The resolution also states that the town will formally and fully support a southern route for the transmission line, and authorizes the town administrator “to take all necessary action, including the expenditure of funds,” to oppose the routes through town.

In a separate motion, the Town Council on Monday also authorized the mayor and town administrator to hire an attorney and/or public relations firm to help the town in its opposition to the transmission line routes.

Oncor representatives attended the meeting to provide more information about the transmission line. They said the project is deemed “critical to reliability,” meaning it will be fast-tracked into service. Oncor plans to file the project with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in May, and it will then go through a six-month litigated process, after which it will be known which route will be built. Construction wouldn’t be complete until 2025 at the earliest.

During the meeting, council members asked Oncor lots of questions, and then allowed residents to come up and ask the Oncor representatives their own questions. This was quickly ended because residents kept asking questions that Oncor couldn’t answer or had already answered.

Residents can voice their opposition or support for the proposed transmission line routes by filling out the Oncor questionnaire forms here by Jan. 20.