Having only lived here in Italy for 20 years, I know that I am a newbie. But over my lifetime I have learned a lot. One of the things I think I have learned is a bit about life. Now what I am going to say will offend some — but there is a time for new as well as old. (Continued…)

The Italy School Board wants to get rid of Superintendent Malone. According to multiple sources, the special meeting scheduled for Monday evening is to pressure Malone into resigning or — failing that — possibly firing him. The timing of this is suspect at best, it can ruin a man’s life, it would unalterably change the future of the district, and probably will end quality education in Italy.

3 Comments (Continued…)

In every town there is problems of underage drinking. Unfortunately alcohol and drugs are available everywhere. Recently I asked our police chief C. V. Johns how he would like to handle rumors and facts about people and parties supplying alcohol to our youth. This was his reply: (Continued…)

As most everyone knows by now, one of the items on the ballot for Tuesday, November 3rd, is a vote whether to have beer and wine sales in the stores in the town of Italy. (Continued…)

There is a new law that has recently been passed by the Texas Legislature. (See the images.) This law is set up to allow any county that wishes to subscribe to it, to force all the home owners in the county to put a regulation size sign on their homes identifying the home. (Continued…)

What a surprise, what a big surprise to get this letter from Joe Grubbs, county attorney. It turns out the way I read it, any municipality can enact illegal annexations or probably anything else within the city and if it is kept quiet and no action is filed against it within two years; it is automatically beyond any action. In other words, the illegal annexations that were carried out by the City of Italy are now legal. (Continued…)

Letter to Joe Grubbs, Ellis County District Attorney, from David South, publisher of the Italy Neotribune, regarding illegal annexations by the City of Italy. (Continued…)

Mayor Frank Jackson isn’t just the best paid mayor in Ellis County, his salary is 34 percent more than the combined compensation of nine nearby mayors. It’s 3 times higher than the Waxahachie Mayor and 65 times higher than the Ennis Mayor. (Continued…)

On Monday, the Italy City Council turned the Mayor’s job into a paid position. This is not just unwise, it’s probably illegal and certainly unethical. It undermines the trust of the community and makes everyone feel that the good old boy system is alive and well in Italy, Texas.

7 comments Updated 4/18/09 11:58 am (Continued…)

Did you know that Houston does not have zoning. One study by US News and World report said the only difference they could see when they studied cities with zoning and without was it was more expensive to own and/or build in the zoned cities. It is about freedom. If a property is zoned for a park it will not sell for very much in most cities. If it is zoned for homes the value is determined by the buyers of homes. If it is commercial its value will be determined by what the business owner figures it is worth. Rarely will any business want to move into a neighborhood. But there may be a doctor who would like to be closer to his patients. Or a coffee shop might like to have a small neighborhood unit. Can you see the value?

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Italy needs to decide if they want businesses in town or just certain homes. The last P & Z meeting illustrates the point. Today, if a business person wants to open a facility in Italy they have to beg. It looked like that might change in the last P & Z meeting, right up until someone says we must add the phrase with special use permit. (Continued…)