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.. ~ of Paris Stud~ of Lake Crook March,2001 , There should be severe limitations on the 'use of insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers on lawns, gardens and landscapes. Almost all insecticides for home use carry warning labels conveying a stem. threat of potential environmental damage to fish and birds if the product is misused. Although monitored by the city's treatment plant staff and laboratory, nonnal filtratioI} methods at the city's water treatment plant are no t designed to remove these types of po isons from water. The city should restrict potential silt damage to the lake during the construction of utilities, roadways and buildings. Erosion control plans must be developed and adhered to by each of the parties involved in building subdivisions or homes, The clearing of trees and vegetation should be closely regulated to prevent potential erosion damage to the shoreline. 3.1.3 Legal Issues. The consultant is a\vare of Section 253.001(b) \vhich requires that land held by a city as a park may not be sold unless the issue is submitted to the qualified voters of the municipality and approved by a majority of the votes cast. Section 1508.006 of the Texas Government Code further requires an election if the property is sold or encumbered for more than $5,000. Case la\v has extended these provisions to even cover long term leases of property. .., Chapter 272 of the Texas Local Government Code contains provisions requiring a published notice and a sealed bid to sell or exchange land. Once again, this la\v has been ~xtended by case law to cover long term leases as being comparable to an actual sale. The consultant is not qualified to practice law. We do not knO\V \vhether the use of the property for hunting, hiking or similar uses renders it as "park" land and therefore subject to an election or not. Certainly, however, this is an obstacle to overcome if the city council does decide the sale of land is in its best interest. We point out that one citizen could effectively shut down the process of selling land until a ruling could be issued in court months or years down the line. 3.1.4 Logistics to a Sale of Public Land. Hand in hand with the previous discussion section, the actual transfer of land to a developer may prove to be extremely complicated. For example, no developer will want to bid on the property without conducting his own feasibility and due diligence study to decide what the land might be worth to him or her. Most developers, faced with a competitive bid situation, may not be inclined to invest the money to conduct such a study on the off chance they may 'win' the bid. Further, the potential bidder may be reluctant to accept the city's own study as being sufficiently thorough enough on which to base a bid for possibly millions of dollars. Given these difficulties in preparing a bid, potential bidders will be reluctant and competition will be scarce. As a result the bid prices the city receives may be artificially low. 3.1.5 Campbell Soup. The nuisance odors created by the surface disposaf of irrigated waste water on Campbell Soup property is apparently well known in Paris circles. We encountered dozens of individuals who stated the odor is so strong that it can make one ill to the stomach at the very worst and keep citizens indoors at the very least. Campbell Soup does not appear to be altering their disposal process and have millions of dollars invested in their land disposal system. A developer considering Lake Crook will not take this problem lightly. It may be a substantial Page 20 of 45