06-G-Fannin Rail DistrictAGENDA INFORMATION SHEET
PROJECT: Consider a resolution supporting the efforts of the Fannin Rail Transportation district
to continue rail operations along feeder tracks, including a four mile portion inside the city of Paris,
and extending in a westerly direction.
BACKGROUND: The City of Paris was contacted by the Fannin Rail District and D&R Railroad
soliciting the support of the City of Paris in the form of a formal resolution of the City Council with
regard to continuation of rail operation extending westward from the city of Paris. Specifically, the
issue is whether or not rail service can be continued upon the existing tracks owned by the Union
Pacific Railroad which extend westerly from the city of Paris to Bells. Maps indicating the route in
question are included in the agenda package materials. Currently, it is the understanding of the City
that Union Pacific intends to abandon the track in question and presumably remove the existing rail,
so that Paris will be even further isolated with respect to potential rail service.
A resolution was presented to the City Council for its consideration at the February 12, 2001,
meeting. At that time, the resolution presented to Council contained language requested by the
Fannin Rail District.
Since that original Council meeting, meetings have been held involving various representatives of the
City, the Chamber of Commerce, the Fannin Rail District, D&R Railroad, States Railroad (parent
company for Kiamichi Railroad), and the Union Pacific Railroad. Issues have been discussed with
regard to what will ultimately happen to the track in question and the perspective of each entity and
their ability to affect what happens to the track.
As a consequence of those meetings, additional changes to the proposed resolution have been
suggested by both the Chamber of Commerce and States Railroad (Kiamichi Railroad). While some
of the suggested changes would only serve to clarify certain portions of the resolution, other changes
could have a significant impact on the intended purpose of the resolution from the perspective of the
original requestor, the Fannin Rail District.
In an effort to advise Council as succinctly as possible, the agenda package includes the original draft
resolution presented in February (which includes changes proposed by the Fannin Rail District), and
a markup resolution which shows in a single document the changes originally incorporated at the
request of the Fannin Rail District, the changes proposed by the Chamber of Commerce, and the
changes proposed by States Railroad.
DESCRIPTION: City Council should review carefully the changes proposed by each of the
respective parties in this matter, as well as the supporting documentation included with the agenda
package. Thereafter, Council should direct City staff as to the exact language which Council deems
appropriate for inclusion in the final resolution. Presumably, the representatives of the respective
parties on this issue will be in attendance at the City Council to present their concerns with regard
to the language which would be included, omitted, or substituted in the resolution.
LOCATION: The railroad line in question would include four miles of track within the city limits
of the city of Paris, as well as additional trackage extending west of Paris all the way to Bells, Texas.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Consider appropriate language for inclusion in a resolution, and
approve that resolution with the appropriate language.
STAFF CONTACT: Larry W. Schenk, City Attorney; and Michael E. Malone, City Manager
COUNCIL DATE: Consider a resolution containing appropriate language as approved by City
Council at City Council's March 26, 2001, special Council meeting.
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: See materials provided by the Fannin Rail District, the Lamar
County Chamber of Commerce, and States Railroad as well as the prior resolution presented to City
Council for its approval and the markup resolution showing the changes proposed by the respective
parties.
[~tat, e Rail a~d~iQn~]
[Sta.~e P~il ~eletiPnl]
RESOLUTION NO.
[WORK-UP RES]
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
PARIS, TEXAS, SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE FANNIN RURAL
RAIL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT TO CONTINUE RAH. OPERATIONS
AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ALONG FEEDER TRACKS WITHIN
LAMAR COUNTY AND PARIS, TEXAS, AND ESPECIALLY WITH
REGARD TO TRACKS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF [DtS-POSA-Iz
ABANDONMENT] BY THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD; AUTHORIZING
THE MAYOR AND CITY MANAGER TO PURSUE ALL APPROPRIATE
AVENUES IN EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR
THE EFFORTS OF THE RAIL DISTRICT; AUTHORIZING THE
DISTRIBUTION OF COPIES OF THIS RESOLUTION TO APPROPRIATE
FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS AS A FORMAL
EXPRESSION OF SUPPORT BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
PARIS; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO
THE SUBJECT; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the public and private sector in Lamar County, Texas, including the City of
Paris City Council, Lamar County Commissioners Court, the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce,
the Paris Economic Development Corporation, and committed citizens and volunteers, have expended
considerable effort, time, and funding in the pursuit of enhanced economic development in Lamar
County, With special emphasis on industrial development and improvement of recreational
opportunities; and,
WHEREAS, transportation limitations, such as the absence of an adjacent interstate highway
s,,stem the closest be~n~ almost fifty miles away, [a~,,~ ~,,,~ ~,,~ j ...... ,r~--~ ~'~ ¥ -~"'
?_' /2'_ _~ ...... ,~ ...... -' ..... ::~-~,~h-' 2~c~d, and the prevxous
loss of ra.%l 1.1.nes serva, ng P'arl. s from tD.e SOUr. P. anct eas~t .;.,aa. vx %j
the Kiamichi Railroad as the only viable railroad serving Paris-;
and ]~[ ........... "'-' ...... '°'""~ '"' '~"'°'"~"''
P&c",;,'t&;r,,~,~ $~::~,G &cea; and,
~li~~~ ail ~sp z%a~i -~ ..... ~ ..... ~ ......
~ ...... ~ ........... ................ ar~a]; and
WHEREAS, the small town atmosphere and beautiful lakes in the area provide a quality of
life attractive to industry, as well as to residents of nearby metropolitan areas; and,
WHEREAS, a rail district, the Fannin Rural Rail Transportation Dist~ct ("the Rail District")
recentlyhasbeenformedforthepurposeof [d~v~l~iT'g za~l &~-ica ol~t&,£n~J
rail line being abandoned by Union ?acific and for the purpose of
preserving rail service) for both industry and recreational purposes among the Paris,
Honey Grove, and Bonham communities; and,
.............. · .. --..~o-'-,-.'s,,~e'.'.:~ ............................ .:.~z::~oz~:~_~::~:~:~,i~:~o:~=.z...~o.~...~-.~o."~'~'~"~.~-' °.~
WHEREAS, this ~lill~l~r, county rail service, with potential connections to major
metropolitan areas, would constitute an essential and significant component to enhance growth and
growth planning for the area; and,
WHEREAS, the Union Pacific Railroad has expressed its intention to
~ma~rs] the current forty-five mile railway line from Bonham to Paris, thereby affording the
ity for n ofmchrmlhnebvt-~ a RatlD~stnct, [~ ...........
[~REAS, the operation of the inter-county rail service by
the Rail District would enhance the transportation infrastructure.
system in the Paris area]; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, PARIS,
TEXAS:
Section 1. That the findings set out in the preamble to this resolution are hereby in all things
approved.
Section 2. That the City Council of the City of Paris, Paris, Texas, strongly supports the
efforts of the Rail District to acquire the [a~.,~,~
~ Union Pacific rail line' being abandoned] from Bonham to Paris,
s~ronEly suppo~s ~he effoms or,he Rad D~s~nc~ ~o develop [ ........ 3 ....
__, ................ ~ ...... ~-'- ra~l~-ayJ the rail line] ~oe~ance
econo~c dev~lopmem: ~mprove r~crem~on~ ac~w~t{es, ~d EeneraHy ~mprove the Pa~s and Lamar
Coumy community.
Sec~i~ 3. Thru ~he Mayor and C~y Manager be, and ~h~y are h~reby~ authorized to
unde~e ~y ~d all effo~s reasonably necessa~ to see thru stme legislmive and federal
congressional and appropriate ad~nistrative officials are advised of the strong suppo~ of the City
of Paris for the proposed railway acquisition by the ~1 District.
Section 4. That this resolution shall be filed ~th any and all appropriate officials as the
official, form~ statemem of position by the City Council of the City of Paris regarding cominuation
of rail se~ice to the City of P~s as described herein and to suppo~ all similar i~tiatives which would
enhance transpo~ation and r~l se~ice withn the City of Paris.
Section 5. That this resolution shall be effective ~om and after its date of passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED this 12th day of March, 2001.
Michael J. Pfiester, Mayor
ATTEST:
Mattie Cunningham, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Larry W. Schenk, City Attorney
[TABLED 2/12/01 ]
RESOLUTION NO.
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS,
PARIS, TEXAS, SUPPORTING THE EFFORTS OF THE FANNIN RURAL
RAlL TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT TO CONTINUE RAIL OPERATIONS
AND TRANSPORTATION SERVICES ALONG FEEDER TRACKS WITHIN
LAMAR COUNTY AND PARIS, TEXAS, AND ESPECIALLY WITH
REGARD TO TRACKS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF DISPOSAL BY
THE UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD; AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND
CITY MANAGER TO PURSUE ALL APPROPRIATE AVENUES IN
EXPRESSING THE SUPPORT OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE
EFFORTS OF THE RA1L DISTRICT; AUTHORIZING THE DISTRIBUTION
OF COPIES OF THIS RESOLUTION TO APPROPRIATE FEDERAL AND
STATE GOVERNMENTAL OFFICIALS AS A FORMAL EXPRESSION OF
SUPPORT BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS; MAKING
OTHERFINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND
DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
WHEREAS, the public and private sector in Lamar County, Texas, including the City of
Paris City Council, Lamar County Commissioners Court, the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce,
the Paris Economic Development Corporation, and committed citizens and volunteers, have expended
considerable effort, time, and funding in the pursuit of enhanced economic development in Lamar
County, with special emphasis on industrial development and improvement of recreational
opportunities; and,
WHEREAS, transportation limitations, such as the absence of an adjacent interstate highway
system, the closest being almost fifty miles away, and the only viable rail service to the city of Paris
being the Kiamichi Railroad, which serves only a limited north and south route, have historically and
consistently been a limitation on the success of the economic development efforts in the city of
Paris/Lamar County area; and,
WHEREAS, existing local industry has expressed interest in using rail service as an
alternative and less expensive means of transporting raw materials, components, and finished
products; and,
WHEREAS, viable rail transportation service would have a significant positive impact on
future economic development efforts to attract new industry to the area; and,
WHEREAS, the small town atmosphere and beautiful lakes in the area provide a quality of
life attractive to industry, as well as to residents of nearby metropolitan areas; and,
WHEREAS, a rail district, the Fannin Rural Rail Transportation District ("the Rail District")
recently has been formed for the purpose of developing rail service for both industry and recreational
purposes among the Paris, Honey Grove, and Bonham communities; and,
WHEREAS, RailAmerica, operators of Texas & North Eastern and Dallas, Garland &
Northeastern railroads between Bells, Texas and Sherman, Denison, and Greenville, Texas are
currently using tracks owned and leased from Union Pacific; and,
WHEREAS, RailAmerica has agreed to handle Fannin Rail District carloads between Bells
and Sherman, Denison and Greenville to affect interchanges with BNSF, LIP, and DCS; and,
WHEREAS, RailAmerica could be prevented from performing such interchanges for Fannin
Rail District because handling these loads could exceed their existing operation agreements with
Union Pacific; and,
WHEREAS, this intm-county rail service, with potential connections to major metropolitan
areas, would constitute an essential and significant component to enhance growth and growth
planning for the area; and,
WHEREAS, the Union Pacific Railroad has expressed its intention to dispose of the current
forty-five mile railway line from Bonham to Paris, thereby affording the opportunity for purchase of
such rail line by the Rail District, with the exception that the railroad has reserved a four mile segment
within the city limits within the city of Pads and such four mile segment would be a necessity for the
Rail District to develop a rail system and fully connect the entire area; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, PARIS,
TEXAS:
Section 1. That the findings set out in the preamble to this resolution are hereby in all things
approved.
Section 2. That the City Council of the City of Paris, Paris, Texas, strongly supports the
efforts of the Rail District to acquire the apparently surplus forty-five mile railway from Bonham to
Paris, including acquisition of that four mile segment within the city of Paris intended to be reserved
by the Union Pacific including allowing RallAmerica unfettered and unrestricted ability to handle
Fannin Rail District carloads to and from Sherman, Denison, and Greenville for purpose of
interchange with BNSF, UP, and KCS, and strongly supports the efforts of the Rail District to
develop said forty-five mile railway and other adjacent trunk railways to enhance economic
development, improve recreational activities, and generally improve the Pads and Lamar County
community.
Section 3. That the Mayor and City Manager be, and they are hereby, authorized to
undertake any and all efforts reasonably necessary to see that state legislative and federal
congressional and appropriate administrative officials are advised of the strong support of the City
of Paris for the proposed railway acquisition by the Rail District.
Section 4. That this resolution shall be filed with any and all appropriate officials as the
official, formal statement of position by the City Council of the City of Paris regarding continuation
of rail service to the City of Paris as described herein and to support all similar initiatives which would
enhance transportation and rail service within the City of Paris.
Section 5. That this resolution shall be effective from and after its date of passage.
PASSED AND APPROVED this 12th day of February, 2001.
ATTEST:
Michael J. Pfiester, Mayor
Mattie Cunningham, City Clerk
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Larry W. Schenk, City Attorney