HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/21/1996 City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING __
ItELD ON
May 21, 1996
The Joint Work Session of the City Council and the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee
of the City of The Colony, Texas was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on the 21st day of May, 1996
at City Hall with the following Council roll call:
William Manning, Mayor Present
Bill Longo, Councilman Present
Mary Blair Watts, Councilman Present
David Stanwick, Councilman Present
Wilma Avey, Councilman Absent (Arrived at 7:40 p.m.)
John Dillard, Mayor Pro-tem Present
Dave Kovatch, Councilman Absent
and with five present, a quorum was established.
Also present were the following persons:
Sam Chavez, Gary McClure, DeVille Hubbard, Cathy Wood, Pam Nelson, Joan
Sveinsson, Sandi Gehrke, Tony Johnston, Garland Thornton, Jimmie McCormick, Loft Harlan,
Ray Turco, J.T. Dunkin, Worth Blake, Steve Swerdloff, Brian Baker, Joe Agnew, Barbara
Crocker, and Johnny Smith. The following items were addressed: -'"
2. REVIEW AND DISCUSS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROPOSAL
Mr. Sam Chavez, City Planner opened discussion by giving a background on the Steering
Committee, stating it is comprised of the Planning and Zoning Commission, 6 - 7 private citizens,
and consultants. Consultants J.T. Dunkin, Ray Turco, and Worth Blake were present to answer
questions.
Mr. Dunkin addressed the council telling them this plan will take time to accomplish and
noted that by the time they are actually under contract, there will only be 3 months left in this
budget year. Discussion followed regarding payment terms; the amount due this year, next year
and the following year. Mr. Dunkin was very agreeable to "waiting" for full payment.
Mr. Dunkin advised that impact fees alone usually take about 9 months to complete,
noting that the initial information needed from Hal Jones, engineer, should be ready by June 1,
1996. He said we have to get a growth projection tied in to the engineering work to make the
plan meaningful. Continuing, Mr. Dunkin explained that a comprehensive plan is a reflection
of what we (council, citizens and P&Z) want our community to be. He suggested that the
Capital Projects Advisory Committees could be helpful in assisting with setting the goals and
objectives for the plan, along with P & Z and P & R. Discussion followed about how the
comprehensive plan fits with the work being done by the Capital Projects Committees. Mr.
Dunkin said the information they (committees) have gathered needs to fit into the comprehensive
plan and stated it might be good to integrate these committee members into the Comprehensive
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Plan Steering Committee.
Mr. Ray Tm'co, who conducts public opinion research, explained how his survey would
be done, stating that very useful information is gained from these surveys. The survey will be
one of the first steps toward putting together the plan.
Mr. Worth Blake said he looks forward to working with Mr. Turco and gaining economic
development information that he has previously not had access to. Mr. Blake's finn will prepare
the economic development plan for the project.
Further discussion included timing on a bond election. Clear cut immediate needs should
be addressed soon, but other items should wait and be blended with the comprehensive plan.
The group also discussed how to bring the zoning ordinance into compliance with the
comprehensive plan, being careful not to take away rights of the property owners.
Mr. Smith stated the city needs to have a comprehensive plan. He agrees that the capital
improvement project committees are ahead and that he believes we all realize that now. He went
on to say, however, that we must address streets, water and sewer now to handle the growth and
development. He noted that the total amount for the full comprehensive plan is only $70,000 to
$80,000 over what we originally targeted.
There was a general consensus to go ahead with a full comprehensive plan. Mr. Dunkin
said if it is determined that an interim plan is needed before the full plan is complete, there will
be no extra cost. He went on to say their purpose is to do the work necessary to get to the end
of the project and that he hopes to be complete by June, 1997.
Mr. Chavez said he is very pleased with the scope of work. He said this is an aggressive
plan that would usually take 2 - 3 years to complete. Councilman Avey asked what recourse the
city has if the plan is not complete by June, 1997. Mr. Dunkin said it will be city's fault if it is
not done by then, explaining that sometimes things happen to delay projects of this type. Council
asked for a quarterly report to be given to council and that a provision be made in the contract
for that. Joe Agnew said he doesn't want to see us sacrifice quality just to have the plan
complete by June, 1997.
Mayor Manning said the contract will be on the consent agenda for the June 3, 1996
council meeting and asked that the council review prior to that time. Mr. Dunkin said he can
have a draft agreement to Mr. Smith by tomorrow (May 22, 1996) and Mr. Smith said that will
be made available to the council as soon as received, for their review.
With no further business to address, Mayor Manning adjourned the meeting at 9:10 p.m.
~illiam W. Manning,
ATTEST: --~
Patti A. Hicks, TRMC, City Secretary
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