Near the end of last Tuesday’s Planning & Zoning Commission, after all the truck stop NIMBYs had cleared the chamber, Planning Director Howard J. Koontz told the commissioners to expect some vacancies on the commission in the very near future and warned that only a few individuals were standing in line to take their places.
I’m not at all surprised. Serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission in Kyle (but not in other cities where I have been involved in city government) is a thankless task. The City Council lacks the courage or the integrity to have any faith in their commission appointees and, as a result, has stripped from the commissioners the authority that would make serving on the committee worthwhile.
I can’t imagine how frustrating members of the Planning & Zoning Commission must be. When the agenda for the upcoming P&Z meeting is posted, usually early Friday evening, I read it very carefully and then on Saturdays and Sundays, armed with my camera and accompanied by my faithful canine companion, I’ll venture out to the properties in question to take a look at the areas myself, even take pictures for later study or possible use on this journal. That’s just me. I can’t begin to imagine all the more work, effort and study the commissioners devote to these same agenda items every single week. And what happens? What is the result of their hard work, effort and study? The City Council will, one week later, overturn the commissioners’ decisions. Really?
This coming council meeting will be a perfect example. Following more than an hour of listening to citizens’ concerns and time spent debating the pros and cons of the issue, not to mention the pre-meeting effort spent reviewing the city’s Comprehensive Plan and other documents, site visits, etc., the commissioners voted 5-2 to deny a proposed zoning change that would have allowed a developer to locate a truck stop in South Kyle. On Tuesday, I’m betting the City Council, on an identical 5-2 vote, approves the zoning request, ignoring the decision of those the council deemed planning experts (If they weren’t, why did the council appoint them in the first place?).
And this won’t be the first time this has happened. It’s routine. Just a couple of weeks ago, the council overturned a P&Z decision that would have allowed the construction of a townhome development in downtown Kyle.
I’m not arguing here which side had the more valid argument in either of these cases. I’m just chagrined at the ease this council has in overturning P&Z decisions and I can understand why no one with any real sense or dedication would want to waste their time and experience the frustration of serving on the Planning & Zoning Commission.
This is an easy fix, however, although I sincerely doubt this City Council has the courage or the integrity to make the fix. But, in an ideal world, Kyle would do what every other city government I have ever worked with does: Change the rules, the ordinances, whatever it is needed, so that it takes four-fifths of the entire council (in Kyle’s case, that would mean six council members) to overturn any decision by its Planning & Zoning Commission, not just a simple majority.
If that change is made, now you have here in Kyle what most other cities have: a Planning & Zoning Commission with real authority to forge a path for the city’s future and you’re far more likely to see a wider and deeper pool of qualified candidates wishing to serve on P&Z. Everybody wins.
However, I’ll bet you my last dollar this City Council lacks both the courage and the integrity to take this necessary step. These folks don’t trust or respect anybody, not even each other, let alone someone serving as one of their appointees on a board or commission.
What a shame! What a disgrace!
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