A conversation with mayoral candidate Travis Mitchell

Editor’s Note: The following is a transcription of a Q&A session I conducted on two separate occasions with mayoral candidate Travis Mitchell.

Kyle Report (KR); Why are you running for mayor?

Mitchell: Honestly, there are a dozen reasons. But the three that rise to the surface have to do with leadership, direction, and vision. Mayor (Todd) Webster and council members (Becky) Selbera and (David) Wilson are all stepping down this year. Together they have 34 years of experience leading the city of Kyle. With that kind of knowledge leaving the dais, we need a leader who can hit the ground running and help new council members get their bearing. As we all know, Kyle is exploding with growth — both residential and commercial — and there are complicated and important negotiations taking place every day that will impact how our city develops in the coming years. We need a mayor who knows where we stand in these discussions, and how every item is connected to a bigger picture. We need a mayor with the business and political experience necessary to make sure our city negotiates from a place of strength and with the citizen’s best interest at heart. As to direction, I'm running for mayor to ensure that we don't take any steps backwards as a city. Kyle has been playing the long-game for several years now. Our city manager, Scott Sellers, is positioning us to finally shed the stigma that we are simply a bedroom community far enough south of Austin to have cheap housing developments within a commutable drive but not close enough to attract job producing commercial developments. Mr. Sellers says he wants Kyle to become a "destination city," and I agree. But I have started using a word I like more. If Kyle could only be known for one thing, I would want us to be known as a "strong" city — strong financially, economically, aesthetically, and culturally. And vision, of course, piggybacks from direction. Most people see government as, at best, a necessary evil. But I believe I have been called to fight against that notion. I believe Kyle's best days are ahead. And I want to pursue every avenue available to make that vision a reality.

KR: : Allow me to return for a moment to what you said about Kyle being known as a strong city. First to address its economic strength. In the three years I have lived here, it appears the overwhelming percentage of jobs that have been added to our economy are retail, possibly minimum wage retail. What do you propose to do to try to get higher paying jobs, bigger economic developments into Kyle?

Mitchell: Well, I might respectfully point out our burgeoning medical district as evidence of high-wage jobs coming to Kyle in a category other than retail. The suite of businesses opening around Seton and in Plum Creek are most welcome, and I am hopeful to see those job opportunities expand. I would also point to the highly publicized vote by Hays CISD exempting freeport goods from inventory tax in our city. That vote — which I spent months lobbying to help pass — has the potential to be a game changer for Kyle because, for the first time, we are on a level playing field with San Marcos and other areas all over Central Texas. I might add that Kyle is actively working to recruit several specific job-producing companies. Because these opportunities are confidential, I cannot reveal much. But I have high hopes that we will see some new and exciting companies in our area in the coming months.

KR: What proposals do you have in mind to make Kyle "aesthetically" stronger?

Mitchell: Well, to be clear, I am almost exclusively talking about controlling the architectural style of residential developments that come to Kyle. And I don't just mean brick vs. stucco or something like that. Kyle needs to have a clear sense of where development should happen, how dense that development should be given the location, how the streets are formatted within those developments, whether green spaces and parks are required, whether front-facing garages are the only options, and so on. We need an exhaustive vision for how development should occur, because without it, home builders will do what they want — what makes the most money and without regard to sustainability and livability.

KR: What ideas to you have to make Kyle culturally stronger?

Mitchell: I could answer that question 1,000 different ways. Cultural strength, to me, means that our residents have a sense of place. They have pride in their town because of how it is configured, and whether or not they do "life" here. And we can impact that through how we lead. Do we have the willingness to institute policies that force developers to build neighborhoods around the family instead of the car? Do we have the willingness to listen to what our citizens want and provide services and events that give them a sense of place? I want to be that person. I want to fight that fight.

KR: Do you think Kyle suffers from the fact it doesn't have something like a community theater, an art gallery or the like, or do you think Kyle is still too provincial to support such activities?

Mitchell: Perhaps. But the question we should ask ourselves is, "Why don't we have those types of venues?" And the answer is that Kyle is a young town with young demographics. We are mostly working class families with dual incomes and commutes and children. What little time we have is devoted to those kids. To me, that's not a bad thing. We need to help our families by creating spaces for them to spend time together and job opportunities for them to no longer commute. Kill the commute, create access to family activities, and our culture will naturally strengthen.

KR: I want to return to your comment about building neighborhoods. Kyle is lacking in any well defined self-contained neighborhoods, meaning being compact, walkable, diverse and connected. Do you think this needs to be corrected and, if so, what do you have in mind to affect those changes?

Mitchell: I have read Charles Marohn’s book, Strong Towns, and agree with much of what he writes. I'm always looking to vote and advocate for his ideas when they come across the dais. That said, I'm not sure if the ship hasn't sailed on Marohn's suburban utopia. The best we can do for Kyle is implement pieces of his philosophy into our development guides. We can search for developers who share in that vision and incentivize them to invest in our community. And, when possible, we can deny those developers who seek to pave over any sense of "self-containing" and go instead with listless, sprawling subdivisions.

KR: What rules or procedures, if any, has Mayor Webster instituted that you would like to change?

Mitchell: That's a question I haven't considered. I'm not sure if most of the council policies pre-date him or not. I have little interest in bringing back the surfeit of sub-committees that Mayor Webster eliminated. And I played a role in changing the method of interviewing for appointments. I would like to see the agendas posted 48 hours earlier than they are currently.

KR: Your record on the council indicates you have consistently been a person intent in injecting new life and energy into Kyle's downtown area. Is this an accurate observation and, if so, what do you hope to accomplish as mayor to make that happen?

Mitchell: I've learned many lessons since being elected to council. One of them is that our downtown could be incredible, but it will never reach its potential until the people who live there want to see the change. Right now revitalization happens over their dead body. We are seeing some new projects (like the Howry building and The Railhouse), but our square is 40 percent residential. 40 percent! Some of that property is owned by the Kyle Fire Department. We have tried for months now to barter for that property and help catalyze commercial development, but thus far have come up empty. I'll keep trying.

KR: Would you support an addition to the budget that would pay for the cost of a council member to be able to host, at least, one budget town hall meeting during the month of August and perhaps as many as two others during the course of a fiscal year?

Mitchell: Such an event is not stymied from a lack of funds, but from a lack of will. Assuming the request was modest, I would support it, sure.

KR: Do you plan on (1) putting a hard three-minute cap that will be rigidly and uniformly enforced on speakers during citizen comment periods and public hearings; and/or (2) adding a second citizens comment period near the end of council meetings — perhaps immediately prior to executive session — for the benefit of those who, for whatever reason, could not make it to City Hall early enough to speak at the first one or who might wish to speak on something that transpired during the meeting, providing a rule was in place prohibiting a person from speaking at both citizen comments periods?

Mitchell: Neither. I believe in a soft three minutes that gives some leeway to commenters who are not intentionally abusing the privilege. I would draw a firmer line if there is some issue that has a lot of people registering to speak. But our typical way of allowing citizens to comment is, to me, appropriate.

KR: Do you perceive city council meetings are too lengthy and, if so, would you favor restricting the two regularly scheduled monthly meetings to action items only with a third meeting scheduled for presentations, proclamations and other ceremonial events?

Mitchell: That would be a subject best discussed openly if the newly seated council wishes to discuss. Personally, I'm good with how we're doing things.

KR: Last year, the council raised the height limitations on buildings located in areas zoned RS ro 150 feet. Would you advocate for and/or support these same heights on buildings in the proposed new Mixed Use and Office/Institutional zoning categories?

Mitchell: I would recommend removing the height limitation entirely.

KR: Q: In all zoning categories?

Mitchell: Yes. Limiting vertical development, to me, is nonsensical.

KR: I'm guessing that also answers my next question but just to be sure: Does that mean you also favor lifting the height restrictions on multi-family that would allow for high rise apartment/condominium developments in Kyle?

Mitchell: You bet

KR: What are your thoughts on contracting for municipal auditing services similar to the way the city contracts for its city attorney?

Mitchell: That's a broad question. Or perhaps I'm unclear that such a comprehensive auditing service exists. I am looking forward to receiving a copy of of the KPD audit. Other than the CAFR, it will be my first real interaction with such a document. So I suppose I'll need to weigh in on your question after I see if our KPD audit proves helpful.

KR: What, if anything, did the city manager include in his current budget that you objected to? What was omitted that you want included for the next fiscal year?

Mitchell: This year’s budget was a landmark for the city. To me, it represented a turning point because we addressed key issues while trimming $10,000,0000 and reducing the tax rate by about 5 percent. That said, the budget can never be 100 percent to a person’s liking. There are just far too many variables for everyone to agree on every single line. For example, I advocated to prioritize the burying of our power lines downtown. We already paid for sleeving the lines when we installed the streetscapes. But we have not finished the job. I see that as wasted money in the ground until we bury the lines. I also was less than thrilled for the skate park. While it’s a fine idea, I would have preferred to move that project back a few years. And I was concerned about the sales tax projections because last year, even though we ended with a budget surplus, we overestimated the sales tax revenue. I would have liked to see those projections reflect a stronger commitment to be underestimated.

KR: How do you feel about budgeting for outcomes?

Mitchell: I am a numbers guy. One of my favorite things to do with our budget is analyze the data, and the Kyle budget makes that exceptionally easy. What I mean is, the budget itself doesn’t have an opinion. It just lays out the dollars and cents. It’s my job to interpret what the budget says about Kyle. For example, I recently asked myself this question: What is the city’s outstanding debt as a percentage of total taxable assessed value? Our budget makes answering that question as simple as finding the line items and dividing. I can then ask the same question of the Buda budget and the San Marcos budget to arrive at a comparative baseline. Then I get to ponder what those numbers mean and draw conclusions that shape how I vote and for what projects I advocate. Budgeting for outcomes is conceptually challenging to someone like me, because it seeks to answer questions for me, which I don’t particularly like. That said, I don’t feel strongly about it. If there was interest from our finance department I would happily study the process more. But as of now, I very much enjoy wading into the budget and putting my mind to work searching for answers.

KR: What, if any, structural changes would you propose for the city staff?

Mitchell: I believe our staff is structured appropriately and do not have any desire to recommend a structural change. The more important question for council will be determining the proper staffing levels across all departments. For example, the recent council-initiated police audit calls for additions and subtractions in staffing across several departments. The council will need to seriously consider these recommendations in the next budget cycle.

KR: How would you evaluate the performance of the person you hope to replace as mayor?

Mitchell: Mayor Webster is one of a kind. I have gotten to know him well in the last two years and have watched him navigate through dozens of highly complicated situations related to the city. He has consistently created opportunities for the council to pursue items that matter to them, and he has afforded me complete freedom to express my own thoughts from the dais, including disagreement with no fear of reprisal. The thing I appreciate most about Mayor Webster is that he does not have a public ego. He does not seek praise, and he does not kowtow to political pressure for the sake of votes or admiration. He just methodically goes about the city’s business. And he knows how to get things done, which as a business owner, I admire. That said, Mayor Webster has admitted on numerous occasions that he wishes he had more energy to focus on community engagement. I understand his desire. I think, as hard as it may be, a mayor must consistently put himself out there and foster a healthy environment for citizen feedback and interaction. I believe I have demonstrated that I am capable and willing to improve on his administration in that way.

KR: Does Kyle have an issue with parking that needs to be addressed and, if so, how would you address it?

Mitchell: Most of our parking trouble relates to downtown, around our schools, and within the interior streets of some of our denser subdivisions like Plum Creek. Downtown parking can be challenging when a festival is ongoing or when traffic prevents cars from easily parking due to the slanted nature of the spaces on Center Street. I have participated in multiple meetings where we brainstormed solutions. Most of the discussion centers around major downtown revitalization. We are exploring one-ways, additional streetscape infrastructure, possibly off-lining Miller street along the southern portion of the square, and more. But most of the conversation is just that — conversation. We’ll need much more public input and an identified funding source before taking any steps. Our schools are also growing and that creates parking concerns in the neighborhoods. Lehman High is a zoo when school lets out. This causes students to park all along the streets of Steeplechase and Southlake Ranch so they can "beat the traffic." We have explored multiple solutions to that problem as a council, but thus far no action has been taken. The conversation is not over. In some of our neighborhoods the streets are narrow and street-side parking prevents two-way traffic. It also creates a problem for ambulances and, more importantly, fire trucks. Fire trucks need a 12-feet minimum clearance to park in a street with stabilizers. To address this problem, council recently adopted the latest International Fire Code and added language to force new developments to account for a minimum of 20-feet unencumbered clearance. That means if streets are too narrow they must be one-sided parking or even no-parking. We also have considered turning certain streets in Kyle to one-sided parking. But that full discussion hasn’t happened yet and we’ll need to carefully consider the effects one street at a time before taking any action.

KR: What changes would you like to see made to the city’s charter?

Mitchell: I haven’t explored the document much from the perspective of finding items to change. It’s a pretty solid document. I can say I am open to having a conversation about how our districts are drawn and how the council terms are structured.

KR: If it came to a vote on the city council, would you vote to reinstate Jessie Espinoza to the Kyle Police Department?

Mitchell: I have very strong opinions on this subject, but am not able to speak about it because the council is dealing with a long and winding lawsuit related to Mr. Espinoza. What I can say is I am thankful for our police department and the leadership we have in place. Chief (jeff) Barnett and Captain (Pedro) Hernandez are highly vested in our core values and are steadily improving the culture and quality of our officers. KPD is stronger than it has ever been.

KR: What changes would you propose to the city’s sign ordinance.

Mitchell: Revamping the city sign ordinance is like asking for a root canal. That said, I think we’re due. I probably get more questions related to interpreting the sign ordinance than any other ordinance in the city codex. I have studied the ordinance in detail and even proposed modifying the ordinance a few months back. However, the more we considered the ordinance, the more it became clear that a major overhaul was needed — not just a Band-Aid. A few examples. Did you know in Kyle it is illegal to install a feather flag in front of your business? But take that same flag, put it on the hood of your vehicle, and voila, it’s legal. Another example is banners. Currently the ordinance says banners must only be installed on the façade of your building and can only remain for 30 days. But that rule is not enforced and therefore businesses all over Kyle have banners installed in all kinds of ways and leave them there for months. The real question we must ask ourselves is: What do we think about signs? Do we believe they are important advertising tools for our business community and should therefore craft legislation that is business-friendly? Or do we believe signs are only for designation purposes, are mostly eyesores, and should therefore craft strict rules to limit the presence of signage. It’s no secret where I land. I believe signage is vital for businesses, especially small businesses. I would propose we find ways to loosen our sign ordinance without overdoing it. And I would recommend that we simplify the rules so that we can strictly enforce what is written. Ultimately, we need to structure the rules so that they are consistent and fair to all types of signs and all types of businesses. The sign ordinance, as I see it, appears prejudiced against some signs while over-allowing or under enforcing the regulation of other signs. That needs to change.

KR: In your opinion, does Kyle have a mobility problem and, if so, what steps would you take to correct it?

Mitchell: For the last 20 or so years, suburban developments have focused on making the automobile the centerpiece of mobility. Walkability and bike-ability were cast aside to make room for bigger garages and driveways. Today, in most Kyle subdivisions, if you want to grocery shop or get dinner, what do you do? You load up in your car and drive there. I believe subdivisions should create a more robust sense of place. What I mean is, developers should build subdivisions with neighborhood retail components in their interior and design small park-type spaces within walking distance of every home. After all, the best way to meet your neighbors is to have gathering places within walking distance. From there, I would also advocate for keeping development as close as possible to our urban core and regional nodes. The further away from town, the less density we should have (which is why I routinely vote against measures for developers to increase density in the ETJ). And we should focus on implementing the strategies in our Parks Masterplan that call for increased trails and connectivity between subdivisions and the surrounding area. To accomplish these things, the council will have to muster some courage because most developers don’t like building this way.

KR: Do you think holding city council elections every year contributes to voter fatigue?

Mitchell: Perhaps. But voting happens every year regardless of the city elections. It’s also our constitutional right to vote and I have learned over the years to cherish every opportunity to cast a ballot. We recently moved the city election to November to coincide with the state and federal election. That might help with fatigue, but then again, the school board still holds its election in May so we didn’t really change much in that regard. I think my bigger concern is not voter fatigue, but rather our city council is annually engaged in what some endearingly refer to as "the silly season" — which is the time between when a candidate files for office and the election. When at least two seats on the council are up for election every year, it puts political pressure on multiple members of council, especially in our single-member districts which routinely draw only a couple hundred votes in the election. Such pressure can have negative effects on how the council performs as a unit in terms of governing the city responsibly and predictably. I would prefer we consider holding elections less frequently not because of voter fatigue, but because the process might create a less politicized environment on the dais.

KR: Give me your evaluation of City Manager Scott Sellers’s performance?

Mitchell: Hiring Scott Sellers was the best decision the council has made in the last three years. I say that unequivocally and without hesitation. I could give a dozen examples in the last year where Mr. Sellers has successfully negotiated a smart deal on the city’s behalf. But it doesn’t end there. Mr. Sellers is the kind of leader I hope my kids aspire to emulate. His creation of and commitment to Kyle’s core values is in keeping with the best practices of any manager. The results speak for themselves. The city staff overwhelmingly enjoys working at Kyle and more so they perform at a high level. Additionally, I find Scott to be among the most honest and ethical people I have ever met. He is a hard worker. He is capable of quickly absorbing dense amounts of information. He does not get angry or react emotionally. In fact, one of the reasons I decided to run for mayor was to ensure Scott remains our leader in Kyle for years to come.

KR: The city is steadily increasing its bond capacity. Do you see the need for a general obligation bond proposal during in the next three years and, if so, what should those bonds be used for?

Mitchell: If Kyle issues a GO bond in the next three years, it should be for a new police station. Our police facilities are not adequate for the size of our city. The old Wells Fargo bank was not designed as a police station. We need a facility that can be properly hardened and that has space for the department to operate efficiently. That said, just because we are steadily improving our debt position doesn’t mean we should jump to borrow. San Marcos and Buda, even with the passage of their 2017 bonds, are still less leveraged than Kyle.

KR: What kind of tax incentives do you support in order to attract new businesses to Kyle?

Mitchell: I have a few general rules I follow when it comes to business incentives. First, I seek to prioritize businesses that might not otherwise locate in Kyle but for the incentive. What I mean is, I’m looking for companies with options. Wal-mart, for example, does not count. They want to come to Kyle because they are selling retail items locally. But a company who is simply looking to locate somewhere in the region? If they create jobs and will heavily invest in real property, I want to compete to get them here. Second, I’m looking for companies who bring high-wage career jobs. Those types of businesses have multiplier effects on our local economy and on our tax base. Employees at those businesses have discretionary income, they live in higher-end homes, and they are likely to live in the community, which means their incomes will circulate through our local economy many times over. And third, I’m looking for companies who, if they locate in Kyle, will catalyze additional commercial developments around them. Seton is a great example. By incentivizing Seton to locate in Kyle, we helped spawn a medical district that is the jewel of Hays County. And we created the opportunity for the city to confidently develop Kyle Parkway which led to several hundred million dollars in commercial developments.

KR: And now for the "de rigueur" final question — anything else you want to add?

Mitchell: I am looking forward to campaigning for mayor of Kyle. I plan to work twice as hard as I did when I ran for council, and I will take as much help and support as I can get along the way. I believe in the future of Kyle and want to be there as we take the next step forward.