The change will be reflected during a vote on revising the council's rules of procedure during tomorrow night's agenda meeting, the first to include three new council members.
Mitchell, along with council members Dex Ellison, Tracy Scheel and Alex Villalobos, will be sworn in during a special ceremony scheduled for an hour before the planned 7 p.m. start of the regular city council meeting. All but Ellison will be sworn in for three-year terms. Ellison was elected to serve out the remaining two years of Mitchell’s District 1 seat, a position he resigned to run for mayor. Immediately prior to the swearing-in ceremonies, a special recognition is planned for outgoing Mayor Todd Webster and city council members Becky Selbera and David Wilson. Together, those three account for more than 30 years of city council experience.
Under the existing council rules, agenda items were required to be "made available" four days prior to a council meeting, meaning the Friday before. Mitchell is changing that requirement to three business days prior, with "business" being the significant word. That means agendas will now be "made available" by the end of the business day on Thursdays.
"I actually requested something very different, but this was our compromise," Mitchell said today. "One of my first goals as mayor was to create more time between when our agendas are posted and the actual meeting. This is good for the public, but it is also good for the council to have more time to interact with the material and ask questions from staff."
Mitchell said he was unsure of how one of the many Monday legal holidays that might come the day immediately before a council meeting would affect this schedule.
"I suspect it will push it back another 24 hours, but I'll need to get clarification from staff," the mayor-elect said.
He admitted he was seeking additional changes in meeting procedures, similar to those recently enacted by the San Marcos City Council which on Friday announced it would (1) hold open-to-the-public work sessions in council chambers at 3 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month so council members could go over the agenda of that evening’s meeting without taking any action; and (2) place a 60-minute limit on the length of executive sessions (most Kyle City Council executive sessions extend longer than an hour).
Speaking of which, Tuesday’s council meeting has the distinct possibility of being a long one, providing a total immersion rather than a sprinkling baptismal for the new council members. It includes an executive session that will discuss two legal matters and an economic development possibility as well as a number of items regulating the flow of motor vehicles around Kyle.
For example, on the consent agenda there’s an item calling for the installation of stop signs at seven Kyle intersections — Autumn Sage and Camelia parkways, Downing Way and Waterloo Drive, Brandi Circle and Hallie Drive, Brent Boulevard and Philomena Drive, Dacy Lane and Bunton Creek Road, and Lehman Road and Bunton Creek. Of these, only the Downing/Waterloo and the Brent/Philomena intersections will be four-way stop signs, according to City Engineer Leon Barba.
Another consent agenda item would lead to the installation of traffic signals at Philomena and Bunton Creek and Philomena at Kyle Parkway. A third consent agenda item would lead to the erection of signs prohibiting trucks from driving on Kyle Crossing between Kohlers Crossing and Vista Ridge Drive.
And, on the agenda for individual consideration, is an item to "Consider and possible action to approve a request for the CAMPO 2019-2022 Project Call." I sought explanation of this item last week from staff, but have yet to receive a response for clarification, which leads me to guess that the city is going to be asking CAMPO for money to help complete two road bond projects ($9 million for Burleson Road and $8 million for Lehman) as well as a combined $3.8 million to pay for repairs on Kyle Crossing and Post Road, and a whopping $14.9 million to be used for relocating the Center Street rail siding. According to CAMPO’s web site, it held a workshop Oct. 25 in San Marcos to "cover the entire selection process" for the 2019-2022 project call. I have no idea whether representatives from Kyle’s city staff attended this workshop, but I suspect one or more did which led to the preparation of the request that will be on tomorrow’s agenda. The upside of this, should the request be granted by CAMPO, would be a possible $35.7 million savings for the city on much needed projects, The downside would be the fact that work on these projects might not even begin until sometime around 2022 and voters were promised the two road bond projects, at least, would be completed long before that. Council members will thus be asked to determine which is more important: saving taxpayers money or getting projects completed expeditiously.
(Updated at 10 p.m.) At least, that's what it originally appeared council members were going to be asked to choose between. However, earlier this evening the city announced City Manager Scott Sellers will ask the council "to pull the item while more information gathering takes place." Yep, that's vague but it could also explain why no one from the city responded to my request for clarification on this item. It appears the staff is not all that clear on it. The city's last-minute announcement goes on to say council members "will have to vote on whether to pull it or continue," but I'm betting they'll acquiesce to the city manager's request.
Other items of interest on tomorrow night’s agenda include:
- The election of a mayor pro tem,
- Re-appointments to the Parks and Recreation Board, appointments to the Economic Development & Tourism Board, and council member Daphne Tenorio’s request to appoint Nancy Fahey to the Ethics Commission.
- Accepting a grant of $16,122 from the Ladd and Katherine Hancher Library Foundation as well as an order in the same amount to purchase seven children’s learning centers for the Kyle Public Library which, according to library officials, will create "an informal technology-based learning environment for children so they can explore and discover further educational opportunities in a fun, safe and comfortable place."
- An ordinance that will result in the creation of a mixed-use zoning category.
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