Nicky Boyette – Craig Hull of the Osage Group addressed the Planning Commission at its March 22 meeting regarding the hazard mitigation plan he and his wife, Caelli, have been preparing. He said he had emailed commissioners a very long draft of his report, and wanted further input.
His recommendation, based on all conversations he has had so far, would be for the city to create a Central Business Improvement District (CBID) to equitably distribute the burden of expenses related to hazard mitigation issues. He called the CBID “the apparatus of long-term maintenance,” and saw it as the best way to get local businesses to participate.
But the next important step, according to Hull, would be to complete the plan so the city can begin to mitigate identified threats to its infrastructure, such as the dam at Black Bass Lake, the tunnels underneath downtown, stormwater runoff issues and fire preparedness. Hull said he wanted the finished report to be an actionable document, not “just another book on the shelf.”
He asked commissioners to peruse the draft and get feedback to him, and said he would provide a resolution commissioners could endorse and send along to city council.
Commissioners committed to reading the draft and discussing the resolution at the next meeting.
Code review
Chair Steve Beacham continued discussion from the previous meeting regarding omissions in City Code regarding permitted and conditional uses. He said the goal was to send to council a complete package of items needing to be changed instead of addressing things piecemeal.
Commissioner James Morris provided an example. He said he received a complaint from a resident that there are tours of Penn Castle very late at night. He was told a large vehicle stops at the site and passengers disembark onto the narrow street, which is disruptive to neighbors because of the late hour.
Commissioner Pat Lujan suggested they review the tour business guidelines to see if times of operation are listed.
Beacham mentioned Penn Castle might not be on the list of tour homes, so they will keep this on their agenda. He suggested they begin a list of recommendations for updates to City Code at the next meeting.
Other business
- Commissioner Woodie Acord reported the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development had announced there will an event called G60 on Tuesday, May 24 from 6–9 p.m. at the Auditorium. The event is for aspiring entrepreneurs of all ages to have 60 seconds to pitch their idea before a panel of judges. Two winners – one decided by the judges, the other by the audience – will receive a $1000 prize. He said the goal is to “gather the entrepreneurial mindset of the area” in an effort to boost local businesses. Acord encouraged all commissioners to attend the event.
- Commissioners refined their rules for allowing the public to speak during their discussions. Beacham said he wanted a consistent policy and he did not want commissioners to have to vote each time on whether to allow a person to speak. They decided that if a person who has already spoken in public comments has pertinent information on an agenda item, a commissioner may request the chair to recall that person to answer specific questions. Lujan insisted that during discussion of an agenda topic, he wanted to avoid “an open mike” and thereby cut down on redundant comments.
- Beacham announced the tentative date for a city council workshop on food trucks is Monday, April 11, at 4 p.m., before the city council meeting. He will attend and he suggested other commissioners might attend as well.