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Matthew Lewis, of Simple City Designs, will soon begin Phase 1 of updating the city's Master Plan.
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June 2, 2020
Bandera City Council members appoint Rosie Smith to fill vacant seat
By Jessica Nohealapa'ahi Goode
The Bandera Prophet
In a split vote, Bandera City Council members appointed Rosie Smith to fill the vacant council seat, left empty after former Council Member Glenn Clark's resignation. Breaking a two-to-two standoff, Mayor Suzanne Schauman cast the yay vote approving Smith for the unexpired term.
Smith was appointed by a narrow margin over applicant Darcy Hasty, who also threw her hat in the ring to fill the vacancy until November’s election. Hasty, a member of the Bandera Economic Development Corporation, announced earlier her candidacy to run for the council seat. Nominated by Council Member Rebeca Gibson and seconded by Council Member Lynn Palmer, Hasty reportedly said she would resign as a BEDC member if elected.
“I spoke to Darcy and she said her plan is to run for election in November. If she gets elected, she said she would step down from EDC,” Palmer said. “If she doesn’t get elected, she’ll remain on EDC.”
Hasty’s nomination failed with Palmer and Gibson in favor and Council Members Jerry Russe and Don Clark opposed, the latter saying he was concerned about two council members serving on the BEDC board if Darcy was appointed (Palmer also serves on the BEDC board). Schauman broke the tie with a nay vote.
“Darcy has been active. I’m glad to see how she’s functioned on the EDC,” Schauman said, adding she had the same concerns as Clark. “How many council members do we want on the EDC?”
Russe motioned to appoint Smith, which Clark seconded. Palmer and Gibson were opposed, with the mayor breaking the tie.
In other business, council approved an extension through November for Main Street Shops & Lofts, part of the Bandera Best Western Suites & Saloon, to reach completion.
“Because of CoVid it’s really been a mess,” Schauman said.
Stating this was the second extension for the Main Street hotel, Palmer asked what the repercussions would be if they do not reach that deadline.
“The state and Texas Department of Agriculture would penalize them,” City Administrator J Horry said. “They have to be open, be producing reports and generating an income before they receive money from the city that is being held in escrow.”
Council also authorized Horry and Schauman to move forward with Phase 1 of the city’s Master Plan development with Simple City Designs at the helm. Matthew Lewis, of Simple City, said the previous Master Plan has several key elements that could be carried forward.
“We’ll identify low-hanging items that can be built upon,” Lewis said, adding his intent is to prepare a pro-property-rights plan. “How do we encourage local entrepreneurial spirit without overburdening with regulations?”
Lewis said the first phase will be discovery, during which he’ll conduct both virtual via Zoom and in-person interviews, and study the geography of Bandera with an on-the-ground analysis. The second phase will be a community meet-up.
“We want to engage all groups of Bandera,” Lewis said. “This is planning for the next generation. We want their input.”
The cost for the first phase is $28,105.
The next Bandera City Council meeting will be Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be conducted by Zoom. The meeting ID is 830 1824 2981; the password is 546111.
Smith was appointed by a narrow margin over applicant Darcy Hasty, who also threw her hat in the ring to fill the vacancy until November’s election. Hasty, a member of the Bandera Economic Development Corporation, announced earlier her candidacy to run for the council seat. Nominated by Council Member Rebeca Gibson and seconded by Council Member Lynn Palmer, Hasty reportedly said she would resign as a BEDC member if elected.
“I spoke to Darcy and she said her plan is to run for election in November. If she gets elected, she said she would step down from EDC,” Palmer said. “If she doesn’t get elected, she’ll remain on EDC.”
Hasty’s nomination failed with Palmer and Gibson in favor and Council Members Jerry Russe and Don Clark opposed, the latter saying he was concerned about two council members serving on the BEDC board if Darcy was appointed (Palmer also serves on the BEDC board). Schauman broke the tie with a nay vote.
“Darcy has been active. I’m glad to see how she’s functioned on the EDC,” Schauman said, adding she had the same concerns as Clark. “How many council members do we want on the EDC?”
Russe motioned to appoint Smith, which Clark seconded. Palmer and Gibson were opposed, with the mayor breaking the tie.
In other business, council approved an extension through November for Main Street Shops & Lofts, part of the Bandera Best Western Suites & Saloon, to reach completion.
“Because of CoVid it’s really been a mess,” Schauman said.
Stating this was the second extension for the Main Street hotel, Palmer asked what the repercussions would be if they do not reach that deadline.
“The state and Texas Department of Agriculture would penalize them,” City Administrator J Horry said. “They have to be open, be producing reports and generating an income before they receive money from the city that is being held in escrow.”
Council also authorized Horry and Schauman to move forward with Phase 1 of the city’s Master Plan development with Simple City Designs at the helm. Matthew Lewis, of Simple City, said the previous Master Plan has several key elements that could be carried forward.
“We’ll identify low-hanging items that can be built upon,” Lewis said, adding his intent is to prepare a pro-property-rights plan. “How do we encourage local entrepreneurial spirit without overburdening with regulations?”
Lewis said the first phase will be discovery, during which he’ll conduct both virtual via Zoom and in-person interviews, and study the geography of Bandera with an on-the-ground analysis. The second phase will be a community meet-up.
“We want to engage all groups of Bandera,” Lewis said. “This is planning for the next generation. We want their input.”
The cost for the first phase is $28,105.
The next Bandera City Council meeting will be Thursday, June 4, at 6 p.m. The meeting will be conducted by Zoom. The meeting ID is 830 1824 2981; the password is 546111.