Left of College Station

Bryan to Hear Plan for Landfill Agency

By Cassie Smith

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

A Bryan City Council member has asked city officials to consider reorganizing the partnership with College Station that oversees the two cities' landfill operations.

Ben Hardeman asked for a presentation at a future council meeting to address the possibility of creating a new agency to replace the embattled Brazos Valley Solid Waste Management Agency. For months, the cities have been locked in a dispute over management of the agency and construction of a new landfill in Grimes County.

The idea to start over was presented in an Eagle editorial on Sunday, and Hardeman said the newspaper's recommendation made sense.

"I think we need to get past differences," Hardeman said after the meeting.

The editorial called for the creation of a new agency with a governing board made up of an equal number of representatives from each city. The board chairman would be elected, and the office would alternate between the cities.

Hardeman said that the two cities need a plausible solution and that The Eagle's suggestions "seemed even-handed."

"We need something both cities can feel like won't result in damage to themselves," he said.

Council members agreed to place the item on a future agenda.

Also Tuesday, the council decided not to spend $313,000 to buy about 60 acres in Bryan's extraterritorial jurisdiction. Purchasing the land would have fulfilled wetlands requirements related to the construction of the Twin Oaks Landfill.

Bryan Public Works Director Linda Huff said the city would consider other options to fulfill the requirement, including paying mitigation costs for the wetlands the landfill would destroy.

Huff said the council was concerned that the price of the land was too high and that constantly maintaining the property to meet wetlands criteria was unreasonable.

The city of College Station handled the negotiations, and several Bryan council members said during the meeting that they felt other options hadn't been considered.

In other business Tuesday, the council:

* Approved a resolution to hold the general municipal election May 9 to elect one council member from Single District 5 and one member at large. It would be a joint election with the Bryan Independent School District.

Mike Southerland's and Hardeman's seats will be up for election. Hardeman is not be eligible to run again due to term limits. As of Tuesday night, Southerland was the only candidate to announce his intent to run.

* Approved about $162,000 to install new sidewalks and replace damaged ones along Martin Luther King Jr. Street. The project will provide a safer route for pedestrians through a high-traffic area, which goes past schools, churches, a museum and several parks.

Published Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Petition is an Example of Grassroots Politics

Letter to the Editor – January 26^th

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

Now that the charter amendment petition submitted to the city of Bryan has been certified as valid, the May 9 election will allow voters the opportunity to set the number of council members needed to place an item on the council agenda at two. More than two negates the concept of single-member districts.

Each Bryan resident lives in one of five single-member districts and is represented by the council member from that district. Because Bryan also elects one at-large member, that individual represents every Bryan resident.

Any citizen desiring to have a valid issue placed on the council agenda should only have to contact two council members.

A special thanks goes to all those who circulated the petition. They gave up many days and evenings walking door-to-door to gather the required signatures. An equal appreciation goes to the more than 1,800 citizens who took their time to listen and then sign the petition.

A deep sense of satisfaction should be felt by all those who walked and talked, all those who signed, and also all those who would have signed if we had had enough time to come to their door.

This is grassroots politics in action and empowers the average citizen who often feels left out of the process. Kudos to all. Job well done.

Karen Hall

Bryan

Published Monday, January 26, 2009

Bryan City Officials Certify Vote Petition

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle 

Bryan city officials certified a petition Tuesday seeking a public vote on the process for placing items on the City Council agenda.

Last summer, the council decided in a split vote to require three council members to approve issues before they appear as agenda items. The previous policy allowed any council member or resident to ask that an issue be placed on a meeting's agenda. If the mayor decided not to place the matter on the agenda, two council members could override the decision.

Bryan resident Karen Hall, who criticized the change, filed the petition last week, saying the city's residents should be involved in the decision. Officials said the petition had 1,705 valid signatures, and the council is set to accept the certification at its Jan. 27 meeting.

If the certification is accepted, the issue will be included on the May ballot.

Published Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Petition Seeks Vote in May

By Cassie Smith

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

Bryan voters may get an opportunity to overturn a City Council decision that increased from two to three the number of council members needed to place an item on a meeting agenda.

Bryan resident Karen Hall on Wednesday submitted a petition with an estimated 1,870 signatures asking that the issue be placed on the May ballot.

State law requires a petition to have signatures from 5 percent of registered voters. Hall's petition must have 1,142 valid signatures for the item to be placed on the ballot. The city secretary will verify the signatures.

In July, council members agreed after a heated discussion to require three council members to approve an issue before it could appear as an agenda item. The previous policy allowed any council member or resident to ask that an issue be placed on a meeting's agenda. If the mayor decided not to place the matter on the agenda, two council members could override the decision.

Mayor Mark Conlee, who supported the change in July, said he would respect the voters' decision because "it's the people's choice."

Conlee said changing the requirement from two to three council members hadn't suppressed any voices and said the issue was resurfacing because of "political games."

"To my knowledge, there's not been one thing somebody wanted to get on the agenda that didn't make it," he said.

At the time of the July decision, some council members said the change was necessary because two council members -- Mike Southerland and Al Saenz -- were abusing the system by placing items on the agenda that had the support only of the two of them.

Saenz and Southerland labeled the change an attempt to gag dissenting voices.

Under the new ordinance, Southerland said, if he talked to a third person about placing something on an agenda and that person didn't agree, he would have to ask a fourth person. But, he said, he can't legally do that because talking to a fourth member of the council would constitute a quorum, which would make discussing city business a violation of public meetings laws.

"When you're an elected representative, if it requires three people on the agenda, you're almost powerless to get anything on the agenda," Southerland said.

Hall said she and others who helped put the petition together had been going door to door since early November to gather the signatures.

"A lot of people were upset when they changed the ordinance," she said.

Hall said placing the issue on the May ballot puts the decision back in the residents' hands.

"This would make our council more responsive to us," she said. "It was fine the way it was. There was no reason to change it."

Hall said it seemed that the elected officials voted to change the procedure because they were mad at one council member.

"Let's just hear what the citizens want," she said.

Council member Jason Bienski said letting the voters decide the issue is an example of how effective government is supposed to work.

"It would be wonderful if every controversial vote that came past the council could go to the citizens for a vote," he said.

"The voice of the people will be heard in May," Bienski said.

Bob Stipanovic, a Bryan resident for more than 40 years, said he collected about 60 signatures for the petition because he believed a public vote would make the council more accountable.

"This is not to imply there is anything suspicious that has transpired in the past or is going to transpire in the future. It's just my personal opinion that all government officials need to be as transparent as possible to continue the people's confidence," Stipanovic said.

Published Thursday, January 15, 2009

Karen Hall presented the Bryan City Council with two petitions; one of which the citizens of Bryan signed in support of requiring only two city council members to place an item on the City Council agenda and another that requested that the council review its “hear citizens” policy.

In August leftofaggieland reported how the Bryan City Council made it harder for the voice of the community to be heard.

The purpose of the City Council is to serve the residents of Bryan, and government at times can be an extensive and arduous process. The idea of preventing discussion of topics because of the lack of majority support goes against the very ideals of democratic government.

The people of Bryan have spoken, and over 1,400 people signed the petition to return the requirement to place items on the agenda to two city council members.

According to Part I Section 9 of the City Charter:

Any proposed ordinance may be submitted to the City Council by a petition signed by qualified voters of the city equal in number to 10 percent of the qualified voters of the city as appears in the county voter registration records as of the January 31st preceding the date of submission of the petition.

The City Secretary has ten working days (until January 27^th) to certify the petition; if the petition is found to have the required number of signatures it must be placed on the ballot for the May 9, 2009 municipal election. 

Hopefully the voices of Bryan residents have been heard as Karen Hall once said:

“Although we appreciate you taking the time to listen to us, someday we hope you will learn to hear us.”

Bryan Delays Vote on Rezoning

By Cassie Smith

From the Bryan-College Station Eagle

The Bryan City Council on Tuesday postponed a decision on rezoning a plot of land to allow for a child care center after a group of residents said they were concerned about the amount of traffic the business would generate.

If approved, the measure would change the zoning on less than an acre near Turkey Creek Road and Sandy Lane from residential to office district.

Four residents spoke against the idea, citing safety concerns for neighborhood children.

Sharon Anderson said she had been told by city officials that the child care center would have as many as

22 children and could bring 22 additional cars to Sandy Lane in the mornings and afternoons. Those vehicles would be entering the street at the same time school buses load and unload children who live on Sandy Lane, she said.

"We are very concerned about the safety," she said, explaining that children on Sandy Lane walk to the end of the road to meet the school buses.

Bill Fabian, who owns four rental properties on Sandy Lane, told the council that the increased traffic the business brings could pose a hazard.

"This is a children's neighborhood," he said.

The four residents said they would not object to the rezoning request if vehicles could access the business only through Turkey Creek Road.

Council members agreed to meet with residents and the business owner in hopes of finding a solution.

Also at Tuesday's meeting, the council approved a $60,000 contract for work at the site of the proposed Twin Oaks Landfill in Grimes County. CME Testing and Engineering will do clearing, fencing and survey work and ensure that materials and construction procedures are acceptable.

College Station had already approved the contract, which was needed because the cities are partners in the agency that will operate the landfill.

The Bryan City Council also approved the purchase of five vehicles for the Police Department for $251,710. Council members said the vehicles were needed for the department's increased staffing and to replace existing vehicles.

Published Wednesday, January 14, 2009