HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/14/2000 - Joint Minutes City CouncilMayor
Lynn Mcllhaney
Mayor Pro Tempore
Larry Mariott
City Manager
Thomas E. Brymer
City Council
James Massey
Ron Silvia
Winnie Garner
Dennis Maloney
Anne Hazen
MINUTES
COLLEGE STATION CITY COUNCIL
Special Meeting (Joint Retreat)
Friday, July 14, 2000 and Saturday, July 15, 2000
G. Roilie White Visitor Center
7707 Raymond Stotzer Boulevard
College Station, Texas
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor McIlhaney, Mayor Pro Tem Mariott, Silvia,
Massey, Garner, Maloney
COUNCIL MEMBER ABSENT: Councilmember Hazen
STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Brymer, Assistant to the City Manager Brandenburg,
Assistant City Manager Brown, City Attorney Cargill, Jr., City Secretary Hooks
This special meeting was a joint retreat with City of Bryan councilmembers and representatives
from the Texas A&M University.
Mayor McIlhaney called the meeting to order at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, July 14, 2000.
Facilitators from the Aspen Group, Linda Dawson and Randy Quinn set the course for the two-
day exercises.
Each council member introduced him or herself, and provided the group with their hopes,
expectations, concerns and other comments on retreat.
Council members developed a list of collaborative efforts that occurred at various levels of
government and corporate sector.
The group recessed for a lunch break.
At 1:00 p.m., council members regrouped and each city participated in the following exercise.
"What's working well in College Station", and "What's working well in Bryan".
"Barriers for College Station", and "Barriers for Bryan".
Council Special Meeting 7/14-15/2000 Page 2
Some of the items listed were:
"What's working well in College Station" (CS Council input)
Teamwork
Trust between staff, council, and community
Commitment to community and to each other
Focused, vision oriented, empowered staff'
Citizens feel confident in their government (feel safe)
Quality of life
Commitment to education, strong school district
Team style of management
The following identifies the City of Bryan's perspective of "how well College Station is doing".
Home to TAMU
Large retail hotel/motel tax base
Low crime
Zoning
Lack of stress on infrastructure
Economic Development
"What's working well in Bryan" (Bryan Council input)
Ability to generate electricity
Governance methodology
Financially stable
Downtown
Expanding and Diversity
Healthcare Facilities
Low Crime Rate
Historical Renovations
Retirement Opportunities
Stable Population
Low unemployment
Good Schools
Caring and Giving
Central Location
Good Land Use Planning
Emphasis on Intergovernmental Relations
The following identifies the City of College Station Council's perspective of "how well Bryan is
doing".
Most of Bryan property is taxable
County Seat
Rural Electrical Service
Strong Economic Service
Banking center
Civic Pride
Council works well together
Mary Miller from Texas A&M provided the group a list of strengths and barriers for A&M.
Council Special Meeting 7/14-15/2000 Page 3
Strengths
Faculty
Very popular
Academic excellence
Desire to be a strong player in community
Outstanding Physical attributes (land)
Vision for greatness
Outstanding staff, students
Good support from community
Asset to Blinn College
Barriers
Need more resources
Bureaucratic demands from Austin
Need for more graduate students
Class sizes too large
Physical limitations
Lack of diversity
Traffic congestion/safety
Secondary thinking about B/CS
Community unto itself
Lack of communication
College Station Barriers (CS input)
Inconsistent communication between entities
Dollars
Resources
Regulation and Legislative Restraints
Competing Agendas
Competing agendas
Multi-jurisdictional
Conflicting priorities
Growth pressures
Services that may need to be provided
(Bryan's input)
Large growth and Linear Growth
Utility power
Lack of diversity
Bryan Barriers (Bryan's input)
Aging Infrastructure
Appearance of older areas
External agencies (TXDOT)
Absentee landlords
Railroad
Perception of Safety
Recalcitrant land owners
Finite resources
Code Enforcement
Infill Development
S. College Avenue
Perception of poor town (minority)
College Station's input
Single member district promote voter apathy Past relationships between Bryan/CS
Land Use prior to zoning Legislative and regulation restraints
High demand in service, low ability to pay for service
Extensive discussion was held on action and commitment to facilitate collaboration between
each city.
The following list identifies commonalities the two cities' found in collaborative efforts.
Council Special Meeting 7/14-15/2000 · Vision of something better
· Dissatisfaction with current situation
· Political courage
· Strong communication strategies
· Leaders' ability to forge common goals
· Intrinsic motivation; can be economics, safety/security, or other
· Common needs or opportunity
· Thinking outside the box; willingness to change
· Willingness to stay the course
· Shared learning, better relations
· Time running out
· Assume broader perspective
Page 4
Council members discussed the pending lawsuits that exist on electrical distribution and
transmission lines. This issue would be discussed in greater detail by the two Mayors', city
managers' and Mayor Pro Tems' from each city in a separate meeting.
Council concluded their discussions at 4:55 p.m. on Friday, July 14, 2000 and reconvened on
Saturday, July 15, 2000 at 9:20 a.m.
Council discussed important areas that must happen for collaboration to begin.
Resolve "baggage" of past issues
Communicate
· Socialize
· Increase interpersonal interaction
· Hold joint meetings of boards and committees
Undertake joint efforts
· Transportation
· Utilities
· Consider creating a new entity to address transportation and utilities
· Develop a uniform planning code
Collaborate and create a new culture, for councils and staff · Set expectations and hold staff accountable
· Culture must become systemic and systematic to be sustainable
Facilitators Linda Dawson and Randy Quinn assisted councils in developing a community
vision.
Mission Statement
As a result of our collaborative efforts, citizens will enjoy a high quality of life for a reasonable
cost.
Council Special Meeting 7/14-15/2000 Page 5
End Results
1. Citizens will participate in a broad range of cultural and recreational experiences
2. Citizens will use cost-effective and comprehensive services
Transportation
Water
Health
Utilities
3. Citizens will live in a safe environment
4. Citizens will live in a well-planned community
Concluding comments were optimistic. The commitment to collaborate for the common good of
the citizenry was commended by everyone in attendance.
Councils will continue this collaborative effort by holding future joint retreats to consider
implementation. The Joint Legislative Committee will serve as the catalyst to keep both cities on
track. The councils will meet with their respective staffs' to receipt input on priorities, financial
impact, resource allocation and time frames for all areas discussed on Friday.
Hearing no objection, the meeting adjourned at 11:10 a.m. on Saturday, July 15, 2000.
PASSED AND APPROVED this l0th day of August, 2000.
City Secretary Connie Hooks
APPROVED:
ynn Mcllhaney~'
O:group/council/minute s2000/min7 - 14 - 15. doc