Pattison City Council continues growth planning at July meeting

By R. Hans Miller, News Editor
Posted 7/7/21

Pattison City Council authorized Mayor Joe Garcia to enter an agreement with Burditt Consultants to help the city plan for parks during its July 6 meeting. Council members also discussed an upcoming …

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Pattison City Council continues growth planning at July meeting

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Pattison City Council authorized Mayor Joe Garcia to enter an agreement with Burditt Consultants to help the city plan for parks during its July 6 meeting. Council members also discussed an upcoming meeting to review the city’s comprehensive plan and took steps toward joining the Waller County Economic Development Partnership.

“I think we need to have a seat at the table of developing ideas and exposure and so on, because that’s the only way we’re going to control – or help control – the growth that’s already on top of us,” Council Member Seth Stokes said.

Garcia said Pattison is one of the few cities in Waller County that is not a member of the WEDP. He said he is hopeful joining the WEDP will help the city bring economic development to the city.

The partnership was established in 2002 as a nonprofit corporation and its goal is to facilitate positive growth within Waller County, according to the WCEDP website. (www.wallercounty.org) It is overseen by an appointed board of directors with members representing county commissioners, the county judge, each chamber of commerce, local economic development groups and Prairie View A&M University.

Garcia also received authorization from council to enter into an agreement with Burditt Consultants, a Conroe-based consulting firm that helped Waller County develop its recently-adopted Parks and Trails Master Plan. The agreement has a spending cap of $7,500 and Burditt representatives have agreed to help represent the city’s interests at the upcoming Royal ISD Board of Trustees meeting on July 19 at no cost, Garcia said. During that meeting, trustees will consider whether to formalize an agreement with the city to maintain and upgrade some school property as parks usable by city residents.

Council members also approved the hiring of Andrea Govea to serve as deputy city secretary under City Secretary Lorene Hartfiel. Garcia said he is working to have Govea’s position paid for via a work-based training program; however if the position does not qualify for the training program, Govea’s part-time position will be paid with city funds. Hartfiel previously filled that position before the resignation of her predecessor and the part-time deputy city secretary position is precedented, Garcia said.

Garcia also explained that several planning meetings will be coming up that council members will need to attend. He asked that they consider attending the RISD meeting on July 19 to support the parks agreement and said he would be meeting with the Pattison Parks Board soon after to move forward with developing a parks plan. A workshop will also be set up during the last few weeks of the month to discuss the city’s comprehensive plan which has been in development for several months now and will serve as a guiding document to maintain the city’s path as it navigates development.

“I’d like to try and avoid having a comprehensive plan sent to (council) without having a chance to sit down and visit over the draft and also afford some time to make any adjustments and changes that (council members) may want to have,” Garcia said. “We’ve been working this thing up for a while and it’s getting ready to hopefully come to some conclusion.”

Pattison, Comprehensive Plan, WEDP