The Ledger

Fate City Council Special Meeting - Strategic Planning Workshop - March 28, 2022

Fate Gazette

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The Fate Gazette — Ledger Entry

Special City Council Meeting

Strategic Planning Workshop

Date: March 28, 2022
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 8:26 p.m.
Location: Fate City Hall, 1900 CD Boren Parkway, Fate, Texas

Call to Order and Quorum

  • Mayor David Billings called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
  • City Secretary Victoria Raduechel confirmed a quorum.

Council Members Present:

  • David Billings, Mayor
  • Heather Buegeler
  • John Brandt
  • Allen Robbins, Mayor Pro Tem
  • Jim Deland
  • Lance Megyesi

Council Members Absent:

  • Christopher Ash

City Staff Present:

  • Michael Kovacs, City Manager
  • Justin Weiss, Assistant City Manager
  • Victoria Raduechel, City Secretary
  • Jessica Larson, Assistant to the City Manager
  • Lyle Lombard, Director of Public Safety
  • Scott Monaghan, Director of Public Works
  • Ryan Wells, Director of Planning and Development Services
  • Steve Gilbert, Director of Community Services and Building Safety
  • Raju Anthony, Director of Finance
  • Leigh Corson, Director of Human Resources
  • Isaiah Tackett, Systems Administrator
  • Jon Thatcher, City Attorney

Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance

  • Council Member Lance Megyesi gave the invocation.
  • The Council led the Pledge of Allegiance to the American and Texas Flags.

Public Comment

  • No members of the public spoke.

Strategic Planning Workshop

Leigh Corson, Director of Human Resources, facilitated the workshop. City Manager Michael Kovacs provided staff summaries for each pillar. Council and staff participated in breakout discussions and reported feedback.

Pillar: Economic Development

Staff Interpretation:

  • Fostering a self-propelling economy
  • Becoming a whole community
  • Reducing reliance on bedroom-community economics

Importance Identified:

  • Services and convenience for citizens
  • Quality of life and civic pride
  • Population retention
  • Community attachment

Recent Actions Reported:

  • Economic Development staffing
  • Brookshire’s opening and incentives
  • Food Haul
  • Titus, Ramston, and Canales deals
  • Sauce & Vine project
  • Pizza Factory and other small businesses
  • Adoption of the Comprehensive Plan
  • Initiation of the Unified Development Ordinance update
  • Murals and façade grants

Council Input from Breakout:

  • Support for sustainable businesses
  • Business incubation for home-based businesses
  • Recruitment aligned with local labor market
  • Texas A&M mentoring
  • Downtown business partnerships
  • Local service-oriented economy
  • Business retention and expansion

Pillar: Sustainable Infrastructure

Staff Interpretation:

  • Infrastructure as a service platform
  • Water, sewer, roads, and city facilities

Importance Identified:

  • Delivery of basic services
  • Long-term planning and replacement

Recent Actions Reported:

  • Road bond and preventative maintenance funding
  • Five-year Capital Improvement Plan
  • Updated impact fee studies
  • New water, wastewater, and thoroughfare plans
  • County road bonds
  • Federal funding programs
  • Fiscal analysis with Verdunity and Urban3
  • Pump Station 3

Council Input from Breakout:

  • Inclusion of waste, IT, and telecom infrastructure
  • Efficient infrastructure use
  • Increased maintenance and staffing considerations
  • Replacement cost planning
  • Coordination with County and State
  • Thoughtful placement of new infrastructure

Pillar: Community Engagement

Staff Interpretation:

  • Hosting community events
  • Active public relations
  • Citizen communication and listening

Importance Identified:

  • Resident satisfaction and investment

Recent Actions Reported:

  • Communications staffing improvements
  • Public involvement in Comprehensive Plan
  • Events celebrating new businesses

Council Input from Breakout:

  • Addressing north/south community divide
  • Expanded events on the south side
  • Improved accessibility of information
  • Branding and sub-branding
  • City Council Facebook presence
  • Partnerships with nonprofits
  • Incremental growth aligned with staffing

Pillar: Recreation

Staff Interpretation:

  • Improvement of parks and trails
  • Park construction and programming
  • Community events
  • Maintenance of parks, trails, and downtown

Importance Identified:

  • Quality of life
  • Public health and fitness
  • Economic development and property values

Recent Actions Reported:

  • Completion of Fate Station Park
  • Construction of Joe Burger Park
  • Addition of parks staff
  • Parks Master Plan update
  • Grant awards from Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

Council Input from Breakout:

  • Emphasis on small parks and open spaces
  • Physical and social connectivity
  • Review of Parkland Dedication ordinance
  • Department development and staffing
  • Rights-of-way maintenance coordination
  • Recreation/Community Center consideration
  • Inclusive and accessible programming

Workshop Wrap-Up

  • Leigh Corson reported that SGR would compile input from both strategic planning workshops into a final report for consideration as the Strategic Plan of the Fate City Council.

Adjournment

  • Mayor Billings moved to adjourn.
  • Council Member Brandt seconded the motion.
  • Vote: Unanimous approval.
  • Meeting adjourned at 8:26 p.m.

Record Note
This Ledger entry records the publicly observable proceedings of the meeting listed above. It does not offer analysis or commentary.

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