Sudden change in zoning schedule?

During last week’s City Council meeting, zoning officer Joi Harden said the Brodie Oaks PUD would be heard on third reading at 1 p.m. July 20. The date was no surprise, but almost all zoning cases are set for 2 p.m. That has been the rule for several years, and Council Member Alison Alter questioned why the change was being proposed. “We normally meet at 2 and we’re switching to 1, and I would just like to know the background on that and the rationale,” Alter said. “I don’t know if that’d be more appropriate for our work session discussion, but you’re setting a hearing for 1 p.m. and it’s normally setting hearing at the request of staff.” Harden replied that she did not make the decision, but she had heard from “staff above my level” that zoning would be at 1 p.m. starting in July.

Assistant City Manager Veronica Briseño was on the dais. She said, “We did direct staff to start posting zoning items at 1 to allow for flow of your meeting. We’ve had a couple of gaps these past couple of weeks, so you’ll get to continue on and hopefully end the day earlier.”

That did not sit well with Alter. “So I’m not sure whether that will continue and I’m comfortable trying that, but I would reserve the ability to move back since we haven’t had any discussion about that,” she replied. “I think some of us use that time wisely and (it) is helpful for our day. Let’s have this motion and if we need to we’ll figure that out.”

Mayor Kirk Watson took the hint and said they should set the hearing for 2 p.m. on this particular case. So, we look forward to future discussions on this question.