SECOND READING OF BRENHAM HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE PASSES

  

A second reading of the Historic Preservation Ordinance was unanimously approved by the Brenham City Council at its meeting today (Thursday).

The council passed the ordinance by a tally of 4-0, aligning with its vote in July that saw Mayor Milton Tate and Councilmembers Clint Kolby and Shannan Canales abstain, due to either ownership interest or being employed by a business in downtown.  The ordinance creates a city approval process for certain alterations to downtown building exteriors.

Four people, all of whom were in favor of the ordinance, spoke on the item.  Cayte Neil, a member of the Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission and a member of the committee that drafted the ordinance, said an influx of community participation all helped to shape and improve the document.

 

Brad Tegeler, the general counsel for the Tegeler Family Auto Dealerships, was also supportive of the ordinance.  However, he suggested offering tax breaks, more oversight of the Historic Preservation Officer tasked with handling Certificates of Appropriateness (CoA) and other technical corrections to make the ordinance “more palatable” to downtown property owners.

 

The second reading revises the ordinance to allow downtown historic district property owners to vote on two of the property owner positions appointed by the council to the Historic Preservation Board.  It also clarifies that the guidelines and standards adopted by the ordinance for approval of a CoA shall not apply to building and structure interiors.  In addition, it adds a section requiring the ordinance to be reviewed within five years for recommended revisions, and also defines the use of the word “day” in the ordinance as meaning a calendar day, not a business day.

Councilmember Adonna Saunders noted that the ordinance can be amended prior to the five-year review in order to address any new ideas or concerns.

Also at today’s meeting, the council held a workshop to discuss the proposed 2021-22 Fiscal Year budget.  Chief Financial Officer Carolyn Miller reviewed some of the topics discussed during last week’s town hall meeting, including the 10 new personnel positions accounted for in the budget and a reduction in the proposed increases in utility rates.  Miller said the proposed budget is now available to view online at www.cityofbrenham.org.

The council also:

• Approved amending city code to allow car washes as a specific use in the B-1 zoning district, which is designated for local business and residential mixed use.
• Held workshops to discuss YellowTruck, the downtown Brenham retail incubator that plans to open this fall, and review the council’s meeting dates in October. The council plans to hold meetings on October 14^th and 21^st, as the majority of councilmembers will be attending the Texas Municipal League’s annual conference October 6-8.
• Amended the rate tariff schedules for the city water, gas and electric systems.
• Purchased a drone for the Brenham Police Department using $7,529 in seized narcotic funds. Brenham Police Chief Ron Parker said the drone can be used for search and rescue, missing persons, event monitoring, traffic concerns, tactical scenarios, tower inspections and damage assessments from disasters.
• Approved a resolution adopting a commercial tax phase-in agreement between the city and QuestSpecialty Corporation. The estimated value of the abatement over the eight years allowed by the city’s tax phase-in policy is $14,447.
• Accepted public improvements in the third phase of the Vintage Farms subdivision.
• Approved an interlocal agreement between the city and Washington County to advocate and promote tourism programs and services.
• Amended city ordinance to remove any and all wording related to the Brenham-Washington County Hotel Occupancy Tax Board, due to the city and county entering into a new interlocal agreement for tourism and the collection/distribution of hotel occupancy taxes.
• Approved the bylaws of the Tourism Advisory Board of the City of Brenham.
• Granted a non-exclusive franchise to Container Source, LLC to operate a roll-off container service for residents, businesses and industries inside city limits. The service is for the delivery and removal of dumpsters for waste and debris from construction at private properties.
• Approved an agreement with Franklin Legal Publishing for the republication, supplementation and online services for the city’s code of ordinances.