Minutes October 08, 2003CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL/PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION M1NUTES
October 8, 2003
After determining that a quorum was present, the City Council convened in a Joint Work Session
of the City of Denton City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday,
October 8, 2003 at 4:00 p.m. in the City Council Work Session Room.
PRESENT:
Mayor Brock; Mayor Pro Tern Burroughs; Council Members Kamp, McNeill,
Montgomery, and Thomson.
ABSENT: Council Member Redmon
1. The Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission held a discussion and gave staff
direction regarding the role of boards in good governance including but not limited to
understanding board roles, handling board recommendations, a good governance agreement,
Council's vision for the community and the Board's role in that vision.
City Manager Conduff stated that Council had wanted to meet with key boards to discuss the role
of boards and how important that role was to the Council. Discussions would include the
Council's agreement with the Planning and Zoning Commission on how to handle their
recommendations, the Council's vision for the community and the implementation of the Denton
Plan.
The Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission discussion included the following points:
The Planning and Zoning Commission was knowledgeable of the formal requirements
of the Commission but needed an overview of the Council's direction on what to
accomplish.
Council should follow the Commission's recommendation unless new information was
made available to the Council before voting on the item. If that happened, the item
should be remanded back to the Commission for reconsideration.
The Commission was the expert to present the City's policy with the facts and make
recommendations to the Council. When policy was unclear, the Commission should
make that known and then indicate to Council what the policy should be or what the
inconsistencies were.
When items were remanded back to the Commission from the Council, the Council
needed to provide a specific list of what additional information had been gathered or the
direction the Commission should consider such as consider this section of the code or
this is the new information the Council received.
When an item was remanded back to the Commission, staff would note specifics for the
Commission to reconsider and articulate those points.
Council would follow the practice that if an item came to them with a favorable
recommendation from the Commission and from staff, it would follow that
recommendation and place the item on the Consent Agenda. If it were a divided
recommendation such as 4-3 vote, the Council might bring the item forward for
individual consideration and discussion and if it decided to go against the majority of
the Commission, would remand the item back to the Commission. If an item had a
City of Denton City Council Minutes
October 8, 2003
Page 2
favorable Commission vote and dissenting staff recommendation, the Council would
give the majority weight to the Commission and might remand the item to the
Commission based on the staff information but would relay that to the Commission
Developers needed to know that the Commission was the proper mechanism to hear
their proposals and not try to bypass the Commission and go directly to the Council for
an overriding decision.
Consider the possibility of longer terms for Council and Commission members in order
to allow for a better learning curve.
Council and the Commission will disagree at times on issues. The Commission needed
to use its best judgment and not concentrate on the Council' s viewpoints.
Council dealt with policy issues and the Commission dealt with applying those policy
issues.
Issues to consider were relations with the university communities, rail status for
stations, the changing gas well technology, and I35 development at the intersection of
the two highways.
It was frustrating for the Commission to have to rehash topics over and over again such
as the Lakeview Blvd. alignment and the tree preservation ordinance. The Commission
would like the Council to stand with the Commission to balance the two sides of the
issue.
The verbatim minutes of the Commission at times can hold up Council consideration of
an item. Staff would develop options for a compromise on the total verbatim minutes
such as a summary statement on 7-0 votes; anything else would have verbatim minutes.
The Commission would be treated with respect as a body and as individuals and their
work would be taken seriously.
Future Commission budgets might include some type of contingency funding for non-
budgeted issues that the Commission wanted to consider.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
EUL1NEBROCK
MAYOR
CITY OFDENTON, TEXAS
JENNIFER WALTERS
CITY SECRETARY
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS