City moving toward a master plan

"We're elected by the people and we need to know what the people want for the city," Joe T Parker, mayor said last night at a regular meeting of the city council. "Citizen participation is a good thing; now we ask for it; we want it and we seek it."

The city council voted unanimously to move forward - and to get the public involved in - a comprehensive plan for the City of Kilgore.

"The plan will includes public involvement to identify local issues and find out what people value," said Mark Priestner, principal of Planning Concepts, a small Tyler firm that works with municipalities and developers to create ordinances and zoning that help with growth and development. "Effective

planning programs must be open, inclusive and emphasize active citizen participation."

Priestner said the demand for master planned communities is growing and allow cities to predict development in a way that should help maintain property values.

The two-year program will attempt to look forward 20 years. The city will pay Planning Concepts $102,500 plus up to $7,500 in expenses for the plan.

When complete, the plan will address neighborhood revitalization and housing strategies, open space and recreation, public facilities, an extra-territorial jurisdiction and annexation study, a future land us plan and rewriting the city code.

Jeff Howell, city manager, said half the cost is included in the 2006-2007 budget and the remainder will be in the 2007- 2008 budgets.

The city council last night also changed the rates for city water.

"Customers with low usage will be paying less," Howell said. "Those of us who water our lawns will be paying more."

The rate change is effective Dec. 1, with changes first showing up on January bills.

Inside the city limits, consumers will pay $6.60 in customer service charges, $2.85 per thousand gallons of water used (up to 10,000 gallons), $3.25 per thousand gallons between 10,001 and 40,000 gallons and $3.75 per thousand gallons for all over 40,000 gallons.

Outside the city limits, water users will pay a $13.20 service charge. Rates for those customers are $5.70 per thousand gallons (up to 10,000 gallons), $6.50 per thousand gallons for all consumption between 10,001 and 40,000 gallons and $7.50 per thousand gallons for consumption over 40,000 gallons.

Qualifying senior citizens, age 65 and over, will receive a $2.50 discount on the customer service charge.

Commercial consumers will start with a $13.20 customer service fee then pay $6.40 per thousand gallons (up to 10,000 gallons), $8.30 per thousand gallons for all consumption between 10,001 and 1 million gallons and $10.80 per thousand gallons for every thousand gallons over 1 million.

Sewer rates within the city limits will start with an $8.30 customer service fee. In addition, water users will pay for sewage based on a schedule of $3.70 per thousand gallons of water consumed.

Sewer charges for residential users will be based upon the average of the three lowest months of water usage over a 12-month period, beginning with the first day of March 2005 and ending the last day of February. The first residential billing of May each year will reflect the new or revised rates.

All users outside the city limits will be charged a rate double the inside city rates.

Qualifying senior citizens age 65 and over will receive a $2.50 discount on the customer service charge.

Commercial and industrial users will be charged based on actual water consumption during each month.

In other business:

B.J. Owen, director of special services, reported that Animal Control received a total of 151 calls and took 228 animals to the pound. The calls included 12 animal bites, four rabies specimen submissions, 46 citations issued and 150 warnings with 62 being verbal and 88 written.

Robert Fain, who lives in the 700 block of Emerson, addressed council about 'boom box noise.' He brought a list detailing times and dates of police calls about the noise on Emerson and said "It's like a bad tooth ache, you can't get rid of it."

The council does not generally respond to public comments during the meeting but the mayor told Fain that those who violate the noise ordinance violators had to be caught in the act and that Kilgore police were doing all they could in the matter.

The council went in to executive session to discuss the city manager's performance evaluation.

Mayor Parker gave a statement remarking that Howell has done an excellent job for the city of Kilgore.

"We're lucky and proud to have him," Parker said. "He thinks ahead."

Parker has been on council since 1993 and been mayor since 1999 and says he has "never seen anything like this. (Jeff ) is concerned with annexation, extra-territorial jurisdictions, strategies plans and comprehensive plans," Parker said. "That is how a city grows."

Parker also said Howell is the kind of manager the city needs and that Howell will help make Kilgore a place people want to come.

"We do want people to come. We're proud of Kilgore," he said. "It's the city of stars."