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VOL 8 No. 46
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
P. O.BOX 623, SUGAR LAND, TX 77487-0623
Official newspaper of Fort Bend County, Missouri City & Sugar Land
‘The city doth protest too much, methinks’ 7HOIDLU 'HYHORSPHQW *HQHUDO /DQG 3ODQ
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This is the group of citizens who met with Sugar Land Mayor Jimmy Thompson on Oct. 27 on the apartments issue, according to the city website. The city did not release it to the press, as it did with all other press releases. Diana Miller, on the other hand, submitted a picture of the volunteers who helped sign the petition and sent it to the press. This omission was clarified in the Nov. 11 issue, (see below) both through the city’s own press release and my opinion piece. However, a city spokesman sent me a litany of alleged inaccuracies in my articles and opinion piece. (See Page 4.) The crux of my opinion piece was that the city could have gracefully acknowledged Sugar Land Votes as a group of citizens whose input also helped shape the city’s action. Instead the city chose to doubledown on the group. The relationship between Diana Miller, who led Sugar Land Votes, and the city of Sugar Land has been less than cordial in the past and that relationship has now turned for the worse. The city may not agree with a citizens’ group, but it should ensure that the city should not be seen or perceived as hostile to a section of the citizens. The city has a well trained public relations department to advance its agenda. Where will the citizens’ group go for publicizing its agenda? Obviously, the news media. — Seshadri Kumar
2015 Fort Bend Exchange Club Duck Golf Classic Raises Funds For Area NonproďŹ ts. The Exchange Club of Fort Bend reports over $36,000 in proceeds from its Annual Duck Golf Classic held at Pecan Grove Country Club on Monday, Oct. 19. Organizations benefitting from the funds raised include but are not limited to the ESCAPE CENTER, Child Advocates of Fort Bend, The Fort Bend County Women’s Center, The Literacy Council of Fort Bend County, Texana Center, Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, The Fort Bend Rainbow Room, and The Boy Scouts of America. The Exchange Club of Fort Bend is but one of many Exchange Clubs across America. The club’s national focus is the prevention of child abuse, Americanism, community service, and youth. The Exchange Club of Fort Bend meets weekly for lunch at Sweetwater County Club. For more information, please go to www.fortbendexchange.org. Above, Deacon Jones, left, Michael Schi, Quent Mccollum, and John Healey.
Public hearing scheduled on action to cap Planned Development multi-family units
Anthony Snipes is Missouri City’s new city manager Missouri City City Council voted unanimously on Monday to appoint Anthony Snipes as the city manager. Councilman Jerry Wyatt made the motion and Councilman Floyd Emery seconded. Following a competitive eight-month recruitment process, veteran public administrator Snipes, who has extensive experience managing municipal projects nationwide, has been unanimously appointed as the City’s seventh City Manager. Snipes’ whose public service career spans more than 20 years and includes successes in strategic initiatives involving budgeting and performance management, public/private partnerships and organizational development. Snipes, who was working as a Fund Development and Government Relations consultant in Austin before accepting the position, is “looking forward to working with the City’s excep-
Snipes tionally talented team of professionals and partnering with them to achieve the City’s strategic goals.â€? He will oďŹƒcially start his new role on Dec. 1 and will earn a salary of $185,000. Snipes was an administrator in dierent capacities for Dayton, Ohio; Fort Worth and Austin. In all three cities, he implemented proactive programs and led innovative initiatives that set a standard for excellence.
As Assistant City Manager in Austin, his primary areas of oversight included the Austin Convention Center, Fleet Services, Building Services, Telecommunications and Regulatory Aairs, Management Services, Communications and Technology Management, Human Resources, and Labor Relations. During his tenure in Fort Worth, Snipes served as Assistant Director of the Water Department’s Business Services Division, as Interim Director of Human Resources, as Assistant to the City Manager, and as Senior Assistant to the City Manager. In Dayton, his roles included Special Projects Administrator/ Fiscal Administrator and Senior Management and Budget Analyst. Snipes’ career also includes service with the U.S. OďŹƒce of Personnel Management, MaSee SNIPES, Page 3
A public hearing will be held at the Sugar Land Planning and Zoning Commission meeting scheduled on Dec. 8 to consider the elimination of recent updates to the City’s Development Code and the addition of a provision limiting multi-family in planned development districts to no more than 200 units. Should the commission make a recommendation on Dec. 8 to update Sugar Land’s Development Code: City Council could hold a public hearing and consider the update on ďŹ rst reading at a future meeting; and approval of the update could follow on second and ďŹ nal reading at a subsequent City Council meeting. Sugar Land City Council approved a resolution on Nov. 3 directing the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider the changes. After receiving a petition of
more than 1,400 citizens concerned about apartments, Mayor James Thompson scheduled a meeting on Oct. 27 at City Hall with representative petitioners. The group represented seven neighborhoods near the location where Newland Communities recently applied for a planned development zoning district that included 900 optional apartments among other components such as oďŹƒce and retail. The Land Use Plan Task Force, a City Council steering committee working on an update to the future Land Use Plan, met on Oct. 30 for further discussion of land use issues. The Land Use Plan is one of many master plans that comprise the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Two members of the taskforce - Councilmembers Joe Zimmerman and Harish Jajoo - asked for a resolution addressing residents’ concerns to be considered
by City Council. “We listened to the community, and we heard their concerns,� said Mayor James Thompson. “Public input has been important to us, and has helped guide our past and current decisions. Balancing the interests of citizens to expand tourism initiatives, attract new businesses, maintain our very low tax rate and protect our neighborhoods will continue to be our focus. It is important that we incorporate recent community dialogue and new issues such as school overcrowding into our ongoing process to update our Land Use Plan.� Another petition requesting the repeal of Ordinance 2014 by referendum was not received by the legal deadline of Nov. 6. Ordinance 2014, adopted by City Council in July 2015, repealed and replaced the prior development code.