Llano postpones decision on zoning ordinance amendments
Llano resident Marc Sewell unrolls a list of 117 differences he found between the retail and commercial zones of the city’s zoning ordinance, last updated in 1998. Sewell opposed the removal of a retail zone from the city ordinance on the Dec. 3 agenda. The City Council tabled two agenda items related to proposed zoning ordinance amendments. Staff photo by Jared Fields
STAFF WRITER JARED FIELDS
Llano City Council voted to table two agenda items related to amending the city’s zoning ordinance during its regular meeting Dec. 3.
The ordinance has not been updated since 1998. The Planning and Zoning Commission has worked for three years to present amendments to the city’s land uses.
Much of the discussion in the meeting — from the public and between council members — included questions about the removal of a retail zone from the zoning ordinance.
During the public comments, Marc Sewell addressed council members and unfurled a scroll to make his point that retail and commercial zones had 117 differences between them.
“I agree with Marc; there is a big difference between retail and commercial,” Alderwoman Kelli Tudyk said. “We can’t lump them all together. We can alleviate the problems in the past. We just can’t cut out retail all together.”
After the first agenda item related to the zoning ordinance was tabled, Mayor Gail Lang, before tabling the second item, said she understood Planning and Zoning’s intentions but questioned whether future committees and councils would.
“I would be more comfortable adding a retail section,” she said. “Maybe it is repetitive and it’s probably not necessary, but it would stop the confusion and angst.”
The zoning ordinance items were tabled without a specific date to come back to the council.
In other action, the council addressed two city staff members retiring this year.
Llano Municipal Judge Sam Oatman wrote a letter of resignation dated Nov. 19 to Lang that was effective Nov. 30.
“I want to respectfully thank the council and you as Mayor for the honor and privilege to serve the City of Llano in this capacity,” he wrote in the letter. “I would also like to thank the City staff, Sheriff’s office and all law enforcement agencies for their patience and support in allowing me to be able to carry out a most important service and assist them in doing their jobs.”
The council accepted Oatman’s resignation letter in one agenda item and, in a later item, appointed an interim.
After 17 minutes in executive session, the council voted unanimously to appoint Brian Alexander, Llano County Precinct 4 justice of the peace, to fill the seat through the end of the unexpired term in May 2019.
Also retiring from the city this year is City Secretary Toni Milam. Milam is retiring effective Dec. 31 after working seven years for the city.
The council approved the appointment of Erica Berry as city secretary, effective Dec. 6.