The Snyder Planning and Zoning Commission recommended that the Snyder City Council approve the city’s comprehensive plan when it met Tuesday, but some commission members expressed their disappointment about the lack of outreach to the public and lack of public involvement with the plan.
Halff and Associates, an Austin-based planning firm, gathered feedback from the public to develop the plan.
Last month, Snyder City Manager Merle Taylor said the city hoped to have a public forum at some point in September for the public to provide more input before the final draft of the plan was to be written, but none was held.
According to a memorandum for Tuesday’s meeting, the commission was “asked to review this document, hold a public hearing to hear any objections or concern from the public and make any recommendations to the city council.”
Snyder Zoning Administrator Vick Chambers said it was his understanding that Tuesday’s meeting would serve as a public hearing itself.
“The council felt this would be the last chance for public input,” Chambers said. “This (comprehensive plan) will be our road map, but I don’t feel like it’s meant to be a hammer to make you do something.”
Two members of the general public, Gayle Summers and Bonnie Nussey, were present at the meeting.
Fewer than 700 surveys were completed by the public.
Chambers said he was disappointed in the response. Mayor Tony Wofford said he believes there are changes that need to be made in the city, and believes that can only be done through discussion and involvement.
“If we adopt it, that’s Snyder’s vision,” Wofford said. “If that’s our vision, we need to have the courage to do what we need to do to make that courage come to pass. We’ve had other plans that we agreed upon and adopted and they just fell by the wayside. I see it as a vision we set forth as the way we want to see Snyder in the future.”
Commission member Bill Crist made the motion to recommend the comprehensive plan to city council, but said he would like the city to reach out to the public and schedule another public hearing or town hall meeting.
“I do want to say that I’m disappointed in the city that there wasn’t more outreach to the people that participated in the process of putting this together to come together for the final plan,” Crist said. “You’ve got to get the public to buy in.”
The motion passed unanimously. Commission member Jimmy Nix said he believed the comprehensive plan was “a good guide,” but said there may need to be some changes made before the city council officially adopts it.
Also during the meeting, commission member Jon Lewis submitted his resignation due his taking a new job outside of Snyder.
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