The San Marcos City Council postponed an amendment to rezone acres located near Steen Road after comments from a public hearing expressed concerns about an increase in already high traffic and further runoff damage. 
Councilmember Shane Scott expressed while there is a shortage of affordable housing in San Marcos, the area of the proposed neighborhood is extremely sensitive. Councilmember Mark Gleason had concerns regarding the density of the project given the dangerous reality of the highly trafficked area.
Gleason motioned to postpone the item with the intention the case is referred back to the Planning and Zoning Commission and that the developer receives an additional chance to enhance changes to the proposed plan. 
The council unanimously voted, with the mayor recused, to approve the postponement until the item is referred back to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Consideration for approving a renewal agreement with the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce in the estimated annual amount of $38,100 for services, facilities and office space was postponed to the council’s Jan. 5 meeting after councilmember Maxfield Baker raised concerns about the increase in the annual amount agreement, which he said was around $24,000 for storage and board room use last year. 
The council approved the renewal of a contract with Techline, Inc., through a cooperative purchasing interlocal agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority, for the supply of materials such as utility poles, power and low cables, transformers, etc., to be used by the San Marcos Electric Utility in an estimated annual amount not to exceed $4,000,000. The renewal is of one year from the effective date and will automatically renew up to three additional years. 
After removing the pre-authorization of three annual renewals, the council approved the resolution seeking renewal with McCoy Tree Surgery, through a cooperative purchasing interlocal agreement with the Lower Colorado River Authority, for tree trimming services for the San Marcos Electric Utility in an estimated annual amount not to exceed $1,600,000.
The City Council authorized the donation of the San Marcos Fire Department’s Fire Safety House to the Hays County Office of Emergency Services. The safety house is no longer in use and the Hays County Office of Emergency Services intends to use the location for public outreach and educational programs. 
The creation of the Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Advisory Committee was approved with a unanimous vote from the council as well as the designation of the initial members of the committee. 
William Agnew, Michael Dillon and Travis Kelsey from Planning and Zoning, along with Keith Ubben and Peter A. Vogt from the Parks and Recreation Advisory board, will serve on the CDBG-MIT Advisory Committee. The CDBG-MIT Action Plan was adopted by City Council March 3 and provides the allocation of $24,012,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The council unanimously voted for the appointment of Hughson as a member of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) Transportation Policy Board and Gleason as the alternate member. 
Authorization for a public improvement district for approximately 596 acres of land located between IH-35 and the future FM 110 was approved by the council. Councilmembers Scott and Saul Gonzales along with Hughson were unanimously selected as the council committee to review the public improvement district. 
The council appointed councilmember Alyssa Garza to the Core 4 Policy Group Committee. Hughson, along with Garza and Baker, was appointed to the Criminal Justice Reform Committee. Councilmember Melissa Derrick, Gonzales and Garza were appointed to the Homelessness Committee after Hughson removed herself from the committee. 
The council appointed councilmember Gleason to the La Cima Committee and to the Legislative Committee. Derrick was appointed to the Multimodal Transit Committee and Hughson was appointed to the Sustainability Committee. The council appointed Scott to the Citizen Utility Advisory Board and Hughson along with Baker to the Parking Advisory Board. 
Gleason was appointed to the Alliance Regional Water Authority and Scott was appointed to the Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) Board.
Hughson was reappointed to Position One and councilmember Baker was appointed to Position Two of the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) No. 5 (downtown) Board of Directors. 
In a presentation about resuming utility disconnection, staff recommended the council to extend the freeze on utility disconnects through Jan. 2. Councilmembers agreed to extend the freeze. 
In an update, staff proposed a discussion regarding the use of approximately $2.5 million dollars in available monies due to CARES support. The council will hold a special meeting Dec. 28 to further discuss the allocation of funds.
The San Marcos City Council meets virtually on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Residents who wish to speak during the citizen comment or public hearing periods should email [email protected] no later than noon on the day of the meeting.
For more information about City Council or to view meeting recordings and agendas visit its website.