Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes reported to the Brownwood City Council on Tuesday about his recent attendance at a retail conference in San Antonio.
Haynes along with Brownwood Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Emily Crawford and Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce Marketing Manager Ray Tipton attended the International Council of Shopping Centers annual conference late last week. The Mayor reported that they made numerous contacts during the event.
“We met with four different commercial property developers that all expressed interest in Brownwood,” Haynes said. “We were very pleased to have that kind of feedback from our developers.”
Haynes also said that the group had the opportunity to speak directly to retailers and talk to them about the benefits of locating in Brownwood.
“Additionally, we met with somewhere between 20 and 30 individual retailers and were able to have specific discussions about their interest in coming to Brownwood and what they might want to do in this community,” Haynes said.
The Mayor also reported that they will be following up with all of the contacts they collected at the show and will continue to work with any new business looking to come to Brownwood.
“We are going to follow up on all of our contacts; I think we all have enough work to do now to keep us busy for the next three months if we got nothing else new because of all of the contacts that were made at that meeting,” Haynes said
Community representatives may consider attending this conference in the future based on feedback they received from other communities.
“The comment that we heard over and over again from the people that have done this for a number of year is they said it is something you have to stay with,” Haynes said. “It’s just keeping that presence in mind. It was a very worthwhile endeavor I thought.”
Haynes said that the city’s Retail Advisory Committee and the consulting firm the Retail Coach recommended that the city have a presence at the conference. Community representatives were armed with the recent retail analysis that the Retail Coach completed which included a retail gap analysis and psychographic profile.
Pictured above is Mayor Stephen Haynes in front of the retail display used at the conference last week before he left for the conference.
In other matters on Tuesday’s City Council agenda:
*A no parking zone, a distance of 230 total feet, along the curve of 9th Street at Avenue N and a 15mph speed zone on 9th Street which would span 500 ft. in either side of 9th Street and the Avenue N intersection was approved on first reading. The speed zone and no parking zones are needed due to the surrounding subdivision not being developed in proper alignment of the center line of 9th Street. The width of the street significantly narrows in the above described area (to be zoned as no parking) as well. Because of residents’ complaints of near wrecks and vehicles traveling on the wrong side of the road at this intersection due to excessive speeds, council is considering these ordinances. Resident Cotton Wood was present to express the concerns of the neighboring residents and also to ask questions to clear up any confusion related to the proposed zones.
The speed zone and no parking zone will both be on the next meeting’s agenda for second, third/ final readings before they are approved. These changes in ordinance will be published in the media for two weeks prior to their being enforced by police.
*Council approved a resolution, after a public hearing, regarding all goods-in-transit personal property be taxed in 2012 and every year following. According to City Manager Bobby Rountree, this is not a new tax, by opting in to tax these goods-in-transit; they will continue to be taxed as they are always taxed. In fact, most companies which this tax applies to usually never render goods-in-service; however have counted them as inventory. This resolution was needed as defined in the amendments to the Texas Tax Code 11.253 under Senate Bill 1 to allow the City of Brownwood to continue levying this tax according to documentation provided at the council meeting.
Brown County Commissioners approved a similar measure on Monday, November 7th as did the City of Early on Tuesday, November 1st.
*Council approved an ordinance on second and third/final readings approving the Fiscal Year 2011/2012 budget amendments.
*The second regularly scheduled City Council meetings in December, which would fall on December 27, 2011) was cancelled.
*Council approved on first reading an ordinance which would remove the board member ward requirements for the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Planning and Zoning Commission. According to Rountree, these are the only two boards within the city which have this requirement of their members.
*Council passed an ordinance on second and third/final readings amending the fiscal year 10/11 City of Brownwood budget for yearend amendments.
