As College Station grows, city council must focus not only on new development, but also on improving infrastructure in older areas.
A three hour discussion at the last council meeting covered funding and growth management in the medical district, and Place 4 Councilman and former Planning and Zoning Chairman John Nichols says the council’s job is to protect and enhance the property values of citizens and land-owners.
Nichols feels that the new tax increment financing zones will help accomplish that, and although tax increment financing zones haven’t been used in College Station much in the past, if they are managed properly, they’ll provide the funding up front to get the development moving.
In addition, he says he’s not in favor of extraneous fees unless they can be justified, but supports fees that are a form of investment.
He says that rate-payers contributing the resources it takes to build out the infrastructure in order to serve themselves is a legitimate approach, and that bonding is absolutely necessary for major extensions and improvements, but the they do try to replace as much of the aging infrastructure as possible out of the rate-paying structures.
As an example, Nichols cites rate increases and improvements in water, waste-water plans, and new sewer lines as the results of conscientious, forward-thinking planning.
John Nichols visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia.