Kevin O’Connor Kommentary November 20

College Station Mayor John Nichols on WTAW

College Station Mayor John Nichols visits with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia about removing the criminal aspect of the no-more-than-four unrelated housing ordinance, the Midway to the Future Conference, the upcoming Amazon meet and greet, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. Listen to “College Station Mayor John Nichols on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.

Texas A&M Student Government Leaders Ask The College Station City Council To Continue The Delay Of Enforcing No More Than Four Unrelated Occupants In Rental Housing

Five leaders of Texas A&M’s student government call on the College Station city council to delay the June first enforcement of the city’s ordinance restricting rental housing to no more than four unrelated residents. There was no response from council members during the April 11th meeting because state law does not allow comments regarding an item not on their agenda. There was also no reply from city staff during the council meeting. The following morning during a visit on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs, assistant city manager Jennifer Prochazka spoke about the efforts of city staff and Texas A&M’s resurrected office of off-campus housing to educate students and parents about the city ordinance that has been in place since 1939 but has not been strictly enforced in recent years. On Monday (April 15), a city spokesman told WTAW News that the agenda for the council’s April 25th meeting will include a proposed ordinance change making no more than four a civil offense instead of a misdemeanor criminal offense. Click below to hear comments from Texas A&M student government representatives during the April 11, 2024 College Station city council meeting. Those speakers are rules and regulations committee chairman Corbitt Armstrong, current student senate speaker Marcus Glass, student body president Andrew Applewhite, vice president of municipal affairs Ben Crockett, and incoming student senate speaker Ava Blackburn. That is followed by comments from College Station assistant city manager Jennifer Prochazka, speaking with WTAW’s Scott DeLucia on The Infomaniacs the morning of April 12, 2024. Listen to “Texas A&M student government leaders ask the College Station city council to continue delaying enforcement of a rental housing ordinance” on Spreaker.

Bryan City Council Ends A Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Near The Main Post Office

In 2005, the Bryan city council diverted property tax revenue from the area around the main post office to pay for new infrastructure. The council during its April 9th meeting approved dissolving the tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ. Strategic projects director Lindsey Guindi said more than $5.5 million dollars was collected by the TIRZ. The money went towards building Nash Street and new post office driveways, the roundabout at Nash and Broadmoor, improvements at Camelot Park, and other infrastructure. Guindi also said the assessed valuation of the property in the TIRZ grew from $2.2 million to more than $75 million dollars. With the end of TIRZ 19, Guindi says $400,000 dollars in annual property tax revenue will now go to the city of Bryan’s general fund and the city’s debt service fund. Click HERE to read and download background information from the April 9, 2024 Bryan city council meeting. Click HERE to read and download the ordinance approved by the Bryan city council dissolving TIRZ 19. Click below to hear comments from Lindsey Guindi during the April 9, 2024 Bryan city council meeting.