Kevin O’Connor Kommentary March 18

College Station Councilman Investigating Repurposing The City Owned Macy’s Store For Indoor Pickleball

A College Station councilman is investigating repurposing the city owned Macy’s store located at Post Oak Mall for indoor pickleball. Bob Yancy told WTAW News people have reached out to him and he has determined there is room for 20 pickleball courts without making major renovations. Yancy said this would address a shortage of courts in College Station and Bryan. He also said this would increase customer traffic at mall, adding “I just believe that it’s unfair to the other businesses, the tenants at the mall for us (the city) to leave it (the former Macy’s building) empty in an open ended manner.” Click below to hear Bob Yancy’s visit with WTAW’s Bill Oliver. Listen to “College Station councilman investigating repurposing the city owned Macy's store for indoor pickleball” on Spreaker.

College Station Residents Want More Enforcement of Housing Ordinance

Four residents spoke during the public comment portion of last week’s College Station City Council meeting about the lack of enforcement of the “no more than 4” housing ordinance. Jake McFarland says as residents, they have done everything they can at this point. “We’ve brought you data, we’ve reported violations of our laws, we have worked with you to change laws to be effective and fair. And we have provided a relief valve for growth by turning over half of the city to high occupancy overlays. Yet we have not achieved any of the results we desire,” said McFarland. Richard Woodward applauded the council for their effort to protect neighborhood integrity, but says it isn’t enough. “The law is not being followed. We’re seeing substantial overoccupancy and despite one year moratorium, despite the efforts of Texas A&M, we’re still not seeing the effect that we need to see to keep our laws being followed,” said Woodward. Councilwoman Melissa McIlhaney wants the council to be more transparent with citizens about the challenges of enforcing the ordinance. “The status of enforcement, any progress we’ve made, any challenges we might have. I think the folks that spoke tonight, I think there’s a perceived cone of silence here. I think we need to be very upfront about any challenges and progress we’ve made,” said McIlhaney. Councilman David White requested the topic be put on a future agenda. Listen to “College Station City Council hears from four public speakers about housing ordinance enforcement” on Spreaker.

Brazos County Not Affected by Faulty Election Equipment

More than 60 Texas counties are working to replace a key piece of voting equipment before the next round of city and school elections. Brazos County Elections Administrator Trudy Hancock says during November’s election, a large county had issues with its electronic pollbook or pollpad. “The pollpad is what you check in with, the first table that you go to and show your ID,” says Hancock. According to the Texas Tribune, several thousand voters in Dallas County received the wrong ballot after checking in on the e-pollbook. Hancock says the now decertified vendor is not the one used in Brazos County. “It did not affect us and will not affect Brazos County in any way,” says Hancock. Hancock says voting security in Texas is stronger because each county decides what election system to use. “There’s not one vendor for pollpads, there’s not just one vendor for election equipment or the system you vote on. That helps with security,” says Hancock. Hancock says this prevents bad actors from studying one system and potentially finding loop holes. Listen to “Brazos County Elections Administrator Trudy Hancock on WTAW” on Spreaker.