CITY CORNER by Mayor Brent Hinckley

     If you have driven down Bickenbach Ave in the past few days you will find that the low water crossing for Comanche Creek has now been replaced and is reopened.   This is not a regular every day  route for most of us, but it is the primary access for Gooch Cemetery and is important on those days when we have to say “goodbye” to someone in our community.   When that crossing failed near the end of the summer, we were concerned about how we should go about replacing it and what the cost might be.  After a few weeks of looking and considering alternatives, our City crews came up with a plan.  Working together they managed to remove the old concrete and replace it with new steel reinforced concrete that should last for as long or longer than the previous crossing, which no doubt provided many years of good service.   Initially we were thinking that it might cost as much as $80,000 to $90,000 to have an outside contractor and engineer design, bid and construct a replacement, however working as a team our City employees did the entire job themselves and at a cost of about $7,000.   That is a significant savings to our town, and just shows the value of working as a team to tackle the different problems that come our way.  A big THANK YOU to all of the workers that spent time making this happen in between meeting the daily tasks and needs that regularly keep them busy.

     Next Monday, October 21 at 5:30 in the Eckert Civic Center, the City Commission will meet again for our regular monthly meeting.  If you want to be aware of some of the issues that we face and how your elected officials think about them, make plans to come and watch or participate in our decision making.  There are a number of issues on this agenda, and some of the them may affect some area of your City government that is important to you so it is important to stay informed.  The first topic that will be discussed next Monday is a presentation by Scott Zesch representing the Mason County Historical Commission and recommending a Historical Property Ordinance to regulate the demolition of older buildings in our town that meet defined standards.  This is a direct result of the several workshops that were conducted last Spring addressing the growth and planning needed to preserve our community and specifically what might be most important.  Preserving the historic nature of our community and the importance of the specific heritage of our historic buildings was one of the consistent comments, and the Historical Commission has discussed this for several months to work out some details and incorporate the approaches of several other towns in Texas to write this proposed Ordinance.  This issue will only be discussed at this meeting, and then any concerns will be addressed and a final draft will be presented for approval of the City Commission at a later date.  Another issue that will be discussed, is the need for additional parking on the west side of the square, particularly on Friday and Saturday evenings, and some reasonable proposals to help that situation. 

     There are also a number of agenda items that will call for a vote after discussion including:  selecting an engineering firm to analyze and design an improvement or replacement for the waste water lift station located on Smith Street which is critical to our infrastructure and definitely aging, casting our votes for candidates for the open positions on the Mason Central Appraisal Board, considering an appointment to the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission to fill a vacancy there, and the annual performance reviews for the City Secretary and City Administrator.  During the meeting John and I will provide an update on the current status of the Water Treatment project and the design and schedule for the new Landfill.   Both of these projects are significant and while sometimes it seems that weeks go by with no more action that awaiting regulatory approvals, it is important that we be fully aware of the current activity and progress so that both are moving forward towards a timely completion.  The other issue that will be discussed and possibly acted upon is the proposal from one of our Commissioners that we form a small Finance Committee to look into some specific topics including the present reports we received about our finances and the longer term capital projects and the anticipated financial obligations we might be looking at.   The Commission has looked at some of the long-term issues every year during the budgeting process to determine what is prioritized and what might be expected in the future, and we met twice this past summer and there was discussion of capital projects and financial needs at each three hour workshop.   This approach has worked well for the past, and I would certainly be pleased to call a regular workshop so that financial issues might be discussed fully in an open meeting, but I am not sure a small committee is a wise approach to a problem that is seen from various points of view.  Our future capital projects will be the foundation of the community we build, but it is important that we understand the projections for the future and that we determine specific paths to solutions and arrive at reasoned and appropriate costs and obligations.  I am concerned that outside of an open meeting with all elected officials participating, there will likely not be a complete and well-rounded view of future needs and goals.   I anticipate this particular issue will have the widest range of discussion, and you can see some other comments on it in the “Commissioner’s Comments” provided by Commissioner Pledger.  I would strongly suggest that if you wish to be fully informed that you look at all of the opinions and consider the range of views so that together we can make decisions that will provide a solid future for our town and the generations of citizens that will follow us.   

     Mason is a great hometown, and working together with the input from all citizens, and careful consideration and discussion from all elected officials, we can continue to provide the foundation for improvement and progress.  It is up to each of us to share our opinions and then listen to the many other suggestions and recommendations out there, as we make wise collective decisions.  Make an effort to come to our City Commission meeting, and together we can provide a future that will be a benefit to everyone who calls Mason home for many years to come.