Originally published on CitizenLyle.com. Reprinted with permission from the author, Lyle Nelson.

On the Consent Agenda for the Special Called City Council Meeting of March 4, 2025, there were several items that should have been considered as individual items. Consent agendas are passed without discussion or public input. There was even a Consent Agenda Item that contained a Public Hearing. This is suspect in that the Consent Agenda normally does not allow for discussion. In addition, there were seven (7) Public Hearings scheduled here that had far reaching effects on the City’s Land Development Codes. While I support positive development for our City, I prefer such decisions by our elected representatives to be beneficial to our citizens while encouraging positive development. A hurried process to alert, inform and allow our citizens time to evaluate seems contrary to public service.

Items placed on this Consent Agenda included:

• 3C – The first reading of an Ordinance (basically a municipality’s law)
• 3E – The expenditure of $150K of public funds
• 3G – The first reading of an Ordinance with a PUBLIC HEARING. It should be noted that this item was moved for individual consideration, but no PUBLIC HEARING was provided.
• 3H – Confirmation of an appointment of Jimmy Crouch to the P&Z Commission

I had comments to make for Item 3H and submitted a Request to Speak before the Council started. Section 4.8 of the “Rules of Procedure for the City Council and Boards & Commissions of the City of Bastrop, Texas” states …..”a citizen may request that any item be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately”. The presiding officer, John Kirkland, did not ask if those in attendance wanted an item removed and although I asked for the item to be removed from the consent agenda TWICE, such was not acted upon. The presiding officer violated Section 3.13 of the City Charter by blatantly ignoring the published Rules of Procedures. Does this make the vote taken for this Consent agenda invalid?

In not allowing the opportunity for a public discussion, has John Kirkland, in a questionable capacity:

• Indicated that he makes up his own rules
• Continued a private vendetta
• Adopted Cronyism as an accepted procedure
• Denied Citizen Rights

Reprinted with permission from the author, Lyle Nelson.
Comments of former Mayor Lyle Nelson to the Planning & Zoning Commission on February 17, 2025.

Mr. Chairman and Commissioners, thank you for your volunteerism and work. And thanks to the public for your interest.

My comments are not on the technical points of the City’s Land Development Codes but on the process of amending and adopting various requirements. I am for positive development but more importantly, I am pro Bastrop and its citizens.

As you are aware, it is imperative that we, as a community, optimize the opportunities to engage, inform and educate those who are impacted by our collective decisions.

When the current Land Development Codes were adopted in 2019, a portion of the authorizing resolution was that development be “conducted in a fiscally sustainable and environmentally responsible manner that honors the City’s rich heritage and unique ecological makeup.” It was designed to ensure clarity and consistency so as to mitigate any detrimental impact on our citizens. It was also intended to be a living document that should be reviewed and modified on a routine basis due to changing dynamics and citizen input. From April of 2019 through September of 2019, a period of six (6) months, there were at least, six (6) opportunities for citizen review and input, specifically to address possible amendments. This number does not include the many regularly scheduled Council and P&Z meetings.

Now, some six (6) years later, notices go out with alerts such as “WHETHER YOU MAY LOSE YOUR RIGHT TO CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY FOR ITS CURRENT USE’ AND PROTECTING BASTROP”! These alerts state that it is in response to concerns from citizens. When and in what form were these concerns expressed. How many citizens expressed concerns and to whom? How many developers expressed concerns and to whom? These alerts inform our citizens that there will be only four (4) opportunities in a matter of Twenty-three (23) days to be informed, educated and provide input in a public setting. That seems such a limited amount of time for a regular citizen to digest and comment on the changes and their impact. This is especially concerning with a municipal election looming and the Legislature in session.

Again, I am not here to address the technical aspects but, as a citizen, I am concerned with the urgency being suggested for the residents of Bastrop to absorb such a vast amount of information and react with their concerns. Thank you.

City Council Hearings March 4 & 11