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Council brings vision to the table
By Matthew Price
The Celina City Council, Mayor Corbett Howard, City Manager Jason Gray, and City Attorney Lance Vanzant met at the Hampton Inn in Frisco this past weekend for Celina’s annual work session and planning retreat.
Gray’s key role in the meeting was to act as facilitator for the group. He prompted participants for feedback and took part in the discussions when necessary. Much of the focus of this work session was to realize the values and vision of the city and to learn how to implement those through interaction with the group.
“Vision is not a three or five year deal,” Gray said. He challenged the Council, asking, “How does your experience in Celina today compare with that of 20 years, 50 years, or even 131 years?”
“In 50 years, I don’t know what America is going to look like, but I want Celina to be a destination that all kinds of folks can enjoy through things like music festivals and art festivals,” Mayor Howard said.
Councilman Brad Glendening chose a series of slogans to describe his vision of the future of Celina. “One sign would say ‘Your dreams come true in Celina, another one would say ‘Come celebrate Celina. It’s heritage, it’s people, it’s future.’ Another sign would say ‘Celina cares for you,’ and another would say ‘Spread your wings in Celina, your sanctuary in the country.’”
Councilman Wayne Nabors spoke about providing fellowship opportunities for residents of Celina. “That’s where you get community involvement is getting people out of their homes,” he said. “You have to get back to the fact that we’re a representative form of government. It goes back to communication, and you can’t do everything through mail. You have to be able to look people in the eye so that you know whether or not they’re grasping what you’re telling them.”
“I think preservation of the heritage of Celina and perpetuating that is what is going to make Celina unique,” said Councilwoman Jeanie Ready. “I think the heritage (has defined) the community. Everyone knows everyone, everyone helps everyone, and there is that acceptance.”
“We all said about the same thing, and it’s because our vision is in line with what we have now,” Mayor Pro Tem Jim Lewis said. He said that not everyone experiences the same sense of community and that choosing to be involved in the formation of the community is integral to feeling like a part of Celina.
Gray pointed out variations in the visions presented. He said it is important to realize that one’s personal values are not necessarily appropriate for the values of an entire community.
“I think over the years, (the Council) has changed, and everybody is realizing the importance of cooperation, (incorporating) ideas, and (we are working) to create a vision,” Councilman Dewey Isham said. “In support of what Jason is doing here, I think the opportunity is fantastic.”
The facilities planning portion of the meeting concentrated on the possible relocation of City Hall and the Celina Police Department.
Gray said he has spoken with Celina ISD Superintendent Dr. Randy Reid and that the school district is willing to lease out the former CISD administration building, which is located at 501 East Pecan Street. Gray said the building is in good shape and would take minimal renovation efforts.
The church annex building, located to the left of Celina Church of God on Walnut Street, has been considered for the relocation of Celina City Hall. The building, which is roughly 6,000 square feet, has been analyzed by architects Art Phelps and Lawrence Wood. Gray said these professionals think the building has potential, but that they advised him to consider the roughly 8,000 square foot extension of Independent Bank.
According to the architects’ report, the bank building would require substantially less renovation, though the lease rate may be substantially higher. The same owner owns both buildings. A major consideration is that this relocation may last only a decade at most before a bigger building must be considered to meet the needs of a growing Celina.
Lewis said that it may be more appropriate to have a commercial business in the bank building location in 10 years. He said it is important to consider the public perception of City Hall.
Gray said that timing and cost are major issues, adding, “I don’t think 18 months or even two years is too long to wait if it’s the right decision.”
The city manager has chosen to hire Celina High School Graduate Leah Davenport as an intern in the city offices for this summer. Gray commented on Davenport’s accomplishments in school, and the general consensus indicated that she will do a fine job in the position.
Attorney Rider Scott of Strasburger and Price LLP presented a legislative update to the Council. Scott was accompanied by David LaBrec, a partner in the same firm, and Vanzant aided in the discussion as well.
Scott commented on Celina’s overall performance at Collin County Days in Austin. He said he felt that the representatives of Celina made one of the biggest impressions of all small towns involved and that his hat goes off to Mayor Howard who led the group.
LaBrec emphasized the importance of becoming known amongst Texas legislators, saying, “They want the elected officials down there.”
Director of Planning Cindy Jackson attended a portion of the work session to discuss an update to the city’s comprehensive plan.
Gray said that updating the comprehensive plan will require community input. The plan is to seek out that input over the next few months, and the Council will work to appoint a comprehensive plan advisory committee.
Regarding budgeting, specific numbers were not discussed.
“There’s a general consensus that if we can possibly lower taxes and make Celina a little more competitive, then we would want to do that, so I’m taking that into the office and figuring out a way to make that happen,” Gray said. “It was important to me in laying out for the Council my philosophy on budgeting, that the city’s budget should not only be a process, but at the end of the day (it should be) a document that citizens as well as the Council can understand. (I want them to be able to) get their arms around it and understand their taxes better and what’s being paid for with what.”
The group chose not to release an official list of priorities, as the program that Gray implemented was different from past retreats of the Celina City Council. Gray said team building was a big part of it as well as “to help the Council to understand their role as the vision and policy setters for the city, rather than the day to day goal setters for the city.”
“If I know what the values of the community are as I’m going out and helping the staff and instructing and managing them in a way that accomplishes the day to day goals you typically get out of a work session, then we’ll be doing the right thing if those goals are based on values.”
“I wanted to make sure that what we do, regardless of the priority of it, that it’s based upon the values of the community,” Gray said. “There are going to be those times when things don’t work out like we expect them to, and those are the times we need to hold on to those values. To me, the vision has to be rooted in your values. The bigger picture is what we are about.”
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