The Whitney City Council reviewed agenda items related to subdivision development during a meeting held Thursday, June 18.
The council approved an amended facilities agreement with Teamwork Town, Inc. for the Trinity Estates Subdivision on North Trinity Street. The council entered into a two-year agreement with the company in March 2024, during which time all infrastructure was to be built. CEO Gary Finch asked the council to extend the agreement through August, saying that while 98 percent of the work is completed, crews are waiting for dry weather to pour concrete for a detention pond.
The council approved a final plat for the subdivision in April 2022, when plans showed that the company would build up to 57 homes, with phase one including the construction of 37 homes.
Council members revisited another subdivision request that was first discussed in 2022 from Movin’ On In Properties. At that time, the company presented plans to build up to 162 homes in an area that is currently undeveloped behind Circle Drive in Whitney. The first phase would include 27 homes.
The plan hit roadblocks when it was first presented to previous city leadership and council members due to concerns about traffic congestion and indications that the developer was planning to rent any homes that didn’t sell.
Citizens were concerned about the subdivision’s planned entrance and exit, which would be Whitney Place Drive, and the council encouraged the developer to rethink the project and submit a plan with less density at that time.
The company is now asking to restart the project, and City Administrator Billy Pribble told council members that the proposal was being put before them for review before time is spent working on other parts of the process.
The city annexed 75 acres that was proposed for the project when it was first discussed, but it is not yet zoned. If the plan moves forward, the city will have to proceed with zoning and platting processes.
Pribble said that the development agreement recently put in place will require the developer to pay the costs of traffic and density studies. The council was in favor of moving forward with the process.
In other action, the council appointed Shae Lemley to the Whitney Housing Authority Board of Directors and Rita Bishop to the city’s parks board.
An agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) was approved relating to the Whitney gateway monument that the Lake Whitney Chamber of Commerce has been working on since 2013. The issue has been discussed at council meetings over the years, but the project has experienced delays due to TxDOT turnover and other factors. The monument is expected to be placed at the “Y” in Whitney, and there is no cost to the city. The council approved entering into a related agreement with TxDOT and naming Pribble the designated contact for the city.
Revisiting a topic from last month, the council directed the Public Works Department to remove a small section of fencing at the tennis courts near the city park. The issue came before the council after an ambulance crew recently had difficulty getting a stretcher into the area.
The council discussed revisions to the city’s special events ordinance, which is being reviewed to better define what qualifies as a special event. The public was encouraged to review the ordinance, which can be found in the council packet on the city’s website, and provide feedback as discussions continue.
An agreement with engineering firm MRB Group was approved that will allow the city to move forward with grant-funded drainage work on Chad Avenue, East Beth Avenue and Texas Street.
The council discussed a citizen’s request to abandon an alleyway between 500 and 506 Ballard Street that does not have any city utilities and has been maintained by a property owner who no longer wants the alley to divide his property. The council agreed to move forward with the process, which will include the property owner obtaining a survey.
The council also set dates for upcoming 2026-27 budget workshops, which will be held August 11 at 10 a.m. and August 25 at 2 p.m. at city hall; approved a copier agreement with Ricoh for city offices; and approved an updated utility agreement with CSWR-Texas, which is purchasing HILCO United Services, for locations the water utility serves within the city’s service area.
In departmental reports, Whitney Fire Rescue reported 236 total fire and EMS calls in May, with the fire department responding to 165 calls and EMS responding to 71 calls. On the fire side, the department responded to 11 fire calls in the city and 12 in the county, and 63 first responder calls in the city and 79 in the county. EMS responded to 68 calls in the city and three calls in the county as mutual aid for CareFlite; the EMS response time was 5.2 minutes in the city and 13.4 minutes in the county.
The police department responded to 233 total incidents in May, including 73 citations/warnings, 63 total traffic stops and two arrests. There were five animal control calls for service in May and 20 code enforcement complaints received.
Public Works reported seven water leak repairs in May and two sewer taps installed. There were four calls about water issues and six sewer calls.
The library issued 31 new library cards in May and served a total of 1,427 visitors. There were 172 library visitors using computers for the month, and 319 people attended events and programs hosted at the library. The library loaned 763 items to patrons for the month.
The council’s next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at the Lake Whitney Public Library Thursday, July 16, at 6 p.m.
