[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6345563,"mediaKeyId","2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed","parentId",2248855,"title","Planning staff outlines legal, technical limits for video attendance under Texas open-meetings rules","audioSeconds",1177,"startMs",1179440,"endMs",2098,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed&start=1179&end=2","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed/thumbnail_1179440.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6345563/Laredo/Webb-County/Texas/Planning-staff-outlines-legal-technical-limits-for-video-attendance-under-Texas-open-meetings-rules","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6345563-438dd8949f7f684a62cb0da49e9f8aae/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142600&Signature=RgxG3G9EvDjCU8qnzm-nXvK4gY5vTAiXs2RPl529vbJFGHsQV6hHrVAiB5qY2MEqNBqmouov6TlUxZyDVHkoLBvriP3PawL0b1uB6ksdsqZo9aHaSlyC1y9N2tNps06CNWlXsV6xlCMatwMydB1JZxZTxd9XyD7wrPk2ziUgHVRl7PZ6S2PQGzymkUjNTb7grZ4jDDxAKv2HWnS7L2FGxT~ggi0qbBz956UJsUf6mVEgKvI876yfaplZuWmzfrFT7eqCo9blfsukzukPPJQJv7R6HvCldR7n6y9I3mkEY7MfrExiQdxzp3-YN-suubtJ2Y5fIVvmyr23fB58T~NbZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Laredo, Texas","date","2025-02-07T01:37:13Z","article","Planning department staff briefed the Planning and Design Commission on Feb. 6 about legal and technical requirements for permitting video conference attendance at decision-making commission meetings under the Texas open-meetings rules.

Staff summarized advice received from the attorney’s office and the relevant portion of state law, identifying the Texas Local Government Code provisions governing remote participation (staff cited the statute by chapter and section during the briefing). The two central compliance points staff emphasized were that a full physical quorum must be present in the meeting room and the presiding officer (the chair) must be physically present. Staff said every remote location must provide continuous two-way audio and video so that each participant is visible and audible to the rest of the meeting and to members of the public.

Staff also said that if a remote connection drops during a meeting, the remote participant is counted as absent for that portion of the meeting and that the meeting must be recessed if technical problems prevent compliance. The department recommended verifying venue equipment and obtaining IT support for any meeting that allows remote participation; staff said the council chambers has the capacity but some alternate meeting locations may not. Staff added that live transmission (streaming) is required for meetings that include remote participants and that IT personnel should be present to monitor the connection during the meeting.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about practical limits, including whether remote participants would be required to appear from an office or home rather than a hospital or other setting. Staff answered that the statute does not specify where remote participants must be located but suggested a home or office would be the reasonable expectation and that questions about capacity or fitness to participate would be an ethical, not statutory, matter.

Staff noted decision-making boards such as the Planning and Design Commission are subject to the same video-attendance requirements that apply to the city council; those rules differ from rules that may apply to advisory boards where virtual quorum rules can be more permissive. Staff recommended further steps if the commission wishes to permit virtual attendance, including equipment verification, IT staffing and confirmation of the location and format in advance of any meeting that will offer remote participation.

The commission did not make a policy decision at the Feb. 6 meeting; staff’s presentation was a briefing and the commission directed staff to continue reviewing options and requirements.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 020625","oneSentenceSummary","Planning staff told the Planning and Design Commission on Feb. 6 that Texas open-meetings rules require a physical quorum and a physically present presiding officer for decision-making boards that permit remote members, and that remote sites must maintain continuous two-way audio and video.","taxTitle","Laredo, Webb County, Texas","taxId",2820,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6345568,"Planning commission keeps staff comments on Palm Lake master plan after debate over short dead-end streets",740,92000,832325,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed&start=92&end=832","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed/thumbnail_92000.jpg","/articles/6345568/Laredo/Webb-County/Texas/Planning-commission-keeps-staff-comments-on-Palm-Lake-master-plan-after-debate-over-short-dead-end-streets","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6345568-4f16747b454df4fc35dadb195831a88a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142600&Signature=kSvIkHp1Smbwy0NmRbHIllUlN4Kl0IX5X6v8bEVKbR7HlETspaueKGoWFm2POETgIWnOXvMHz-h09q~VdqnO6X22PqeeIkg5m5Ma0xlWkfthSR1J0O1zxCTuROUSywYNRAymYeir8~5NrnieZQUV43X1WMcvb88LUMDrYOfVnDFyvmzd~Et4Kdl2dB5Yus8Dt6Ym8RGGB1MNgQhe~5yLGH7e3RrTsngeQnaf6RSVECQYLpa0UUISgqKoJYHgMFZ46pmrtUVlXLIxgiSA9WVzd53AkxnLCw~jtEf-0wlU1s0zbwaw73HAcl1x-MIaujG4UVHKLwW2DaMHCv4McQ7ChA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Design Commission on Feb. 6 reviewed a revision to the Palm Lake Subdivision master plan, a proposed residential, multifamily and commercial reconfiguration for an existing development, and voted to keep staff comments that require turnarounds on dead-end streets.

The applicant identified on the record as San Jacinto Southwest and represented by engineers described in the hearing asked the commission to remove a staff comment requiring a turnaround because three short dead-end streets on the revised plan measure about 30 feet, the developer said. Grama Juara of Sunet Engineering told the commission the streets are “so short” that a 20-foot cul-de-sac would take up a large area and that the developer would instead post signage and barriers to mark the dead ends.

Commissioners and staff said their concern was emergency access and future connectivity as the subdivision proceeds in phases. Planning staff pointed to the city’s subdivision requirements discussed for dead ends and emergency turnarounds; commissioners repeatedly raised the need for alternate exits and questioned whether nearby constructed segments would open before later phases are built. One commissioner summarized the concern: the commission “need[s] to have alternative exits,” and noted that interior dead ends can become informal parking or block emergency maneuvers.

After discussion, Commissioner Scott Allison moved to leave staff comments as written; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Hector de Garcia and carried unanimously.

Separately, the commission voted to approve preliminary consideration of Phase 3 of the Palm Lake (Platte/Platte Palm Lakes) preliminary plat subject to staff comments. That motion was moved and seconded and carried.

Developers and engineers said the contested dead-end segments include two-lot fronting configurations and three very short dead-end segments that they characterize as visually obvious to drivers; the applicant said they would relocate or remove the segment if the commission required conventional turnarounds. Staff and multiple commissioners emphasized that some connecting segments already exist but are not yet accepted or open to traffic; they said full connectivity to adjacent streets (identified in testimony as Mines Road, Faskin and Rancho Viejo connectors) is expected as phases are completed but may not exist at the time of initial construction.

The commission’s action keeps in place the staff requirement that the developer provide appropriate turnarounds or meet the city’s minimum standards for dead-end streets, rather than granting an exception for the short 30-foot segments. No variance or formal exception was granted at the Feb. 6 hearing.

The commission’s remainder of the agenda included approvals and postponements of several plats and replats (see “Votes at a glance” article for full list).","The Planning and Design Commission on Feb. 6 reviewed a revision to the Palm Lake Subdivision master plan, a proposed residential, multifamily and commercial reconfiguration, and voted to retain staff comments requiring turnarounds for short dead-end streets.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6345558,"Votes at a glance: Planning and Design Commission, Feb. 6, 2025",0,70250,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed&start=70&end=70","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2248855-bf3c51e5ab4b3160d0b0661a822fffed/thumbnail_70250.jpg","/articles/6345558/Laredo/Webb-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Planning-and-Design-Commission-Feb-6-2025","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6345558-5f85bb3a3f2f38844622bd8eb265ec0f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771142600&Signature=U4fvarIem6lRR7oeB~0qhmor~gAPn9AhbzdcnAReDjzH-QAvV8b-VMKgsjCUWIAY3QdenxOf1fW6Os2rn2jmvOv-xKrJbv3yCngg6GfMdt3Xwisfd1tT-eWLold8Aqq8gj2KyeBSHrs~DZhXX3ZbdLIFrVFDTntEY0-KQQ2Gt5ltodUpQ~rdCOcCyRU3~uxQZ5o3aIIwxDfb9a4nCpk0LykgmjwAJKD-aGCavpwpaGwlrj9Vw2KVRDE3DAsekdhy9NKJIkzwx1rmSx8l5YV8KdNsHDxcgmqJRsVcPL0C7a5GgHLyHZOINrdO7IjqLokUjrRMcUknv9gCobcxLSgmJQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Planning and Design Commission on Feb. 6 recorded motions, approvals and postponements across multiple agenda items. Below is a concise list of formal actions taken during the meeting; items are listed using the agenda numbering used in the hearing.

- Approval of minutes: Motion to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of Jan. 16, 2025; motion carried.

- Item 7a — Palm Lake Subdivision master plan revision: After discussion, commissioners voted to retain staff comments as written (motion by Commissioner Scott Allison, second by Commissioner Hector de Garcia). Outcome: approved (staff comments remain). See separate article for full discussion.

- Item 7b — (agenda note): Motion to postpone item 7b at the applicant’s request; outcome: postponed.

- Item 8a — Preliminary consideration of Platte/Platte Palm Lakes (Phase 3) preliminary plat: Motion to approve subject to staff comments; outcome: approved.

- Item 8b — Motion to postpone item 8b at the applicant’s request; outcome: postponed.

- Item 8c — Preliminary replat of Lot 19, Block 3 (Pacquero Subdivision Phase 3): Motion to approve subject to staff comments; outcome: approved.

- Item 8d — Preliminary replat of Lot 15, Block 6 (Pueblo Nuevo Subdivision): Motion to approve subject to staff comments; outcome: approved.

- Items 9a and 9b — Final replat approvals (listed together at the meeting): Motion to approve both items; outcome: approved.

- Items 10a and 10b — Extensions to final plats/replats (heard together): Motion to approve extensions; outcome: approved.

- Motion to adjourn: motion seconded and carried.

Most motions were recorded on the audio transcript as unanimous (the chair asked “All in favor? Aye. Against? Motion carries.”). Where the transcript recorded a specific mover and seconder, that information is noted above; where the mover/second was not clearly identified by name in the record, the action is described with the outcome as recorded.","The Planning and Design Commission recorded a series of procedural votes: minutes approved, several plats/replats approved or postponed, and extensions granted. Most actions were approved unanimously; several items were postponed at applicants' request.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning staff outlines legal, technical limits for video attendance under Texas open-meetings rules

Planning commission keeps staff comments on Palm Lake master plan after debate over short dead-end streets

Votes at a glance: Planning and Design Commission, Feb. 6, 2025