Stafford council approves two special-use permits, directs drainage study, expands hotel-audit and selects Stafford Center manager

Stafford City Council met Aug. 20 and approved two special-use permits for religious institutions, directed staff to pursue drainage and asphalt work and to maximize existing street-repair funds, authorized an expanded revenue audit to include hotel-occupancy tax receipts and confirmed FM Squared as the Stafford Center manager.

The decisions followed extended discussion about unfinished 2024–25 street and drainage projects, parking and accessibility at proposed religious facilities, and city revenue compliance. Councilors and staff pressed for faster follow-up on projects that were authorized months earlier and approved motions to produce regular updates and to task staff with pursuing technical studies.

City engineer Jones told the council the 2025 concrete street contract is nearly complete and described a roughly $1.093 million construction contract for that program. "The contractor is effectively through with the contract at this point," Jones said, adding the asphalt program and a $75,000 drainage study had not yet been advanced because staff had not issued purchase orders or completed interlocal arrangements with the county. The council voted to direct the city manager and public-works director to consult with Jones and to move forward with drainage analysis for Cravens, Crestmont and related areas.

In land-use matters the council approved special-use permits (SUPs) required for religious institutions at two locations. The Chungmei Temple sought an SUP to expand its footprint at 12550 Jebbia Lane; staff and Planning & Zoning recommended approval, and the council voted to grant the SUP. The Episcopal Diocese sought an SUP to occupy Suite A at 210 Bridal Lane; the council approved that permit after hearing the diocese’s representative say the congregation would operate primarily on Sunday mornings and had arranged additional parking with a neighboring property. The diocese said it would comply with accessibility requirements; one councilor withheld a vote pending confirmation of handicapped-space markings, but the motion passed.

Councilors also returned focus to the city’s 2024–25 street-repair budget after residents and council members said asphalt work and drainage studies authorized last year had not been completed. Jones described options including using Fort Bend County participation for asphalt repairs and possible change orders to the existing contract. Council voted for two follow-up actions: regular quarterly status updates from the public-works director on approved street projects, and direction for the city manager to coordinate with Jones to produce a drainage study and maximize use of the remaining funds. “You know where you are on the streets. You know what we did,” Jones said. “There’s some marching orders on what goes on on the drainage study.”

The council expanded an ongoing third-party audit that recovered unreported local sales taxes to include hotel-occupancy tax (HOT) and asked staff to seek the auditor’s scope extension. That audit model charges the auditor a share of any newly recovered revenue; councilors asked staff to pursue the same approach for HOT and to include short-term rentals if appropriate.

On facilities management, the Stafford Center Committee recommended and council approved FM Squared’s proposal (option B), keeping FM Squared as the on-site manager with its current full-time staff. The committee cited continuity and institutional knowledge at the center as the main reasons for the selection.

The council discussed but did not approve a $10,000 allocation for speed-mitigation measures (including speed bumps and other tools); that motion failed. The meeting included multiple presentations and community items: the Stafford Historical Society presented updated plaques of past mayors and council members, Amity Bank introduced its Stafford branch and community programs, and Grand Canyon University described online education and scholarship options.

Votes at a glance - Special-Use Permit — Chungmei Temple, 12550 Jebbia Lane: approved (motion to approve as presented). Planning & Zoning and staff recommended approval. Parking and site plan to be finalized in plan review. - Special-Use Permit — Episcopal Diocese, 210 Bridal Lane (Suite A): approved (motion to approve as presented). Planning & Zoning and staff recommended approval. Council discussion focused on parking, pedestrian/traffic safety and handicapped-access markings to be confirmed in plan review. - Drainage/street follow-up: council approved (a) quarterly updates from public works on street-repair projects, and (b) direction for the city manager/public-works director to consult with city engineer Jones and proceed with drainage analysis for priority neighborhoods and to maximize remaining funds (motions passed). - Stafford Center management: council approved FM Squared (option B) as manager (motion passed). Contract/resolution to return for formal approval after attorney review. - Hotel-occupancy-tax revenue audit: council approved expanding the scope of the third‑party revenue audit to include hotel-occupancy tax (motion passed); staff to pursue auditor scope extension and contract terms. - Speed remediation funding: motion to allocate $10,000 for speed-mitigation tools (speed bumps/solar signs/rumble strips) failed.

Why this matters Residents raised safety and quality-of-life concerns about street conditions, clogged drainage and a recent house fire where a vacant hydrant impeded firefighters. Council actions aim to produce faster follow-through on previously authorized street and drainage work and to identify potential additional revenue through audits. Approvals of land-use permits set the path for two religious institutions to expand or operate in Stafford, while the Stafford Center decision preserves an existing management relationship the council committee described as delivering consistent service.

What’s next Staff was directed to return with: a drainage study and options (timeline requested by council), periodic public-works updates on project status and expenditures, a scope for the extended hotel-occupancy audit from the contracted auditor, and a formal contract for FM Squared after attorney review. Several agenda items (illegal-dumping procedures, fundraising policy for employee aid and coyote/public-safety messaging) were referred for follow-up with legal or staff and will return to a future agenda.