Josephine planning commission recommends Tony Love as member, Reed and Young as alternates after interviews

The City of Josephine Planning and Zoning Commission interviewed four applicants on June 18, 2025, and voted to recommend Tony Love as its regular member and David Reed and Miss Young as alternate members. The commission will forward the recommendation to the Josephine City Council, which is scheduled to act at its meeting the second Monday in July.

The recommendation matters because the commission has one full-member vacancy and two alternate slots at a time when applicants and commissioners described rapid local growth and pressures on water, sewer and road infrastructure. Commission members and staff said alternates are especially important so meetings can proceed when regular members are unavailable.

During the public interviews, applicants were asked a consistent set of questions about preferred development patterns, who would benefit from apartments, how they would respond to a longtime resident who opposed a proposed grocery store a block from their home and how they would handle gifts from developers. Candidates also answered a hypothetical about a developer proposing 500 homes while the city has water or service limits.

Tony Love, an applicant who identified himself as a university professor, said the city should protect a small-town “downtown” feel and prioritize infrastructure before approving large development. On the hypothetical 500-home proposal, Love said — bluntly — “you’re out of your mind, forget it,” arguing that the city’s infrastructure would not support that scale without developer-funded capacity improvements.

David Reed, a construction professional and applicant, emphasized practical limits on services. “Infrastructure is super important,” Reed said, and told the commission he would not entertain large-scale development unless the city’s water, sewer and public-safety capacity were addressed first.

Miss Young (first name not specified in the record) said the town’s top needs include a grocery store and better road communications during public works, and she pressed that the city “would not be able to handle” very large new subdivisions without clear plans for utilities and roads.

Jane Ridgeway, another applicant, said apartments might benefit seniors and young people depending on price and that any large proposal would have to be evaluated against ongoing water- and sewer-project constraints. Ridgeway said she would decline gifts tied to pending agenda items, stating “that’s not how we do business in this town.”

Commission staff reminded commissioners there is one full member opening and two alternate positions and that two applicants live in the city’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Staff said the commission may recommend two ETJ residents for the three slots because alternates and full members may come from the ETJ. Staff also said all applicants indicated willingness to attend training the city circulated and that the city would register appointees for that training on their behalf.

After the interviews, a commission member moved to recommend Tony Love as the full member and David Reed and Miss Young as alternates. Another member seconded the motion; the commission chair called for a vote and the motion carried. The commission’s recommendation will be included in a report to the city council; the commission chair and staff advised applicants to attend the next council meeting when the council considers the appointments.

The record shows repeated candidate emphasis on the city’s limited infrastructure capacity: applicants said the city is working on a sewer project, has water restrictions and needs road improvements and clearer public communication when crews close streets. Candidates on the record said they would avoid gifts from developers to prevent conflicts of interest. Staff noted training opportunities for new commissioners in North Richland Hills and said appointees would be asked to complete two training videos and provide certificates.

The commission did not adopt any new policies at this meeting. The only formal action recorded was the recommendation to the city council to fill one full slot and two alternate slots on the planning and zoning commission. The council will make final appointments at its next meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Recommendation to city council to appoint Tony Love as full member; David Reed and Miss Young as alternates — motion made, seconded and approved by the commission (vote recorded as "all in favor").

Next steps: the commission will submit its written recommendation and applicants were asked to attend the city council meeting in July when the council takes final action.

(Reporting based on the City of Josephine Planning and Zoning Commission meeting transcript, June 18, 2025.)