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Georgetown plans to mail 99,997 postcards about UDC update; council debates mailer format and outreach
Summary
City staff told council they will mail approximately 99,997 bilingual postcards required under a new Texas notice law for the UDC update. Council members urged sending a fuller explanatory letter or larger card and leaned on Ask GTX and a FAQ page to handle incoming questions.
City staff told the council they plan to meet a new state notice requirement by mailing a two-sided postcard in English and Spanish to roughly 99,997 addresses as part of the Unified Development Code (UDC) adoption process.
"We anticipate sending 99,997 of these postcards, in order to make sure we're in compliance with that mailed notice requirement," Zane (project manager for the UDC update) said while showing the proposed 4x6 mailer. He told the council a recent state legislative change clarified required notice options under Local Government Code §211.007 and that the straightforward path is newspaper + web publication plus mailed notice.
Council members warned that the required legal language — a bold, large-font notice the state mandates — could alarm residents. "How are we prepared to deal with this when you get ... 15,000 phone calls saying, 'Hey, what are you doing to my property?'" Councilmember (speaker 4) asked, echoing a common concern. Several members proposed sending a longer explanatory letter or a larger postcard with a bulleted executive summary explaining what the UDC update does and does not change for typical single-family homeowners.
Staff said the postcard will include a QR code and link to a dedicated FAQ page at georgetowntexas.gov/udc and that Ask GTX (the city's citizen request center) will field calls and direct technical inquiries to planning staff or schedule office hours for deeper questions. "As folks call, [Ask GTX] will walk them through that FAQ," Zane said; Kelly (planning staff) added that the city is coordinating with communications staff to publish social posts and visuals before postcards arrive to reduce surprise.
Council debated trade-offs between cost and clarity. The mayor said a two-page letter that explains the update and states that the required legal paragraph is mandatory could reduce follow-up calls, while others noted letters increase postage costs. Staff said bulk mailing options make the cost lower than initial fears but acknowledged timing risks: if steering committee or draft dates shift, the city could have to re-mail notices.
Key dates outlined by staff include a joint workshop on February 25, an anticipated second-reading adoption on April 28 (staff's assumption for scheduling purposes), a 90-day delay between adoption and the effective date (placing an effective date the first of the month after that period, proposed August 1), and continued public engagement through events such as the State of the City. Staff also said two UDC chapters under legal review will be posted in the February update so the draft is nearly complete.
Council directed staff to bring sample mailers and the FAQ content back for review at the next meeting and to evaluate whether a larger postcard or explanatory letter is preferable to reduce public confusion.
The city's proposed mailed-notice plan and the FAQ will be posted on the UDC project page; Ask GTX will collect and report incoming question volumes to help staff adjust outreach.
