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Prairie View mayor outlines master plan and prioritizes drainage, code enforcement and local hiring
Summary
At a Prairie View town‑hall, the mayor said a new master plan is underway, bond funds are available for drainage work, a code‑enforcement officer has been hired and the city is creating an incentives package while warning that water capacity limits new development.
The mayor of Prairie View used a public town‑hall to lay out immediate priorities — including implementing a long‑delayed drainage plan, strengthening code enforcement and pursuing local hiring and development incentives — while asking residents to help shape a new strategic plan.
The mayor said the last dated strategic plan is from 2011 and that the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been tasked with producing a new master plan that the administration intends to align with the university. “We already partnering with the people, that's a task that we should have that pushed out very soon,” the mayor said, adding the city will publish the plan online when EDC approves it.
On drainage, the mayor said engineers are meeting to implement a previously adopted plan and that bond funds were approved for the work. Addressing repeated resident complaints about flooding on Echols Street and blockages under a railroad crossing, he said, “We do have the money for it,” and that implementation is a matter of allocating resources and completing engineering steps.
Residents pressed the mayor on abandoned and dilapidated homes. The mayor said the city has hired a new code enforcement officer who "begins training next week" and that the city attorney is reviewing legal remedies for property blight. A property manager, Reid Volas, urged faster action to improve curb appeal and attract investment.
On workforce development, a Prairie View student suggested greater use of student interns and local contractors; the mayor said the administration already has interns and plans to expand internships and recognize student contributions to city projects.
The mayor also said the administration is creating an incentives package for prospective investors and developers but cautioned that the city’s water infrastructure is a limiting constraint: “we're currently being stopped and blocked because we are maxed out on our connection,” he said, describing discussions with developers about water towers and wastewater solutions.
The administration signaled steps to improve transparency and resident outreach: the city relaunched social media pages, restarted robocalls, plans a newsletter and intends to host town halls, public demos and community design displays to involve residents in the master plan.
The mayor closed by asking residents to submit requests through the city website and to contact council members directly if they want items placed on future agendas. He said a recommended interim city manager will appear on the next meeting agenda and reiterated his goal to appoint a permanent city manager by summer’s end.
