Mansfield mayor: Downtown advisory board guidelines to be presented at May 7 council meeting

MANSFIELD — Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker said Wednesday he will submit operational guidelines for the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board to City Council at its next meeting on May 7.

The ordinance creating the board, approved by City Council in May 2018, states the board will create “administrative and operational guidelines” and submit them for approval by council.

Those guidelines are to be kept on file in the Clerk of Council’s office.

How the board operates came into question Tuesday night when City Council members expressed unhappiness they were not included in meetings from which the panel’s first two ideas emerged.

In response to questions, Theaker told council members they could not attend advisory board members.

Clerk of Council Amy Yockey told Richland Source Wednesday morning no such guidelines are on file.

When contacted, Theaker said the group developed guidelines during its first meeting, “about a paragraph (in length).” The mayor said the guidelines are on paper and he would present them to City Council at its next meeting, scheduled for May 7.

The ordinance City Council approved creating the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board does not spell out what role council members would play in its work.

But the ordinance, reviewed by Richland Source on Wednesday, does identify members of the board, none of whom are members of city council.

The law also states, “All recommendations by the (board) shall be advisory in nature and shall not be binding on Council.”

Ordinance 18-095, approved unanimously on May 15, 2018, said the board will consist of the mayor and six members appointed by the mayor, all of whom must be confirmed by council.

“The six members appointed by the mayor shall represent the following institutions, professions or residents: Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Mansfield Inc., Financial Institutions, Architectural/Engineering Services, Downtown Business, and General Public,” the ordinance states.

The idea behind the ordinance was an effort “to reinvent and revitalize Mansfield’s downtown, the City is seeking creative avenues to strategically maximize grants and other revenue streams for improvement projects.”

Initial members of the board, whose terms began July 1, are:

— Chamber of Commerce: Jodie Perry.

— Downtown Mansfield Inc.: Jennifer Kime.

— Financial Institution: Chris Hiner.

— Architectural/Engineering Services: Matthew Stanfield.

— Downtown Business: Scott Cardwell.

— General Public: Ben Davis.