Plano City Council Regular Meeting - October 26, 2026

The Plano City Council reconvened in open session on October 26, 2026, with all members present. The meeting opened with an invocation by Pastor Tracy Ebarb of First Presbyterian Church and the Pledge of Allegiance/Texas Pledge led by Plano Senior Student Council. The council recognized National Code Compliance Month, approved the consent agenda unanimously, heard public comment on the Plano Aquatic Center and the stream bank erosion program, and discussed a proposed stream bank stabilization cost-sharing policy.

Proclamation and Recognition

• Mayor John Muns proclaimed October as National Code Compliance Month in Plano, honoring the Property Standards Division.
• The division received a five-star accreditation from the American Association of Code Enforcement — the first in the nation. Curtis Howard, Scott Luciere, and Neighborhood Services staff were recognized.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved by a single motion with a vote of 8-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

Plano Aquatic Center

• Chris Stevenson, a Plano resident since 1989, expressed concerns about possibly losing the Plano Aquatic Center (PAC). She said PAC is the only deep-water indoor pool in Central Plano and the only pool with ramp access to the deep end, serving people who have difficulty walking. She noted PAC is 10 minutes from her home, while driving to Oak Point or Muelenbeck would likely derail her exercise routine, and she asked staff to consider combining PAC and Sam Johnson rec center budgets to compare fairly with combined pool/rec-center facilities.
• Barbara Whitehead, a long-time water aerobics participant, said her main point was that the program must survive one way or another. She said the rollout felt like a done decision, was offensive to participants, and noted the program covers its expenses and makes a small profit.
• MK Berner thanked the council for listening, but criticized the roll-out as lacking transparency and stakeholder communication. She questioned why facility sharing with PISD was not pursued from the start and asked for a commitment to better communication.
• Christine Risteau, a Plano resident for over 38 years, thanked staff for meeting stakeholders at the pool and asked for the appropriate PISD contact so participants can communicate directly with PISD about the discussions.

Stream Bank Erosion

• Brent Emkey said he has followed the stream bank erosion program for four years and appreciated the city’s effort, but opposed the proposed cost-sharing policy. He argued that every property owner already pays a drainage fee, that stormwater runoff is watershed-wide, and that ownership of the bank should not determine financial responsibility. He asked the city to fund major stream bank stabilization through the drainage utility.
• A resident at 3101 Rural Ashtown, on the 18th hole of Preston Wood Hills Golf Course, asked what happens if the golf course declines to pay its proposed 50% contribution. He said erosion had reduced the creek setback from about 26 feet to about 15 feet from his house and that upstream development and runoff contributed to the damage.
• Sherry Rose, a 28-year resident at 6652 Castle Pines Drive, said erosion is already affecting her backyard and a neighbor’s deck. She opposed making projects dependent on the golf course’s 50% contribution, saying neither the homeowners nor the golf course created the stormwater runoff, and asked the council to ensure critical sites are stabilized without disputes over who pays.

Discussion Items

Stream Bank Erosion Program Update and Proposed Policy

• Caleb Thornhill, Director of Engineering, presented an update. The city walked and scored 127 miles of creeks, evaluated 3,000 erosion locations, and identified 646 locations scoring below 60 out of 100. Of those, 42 were critical — just over 1% of the total locations. Among the 646 below-60 locations, 425 were city/park-owned, 180 were private, and 41 were HOA-owned. Among the 42 critical locations, 32 were park-owned, 9 were privately owned, and 1 was HOA-owned.
• The program began in the 1990s as complaint-driven. A full assessment began in 2022 and was completed in 2025; the next creek walk is planned around 2027. Staff have started 16 critical projects and added 5 locations scoring 20-60 because they sat between critical sites or protected infrastructure such as aerial sewer crossings.
• Public Works has reviewed about 20% of 135 maintenance candidates; 9 could be repaired and 20 were too significant for maintenance. One example showed a gabion basket repair at an aerial sewer crossing could raise its score from 49 to 75, but the score could not reach 100 because of pipe geometry.
• Staff proposed a policy under which critical locations (scoring 0-20) would qualify regardless of plat language assigning erosion responsibility to property owners. The proposal included a $10,000 contribution for residential and HOA properties, a 50% project-cost contribution for non-residential properties such as commercial sites and golf courses, and donation/dedication of necessary easements. Site constraints would need to be cleared by owners, the city would maintain the stabilization structure, owners would remain responsible for mowing and debris, 100% consent of impacted properties would be required when a project could not be designed around a property, and withdrawal would be allowed before construction or easement dedication.
• Staff compared the proposal to other cities: Richardson uses a $5,000 contribution plus easement donation and leaves maintenance with the property owner; Arlington only protects city infrastructure, not private property; and DeSoto was considering a $100,000 cap, which may not be feasible for large projects.
• Councilmember Thomas asked where the $10,000 figure came from. Staff and council members said the amount was intended to provide “skin in the game” and address fairness/equity, since some privately owned banks receive a private benefit. Staff noted the drainage fee is not sufficient to fund all projects and that raising drainage rates would be a council decision.
• Councilmember LeBine raised concerns about residents who did not anticipate increased runoff and volunteer HOAs that cannot afford contributions, and asked about financing or a review panel. Staff said fees must be applied equitably and offered to develop a toolkit for HOAs.
• Councilmember Kerr asked about HOAs that cannot raise funds due to quorum issues and about the definition of maintenance. Staff said no mechanism currently exists, that city action could require easements or ownership, and that city maintenance would cover the structure but not mowing or debris. On golf-course buy-in, staff said the owner can decline, meaning the project may not proceed.
• Councilmember Maria recalled two to three years of discussion about city versus HOA responsibility and said she supports the cost-sharing approach because $10,000 is a small share of a critical project’s cost and the city should not take on all future maintenance and repair burden.
• Mayor Pro Tem urged staff to conduct value engineering on each site and consider cost-effective alternatives rather than assuming riprap is always the answer.
• The Deputy Mayor Pro Tem asked about state, county, or regional funding. Staff agreed to explore options such as the Council of Governments and the Texas Water Development Board.

Key Outcomes

• The council approved the consent agenda 8-0.
• The council recognized the Property Standards Division’s national five-star accreditation and proclaimed October as National Code Compliance Month.
• No vote was taken on the stream bank erosion policy. Staff agreed to return in early December with options on cost sharing, commercial participation, and additional funding sources; no direct delay to currently started projects was expected.