By Anthony Council
Correspondent
Texas Metro News
At last week’s DeSoto City Council meeting, students at DeSoto High School stepped into some of the top leadership roles in the city.
Deja Todd served as Mayor for a Day and shadowed Mayor Rachel Proctor.
“We had an amazing day, discussing the inner workings of the city and dispelling some myths about what I do every day,” said Mayor Proctor, who with Deja visited various city departments, including Nance Farm, the Fire Station, and the Senior Center.
La’Ryn Johnson was City Manager for the Day, and she shared, “It was an incredible experience. I got to meet some great people and learn more about the city’s operations.”
Jermiaha Hollins took on the role of Judge for the Day, learning about the judicial process, while Skyla Jones shadowed as Police Chief for a Day, and Evonne Foo took on the role of Fire Chief for a Day.
Afterward, Mayor Proctor presented proclamations to the students, for their outstanding contributions and involvement. “This partnership with DeSoto ISD gives students a firsthand look at leadership roles and exposes them to new career opportunities,” Mayor Proctor explained.
After the presentation and proclamations, the City Council moved to one item on the agenda that drew significant attention: the Hampton Road Rezoning Plan.
This project has been under consideration since 2005, when the City of DeSoto adopted the Hampton Road Corridor Redevelopment Plan, identifying three catalyst projects to promote reinvestment and revitalization along the corridor.
The final decision on the rezoning has been in the works for several years, with continued discussion since 2019.
During the council meeting, members raised concerns about whether the Planning & Zoning (P&Z) Commission had properly reviewed all aspects of the rezoning proposal, particularly regarding four Planned Developments (PDs).
It was revealed that while the P&Z Commission had approved the rezoning boundaries, the decision to exclude the PDs had not been revisited.
In the Citizen Appearance portion of the meeting, Scott McDonald, a resident of DeSoto, spoke out against the project, stating that he has consistently opposed it. However, he acknowledged that there were likely enough votes (at least four) among council members to pass it during the meeting.
After discussions, Council members Byrd, Dr. Marks, and another council member agreed that the Hampton Road Rezoning proposal should be sent back to the P&Z Commission for further review before the City Council makes a final decision. The motion to send the proposal back to the P&Z Commission passed unanimously.
What’s next? The P&Z Commission will review the zoning changes again, considering feedback from property owners. After the review, the rezoning proposal will return to the City Council for a final vote.
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