The Denison City Council voted Monday night to accept the Main Street Advisory Board's Strategic Plan, with councilor Michael Baecht voting against it.

Baecht said his vote was not cast against the committee or its numerous hours of labor, but out of concern over demands the plan will put on the Denison Development Alliance and the Denison Chamber of Commerce. He said he would have liked to table the issue and allow the committee to further clarify the plan.

Other members expressed similar concerns, but clarified to the committee, many of whom were at the council meeting, that the approval of the plan was not necessarily an approval of all its specific goals.

"I think it says it in the first paragraph here, 'Our vision for the future...' That's what it is, a vision. A group of folks got together, spent a lot of time massaging their dreams and putting it on a piece of paper," said Mayor Robert Brady. "I think some of your goals are going to be very difficult to do, but I'm not going to throw cold water on your effort."

Committee member Gary Sewell, who presented the item to the council and is a photographer for the Herald Democrat, met the council's concerns by calling the plan a "living document," which will change and evolve as need. It will also go through an annual review.

In other business, the council took the first step to develop a new subdivision ordinance -- the third step to "get its major development tools in order," City Attorney Tom Akins said. The process, he said, started with the city developing a master plan and then a new zoning ordinance. Now, the city will move forward with the subdivision ordinance to regulate the development of new residential and commercial subdivisions in the city. The council approved expenses not to exceed $27,500 to develop the ordinance and employ attorney Terry Morgan and civil engineer Kerry Maroney to "develop construction and design standards for new subdivisions."

The council voted to empower Brady to develop and make a recommendation to the Texas Department of Transportation to restrict truck traffic inside the city on FM 120 between U.S. highways 75 and 69 and on Highway 91 inside the city.

The council approved items related to the annual city clean up. Public Works Director David Howerton recommended that the council cease regular charges at the residential collection station for the 20 days of the clean up in April and cease the brush and limb collection program for the same time. Stopping the brush and limb program, he said, will prevent overburdening the city's public works employees or creating a need for excessive overtime. The program will resume after the clean up is over.

Councilors approved the lowest bids and an accompanying resolution to demolish properties at: 106 E. Munson; 309 S. Fannin; 615 W. Rice; 710 W. Elm; 710 W. Gandy, Apt. 201; 820 W. Shepherd; 1028 W. Chestnut; 1515 W. Crawford; 2406 Loy Lake Rd.; 114 W. Sears and 412 W. Munson.

The council held a public hearing to discuss the voluntary annexation of 5.627 acres near Reba Drive and Pool Road, which was closed quickly after no one came forward to speak. The second and final hearing will be April 5.

Finally, council members approved the appointment of Don Banman to an unexpired term on the Main Street Advisory Board and the sale of the city's printers and accessories that were replaced by networked printers.