San Angelo Lures Abilene's City Planner Following Patrick Howard's Departure

Jon C. James, the Planning and Development Services director for the City of Abilene for the past 10-plus years, has been hired to fill the same position in the City of San Angelo. James succeeds Patrick Howard, who left the post earlier this month to join the City of Austin.

James will lead the City operations responsible for planning for the future growth and development of the community and for ensuring compliance with a variety of codes meant to yield productive, safe, orderly and attractive development that enhances the community’s quality of life. The Planning and Development Services Department includes three divisions: Planning, Building Permits & Inspections, and Geographic Information Systems. The department works closely with other City departments and divisions, including the Fire Marshal’s Office, Engineering Services, Water Utilities and Economic Development. James will join the City by the end of August.

“For a planner, helping guide the growth of a community that’s on the rise is an exciting professional opportunity,” James said. “San Angelo is definitely that. As more businesses and new residents are drawn here, we want to help ensure San Angelo maintains its high standard of living. After a decade of living in West Texas, I’m firmly connected with and committed to our culture.”

In Abilene, James has managed a department of up to 70 employees in Planning, Building Inspections, Neighborhood Services, Code Enforcement, Environmental Health, Animal Services and Transportation Planning. During his tenure, James coordinated a complete rewrite of the Land Development Code, as well as revisions to Abilene’s subdivision regulations within its extraterritorial jurisdiction and to its sign ordinance. He also drafted the city’s first ordinances regarding sidewalks, landscaping and urban design. He implemented a new Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), which incentivizes development within designated boundaries using property taxes generated by property improvements inside the zone.

“Improving development processes is one of the City Council’s five stated priorities. Given San Angelo’s growth, this is a critical position for us,” Assistant City Manager Rick Weise said. “We’re thrilled to have someone of Jon’s knowledge, talents and experience to guide our development services. His time in Abilene, which has faced many of the challenges we do, will serve our community well.”

James served as the City of San Marcos’ chief planner, responsible for long-range planning, from 2000-04. While there, he taught an undergraduate course on land use planning at Texas State University.

James has been a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, the highest certification level for the planning profession, since 1999. He earned a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin in 1996 and a bachelor’s degree in geography from the University of Oklahoma in 1993.