ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The 2040 Comprehensive Plan for Abilene was presented at the City Council meeting Thursday morning (March 23). It includes potential items that could improve the key city over the next 20 years. However, some of the items listed in the plan were not approved by the city council, such as charging stations and preparing roadways for electric vehicles.

One topic discussed was requiring residents city-wide to plant their own trees, something council member Weldon Hurt shared he does not believe should be at the forefront at this time.

“I think we have to look at our water conservation more than forcing people to put up trees,” said Hurt.

Another item not approved was a joint police and fire department on the south side of town to help reduce response times, something council member Shane Price spoke on.

“I don’t see what we gain by saying this is a goal we want staff working towards,” Price stated.

City manager Robert Hanna shared he thinks the response time is adequate.

“I think the APD does a very good job of managing their response times,” Hanna added.

The city council has tabled the Comprehensive Plan for now but will review the revised plan once the requested items have been removed.