Local pastor tells Katy council Planning Department mistreated church, says he will withdraw petitions

Pastor Hernan Castano of Iglesia Rios De Assate told the Katy City Council during public comment that his congregation has been hampered by inconsistent treatment from the Planning Department and that promised information was not provided.

Castano said the Planning Department gave his church a long list of requirements the church ‘‘cannot afford’’ and that building and zoning code language appeared to conflict — the building code treating some work as commercial while the zoning process required a special-use permit. He said he was told staff would provide a list of churches that had gone through similar processes but that the list did not exist when requested, and he said an inspector had insulted him and another pastor during a prior visit. "Planning department lied to me on an email ... They promised to provide me a list of churches that have gone through the process ... They didn't have that list this morning," Castano said.

Castano told the council he received an apology from "mister Croes" and thanked Council Member Dan Smith for listening, but said he would withdraw petitions he had filed with the Planning Department because the department was "not open to a resolution." He said he would not be silent about the treatment and planned to publicize the issue in the upcoming elections. The meeting record shows no immediate council direction to staff to investigate the specific allegations during the session.