City of Tyler Planning Department recognized for 12 consecutive years

The City of Tyler's Planning Department has been awarded the 2026 Certificate of Achievement for Planning Excellence. The award recognizes the professional planning standards demonstrated by the Planning staff and the support exhibited by the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission. This is the 12th consecutive year the City of Tyler Planning Department has received this award.  

“I’d like to thank the council and City leadership for their ongoing support of City planning and the initiatives we’ve undertaken and continue to pursue,” said Kyle Kingma, Planning Director.  

Each year, the chapter recognizes planning excellence in municipalities throughout the state. The recognition is part of the "Richard R. Lillie, FAICP Planning Excellence Recognition Program," named to honor Richard Lillie, who helped plan Austin City's growth for more than 23 years, from 1965 to 1984. 

The goals for the program include: 

• Increasing community awareness of the importance of planning 

• Recognizing planning departments that meet certain professional requirements 

• Enhancing neighborhood and citizen recognition of planning efforts 

• Encouraging the funding of professional training for planning commissioners and staff 

• Aiding economic development and community image. 

Evaluation items that contributed to receiving the award included the 2026 Tyler Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and staff's completion of qualified training.  

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