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[ CITY OF BAYTOWN NOTICE OF MEETING CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 4:45 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBER, CITY HALL 2401 MARKET STREET, BAYTOWN, TEXAS 77520 AGENDA CALL TO ORDER AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF QUORUM ]
SPECIAL COUNSEL COUNCIL MEETING OF THE BAY TOWN CITY COUNCIL TO ORDER.IT IS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2ND, 4:45 PM UH, WE DO HAVE QUORUM.
[a. Consider an ordinance granting a variance to Section 42-286 (o) of the Code of Ordinances, Baytown, Texas, to extend the limited exemption for the insurance, bond or fee requirements for live outdoor exhibitions to seven (7) consecutive calendar days.]
ONE A.I'M ASSUMING WE HAVE A STAFF PERSON TO KIND OF EXPLAIN AN ITEM.
UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, THE ITEM BEFORE YOU IS A UNIQUE SITUATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIVE OUTDOOR, UM, EXHIBITION PERMIT AND ITS ORDINANCE.
UM, IN THIS ORDINANCE THERE'S AN EXEMPTION FROM THE APPLICATION FEES, THE INSURANCE, AND THE BOND FOR NON-PROFIT GROUPS IF THEY HOLD A SHORT TERM EVENT.
AND A SHORT TERM EVENT IN THE ORDINANCE MEANS A TWO DAY EVENT.
SO WE HAVE A, A CHURCH HERE, UH, THAT'S DECIDED TO HOLD A SEVEN DAY SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION EVENT AT BICENTENNIAL PARK STARTING TODAY AND ENDING ON SEPTEMBER THE EIGHTH.
THE EVENT IS APPROVED FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW WITH THE TWO DAY SHORT-TERM EXEMPTION IN PLACE, UH, FOR THE FEES, INSURANCE AND BOND, MEANING THEY DON'T PAY IT.
UM, SO HERE'S A, HERE'S THE, THE CHALLENGE.
UM, SINCE THERE'S NOT A PROVISION IN THIS ORDINANCE FOR STAFF TO GRANT A VARIANCE TO THIS, THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGENDA ITEM IS FOR THE CHURCH APPLICANT, UH, MRS. UH, THERESA HOFFER, WHO'S HERE TO REQUEST A VARIANCE FROM COUNSEL.
AND SO THE VARIANCE WOULD BE TO EXTEND THE SHORT TERM EXEMPTION FROM TWO DAYS TO SEVEN DAYS, SO THAT HER EVENT CAN BE COMPLETELY EXEMPTED FROM THE APPLICATION FEE, THE INSURANCE, AND THE BOND, UM, ASSOCIATED WITH THE LIVE OUTDOOR, UH, EXHIBITION ORDINANCE.
UM, AND AT THIS TIME BEFORE I, BEFORE I INTRODUCE HER, UM, WITH, SHE'S WITH THE HOUSE OF MERCY CHURCH, UH, TO REQUEST HER VARIANCE.
UM, DOES COUNSEL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR MYSELF OR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT? WE'VE BEEN WORKING IN TANDEM HEALTH AND PARKS, UH, TO GET THIS, UH, BEFORE YOU.
AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO CALL, UH, MRS. THERESA HOFFER, UH, TO COME UP AND, AND ADDRESS ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AND EXPLAIN, UM, A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HER EVENT.
WHAT QUESTIONS Y'ALL GOT?
WELL, DO YOU, I MEAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS TO SAY FIRST, I GUESS? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
UM, FIRST, THIS IS A HUGE HONOR, YOU KNOW, TO BE ABLE TO STAND HERE IN FRONT OF ALL OF Y'ALL AND TO SEE THE PARK AND REX AND HEALTH DEPARTMENT JUST JOINING TOGETHER SO MUCH BEHIND THE SCENES AND, YOU KNOW, HAVING US COME IN AND HAVE MEETINGS AND, AND BEING A PART OF BAYTOWN, YOU KNOW, UM, OUR HEART'S DESIRE IS TO STOP SEEING PEOPLE TAKE THEIR OWN LIFE, YOU KNOW? UM, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ADDICTION AND I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THAT MINDSET SOMETIMES, UH, BUT DEPRESSION IS REAL.
OPPRESSION IS REAL, YOU KNOW, UM, SADNESS IS REAL AND EVERY ONE OF US IN THIS ROOM, IF WE'RE HONEST, MAYOR BRANDON, WOULD SAY THAT WE HAVE FELT LIKE WE DIDN'T MATTER SOMEWHERE IN OUR LIFE.
AND SO DOING THESE SEVEN NIGHTS IS PREFERABLY GONNA MAKE A CHANGE IN OUR TOWN 'CAUSE WE NEED IT.
IS THERE ANY, ANY QUESTIONS? I WANNA MAKE SURE COUNSEL UNDERSTANDS WHAT, WHAT WE COULD OR COULD NOT, UM, GRANT HERE, BUT MY, MY UNDERSTANDING IS JUST THE WAY THE LIVE OUTDOOR EXHIBITION ORDINANCE WAS WRITTEN, IT WAS MAINLY TO CAPTURE THINGS LIKE CARNIVALS AND THINGS OF A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NATURE AND MAGNITUDE.
AND SO BECAUSE THIS IS AN EXTENDED EVENT, UH, FOR THIS AND, AND, AND IS A OUTDOOR EVENT THAT THIS IS BASICALLY, UM, ALMOST JUST GRANDING THE EXTENSION OF, OF, OF WHAT I GUESS THE ORDINANCE WAS SILENT ON.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, I GUESS JUST MAYBE SOME GENERAL QUESTIONS.
MAYBE CURIOSITY MORE THAN ANYTHING.
HAVE YOU GUYS, THIS, THIS SOMETHING THAT, THAT YOU GUYS HAVE DONE BEFORE IN THE PAST AND WE DO IT ON A DIFFERENT IN OTHER CITIES OR HAVE YOU DONE IT? I'M SORRY.
WE DO IT ON A DIFFERENT LEVEL.
UM, WE DO A LOT OF OUT OUTREACH MINISTRY.
I'M AN EX ADDICT AND EX ALCOHOLIC AND I DON'T FORGET WHERE I CAME FROM.
AND SO WE HIT THE STREETS AT A DIFFERENT LEVEL.
UH, MAYOR BRANDON HAS ACTUALLY COME AND HELPED LIKE DO CHRISTMAS EVENTS THAT WE'VE DONE AND, UH, BUT THE LORD SAID TO DO BICENTENNIAL PARK FOR SEVEN DAYS AND I GOTTA DO WHATEVER I CAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT HE WANTS GOES FORTH.
I, I, AND I, I GUESS I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF YOU GUYS HAVE EVER CONSIDERED, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A, A TWO DAY, I MEAN, WOULD, SO WOULD THEY NOT NEED A VARIANCE IF THEY DID TWO DAYS, SKIP A DAY, DID TWO SKIP A DAY AND DID TWO MORE? UH, NO, SIR.
BASICALLY WHEN YOU HAVE A LIVE OUTDOOR EVENT, YOU HAVE AN EVENT THAT THAT'S COVERED UNDER THE PERMIT FOR THE TERM OF THE EVENT.
UH, SO THAT DID COME UP AND THAT
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WAS A A, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WERE LOOKING AT THE OPTIONS SAYING, OKAY, WHAT IF WE ALTERNATED CHURCHES TWO DAYS, TWO DAYS, TWO DAYS? AND THEN YOU LOOK AT THE, THE INTENT OF THE ORDINANCE TO HAVE THE EVENT COVERED UNDER ONE PERMIT.AND SO, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE ANSWER WOULD BE NO.
AND SO THAT'S, UM, THAT'S WHY WE CAME BACK WITH THE VARIANCE, UH, TO, TO TRY TO EXTEND THE TWO DAY TO SEVEN DAY EXEMPTION.
ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, TONY? ISN'T THERE A, A DELAY BETWEEN EVENTS? YES, SIR.
BECAUSE THAT WOULD PRE, THAT WOULD PREVENT TWO DAYS, SKIP A DAY, TWO DAYS, SKIP A DAY.
THAT'S A PERIOD OF TIME YOU HAVE TO, RIGHT.
THE, THE TERM OF THE, OF A LIVE OUTDOOR EVENT CAN ONLY BE UP TO 14 DAYS AND THEN YOU HAVE TO WAIT 30 DAYS AFTER THAT PREVIOUS ONE EXPIRES.
SO THAT, THAT WOULD ALSO CREATE A LITTLE BIT OF A, A TANGLED MESS.
IT'S, IT'S KIND OF WHEN, WHEN YOU CAN'T, I GUESS, CAPTURE EVERY SITUATION AND ORDINANCE WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE FOCUSING ON IF IT'S A CARNIVAL OR SOMETHING SIMILAR.
AND SO THIS IS, THIS IS KINDA WHAT JUST TOOK PLACE IS MY UNDERSTANDING.
THE, THE OTHER THING IS TO NOT PUT Y'ALL IN A POSITION, IN POSITION OF SETTING A PRECEDENCE.
AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE SOMETHING OUTSIDE THE REALM, THEY CAN COME AND MAKE THE CASE TO Y'ALL AND YOU CAN DECIDE CASE BY CASE WITHOUT THERE BEING A UNIFORM STANDARD.
AND I THINK IT JUST BECAME TIME SENSITIVE BECAUSE OF THE WEEK THE, WHAT YOU'RE PUTTING ON IS ALSO SUICIDE PREVENTION WEEK AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S TIME SENSITIVE.
AND THAT'S WHY THE SPECIAL MEETING WAS CALLED, I'M ASSUMING.
SO WITH THAT, I GUESS I'D ENTERTAIN A MOTION UNLESS THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR ITEM ONE, A MOTION TO APPROVE.
SECOND, WE HAVE MOTION TO SECOND ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? IF NOT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE.
SO BEING THAT BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL HAS ADDRESSED AT ALL POSTED AGENDA MEETINGS, THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURN OR ITEMS, THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED.