* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:06] SO I CALL THIS MEETING OF THE BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL ORDER. IT'S 6 31. WE DO HAVE A QUORUM. WE'LL BE, UH, LED IN OUR PLEDGE AND IFICATION BY COUNCIL MEMBER LAURA ALVARADO, DISTRICT NUMBER ONE, MAYOR, PLEASE, PLEASE FOLLOW ME. HONOR PLEDGE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVIDUAL WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AND NOW OUR TEXAS FLAG, I HONOR TEXAS FLAG. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE TEXAS ONE STATE UNDER GOD. ONE, AN INDIVIDUAL. PLEASE JOIN ME IN PRAYER. GOD, WE ASK YOU FOR BLESSINGS AS WE CONTINUE TOGETHER AS A GROUP UNITED IN PASSION AND PURPOSE. HELP US TO BE UNIFIED IN MAKING THE BEST POSSIBLE DECISIONS AND TO EFFECTIVELY CARRY THEM OUT. WE THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING DEDICATED CITY STAFF AND LEADERS WHO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE US WITH TREMENDOUS WORK AND PRAY THAT YOU CONTINUE TO WATCH OVER THEM AS THEY ALSO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY. WELL. LASTLY, WE PRAY FOR ALL MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM, BOTH LOCAL AND ABROAD. IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY, AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. OKAY. FIRST, UH, [1. MINUTES] WE HAVE APPROVAL OF MINUTES. UH, ITEMS ONE, A, B, C, AND D. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THESE FOUR ITEMS. MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. MOTION. SECOND. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR ABSTENTIONS? IF NOT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MENACE IS WRITTEN, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED WILL MOVE TO CITIZEN COMMENT [2. CITIZEN COMMENT Notice is hereby given that in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, prohibits the City Council from discussing, deliberating, or considering, subjects for which public notice has not been given on the agenda. Issues that cannot be referred to the administration for action may be placed on the agenda of a future City Council Session.] A LIST OF CITIZENS. OKAY. SO THE PURPOSE OF CITIZEN'S COMMENT IS TO GIVE ALL INTERESTED CITIZENS THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS. EVERYONE DESIRED TO SPEAK SHOULD HAVE EITHER SIGNED THE APPROPRIATE LIST OF THE FOYER OR EMAIL THE CITY CLERK PRIOR TO THE POSTED TIME OF THIS MEETING. EACH CITIZEN SHALL GIVE HIS OR HIS OR HER NAME AND ADDRESS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE A PROPER RECORD OF THESE COMMENTS. THE RULES ALLOW EACH PERSON ONE MINUTE TO SPEAK AS CITIZEN MAY PASS HIS OR HER TIME TO THE PERSON WHO WAS REQUESTED TO ADDRESS COUNCIL. HOWEVER, NO CITIZEN'S REMARKS SHALL EXCEED THREE MINUTES IN THREE MINUTES IN TOTAL, EITHER THE ONE MINUTE OR THREE MINUTE LIMIT MAY BE EXTENDED BY A MAJORITY VOTE OF CITY COUNCIL. I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO BE AS BRIEF AND TO THE POINT AS POSSIBLE. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THE CITY COUNCIL CANNOT DISCUSS OR DELIBERATE ON ITEMS FOR WHICH PUBLIC NOTICE HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN ON THIS AGENDA. SO WE DO HAVE, UH, LOOKS LIKE FOUR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK AND IT LOOKS LIKE THAT'S ISABELLA SCHNEIDER. IS THAT CORRECT? YES MA'AM. IF YOU COULD COME TO THE PODIUM AND STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS OR AT LEAST THE STREET YOU LIVE ON, PLEASE. SORRY, I'M A LITTLE SLOW. IT'S OKAY. OKAY, NO PROBLEM. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ISABELLA SCHNEIDER. I LIVE ON NIGHT LANE HERE IN BAYTOWN. I'M A FAIRLY NEW RESIDENT. I RELOCATED HERE FROM ATLANTA ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AND BOUGHT A HOME IN BAYTOWN 19 MONTHS AGO. AND SINCE THAT TIME I'VE MET A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE AND SEEN A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, BUT I'VE BEEN ON A BIT OF A ROLLER COASTER WITH MY WATER BILL. I THINK Y'ALL HAVE HEARD THAT THERE ARE SOME COMPLAINTS AND THERE ARE SOME ISSUES FROM CITIZENS. I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH AT LEAST 30 TO 35 IN THE LAST WEEK WHO HAVE EXPRESSED PROBLEMS WITH THEIR WATER BILLING. AND MY DONE, NO, YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS. THANK YOU. IT'S FAST. UM, I HAVE TWO PEOPLE IN A HOME. WE DO NOT DO LAUNDRY AT HOME. WE SEND IT OUT. I HAVE RAIN BARRELS. I TURN MY IRRIGATION SYSTEM OFF FOR SIX MONTHS AND SOMEHOW THEY THINK I USED 60,000 GALLONS OF WATER IN A MONTH. I HAVE NOT ONE, NOT TWO, BUT THREE BILLS LIKE THAT. AND I HAVE SEVERAL FOR OVER 35,000. I'VE PAID FOR FOUR MASTER PLUMBERS AND TWO IRRIGATIONS PEOPLE TO COME TO MY HOME. ALRIGHT. OKAY, MA'AM, UNFORTUNATELY, YOUR MINUTE IS UP. AGAIN, WE CANNOT DELIBERATE OR DISCUSS, UH, AND I WOULD ASSUME THAT WE WILL, I DO HAVE YOUR ADDRESS AND I WILL CERTAINLY AFFORD THAT TO STAFF TO INQUIRE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I WOULD APPRECIATE AN ATION. WE'LL MOVE ON. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I'LL WAIT TILL YOU'RE SEATED. THE NEXT PERSON, UH, LOOKS LIKE IT'S BELLA BUSBY V LE V. EXCUSE ME. Y'ALL HAVE BEAUTIFUL HANDWRITING. THANK YOU. MY EYES ARE NOT AS GOOD AS YOUR HANDWRITING, BUT IF YOU COULD COME TO THE PODIUM, MIKE, I HAPPEN TO BE IN DISTRICT SIX, SO IT'S NICE TO MEET YOU. YES. MY NAME IS VLA BUSBY. I LIVE ON TO ANELLE IN DISTRICT SIX. I TOO AM HERE CONCERNED ABOUT MY WATER BILL AND I'M SURE YOU'RE HEARING A BUZZ ABOUT ALL THAT. UM, I HAVE WATCHED OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR, MY WATER CONSUMPTION ACTUALLY TRIPLE. AND I UNDERSTAND THAT NOT ONLY DO YOU BILL ME FOR THE WATER THAT GOES INTO MY HOUSE, I'M ALSO BILLED FOR THE WATER THAT EXITS MY HOUSE [00:05:01] THROUGH THE SEWER. I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT 100% OF THE WATER THAT COMES INTO MY HOUSE DOES NOT EXIT MY HOUSE. AND I BELIEVE THAT IT'S UNETHICAL THAT THE CITY OF BAYTOWN IS BILLING ME THE SAME AMOUNT THAT LEAVES MY HOUSE, THAT IS COMING INTO MY HOUSE WATERING MY YARD. THAT DOES NOT GO THROUGH THE SEWER WATERING. MY PLANTS DOES NOT GO TO THE SEWER WASHING. MY CAR DOES NOT GO THROUGH THE SEWER. WHEN I PUT WATER IN MY POOL, IT DOES NOT LEAVE THE SEWER. I HAVE GONE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST YEAR FROM A $200 WATER BILL TO A $680 WATER BILL. AND I THINK THIS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED ACCORDINGLY TO THIS BILL. I USED 43 GALLON, 43,000 GALLONS OF WATER LAST MONTH. ME AND MY HUSBAND, WE DO NOT USE 40,000 GALLONS OF WATER A MONTH. MY TIME IS UP. RIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY, YOU'RE AMENDED IS UP. I DO. I KNOW IT GOES BY FAST, BUT, UM, CERTAINLY WE DO. THANK YOU FOR COMING THIS EVENING. AND NEXT IS ELIZABETH. IS IT V KY FAIR? FAIR? WELL, I HAVE A, AN ELIZABETH, IS THERE AN ELIZABETH HERE THAT SIGNED UP TO SPEAK RIGHT HERE? YES. AND MY HUSBAND IS OKAY. GAVE ME ARE IS ONE OF YOU LEY GU OH, YOUR ONE MINUTE TO THE OTHER. YEAH, HE'S GIVEN HIS TO ME. OKAY. IS HE OKAY? SO IF IF HE GIVES YOU A MINUTE, THEN YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, THEN HE WILL NOT SPEAK. OKAY. OKAY. THAT'S HOW IT WORKS AT HOME. WELL SAID. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. OKAY? YES MA'AM. HOW CAN THE WATER DEPARTMENT POSSIBLY JUSTIFY 30,000 GALLONS OF WATER IN ONE MONTH? WE DON'T HAVE A LEAK. WE'VE HAD THAT CHECKED. ARE THEY AVERAGING THE BILLING AND THEN CATCHING UP BY SAYING, OKAY, THIS MONTH IT'S 60,000. YOU CAN'T DO THAT. WHEN YOU RAISE THE RATES ON THE GALLON UP TO 11 CENTS PER UNIT INSTEAD OF 3 CENTS PER UNIT, YOUR MY BILL WAS $549 IN THE MIDDLE OF A DROUGHT. MY ELECTRIC BILL IS NOT EVEN $549. THE CITY NEEDS TO DO BETTER. AND IF IT'S, IF THEY'RE SAYING IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE WATERING OUR LAWNS, THEN YOU CAN'T CHARGE THE SEWER WHAT THEY'VE BEEN CHARGING BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOING IN THE SEWER. IF YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME IT'S FROM WATER LAWN, BUT WE DID NOT USE ALMOST 40,000 GALLONS OF WATER. AND WITH THE ECONOMY LIKE IT IS AND PEOPLE STRUGGLING AND THEN YOU ADD, ESPECIALLY LIKE MY MOM ON A FIXED INCOME, HOW DO YOU ADD THAT TO HER? HERS DOUBLED AND SHE'S 90 YEARS OLD. LIKE, WE NEED TO DO BETTER AND WE NEED TO FIND OUT HOW THIS IS, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IN 10 YEARS THE CITY HAS DONE THIS TO MY FAMILY, SO, AND NEED TO DO THAT. THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING AND, AND CERTAINLY VOICING, UM, THIS ISSUE AND I CAN, I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT THIS WILL BE LOOKED INTO. SO WITH THAT, UH, THAT'S ALL OUR CITIZENS COMMENTS THAT THAT HAS SIGNED UP, IS THAT CORRECT? ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO [a. Recognize City of Baytown Employees for their Years of Service.] ITEM THREE. UM, I BELIEVE IT IS ITEM THREE, A RECOGNIZED CITY OF BAYTOWN EMPLOYEES FOR THE YEARS OF SERVICE. MR. LOPEZ? YES, SIR. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. HAVE A SHORT VIDEO TONIGHT FOR RECOGNIZING THREE EMPLOYEES FOR SEPTEMBER. JASON KRAUS, FIREFIGHTER WITH FIRE IS MINE, RIGHT? OR, HEY, RODRIGUEZ, PATROL OFFICER WITH POLICE. TONY GRAY, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR OUR DEDICATED EMPLOYEES. UH, NEXT WE HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR FIRE [b. Present a proclamation designating October 8-14, 2023 as Fire Prevention Week. ] PREVENTION WEEK. SO I USUALLY REMEMBER THIS HAPPENING, I GUESS AT WHEN THERE'S A TIME CHANGE COMING. SO I THINK THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE, BUT NOT QUIETLY. IT'S NOVEMBER. OKAY. SO AGAIN, ONCE, ONCE AGAIN, IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR. SO WHEREAS THE CITY OF BAYTOWN IS COMMITTED TO ENSURING THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF ALL THOSE LIVING IN AND VISITING OUR STATE HOME FIRES CAUSED 2,800 CIVILIAN DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES IN 2021, ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION ASSOCIATION AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS IN THE UNITED STATES RESPONDED TO 3 330 8,000 HOME FIRES. AND WHEREAS COOKING IS, IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF [00:10:01] HOME FIRES IN THE UNITED STATES AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS RESPONDED TO MORE THAN 166,000 ANNUALLY, ANNUALLY BETWEEN 2016 AND 2022 OF EVERY FIVE HOME FIRES START IN THE KITCHEN WITH 31% OF THESE FIRES RESULTING FROM UNATTENDED COOKING. AND MORE THAN HALF OF THE REPORTED NON-FATAL HOME COOKING FIRE INJURIES OCCURRED WHEN THE VICTIMS TRIED TO FIGHT THE FIRES THEMSELVES. WHEREAS THE CITY OF BAYTOWN RESIDENTS SHOULD TURN POT HANDLES TOWARD THE BACK OF THE STOVE, ALWAYS KEEP A LID NEARBY WHEN COOKING, KEEP A THREE FOOT KID FREE ZONE AROUND THE STOVE OVEN AND OTHER THINGS THAT COULD GET HOT. WATCH WHAT THEY HEAT AND SET A TIMER TO REMIND THEM THAT THEY ARE COOKING. THE CITY OF BAY TOWN'S FIRST RESPONDERS ARE DEDICATED TO REDUCING THE OCCURRENCE OF HOME FIRES AND FIRE INJURIES THROUGH PREVENTION AND PROTECTION EDUCATION. SO WHEREAS THE CITY OF BAY TOWN'S RESIDENTS ARE RESPONSIVE TO PUBLIC EDUCATION MEASURES AND ARE ABLE TO TAKE PERSONNEL, UH, PERSONAL STEPS TO INCREASE THEIR SAFETY FROM FIRE, ESPECIALLY IN THEIR HOMES. AND WHEREAS THE 2023 FIRE PREVENTION WEEK THEME, COOKING SAFETY STARTS WITH YOU PAY ATTENTION TO FIRE PREVENTION EFFECTIVELY SERVES TO REMIND US TO STAY ALERT AND USE CAUTION WHEN COOKING TO REDUCE THE RISK OF KITCHEN FIRES. SO NOW THEREFORE, I, BRANDON CILLO, MAYOR OF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER 8TH THROUGH THE 14TH 2023 AS FIRE PREVENTION WEEK IN BAYTOWN. AND I URGE OUR COMMUNITY TO COOKING SAFETY STARTS WITH YOU FOR FIRE PREVENTION WEEK 2023 AND TO SUPPORT THE MANY PUBLIC SAFETY ACTIVITIES AND EFFORTS OF THE BAYTOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT. SO CHIEF, WHAT WHAT I, MY UNDERSTANDING, UM, I BELIEVE THE BEAT ALLEY PROGRAM IS RESUMED RECENTLY IN THE, IN OUR SCHOOLS. STARTING SOON. STARTING SOON. OKAY. SO I'M, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT AS THEY GO AND EDUCATE CERTAINLY OUR, OUR YOUTH, UH, IN, IN THE BAYTOWN AREA SCHOOLS OF WHAT TO DO, HOW TO REACT, AND CERTAINLY I THINK IT'S THE FAMILY PLANS, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A FAMILY ESCAPE PLAN IN YOUR HOME. SO CERTAINLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD TO THIS? I THINK YOU'VE COVERED IT VERY MUCH. OKAY. THANK YOU. HERE, I'LL HANG. ARE WE READY? GET ONE MORE. OKAY, THANKS. I'LL SEE SOME. OKAY, SO NEXT WE [c. The 17th Annual Grito Fest is scheduled for Friday, October 6, 2023 at Town Square and Saturday, October 7, 2023 at Bicentennial Park. ] HAVE THE 17TH ANNUAL REO FEST IS SCHEDULED FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, UM, AT TOWN SQUARE AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7TH, 2023. OF THIS YEAR, IT WILL BE AT BICENTENNIAL PARK, MR. HATCH. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNSEL. UH, WE HAVE THE REO COMMITTEE HERE WITH US TONIGHT, UM, TO, TO ANNOUNCE, UH, A MORE FORMAL G***O FOR YOU GUYS. BUT WE WANTED TO SHOW A QUICK LITTLE VIDEO, UM, HERE, UH, JUST TO REMIND EVERYBODY, THE PERFORMERS WE HAVE COMING TO THE, UM, UH, TO BICENTENNIAL PARK NEXT WEEK. UH, THERE YOU GO. MAYOR COUNCIL, ALLOW ME TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING US FOR THIS AMOUNT OF TIME, 17 YEARS. IT'S AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF TIME FOR US TO BE ABLE TO GET TOGETHER AS FAMILY, AS COMMUNITY AWAY FOR US TO CONNECT AND KNOW THAT ALLOWS US TO SEE EACH OTHER FOR WHO WE ARE AT HEART AT A TO AND HONESTLY, WHAT IS THIS PRESENTATION OF CULTURE, IF NOT THE ABILITY FOR US TO UNDERSTAND OURSELVES BETTER IN A MORE PROFOUND WAY, BECAUSE WE ARE FAMILY, LIKE I SAID, BUT WE'RE ALSO MORE THAN THAT. WE'RE ALSO COMMUNITY. WE'RE ALSO CONNECTED IN WAYS THAT WE CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE BECAUSE ULTIMATELY WHAT IT IS, IT'S ALL ABOUT HEART. AND WITH THAT, I WANNA MENTION OUR AMAZING ACTS THAT ARE COMING. WE HAVE GARY HOBBS, WHO'S BASICALLY, UM, YOU COULD CALL HIM THE, THE TEJANO. VINCE GILL, AN AMAZING, UH, SINGER, PERFORMER. HE'S GONNA JUST DESTROY THE STAGE. HE'S GONNA BE AMAZING ON THE SIXTH. AND THEN OF COURSE ON THE SEVENTH, WE HAVE NDA WHO IS [00:15:01] TREMENDOUS, I MEAN, LOVED BY SO MANY PEOPLE. I'LL GIVE YOU A CASE IN POINT. WE HAD ONE YEAR WHERE THEY WERE GONNA COME AND BE OUR, OUR ACT, BUT THEY WERE HAD, THEY HAD TO CANCEL, UH, CANCEL AT THAT MOMENT. AND WE HAD SOMEBODY ELSE, THERE WAS PROBABLY 50 OR 60 PEOPLE WAITING UP FRONT WANTING THEM TO PLAY. AND THEY ASKED ME AFTER I CLOSED EVERYTHING DOWN, NDA, I SAID, I'M SORRY, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO BE HERE. THE GROAN OF OF SADNESS WAS SO PROFOUND THAT OBVIOUSLY WE HAD TO HAVE THEM AGAIN. OKAY? SO ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CONNECTION THAT YOU'VE BROUGHT TO THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR BEING, UH, A PARTNER AND A SUPPORTER FOR ALL THESE YEARS. AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR US. NOW, OF COURSE, I HAVE TO GIVE THE, UH, OBLIGATORY . NOW, JUST TO DESCRIBE IT, THE GTO IS A CRY OF FREEDOM, OF JOY, OF CONNECTION. AND IN THAT, ALLOW ME TO DO ONE. OKAY? NOW, MIND YOU, I'VE BEEN TEACHING ALL WEEK, SO, UM, IT MIGHT NOT BE LIKE WHAT IT WAS MAYBE 15 YEARS AGO, BUT I'LL DO MY BEST HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. JASON. CLIFF, IT'S YOUR TURN. . WE'LL GET 'EM UP THERE ONE DAY. ALL RIGHT. SO NEXT, UM, FIRST [4. DONATIONS] I WILL ASK FOR APPROVAL OF OUR NEXT TWO, UH, TWO ITEMS, ITEMS FOUR, A AND B. UH, THE FIRST ONE WILL BE TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION ACCEPTING DONATION FROM EXXONMOBIL TO ASSIST IN PAYING EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH THE RETO FESTIVAL. AND B, IS TO CONSIDER RESOLUTION ACCEPTING DONATION FROM EXXONMOBIL FOR THE CITY OF BAY TOWN'S FIRST PICKLE BALL SPECIFIC COURTS TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT NC FOOT PARK. AND SO WITH THAT, UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION. IF, IF MR. HATCH CAN ANSWER, IT WOULD BE, WHERE'S THE, THE LOCATION IS FOOT PARK, CORRECT? YES, SIR. LIKE WHERE AT FOOT PARK MEAN? UH, IT'LL BE, UM, IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE PARK, IF YOU'RE COMING IN FROM LIKE THE PARKING AREA CLOSE TO, UH, SSO COVE ALONG THE WALKING TRAIL, OKAY, IT'LL BE TWO COURTS. UH, AND AGAIN, IT'S THE FIRST EVER DEDICATED PICKLEBALL SOLE USE COURSE IN BAY OR COURTS IN BAYTOWN. OKAY? SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. UM, SO I ASK FOR APPROVAL AND THEN IF, IF MYSELF AND COUNSEL, WE CAN JOIN, UH, EXXONMOBIL FOR A PICTURE. OKAY. TO APPROVE ITEMS FOR A AND B. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR ITEMS FOR A AND B, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? WE WILL MOVE ON DOWN THE PRICES, RIGHT? THEY'RE LIKE, HEY, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD, HOW ARE YOU? YES. YES. BEHIND OR SCOOT ONE ARE THE TWO, THE LIGHT'S ON YOU, I MEAN, HEY. OKAY, READY? HERE WE GO. 1, 2, 3, AND ONE MORE. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S LIKE 10 SOME PEOPLE. SO NEXT WE HAVE ITEM FIVE [a. Conduct a public hearing establishing the Baytown Reinvestment Zone No. 1. ] A TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING, ESTABLISHING THE BAYTOWN RE REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE. UH, MS. MIRANDA, DO YOU WANT TO PREFACE THIS ITEM? GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. SO TONIGHT'S PUBLIC HEARING IS FOR CREATING BAYTOWN REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE AT 9,300 NEEDLE POINT ROAD. UM, THIS ZONE WILL REPLACE, UM, THE EXISTING REINVESTMENT ZONE, SBE CHEMICAL PARTNERS, UH, REINVESTMENT ZONE, UH, SET TO EXPIRE IN 2025. UM, A COMPANY HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN MAKING CAPITAL INVESTMENTS ON THE PROPERTY, UM, BUT IS ALSO LOOKING AT OTHER SITES IN TEXAS AND LOUISIANA. OKAY, SO IT IS NOW 6:51 PM I CALL THE ORDER AS PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BAYTOWN REINVESTMENT ZONE. LOCATED, UH, NUMBER ONE LOCATED AT 9,300 NEEDLEPOINT ROAD, UH, STAFF HAS SUMMARIZED THE SUBJECT OF THIS PUBLIC HEARING. HAS ANYONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SO THERE BEING NO ONE DESIRE TO SPEAK, I NOW CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BAYTOWN REINVESTMENT ZONE, NUMBER ONE, LOCATED AT 9,300 NEEDLEPOINT ROAD. NEXT, WE HAVE TO [b. Consider an ordinance establishing the Baytown Reinvestment Zone No. 1, comprised of approximately 80.0 ± acre tract of land located at 9300 Needlepoint Road, Baytown, TX.] CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE, UH, FOR THE, THE, UM, REINVESTMENT ZONE NUMBER ONE THAT I JUST DESCRIBED, AN 88 OR 80 ACRE TRACTED AT 9,300 METER [00:20:01] POINT ROAD, I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR A POOL OF ITEM FIVE B, MOVE TO APPROVE FIVE B. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF FIVE B IS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. ITEM CARRIES. MOVE ON TO ITEM SIX A [a. Conduct the first public hearing regarding the proposed annexation of approximately 0.97 acres of land located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Interstate Highway 10 and F.M. 2100.] IS A PROPOSED ANNEXATION APPROXIMATELY 0.97 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED AT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE INTERSECTION OF INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 10 AND FM 2100. THIS WILL BE A PUBLIC HEARING ONCE AGAIN FOR THE ITEM I JUST DESCRIBED. WE DO HAVE ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, UH, MR. COSTELLO. UH, I'LL ASK STAFF FIRST TO SUMMARIZE THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS HEARING, THIS SIX FIFTY TWO. SO I DO CALL THIS PUBLIC HEARING TO ORDER, UH, FOR THE LAND I DESCRIBED. IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND SUMMARIZE THAT. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR AND COUNSEL, UH, FOR THE RECORD, RECORD MARTIN SCRIBNER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES. UM, YOU HAVE ALREADY SEEN THE, UM, THE INITIAL REQUEST FOR THE APPLICATION AND THE SERVICE, UH, AGREEMENT FOR THIS PROPERTY. THIS IS ONE ACRE AT THE CORNER OF, UH, FM 2100 AND I 10, UM, SURROUNDING IT IS 27 ACRES THAT IS ALREADY IN THE CITY AND IS ZONED GENERAL COMMERCIAL. THIS ONE ACRE PIECE IS TO KIND OF COMPLETE THAT, THAT, UH, CORNER, UH, TO WHAT IS GOING TO COME THROUGH, UH, PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION AS WELL AS CITY COUNCIL FOR A REZONED TO GENERAL COMMERCIAL TO MATCH UP TO THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY, UH, AT YOUR, EITHER YOUR NEXT MEETING OR THE MEETING AFTER THAT, YOUR PERSON WHO IS, UH, SIGNED UP TO SPEAK TONIGHT IS THE APPLICANT. I BELIEVE HE HAS A, UM, YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION AS WELL. SO, UM, WITH THAT, THIS IS THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING, SO IF YOU REMEMBER THE PROCESS, WE WILL HAVE ONE MORE PUBLIC HEARING AT YOUR NEXT MEETING AS WELL AS FIRST READING. WE'LL HAVE THOSE TOGETHER AT THE NEXT MEETING, AND THEN WE'LL HAVE SECOND READING. IT IS NOT UNTIL SECOND READING THAT THE ANNEXATION IS FINALIZED. SO AGAIN, WHEN THE SECOND READING HAPPENS, WE WILL ALSO BRING FORTH THE REZONE SINCE THAT'S, THERE'S NOTHING TO APPLY FOR UNTIL THAT, UH, UNTIL THE ANNEXATION IS COMPLETE. SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, HAPPY TO ANSWER. OKAY. AND, AND SO MR. COSTELLO, SO YOU SIGNED UP FOR SIX A, DID YOU ALSO SIGN UP FOR SIX B? I DIDN'T, BUT I MEAN, THEY'RE EFFECTIVELY ONE AND THE SAME BECAUSE THIS IS PUBLIC HEARING THAT WE HAVE AN ACTION ITEM. SO I, I KNOW THEY'RE ONE IN THE SAME. USUALLY THE, THE PUBLIC DOESN'T OBVIOUSLY MAKE A PRESENTATION, BUT IF WE DO ASK QUESTIONS FOR SIX B, THEN WE WOULD ALLOW, I'M GONNA ALLOW YOU TO GO AND MAKE YOUR PRESENTATION AT THAT POINT. IS THAT FAIR? FAIR ENOUGH? YES. OKAY. SO I'M GONNA CLOSE, UH, SINCE YOU ONLY WITH THIS SIGNED UP AND NO ONE ELSE HAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK, I NOW CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING REGARDING THE PROPOSED AND EX EXTENSION OF THE 0.97 ACRES I DESCRIBED AND MOVE ON TO ITEM [b. Consider an ordinance authorizing a Services Agreement with QT South, LLC, for the proposed annexation of approximately 0.97 acres of land located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Interstate Highway 10 and F.M. 2100.] SIX B. THIS IS CONSIDERED ORDINANCE AUTHORIZED IN SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH QT SOUTH LLC FOR THE PROPOSED ANNEXATION OF THE, UH, PROPERTY. I DESCRIBED ANYTHING AT THIS POINT TO ADD MR. SCRIBNER. OKAY, SO MR. ELLO, IF YOU DON'T MIND, IF YOU CAN DO YOUR VERY SHORT PRESENTATION FOR US. YEAH, THAT YOURS RIGHT THERE? UH, YES. YEP. OOPS, I DIDN'T CLOSE THAT. THAT'S GOOFY. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MARTIN. UH, MAYOR COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM. UM, I KNOW THIS IS, UH, SORT OF ONLY AN ANNEXATION REQUEST, UH, BUT I DO WANT TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE PROJECT. UM, QUICKTRIP IS THE LANDOWNER, THE APPLICANT, THE DEVELOPER, AND THE ULTIMATE END USER OF, OF THIS PROPERTY. UM, AND I WANTED TO JUST SHOW YOU BRIEFLY KIND OF WHAT, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE. SO THIS IS OUR VISION OF THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THIS CORNER. THIS WOULD BE A TRAVEL CENTER, UH, THREE AND A HALF YEARS AGO, MAY 14TH, 2020. THIS BODY APPROVED A TEXT AMENDMENT, UH, ADDING THE DEFINED USE OF A TRAVEL CENTER SEPARATE FROM A TRUCK STOP AND SEPARATE FROM A GAS STATION. THAT IS WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT HERE AS A TRAVEL CENTER. UM, AND THERE'S A FEW DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT TRAVEL CENTERS HAVE TO MEET, AND WE'RE MEETING ALL THOSE CRITERIA HERE. UM, AND SO JUST KIND OF WANT, AGAIN, JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE PROJECT. I'VE GOT A COUPLE PERSPECTIVES HERE. THIS IS GONNA BE OUR BUILDING, UM, A HUNDRED PERCENT MASONRY WITH EFIS ACCENT COLUMNS. UH, AND JUST ANOTHER ELEVATION HERE OF THAT, UM, CANOPY PERSPECTIVES. HERE'S A RENDERING OF, OF OUR DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS THE SORT OF 3D VISUALS, VISUALIZATION OF THAT SITE PLAN THAT YOU SAW, EXCUSE ME, THAT YOU SAW. UM, AGAIN, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, WE ALREADY OWN THE SURROUNDING 27 ACRES. SORRY. INITIALLY WE WERE PLANNING ON WRAPPING THE EX, THAT OLD EXXON AND DOMINO'S. UM, IT BECAME AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO BUY THEM OUT, CREATE A BETTER DEVELOPMENT. UH, AND [00:25:01] WE HAVE, WE HAVE DONE SO. UM, AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER VIEW FROM THE, UH, RENDERING AS MENTIONED BY COUNCIL MEMBER POWELL. UH, LAST MONTH AT THE, AT THE RESOLUTION, THIS PROJECT ALMOST DIED BECAUSE OF THE SAN JACINTO BRIDGE IMPROVEMENTS. AND SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE LEFT THERE, THAT WAS WHAT WAS GIVEN TO QUIKTRIP, UH, SORT OF BEHIND THE SCENES BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2020. AND YOU CAN SEE WE'RE, YOU KNOW, UP ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER THERE. AND TXDOT WAS PROPOSING TO BASICALLY TAKE ALL OF OUR DEVELOPABLE LAND, UH, WITH, WITH NO ACCESS TO MAIN STREET. AND, AND SO EFFECTIVELY THE PROJECT WAS DEAD. UM, HOWEVER, UH, WE KEPT WORKING WITH TXDOT. UM, WE ARE A, A VERY STRONG STAKEHOLDER IN THIS, IN THIS, IN THEIR PROJECT. UH, AND THEY HAVE, UH, REDESIGNED AND RECONFIGURED. UH, SO ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS IS THE CURRENT, AS OF SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR, THE CURRENT DESIGN, WHICH EFFECTIVELY DOESN'T IMPACT US AT ALL. AND SO WE ARE, WE ARE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND JUST A AGAIN, TO, TO KIND OF SHOW A QUICK DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UH, WHAT, WHAT YOU MIGHT CONSIDER A TRUCK STOP VERSUS WHAT QUICKTRIP IS BRINGING AS A TRAVEL CENTER ON THE LEFT. YOU KNOW, THIS IS THOMPSON AND WE KNOW, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S A BUNCH OF TRUCK STOPS THERE AND IT'S JUST ALL KINDS OF CONGESTION. ON THE RIGHT IS OUR STANDARD TRAVEL CENTER. YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SMALLER. THERE'S NOT A WHOLE LOT OF TRUCK PARKING. WE DON'T DO OVERNIGHT PARKING. WE DON'T HAVE THE AMENITIES LIKE MOST TRUCK STOPS DO FOR THOSE LONG EXTENDED STAYS. UH, AND AGAIN, JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE. UM, AND, UH, REALLY I GUESS THAT'S, THAT'S IT. WELL, I, QUICK QUESTION. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE OVERNIGHT OR THE NON OVERNIGHT I GUESS? SO WE, WE, WE, WE, WE DO SIGNAGE AND THEN OUR, OUR EMPLOYEES ALSO KIND OF MONITOR AS NEEDED. OKAY. OKAY. SO, SO YEAH. SO, UM, ITEM SIX B, I'LL OPEN UP THE QUESTIONS FOR MR. COSTELLO. YEAH, ANY QUESTION I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? I DO HAVE A COMMENT. UM, IF I MAY. YES, MA'AM. UM, SO I AM FAMILIAR WITH QT, UH, QUICKTRIP, UM, AS I TRAVEL ON MY WAY TO GEORGIA, THERE ARE PLENTY THERE. UM, I'VE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES AT ANY OF THE STORES. UM, WHEN THIS PRESENTATION FIRST CAME TO US YEARS AGO, WE WERE CONCERNED, UM, ABOUT IT BEING AN ACTUAL TRUCK STOP IN THIS AREA. UM, BUT THEY TOLD US THEIR MODEL WILL NOT CHANGE, UM, AS THEY ENTER NEW MARKETS. AND I'M JUST HAPPY THAT THERE IS NO OVERNIGHT, UM, TRUCK STOP. UM, SO I, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MA'AM. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? SO I WOULD ENTERTAIN, ENTERTAIN A MOTION, UH, FOR SIX B MOTION, MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND A MOTION AND SECOND, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IF NOT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. SIX P IS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED? THANK YOU, SIR. WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN [a. Consider an ordinance approving the ad valorem tax rate for the City of Baytown, Texas, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2024. Approval of the ordinance will set the property tax rate at $.72 per $100 valuation for the 2023 Tax Year. The General Fund maintenance and operations tax rate will be set at $.459050 per $100 valuation and debt service tax rate set at $.260950 per $100 valuation for fiscal year ending September 30, 2024.] A. IT'S CONSIDERED AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE ANOR TAX RATE FOR THE CITY OF BAYTOWN, TEXAS FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024 APPROVAL. THE ORDINANCE WILL SET THE PROPERTY TAX RATE AT 0.72, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT'S 0.72 EVEN. YES. UH, PER 100 VALUATION FOR THE 2023 TAX YEAR, THE GENERAL FUND MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE WILL BE SET AT 0.4 5 9 0 5 0 PER $100 VALUATION. AND DEBT SERVICE TAX RATE IS SET AT 0.26095 PER $100 VALUATION FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2024. MS. MCKENZIE, UM, SO AS YOU RECALL, UM, DURING THE FY 24 BUDGET ADOPTION AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING, UM, WE MENTIONED THAT WE WOULD BE PROPOSING A 72 CENTS, UM, PROPERTY TAX RATE. AND SO, WHICH IS WELL BELOW THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE OF 0.72594, AND THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE OF 0.72585 AND STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU MA'AM. SO I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM SEVEN, A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM SEVEN, A SECOND, SECOND MOTION, MULTIPLE SECONDS. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? THE ONLY COMMENT I'LL MAKE ON IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, UNTIL WE GOT OUR CERTIFIED TAX ROLLS, I THINK WE WERE PROPOSING SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN, BUT IN BUDGET ITSELF, I'M GLAD TO TO SEE THAT WE CONTINUE TO GO AND, AND ARE VERY CONSIDERATIVE OF OUR TAX RATE. HOWEVER, EVALUATIONS ARE OUT OF BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL'S CONTROL, UH, AS, AS WE REMIND OUR CITIZENS. BUT WE CONTINUE TO GO BE GOOD STEWARDS OF OBVIOUSLY THE RESOURCES THAT OUR TAXPAYERS PROVIDE US. AND CERTAINLY I'M, I'M HAPPY TO SEE THE 0.72 THIS YEAR. SO WITH THAT, WE DO HAVE A MOTION, UH, OF THOSE IN FAVOR OF ITEM SEVEN A AS PRESENTED OF, OF ESTABLISHING THE PROPERTY TAX RATE AT 0.72. PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. ITEM CARRIES. MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN B CONCERNED ORDINANCE [b. Consider an ordinance for the repeal of Chapter 18 "Buildings and Building Regulations," Article XV "Vacant Buildings" of the Code of Ordinances, Baytown, Texas.] FOR THE REPEAL OF CHAPTER 18, BUILDING AND BUILDING REGULATIONS. ARTICLE 15, VACANT BUILDINGS OF THE COLOR ORDINANCES, BAYTOWN, TEXAS. [00:30:01] MR. SCRIBNER, COULD YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE, DESCRIBE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ORDINANCE? ABSOLUTELY. SO, UM, IN AUGUST, UH, STAFF PRESENTED OUR, UH, BECAUSE THERE HAD BEEN PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT OUR CURRENT, UH, VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE AND WHAT EFFECT THAT HAS OR DOESN'T HAVE ON, UM, KIND OF OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS SURROUNDING VACANT BUILDINGS AND MAINTENANCE AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES WITH THAT. UM, WHAT WE PRESENTED WAS AN ARGUMENT TO SAY WE DON'T REALLY, THE VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE AS IT STANDS DOESN'T REALLY SERVE A GREAT PURPOSE FOR THE CITY. UM, IT IS AT BEST, DIFFICULT TO, UH, TO ENFORCE AND IN SOME CASES PROBABLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ENFORCE. SO WHAT WE ARE AGAIN, UH, PROPOSING IS TO REPEAL THAT VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE AND, UM, MOVE FORWARD WITH IMPROVING OUR EXISTING PROCESSES THAT CURRENTLY OPERATE UNDER DIFFERENT ORDINANCES ALTOGETHER. SO, UM, WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. OKAY. WITH THAT, UM, IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR ITEM SEVEN B FOR STAFF? I HAVE A QUESTION. YES, MA'AM. I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE, THE LOGIC BEHIND THIS AND APPRECIATE THE EFFICIENCY AND THE DEREGULATION AS WELL. MY QUESTION IS, UM, RIGHT NOW, IF SOMEONE WAS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT A VACANT BUILDING WHO OWNS THE CURRENT VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE, WHO WOULD IT GO TO? YOUR DEPARTMENT? THE VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE ITSELF? YES. SO IF I'M COMPLAINING ABOUT A VACANT BUILDING, WHICH DEPARTMENT OWNS THAT ORDINANCE TO ADDRESS MY CONCERNS? IT WOULD DEPEND ON THE SPECIFIC CONCERNS. SO, OKAY, SO THAT'S NOT SOLVED. 'CAUSE WE STILL HAVE MULTIPLE DEPARTMENTS. AND SO WHO WOULD I CALL AS A CI CITIZEN? WHO, WHO WHICH DEPARTMENT WOULD I GO TO AND SAY I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THIS VACANT BUILDING? UM, IF IT'S THE STRUCTURE, THEN IT STARTS WITH MY DEPARTMENT STARTS WITH THE, UH, PLANNING AND, AND DEVELOPMENT. IF IT HAS TO DO WITH THE GROUNDS SURROUNDING, IT WOULD BE THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT. IF IT'S CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, IT WOULD GO STRAIGHT TO THE POLICE. I I, I DON'T MIND, I AM A LITTLE HESITANT TO JUST COMPLETELY REMOVE AN ENTIRE, LIKE, CHAPTER OF THE CODE. IT JUST MAKES ME PAUSE. BUT I DO UNDERSTAND WHY YOU'RE PROPOSING IT. I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE WE'VE SOLVED THE CONVOLUTED NESS OF THE PROCESS. AND I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE SOLVING YET THE SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS WHO ARE HAVING THESE CONCERNS. AND MAYBE THAT'S A SEPARATE TOPIC WE CAN TACKLE, BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT. LOOKING AT THESE VARIETY OF DEPARTMENTS THAT WOULD HAVE TO GET INVOLVED AND A CITIZEN IS NOT GONNA KNOW THIS AND THEY'RE NOT, THEY ALREADY DON'T KNOW WHO TO CALL. AND THIS, IT JUST ILLUSTRATES THAT ISSUE. UH, IT, IT USUALLY STARTS WITH WITH DEVELOPMENT, BUT I MEAN REALLY TO, TO, UH, I I, I AGREE WITH WHAT, WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. THE CURRENT PROCESSES ARE CURRENTLY BEING, UH, UH, EXAMINED. WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW TO IMPROVE OUR, OUR PROCESSES. THAT SAID, THE, THE VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE THAT'S IN EFFECT RIGHT NOW HAS A, THE, THE FIRST STEP OF THAT IS IF YOU HAVE A VACANT BUILDING, YOU HAVE TO, UH, BASICALLY REGISTER IT AS, UH, AS VACANT WITH THE CITY, AND THERE'S A FEE TO PAY. THIS HAS BEEN IN EFFECT SINCE 2008. I'VE NEVER SEEN A LIST OR REGISTRATION. I DON'T KNOW OF ANYBODY WHO HAS IT. AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, WAY BEFORE I GOT HERE IN 2020, I, I BELIEVE IT HASN'T BEEN ENFORCED IN A LONG, LONG TIME. SO I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, BUT I'LL SAY THAT IN A SEC. A AGAIN, BEFORE ME, I, I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK TO THAT, BUT, BUT WHEN I GOT HERE, IT WASN'T BEING ENFORCED. SO WE ENFORCED THE MEAT OF IT THROUGH THESE OTHER, UH, THROUGH THESE OTHER PROCESSES, THROUGH SUBSTANDARD, THROUGH, UM, CODE ENFORCEMENT, THROUGH, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT, HEALTH DEPARTMENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT. WE ENFORCE ALL THE SAME REGULATIONS. BUT WHAT WE'RE NOT DOING IS KIND OF GOING THROUGH THAT OTHER RED TAPE THAT WENT WITH THE VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCE AND THE EXTRA STAFFING AND TIME AND COST TO THE CITY THAT THAT ORDINANCE REQUIRES OF US. YES, MA'AM. WHEN YOU SAY THAT, THAT ORDINANCE, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE ONE WITH THE LIST THAT Y'ALL HAVE NEVER SEEN THE LIST? CORRECT. WE, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A LIST WE GENERALLY KNOW, BUT REQUIRING THEM TO REGISTER AND THEN ENFORCING THAT REGISTRATION. MM-HMM . IS A, IS MORE, IT WOULD TAKE MORE STAFF THAN I HAVE. OR REAL QUICK, I'LL SAY MY UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THIS PARTICULAR ITEM IN FRONT OF US THIS EVENING IS THAT, AND, AND I, I KIND OF ACTUALLY ARE, IS SOMEWHAT SURPRISED AND STAFF HAS RECOGNIZED A LAYER OF BUREAUCRACY THAT THEY ARE COMFORTABLE WITH IN REMOVING AND STILL BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND BE EFFECTIVE WITH WHAT IS ON THE BOOKS. UM, I THINK THEY CONTINUE [00:35:01] TO GO AND, AND LOOK AT HOW, IF IT'S VACANT, ABANDONED BUILDINGS, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S LOTS OF TERMINOLOGY WE CAN USE, UM, BUT THEY FEEL THAT THEY CAN STILL PROCEED WITH ENFORCEMENT AND OBVIOUSLY ADDRESS WHAT OUR CITIZENS ARE ASKING FOR US TO ADDRESS WITHOUT AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF BUREAUCRACY. AND SO I, I DO LIKE THE FACT THAT WE CAN KIND OF STRIP THAT OUT. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S STILL SOME THINGS TO LOOK INTO. I THINK THAT'S WHAT MS. BEN COURT IS, IS CERTAINLY DESCRIBING. I WILL TELL YOU IN 2008, I'M ASSUMING, UM, THERE WAS SOME BUILDINGS ALONG BAYWAY DRIVE THAT WERE ABANDONED. THEY WERE JUST THE SHELL OF A BUILDING. THERE WAS LIKE TWO OR THREE SHEET METAL BUILDINGS. UM, AND SO THIS WAS FIRST, IT WAS THE FIRST STEP, KIND OF THE INITIAL APPROACH TO FIRST RECOGNIZE A ABANDONED BUILDING, GET 'EM REGISTERED IN A SENSE ON THE BOOKS OR ON THE LIST. I THINK THEY HAD 12 MONTHS TO RESPOND. AND THEN THERE WAS, UH, SOME TYPE OF FEE OR, OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. MANY OF THESE BUILDINGS WERE OWNED BY PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE AREA. AND SO IT DID ALLOW, AND AT THE END RESULT, THESE BUILDINGS WERE DOZED AND SCRAPED. AND SO IT WAS EFFECTIVE AND IT WAS VERY, UM, USEFUL FOR THAT PARTICULAR TIME. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S OTHER AREAS OF TOWN AND OTHER SITUATIONS THAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT TO APPLY SOME, A DIFFERENT TOOL MOVING FORWARD. AND THIS, THE, THEIR FIRST STABS FIRST I GET, OR ONE OF THEIR FIRST, UM, STABS AT, IS TO REMOVE ADDITIONAL LAYER OF BUREAUCRACY BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT IS UNNEEDED OR OUTDATED, LET'S JUST SAY. AND, AND TO BE CLEAR, ONE OF THE REASONS WE WERE NOT SPECIFICALLY ENFORCING THAT ORDINANCE AND THE REGISTRATION AND ALL THAT STUFF WAS BECAUSE PRIOR, UM, LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE CITY SAID THAT WE WERE WALKING ON THIN ICE WITH THE WAY THE ORDINANCE WAS WRITTEN. SO WE'VE JUST KIND OF SAID, OKAY, WE'RE, SINCE WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE GOT CHALLENGED, WE'RE GONNA KIND OF PUSH IT OFF TO THE SIDE. AND THIS YEAR, AS WE WERE ASKED TO EXAMINE THE ORDINANCE ITSELF, UM, BY, BY CITY MANAGEMENT, WE LOOKED AT, I DON'T KNOW, THREE DOZEN OTHER, UM, VACANT BUILDING ORDINANCES FOR DIFFERENT CITIES. AND WE PICKED THE, LIKE, PROBABLY THE THREE OR FOUR BEST ONES THAT WE LIKED. AND WE CALLED THE CITY THAT WE LIKED THE BEST AND SAID, HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS WORKING? AND THEY WENT, I WASN'T AWARE WE HAD ONE. SO THAT'S KIND OF ACROSS THE BOARD. EVERYBODY KIND OF SAID THE SAME THING. UH, IT'S NOT THAT EFFECTIVE IN AND OF ITSELF, THAT THAT ORDINANCE DOESN'T REALLY DO MUCH. IT'S ALL THE OTHER STUFF THAT, AGAIN, CODE ENFORCEMENT AND SUBSTANDARD AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES WITH THAT. THOSE ARE THE MEAT OF OUR ENFORCEMENT EFFORTS, AND THIS DOESN'T CHANGE THAT ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. OKAY. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR STAFF? YES, MA'AM. AND I, I, I KNOW THOSE, THESE ARE THE MOST COMMON CALLS OR, UM, ASKED THAT WE GET FROM RESIDENTS. AND I KNOW, UM, UH, MS. CARROLL GAVE US SOME NEW, UH, BUSINESS CARDS THAT HAD THOSE PHONE NUMBERS ON WHEN TO CALL ABOUT CERTAIN ITEMS, WHICH ARE THE, SOME OF THE ONES THAT, UM, WE DESCRIBED. UM, NOW, UH, BUT I KNOW IN THE PAST, WAY BACK, UM, EVEN BEFORE I WAS ON COUNCIL, WE USED TO GET LIKE MAGNETS THAT HAD THE DIFFERENT NUMBERS TO CALL BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO GIVE OUR BUSINESS CARD TO EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT IN OUR DISTRICT, UM, AS MUCH AS WE WOULD WANT. UM, SO THEY CAN HAVE THOSE PHONE NUMBERS. UM, NOT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO DOWNLOAD AN APP, UM, TO BE ABLE TO REPORT THESE ISSUES BECAUSE IF YOU DO DOWNLOAD THE APP, YOU CAN SPECIFY WHAT YOUR ISSUES ARE AND YOU CAN TRACK, UM, WHAT'S HAPPENING. SO I KNOW THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT I USUALLY RECOMMEND, BUT NOT EVERYBODY LIKES DOWNLOADING APPS OR EVEN HAS ENOUGH DATA TO DOWNLOAD YET ANOTHER APP. UM, I KNOW WE REVAMPED OUR, OUR WEBSITE AND HOPEFULLY THEY'RE PROMINENT ON THERE. UM, BUT IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT RESIDENTS CAN HAVE STUCK ON THEIR REFRIGERATOR OR WHEREVER THAT THEY CAN HAVE THIS INFORMATION, UM, I WOULD LIKE A REVIEW AS WELL, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I GET ARE ALSO, UM, AFTER HOURS. AND USUALLY WHAT I GIVE PEOPLE IS THAT, UM, WHAT IS IT, 6,500 OR THE 2 8 1 4, THE PLANNING NUMBER, THAT'S 24 HOURS. I FORGOT THE NUMBER. UM, AND I USUALLY GIVE THEM THAT, BUT, AND USUALLY IT'S REALLY, REALLY, WELL, IT WORKS GREAT, BUT WHEN A STAFF PERSON OR WHOEVER'S IN CHARGE OF THAT IS NOT ON THERE, IT ROLLS OVER TO PD. AND SO PD IS, UH, I WOULDN'T WANT THEM TO BE BURDENED WITH TAKING ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT CALLS, UM, AND NOT REALLY NECESSARILY KNOWING WHERE IT'S GONNA GO. SO MAYBE WE REVIEW THAT 24 HOUR HOTLINE, UM, THAT WHERE SOME OF THESE ISSUES GO AFTER HOURS AND THAT MAY HELP. OKAY. UM, [00:40:01] SO ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR SEVEN B? I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR ITEM SEVEN B IS PRESENTED. ITEM, UH, MOTION TO APPROVE ITEM SEVEN B AS PRESENTED. SECOND. SECOND. NO MOTION TO SECOND. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, IF NOT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR. ITEM SEVEN B IS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. ALL THOSE OPPOSED. ITEM CARRIES. MOVE ON TO ITEM SEVEN C. [c. Consider an ordinance to amend and restate the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions for Gateway 10 Business Park.] CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND RESTATE THE DECLARATION OF COVENANTS, CONDITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS FOR GATEWAY 10 BUSINESS PARK, MR. SCRIBNER. OKAY, THIS IS, UM, LAST YEAR, I THINK IT WAS LAST YEAR SOMETIME YOU HAD AN AMENDMENT TO THE GATEWAY 10 BUSINESS PARK, UH, CCNRS. UM, THIS BASICALLY THERE, THERE WERE A COUPLE PIECES OF THAT, AND I'M GONNA KIND OF LOOK TO SCOTT ON SOME OF THE SPECIFICS ON THIS ONE. UM, THIS WAS BASICALLY, UH, A, AN EFFORT TO CLEAN UP THE LANGUAGE AND TAKE THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND PUT IT ALL BACK INTO THE ORIGINAL AND ADOPT A NEW ORIGINAL THAT JUST KIND OF CLEANED UP THE LANGUAGE. A COUPLE OF THINGS WHERE WE'RE, UH, DESCRIBING WHERE BUILDINGS ARE LOCATED AND WHAT THOSE HEIGHTS ARE. UM, THIS JUST IS CLARIFYING THOSE AND I THINK IT DOES ALLOW ONE OF THE BUILDINGS TO BE 52,500 FEET INSTEAD OF 50,000 FEET FOOTPRINT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SO THERE'S A MINOR CHANGE TO THAT. UH, AM I, HOPEFULLY I GOT THAT RIGHT SCOTT. SURE. I CAN READ IT OUT FOR YOU. UM, THE FOLLOWING LIMITS APPLY TO BUT NOT BUILDING SIZE AS MULTIPLE. SORRY. THANK YOU. APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. LET ME START OVER AGAIN. UH, THE SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE THAT YOU SHOULD BE MOST AWARE OF IS THAT, UH, THE FOLLOWING LIMITS APPLIED TO BUILDING FOOTPRINTS, BUT NOT BUILDING SIZE AS MULTIPLE STORY BUILDINGS ARE PERMITTED. ONE DEVELOPMENT SITE NORTH OF THE PIPELINE EASEMENT 52,500 GROSS SQUARE FEET AND TWO DEVELOPMENT SITE SOUTH OF THE PIPELINE EASEMENT. 30,000 GROSS SQUARE FEET. NO BUILDING SHALL EXCEED 1 35 FEET AND HEIGHT MEASURED TO THE TOP OF THE EAVES OF THE BUILDING. 2 45 FEET IN HEIGHT MEASURED TO THE TOP OF THE ROOF. AND THREE, TWO STORIES PROVIDED THAT AN OFFICE BUILDING LOCATED ON A DEVELOPMENT SITE ABUTTING I 10 FREEWAY IS NOT SO LIMITED, BUT SHALL NOT EXCEED THE HEIGHT LIMITATIONS WITHIN THE ULDC. UH, OTHERWISE THE, UH, CHANGES WERE GENERALLY NON-SUBSTANTIVE TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS, UH, CHANGE, RENUMBERING CHANGING, UH, WORDING, THINGS OF THAT NATURE. OKAY. IS THERE ANY QUESTION ON ITEM SEVEN C? YES. YES, MA'AM. THIS IS THE, THE DEVELOPMENT AT I 10 AND SLANDER. UH, YES, YES, YES. WHY ARE THEY WANTING THIS CHANGE? I'M SORRY IF YOU SAID IT ALREADY. I, UH, AGAIN, I THINK THEY WERE JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY AND CLEAR UP THE LANGUAGE. LIKE PART OF IT IS THAT, IS THAT LANGUAGE THAT SCOTT READ ABOUT THE WHERE IT IT, UM, IT, IT CLARIFIES TO THE NORTH OF THE PIPELINE EASEMENT OR TO THE SOUTH OF THE PIPELINE EASEMENT. IT WAS WORDED DIFFERENTLY BEFORE AND IT DIDN'T MAKE, THERE WAS, HAD BEEN CHANGES TO THE LAND THAT DIDN'T MAKE A LOT OF SENSE ANYMORE. SO IT WAS REALLY JUST KIND OF CLARIFYING THAT AND MAKING IT EASIER TO TAKE CARE OF LATER. AND THEN JUST PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER. SO WE WEREN'T WORKING OFF OF THREE DIFFERENT VERSIONS. SO IT'S NOT INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE DEVELOPMENT THAT THEY ORIGINALLY PROPOSED TO US. THE THREE BUILDINGS THAT ARE ON THEIR SITE PLAN THAT ARE NORTH OF THAT PIPELINE, IT WOULD INCREASE THOSE BY 2,500 SQUARE FOOT ON THEIR FOOTPRINT. SO THIS WAS A VERY CONTROVERSIAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE AROUND THERE WERE VERY ADAMANT THAT THEY DID NOT WANT IT. UM, WE APPROVED IT, INCLUDING MYSELF. UM, I, I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE INCREASING THE SIZE OF A DEVELOPMENT THAT THE CITIZENS LIVING AROUND THERE WERE ALREADY OPPOSED TO IN THE FIRST PLACE LAST YEAR, THERE WAS ALSO A, AN AMENDMENT MADE AND APPROVED THAT WAS, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER THE NUMBERS, BUT IT WAS THE BUILDING SIZE TO THE SOUTH. THERE WAS A MAIN BUILDING THAT I THINK ORIGINALLY HAD ONLY BEEN PROPOSED AT 50,000, 60,000 FEET, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THEY INCREASED IT TO, I THINK 82, 85, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. AND THAT WAS APPROVED BY COUNSEL, I THINK THAT WAS IN 2022. SO I GUESS THAT GOES BACK TO MY ORIGINAL QUESTION. WHY ARE THEY WANTING TO CHANGE THEIR ORIGINAL PLAN? HAVE THEY SHARED THAT? I YOU DON'T KNOW. I I DON'T, I I WOULDN'T, THEY HAVE NOT SHARED THAT WITH US AND I, AT LEAST WITH ME AND I, I HAVE, I WOULD NOT WANNA TAKE A GUESS AT THAT. OKAY. SO WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS LET'S, WE NEED TO LOOK AT A SITE PLAN. 'CAUSE I KNOW ORIGINALLY WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS SHOWN WAS, I MEAN, THERE'S, THESE ARE SMALL, THESE ARE SMALL BUILDINGS IN, IN SOME REGARD, [00:45:01] BUT I THINK SINCE WE HAVE NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE'D LIKE TO SEE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A SITE PLAN AND AT LEAST IF THE CHANGES ARE NEEDED AND MY UNDERSTANDING, THEY ACTUALLY WANNA PUT TWO OF THE BUILDINGS BIGGER. 'CAUSE THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WE KIND OF WANTED MORE OF THE OFFICE, LIKE LOOK, I GUESS OFFICE BUILDING, LIKE LOOK. SO THAT'S WHAT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS, THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING. BUT I THINK BEFORE I CAN, CAN GO AND REALLY CONSIDER THIS FOR A VOTE, I, I WANNA LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS SITE PLAN APPROVED AND THE CURRENT ONE WITH THE CHANGES. BECAUSE WHEN YOU TELL ME WE'RE JUST DOING TOPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS, THAT'S DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING THAT HAS A VALUE OF NUMBERS ON IT. I DON'T CARE IF IT'S HEIGHT, WIDTH, WHATEVER. OKAY, SURE. IS THAT FAIR? I'M, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I, ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. SO WE'LL MOVE FORWARD. WE WILL, UH, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION FOR, TO TABLE THIS ITEM FOR, I DON'T KNOW, 60 DAYS. UH, I MOVE TO TABLE ITEM SEVEN C FOR NO MORE THAN 60 DAYS. SECOND THE MOTION SECOND. ANY QUESTION, COMMENTS ON THE MOTION? IF NOT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO TABLE TO SIGN FOR 60 DAYS? PLEASE SAY, AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? OPPOSED. WE'LL MOVE FORWARD [a. Receive a Presentation on the Launch of the Baytown Fatherhood Initiative.] TO ITEM SEVEN. MOTION. E AA. UH, THIS IS TO RECEIVE A PRESENTATION ON THE LAUNCH OF THE BAYTOWN FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE. MR. REEVES. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING. THOMAS REEVES, YOUR DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND TONIGHT I HAVE A FEW SLIDES FOR YOU WITH REGARDS TO THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE. I'M EXCITED TO REPORT TODAY ON THIS NEW INITIATIVE THAT WE'RE LAUNCHING HERE. YOU MAY RECALL BACK IN 2020, THAT STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY BEGAN SUING MAJOR PHARMACEUTICAL, PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES AND THE DISTRIBUTORS FOR THEIR ROLE IN MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTING OPIOIDS THAT HAVE RESULTED IN ADDICTIONS AND OVERDOSES. IN OCTOBER OF 21, THE CITY OF BAYTOWN OFFICIALLY BECAME A PARTICIPANT IN THE STATE'S LAWSUIT. AND AS SUCH, BECAME A RECIPIENT OF THE SUBSEQUENT SETTLEMENT FUNDS. IN MARCH OF 23, AS CITIES ACROSS THE NATION STARTED RECEIVING THE FUNDS, STAFF BEGAN MEETING TO DISCUSS WHAT WE MIGHT DO WITH THOSE FUNDS. AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE STATE STATUTE REQUIRES THAT SPENDING THE FUNDS TO ADDRESS OPIOID, THEY THEY HAVE TO BE ON OPIOID RELATED USES AND HARMS IN THE COMMUNITY. WITH ADVICE FROM OUR TWO CHIEFS AND SEVERAL DIRECTORS, THE COMMITTEE DECIDED TO SPEND, SPEND THE MONEY ON ADDRESSING THE ROOT CAUSE OF OPIOID AND DRUG ABUSE, WHICH MANY TIMES CAN BE TRACED TO THE HOME. THE COMMITTEE BEGAN AN EXHAUSTIVE NATIONWIDE SEARCH OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED IN COMBATING DRUG DRUG ABUSE IN THE HOME. AND THE AGENCY THAT STOOD OUT TO US WAS THE ONE THAT SPECIFICALLY TARGETS FATHERHOOD. SO THIS IS A BIT ABOUT HOW WE GOT HERE. I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING AND NEXT WHERE WE'RE GONNA GO FROM HERE. SO THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE WAS SELECTED TO FACILITATE A ONE YEAR PROJECT TO INCREASE FATHER INVOLVEMENT AND REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF FATHER ABSENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN IN BAYTOWN. NFI WILL PARTNER WITH YET WITH A YET TO BE DETERMINED LEAD AGENCY IN BAYTOWN TO IMPLEMENT AN INNOVATIVE INITIATIVE TO ENGAGE ALL SECTORS IN THE COMMUNITY AROUND FATHERHOOD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON REDUCING DRUG USE, INCLUDING OPIOIDS. NFI HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THIS, INCLUDING MILWAUKEE, SIOUX FALLS, AND PITTSBURGH, AS YOU CAN SEE ON THE SLIDE. SO WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW THAT WE'VE SELECTED THIS FIRM? THE PROGRAM IS ESSENTIALLY THREE PHASES, AS YOU'LL SEE ON THE SLIDE, COMMUNITY NEEDS AND ASSET ASSESSMENT LEADERSHIP SUMMIT, AND THEN ANCHORING THE INITIATIVE. NFI WILL FIRST COME TO TOWN AND LEARN ALL IT CAN FROM THE EXPERTS, FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE HAVE HERE, FROM STAFF, FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT AND PUBLIC SAFETY. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM? WHERE CAN WE, UH, TARGET? WHY DO WE THINK THAT TARGET OR THAT PROBLEM EXISTS? WHAT DOES DRUG ABUSE LOOK LIKE IN BAYTOWN? WHAT PROGRAMS EXIST TO HELP THOSE WHO STRUGGLE WITH ABUSE? AND HOW ARE ABSENT FATHERS CONTRIBUTING TO OPIOID AND DRUG USE IN BAYTOWN? AS WE COLLECT THE DATA AND WITH THE HELP OF THE EXPERTS, WE'LL BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY A LEAD AGENCY IN TOWN. IT WILL NOT BE THE CITY. WE WILL BE LOOKING FOR A LEAD AGENCY IN TOWN THAT EITHER ALREADY EXISTS OR COULD BE SET UP TO SP TO, UH, SPECIFICALLY TACKLE THIS ISSUE. THE CITY'S ROLE IS TO RECEIVE THE FUNDS, FACILITATE THE LAUNCH, AND THEN TRANSITION TO THAT NONPROFIT IN TOWN. NEXT, WE'LL HOLD A LEADERSHIP SUMMIT WITH THOSE IN THE COMMUNITY WHO HAVE A PASSION FOR THIS PROJECT [00:50:01] SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO GATHER CHEERLEADERS AND INTEREST IN THE GOING FORWARD OF THIS PROGRAM. FINALLY, WITH THE DATA EXPERTS AND PASSIONATE LEADERS IN HAND, NFI WILL DRAW UPON THEIR EXPERIENCE TO DEVELOP A SHORT AND LONG-TERM ACTION PLAN SPECIFIC TO BAYTOWN FOR HOW WE WILL AFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE AT HOME WITH THE GOAL OF REDUCING DRUG USE IN YOUNG PEOPLE. SO WHAT'S NEXT? WE WILL SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP IN NOVEMBER WITH IDENTIFIED STAKEHOLDERS IN TOWN WHO WILL BE ABLE TO LEND THEIR EXPERTISE AS WE GATHER DATA. AGAIN, AS WE SHAPE THE PROBLEM, AS WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM IN TOWN, WE WILL INVITE THOSE STAKEHOLDERS IN INTO THE WORKSHOP AND ALSO DISCUSS WITH POTENTIAL AGENCIES WHO MIGHT TAKE THE LEAD ROLE IN THIS INITIATIVE GOING FORWARD. IN THE WINTER, WE WILL TALK THROUGH, UM, WITH OUR NFI TEAM, THE NEEDS AND ASSESSMENT OR NEEDS AN ASSETS ASSESSMENT. THEY'LL BE IN TOWN AGAIN, COLLECTING THE DATA AND DOING AN INVENTORY OF WHAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY IN TOWN TO SUPPORT FATHERS AND HOME LIFE AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO GET BETTER. AND THEN IN MAY WE'LL HAVE A LEADERSHIP SUMMIT WITH EVEN WITH EVEN MORE PEOPLE IN TOWN, THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO REALLY MOVE THIS PROJECT FORWARD. AND THEN IN JUNE, WE SHOULD HAVE AN ACTION PLAN THAT WILL INFORM WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING GOING FORWARD TO REALLY COMBAT THIS ISSUE. AND THAT WILL BE IN THE FORM OF AN ACTION PLAN, WHICH WE WILL GLADLY WORK WITH THAT LEAD AGENCY ON IMPLEMENTING. SO THERE IS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE NATIONAL FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE COMING TO BAYTOWN. I'M JUST GIVING THAT BRIEF REPORT TO YOU. THE, THE MAYOR WILL BE ANNOUNCING THIS AT THE STATE OF THE CITY IN OCTOBER, AND, UH, WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT GETTING IT OFF THE GROUND. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE. YES, MA'AM. IT'S JUST A STATEMENT. I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU, UM, SPENDING MOST OF MY LIFE WORKING WITH THE YOUTH, UM, I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED AND GRATEFUL THAT THE CITY HAS DECIDED TO TAKE THIS ROUTE AND THIS INITIATIVE. UM, AND I JUST HOPE THAT, UM, YOU REALIZE THAT I AM HERE AND I WANT TO HELP WITH THIS PARTICULAR INITIATIVE. UM, I THINK WE ALL KNOW THE IMPACT OF PEOPLE NOT HAVING FATHERS IN THEIR LIFE AND HOW THAT, THAT IMPACTS LOTS OF THINGS, NOT JUST DRUG USE. UM, BUT VERY, VERY EXCITED. I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THIS UNTIL TONIGHT, SO JUST THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE PUTTING INTO THIS AND, UM, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT HAPPENS IN OUR COMMUNITY POSITIVE FROM, FROM THIS INITIATIVE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MA'AM. YES. YES, SIR. THOMAS, I WANNA THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, I WANT TO ECHO CE OF MY COLLEAGUE AS WELL. UM, I DO HAVE A BACKGROUND IN, IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE COUNSELING AND, AND, AND WORKING WITH YOUTH AND YOUTH IN, IN, IN THIS TOWN AS WELL. AND VERY PLEASED THAT, UH, ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE. AND REALLY THE DATA'S OUT ON, ON, YOU KNOW, THE ROLE OF FATHERS IN THE HOME. UH, AND, AND IT, IT'S VERY IMPACTFUL. SO I THINK I LIKE THIS DIRECTION. UM, THIS IS GONNA SOLVE ALL THE PROBLEMS. NO, BUT LIKE THEY SAID, OUNCE OF PREVENTION IS WORTH MORE THAN A POUND OF CURE. SO, UM, REALLY EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS GOES AND, UH, WILLING LINDA HAND. UM, WE'RE PARTNERING ANY WAY YOU NEED. GREAT, THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? UH, I, I DO WANNA THANK MR. REEVES AND, AND CERTAINLY, UH, WHEN THIS WAS PRESENTED TO US AS FAR AS, UM, JOINING IN THE, I GUESS YOU SHOULD SAY, CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AND SO ON, WE REALLY THOUGHT THIS WOULD PROBABLY NEVER, EVER COME TO FRUITION FOR THE MOST PART AS FAR AS EVEN ACTUALLY RECOVERING ANY TYPE OF FUNDING RESOURCES. I'M GLAD THAT THIS IS BEING APPLIED AND I LOOK FORWARD AS IT WAS EXPRESSED HERE, UM, HOW WE CAN ADDRESS THIS IN OUR COMMUNITY. UH, CERTAINLY IT IS AN, IT IS AN ISSUE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT, UM, THIS TYPE OF PROGRAM CAN CERTAINLY HELP THOSE THAT ARE ALREADY, UM, FIGHTING THESE TYPE OF ISSUES AMONGST, AMONGST MANY. SO I DO APPRECIATE THAT. YES, MA'AM. I JUST WANTED TO SAY ONE MORE THING. UM, I JUST RECENTLY READ AN ARTICLE IN THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE THAT SAID THAT THERE ARE SEVEN TEEN REHAB CENTERS, UM, THAT WERE DEDICATED TO OPIOID ADDICTION AND REHABILITATION. AND, UM, OUT OF THOSE SEVEN, SIX OF THEM ARE SCHEDULED TO CLOSE DOWN. AND SO A RECENT COMMITTEE THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE STATE IN GENERAL GOING TO DO IF WE DON'T HAVE PLACES TO REHAB OR HELP SOME OF THE TEENS WITH THE ADDICTION? AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME OUT IN THOSE TALKS WAS EDUCATION AND BEING PROACTIVE BEHIND THE SCENES. AND SO, UM, I DON'T THINK THAT I, I, I, BY MYSELF WOULD'VE THOUGHT TO GO THE THE FATHERHOOD INITIATIVE [00:55:01] ROUTE, BUT I THINK THAT'S JUST WHY I'M GETTING SO EXCITED ABOUT IT BECAUSE I, I THINK Y'ALL ARE GOING TO, UM, REACH THE, ONE OF THE CORE ISSUES. AND SO, UM, KNOWING THAT SOME OF THE OTHER, UM, THE OTHER OUTLETS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN AVAILABLE TO TEENAGERS IS NOT GONNA BE THERE. I'M GLAD TO SEE THAT OUR CITY'S COMING UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MA'AM. THANK YOU. SO WE WILL CONSIDER ITEM EIGHT A RECEIVED AND MOVE ON TO ITEM EIGHT B [b. Receive a presentation on the Flock License Plate Reader Program, Management and Transparency.] IS TO RECEIVE A PRESENTATION ON THE FLOP LICENSE PLATE READER, PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND TRANSPARENCY, LIEUTENANT AARON CROW. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, AARON KROLL, LIEUTENANT WITH THE BAYTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT. UM, LEMME PULL UP THE PRESENTATION REAL QUICK. WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TAKE JUST A FEW MINUTES OF YOUR TIME AND, UH, BRING FORTH SOME OF THE EFFORTS AND INITIATIVES WITH THIS PROGRAM, UH, THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED PREVIOUSLY ABOUT EDUCATION AND TRANSPARENCY, UH, WITH THE PUBLIC. SO, AND I ALSO HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM FLOCK ON ZOOM, SHOULD Y'ALL HAVE ANY TECHNICAL QUESTIONS OUTSIDE MY AREA OF EXPERTISE THAT CAN BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER. SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE ASK, UH, IS WHY DID WE CHOOSE FLOCK SAFETY AS A PROGRAM, UH, FOR THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READER SYSTEM? AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, UH, THROUGH THE COMMUNITY-BASED STRATEGIC PLAN IS UTILIZING TECHNOLOGY TO, UH, BASICALLY BOLSTER THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S RESOURCES. SO WITH OUR LIMITED RESOURCES AND A, A CRIME RATE AND ESPECIALLY VIOLENT CRIME THAT WAS ON THE RISE, WE SAW THIS AS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY, UH, MOVE AT THE PROBLEM OUTSIDE OF A TRADITIONAL ROUTE. SO TECHNOLOGY IS A FORCE MULTIPLIER. UH, IT ALLOWS US TO UTILIZE OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE TO INVESTIGATE CRIMES. UH, AND THIS IS GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY NOW THROUGH THESE DISCUSSIONS, UH, TO REALLY ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY IN THIS PROCESS TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM. HOW DOES IT WORK? THERE HAS BEEN QUESTIONS, UH, BROUGHT FORTH ABOUT THIS, AND SO I WANNA MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS CLEAR ON JUST WHAT EXACTLY THIS TECHNOLOGY DOES, IF YOU'VE SEEN THE CAMERAS AROUND TOWN. UH, WE CURRENTLY HAVE APPROXIMATELY 60, I BELIEVE 57 OF THEM ARE UP AND AND RUNNING AS OF TODAY. UH, THERE ARE A POLE MOUNTED CAMERA WITH A, UM, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, A SOLAR PANEL, SOLAR PANEL, I'M SORRY, ON TOP OF IT. UH, TO HELP POWER THE, THE DEVICE, UH, IT TAKES A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE VEHICLE AS EVIDENCED IN THIS PICTURE. UH, DOESN'T SHOW THE INTERIOR, BUT WHAT IT DOES SHOW IS THE LICENSE PLATE AND THE MAKE AND MODEL AND POTENTIALLY COLOR OF THE VEHICLE. UH, AND IT CAN TELL YOU, UH, THE DIFFERENT TIMES THAT IT'S BEEN SEEN, HOW MANY TIMES IT'S BEEN SEEN, UM, AND IN WHAT AREAS. IT'S NOT FACIAL RECOGNITION, IT'S LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION. UM, IT'S OBJECTIVE EVIDENCE. IT'S NOT TIED TO ANY ONE SPECIFIC PERSON OR PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION. WE DO NOT USE IT FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT. WE DON'T USE IT TO RUN DRIVER'S LICENSES OR VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS. UH, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE DON'T KEEP THE, THE, THE INFORMATION BEYOND 30 DAYS UNLESS IT HAS EVIDENTIARY VALUE, WHICH, UH, MEANS IT BELONGS TO AN ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION, AT WHICH POINT WE REMOVE THE DATA FROM THIS SYSTEM AND INCORPORATE IT INTO, UH, EVIDENCE. SO IT'S, IT'S HANDLED A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. SO HOW DOES IT PREVENT CRIME AND ELIMINATE CRIME? UH, SO IT'S PROACTIVE. IF VEHICLES, UM, TRIGGER THE READER BECAUSE THEY'RE ON A HOT LIST, THEY'RE STOLEN OR THEY'RE A VEHICLE OF INTEREST, IT PROACTIVELY NOTIFIES LAW ENFORCEMENT OF THE VEHICLE AND ITS LOCATION. UM, IT'S AN INVESTIGATIVE TOOL THAT WE UTILIZE TO HELP CLEAR CASES. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, FLOCK IS A DETERRENT, MUCH LIKE VIDEO SURVEILLANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, POLICE OFFICERS OUT AND ABOUT IN PUBLIC SECURITY OFFICERS, YOU KNOW, WORKING IN, IN PRIVATE VENUES. CRIMINALS KNOW THAT THIS IS A ENFORCEMENT AND INVESTIGATIVE TOOL, UH, THAT CAN BE USED FOR ENFORCEMENT AND IT DETERS THEM FROM GOING TO AREAS WHERE THE THE CAMERAS ARE AT. SO WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FOOTAGE AND HOW IT'S PROTECTED. SO WE AS AN AGENCY ACTUALLY BY CONTRACT, OWN THE DATA. UH, IT'S A 30 DAY RETENTION PERIOD AND THEN IS DELETED FROM THE SYSTEM. UM, IT IS AUTOMATICALLY DELETED AND IT IS UNRECOVERABLE, I KNOW FOR A FACT, . UM, AND IT ALSO TAKES THE BIAS AS IT SAYS HERE, OUT OF CRIME SOLVING BECAUSE IT DETECTS OBJECTIVE DATA. UM, AND IT'S DETECTS EVENTS THAT ARE OBJECTIVELY ILLEGAL OR NOTABLE. SO A STOLEN VEHICLE, A MISSING PERSON'S VEHICLE, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. UM, IT IS ALL STORED SECURELY, UH, IN THE AWS AMAZON WEB SERVICES. SO IT'S THE CLOUD-BASED END TO END DECRYPTION. UM, IT MEETS [01:00:01] FEDERAL CGIS REQUIREMENTS FOR DATA ENCRYPTION. UM, THERE IS A SEARCH REASON REQUIRED TO USE THE SYSTEM. SO WE HAVE AN AUDIT PROCESS WHERE WE TRACK SYSTEM USAGE. IT'S TIED TO AN INVESTIGATIVE REASON, A SPECIFIC CASE NUMBER, THINGS ALONG THOSE LINES. UM, IT DOESN'T DO FACE RECOGNITION, IT DOESN'T DO PREDICTIVE POLICING. UH, IT DOES NOT STORE ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION. AND AGAIN, WE DON'T USE IT FOR TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES, AND IT'S NOT CONNECTED TO ANY TYPE OF THIRD PARTY PUBLIC INFORMATION DATABASE, UH, AS IT SAYS CARFAX OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE IS A TRANSPARENCY PORTAL. SO WORKING WITH FLOCK, THEY PROVIDE WHAT'S CALLED A TRANSPARENCY PORTAL SPECIFIC TO OUR AGENCY AND CITY. AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT DISPLAYS INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO OUR PROGRAM THAT IS READILY ACCESSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC, AND IT'S UPDATED IN REAL TIME. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THIS, WE HAVE ATTACHED OUR POLICY, AND THIS IS A SCREENSHOT OF WHAT OURS LOOKS LIKE. UH, OUR DEPARTMENTAL POLICY ON THE AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE, UH, READER SYSTEM IS ATTACHED TO THIS. THE PUBLIC HAS ACCESS TO THIS. UH, IT'S ON THE MAIN CITY'S WEBSITE, SO BAYTOWN.ORG/POLICE, AND YOU CAN SCROLL DOWN, SEE IT, THE PUBLIC CAN CLICK ON IT RIGHT NOW, AND IT'S ACTIVE. UM, WE'RE WAITING TO ANNOUNCE IT TILL WE DISCUSS IT WITH Y'ALL TONIGHT. UH, THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE DOING A SOCIAL MEDIA POSTING THAT DISCUSSES THIS SO THE PUBLIC WILL SEE IT, BE AWARE OF IT, AND HAVE ACCESS TO IT. SO FLOCK ACTUALLY SOLVES AND, AND PREVENTS CRIMES. I AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT. IT'S WIDELY ADOPTED THROUGH THE STATE, AND I CAN LIST ALL THESE, THESE CITIES OFF OF HERE. BUT I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY, THESE ARE THE AGENCIES IN OUR AREA THAT UTILIZE FLOCK. ALL OF THE SURROUNDING AGENCIES AROUND US. UH, LAPORTE, MONT BELLEVUE, UH, HOUSTON PASADENA, SEABROOK, WEBSTER, LEAGUE CITY, HARRIS COUNTY, AND CHAMBERS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICES BOTH, AND SOME CONSTABLE OFFICES UTILIZE THOSE AS WELL. SO IT IS VERY COMMON AND WIDELY USED IN OUR AREA. SO I'VE ALSO LISTED SOME SUCCESS STORIES. THESE ARE, UH, FROM ACROSS THE STATE, UH, AND, UH, THE NATION. HOWEVER, AT THE END OF THIS, I HAVE SOME LOCAL BAYTOWN SPECIFIC STORIES THAT I CAN SHARE WITH Y'ALL AS WELL FOR THIS CASE STUDY IN LEWISVILLE. UM, IT DISCUSSES, UH, A RECENTLY MARRIED COUPLE. UM, THEY HAD THEIR WEDDING RINGS STOLEN FROM THEIR VEHICLE. LEWISVILLE PD HERE IN TEXAS WAS ABLE TO UTILIZE FLOCK. THEY WERE ABLE TO GET, UH, THE VEHICLE DESCRIPTION SET UP A HOT LIST. THE VEHICLE WAS LOCATED, UM, STOPPED. THEY RECOVERED ALL THE STOLEN PROPERTY, RETURNED IT TO THE VICTIMS. ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW THIS CAN WORK, SUGARLAND PD, UM, THEY HAD A, A, A MAN WHO WAS CHARGED IN A MURDER, KILLED A TEACHER IN ALE, ISD. UH, THEY WERE ABLE TO CONFIRM, UM, SPECIFIC INFORMATION RELATED TO THE CASE. THE SUBJECT WAS THEN LOCATED IN LOUISIANA, ARRESTED AND CHARGED. AND IT SAYS HERE, SUGARLAND HAS AROUND A HUNDRED FLOCK LPRS IN THEIR CITY. THEY PLAN ON ADDING A HUNDRED MORE. UH, THIS ONE IS OUT OF CALIFORNIA, UH, IS A SMASH AND GRAB AT A JEWELRY STORE. THE SUSPECT VEHICLE WAS IDENTIFIED UTILIZING THE FLOCK SYSTEM. UH, THE VEHICLE WAS PLACED AGAIN ON A CUSTOM HOT LIST WHERE WE CAN FLAG VEHICLES OF INTEREST. THEY GOT A REAL TIME ALERT THAT THE SUSPECT VEHICLE WAS BACK IN THE AREA. THEY WERE ABLE TO STOP AND INTERDICT THE CRIMINALS BEFORE IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS ONE DISCUSSES A HOT LIST ALERT IN CONJUNCTION WITH A AMBER ALERT. SO AN AMBER ALERT WAS ISSUED AT 12:33 PM IN GEORGIA AT 1 0 1. A SEARCH WAS CONDUCTED USING THE FLOCK SYSTEM. AT TWO 30, THE VEHICLE WAS LOCATED 5:03 PM THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, AN ARREST WAS MADE, AND BY SIX O'CLOCK THAT EVENING, A BABY WAS REUNITED WITH THE MOTHER. JUST AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WORKS NOW, SPECIFIC TO BAYTOWN, I'LL GIVE Y'ALL FOUR EXAMPLES, SOME OF WHICH WE'VE DISCUSSED BEFORE. IN DECEMBER OF 22, WHEN WE FIRST GAINED ACCESS TO THIS SYSTEM, UH, A LOCAL, UH, HOA IN PINEHURST, UM, HAS A FLOCK READERS ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WORKING WITH THE HOUSTON POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE HELPED THEM INVESTIGATE A MURDER THAT VEHICLE WAS LOCATED USING FLOCK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SUBSEQUENTLY, HOUSTON WAS ABLE TO CHARGE THE DRIVER OF THAT VEHICLE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS USED IN A HOMICIDE. THEY CHARGED THE DRIVER WITH MURDER IN MAY OF 23. UM, WE WERE DISPATCHED TO A SHOOTING IN THE 700 BLOCK OF PARK STREET. UH, USING AGAIN THE FLOCK SYSTEM, WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE A SUSPECT VEHICLE AND, UH, DISCOVERED THAT A JUVENILE SUSPECT WAS INVOLVED. AND HE WAS LATER CHARGED WITH AGGRAVATED ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON. [01:05:01] JUNE OF 23 OFFICERS WERE AGAIN DISPATCHED TO A SHOOTING IN THE 4,600 BLOCK OF VILLAGE LANE. UH, A SUSPECT VEHICLE WAS AGAIN LOCATED UTILIZING THE FLOCK SYSTEM. UM, AND TO GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL, WE HAD RECEIVED A VEHICLE DESCRIPTION FROM SUSPECT OR SUBJECTS ON SCENE AT VILLAGE LANE. USING THAT VEHICLE DESCRIPTION, WE LOOKED USING THE FLOCK SYSTEM VEHICLES DURING THAT TIMEFRAME THAT MATCHED THE DESCRIPTION. WE LOCATED A SUSPECT VEHICLE, USED IT AS REASONABLE SUSPICION, WENT THROUGH THE INVESTIGATION AND WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHO WAS INVOLVED AND HOW THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED. AND THEN IN AUGUST OF 23, WE RECEIVED A HOT LIST NOTIFICATION OF AN AUTO THEFT SUSPECT VEHICLE AS BEING USED IN CARJACKINGS. UH, THEY WERE FOLLOWING PEOPLE, CARJACKING THEM. IT HIT A, UH, IT HAD A HOT LIST, UH, HIT, UH, OFFICERS LOCATED THE VEHICLE. IT FLED FROM THEM WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. UH, IT WAS LATER STOPPED. UM, A BUNCH OF STOLEN STUFF IS RECOVERED. TOOLS HANDGUN, UH, AND THEN WHERE IT WAS STOPPED AT LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF ADDITIONAL STOLEN VEHICLES, STOLEN FOUR WHEELER MOTORCYCLES, THINGS LIKE THAT. THIS IS A REAL TOOL. WE USE IT ON A DAILY BASIS, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TRANSPARENCY PORTAL, YOU CAN SEE THE, THE SEARCHES THAT ARE, THE NUMBER OF SEARCHES THAT ARE BEING RUN ON IT, AND IT WORKS. SO WE WANT TO BE AS TRANSPARENT AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE LISTENED TO THE CONCERNS BROUGHT FORTH AND I'M WORKING TO ACTIVELY TRY AND ADDRESS THEM. UM, WITH OUR TRANSPARENCY PORTAL NOW BEING ACTIVE, WE WILL ENSURE THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF IT. AND THE NEXT STAGE FROM THIS POINT IS WE WILL BE PRODUCING A SHORT VIDEO TO BE PUSHED OUT ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND OTHER, UH, AVENUES. REALLY TRYING TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC ON THIS AS WELL. UH, WE'LL BE FILMING IT IN-HOUSE AND, AND SHOWING THE TECHNOLOGY AND, AND HOW IT WORKS. AND WITH THAT, I'M WILLING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS OR ANYTHING I CAN. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. LIEUTENANT. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR LIEUTENANT CROW? YES. I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE GOOD INFORMATION, UM, THAT YOUR POWERPOINT AND YOUR AND YOUR PRESENTATION WAS FULL OF LOTS OF GOOD STUFF. UM, I DID HAVE TWO QUESTIONS. YOU WERE, UM, TELLING US THAT CHAMBERS COUNTY AND HARRIS COUNTY USE THE FLOCK CAMERAS OR THE FOOTAGE. I WAS JUST WONDERING, UM, I KNOW WE APPROVED MONIES FOR OUR CAMERAS AND OUR FLOCK SYSTEM. HOW DOES THAT WORK? ENTER AGENCY? SO IF THE CITY OF BAYTOWN IS OWNING AND PAYING FOR, SAY, SOME OF THE CAMERAS, UM, DOWN GARTH ROAD AND HARRIS COUNTY NEEDS TO UTILIZE THE FOOTAGE THAT IN YOUR PRESENTATION SAID WE OWN AND WE PAY FOR, ESSENTIALLY, HOW, HOW DOES THAT WORK IN BETWEEN AGENCIES? SO WE ENTERED TO WHAT I'M GONNA CALL AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT. IT'S THROUGH OUR CONTRACT WITH FLOCK USING THEIR, UM, ONLINE SERVICE. WE CAN AUTHORIZE OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES OKAY. TO HAVE ACCESS TO OUR DATA AND VICE VERSA. SO WE DATA SHARE WITH OUR SURROUNDING AGENCIES AND THEY ALSO SHARE WITH US. SO JUST CURIOSITY EQUATION, THE OTHER AGENCIES, I MEAN, IS IT, ARE ALL THE OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, IS IT, UM, IS EVERYBODY PRETTY FRIENDLY ABOUT SHARING THE INFORMATION? YEAH. YES MA'AM. WE'VE HAD REALLY GOOD SUCCE UH, SUCCESS WITH IT. OKAY. UM, BECAUSE IT SAID THAT ONLY WE OWN THE INFORMATION AND WE ONLY USE IT WHEN THERE'S AN INVESTIGATIVE REASON. SO I'M ASSUMING THAT THOSE, THOSE SAME STIPULATIONS WOULD BE, EVEN IF SOMEONE ELSE ASKS US, ASK BAYTOWN FOR THAT FOOTAGE. YOU? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. SO FLOCK, UH, AS A MATTER OF COURSE, THROUGH ITS USER INTERFACE REQUIRES AN AUDIT TRAIL. OKAY. SO THOSE AGENCIES HAVE TO MAINTAIN THE SAME SEC, UH, SECURITY STANDARDS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. OKAY, GOOD. AND THEN THE SECOND THING I JUST AM CURIOUS ABOUT, UM, PAPER PLATES. WE ALL KNOW THAT THOSE ARE A BIG PROBLEM AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF YOU COULD GIVE, UM, THE COUNSEL SOME INSIGHT ON WHEN, WHEN THERE'S A VEHICLE THAT SUSPECTED AND SOME KIND OF CRIME THAT HAS PAPER PLATES, HOW DO LPR, HOW DOES THAT SYSTEM, UM, PLAY, MAKE ANY KIND OF BENEFIT IN THAT KIND OF SITUATION? UM, 'CAUSE WE KNOW CRIMINALS WILL TAKE PAPER PLATES, CHANGE THEM OUT, MAKE THEM WHERE THEY'RE NOT READABLE. SO WILL THIS, WILL THIS KIND OF, UM, SYSTEM STILL HELP EVEN IN A SITUATION LIKE THAT? IT DOES. AND, AND THEY CAN, IN SOME CASES, READ THOSE PLATES. IT, A LOT OF IT DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF THE, THE PAPER PLATE AND, UM, HOW IT'S MOUNTED AND THINGS LIKE THAT. IF, IF IT'S MOUNTED IN A WINDOW AT AN ANGLE, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT GONNA GET A READ ON IT. BUT IF IT'S MOUNTED AS A STANDARD PLATE AND IT'S A GOOD QUALITY PAPER PLATE, YOU CAN GET READS ON THEM. OKAY. SO LEMME MODIFY THAT. WHAT IF THERE'S A VEHICLE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A PLATE ON IT? WILL THE FLOCK CAMERA, YOU, YOU SAID Y'ALL PUT IN A DESCRIPTION. I SEE. SO BLACK TOYOTA. OKAY. WOULD Y'ALL BE ABLE TO USE A DESCRIPTION EVEN IF THERE'S NOT A READABLE PLATE FROM THE FLOCK SYSTEM TO HELP LOCATE A VEHICLE? NO. IT'S, IF THERE'S NOT A A PLATE, IT'S NOT GONNA, IT'S NOT GONNA TAKE A PICTURE. SO IT WOULDN'T HELP YOU AT ALL IF THERE'S NO PLATE. OKAY. THAT'S, THANK YOU. YES, SIR. [01:10:01] MR. CRAWL, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. APPRECIATE YOU WORKING, UH, MYSELF AND COUNSEL WITH, WITH PUTTING SOMETHING OUT THERE AND LETTING THE PUBLIC KNOW WHAT'S OUT THERE IN TRANSPARENCY. UM, THE, UH, A FLOCK WHEN THEY, WHEN THEY PITCH THIS TO YOU GUYS, I KNOW THEY MENTIONED HAVING A, A, UH, TOWN HALL, UH, WAS RECOMMENDED WHEN, WHEN PUTTING THIS OUT THERE, UM, YOU KNOW, AND IN SPARE TRANSPARENCY, I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT MOVING FORWARD. OKAY. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I, YOU KNOW, BE WILLING TO FACILITATE, YOU KNOW, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SHOW UP? ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. SO THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS BEHIND THAT. UM, ALSO THERE'S QUESTIONS BEHIND WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE CAMERAS THAT WERE, I MEAN, THE CITY PURCHASE THESE CAMERAS, BUT DO WE PURCHASE 'EM OR DO WE OWN THEM OUTRIGHT? THE CITY DOES NOT OWN THE EQUIPMENT. IT'S, IT'S BASICALLY A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH FLOCK. SO WE'RE LEASE, WE'RE PAYING, THERE'S A RECURRING, RECURRING YEAR, UH, YEARLY COST FOR THE PROGRAM. OKAY. SO THE CAMERAS ARE BEING LEASED? THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. UM, ONE THING I I, YOU KNOW, WITH ANY TOOL, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO, TO SEE BENCHMARKS ON, UM, HOW FAR THAT WE COULD USE THE TOOL. I'M NOT SAYING, NOT SAYING YOU GUYS ARE TRUSTWORTHY. I BELIEVE CHIEF STRINGER AND, AND YOU GUYS ARE, ARE, UM, HAVE A CULTURE OF, OF TRUSTWORTHY. I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, BUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO FUTURE, I, I THINK BENCHMARKS WOULD BE, UM, WOULD BE BENEFICIAL OF HOW FAR, UM, POLICE ARE TO USE THESE CAMERAS IN RELATION TO PROTECTING PEOPLE'S RIGHTS AND, AND, AND, UM, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I BELIEVE WE'RE ON A RIGHT TRACK FOR THAT. UM, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UH, COUNSEL AND US COME UP WITH MAYBE SOME BENCHMARKS FOR THAT, FOR, UM, JUST, SO, JUST, JUST BORDERS OR BOUNDARIES OR HOW FAR THESE, THESE CAMERAS COULD BE USED. UM, COULD YOU, COUNSELMAN, CAN YOU PROVIDE ME AT LEAST ONE BENCHMARK YOU HAVE IN MIND? UM, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME DEFINITE BENCHMARKS WILL BE, UH, NOT, YOU KNOW, NOT, UM, NOT FOR PERSONAL USAGE. ANY KIND OF ANYBODY GOING INTO IT AND USING IT FOR PERSONAL USE, USE OR KEEPING IT FOR, UH, USING DATA FOR PERSONAL USE. I MEAN, BUT A BENCHMARK WOULD BE SOME KIND OF QUANTITATIVE, WELL, LIKE AN ORDINANCE AND IT'S SOMETHING WE'LL HAVE TO DISCUSS AND, AND YEAH, I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET AN EXAMPLE. WOULD RIGHT. AN EXAMPLE. WOULD YOU KNOW ANYTHING THAT WOULD CAUSE SOMEONE'S, UH, CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO BE VIOLATED? IF, IF, IF I MAY, YES SIR. THAT IS ADDRESSED IN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. OKAY. AND, UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'LL SEE ON THE, UH, TRANSPARENCY PORTAL AS WELL. HOW IT'S BEING USED AND HOW OFTEN IT'S BEING USED. VERY GOOD. AS WELL AS HOW MANY TIMES, UH, A PLATE IS HITTING IT. SO, OKAY. UH, SO HOW, HOW LONG DOES BP BAYTOWN PD HOLD THE FOOTAGE? DO Y'ALL GET RID OF IT? IT'S, IT, YES, IT'S A 30 DAY RETENTION PERIOD. UH, UNLESS THERE'S SOME TYPE OF EVIDENTIARY VALUE, THEN IT'S ATTACHED TO AN ACTUAL, UH, CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION IN OUR RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. ALRIGHT. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? I JUST WANNA SAY, I'M SORRY. DID WE WANT TO DO THAT? YOU HAVE SOMEBODY? OKAY. SO, UH, OUR REPRESENTATIVE FROM FLOCK ALSO HAD A COMMENT THAT SHE WANTED TO YEAH. OKAY. TO MAKE AS WELL. YES, PLEASE. GOOD EVENING, MAYOR COUNCIL, THANK YOU FOR, TO JOIN C ENGAGEMENT MANAGER WITH LOCK SAFETY. AND I JUST WANTED TO JUMP YOU FOR PROVIDING THAT GREAT INFORMATION. UM, IT MENT AS FAR AS, UM, WE DO THAT FOR, UM, A REASON. SO THAT WAY WHEN YOU HAVE OUR CAMERAS AND, UM, YOU'RE RELEASING THEM AND REPEATING 'EM ON AN ANNUAL BASIS FOR CONTRACT, WE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING. SO THE MAINTENANCE, IF THE TECHNOLOGY IS UPDATED OR UPGRADED, WE TAKE CARE OF THAT. UM, WE ACTIVELY MAINTAIN MENTAL HEALTH CAMERAS SO THAT AN ISSUE COMES UP WHERE WE'RE VERY PROACTIVE AND ARE ABLE TO RESPOND VERY QUICKLY TO MAKE SURE ARE UP AND, AND HEALTHY, UM, AND PROVIDE SUPPORT THROUGH LIKE BLOCK. AND, UM, ADDITIONALLY, YOU TO THE COMMUNITY TOWN HALLS BLOCK IS WELCOME THE OPPORTUNITIES AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE A PART OF THAT, UM, EITHER MY, MY COLLEAGUE OR MYSELF TO HELP PROVIDE INFORMATION AND CLARIFY WITH YOUR COMMUNITY AS FAR AS WHAT OUR TECHNOLOGY DOES AND DOESN'T DO. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S, UH, WHAT [01:15:01] I WANTED TO JUMP IN. AND AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE ANY OTHER TECHNICAL QUESTIONS, I'M HAPPY, HAPPY TO ANSWER. I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. I WILL SAY, UH, WE HAVE OUR, UH, NATIONAL NIGHT OUT HERE AT TOWN SQUARE NEXT TUESDAY. YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO SET UP THE TENT AND, AND OFFER WHATEVER INFORMATION THAT YOU WANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WONDERFUL. I LOVE THAT. YEAH. ARE THEY OKAY? IS ANY QUESTIONS, I GUESS, FOR THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM FLOCK? YES. NO. YES. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING FOR THE, THE FLOCK REP. JUST FOR LIEUTENANT. OKAY. IS THERE ANY, ANY OTHER FURTHER PRESENTATION YOU HAVE, LIEUTENANT? NO, SIR. THAT'S IT. OKAY. SO THIS WAS JUST TO RECEIVE A REPORT UNLESS THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS. JACOB? YES, I HAD A QUESTION. YEAH. THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I, I APPRECIATE THE INFO. UM, AND I THINK THE, THE ONE PIECE THAT WAS NEW TO ME WAS I DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD TO LIKE, OPT IN TO THE SHARING. AND SO YOU HAD MENTIONED THE EXAMPLE FROM PINEHURST. WAS THAT, UH, THEIR HOA CAMERAS THAT THEY HAD INSTALLED? THAT ACTUALLY, YES SIR. THAT'S CORRECT. SO DO, AND I'VE SEEN MULTIPLE HOAS PUTTING THESE IN AROUND THE CITY. MM-HMM . DO THEY HAVE TO OPT IN AS WELL OR DOES IT? YES. SO, UH, HOAS OR PRIVATE ENTITIES HAVE THE OPTION TO SHARE THEIR INFORMATION WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT. HOWEVER, LAW ENFORCEMENT WILL NOT AND DOES NOT SHARE LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION WITH THE PRIVATE ENTITIES. IT'S, IT IS KIND OF A ONE WAY SHARING. OKAY. DO YOU HAVE AN, I'M JUST CURIOUS, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MANY PRIVATE ENTITY CAMERAS WE HAVE IN THE CITY? I'M LOOKING AT THE MAP IN MY HEAD. . UM, SO I KNOW OF 1, 2, 3, PROBABLY FIVE DIFFERENT, UH, PRIVATE ENTITIES OR HOAS IN OUR AREA THAT SHARE WITH US RIGHT NOW. OKAY. THAT'S JUST OFFHAND I CAN THINK OF. THAT'S GOOD. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAD. THANK YOU. ANYTHING ELSE? ALRIGHT, MOVE ON. THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT. THANK YOU CHIEF, WE MOVE ON TO [9. CONSENT All Consent Agenda items listed are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council Member requests, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the agenda.] OUR CONSENT AGENDA. WE HAVE ITEMS A THROUGH S SO ENTERTAIN A MOTION UNLESS ANYTHING NEEDS TO BE PULLED INDIVIDUALLY FOR CONSIDERATION. YES MA'AM. NINE A NINE A. OKAY. YOU HAVE JUST A QUESTION YES ON THAT. OKAY. SO WITH THAT WE'LL PULL NINE A. SO I'LL HAND A MOTION FOR CONSENT AGENDA TO BE APPROVED FROM ITEMS B THROUGH S IF I CAN GET THAT MOTION. MOTION TO APPROVE CONSENT NINE B THROUGH S, SECOND MOTION. SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CONSENT, AGENDA B THROUGH S PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE, AYE. AND WE'LL MOVE ON [a. Consider an ordinance authorizing the rejection of the one (1) bid received for Towing Services.] TO ITEM NINE A. YES MA'AM. CAN I JUST GET SOME MORE INFORMATION ON THIS ITEM? THE AGENDA WAS JUST VAGUE. YES. SO THE REASON THAT WE'RE REJECTING THE BID AND GOING BACK OUT ON BID AGAIN IS BECAUSE THE BID WENT OUT THAT STILL HAD LANGUAGE IN IT ABOUT REFERRAL FEES PER TOW BEING PAID TO THE CITY. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I TOLD COUNSEL THAT WE WERE GOING TO, UH, REMOVE FROM THE PACKAGE SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DIDN'T THINK THAT THE CITIZENS SHOULD BE INCURRING THAT COST. AND BECAUSE WE DID THAT AND IT STILL WENT OUT AS IT WAS, UH, WITH A, UH, NOT AN UPDATED DRAFT, UM, I WANTED TO KEEP MY WORD TO YOU. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU CHIEF. SO I'LL NOW CONSIDER ITEM NINE A, UH, FOR MOTION, MOVE TO APPROVE NINE A SECOND. MOTION SECOND. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IF NOT ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF NINE A AS PRESENTED, PLEASE SAY AYE. A AYE. OPPOSED, MOVE ON TO [a. Consider the confirmation of the City Manager's appointments of the Assistant City Managers, Director of Finance, Director of Human Resources & Civil Service and Director of Information Technology Services (ITS).] APPOINTMENTS. IT'S FIRST TO CONSIDER A CONFIRMATION OF CITY MANAGER'S APPOINTMENT OF THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGERS, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND CIVIL SERVICE AND DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE, MR. REYNOLDS. MAYOR, COUNSEL. UM, WE'VE DONE THIS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. WE'VE HAD, UH, UH, WITH THE ADMINISTRATION CHANGE, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR, I TALKED TO COUNSEL AND LET Y'ALL KNOW THAT, UH, I, I HAD NO INTENTION OF ACTIVATING THE DIRECTORS UNTIL THERE WAS A GRACE PERIOD OF EVERYBODY WORKING TOGETHER AND WORKING WITH COUNCIL. I FEEL THAT, UH, THE ACMS AND THE DIRECTORS HAVE DONE A SUPERB JOB IN THEIR ROLES. I I'M HOPING THAT THERE'S BEEN A SUFFICIENT INTERACTION WITH COUNCIL AS WELL. WERE APPLICABLE. UM, AND I, I HAVE FULL RECOMMENDATION TO, UH, UM, TO MAKE THESE APPOINTMENTS, UH, WITH COUNSEL AT THIS POINT. SO, OKAY. SIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADD NAMES TO THOSE? OH YES, I'M SORRY. . UM, SO FOR THE ASSISTANT MANAGERS, WE HAVE BRENT, GARY, AND CAROL FLINT. UH, WE HAVE, UH, FOR WHO WE HAVE NEXT DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, THERESA MCKENZIE. AND THEN FOR DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES, JOEY LOPEZ. AND, UH, FOR, UM, UH, IT, YES, WE HAVE KEVIN SWAY AT THIS POINT, SO IF Y'ALL ALL WOULD LIKE TO STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED, YOU CAN, BUT, UH, IT'S UP TO YOU AT THIS POINT. OKAY. WITH THAT WITH THAT. SO THIS IS A CONFIRMATION OF BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL, THAT IS WHAT IS IN FRONT OF US THIS EVENING. UM, IT IS PRETTY MUCH, UH, THE WAY IT'S PRESENTED, IT IS AN ALL, UH, ONE AGENDA ITEM. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION, MOTION FOR APPROVAL FOR THE NAMES SUBMITTED BY THE CITY MANAGER FOR US TO CONFIRM FOR ITEM 10, A MOTION TO [01:20:01] APPROVE. SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION TO SECOND I COMMENT. OKAY. YES, SIR. YOU KNOW. WOW. AND, AND, AND I SAY THAT HONESTLY 'CAUSE I'VE WORKED WITH MOST OF THESE INDIVIDUALS. GOOD JOB. WELL DESERVED ALL OF THEM. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU A HUNDRED PERCENT. YEAH, THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN, ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? I WAS HOPING WE COULD GIVE 'EM ALL A LITTLE BIT MORE HARD OF A TIME, BUT I GUESS NOT. I PROMISED BRAND THAT, YOU KNOW, I WOULD VOTE A BIG NAY WHILE I WAS UP HERE, BUT WELL, YOU CAN NOW THAT THEY HAVE, I WAS JUST HOPING TO SWEAT A YEAH, I KNOW. I JUST WANNA SAY ONE THING. JUST WANNA SAY THANK Y'ALL FOR, FOR, UM, ALL YOUR EFFORTS, UM, AND HELPING ME OF THIS ISSUES DURING, DURING MY, UH, FRESHMAN YEAR IN COUNCIL AND, UH, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. WHAT, WHAT I WILL SAY REGARDING, I GUESS I'M, I'M GONNA SIT CONSIDER THE LAST NINE MONTHS AND FROM MY PERSPECTIVE IS, UM, AT A TIME WHEN WE HAD A TRANSITION WITH CITY ADMINISTRATION, UH, OTHER, OTHER ROLES, OTHER KEY ROLES, UM, UH, MR. REYNOLDS, HE CERTAINLY SET UP I THINK A, A REALLY GOOD EXECUTIVE TEAM, I THINK, I THINK TO GO AND REALLY FOCUS ON HOW INTERNALLY THE ORGANIZATION WORKS FROM SENIOR LEADERSHIP AND THEN OBVIOUSLY ON DOWN. AND SO I'VE BEEN, UM, VERY IMPRESSED WITH AND VERY SATISFIED WITH HOW THE INNER WORKINGS OF CITY ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN CONDUCTED THE LAST NINE MONTHS SINCE YOU HAVE HAVE TAKEN OVER CITY MANAGER. UM, I, I WAS ACTUALLY DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE YOU REALLY HAD TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING. YOU'RE STILL RUNNING AND WE HAVEN'T REALLY GIVE YOU THE PROPER RECEPTION AS A COUNCIL AND AS A COMMUNITY FOR YOU, MR. REYNOLDS AS, UH, OUR CITY MANAGER. AND, AND I TOLD YOU THAT, BUT IT'S ALMOST, YOU DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE TIME, WE DON'T HAVE TIME. BUT I DO WANT TO JUST TELL YOU PUBLICLY AND, AND OBVIOUSLY FOR ALL THE INDIVIDUALS IN AS, AS PART OF YOUR EXECUTIVE TEAM, THAT YOU HAVE DONE A REMARKABLE JOB WITH SOME VERY CHALLENGING ISSUES OVER THE PAST NINE MONTHS. AND FROM WHAT I GATHER, THAT WE HAVE A MORE STABLE, UH, AND TRUSTWORTHY, UM, EXECUTIVE TEAM. AND I THINK THAT ALSO, UM, TRANSITIONS DOWN TO MANY, MANY OTHER DEPARTMENTS. AND SO I JUST, FOR THAT, I'M VERY APPRECIATIVE. I DO THANK YOU FOR THAT. SO WE DO HAVE A MOTION FOR ITEM 10 A FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. UM, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF 10 A IS PRESENTED. PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE OPPOSED. CONGRATULATIONS. YOU CAN STAND UP NOW IF YOU'D LIKE. NOW THEY'RE SMILING. LOOK AT THAT. ALRIGHT, SO MOVE ON. UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, THE [b. Consider a resolution nominating a representative to serve on the Board of Directors of the Harris County Appraisal District.] NEXT TWO ITEMS. UM, ONE IS 10 B WAS GONNA BE, IS CONSIDERED RESOLUTION NOMINATED AND REPRESENTATIVE TO SERVE ON THE HAIR THE BOARD DIRECTORS FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT. AND THEN C WOULD BE FOR THE CHAMBERS COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT. UM, IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING, IF WE'RE NOT READY TO NOMINATE NAMES, UM, I WOULD ASK, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, TO CONTINUE TO RESEARCH AND PROVIDE A LIST. WE DO HAVE TO TAKE ACTION, UH, BY OUR FIRST MEETING IN OCTOBER, WHICH I BELIEVE IS THE 12TH IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, UH, TO SUBMIT NAMES. SO IF THERE'S SOME NAMES THAT YOU HAVE NOT SUBMITTED, PLEASE DO THAT TO THE CITY CLERK SO SHE CAN POST. UM, MISS CITY CLERK, I WILL ASK YOU THAT YOU SUBMIT THAT NAMES SUBMITTED TO YOU, THAT YOU WILL POST THOSE NAMES AND THE AGENDA ITEMS AS, UH, RESPECTIVELY FOR THESE ITEMS. IS THAT FAIR? ALRIGHT, SO WITH THAT, WITH, UH, 10 B AND SEE, I'M SURE WE HAVE TO TABLE IT OTHER THAN, UM, BECAUSE IT, IT'S JUST A CONSIDERATION FOR APPOINTMENTS. YES. NO ACTION TAKEN. MR. CITY MANAGER, [11. MANAGER'S REPORT Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 551.0415 of the Texas Government Code, the City Council of the City of Baytown may receive a report about items of community interest from City staff and/or a member of the City Council, but no action or possible action shall be taken or discussed concerning the subject of such report, except as provided by Section 551.042 of the Texas Government Code.] NOW YOU HAVE YOUR REPORT. YES, MAYOR COUNSEL, UH, HAVE A FEW THINGS. UH, AGAIN, YOU'VE MENTIONED THEM BOTH ALREADY, MAYOR, BUT, UH, JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT WE HAVE NATIONAL NIGHT OUT NEXT WEEK, OCTOBER 3RD, UH, FROM FIVE TO 9:00 PM AND THE TOWN SQUARE. UH, WE HAVE G***O FEST ON OCTOBER 6TH AND SEVENTH. LOOK FORWARD TO BOTH OF THOSE EVENTS. AND THEN I WANNA LET THE COUNCIL AND THE CITIZENS CITIZENS KNOW THAT WE ARE AWARE OF THE WATER BILL CONVERSATIONS THAT ARE, THAT ARE GOING ON. UM, AND THE BIGGEST THING THAT I WANNA SAY IS PLEASE CALL UTILITY BILLING. PLEASE CALL ME DIRECT DIRECTLY IF YOU'D LIKE, AND WE WILL, I WILL GET YOU IN TOUCH WITH WHOEVER THAT NEEDS TO BE, BUT I PROMISE YOU THE UTILITY BILLING DEPARTMENT IS WORKING THROUGH THIS ISSUE. UH, MS. MRS. MCKENZIE AND I WERE, HAVE, HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING THIS AND, UH, SHE'S LOOKING AT THINGS, YES, THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE IMPROVED. YES. UM, BUT THERE ARE ALSO THINGS THAT WORK VERY WELL. AND THEY ARE DOING A, A VERY FINE JOB. AND I WOULD PERSONALLY LIKE TO SHARE, UM, MY OWN STORY WITH THIS BECAUSE I TOO, UH, WENT THROUGH A SHOCK OF OPENING UP MY BAYTOWN WATER BILL AND ON [01:25:01] FOR THE MONTHS PREVIOUS TO, UH, JULY, OR I GUESS THESE LAST TWO BILLS, IT WAS ROUGHLY AROUND $86 A MONTH. AND THEN I GOT A BILL FOR 360 SOMETHING DOLLARS. AND, UM, I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO UTILITY BILLING. I WENT TO THE WINDOW, I TOOK A TICKET, I WAITED IN LINE, AND I WENT TO THE UTILITY BILLING WINDOW AND THEY WALKED ME THROUGH, UM, WHAT THINGS WERE, AND THEY RECOGNIZED THAT, HEY, THIS WAS A VERY BIG JUMP FROM $86 TO $360. THEY COULD NOT ANSWER MY QUESTION AT THAT POINT IN THE WINDOW, BUT WHAT THEY DID TELL ME IS THAT, HEY, PLEASE LEAVE, OR WE HAVE YOUR NUMBER ON FILE. IS THIS THE NUMBER THAT YOU NEED US TO CALL? WE WILL FOLLOW UP WITH YOU. THAT DID GO, UH, THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE PROCESS. AND THEN THEY CALLED BACK AND SAID, MR. REYNOLDS, HERE ARE THE EXACT TIMES THAT WATER WAS USED. HERE ARE THE SPECIFIC TIMES WHERE YOUR WATER BILL JUMPED UP. IS THERE ANYTHING GOING ON AT THAT POINT IN TIME THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR WATER BILL GO UP? UM, IT SEEMS LIKE A PATTERN SET FORTH. AND, UM, WHAT HAPPENED IS THAT THE SPRINKLER SYSTEM WAS RUNNING LONGER THAN IT SHOULD HAVE, AND IT WAS RUNNING AT NIGHT AND I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS RUNNING AS LONG AS IT WAS. UM, AND SO THAT ALERTED ME, BUT THERE WAS A LEARNING POINT IN THAT I DID NOT FIND THAT OUT, UM, UNTIL A MONTH LATER WHERE MY NEXT BILL HAD ALREADY RUN THROUGH A FULL CYCLE. SO I WENT FROM $86 TO $360 TO 445 OF MY MOST RECENT ONE THAT CAME IN. UM, AND SO THAT WAS A LEARNING POINT THAT WE HAD, BUT THE, THE WHERE WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PROACTIVE ON REACHING OUT AS SOON AS WE SEE THOSE ANOMALIES SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T GO TO GO THROUGH TWO MONTHS OF A WATER BILL CYCLE BEFORE THEY REALIZE WHAT'S HAPPENING. WE WILL WORK WITH OUR RESIDENTS ON THIS. WE, WE, UM, WORK TO DELIVER EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE. THAT IS, THAT IS OUR GOAL. AND, UM, THAT GOES DOWN FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY ASPECT TO ANYBODY THAT YOU DEAL WITH WITHIN THE CITY. YES, WE LEARN SOMETHING ON THIS PART, BUT THEY WILL HELP YOU IDENTIFY WHERE THINGS ARE OR TIMES THAT THE WATER IS RUNNING. SO THAT MAYBE SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TO LOOK INTO AS AN INDIVIDUAL. AND IF WE ARE THE PROBLEM, THEN WE WILL OWN THAT ERROR AND THEN WE WILL WORK TO CORRECT THAT ERROR AS WELL. BUT I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS THAT WITH THE COUNCIL AND THE RESIDENTS. AND I TOO WENT THROUGH THIS SAME PROCESS THAT SOME OF YOU ARE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW. I I DO APPRECIATE THOSE COMMENTS. OBVIOUSLY THERE I HAVE AT LEAST FOUR ADDRESSES THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO. UH, AND I DO APPRECIATE THE ASSISTANCE FOR STAYING HERE. ONLY THE ONLY RECOMMENDATION, I COULDN'T RESPOND TO YOU EARLIER WHEN YOU HAD YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I WOULD SAY, UH, YOU, YOU WILL HAVE TO DO MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF MATH. UH, FOR THOSE THAT HAVE LARGER YARDS WITH DEDICATED IRRIGATION SYSTEMS OR POOLS, UH, YOU CAN REQUEST A SECOND METER STRICTLY FOR IRRIGATION. SO YOU DO, YOU, YOU WILL NOT GET CHARGED ANY SEWER ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR, YOU KNOW, THE IRRIGATION OR POOL POOL WATER OR WHATEVER. UH, IT'S AN OPTION, BUT YOU DO HAVE TO OBVIOUSLY WEIGH THE, THE, THE FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY FOR THAT FOR YOU PERSONALLY. 'CAUSE EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT YARDS AND DIFFERENT USAGE. BUT THAT IS AN OPTION THAT YOU DO HAVE, I THINK AVAILABLE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, WOULD BE A, A METER WATER SERVICE ONLY, UM, IN A SENSE. BUT, UH, I DO APPRECIATE THE THE COMMENTS. UH, SO NEXT WE DO HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER [12. COUNCIL MEMBER DISTRICT REPORT] DISTRICT REPORT FROM COUNCIL MEMBER LAURA ALVARADO REGARDING PROJECTS, PROGRAMS, AND EVENTS IN DISTRICT NUMBER ONE. YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, SO I, I DEFINITELY JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, AGAIN, EXXON FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT, UM, OF OUR COMMUNITY. AND, UM, LIKE YOU, I HAVE NEVER PLAYED PICKLEBALL. I ACTUALLY HAD NEVER HEARD OF IT. UM, SO WE'RE, WE'RE GETTING READY TO, TO START USE IT AND LEARN MORE ABOUT IT. UM, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE SABRINA MARTIN AND HER TEAM. UM, THERE HAVE BEEN, UM, A FEW NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN MY DISTRICT WHO HAVE UTILIZED THE EMPOWERMENT GRANT. UM, AND SO, UH, WEST BAYTOWN HAS HAD, UH, A MURAL PAINTED, UM, SOME STREET ART AND MOST RECENTLY, UM, WE HAVE SOME ENTRANCE OR, OR GATEWAY SIGNS WELCOME WELCOMING THEM INTO THE HISTORIC WEST END HOME OF THE WEST BAYTOWN CIVIC ASSOCIATION. UM, UH, CENTRAL HEIGHTS HAS HAD, UM, SOME SIGN TOPPERS AND TRAFFIC CABINET ART AS WELL AS SOME STREET ART. AND THEN, UM, SOUTHWEST EDITION, UM, JUST RECEIVED THEIR SIGNED TOPPERS AS WELL. AND SO THIS IS JUST AN EASY WAY FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO, TO GET ENGAGED, TO GET TOGETHER, DECIDE ON A COLLECTIVE PROJECT, OBVIOUSLY THAT MEETS OUR PARAMETERS AND SEE A PROJECT COME THROUGH TO FRUITION. UM, UH, OBVIOUSLY SOME [01:30:01] OF THE ONES, UM, THAT HAVE HAD AT LEAST THREE GRANTS CANNOT APPLY AGAIN AND THEY HAVE TO HAVE A BREAK BEFORE THEY CAN APPLY AGAIN. BUT I DO ENCOURAGE ANY OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN MY DISTRICT, UM, IF THEY WANNA KNOW ABOUT, UM, THIS INFORMATION, THEY CAN GO ON THE, UH, BAYTOWN ENGAGE, UM, AS WELL AS REACH OUT TO SABRINA'S DEPARTMENT AT THE LIBRARY. UM, I KNOW SEVERAL RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED, UM, UH, WITH THE TRAFFIC, UM, ON WEST MAINE DUE TO THE CONSTRUCTION, BUT I, I HOPE THAT THEY CONTINUE TO BE PATIENT BECAUSE THIS, UM, PROJECT IS NEAR COMPLETION. WE'RE ALMOST THERE. AND, UM, I JUST WANNA THANK THE CREW WHO HAVE BEEN OUT THERE WORKING THROUGH THE DROUGHT AND THE HEAT AND, UM, HOPE THAT THEY ENJOY SOME COOLER WEATHER AS THEY CLOSE OUT THE PROJECT. UM, I'D ALSO LIKE TO INVITE EVERYONE, UM, TO A HISTORICAL MARKER CEREMONY AT THE ORIGINAL CITY APELLI LOCATED, UM, AT 6 0 1 WEST MAIN. UM, THANK YOU TO CHUCK CHANDLER WHO'S PUT IN THE WORK TO GET THIS DONE. UM, THIS CEREMONY WILL BE ON OCTOBER 14TH, UM, AT 4:00 PM ALONGSIDE MY COLLEAGUE HERE. THE 12TH. THE 12TH, OCTOBER 12TH, I'M SORRY, UM, WHO WE BOTH SHARE THAT DISTRICT, UM, OR THAT AREA. AND SO, UM, WE INVITE YOU TO COME OUT. UM, AND THEN, UM, RECENTLY I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE, UM, SOME FEEDBACK TO WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. AS Y'ALL KNOW, THEY'RE LOCATED OVER ON, UM, UH, BAYWAY, I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, BAKER AND GARTH, RIGHT BEHIND THE LUBIES BACK THERE. UM, SO WE HAD A STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION OR FEEDBACK AS THEY LEAD INTO THEIR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION AND THINGS THAT THEY WOULD, UM, LIKE FOR US, UM, TO HAVE WITHIN OUR, UM, SPECIFIC, UM, UH, CITY. AND SO AS PART OF HGAC, AS A BOARD OF DIRECTOR, WE GET TO PROVIDE THAT FEEDBACK. AND SO A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD, UM, FROM MY COLLEAGUES AND MYSELF IS THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE THEM BE MORE PRESENT. UM, WE DID MENTION BACK IN THE DAY WE'VE HAD, UM, PEOPLE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT THAT REALLY NEEDED HELP WITH THEIR RESUME OR ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR WORK. AND IT SEEMS THAT THESE DAYS, AND, AND IT COULD BE BECAUSE OF COVID WHERE THEY'VE STARTED A LOT MORE OF THE ONLINE PORTALS THAT THEY JUST GET HELP, UM, SETTING UP THEIR PORTAL AND THEN THANK YOU CALL US IF WE HAVE ANY ISSUES. BUT WE, WHAT WE WANNA SEE IS ACTUALLY HANDS ON HELPING THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE GOING THROUGH AN EMPLOYMENT GAP, UM, WHETHER IT'S LOOKING FOR WORK OR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. UM, SO THAT'S GONNA GO TOWARDS THEIR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND UM, WE HOPE TO SEE THEM FURTHER ENGAGED IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, THEY'RE LOOKING AT HAVING MAYBE SOME SATELLITE, UM, OFFICES WHERE THEY CAN GO TO DIFFERENT PLACES, UM, AND BE CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF HAVING EVERYBODY ALWAYS GO TO THEM. UM, SO WE'RE HOPING THAT COMES THROUGH TO FRUITION, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE INDEED A NECESSITY, ESPECIALLY AS THEY HELPED US THROUGH DEVELOPMENT FOR WATER OPERATOR WASTEWATER OPERATORS, WHICH ARE VERY HIGH IN DEMAND. UM, UH, I ALSO WANNA THANK OUR PUBLIC WORKS CREWS AND ADMINISTRATION WHO, UM, WORKED TOGETHER WITH THE SOUTHWEST EDITION RESIDENTS AND CLEARING A MAJOR FLOODING ISSUE. IT WAS ACTUALLY A CLOG, IT ENDED UP BEING A DRAIN THAT WAS CLOGGED. UM, AND AS SOON AS THAT WAS, UM, CLEARED IT, UM, REME REMEDIATED THE AREA PRETTY QUICKLY. UM, AND THEN LASTLY, I WANNA, UM, JUST ACKNOWLEDGE THE FRED AGUILAR PROMISE CENTER WHO'S CELEBRATING THEIR SIXTH ANNIVERSARY AWARDS DINNER IN THE NEXT BUILDING, , UM, AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER. AND SO, UM, MAYOR, THAT IS ALL THAT I HAVE. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU COUNCILWOMAN. SO WE WILL NOW RECESS AND [13. EXECUTIVE SESSION] CONVENE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO TECHNICAL GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 5 5 1 0.071 TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEYS REGARDING PENDING OR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION. ADDITIONALLY, SECTIONS 5 5 1 0.071 AND OR 5 5 1 0.087 TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF CITY ATTORNEY AND OR TO DISCUSS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS. SO WE'LL RECESS AN EXECUTIVE SESSION AT THIS POINT AND NOW RECONVENE OUR OPEN MEETING WITH BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL AND ANNOUNCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 5 5 1 0.102 OF THE TEXAS CODE. NO ACTION WAS TAKEN IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. I DO BELIEVE THERE IS TWO ITEMS, OR EXCUSE ONE, THERE IS A PROPOSED ORDINANCE. [a. Consider an ordinance amending the Unified Land Development Code (ULDC) of the Code of Ordinances, Baytown, Texas, Article V "Signs," Division III "Regulations," Subdivision IV "Off-Premises Signs," Sec. 5.79 "New signs," Subsection (c) "Exceptions," Item (3); deleting items (4) and (5) of subsection (c), deleting subsections (d) and (e) of Section 5.79 to except from permitting all temporary off-premises signs, provided that the signs do not exceed two (2) in number on any one property and are displayed no more than seven (7) total days in a thirty (30) day period; amending the ULDC Article V "Signs," Division III "Regulations," Subdivision IV "Off-Premises Signs," Section 5.79 "New signs," Subsection (f) "Permit not required for certain signs," to renumber it as Subsection (d) and remove references to deleted provisions; amending the ULDC, "Article V "Signs," Division III "Regulations," Subdivision IV "Off-Premises Signs," Section 5.79 "New signs," Subsection (g) "Digital billboards," to renumber it as subsection (e).] IS THERE NO ACTION THAT'S GONNA BE TAKEN, UH, CONSIDERED ON THIS THIS EVENING? SO BE IT THAT BAYTOWN CITY COUNCIL HAS ADDRESSED ALL POSTED AGENDA [01:35:01] ITEMS. THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.