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YES.[I. INVOCATION, PLEDGE & ROLL CALL]
OKAY.IT IS NOW 4:01 PM WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY ON TUESDAY, MAY 6TH, 2025.
AND WE ARE HERE IN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS IN THE GREAT CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS, ON THE FIFTH FLOOR TO BE EXACT.
AND WE ARE BEGINNING OUR SPECIAL EXECUTIVE, UH, COUNCIL MEETING.
UH, YOU MAY ATTEND THIS MEETING VIA TELEPHONIC OR VIDEO CONFERENCE MEETINGS, HOWEVER YOU WOULD FIRST DIAL YOUR 8 7 7 8 5 3 5 2 4 7 OR 8 8 8 7 8 8 0 0 9 9.
YOU WOULD ENTER THE MEETING ID OF 8 8 6 2 7 0 2 0 4 5 1, AND YOU WOULD ALSO ENTER THE PAST CODE OF 0 1 1 6 9 7 AND YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND THE MEETING ALSO IN AND DURING THIS MEETING, WE ARE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND, UH, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR WILL ACTUALLY PROVIDE AS IT STATES HERE, ACCOMMODATIONS FOR PERSONS ATTENDING CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
AND TO BETTER SERVE YOU, YOU MUST CALL THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE AT 4 0 9 9 8 3 8 1 1 5, AND THEY WILL DO ALL WITHIN THEIR POWERS TO ASSIST YOU WITH YOUR SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS REQUEST.
WITH THAT IN MIND, WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN WITH THE INVOCATION, UH, THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND THE ROLL CALL.
UH, PASTOR FRANK, WOULD YOU DO AN INVOCATION FOR US, PLEASE? AND ALSO, IF YOU HAVE AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE, WOULD YOU PLEASE MUTE? MUTED.
UH, AT THIS TIME,
WE COME BEFORE YOU THANKING YOU FOR THIS DAY, AND WE ASK THAT NOW AS WE STAND BEFORE YOU, THAT YOU WOULD GIVE US WISDOM TO DELIBERATE AND TO MAKE THE DECISIONS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF OUR CITY.
AND THEN WE ASK FOR YOUR POWER, PEACE, AND PROTECTION FOR ALL OF US.
AND FOR ALL OF THOSE WHO ARE HERE ON TODAY, AND FOR THE ENTIRETY OF OUR CITY AS WELL.
PLEASE JOIN US IN RECITING THE PLACE OF ALLEGIANCE.
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INDULGENCE IN OUR OPENING.
WOULD YOU PLEASE CITY SECRETARY, ESTABLISH THE QUORUM.
MAYOR BART, PRESENT MAYOR PRO TEM DONNIE BECKHAM, MAYOR, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS.
COUNCIL MEMBER HAMILTON, EVER FIELD COUNCIL MEMBER DOUCETTE.
THANK YOU SO KINDLY AND THANK YOU FOR BEING ON COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, DOUCETTE, UH, YOU ARE VIA, UH, AI, WHICH IS VERY STRANGE FOR YOU.
SO OVER EVERYTHING IS GOING GOOD,
[II. *CLOSED MEETING (EXECUTIVE SESSION) ]
ARE NOW READY TO GO INTO OUR CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION AND IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF, UH, SECTION 5 5 1 0.101 OF CHAPTER 5 5 1, WHICH IS THE OPEN MEETINGS LAWS OF THE STATE, OR EXCUSE ME, OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, WHICH IS FORMERLY ARTICLE 62 52 DASH 17, SECTION TWO SUBSECTION A, THAT PRIOR TO OR BEFORE WE WOULD GO INTO THIS EXECUTIVE SESSION, MY BEING THE PRESIDING OFFICER OF THIS AUGUSTA BODY, I AM COMPELLED TO MAKE THIS ANNOUNCEMENT THAT IN ENCLOSED SESSION AT WHICH WILL BE HELD PURSUANT TO THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OF CHAPTER 5 5, 1 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE, THOSE BEING IN THIS CLOSED SESSION, WE WOULD COVER SECTION 5 5 1 0.07, ONE OF THE TEXAS, UH, OPEN MEETINGS, UH, ACT TO MEET WITH, UH, OUR ATTORNEY TO SEEK LEGAL ADVICE ON A MATTER IN WHICH THE DUTY OF THE ATTORNEY TO THE CITY COUNCIL UNDER THE TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT OF THE STATE BOARD OF TEXAS CLEARLY CONFLICTS WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETING ACT RELATING TO A WILL WILL BE DISCUSSED, AND SHE WILL GIVE ADVICE ON THE KIRK THOMAS VERSUS CITY OF PORT ARTHUR AND FLO ROBERTS.[00:05:01]
DASH 23 DASH CV DASH 2 82 IN THE EASTERN, UH, US EASTERN DISTRICT OF, UH, TEXAS.ALSO B WOULD BE THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION EVALUATIONS OF, UH, APPOINTED OFFICIALS.
THIRDLY, WE WOULD COVER THE 89TH TEXAS LEGISLATIVE SESSION, AND ON THE FOURTH WE WOULD, UH, FOURTH ITEM RATHER, WOULD BE THE GROUND LEASE BY DILIGENCE OFFSHORE SERVICES LLC FROM THE CITY FOR CERTAIN TRACKS CONTAINING APPROXIMATELY 13.8 ACRES, 900 ACRES AND 1,361 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED ON PLEASURE ISLAND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION FACILITIES.
UH, SECONDLY, WE WILL, UH, COVER SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 TO DISCUSS PERSONNEL AND, UH, IN UNDER PERSONNEL, WE WOULD DISCUSS THE DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND EVALUATIONS OF THE CITY MANAGER, CITY ATTORNEY, AND THE CITY SECRETARY.
THIS HAS BEEN REQUESTED BY MAYOR BARTY AND COUNCIL MEMBER KINLAW.
AND THIRDLY, WE WILL COVER SECTION 5 5 1 0.087 TO DISCUSS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS.
AND THIS WOULD CON, UH, ACTUALLY COMPRISE THE GROUND LEASE BY DILIGENCE OFFSHORE SERVICES FROM THE CITY OF PORT, UH, FROM THE CITY FOR CERTAIN TRACKS CONTAINED ON APPROXIMATELY 13.8 ACRES, 900 ACRES AND 1,361 ACRES LOCATED ON PRESSURE ISLAND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT, CONSTRUCTION, AND OPERATION OF WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY FACILITIES.
IF BY CHANCE ANY OF THESE ITEMS IN EXECUTIVE SESSION WOULD BE, ARE BEING DISCUSSED AND HAVE WILL BE DISCUSSED, AND THERE WOULD BE AN ACTION TAKEN ON ACT THAT WOULD NEED A VOTE, THE VOTE WOULD BE TAKEN HERE IN OPEN SESSION FOLLOWING OUR RETURN TO CITY, UH, COUNCIL CHAMBERS AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
WITH THAT BEING SAID, I WOULD ALLOW LIKE TO RECESS THIS MEETING DOWNSTAIRS AT 4:09 PM TO BEGIN OUR PROCESS OF THE CLOSED MEETING.
UH, CITY SECRETARY, WOULD YOU PLEASE REESTABLISH A QUORUM FOR ME? MAYOR BARITE, PRESENT MAYOR PRO.
COUNCIL MEMBER HAMILTON, EVER FIELD COUNCIL MEMBER DOUCETTE.
COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK, PRESENT.
WE ARE NOW RECONVENING, UH, IN OUR, EXCUSE ME, SPECIAL EXECUTIVE, UH, MEETING A CITY ATTORNEY.
WOULD THERE BE ANY ITEMS FOR ACTION FROM THE, UH, EXECUTIVE SESSION? NO.
SO KINDLY BE, THERE ARE NO ITEMS FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE DID, UH, ACTUALLY DISCUSS EACH ITEM ON THE PRINTED AGENDA.
IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN FROM THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, I WOULD NOW DECLARE THE EXECUTIVE SESSION NOW CLOSED.