* 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. SO REGULAR MEETING. [00:00:02] OH, THANK YOU. TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF, UH, TUESDAY. [I. INVOCATION, PLEDGE & ROLL CALL] UH, WELCOME TO OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING FOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24TH AT 9:30 AM WE'RE BEGINNING AT 9 31. WE'D LIKE TO INVITE YOU, UM, TO JOIN OUR MEETING BY TELEPHONIC AND OR VIDEO CONFERENCE. YOU CAN DO SO, UM, BY CALLING 8 7 7 8 5 3 5 2 4 7 OR 8 8 8 7 8 8 0 0 9 9. YOU MAY ENTER THE MEETING ID OF 8 6 7 1 0 3 8 1 0 8 4 AND ENTER THE PASS CODE OF 3 4 7 1 2 7. ALSO, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH AMERICAN WITH DISABILITIES ACT. YOU CAN CALL AND JOIN OUR MEETING, UH, BY CALLING 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO OUR CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 4 0 9 9 8 3 8 1 1 5. AT THIS TIME, I'M GOING TO ASK EVERYONE TO PLEASE MUTE OR TURN OFF YOUR MOBILE DEVICES. WE'LL THEN HAVE OUR INVOCATION PLEDGE AND OUR ROLL CALL. AT THIS TIME, UM, I'M GOING TO ASK COUNCILLOR MCKEN LAW IF HE WOULD LEAD US IN PRAYER. SURE. MAYOR. OKAY. WILL YOU STAND WITH ME OPENLY? FATHER, ONCE AGAIN, WE ASK HUMBLY IN YOUR PRAYER, WE ASK YOU TO BLESS THIS COUNCIL, THIS CITY. WE ASK YOU CONTINUE THESE BLESSINGS IN PROVIDING US CITIZENS. WE ASK YOU TO BLESS THIS MEETING THAT WE WILL HOLD THIS MEETING IN YOUR DAR AND SON JESUS NAME. WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, WE ASK THESE PRAYERS AND YOUR SON, AMEN. AMEN. PLEASURE OF ALLEGIANCE. A PLEASURE, 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 CITY. SECRETARY WILL JUST ESTABLISH A QUORUM. SURE. MAYOR MOSES. HERE, MAYOR PRO. TIM DOUCETTE. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. COUNCIL MEMBER EVER FIELD PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER KINLAW. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK. HERE YOU HAVE A QUORA MAYOR. THANK YOU. THIS [III.A.(1) Joan Jones Regarding City Attorney] TIME WE HAVE NO PROCLAMATIONS. WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO NUMBER THREE. PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS. WE HAVE TWO SPEAKERS THIS MORNING. WE HAVE JOANNE JONES AND I DON'T SEE HER HERE. SHE HERE. OH, I'M SORRY. THERE YOU GO. COME ON UP TO THE PODIUM. MS. JONES, YOU'LL STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PLEASE. YOU WANNA MOVE THE MIC CLOSER TO YOU. GOOD MORNING. THANK THE CITY ATTORNEY FOR SOME TIME. I'VE WATCHED YOU IN THE MEETING. YOU SEEM TO NOT KNOW YOUR JOB AND THE WAY YOU HAVE ADDRESSED YOURSELF TO THE PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR THAT COME UP HERE TO SPEAK. AND ALSO THE WAY COUNCIL ASKS YOU FOR INFORMATION CONCERNING THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OF THIS MEETING. WE HIRED YOU FOR ONE THING AND THAT WAS TO WORK A CONCEPT TO STAY WITHIN THE LAW AND CODE AT THIS PAPERWORK AS NEEDED AND DO THE PAPERWORK AS NEEDED. THAT HAS NOT BEEN DONE RIGHT. DO NOT REALLY DO NOT REALLY KNOW YOUR JOB AND KNOW YOUR JOB. THE PEOPLE HAVE DID A BACKGROUND CHECK ON ON YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT GOOD AT ALL. IT ALSO SPEAKS IT BY THE WAY, YOU, HOW AND MR. CRAWFORD CON CONTRACT THEY HAVE GIVEN YOU WORK TO DO AND IT WAS NOT APPROVED. YOU ALWAYS CUT MR. LEWIS UP AND NOT GIVEN HIM THE, UH, TIME TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF OR YOU TAKE THE TIME TO EXPLAIN HIM, EXPLAIN IT TO HIM. YOUR POINT, MR. ETT WAS EVEN INSULTED ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. YOU EITHER PROVE TO YOURSELF THAT YOU ARE WORTHY OF THIS JOB OR ELSE WE ALL KNOW YOU HAVE HELP DOING YOUR JOB, BUT IT WILL NOT WORK. WE ASK YOU TO FOLLOW THE LAW AND DO YOUR JOB AND STAY WITHIN YOUR LINE OF WORK. YOU'VE, UH, INSULTED MR. CRAWFORD VERY BAD AND WE ARE NOT APPROVE. WE JUST DON'T APPROVE OF IT THE WAY YOU'RE HANDLING THE FLOOR WHEN WE COME UP HERE, I DON'T CARE HOW SMALL WE ARE, HOW BIG WE ARE. STAY WITH YOU IN YOUR LINE OF THE LAW AND WE, UH, MR. [00:05:01] UC SAID HAVE BEEN INSULTED. MR. LEWIS, IT TAKE TIME FOR HIM TO GET TO THE POINT OF WHAT HE WANT TO SAY AND I ASKED YOU TO GIVE HIM TIME TO AND GIVE HIM TIME TO, UH, SPEAK AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE POINTS OF AND STAY WITHIN THE LAW OF GIVING HIM SERVICE FROM YOU PLEASE AND, UH, BACK TO THE FLOOR, PLEASE TAKE YOUR TIME TO THE FLOOR. I DON'T CARE WHO IS UP HERE AND, AND TRY TO HELP, HELP YOU OR HIDE BY US TO HELP US. NO ONE ELSE. AND THAT'S ALL WE ASK YOU TO DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO [III.A.(2) Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7 Regarding Misinformation Presented At The March 10, 2026 City Council Meeting] THE NEXT SPEAKER, JEFFERSON COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT NUMBER SEVEN REGARDING MISINFORMATION PRESENTED AT THE MARCH 10TH, 2026. COUNCIL MEETING AT THIS TIME. SPEAKER. GOOD MORNING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. ALLEN SIMS, GENERAL MANAGER, DRAIN DISTRICT SEVEN. UM, THANK YOU. OKAY. CAN YOU LAUNCH THE POWERPOINT? ALL RIGHT, JUST THIS IS JUST INTRODUCTION OR WHEN, SO JUST IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN, UH, COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND DRAIN DISTRICT SEVEN, WE'VE ESTABLISHED A REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP, ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST 10 YEARS. WE'VE COME A LONG WAY AND THERE WERE SOME THINGS SAID AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE THINGS WERE PRESENTED QUITE PROPERLY AND I WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE WE STAND AND WHAT WE'RE DOING. UH, SO DRAINS DISTRICT SEVEN, YOU CAN SEE THIS IS OUR MAP. THE, UH, OUR DISTRICT FOLLOWS ALONG THE SHIP CHANNEL, BUT WE ARE ACTUALLY ON THE MAINLAND PORTION. WE DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING ON PLEASURE ISLAND AT ALL. WE ARE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH THE CORPS ENGINEERS TO RAISE THE LEVEE AROUND PORT ARTHUR. THE PROPERTY WE HAVE IS ACTUALLY OUTLINED IN THE YELLOW BOXES. THAT IS THE ONLY AREA WHERE WE ARE THE NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR AND THAT WE WORK WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS IS INSIDE THOSE YELLOW BOXES. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A LITTLE BETTER PICTURE OF PLEASURE ISLAND. WE HAVE NOTHING ON THE ISLAND. WE STRICTLY GO RIGHT ALONG THE SHIP CHANNEL. UH, YOU REALLY CAN'T SEE IT WELL HERE. OUR RIGHT OF WAY IS THIS RED LINE AND YOU SEE IT'S ABOUT 15 FEET OFF THE TOE OF THE LEVEE AND ABOUT 20 FEET OUT INTO THE WATER. THIS IS A TYPICAL VIEW OF WHAT WE CONTROL AND WHAT WE WORK WITH WHEN WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS. SO, AND IN THIS CASE, AND LITERALLY IN THIS PICTURE WE'RE SEEING HERE, WE'LL BE COMING TO THE CITY COUNCIL HERE VERY SHORTLY TO TALK ABOUT SOME RIGHT OF WAY THAT WE WILL NEED ALONG THE SHIP CHANNEL AND IN THIS AREA, KIND OF DOWN NEAR THE DEPARTMENT CLUB AND SOME OF THOSE AREAS WE WILL BE COMING TO YOU TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT OF WAY PROBABLY IN THE NEXT MEETING OR TWO. BUT I UNDERSTAND WE ARE STRICTLY TALKING ABOUT ALONG LAKE SHORE DRIVE IN THIS AREA IN HERE. WE'RE NOT ON THE ISLAND. UH, AGAIN, THIS IS A LITTLE CLOSER PICTURE. YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE YELLOW BLOCKS ARE. THIS IS WHERE WE'RE WORKING. WE ARE DOING NOTHING ON THE ISLAND. UH, ANY QUESTIONS, WHAT I UNDERSTAND AND, UM, I AM NOT AN EXPERT ON YOUR ISLAND. I'M GONNA BE STRAIGHT UP HONEST WITH YOU RIGHT HERE. BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS MOST OF THE ISLAND IS A PLACEMENT AREA THAT WAS CREATED BY THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS. UH, TDOT NAVIGATION DISTRICT, THE PORT OF PORT ARTHUR, THE PORT OF BEAUMONT, THE PORT OF ORANGE. ALL THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES WENT TOGETHER TO, TO USE THOSE PLACEMENT AREAS IN THE DREDGING PROJECTS FOR THE SHIP CHANNEL. THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH DD SEVEN THAT IS OUTSIDE OUR DISTRICT. THE ONLY THING THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH YOU GUYS ON, AND I TALKED WITH JUDGE WITH COUNCILMAN LEWIS ABOUT THIS, IS THAT IN 1975 WHEN THEY WERE BUILDING THE LEVEE ALONG RIGHT HERE ALONG THE SHIP SHIP CHANNEL, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION BETWEEN THE CITY, THE CORE AND DD SEVEN, THAT THE LEVEE BE BUILT A LITTLE BIT LOWER FOR VIEW PURPOSES. AND THEY BUILT THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE CORE WAS THEY WOULD BUILD A SMALL BERM ON THE ISLAND TO BREAK THE WAVES BEFORE THEY HIT THE MAINLAND. SO THE LEVEE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE QUITE AS TALL. WE'RE NOW IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING TO RAISE THE LEVEE AND IN THIS PROCESS WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO UP ABOUT THREE FEET. OUR ATTITUDE IS GO UP. WE COULD GO UP THREE FEET AND RE REVAMP AND UPGRADE THE, THE BERM ON THE ISLAND. OR WE COULD GO UP FOUR FEET AND NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING ON THE ISLAND. WE CHOSE TO GO UP THE FOUR FEET INSTEAD OF THE THREE FEET BECAUSE IT'S JUST EASIER, EASIER FOR US [00:10:01] TO MAINTAIN. IT DOESN'T IMPACT ANYTHING TO YOU GUYS. SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, IS WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA RAISE THAT LEVEE ALONG THE SHIP CHANNEL ON THIS SIDE, ABOUT THREE TO FOUR FEET IN CERTAIN AREAS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WELL PROTECTION FOR A HUNDRED YEAR STORM IN 2077. OKAY? ANY QUESTIONS? WELL, I HAVE A FEW LIGHTS, ALAN, 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU ARE SPEAKING FOR FIVE MINUTES. I'M GONNA CHECK OUR, UM, BUT RIGHT NOW I HAVE, UH, MEMBER MCKEN LAW HAS HIS LIGHT ON, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR. SO ALLEN, WHEN YOU MADE A STATEMENT EARLIER, YOU SAID THAT WE WORK WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS. WHEN YOU SAY WORK WITH THEM, ARE YOU DOING ANY TYPE OF DUMPING ON THE ISLAND WITH THEM IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEM? UH, BECAUSE I HAVE MY NOTES AND IT WAS STATED ON THE LAST PREVIOUS MEETING THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING LIKE THAT WAS BEING DONE. SO I JUST WANT A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING FOR OTHER PEOPLE THAT'S OUT THERE. YOU ARE NOT DUMPING WHEN YOU SAY WORKING WITH THEM OR COLLABORATING WITH THEM? NO. YOU DO, YOU DO NOT DO ANY DUMPING FOR YOUR KNOWLEDGE. WE HAVE NO INTENTION OF DUMPING ANY DIRT. WE'RE GONNA NEED DIRT OF COURSE, TO BUILD OUR LEVEES UP. WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY GETTING RID OF DIRT. THERE IS A COUPLE OF PLACES AND CHIEF DSO AND I HAVE TALKED OVER THE LAST YEAR A COUPLE OF TIMES, THERE'S A PLACE ON THE ISLAND NEAR THE GUN RANGE THAT HE NEEDS DIRT. IF WE HAVE ANY EXTRA THAT'S AVAILABLE, I'VE INSTRUCTED OUR CONTRACTORS TO TAKE IT THERE TO HELP HIM BUILD HIS SOUND BURN. YEAH. OTHER THAN THAT, WE HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF PUTTING ANYTHING ON THE ISLAND. IT'S OUTSIDE OUR DISTRICT. WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER IT. THERE IS NOTHING THERE FOR US. THERE ARE MULTIPLE PROJECTS GOING IN THE REGION. WE'RE THE NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR SIGNED THE PART PRO OR PROJECT PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT FOR THE LEVY, AND IT IS STRICTLY THE WORK WITHIN THOSE YELLOW BLOCKS PASS AT YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN LEWIS? YES, GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING, SIR. UM, WHEN I RECEIVED A DOCUMENT AND HAD D SEVEN ME TO IT. OKAY, BUT I, I HAD TO GO A STEP FURTHER. I HAD TO FIND OUT FROM THE CITY, CITY ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, IS THERE ANY AGREEMENTS OR CONTRACT OR RESOLUTION THAT WAS PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IN THE PAST? AND THE ANSWER WAS NO. I'M LOOKING FOR HARD DOCUMENTS. SO I CALLED YOU TO DOUBLE CHECK. ARE THERE ANY AGREEMENTS OR ANY ANY AGREEMENT, WRITTEN AGREEMENT DOCUMENT RESOLUTION BETWEEN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR AND, AND, UH, ? YOU SAID, I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU ABOUT THE ISLAND. WE HAVE NO JURISDICTION OVER THE ISLAND. CORRECT. OKAY, SO THAT WAS NO DOCUMENTATION, NO NOTHING. NOTHING WITHIN THE RECORDS. CORRECT. OKAY. SO I WAS SATISFIED WITH IT. SO WHATEVER INFORMATION THAT WAS RECEIVED AND WAS SHOWN TO ME, I REALIZE THAT SOMETHING'S MISSING. YES, SIR. IT WASN'T ACCURATE. OKAY. I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE. I, LIKE I SAID, I JUST WANTED EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE NOT PUTTING ANY DIRT ON THE ISLAND. WE WOULD LIKE TO, BUT NOT TO THE LEVEL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A COUPLE HUNDRED TRUCKLOADS OF SELECT MATERIAL FOR THE, TO BUILD A SMALL BERM, EXCUSE ME A MINUTE. YES. THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS OTHER STUFF IN ALL FOUR FOR CORPS ENGINEERS TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE, UH, ANYBODY, THE CITY, THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS, WHICH I THOUGHT AT THE DD SEVEN, I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE FEDERAL SPONSOR. YOU ARE NOT, YOU'RE NOT THE FEDERAL SPONSOR. NO, THE FEDERAL SPONSOR IS THE CORE VISION. IT'S, IT IS A NAVIGATION DISTRICT BEFORE ANYBODY CAN DO ANY WORK. THE THE CORE VISION IS NOTHING BUT A CONTRACT. IT'S NO CONTRACT. THAT'S ALL THAT WORKING FOR THE, WORKING FOR THE ARMY. BEFORE ANYBODY CAN DO ANY WORK ON THE ISLAND, THAT'S FEDERAL SPONSOR HAS TO COME TO THE LANDOWNER. AND THAT WAS NOT, WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY ON THE RECORD, HAS TO COME TO THE LANDOWNERS, GO VISITORS CANNOT DO ANYTHING ON THEIR HOME. ALL THAT DUMPING OUT THERE. I HAVE NOT FOUND ANY DOCUMENTATION. WHAT GIVES THEM THE AUTHORITY TO DUMP THAT IS OUTSIDE MY AREA. I'M SORRY. ALRIGHT. WE HAVE APPRECIATE YOU. WE HAVE ONE MORE LIGHT AND OH, OKAY. THAT'S IT. THANK YOU. UM, WE HAVE NO MORE LIGHTS, NO MORE QUESTIONS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. THANK YOU FOR COMING. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE IT. NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE THE PRESENTATIONS, [III.B.(1) A Presentation By Harry Crawford Regarding The Pleasure Island Power Collection Project. (Requested By Councilmember Lewis) (Part 1 of 2)] OUR PRESENTATIONS, OUR SPEAKERS HAVE FIVE MINUTES. PRESENTATIONS HAVE, UH, 20 MINUTES. OUR FIRST PRESENTATION, UM, IS BY MR. HARRY CRAWFORD REGARDING THE PLEASURE ISLAND POWER COLLECTION PROJECT. AND THIS IS REQUESTED BY COUNCILMAN LEWIS. GOOD MORNING COUNSEL. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. UH, FIRST I WANT TO THANK THE DRAINAGE DISTRICT FOR COMING FORWARD [00:15:01] AND CLARIFYING THE, UH, THE RECORD. UH, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UH, CORRECT ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS THAT DD SEVEN IS NOT THE NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR FOR, UH, PROVIDING, THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, FOR PROVIDING THE LS TO, UH, THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS FOR THE SABINE NATURES WIDENING AND DEEPENING PROJECT. BEFORE YOU GET STARTED, MR. CRO, I WANNA MAKE SURE THE RECORD, UH, MAKE SURE AT 10 O'CLOCK WE HAVE TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS. I NEED TO MOVE INTO THOSE PUBLIC HEARINGS. SO, MR. ROBERT, YOU CAN START, BUT I JUST, WHEN I INTERRUPT YOU, IT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE TO GO TO THAT PUBLIC HEARING AT 10 O'CLOCK. YOU DO HAVE 20 MINUTES. YOU'RE GONNA PICK UP YOUR MINUTES AFTER THE HEARING IS OVER. OKAY? OKAY. THANK YOU. SO THE CLARIFICATION IS VERY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT, IT BASICALLY, I THINK IT SHARPENS THE UNDERSTANDING FOR THE COUNCIL. NOW, UH, BEING A NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR, SABINE NATURE'S, UH, WATER DISTRICT, I MEAN, UH, NAVIGATION, THEY HAVE TO COME TO YOU GUYS TO GET ALERT. THEY HAVE TO, THE 87 HAS TO COME. HE JUST TOLD YOU A MINUTE AGO, HE, HE, HE, HE MADE MY CASE. HE SAID HE IS GOTTA COME TO GET THE RIGHT TO PUT DIRT. THEY'RE PUTTING SPAS UNDER USC 33 USC SECTION 2211. IT'S, IT SAYS THAT THE LOCAL COOPERATION REQUIREMENTS FOR US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS TALKS ABOUT THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS CANNOT PROCEED WITH CIVIL WORKS PROJECTS UNLESS A NON-FEDERAL SPONSOR PROVIDES ALL THE REQUIRED PROPERTY INTEREST. THAT INCLUDES LAND EASEMENTS, RIGHT OF WAY, RELOCATION, UTILITIES, AND DREDGE MATERIALS. SO I FIRST NEED TO ASK WHERE'S THE ALERTS? WHO, WHO GAVE IT TO 'EM? BECAUSE I, I SENT A BUNCH OF LETTERS TO YOUR, YOUR ATTORNEY, AND I DIDN'T WANT TO BE HERE TODAY TO DO THIS ON, ON THE RECORD LIKE THIS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST TRYING TO MOVE ON DOWN THE ROAD WITH A PROJECT. BUT I WROTE YOUR ATTORNEY AND I ASKED HER TO ALLOW ME TO COME INTO EXEC EXECUTIVE COUNSEL TO EXPLAIN THIS TO THE COUNSEL AND, AND TO PRESENT THE DOCUMENTS. IT WENT UNANSWERED. I DIDN'T, I DIDN'T GET AN ANSWER. UH, AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT EVERYTHING THAT I'VE SENT HER IS, IS IN THIS LEASE THAT THE CITY SIGNED WITH US. AND WHEN YOU START LOOKING AT THE LEASE, UH, UH, IT GIVES US SOME RIGHTS AND IT, AND IT TELLS US HOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO OPERATE TOGETHER AS, AS PARTNERS. UM, I DID MY BEST TO GET THE CITY ATTORNEY TO RESPOND TO OUR REQUEST, AND NOW SHE DONE GOT Y'ALL IN A PICKLE BECAUSE IN THE LEASE, UH, SHE MENTIONED ON THE RECORD THAT THERE WERE ENCUMBRANCES THAT WE SIGNED FOR IN THE LEASE. WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT THE, THE DOCUMENT, THE LEASE ITSELF, AND YOU LOOK AT SECTION 2 0 1, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF Y'ALL HAVE READ IT, BUT FOR THE RECORD, IN PLAIN TERMS, IT SAYS THAT, UH, WE HAVE SUB JASON AND LATERAL SUPPORT THAT GUARANTEED THAT TO US. THE CITY DID SO MANY TERMS. IT MEANS THAT DESTABILIZING OUR PROPERTY IS, IS STRICT LIABILITY EXPOSURE FOR THE CITY. YOU BREACH A LEASE. THEN SHE SAID ON THE RECORD THAT WE SIGNED WITH ENCUMBRANCES THE SAME SECTION 2 0 1, IT SPEAKS OF TITLE EXCEPTIONS. I SENT THE TITLE REPORT TO HER AND I TOLD HER THAT THERE'S NO EXCEPTIONS. I NEED HER TO CONTACT THE TITLE COMPANY WORK WITH US, BECAUSE THE LEASE SAYS YOU WILL. SO WE CAN GET THAT STRAIGHT. BECAUSE IF WE GO AND, AND WRITE A 1 44 A PROGRAM FOR 500 MILLION, 600 MILLION, THE CITY'S NOT COVERED IN THIS LEASE. AND THAT'S THE REASON WHY Y'ALL TOLD US TO GO GET A TITLE POLICY. Y'ALL, Y'ALL ASK US TO GO GET A TITLE POLICY. WE DID. THEY DID NOT HAVE ANY EXCEPTIONS. SHE SAYS THERE'S ENCUMBRANCES. IT'S YOUR OBLIGATION TO PROVIDE THE ENCUMBRANCE. I'VE ASKED THE CITY WHERE THE ENCUMBRANCES, I'VE ASKED YOUR LAWYER WHERE THE ENCUMBRANCES INVISIBLE ENCOMPASSES NOT GONNA WORK. SHE HAS A DUTY TO PROVIDE THE ENCOMPASSES. THE CITY HAS A DUTY TO PROVIDE THE ENCOMPASSES. OKAY? THEN YOU GO TO SECTION 9 0 2, 9 0 2 AND THE LEASE TALKS ABOUT CONDEMNATION AND UNDER THE CONDEMNATION CLAUSE IN THIS LEASE, IT IS VERY STRANGE TO ME WHY THE CITY WOULD EXECUTE A LEASE THAT ALLOCATES CONDEMNATION PROCEEDS TO DILIGENCE AND ASSUME THAT THIS LEASE IS NOT A VALID COMPENSABLE ESTATE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE CITY WOULD SIGN SOMETHING, [00:20:01] GIVE US QUIET ENJOYMENT, AND THEN TURN AROUND AND SAY THAT IT DOES NOT EXIST. I'VE HEARD COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, EVANSVILLE SAY, PUT IT ON THE RECORD, WHAT Y'ALL HAD THAT JUDGE COME UP HERE, WHOEVER HE WAS, HE SIGNED HISSELF UP FOR, UH, UH, TORTURES INTERFERENCE WITH A CONTRACT IN EFFECT PLACED ON THE, ON THE TEAM. HE CAME UP HERE WITH SB SIX 12. SB SIX 12 IS NOT A DEED, IT IS NOT A DEED. IF YOU LOOK AT IT, YOU READ IT ITSELF. IT SAYS THAT THE COURT STARTED OUT BELIEVING THAT THEY RECEIVED DEEDS FROM, UH, LANDOWNERS IN THE PAST. THEN A QUESTION THAT CAME UP THAT THE LAND COULD BELONG TO THE STATE, THE LAND BELONGS TO THE STATE. THAT'S WHAT THEY FINALLY DECIDED. AND THEN THE STATE ENDED UP PATENTING THE LAND UNDER 2 55 TO THE CITY. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT A, AN AGREEMENT Y'ALL SIGNED IN 2006 WITH THE CORE TO THE PEOPLE SLOWING TRASH EVERYWHERE, Y'ALL SIGNED AN AGREEMENT. AND IN THAT AGREEMENT, THAT PATENT IS IN THERE AND IT SAYS THAT Y'ALL GONNA, UH, CANCEL THAT AGREEMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS IF YOU WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT. SO MY QUESTION IS, I COME BEFORE THIS COUNCIL, I COME TO YOUR LAWYER, I COME, WE COME ASKING QUESTIONS, WE COME ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE. WE COME ASKING FOR Y'ALL TO OPERATE UNDER THIS LEASE, UH, PROPERLY. AND WE CAN'T GET IT. WE, WE CAN'T GET, WE CAN'T GET THE ASSISTANCE, CAN'T GET ANY HELP. I ASKED THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE, WHO DO I TALK TO TO GET THESE PROBLEMS IN THIS LEASE SOLVED? WHO IS IT? SO I WANNA GO ON THE RECORD. THERE ARE NO ENCUMBRANCES, NONE. AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE NOT PROVIDED THEM LIKE WE ASKED YOU TO IN, IN WRITING CERTIFIED ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE TIMES, I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU ANYMORE. I'M GONNA KEEP ON WITH MY PROJECT. I'M GONNA KEEP DOING WHAT I'M DOING. I'LL ALLOW THAT NOW AND I'M GONNA END UP DEVELOPING WITH MONEY THAT Y'ALL GONNA PAY ME BECAUSE I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW, I NEED SOMEBODY FROM THE CITY TO TALK TO US ABOUT THIS LEASE AND THE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVING WITH THE CITY ON THIS LEASE. YOUR ATTORNEY WON'T DO IT. SHE'S PUT THINGS ON THE RECORD THAT ARE NOT TRUE. NOW I'M GONNA BE FINISH IN ONE SECOND. WHEN I FIRST CAME TO TOWN, I WAS CALLED TO SHAM BY COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. THESE DOCUMENTS RIGHT HERE IS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT TALKS ABOUT MY COMPANY DILIGENCE BEING AUTHORIZED TO EVEN PUT WIND FARMS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GULF OF MEXICO. ANYBODY HERE WANNA READ IT? I I GOT IT FOR YOU TO READ. I'M AN OPEN RECORD. MR. CRAWFORD? YES, MA'AM. I NEED TO TALK TO THE COUNCIL. YOU DOING A PRESENTATION? YES, MA, MA'AM. AND YES MA'AM. I JUST, I'M JUST MAKING, I'M JUST MAKING IT CLEAR THAT I'M GOTTA KEEP ORDER TODAY. Y'ALL CAN, Y'ALL CAN, Y'ALL CAN READ THE DOCUMENT. WE'RE GONNA KEEP ORDER TODAY. YES, MA. WE'RE MAKE A PRESENTATION AND, AND NOT TO THE AUDIENCE, BUT TO THE COUNCIL AND, AND WE WERE, WE WERE ACCUSED OF A WHOLE BUNCH OF THINGS. ALSO ACCUSED OF PROPERTY OUT IN THE, IN THE LAKE THAT BELONGED TO THE STATE. LAKE STATE DOESN'T OWN ANY PROPERTY OUT, OUT IN THE LAKE. THIS WAS SIGNED BY YOUR JUDGE, JUDGE, UH, BRANNICK, WHO WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT THAT COUNCIL MEMBER WENT TO TRYING TO, UH, STOP OUR PROJECT. MR. IN THIS DOCUMENT, MAKE YOUR PRESENTATION. I'M, I'M MAKING IT. MY PRESENTATION IS ALL PRESENTATION WITH DOCUMENTS. IT'S HONOR ON, I'VE GOT DOCUMENTS I'M TRYING TO GET, GET YOUR ATTORNEY TO UNDERSTAND THAT SHE CAN GO FIND THESE DOCUMENTS FILED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY. WHAT WE CAN'T FIND IS WHERE'S THE LURD FOR PA EIGHT? WHERE'S THE DOCUMENT? GIVEN THE CORE AUTHORITY TO PUT SPARS ON THE PROPERTY THAT Y'ALL LEASED TO ME, WHERE IS THE DOCUMENT THAT SAYS THERE'S ENCUMBRANCES? THE CITY WENT ON THE RECORD AND SAID THERE WERE ENCUMBRANCES, BUT YOUR ATTORNEY WON'T PRESENT 'EM TO US. WHY? Y'ALL SAID THAT THERE ARE ENCUMBRANCES. THERE ARE NO ENCUMBRANCES ON THE TOWER REPORT. I'M JUST ASKING WHO, WHO DO I TALK TO? BECAUSE I, IS THERE ANOTHER ATTORNEY? WHO DO WE TALK TO? WHO DO WE TALK TO? YOU HAVE COUNCILOR DOUCETTE HAS THIS LIGHT ON. I DON'T KNOW. ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR PRESENTATION? I'LL TAKE LIGHTS AT THIS TIME. I'M GONNA TAKING ANYONE FROM THE AUDIENCE AT THIS TIME. I DON'T HAVE TO RIGHT NOW. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA GO ON COUNCIL MEMBER, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ON THIS DESK. WE'LL BE ABLE TO RESPOND, BUT I'M NOT TAKING ANY, ANYONE FROM THE AUDIENCE UNLESS IT'S AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA AS A RESOLUTION. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER DOUCETTE. YES. THIS HAS BEEN A CON CONTROVERSIAL PROJECT FROM BEGINNING MM-HMM [00:25:01] . BUT ONCE COUNCIL HAS TAKEN A VOTE, WE HAVE TO DO WHAT WE SUPPOSED TO DO IN THE FASHION WE DO. I REALLY HAD IT WITH US NOT BEING ABLE TO RESOLVE ISSUES. WE SIGNED A LEASE AGREEMENT. WHENEVER WE SIGN, WE HAVE TO UPHOLD OUR SIDE, SAME AS WE EXPECT THE PEOPLE SIGNING IT, GONNA DO THEIR SIDE. THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT IS CONCERNING TO ME. ONE IS THAT INDIVIDUAL CONTACT THE CITY AND DO NOT GET RESPONSE. IF THERE'S A RESPONSE, WHETHER THE PERSON LIKES IT OR NOT, THAT'S A RESPONSE FROM THIS CITY. SO WE NEED TO TAKE SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT CAME UP TODAY. WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THEY GET RESOLVED AND WE SHOULD ENSURE THAT AS A CITY WE ARE DOING WHAT WE SUPPOSED TO DO. WE ARE RESPONDING TO PEOPLE AND WE NEED TO GET THIS SETTLED. THE LEASE IS THERE, THE PROJECT IS, UH, I DON'T KNOW THE PROJECT GOING TO BE BECAUSE WE DON'T, WE DON'T GIVE PERMITS, YOU KNOW, BUT WE LEASED LAND AND IF WE LEASE LAND, THEN THAT'S WHAT WE DID, YOU KNOW? UH, SO THE REST OF THE STUFF IS NOT AT OUR LEVEL, BUT WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF OUR BUSINESS AS A CITY. NOW THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS. MM-HMM . WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO BE DISCUSSING THESE THINGS AT MEETINGS OVER AND OVER AND OVER. SO I ASK THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY GETS WITH MR. CRAWFORD AND ENSURE THAT MR. CRAWFORD QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED WHETHER HE LIKES THEM OR NOT. AND WE NEED TO KEEP RECORDS BECAUSE THIS IS NOT GOING GOOD. AND EVENTUALLY, IF WE CAN'T GET IT RESOLVED, WE NEED TO HAVE DOCUMENTATION ON WHAT WAS DONE AND HOW IT WAS DONE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. ONE MORE THING BEFORE I SIT DOWN. MAYOR, I HAVE ONE QUESTION. I HAVE, WELL, I HAVE TWO MINUTES AND I HAVE A QUE I HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER'S LIGHT ON, SO I'LL LET YOU PRESENT, LET ME LET THEM RESPOND IN THE NEXT TWO MINUTES. COUNCIL MEMBER, FRANK. ALRIGHT, MR. CRAWFORD. OKAY, SO BASED UPON YOUR PRESENTATION TODAY, TWO THINGS I HEAR. I HEAR TWO QUESTIONS. ONE QUESTION IS ABOUT THE LURG FOUR PA EIGHT. MM-HMM . THAT'S ONE OF YOUR QUESTIONS. LERD. RIGHT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THE OTHER ONE IS ABOUT ENCUMBRANCES, CORRECT? MM-HMM . THOSE ARE YOUR TWO. ARE THOSE THE ONLY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ARE THE, ARE THOSE THE ONLY QUESTIONS THAT YOU HAVE? THAT'S ALL I'M CONCERNED ABOUT. OKAY. I WOULD ASK THAT OUR ATTORNEY WOULD RESPOND TO THOSE AND CC EACH AND EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER IN THAT REQUEST AND THAT ALL, UH, COMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOU AND OUR ATTORNEY BE CC'D TO EVERY ONE OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS HERE SO THAT WE CAN ENSURE THAT THE CO THAT THE COMMUNICATION IS ONGOING ON TODAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. GOT A COUPLE OF SECONDS. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS? I, YES. I WE'RE TALKING 30 SECONDS, BUT MAKE IT CLEAR. OH, NO, NO PROBLEM. IT'S JUST A PUBLIC HEARING YOU JUST CAN'T START 'EM AT BEFORE I KNOW, BUT I WANNA START IT AT 10. OKAY. I APPRECIATE IT. I'M PREPARING THE MEETING. 10 O'CLOCK. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I NEED, WHAT I NEED AND WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS ORDERED OKAY. FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY TO DO, TO WRITE THAT LETTER. I NEED A COPY OF THAT LETTER. HAVE THAT LETTER BEEN SENT TO EVERYBODY. THAT'S PUBLIC HEARING. WE'RE DOING SOMETHING WITH THE LAND. OKAY. PUBLIC HEARING AT, AT THIS TIME, WE'RE GONNA COME UP WITH THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING IF YOU'LL MOVE YOUR AGENDA. THANK YOU MR. CRAWFORD. UM, WE, YOU CAN, WE HAVE ABOUT FIVE MORE MINUTES LEFT ON YOU AND I'LL CALL YOU BACK UP RIGHT AFTER WE'RE DONE WITH THIS. OKAY. PUBLIC HEARING [IV.(I) A Public Hearing For The Purpose Of Receiving Public Comments And To Discuss The Following: Proposed Change: A Zoning Map Amendment (Z25-08) Requesting A Specific Use Permit For Hotel Expansion. Legal Description: 1.677 Acres Of Land, W130.68 Of 279.92 Of LT 6 BLK 20 W237.5 Of W 1 AC Of E 2 AC Of W 3 AC & E 1 AC Of W 3 AC LT 5; S/2 Of W 1 AC LT 5 BLK 20 Port Acres, Jefferson County, Texas (Property Is Located At 3015 Hwy 73) | JCAD Parcel #86475) Citizens With Questions Regarding The Description Of This Property Can Contract The City Planning Department At (409) 983-8133. The Public Will Also Be Able To View The Public Hearing Via The City’s Website At www.portarthurtx.gov] FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING PUBLIC COMMENTS AND TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING. PROPOSED CHANGE OF ZONING MAP AMENDMENT Z 25 DASH OH EIGHT REQUESTING SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR HOTEL EXPANSION. LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF COURSE. UM, I DON'T THINK I HAVE TO READ ALL THAT LEGAL DESCRIPTION, UH, BUT I WILL. 1.677 ACRE OF LAND W ONE THREE OH 0.68 OF 2 7 9 0.92 OF LOT SIX BLOCK 20 W2 THREE 7.5 OF W ONE AC OF E TWO AC OF W THREE AC AND E ONE AC OF W THREE AC LOT FIVE S DASH TWO OF W ONE ACRE LOT FIVE, UH, BLOCK, UH, FIVE BLOCK 20 PORT ACRES. JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 30 15 HIGHWAY 73 JCAD PARCEL NUMBER 8 6 4 7 5. [00:30:02] CITIZENS WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY CAN CONTACT CONTRACT, UH, CONTACT THE CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT 4 0 9 9 8 3 8 1 3 3. THE PUBLIC WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE PUBLIC HEARING VIA THE CITY'S WEBSITE AT THIS TIME OUR PLANNING DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU MAYOR. GOOD MORNING, COUNCIL AND MAYOR. GOOD MORNING. IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 6.03 E OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR ZONING ORDINANCE AND CHAPTER TWO 11 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. THE CITY COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR APPROXIMATELY 1.677 ACRES, 70 3044 SQUARE FEET OF LAND CONSISTING OF WEST 130.68 OF 279.92 FEET OF LOT SIX BLOCK 20 WEST 2 3 7 0.5 OF WEST, ONE ACRE OF EAST, TWO ACRES OF WEST THREE ACRES AND EAST ONE ACRE OF WEST THREE ACRES, LOT FIVE S TWO OF WEST ONE ACRE LOT FIVE BLOCK 20 PORT ACRES. CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 30 15 HIGHWAY 73. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST IS TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN UNMANNED HOTEL EXPANSION. MY APOLOGIES FOR THAT. AND A PLAN DEVELOPMENT 22 DISTRICT. A COMPLETED APPLICATION WAS FILED WITH THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION ON OR AROUND DECEMBER 23RD, 2025, REQUESTING A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROPERTY. THE SPECIFIC USE PERMIT WILL ALLOW THE PROPOSED USES TO LEGALLY CONFORM ITS SAID LOCATIONS. PUBLIC NOTICES WERE MAILED TO PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN A 200 FOOT RATINGS OF THE PROPOSED SITES ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2026, AND PUBLISHED IN THE PORT ARTHUR NEWSPAPER ON JANUARY 17TH, 2026. A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026, INVITING CITIZENS TO EXPRESS THE SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION TO THE REQUEST. THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION VOTED FIVE ZERO RECOMMENDING THAT THE REQUEST BE APPROVED ON FEBRUARY 24TH, 2026. THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 26 DASH SEVEN TWO CALLING FOR TODAY'S PUBLIC HEARING. THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE PUBLISHED THE PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE REPORT OF THE NEWSPAPER ON MARCH 7TH, 2026, AS WELL AS PREPARED AND BILL NOTIFICATIONS TO ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS ON OR AROUND FEBRUARY 5TH, 2026. THE CURRENT ZONING IS THE PLAN DEVELOPMENT 22 DISTRICT PLAN DEVELOPMENT 22 DISTRICT SHALL PERMIT USES AS PRESCRIBED IN THE USE SCHEDULES OF THE ZONING ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS AS FOLLOWS, A ALL USES PERMITTED BY RIGHT IN THE SINGLE FAMILY DISTRICT B, THE MOTEL USE AS A SPECIFICALLY PERMITTED USE, WHICH IS OUR FOCUS FOR TODAY, AND C PERMIT THE COMMERCIAL SUPPORT ANTENNA USED BY A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT. THE PROPOSED ZONING IS A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT. THE PURPOSE OF THE SPECIFIC USE PERMIT IS TO ALLOW A DESIGNATED USE AT A DESIGNATED LOCATION, AN APPROVAL FOR A SPECIFIC USE THAT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE MORE INTENSE OR TO HAVE A POTENTIALLY GREATER IMPACT THAN A USE PERMITTED BY RIGHT WITHIN THE SAME ZONE DISTRICT NORTH AND WEST. LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL IS LOCATED TO THE NORTH AND WEST OF THE PROPERTY. THE COMMERCIAL RETAIL DISTRICT IS LOCATED TO THE SOUTH AND THE PLAN DEVELOPMENT 22 DISTRICT TO THE EAST. HERE'S AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE PROPERTY AND UM, THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN, UM, COURTESY OF OUR DRONE OPERATOR. SO THIS IS A, A GOOD CLEAR SHOT OF THE AREA THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED BY THE EXPANSION, UM, FROM ABOVE. AND HERE'S ANOTHER SHOT FROM THE REAR, AGAIN, COURTESY OF A DRONE OPERATOR. HERE ARE THE CONCEPTUAL RENDERINGS OF THE ACTUAL PROPERTY AND UM, ALSO THE PROPERTY OWNER IS HERE TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF HIS PROJECT IF, UM, NEED BE, UM, AT THE, UM, THAT'S FINE IF THE OWNER CAN COME UP AND SPEAK NOW, BUT I THINK, UH, WE ARE, UM, READY TO, UH, MOVE TO YOUR, WHY DON'T YOU GO TO THE NEXT ONE AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK. OKAY. YOU WANT ME TO FINISH THIS ONE UP? YES. FINISH UP. OKAY, I'LL FINISH. ALRIGHT. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE SECTIONS TWO 11.006 AND TWO 11.007, A PUBLIC HEARING WAS SCHEDULED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. [00:35:01] ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026, THAT WAS ONE WRITTEN LETTER OF OPPOSITION AND FIVE LETTERS RETURNED. THERE WAS NO VERBAL OPPOSITION. AND ON MARCH 24TH, TODAY'S HEARING, UM, AS OF RIGHT NOW, UNTIL YOU ALL OPEN UP THE FLOOR, THERE HAS BEEN NO WRITTEN OPPOSITION, NO VERBAL OPPOSITION, AND NO LETTERS RETURNED. APPENDIX A, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR ZONING ORDINANCE STATES THAT A CITY COUNCIL MAY APPROVE OR DENY THE PROPOSED MATTER BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE. IN THE EVENT THAT A PROPOSED CHANGE TO A REGULATION OR BOUNDARY IS DENIED BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION. AND THEN THE PROPOSED CHANGE MUST BE APPROVED BY AT LEAST THREE FOURTHS OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO VOTE. THEREFORE, A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REQUIRED TO APPROVE THIS REQUEST. AND THAT'S ALL COUNCIL AND MAYOR. OKAY. UM, AT THIS TIME, IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING, UM, YOU MAY DO SO AT THIS TIME, IF THERE'S ANYONE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING. MAYOR, I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, OKAY. COUNCILLOR, REBECCA, UH, YOU SAID THAT THE OWNER IS HERE 'CAUSE I THINK, MA'AM, THIS MIGHT BE A QUESTION MORE APPROPRIATE FOR THE OWNER. YES, MA'AM. GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS BE . I'M THE OWNER OF THE SUBJECTIVE PROPERTY. OKAY. MY QUESTION IS, UH, BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THIS PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT MM-HMM . IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE GOING TO BE CATERING TO CONTRACTORS. IS THAT YOUR INTENT? RIGHT. THAT'S INTENT. OKAY. UM, AND MY CONCERN AND THIS QUESTION IS KIND OF FOR THE CITY ATTORNEY AS WELL. UH, WHEN WE HAVE LONG-TERM RENTERS IN A HOTEL, THEY ARE EXEMPTED FROM THE HOTEL OCCUPANCY TAX. SO I THINK WE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE TO SPEAK TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING? OKAY. AT THIS TIME WE'RE GOING TO, UH, MOVE TO CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING SO WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING. SO THIS PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED AT 10:08 AM MAYOR, I HAVE A QUESTION. OH, YES. UH, COUNCILOR EVER. THANK YOU MAYOR. WOULD WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE, UM, THE FEES FROM SHORT TERM RENTAL LEASE CONTRACTS? THAT WOULD BE A QUESTION THAT WE CAN RESEARCH LATER IN THIS SITUATION IF, IF POSSIBLE. OKAY. FOR THE SHORT TERM LEASE, WOULD UM, THIS BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD COLLECT OR BENEFIT FROM WITH THE SHORT TERM LEASE THAT WE PUT IN PLACE THIS YEAR? RIGHT. OKAY. OKAY. OKAY. [IV.(2) A Public Hearing For The Purpose Of Receiving Public Comments And To Discuss The Following: Proposed Change: A Zoning Map Amendment (Z25-09) To Change From Commercial General (CG) To A Light Industrial District (LI) For The Development Of An RV Park. Legal Description: 5.3 Acres Of Land, RG.1, Block 7, Lots 1-6, Tracts 1 & 2, Sabine Pass, Jefferson County, Texas (Property Is Located South Of Mechanic Street & Northeast Of Dowling Road) JCAD Parcel #404156 & #98848} Citizens With Questions Regarding The Description Of This Property Can Contract The City Planning Department At (409) 983-8133. The Public Will Also Be Able To View The Public Hearing Via The City’s Website At www.portarthurtx.gov] WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING, 10 0 9 PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING PUBLIC COMMENTS AND TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING, A ZONING MAP, AMENDMENT Z 25 DASH OH NINE TO CHANGE FROM COMMERCIAL GENERAL CG TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL LI FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN RV PARK. LEGAL DESCRIPTION, 5.3 ACRES OF LAND RRG 0.1 BLOCK SEVEN LOTS, ONE THROUGH SIX TRACKS, ONE AND TWO SABINE PASS. JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS PROPERTY IS LOCATED SOUTH OF MECHANIC STREET AND NORTHEAST OF DARLIN ROAD. JCAD PARCEL NUMBER 4 0 4 1 5 6 AND NUMBER 9 8 8 4 8 CITIZENS WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING, UH, THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROPERTY CON, CONTACT THE CITY PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT 4 0 0 9 9 8 3 8 1 3 3. THE PUBLIC WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO VIEW THE PUBLIC HEARING VIA THE CITY'S WEBSITE. OKAY? YES. AT THIS TIME, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 6.03 E OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR ZONING ORDINANCE AND CHAPTER TWO 11 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, THE CITY COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR NO A ZONE CHANGE. MY APOLOGIES FOR APPROXIMATELY 5.3 ACRES OF LAND, 203,868 SQUARE FEET OF LAND CONSISTING OF RANGE ONE BLOCK SEVEN LOTS, ONE THROUGH SIX TRACKS, ONE AND TWO SABINE PASS, JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED SOUTH OF MECHANIC STREET AND NORTHEAST OF DOLLAR ROAD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST IS TO CHANGE THE ZONING FROM COMMERCIAL GENERAL TO LIGHT INDUSTRIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RECREATIONAL VEHICLE PARK. A COMPLETED APPLICATION WAS FILED WITH THE PLANNING IS ZONING COMMISSION ON OR AROUND NOVEMBER 2ND, 2025, REQUESTING A ZONE CHANGE FOR THE OF MENTIONED PROPERTY. THE ZONE CHANGE WILL ALLOW THE PROPOSED USES TO LEGALLY CONFORM AND SET LOCATIONS. PUBLIC NOTICES WERE MAILED TO PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN THE 200 FOOT RADIUS AND THE PROPOSED SITES ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2026, AND PUBLISHED IN A PORT ARTHUR NEWSPAPER ON JANUARY 17TH, 2026. A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026, [00:40:01] INVITING CITIZENS TO EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION TO THE REQUEST. THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION VOTED FIVE ZERO RECOMMENDING THAT THE REQUEST BE APPROVED. AND I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO MENTION, UM, COUNCIL MEMBERS IN THERE THAT WE DID HOLD A COMMUNITY MEETING IN. SABINE PASSED AND WE HAD A PRETTY GOOD TURNOUT AND, UM, THEY WERE ALL, THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY, UM, THEY CAME OUT WERE IN FAVOR OF THE ZONE CHANGE, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE YOU ALL AWARE OF THAT. ON FEBRUARY 24TH, 2026, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 26 DASH OH 74, CALLING FOR TODAY'S PUBLIC HEARING. THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE PUBLISHED THE PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE PORT ARTHUR NEWSPAPER ON MARCH 7TH, 2026, AS WELL AS PREPARED IN MAIL NOTIFICATIONS TO ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS ON OR AROUND FEBRUARY 5TH, 2026. THE CURRENT ZONING IS COMMERCIAL GENERAL DISTRICT, THE COMMERCIAL GENERAL DISTRICT. THIS DISTRICT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE AN AREA FOR USES THAT REQUIRES SPECIAL CONSIDERATION BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF EQUIPMENT, AMOUNT OR TYPE OF TRAFFIC OR OTHER INTENSE ACTIVITY. THE PROPOSED ZONING IS THE LIGHT INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT. THE DISTRICT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE AN AREA FOR USES THAT REQUIRES SPECIAL CONSIDERATION BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OF EQUIPMENT, AMOUNT OR TYPE OF TRAFFIC OR OTHER INTENSE ACTIVITY. TO THE NORTH OF THE PROPERTY IS THE HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT, SOUTH AND EAST OF THE PROPERTY IS THE COMMERCIAL GENERAL DISTRICT AND WEST OF THE PROPERTY IS COMMERCIAL RETAIL. HERE'S AN AREA VIEW OF THE PROPERTY, . MM-HMM AND HERE IS A CONCEPTUAL RENDERING OF THE ACTUAL PARK. HERE AGAIN, WE HAVE DRONE FOOTAGE, COURTESY OF OUR DRONE OPERATOR OF THE ACTUAL SITE. AND AGAIN, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS UNDEVELOPED LAND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT. CODE SECTIONS TWO 11.006 AND TWO 11.007. A PUBLIC HEARING WAS SCHEDULED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. FEBRUARY 2ND, 2026. NO WRITTEN OPPOSITION, NO VERBAL OPPOSITION. FIVE LETTERS RETURNED. AND ON MARCH 24TH, 2026, TODAY'S CITY COUNCIL MEETING, AS OF RIGHT NOW, NO WRITTEN OPPOSITION, NO VERBAL OPPOSITION, AND NO LETTERS RETURNED. APPENDIX A, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. THE ZONING ORDINANCE STATES THAT A CITY COUNCIL MAY APPROVE OR DENY THE PROPOSED MATTER BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE. IN THE EVENT THAT A PROPOSED CHANGE TO A REGULATION OR BOUNDARY IS DENIED BY THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, THEN THE PROPOSED CHANGE MUST BE APPROVED BY AT LEAST THREE FOURTHS OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL WHO ARE QUALIFIED TO VOTE. THEREFORE, A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REQUIRED FOR THIS REQUEST. QUESTIONS, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. YES, MA'AM. IS THERE ANYONE THE ARTIST WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO? WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS, UM, PUBLIC HEARING? ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS PUBLIC HEARING? COME ON, COME FORWARD. STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS PLEASE FOR THE RECORD. THANK YOU. YES MA'AM. MY NAME IS ROBERT SEXTON. I'M A RESIDENT. I'VE BEEN A RESIDENT OF SABINE PASSING EVERYTHING SINCE 1976. I'VE BEEN A COMMISSIONER AND EVERYTHING OF SABINE PASSPORT AUTHORITY SINCE, UH, 19 96, 30 YEARS HERE. UH, WIND UP IN THINGS. I BOUGHT THIS PROPERTY ORIGINALLY AND EVERYTHING SINCE, UH, BACK IN 2003 AND EVERYTHING TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, HAVE A PLACE AND EVERYTHING FOR MY KIDS AND THEIR KIDS AND EVERYTHING TO BE RESIDING. EVERYTHING'S JUST TWO BLOCKS DOWN FROM MY HOUSE. I LIVE ON MECHANIC STREET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF, UH, DOWLING. UH, BUT DURING THE HURRICANES AND EVERYTHING, OH FIVE AND OH EIGHT AND EVERYTHING, SO, UH, BOTH OF MY KIDS AND EVERYTHING, THEY LOST THE RESIDENCE AROUND THERE AREA AND THEY DECIDED WELL, THEY'RE MOVING NORTH IN THE MEANTIME AND EVERYTHING. I'VE BEEN PAYING TAXES ON ALL THIS, UH, AND JUST NOTHING GOING MY WAY. I'VE TRIED TO SELL EVERYTHING. UH, WELL JUST THE LAST 10 YEARS I'VE TRIED TO SELL THE PROPERTY, LEASE THE PROPERTY AND FIGURING EVERYTHING WITH THE LNG PLANTS GOING AROUND EVERYTHING. WELL, I MIGHT HAVE SOME LUCK, BUT I HAVEN'T AT ALL. SO, BUT I HAVEN'T HAD UTILITIES ON IT. I WAS FINALLY WAS TOLD AND EVERYTHING NEEDED TO HAVE UTILITIES ON THE PROPERTY AND THEN I WOUND UP AND THINGS, UH, I FIGURED, WELL, I HAD THE OTHER PROPERTY THAT I INHERITED THROUGH IN SABINE AND, UH, WHERE MY IN-LAWS LIVED AND MY DAUGHTER LIVED AT ANOTHER SPOT AND I PUT AN RV ON THERE, BUT SOMEONE COMPLAINED ON IT AND I GOT A CITATION ON IT, SO I MOVED HIM ON OUT OF THE WAY. BUT HAVING THIS, UH, FIVE AND A HALF ACRES OF LAND HERE THAT I, I FIGURED, WELL THAT'S WITH THE WONDERING WHAT THE CITY ORDINANCE NEEDS AND EVERYTHING TO START UP IN RV PARK. SO I FIGURED EVERYTHING, I'D JUST GO AHEAD AND EVERYTHING COME TO THE BOARD AND SEEING EVERYTHING ABOUT REZONING, THIS WHOLE PROPERTY I'VE GOT, AND SINCE YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY PR, RVS AND EVERYTHING AROUND ON YOUR LOCAL, ON YOUR LOCAL VACANT LOTS AND EVERYTHING, I SAID, WELL, LEMME JUST GO AHEAD AND GO LEGAL [00:45:01] WITH EVERYTHING AND, UH, BUILD A RV PARK. AND THAT'S WHERE, RIGHT NOW, THAT'S WHERE I STAND ON THAT END OF IT. AND EVERYTH THING SAYS, UH, YEP. AND, UH, BUT THAT'S ALL. I'M JUST HEARING ANYTHING REQUESTING EVERYTHING THAT THIS SITE BE REZONED ANYTHING FROM A COMMERCIAL GENERAL AND EVERYTHING TO, UH, LIGHT INDUSTRIAL. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I HAVE. THANK YOU. OKAY. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS, UM, PUBLIC HEARING? IF NOT, ARE YOU? WE'RE GOOD. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR NEXT PUBLIC HEARING. WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AT 10:17 AM I CAN MOVE TO [IV.(3) A Public Hearing For The Purpose Of Receiving Public Comments And To Discuss The Following: Proposed Change: A Zoning Map Amendment (Z26-03) Requesting A Specific Use Permit For -the Construction Of An Unmanned Cellular Tower. Legal Description: .64 Acre Of Land, Glendale, LT 20 Thru LT 23, Block 2, City Of Port Arthur, Jefferson County, Texas (Property Is Located At 1101 Jefferson Drive | JCAD Parcel #86534) Citizens With Questions Regarding The Description Of This Property Can Contract The City Planning Department At (409) 983-8133. The Public Will Also Be Able To View The Public Hearing Via The City’s Website At www.portarthurtx.gov] THE NEXT PUBLIC HEARING, THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECEIVING PUBLIC COMMENT AND TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING PROPOSED CHANGE A ZONING MAP, AMENDMENT Z 2 6 0 3, REQUESTING A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN UNMANNED CELLULAR TOWER. LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS 0.64 ACRES OF LAND GLENDALE LT 20 THROUGH LT 23 BLOCK TWO. CITY OF PORT ARTHUR JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 1 1 0 1 JEFFERSON DRIVE, JCAD NUMBER JCAD PARTIAL NUMBER 8 6 5 3 4 CITIZENS WITH QUESTIONS REGARDING THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS PROPERTY. CAN CONTRACT CONTACT THE CITY'S PLANNING DEPARTMENT AT 4 0 9 9 8 3 8 1 3 3? I'LL CHANGE THAT. YES, MA'AM. OKAY. IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 6.03 E OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR ZONING ORDINANCE IN CHAPTER TWO 11 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, THE CITY COUNCIL IS BEING ASKED TO CONSIDER A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR APPROXIMATELY 0.64 ACRE OF LAND CONSISTING OF LOTS 20 THROUGH 23 BLOCK TWO, THE GLENDALE EDITION, CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, JEFFERSON COUNTY, TEXAS. THE PROPERTY IS LOCATED AT 1101 JEFFERSON DRIVE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REQUEST IS TO ALLOW THE CONSTRUCTION OF AN UNMANNED WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM IN A COMMERCIAL RETAIL DISTRICT. A COMPLETED APPLICATION WAS FILED WITH THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION ON OR AROUND JANUARY 15TH, 2026, REQUESTING A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED PROPERTY. THE SPECIFIC USE PERMIT WILL ALLOW THE PROPOSED USES TO LEGALLY CONFORM ITS SET LOCATIONS. PUBLIC NOTICES WERE MAILED TO PROPERTY OWNERS WITHIN A 200 FOOT RADIUS OF THE PROPOSED SITES ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 16TH, 2026, AND PUBLISHED IN THE PORT ARTHUR NEWSPAPER ON JANUARY 17TH, 2026. A REGULAR MEETING OF THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION WAS HELD ON FEBRUARY 16TH, 2026, INVITING CITIZENS TO EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION TO THE REQUEST. THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION VOTED TWO ONE, RECOMMENDING THAT THE REQUEST BE APPROVED ON FEBRUARY 24TH, 2026. THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 26 DASH OH SEVEN ONE, CALLING FOR TODAY'S PUBLIC HEARING. THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE PUBLISHED A PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE PORT ARTHUR NEWSPAPER ON MARCH 7TH, 2026, AS WELL AS PREPARED AND MAILED NOTIFICATIONS TO ADJACENT PROPERTY OWNERS OWNERS ON OR AROUND FEBRUARY 5TH, 2026. THE CURRENT ZONING IS THE COMMERCIAL RETAIL DISTRICT AND THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMERCIAL RETAIL DISTRICT IS TO PROVIDE A LOCATION FOR LIKE COMMERCIAL AND RETAIL ACTIVITIES. THESE LOCATIONS ARE TYPICALLY ALONG MAJOR THOROUGHFARES AND HIGHWAYS. THE PROPOSED ZONING IS A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT. THE PURPOSE OF THE SPECIFIC USE PERMIT IS TO ALLOW A DESIGNATED USE AT A DESIGNATED LOCATION AND APPROVAL FOR A SPECIFIC USE PER, FOR A SPECIFIC USE THAT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE MORE INTENSE OR TO HAVE A POTENTIALLY GREATER IMPACT THAN A USE PERMITTED BY RIGHT WITHIN THE SAME ZONING DISTRICT. HERE'S A MAP OF THE ZONING DE DESIGNATION. IN NORTH SOUTH EAST, YOU HAVE THE COMMERCIAL RETAIL DISTRICT. IN WEST YOU HAVE THE MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL, ALSO KNOWN AS TWO FAMILY DISTRICT. HERE'S AN AREA VIEW OF THE PROPERTY, AND THIS SLIDE SHOWS A VIEW OF THE PROPERTIES ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION AND ALSO, UM, THE INTENT IS BEING REQUESTED TO BE PLACED BEHIND THE BRISKET ROOM, SO IT'LL BE ON THAT SITE. AND HERE'S ANOTHER PHOTO OF PROPERTIES ADJACENT TO THE LOCATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT. CODE SECTIONS TWO 11.006 AND TWO 11.007. A PUBLIC HEARING WAS SCHEDULED ON THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENTS. ON FEBRUARY 16TH, 2026. NO WRITTEN OPPOSITION, NO [00:50:01] VERBAL OPPOSITION, AND FOUR LETTERS RETURNED. AND ON MARCH 24TH, 2026 TODAY, CITY COUNCIL MEETING, AS OF RIGHT NOW, NO WRITTEN OPPOSITION, NO VERBAL OPPOSITION, AND NO LETTERS RETURNED. APPENDIX A, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR ZONING ORDINANCE STATES THAT A CITY COUNCIL MAY APPROVE OR DENY THE PROPOSED MATTER BY A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE. IN THE EVENT THAT A PROPOSED CHANGE TO A REGULATION OR A BOUNDARY IS DENIED BY THE PLANNING, PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, THEN THE PROPOSED CHANGE MUST BE APPROVED BY AT LEAST THREE FOURTHS OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL. WERE QUALIFIED TO VOTE. THEREFORE, A CIVIL MAJORITY VOTE OF THE CITY COUNCIL WILL BE REQUIRED TO APPROVE THIS REQUEST. ALSO, UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR, UM, THE PROPERTY OWNER IS HERE TO SPEAK AND POSSIBLY PRESENT ON BEHALF OF HIS PROJECT. SO I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW. OKAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH MA'AM. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUE ANYONE, UH, WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS PARTICULAR, UM, PUBLIC HEARING? OKAY, YOU WANT COME ON UP, SIR, AND STATE YOUR NAME AND YOUR ADDRESS PLEASE. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, VINCE HEBERT WITH VINCENT JORDAN ASSOCIATES COUNSEL. UH, WE, UH, REPRESENT AT T AND TOWER VENTURES ON THIS THING. OH, YOU HAVE IT UP? GOOD. THANK YOU. UH, REAL QUICK, I'M GONNA BE REAL BRIEF. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH THIS IN, IN IN ABOUT THREE OR FOUR MINUTES. UH, WE HAVE TO HAVE COMMERCIAL ZONING FOR AN UNMANNED WIRELESS. WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THESE PHONES ARE, THESE LITTLE SUPER COMPUTERS WE CARRY AROUND, UM, IN THIS SITUATION THAT AT AND T WANTS THIS TO BE BUILT FOR THEM AS A PRIMARY CANDIDATE. UM, BUT IT WILL ALSO HOLD ALL THE OTHER CARRIERS AS WELL. SO THEIR, THEIR SITES ARE ABOUT A MILE APART WHERE AT AND T IS, AND THIS IS COMING IN RIGHT ABOUT IN BETWEEN THE TWO SITES. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN REALLY SEE THAT ON THE SCREEN AS WELL. UM, THAT'S THE INTERSECTION THAT STAFF IS TALKING ABOUT. IT'S A COMMERCIAL INTERSECTION. UM, WE'RE OVER 104 FEET AWAY FROM THE CLOSEST RESIDENTIAL LAND USE. UM, WE'RE 500 FEET FROM WHEATLEY SCHOOL. AND THESE ARE, THESE ARE LITTLE BULLET POINTS FOR, FOR THE, SO FOR RF HEALTH, YOU CAN CONSULT YOUR CITY ATTORNEY ON THAT, BUT THE SITE NEEDS TO BE APPROVED AS AN SUP WITH THIS COUNCIL, IT COULD BE DONE WITHOUT AN SUP, IT WOULD BE MUCH SHORTER AND RIGHT ON LEWIS AVENUE. SO WE WANTED TO PUSH IT BACK BEHIND THE BUILDINGS AND GET IT OUT OF THE, OF THE CORRIDOR. UM, THIS IS THE CLOSEST TOWER. IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY WORK, BUT YOU CAN SEE. AND ONE THING I'VE NOTICED THAT IN MY TRIPS TO PORT ARTHUR FROM PNZ AND CITY COUNCIL, Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB COMBINING CARRIERS ON SITES. EVERY, EVERY SITE I'VE SEEN HAS MULTIPLE CARRIERS. SO THAT THAT'S TO BE COMMENDED. UM, SOME VALUE STUDIES BY ROOT METRICS. IT'S WEIRD, BUT IT IS TRUE THAT THE TOP THREE THINGS, PEOPLE LOOK AS HOME BUYERS, SCHOOLS, CELL COVERAGE IN HOSPITALS, AND IT GOES THROUGH THAT AGE GROUP. YOU CAN SEE IT CHANGES A LITTLE BIT, BUT IT'S ALWAYS ONE OF THE TOP TWO THINGS. UM, SAME THING WITH MORNING CALLS. CONSULT, 90% OF HOME BUYERS LOOK FOR SALE COVERAGE AS BEING VERY IMPORTANT. UM, HERE'S THE RF MAPS, THAT'S THE SEARCH RING. WHEN THEY RUN, RUN OUT OF CAPACITY AND HAVE SOME GAPS IN COVERAGE, THEY ISSUE THIS RING. THAT'S THE SITE OFF AIR. YOU CAN SEE THE TWO ONE TO THE EAST AND ONE TO THE WEST WHERE THE GREEN IS GOOD. UM, WE, WE BASICALLY HAVE IN IN VEHICLE COVERAGE EVERYWHERE IN PORT ARTHUR, BUT THIS IS IN BUILDING COVERAGE. THEY WANT 5G COVERAGE IN YOUR HOMES AND THAT'S THE SITE ON AIR. SO YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE IN COVERAGE. THERE'S A LITTLE SMALL CELL TO THE NORTH OF US THAT'S PICKING UP A SMALL AREA. UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT LITTLE BLUE DOT, BUT THAT'S REALLY A SMALL CELL IN THE RIGHT OF WAY. IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE THAT MUCH POWER. UM, RF HEALTH, THIS WILL BE A FIRSTNET SITE, SO IF YOU'RE A FIRST RESPONDER, THEY WILL EMPLOY FIRSTNET ON FOR AT AND T. AND AGAIN, MY FINAL REMINDING US WE HAVE THESE MAJOR WIRELESS, WE WE NEED HIM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY. 90% OF 9 1 1 CALLS ARE, ARE CALLED ON MOBILE. SO MAYOR, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COUNSEL, THANK YOU. UH, I'LL BE AVAILABLE. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS, UM, PUBLIC HEARING? ANYONE ELSE? OKAY. WE'RE GOING TO, UH, CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AT 10:26 AM THANK YOU, UM, FOR PRESENTING TO US. WE APPRECIATE IT AND I'M SURE WE'LL HAVE THE CORRELATING, UM, ITEMS TO COME UP FOR APPROVAL AT THE RIGHT TIME. YES, MA'AM. FOR ON THE AGENDA? YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OF COURSE. THANK YOU MS. ARIES MALOW. [00:55:02] ALRIGHT, NOW [III.B.(1) A Presentation By Harry Crawford Regarding The Pleasure Island Power Collection Project. (Requested By Councilmember Lewis) (Part 2 of 2)] WE'RE GOING TO GO BACK, UM, TO PRESENTATIONS. UM, WE, UM, AT THAT MOMENT I HAD COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, YOU HAD YOUR LIGHT ON. ARE YOU DONE SPEAKING TO THAT PRESENTATION OR, I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CONCLUDE YOUR COMMENT. YES, HE DID HAVE FIVE MINUTES LEFT. MR. CRAWFORD. NO, YOU, I I I WANTED TO STOP WHERE YOU, I START. WELL, I STOPPED WITH, WITH YOUR QUESTION, SO THAT'S WHY I WENT BACK TO THAT. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, I, I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR UP SOMETHING. THE LAST MEETING, UH, YES. Y'ALL, Y'ALL SAID THAT THE ACRES WAS 2,274 ACRES. IT'S NOT, IT'S 2276.9 AND A 5.76 ACRE EASEMENT. SO IN THE LETTER THAT Y'ALL AGREED TO WRITE, I'M ASKING THAT WHAT WAS FILED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY ACCOMPANY THAT LETTER? THE MEETS AND BOUNDS FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE, THE 1360.5 IN THE LAKE, THE 900 ACRES AT P EIGHT AND THE 16.4 SUBSTATION AND THE 5.76 EASEMENT GOING TO THE 900 ACRES THAT THEY WOULD BE ATTACHED TO THE LETTER BECAUSE IT REPRESENTS THE FULL 2276.9 ACRES THAT Y'ALL SAID Y'ALL ARE LEASING TO US IS, DID I MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? YES, SIR. OKAY. I UNDERSTAND. OKAY. THAT'S ALL I WANTED. I APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MR. CRAWFORD. MM-HMM . WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW [III.B.(2) A Presentation By Staff Regarding an Update On The Animal Shelter. (Requested By Councilmember Frank)] TO OUR SECOND PRESENTATION, THE PRESENTATION BY STAFF REGARDING THE UPDATE ON THE ANIMAL SHELTER. AND THIS IS REQUESTED BY COUNCILMAN FRANK. GOOD MORNING MAYOR. MAYOR PROTE, MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE DAUS. TODAY I AM PLEASED TO PROVIDE A, A STATUS UPDATE ON THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR'S NEW ANIMAL SERVICE CENTER CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THIS PROJECT REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE, OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES WITHIN OUR CITY. THERE WE GO. TO BRIEFLY REVISIT THE BACKGROUND OF THIS PROJECT ON FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 24 DASH SEVEN ONE AUTHORIZING AN AGREEMENT WITH CONSTRUCTION ZONE OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW CITY'S ANIMAL SERVICES FACILITY. THE CITY HELD A GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY ON APRIL 22ND, 2024 AT 2:00 PM AT THE PROJECT SITE LOCATED AT 36 15 GATES BOULEVARD, WHICH IS THE FORMER HOME OF THE ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES OFFICIALLY BEGAN ON APRIL 24TH AND THIS PROJECT WAS INITIATED TO REPLACE AN OUTDATED FACILITY AND TO BETTER SERVE BOTH THE ANIMALS AND RESIDENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY. THE NEW ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER IS A MODERN PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITY DESIGNED TO SUPPORT COMPREHENSIVE ANIMAL CARE AND PUBLIC INTERACTION. THE FACILITY INCLUDES INTAKE IN MEDICAL AREAS, ADOPTION IN PUBLIC SERVICE SPACES, KENNEL AND HOLDING AREAS, ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES, AND A SECURE SALLY PORT FOR ANIMAL INTAKE. THIS DESIGN ALIGNS WITH THE CURRENT INDUSTRY STANDARDS AND POSITIONS THE CITY TO MEET BOTH CURRENT AND FUTURE SERVICE DEMANDS. AT THIS TIME, I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE PROJECT IS NEARING ITS COMPLETION. ON MARCH 19TH OF THIS YEAR, CITY STAFF, ALONG WITH THE PROJECT ARCHITECTS CONTRACT AND CONTRACTORS, CONDUCTED AN INITIAL WALKTHROUGH OF THE FACILITY. DURING THIS WALKTHROUGH, A PUNCH LIST OF MINOR ITEMS WERE IDENTIFIED AND PROVIDED TO THE CONTRACTOR. THESE ITEMS ARE CURRENTLY BEING ADDRESSED AND DO NOT REPRESENT ANY MAJOR DEFICIENCIES WITH THE DEVELOPMENT. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE IMAGES ON THIS SLIDE, THE FACILITY HAS PROGRESSED SIGNIFICANTLY AND REFLECTS THE FINAL STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION. THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR STRUCTURES ARE COMPLETE AND THE BUILDING IS NOW TRANSITIONING FROM CONSTRUCTION TO OPERATIONAL READINESS. [01:00:03] ON JANUARY 13TH, THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED RESOLUTION NUMBER 26 DASH ZERO NINE AUTHORIZING THE PURCHASE DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF FURNITURE FOR THIS FACILITY. FOLLOWING APPROVAL, THE ORDER WAS PLACED PROMPTLY. WE ANTICIPATE THAT ALL FURNITURE, FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT WILL BE DELIVERED AND INSTALLED TOMORROW. WE WILL BEGIN TOMORROW AND IT WILL GO ON UNTIL THE 26TH. THESE ITEMS WILL FULLY EQUIP THE FACILITY FOR BOTH STAFF OPERATIONS AND PUBLIC INTERACTION. THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS OUR SALLY PORT AND KENNEL AREA. THESE IMAGES HIGHLIGHT THE SALLY PORT AND KENNEL AREAS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS TO THIS FACILITY. THE SALLY PORT PROVIDES A SECURE AND CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT FOR ANIMAL INTAKE. WHILE THE KENNEL AREAS ARE DESIGNED TO ENSURE CLEANLINESS, SAFETY, AND IMPROVED LIVING CONDITIONS FOR THE ANIMALS, THERE ARE A FEW REMAINING ITEMS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON BACK ORDER, INCLUDING SOME APPLIANCES AND KEY CORES FOR THE INTERNAL LOCKING SYSTEM OF THEIR FACILITY. HOWEVER, THIS WILL THIS, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THESE ITEMS WILL NOT DELAY THE OPENING OF THE FACILITY AND OPERATIONS WILL BE ABLE TO COMMENCE AS PLANNED. WE ARE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT THE GRAND OPENING OF THE NEW ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 15TH AT 11:00 AM I HAVE PLACED A COPY OF THE FLYER ON THE DAYS, OF COURSE, FOR COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE DAY, AND THERE ARE FLYERS IN THE BACK OF THE ROOM FOR THE PUBLIC AS WELL. WE DO PLAN ON PUTTING THIS ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA SITES AS WELL. ADDITIONALLY, PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS OF THE NEW FACILITY WILL BE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC THROUGH THE CITY'S WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. THESE IMAGES SHOWCASE THE EXTERIOR AND PUBLIC FACING OF THE FACILITY, BUT NEW DESIGN PROVIDES A WELCOMING AND PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT FOR RESIDENTS ENHANCING THE OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY OF SERVICES. ONE STAFF ARE FULLY TRANSITION INTO THE NEW FACILITY. WE WILL BEGIN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING COMMUNITY FOCUS PROGRAMS AND EVENTS. THESE WILL INCLUDE ADOPTION EVENTS, VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES, AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. OUR GOAL IS TO POSITION ANIMAL SERVICES AS A MORE VISIBLE AND ENGAGED COMMUNITY RESOURCE. OUR NEXT STEPS OVER THE COMING WEEKS, WE WILL, WE WILL FOCUS ON COMPLETING THE PUNCH LIST ITEMS. FINALIZING THE INSTALLATION OF FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT, CONDUCTING FINAL INSPECTIONS, AND PREPARING FOR STAFF MOVE IN AND OPERATIONAL SETUP. THESE STEPS WILL ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION INTO FULL OPERATIONS. THESE PICTURES ARE A COMPARE. THESE PICTURES ARE A COMPARISON THAT HIGHLIGHTS A SIGNIFICANT TRANSFORMATION FROM THE PREVIOUS FACILITY TO THE NEW ANIMAL SERVICES CENTER. THE PICTURES THAT YOU SEE HIGHLIGHTED IS WHAT WE CURRENTLY ARE OPERATING OUT OF. UM, I THINK SOMEONE, A CITIZEN, ACTUALLY EXPRESSED IT THE BEST ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND REFERRED TO IT AS A TWO CAR GARAGE. AND THIS IS WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN OPERATING OUT OF FOR QUITE SOME TIME. . WOW. THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS WHAT THEY WILL BE OPERATING OUT OF. WOW. YES. GOOD. CONGRATS. THE FACILITY, THE NEW FACILITY OFFERS IMPROVED SPACE, MODERN AMENITIES, ENHANCED SAFETY, AND A MUCH HIGHER STANDARD OF CARE FOR ANIMALS, AS WELL AS A BETTER EXPERIENCE FOR BOTH STAFF AND THE PUBLIC. IN CLOSING, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR IS NEARING COMPLETION OF A MAJOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AND WILL HAVE LASTING BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. WE ARE PROUD OF THE PROGRESS THAT WE HAVE MADE AND LOOK FORWARD TO OFFICIALLY OPENING THE FACILITY ON APRIL 15TH. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT, AND I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT COUNCIL MAY HAVE. OKAY. I HAVE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, WHO HAS HIS LIGHT. YES. I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION. YES, [01:05:01] SIR. WHAT, WHAT THE COUNCIL GONNA BE LOCATED? IS THERE GONNA BE CABLE? I'M SORRY, I CAN YOU REPEAT YOUR QUESTION? SORRY. . I GOTCHA. I DO WANNA DO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK COUNCIL FOR THEIR SUPPORT, UM, OF THIS FACILITY, UM, IN SUPPORTING US IN MOVING FORWARD. AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK STAFF, UM, FOR ALL OF THEIR HARD WORK ALONG WITH THEIR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS STAND ON TOP OF THIS PROJECT. I HAVE ONE MORE LIGHT. THANK YOU. I'M SO SORRY. UM, COUNCIL FRANK? YES. WELL, I WAS GOING TO DO WHAT YOU WERE DOING. YES, SIR. UH, I'M GOING, I WANT TO THANK STAFF. I WANT TO THANK OUR CITY MANAGER. I WANT TO THANK, UH, MS. DARLENE PIER AND THE ENTIRE STAFF AT THE ANIMAL, UH, SUPPORT. UH, IT WAS A TWO CAR GARAGE. YES. IT, YES IT IS. IT, IT LITERALLY WAS. YES. AND I ALWAYS FELT AS THOUGH WE COULD DO BETTER BY STAFF AND DO BETTER, UM, BY OUR CITIZENS AS WELL IN OPERATING THIS. SO WE BROUGHT IT TO FRUITION THIS ALONG WITH WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO, UH, OUT ON HO MILLS BY THAT UPGRADE FOR STAFF AND FOR, FOR THAT FACILITY. OUR FACILITIES ARE BEING RENOVATED IN THE CITY. AND SO, MAN, I AM JUST EXCITED ABOUT IT. UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE GRAND OPENING AND ALL OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HAVE. SO NOW WE HAVE THE NEW HEALTH BUILDING. YES. WE HAVE THE NEW HO BUILD HO MILLS PROJECT FOR MAINTENANCE. YES. YOU'VE GOT THIS ANIMAL CONTROL. SO THERE'S SOME PROJECTS THAT WE BROUGHT TO FRUITION AND SO WE ARE JUST GRATEFUL FOR IT. THANK ALL OF YOU, UH, FOR, FOR YOUR EFFORTS. APPRECIATE ABSOLUTELY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION. APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, AT THIS TIME WE'RE GONNA MOVE OVER TO OUR AGENDA. Y'ALL. UM, LET ME, LET ME SAY THIS REALLY QUICKLY. UM, I DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE QUESTIONS UNLESS, UM, WE ARE ON AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA. AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW ON PRESENTATIONS. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR AGENDA, UM, DURING SPEAKERS OR PRESENTATIONS. SO THANK YOU ALL AND I KNOW THAT EVERYBODY APPRECIATES THE CITY OF PRO AND WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF TIME, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO OUR, FINISH OUR AGENDA AT THIS TIME. ALRIGHT, SO, UH, NUMBER FIVE, REPORTS AND ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST. UM, WE HAVE, UH, IF COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO COMMENT ON OR GIVE ACCOLADES ON, OR YOU WANNA RECOGNIZE SOME INFORMATION, YOU MAY DO SO AT THIS TIME IN PUTTING YOUR LIGHTS ON. UM, DID I SKIP SOMETHING? I'M SORRY. OH MY GOODNESS. I SKIPPED SEVERAL THINGS. LET ME GO BACK. I APOLOGIZE. ITEM [III.F.(1) A Discussion And Possible Action Regarding Veterans Riding The Transit Free Of Charge. (Requested By Nlayor Pro Tern Doucet, Councilmembers Lewis and Kinlaw)] THREE, PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS. UM, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING A VETERANS RIDING THE TRANSIT FREE OF CHARGE. AND THIS REQUEST BY MAYOR, UH, PRO TEM DOUCETTE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS LEWIS AND KEN LAW AT THIS TIME. UH, MAYOR PRO TEM. YES. IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT THE CITY OF BEAUMONT, THEY'VE, UH, ESTABLISHED, UH, WHEREBY VETERANS CAN RIDE THEIR TRANSIT SYSTEM, UH, FREE OF COSTS. AND, UH, CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT OUR TRANSIT SYSTEM IS BASICALLY FUNDED BY 75% BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND BECAUSE OF THE, UH, NUMBER OF RIDERS WE HAVE ON THE TRANSIT SYSTEM, I DON'T SEE WHEREBY THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON, UH, ANY REVENUE THAT WE WOULD, UH, LOSE. NEITHER WILL IT IMPACT ON, UH, US HAVING TO HAVE CROWDED BUSES. BUT, UH, I THINK THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD TAKE A LOOK AT DURHAM FOR OUR VETERANS. YOU KNOW, UH, SOMETIME WE KIND OF FORGET ABOUT THAT. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TAXPAYERS DOLLARS, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WOULD LIKE TO DO, BUT THAT'S NOT SOMETHING PEOPLE PAY FOR US. SO WE CAN'T REALLY DO THAT. BUT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY WHERE WE CAN DO THIS AND IT WON'T IMPACT ON THE TAXPAYER'S DOLLARS. AND I DON'T THINK IT HAS ANY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR REVENUE. SO I ASKED THE COUNCIL, CONSIDER, UH, DOING THAT FOR THE VETERANS IN OUR CITY. I HAVE IT ON THERE FOR POSSIBLE ACTION, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE, UH, SOMEONE ELSE TO COMMENT TO SEE IF WE WANT TO, UH, BRING IT BACK AS A RESOLUTION OR WE WANT TO ISSUE A DIRECTIVE TO BRING A RESOLUTION TO US TO APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE IT. YEAH. UH, MAYOR PROTE, WE HAVE ANOTHER LIGHT. UM, LET'S GO. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. YEAH, I JUST WANT TO, UH, THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN DO MAYOR PROTE DOUCE FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. THERE'S, THERE'S BEEN [01:10:01] LONG OVERDUE. APOLOGIZE FOR OVERLOOKING IT. UH, DO YOU NEED A MOTION TO THIS PHONE? POSSIBLY. ACTION. I A MOTION FOR WE GOT, WE GOT A COUPLE MORE LIGHTS ON AND WE CAN POSSIBLY COME BACK TO THAT. UM, LET'S, COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK, SIMPLY WANT TO ADD MY VOICE THANKING COUNCILMAN DOUCETTE AND COUNCILMAN KEN LAW. OF COURSE, AS A VETERAN MYSELF, I WOULD BE IN SUPPORT OF THIS. UH, YOU, YOU ARE A VETERAN AS WELL, ? YES. I KNOW YOU ARE A VETERAN. WOW. HEY, TOUCHE. YAY YOU. I'M GETTING YOU. DO YOU GONNA PAY ME BACK TOO? I KNOW IT, BUT I AM IN SUPPORT OF THIS. SO, UH, HOWEVER WE CAN GET THIS ACCOMPLISHED, I'M IN FAVOR OF IT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KEN LAW. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE THINGS I REALLY THINK THAT WE OVERLOOK TO, UH, GIVE KUDOS TO, UH, COUNCILMAN LEWIS AND, UH, MAYOR PRO, TIM DOUCETTE. UH, SOMETIMES WE FORGET ABOUT THE VETERANS AND IT'S A SMALL POPULATION AND I DON'T THINK THAT IT WOULD COST THE CITY, UH, A TON OF MONEY TO ACTUALLY HAVE THIS IN INFORMATION. AND I THINK ALSO THAT IF WE CAN HAVE SOME GUIDELINES TO ENSURE THAT WE HAVE, UH, THESE INDIVIDUAL VETERANS, UH, ABLE TO RIDE THE, OUR, OUR TRANSIT, UH, BUS. SO I WOULD LEAD THAT UP TO THE COMMITTEE OR THE CITY MANAGER AND MAKE IT HAPPEN. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE TO HEART, BUT IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO VERIFY THAT THEY ARE A VETERAN TO ACTUALLY DO THAT. I THINK THAT'S WHAT BEAUMONT DID. AND THERE'S OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN DO THAT. ONCE YOU ARE VER UH, VERIFIED, YOU CAN RIDE OUR TRANSIT. SO, CITY MANAGER, I KNOW THAT'S ANOTHER LITTLE, UH, THING THAT WE'RE GONNA ADD TO THE BOOKS, BUT, UH, I REALLY THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SHOW JUST CAUSE UH, TO OUR VETERANS THAT'S OUT THERE THAT HAS SUPPORTED AND AND SERVED OUR COUNTRY. THANK YOU. UH, CITY MANAGER? YES. AND I SAW THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA. I SPOKE WITH THE TRANSIT DIRECTOR ABOUT IT AND, UM, WE ARE JUST DOING SOME RESEARCH AND WE COME BACK AND DO WHATEVER IT IS NECESSARY TO PUT IT ON THE AGENDA. OKAY, AWESOME. AFTER IT'S BEEN CLEARED. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, YOU HAVE THE LIGHT ON ONE ONE. ONE EDITOR. WE NEED TO MAYBE ADD SOME KIND OF A BADGE OR SOMETHING, BUT WE DON'T WANT THIS ABUSED. OKAY. RIGHT. OKAY. MAYOR PROTE. ETT. I'LL MAKE A MOTION NOW. OKAY. YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? YEAH. WELL, BASED ON THE COMMENTS TO MADE BY COUNCIL, I'LL MAKE A MOTION THAT, UH, WE DIRECT THE CITY MANAGER TO, UH, GET WITH THE TRANSIT DEPARTMENT AND FIND OUT WHAT'S GONNA BE NECESSARY AND WHAT WE HAVE TO DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO EVERYTHING CORRECT. AND WHEN THAT IS DONE, BRING IT BACK TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL. SECOND, HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE MOTION PASSES. WE'RE [III.F.(2) A Discussion Regarding An Update On The Audit. (Requested By Mayor Pro Tern Doucet)] GONNA MOVE NOW TO A DISCUSSION. NUMBER TWO, A DISCUSSION REGARDING UPDATE ON THE AUDIT REQUESTED BY MAYOR PROM ETT. OKAY, WELL, IT IS NOT REALLY AN UPDATE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE EVERY TIME I PLACED IT ON HERE, WE HAVE NOT DONE ANYTHING FROM WHAT WE SAID. FIRST WE APPROVED IT, THEN I BROUGHT IT BACK WITH A LOT OF QUESTIONS. THE LAST TIME WE MET, WE, WE ALL AGREED TO HAVE A WORKSHOP. IT WAS SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED THAT THE STAFF SHOULD POLL THE COUNCIL TO FIND OUT WHEN WAS AN AVAILABLE TIME THAT WE ALL COULD MEET AND DO THAT TO ESTABLISH THAT THAT'S WHAT WAS AGREED UPON. THAT WAS NOT DONE. I'M CONSTANTLY HEARING PEOPLE ASK ABOUT IT EVER SINCE WE WERE BROKE TO APPROVE IT. SO I, UH, I'M NOT GONNA BE HERE THAT MUCH LONGER, SO I'M NOT BRINGING IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL. UH, WE, WE VOTED FOR IT. CITIZENS ASKED MYSELF, AND I KNOW THEY'RE ASKING ALL OF US WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH IT. SO WHAT I'LL DO RIGHT QUICK IS I LET THE CITIZENS KNOW WHY I REQUESTED AND WHY I ASKED FOR THE FORENSIC AUDIT. UH, I ASKED FOR IT BECAUSE AFTER TWO YEARS OF CONSTANTLY BRINGING THINGS TO THIS COUNCIL ABOUT ORDINANCES, LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODES THAT PERTAINS TO FINANCE, THAT IS THE KEY FOR THIS CITY OPERATING MONEY. THE MONEY MUST BE SPENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE OILINESS, THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODES. AND ALSO THIS BIBLE WE [01:15:01] CALL A BUDGET. FOR SOME REASON, WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS WHO DON'T READ THE BIBLE, DON'T READ THE CODES. AND FOR TWO YEARS I WERE CONSTANTLY TALKED ABOUT THIS, SO I'M GONNA BRING IT BACK, BUT WHEN I BRING IT BACK THE NEXT TIME, IT WON'T BE FROM THIS SEAT, BUT IT'D BE BACK WITH THESE REFERENCES. JUST TO GIVE CITIZENS A BRIEF UNDERSTANDING ON WHY I'M SO ADAMANT ABOUT THIS IS BECAUSE IF YOU READ OUR CHARTER SECTION, CHAPTER TWO, SECTION TWO DASH 31 E, THAT STATES NO ITEM CAN BE PLACED ON THE AGENDA FOR ACTIONS THAT ONE OBLIGATE FUNDS THAT HAS NOT, THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SPECIFICALLY BUDGETED OR FUNDING WILL BE PROPOSED BY A BUDGET AMENDMENT AT THAT COUNCIL MEETING. WE CONSTANTLY DOING THIS. AND WHEN I BRING IT UP, IT'S LIKE DEAF EARS WHEN I'M THROUGH SPEAKING WAS OLD ON IT. OKAY? UH, ANOTHER ONE CITIZENS SHOULD LOOK AT IS SECTION TWO DASH 2 85. IT SAYS, THE CITY, THE CITY COUNCIL CONFERS UPON THE CITY MANAGER, THE GENERAL AUTHORITY TO CONTRACT REQUEST, UH, EXPENDITURES WITHOUT FURTHER APPROVAL OF THE CITY COUNCIL FOR ALL BUDGETED ITEMS, NOT EXCEEDING 25,000 BUCKS. WELL, YOU KNOW, LIKE WITH ALL THINGS, YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE THIS ORDINANCE AND IT SAYS THAT, AND THAT'S WHAT EVERYBODY RUNS AND TALK ABOUT. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE DO THAT THE COUNCIL JUST DON'T SAY ANYTHING LESS THAN $25,000. YOU CAN APPROVE IT. DON'T HAVE TO COME TO US. YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S STIPULATIONS. UH, ONE OF THOSE IS THAT THERE IS A CHECK REGISTRY THAT IS MAINTAINED AND IS PROVIDED TO COUNSEL MONTHLY. MONTHLY. AND THAT CHECK REGISTRY IS MAINTAINED IN THE CITY'S SECRETARY'S OFFICE FOR OVER TWO YEARS. I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS, I'VE BEEN MENTIONING IT. NONE OF THIS EXISTS. AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE LIST OF THINGS, 25,000, THAT'S NO LINE ITEM IN THE BIBLE TO COVER IT. SEE, SOMEBODY MIGHT THINK I'M NOT FOR EMPLOYEES, BUT A BRIEF EXAMPLE IS CHRISTMAS BONUSES FOR EMPLOYEES. THE FIRST TIME IT CAME UP, YOU WAIT TILL THE FIRST WEEK IN DECEMBER AND YOU DO IT. I DON'T WANT EMPLOYEES THINK I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF BONUS, BUT WHAT I'M IN FAVOR OF DONE THE WAY WE'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT. AND WHEN I TALK TO COUNSEL, AND IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME READ IT. IT'S WRITTEN WHAT WE DO. NO ONE WANNA READ THIS. COUNCIL DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO DO WHAT IT WANT WITH TAXPAYER'S MONEY. I DON'T CARE IF ALL OF US VOTE FOR IT. EVERY CITY, COUNTY, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE, EVERYBODY MAKES A MISTAKE. EVERYBODY DIDN'T KNOW. BUT WHEN SOMEONE SAYS IT, AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW, WON'T YOU ASK QUESTIONS, BUT JUST ARBITRARILY TAKE UPON YOURSELF TO DO IT. THE FIRST YEAR I TALKED ABOUT IT, DEATH IS THE SECOND YEAR. DEATH IS. SO THIS YEAR WE DECIDED WE AIN'T GONNA DO IT. WE'RE GONNA DO A GALA. I IT'S THE SAME THING. WE DIDN'T PUT IT IN THE BUDGET. IF IT'S NOT IN HERE, WE DON'T USE IT. I'M GONNA READ THIS THING. AND AS CITIZENS, YOU CAN GOOGLE TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE AND GO TO THEIR HANDBOOK FOR MAYORS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. IT TALKS ABOUT FINANCE, IT TALKS ABOUT OUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. IT TALKS ABOUT THIS FORM OF GOVERNMENT. BUT [01:20:02] WHAT THEY TELL US IN THIS HANDBOOK, PAYMENT OF BONUSES TO CITY EMPLOYEES, THE TEXAS CONSTITUTION, ARTICLE THREE, SECTION 52 AND 53 PROHIBIT THE PAYMENTS OF BONUSES TO CITY EMPLOYEES. IF FOR AN EXAMPLE, THIS WAS SO FUNNY WHEN I READ THIS, 'CAUSE THIS EXAMPLE, I THOUGHT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT US. IF FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN DECEMBER ARRIVED, IT IS FOUND THAT THE CITY HAS EX SOME EXTRA MONEY FUNDS AND IT IS DECIDED THAT IT WOULD BE NICE TO REWARD THE CITY EMPLOYEES WITH A CHRISTMAS BONUS. SUCH A DISTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC FUND WILL BE ILLEGAL. HOWEVER, IF THE PAYMENT IS PART OF THE EMPLOYEE'S OVERALL COMPENSATION AND IS SCHEDULED IN THE BUDGET AS SUCH, IT THEN BECOMES LEGITIMATE. YOU KNOW, I, I'M JUST DOING THIS FOR TIME SAKE, I'M JUST HITTING THESE EXAMPLES, BUT THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY THAT I HAVE GATHERED OVER THE LAST TWO AND A HALF YEARS THAT I HAVE SAID TO THIS COUNCIL, WE NOT APPROPRIATING AND MANAGE THE MONEY ACCORDINGLY, AS ON DEATH. A, THAT'S WHY THE FORENSIC AUDIT, WHEN THEY COME IN, IF YOU TELL THEM SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WANT 'EM TO LOOK AT, THEY'LL FIND IT. YOU CAN'T HIDE IT. THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. A FORENSIC ARTIST WILL SAY, YOU DID THESE THINGS BAD AND YOU NEED TO DO THESE THINGS BETTER. AND IT ALSO SAYS YOU DID THIS AND IT'S NOT WITHIN YOUR ORDINANCE. AND THAT'S MY PROBLEM. WHEN WE VIOLATE ORDINANCE AND WE START VIOLATING LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE AND IT TO MONEY. BUT THAT CHAPTER, THEN YOU COULD GO TO THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE READ CHAPTER 1 0 2. US CITIZENS CAN READ THIS WHEN I MAKE A COMMENT AND THEY ASK CITY ATTORNEY, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE AN ATTORNEY TO READ AND INTERPRET A LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE. THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH SIMPLE. YOU KNOW, IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE WORD, JUST LOOK IT UP IN DICTIONARY, THEN YOU'LL KNOW THE WHOLE MEANING OF WHAT THEY'RE SAYING. OKAY? BUT THE, THE THINGS I WANTED THEM TO LOOK AT WAS THOSE THINGS. CONTRACTING, PERSONNEL, GRIEVANCE AND HIRING. AND THE OPEN MEETING ACT. THE OPEN MEETING ACT. I QUESTION THINGS THAT WE ARE GOING TO LIST TO TALK ABOUT IN CLOSED SESSION. AND IT'S LIKE ON DEATH EARS, AN EXAMPLE. AND ONE EXAMPLE, BUT I'M GONNA HAVE MANY. ONE EXAMPLE. WHY ARE WE DISCUSSING CHARGING CITIZENS A FEE FOR USE OF A CREDIT CARD WITH THE CITY ENCLO SESSION? IT'S A NO-GO. I GUESS I'M A BAD GUY. I'M NOT HERE TO CONTINUE. UH, WHEN I GOT BACK ON COUNCIL, MY WHOLE INTENT WAS TO BRING MY EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE. I SPENT HOURS READING ALL THIS STUFF. I SPENT HOURS PREPARING TO COME HERE AND IT ON DEATH EARS. UNACCEPTABLE. WHY I'M GONNA PUSH FOR THIS. I'M LEAVING BECAUSE I CANNOT GET WHAT I GOT ON HERE FOR. BUT I LOVE THIS CITY AND I AIN'T GONE NOWHERE. AND EVERYTHING I'M TALKING ABOUT IS GONNA BE RESOLVED. AN INDIVIDUAL WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE BECAUSE I'M NOT WASTING MY TIME UP HERE ANYMORE. BUT I'LL BE AT THAT PODIUM AND I'LL HAVE PEOPLE THAT FEELS THE SAME WAY. WE NEED TO USE THE TAXPAYER'S MONEY PROPERLY AND WE NEED TO FOLLOW WHAT IS WRITTEN. AND MY BIGGEST THING FOR THE FORENSIC [01:25:01] GUARD WAS OUR CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATION DEALING WITH OUR STREET MONEY. 'CAUSE THE COMMON QUESTION THAT IS ASKED OF ME, AND I KNOW IT'S ASKED OF OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MONEY. WE'RE GONNA HAVE AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA, SOME OF YOU AROUND, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR ME DISCUSS IT, THEN I'LL BE ABLE TO COVER IT THEN WITHOUT GOING ANY FARTHER. BUT WHAT I GAVE YOU WAS JUST A SAMPLE OF WHAT WE NEED LOOKED AT IN THIS CITY AND WHAT WE NEED CORRECTED AND WE OWE IT TO YOU. THAT'S ALL I HAVE, MAYOR. ALRIGHT. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS HAD YOUR LIGHT ON. YES. SO JUST BRIEFLY, I APPRECIATE YOUR COUNCIL TO DO SOMETHING FULL SUPPORT OF WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU PRESENTING. UH, WE HAVE A $400 MILLION BUDGET AND COST IS GOING BE FAR LESS THAN 1% OF THAT BUDGET. AND I NOTICED THAT OTHER CITIES ARE ALSO DOING IT. FINALLY COMING ON WATER, STARTED DOING IT. ONE OF ONLINE CITIES. I THINK DIDN'T FIND ANY FRAUD. NOT NECESSARILY THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, BUT IF YOU FIND IT, DEAL WITH IT WHAT THEY DID. FIND OUT BETTER WAYS OF TO HANDLE THEIR BUSINESS, BETTER WAYS TO PERFORM, BETTER WAYS TO, TO ACCOUNTABILITY. THAT'S WHAT FOUND OUT. UH, $400 MILLION. SOMEBODY BETTER BE DOUBLE CHECKING. BUT THE BEST WAY, WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN WITH THE FORENSIC ARTISTS COMING AT YOU IN THE FUTURE? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? THE ENTIRE ORDER IS GOING TO GET BETTER, MORE ACCOUNTABLE. PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER, NOT THIS CITY MANAGER, PREVIOUS MEETING, CITY MANAGER IS NOT YOU. OKAY? HE WROTE LESS THAN $25,000 FOR ONE ITEM AND I JUST HAPPENED TO TOTAL IT UP. IT WAS OVER A HUNDRED AND SOMETHING THOUSAND DOLLARS. I ASKED HIM, WHAT DID YOU GET THE PERMISSION TO DO THAT? HE, I SAID, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT AUTHORITY. I KNOW THAT. I SAID, WHERE DID YOU GET THE PERMISSION? OH, THE PERSON, THE PERSON, UH, MANAGER TOLD ME HE ANSWER TO YOU. BUT THOSE THINGS, THAT IMPROVEMENTS, FRAUD, IF IT'S THERE, FINE WILL DEAL WITH IT. BUT MANAGING IMPROVEMENT, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. $400 MILLION AND LESS THAN 1% TO, UH, FINANCES. UH, AUDIT IS WELL WORTH IT. COUNCILWOMAN BECKHAM. THANK YOU. DIDN'T WE DISCUSS AT A PRIOR MEETING THAT WE WERE GONNA SET A WORKSHOP ON THIS? YEAH. AND THE SCOPE OF WORK WAS GONNA BE DEVELOPED BY COUNCIL MEMBER ETTE. 'CAUSE HE KNEW WHAT HE WANTED. SO I THINK, OKAY, WELL, WHEN, THAT'S WHAT I UNDERSTOOD IT TO SAY. WHEN ARE WE GONNA SCHEDULE THAT WORKSHOP? I THINK WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO DO IT. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS SINCE THIS HAS BEEN ON THE AGENDA. AND A WORKSHOP WAS ASKED FOR, THE WORKSHOP WAS ASKED FOR WITH COUNCILMAN ETTE SAID HE WOULD COME UP WITH THE, THE, UM, PLATFORM WITH THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE AND SET THE WORKSHOP. SO I WOULD, I DON'T KNOW. UM, I NEVER SAW THE SCOPE OF WORK. THAT'S MAYBE I'M NOT, THAT'S NOT HOW I RECALL IT. BUT I THINK AT THE WORKSHOP, I'M GONNA GO BACK AND WATCH THAT. I, I'D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT IT'S STATED. I THINK IF WE'RE GONNA DO A WORKSHOP, WE ALL NEED TO GIVE OUR INPUT ON WHAT WE THINK THE SCOPE OF WORK SHOULD BE. BECAUSE WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER ETT OR MAYOR PROM DE SET WANTS MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I WANT IN THE SCOPE OF WORK. SO WE NEED TO SET A WORKSHOP SO WE CAN ALL PARTICIPATE IN SETTING THE SCOPE OF WORK. YEAH. AND WHO, WHO, WHO'S GONNA THE WORKSHOP, WHO'S GONNA SET THE WORKSHOP? THE MAYOR DOESN'T SET THE WORKSHOP. MAYOR, WE SET IT UP. I MEAN, WE SET IT THE LAST MEETING. THAT MEETING IS I THINK 10 FEBRUARY. AND I THINK WE COULD GO, THEY COULD PULL IT UP AND YOU COULD SHOW IT HERE. WE SAID FOR STAFF TO POLL THE COUNCIL SO THAT COUNCIL CAN GET A DATE WHEN WE ALL CAN MAKE IT. OKAY. AND THEN THAT WAS THE DATE WE SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE WORKSHOP STAFF TOLD THE COUNCIL AND GET A WORKSHOP GOING, WELL, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT WE SAID THE LAST TIME. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN. AND OKAY, SO WE COULD DO THAT AND GO, I DO WANNA GO BACK TO THAT MEETING AND LOOK AT WHAT WAS STATED IN THAT MEETING FOR THE RECORD. UH, BUT LET'S, LET'S GET THE, UH, LET'S CITY SECRETARY, LET'S GET OUR COUNCIL POLL AND GET A WORKSHOP SCHEDULED. WE'LL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL LET, WE'LL GET IT DONE. I'M SORRY. OH YEAH, GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE IT. OKAY. I JUST HAVE ONE COMMENT. I, UH, COUNCILMAN LEWIS TRIGGERED IT. IT'S SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT THAT I NEEDED TO SAY. WE HEAR PEOPLE TALK ABOUT OUR ANNUAL AUDIT, UH, THAT WE HAVE. OH, IT'S BEEN GREAT. THEY'VE BEEN DOING THIS. WELL THAT AUDIT IS CALLED, IT IS BASICALLY DEALING WITH THE ANNUAL COMPREHENSIVE FINANCIAL REPORT. OKAY. AND, UH, [01:30:02] WE, THE CITY PREPARED THAT. THE CITY PREPARED THAT THEY PREPARED WITH A LETTER. AND THIS REPORT HAS TO BE AT, IN AUSTIN, IN THE CONTROLLER OFFICE NO LATER THAN 31 MARCH OF THE YEAR. NOW I KNOW WE AIN'T GONNA MAKE IT NOW. OH, WE GONNA MAKE IT. WELL THEN HOW WE GONNA MAKE IT? AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOTTEN THE RESULTS. SO, SO, SO, UH, I'M, I'M, I'M TELLING YOU, WE SHOULD AT LEAST GET THE RESULTS BEFORE WE SEND IT OFF. BUT ANYWAY, THAT REPORT IS DONE AND THE AUDITS COME IN, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE A AUDIT. BUT JUST TO REMIND COUNCIL AND TO LET CITIZENS KNOW WHAT I'M SPEAKING ABOUT WHEN I SAY WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND OUR ROLE AND WHAT IT DOES, THAT AUDIT IN FIRM BEFORE THEY COME HERE, EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER IS SENT A LETTER AND THAT LETTER ASKED US, IS IT ANY PARTICULAR AREA OR THING THAT WE WOULD WANT THEM TO LOOK AT? I FILLED OUT, I FEEL MINE OUT. SO A LOT OF TIMES IF COUNCIL MEMBERS DON'T PUT NOTHING IN THERE, WHEN THEY COME IN, THEY JUST GOING TO GO AND CHECK PROCEDURE MOSTLY. AND WHAT WE PREPARED. SO A LOT OF TIME DON'T GET THOSE TWO TYPE ARTISTS CONFUSED BECAUSE THIS ONE IS ALL ROSIE. DON'T THINK THAT THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IF YOU WANT TO GO DEEPER OR YOU HAVE SPECIFIC, OKAY. SO, SO LET'S NOT SAY WE DON'T NEED ONE BECAUSE OF THOSE RESULTS. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO MAKE. THAT'S THE POINT I WANTED TO MAKE. OKAY. I'M THROUGH. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU MAYOR PROTE. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO, UM, ITEM NUMBER FOUR. WE'VE DONE OUR PUBLIC HEARINGS. WE'RE GOING [V. REPORTS / ITEMS OF COMMUNITY INTEREST] TO MOVE NOW TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS. IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SAY, YOU MAY PUT YOUR LIGHTS ON. IF NOT, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA. UM, MAYOR PRO TEMP. I'M TRYING TO FIND, I GOT, EXCUSE ME, MA, I GOT SOME MUCH JUNK UP HERE TODAY. I CAN'T FIND MY, I CAN'T FIND MY, I THAT THE NOTES UHHUH. OKAY. THAT'S OKAY. I GOT MY ITEMS HERE ON MY, THAT I WANT ANYWAY. OKAY. MAYOR, I DONE ONE ON PAGE FIVE. I HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE YET. , I'M JUST ASKING IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING LIKE TO SAY TO THE AUDIENCES A RECOMMENDATION OR, UH, YOU'D LIKE TO HOLIDAY ANYTHING. CONGRATULATIONS, CONDOLENCES, ANYTHING AT THIS, UH, JUNCTURE IN OUR, OF OUR AGENDA? YEAH, I GUESS SO. OKAY. I'D LIKE TO, UM, SAY COACH GAMBLE. WE SEE COACH GAMBLE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE. WE, UM, STILL ARE PRAYING FOR YOUR, YOUR FAMILY AND YOURSELF ON THE DEATH AND PASSING OF MRS. GAMBLE. SO, BUT WE'RE GLAD TO SEE YOU HERE IN OUR COUNCIL MEETING ON THIS MORNING. BUT WE'RE STILL PRAYING FOR YOUR FAMILY. I SOMETHING. OKAY. MAYOR , HOW ABOUT, HOW ABOUT TELLING US ABOUT THAT BOMB OR THAT BLOWING UP MY HOUSE? DO I, THAT'S WHAT I WANNA HEAR. OKAY. UM, RIGHT NOW, AND I'LL, I'LL DO AN UPDATE FOR US AT THIS TIME. WE ARE ALL SAFE AND WE THANK GOD THAT WE ARE SAFE. UM, VALERO DID A, A GREAT JOB IN TRY SECURING THE AREA. UM, I WAS THERE AT VALERO ON YESTERDAY, AS SOON AS I COULD HAVE POSSIBLY GOTTEN THERE JUST TO BE THERE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. AND OF COURSE, THEY HAD EVERYTHING SECURE. THEY WERE TRYING TO, UH, NAVIGATE A PATH BY WHICH THEY COULD GET THE, UH, FIRE EXTINGUISHED AS QUICKLY AS THEY POSSIBLY COULD ALONG WITH OUR FIRST RESPONDERS. AND I'D LIKE TO THANK, UM, THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, UH, FIRST RESPONDERS, OUR CHIEF OF POLICE, UM, OUR FIRE CHIEF, UM, HIS DEPUTIES, UM, UH, THEY WERE, THEY WERE THERE. THEY, THEY WERE THERE AND ON THE SCENE TO SEE WHAT THEY COULD DO, HOW THEY COULD HELP AND AID, UM, VALERO IN WHAT THEY WERE DOING. BUT VALERO HAD ALL THE PROFESSIONALS IN PLACE, UM, WHO HAVE NOT GOTTEN A REASON AS TO WHAT OCCURRED. THEY'RE STILL INVESTIGATING. AND, BUT WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR, UM, FIRST OF ALL, TO HAVE RESPONDERS, FIRST RESPONDERS THERE ON THE SCENE ON THE JOB. OUR CITY MANAGER WAS THERE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, KEN LAW WAS THERE. UM, AND WE WERE JUST, UM, THANKFUL, NO LOSS OF LIFE. AND THAT'S WHAT I'M THANKFUL FOR. AND NO LOSS OF LIFE WITH SOMETHING LIKE THAT. UM, IT COULD, WE, WE COULD HAVE DEFINITELY HAD, UM, MASS A LOSS OF LIFE AND INJURIES, BUT NO INJURIES AND NO LOSS OF LIFE. UM, I'M JUST, I I'M JUST THANKFUL AND GRATEFUL THAT THAT'S ALL WE ENCOUNTERED [01:35:01] WAS A FIRE. AND SO, AND, AND EVEN TCEQ HAS CHECKED THE QUALITY OF AIR COMING FROM THAT AREA. UM, ALL TESTING HAVE, HAVE BEEN CLEARED. WE DID HAVE A SHELTER IN PLACE THAT'S LIFTED EARLY THIS MORNING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT CHIEF. UM, OUR ACTUAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CHIEF, JEREMY HOUSTON, AGAIN, HE WAS THERE ON THE SCENE AND STAYED AND MADE SURE THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT. I WAS TEXT AT ONE 20. I LEFT THERE ABOUT, UH, RIGHT ABOUT 9 30, 10 O'CLOCK. AND, UM, THROUGHOUT THAT NIGHT, UM, WE WERE GETTING UPDATES AND MESSAGES. UM, THE CITY MANAGER MYSELF TO LET US KNOW WHAT WAS TAKING PLACE. SO WE ARE SAFE. THERE WAS NO IRAN, NO BOMB FROM IRAN. NO ANYTHING FOR ANYBODY TO BE AFRAID OF. WE THOUGHT WE GOT ALL KIND OF STORIES. I WAS TOLD THAT PEOPLE WERE EVACUATING. AND, UH, THE WEST SIDE OF PORT ARTHUR, THE ONLY PERSON WHO CALLED FOR AN EVACUATION IS THE MAYOR. MM-HMM . SO, NO, I HAVE NOT CALLED FOR AN EVACUATION. UH, IT'S SHELTER IN PLACE. GO INSIDE, STAY INSIDE YOUR HOUSE AND BE SAFE. AND THAT'S WHAT, UM, JUST ALL THE RUMORS THAT TAKES PLACE. WE'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT PROTOCOL HAS TO TAKE PLACE FIRST. AND THAT IS LET VALERO SECURE THEIR AREA, DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. WE ARE THERE TO ASSIST AND TO AID THEM AND EVERYTHING WORKED OUT. UH, UM, JEFF, OUR, UM, JEFF BRANICK WAS THERE, OUR COUNTY JUDGE, TO MAKE SURE THAT HE STAYED THERE ALL NIGHT. LEFT THIS MORNING ABOUT 4:00 AM SO WE HAVE SHERIFF ZENA STEVENS STAYED. THEY WERE THERE. THEY MADE SURE THOSE CHILDREN GOT HOME THAT WERE STUCK ON THAT SIDE AND COULD NOT TRAVEL DOWN. 82, UM, 87, I DON'T KNOW HIGHWAYS. I KNOW I'M, I'M GEOGRAPHICALLY, GEOGRAPHICALLY CHALLENGED, BUT WE NOW BEEN HERE ALL MY LIFE, BUT I STILL REMEMBER WHAT'S 82 AND WHAT'S 87. BUT ANYWAY, THEY GOT THE KIDS OUT BY BOAT AND THEY GOT TO THEIR PARENTS LATE, UM, LAST NIGHT. SO, MAN, WE, WE, YOU KNOW, TO SAY THAT PORT ARTHUR, WE CAN BUILD IT, SHIP IT, AND RAIL IT FROM PORT ARTHUR IS LITERAL, THE LITERAL TRUTH. YOU CAN GET ON A BOAT AND GET BACK OVER HERE, OR YOU CAN DRIVE ACROSS, OR YOU CAN RAIL IT THAT WAY. AREN'T YOU GLAD TO BE A CITIZEN OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS? WE HAVE IT ALL RIGHT HERE IN THE GREAT CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. AND SO EVERYBODY'S HOME, EVERYBODY'S SAFE. WE'RE SAFE. WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE OUR MEETING THIS MORNING, AND I'M THANKFUL TO EVERYBODY WHO PLAYED A PART. IF I DIDN'T CALL YOUR NAME OUT IS DEFINITELY AN AREA OF THE HEAD AND NOT OF THE HEART, BECAUSE EVERYBODY MEANT SOMETHING AND EVERYBODY MATTERS. AND SO WE WERE GLAD THAT WE GOT THROUGH THIS DILEMMA, UH, THE WAY WE DID AND THE OUTCOME WITH NO FATALITIES, NO INJURIES THAT WE ARE AWARE OF. ALRIGHT? UM, WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON NOW. UM, AND I HAVE ANY, OH, I'M SORRY. I GOTTA LOOK UP. I DON'T KNOW WHO, WHO'S FIRST. UM, I DO, I, I, I KNOW WHO'S FIRST. OKAY. NO, NO, NO PROBLEM. APPRECIATE THE UPDATE. NEXT. GO AHEAD. I, NEXT. YES, SIR. OH, THAT'S NOW. RIGHT NOW. OKAY. GOT TWO MINUTES IN YOUR TIME. 30 SECONDS. GONE. YOU KNOW, I HAD 45 YEARS IN ALL INDUSTRY TIME. MY PHONE RANG, RANG, RANG OFF THE HOOK. PEOPLE THAT SUPERVISORS AND MANAGERS WOULD CALL ME ASKING ME WHAT HAPPENED. IT WAS OUTSIDE OF THE PLANT. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO CAUTION, WANT TO CAUTION WHEN YOU HEAR AN EXPLOSION, I WAS IN HCB, I THOUGHT THE CEILING HAD FALLEN IN. THAT'S HOW BAD IT WAS. MM-HMM . CAUTION. WHEN YOU HEAR AN EXPLOSION GO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. IT, IT MAY BE COMING FROM THE REFINEMENT, GO THE OPPOSITE. DIRECT, DO NOT GO LOOK. BUT THAT'S WHERE THE BODY COUNTS GO UP. OKAY? WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU GO AND LOOK AT A, A REFINERY EXPLOSION, YOU GET A PIPELINE SECOND BLAST. IF IT'S THE PIPELINES ARE CONNECTED, YOU GET A PIPELINE EXPLOSION, IT'S GOING TO COME OUT SOMEWHERE. AND YOU, MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED AT, UH, TEXAS CITY. YEAH. WHEN THE SHIP BLEW UP, THE, ALL THE BODY COUNT WENT UP, WENT HIGH, BECAUSE ROOKIE KNEW, GO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. DO NOT GO. SEE. NOW ONE OTHER THING WOULD'VE BEEN DEAD TO GO SEE. DID OUR BACKUP FIRE DEPARTMENT, OUR, OUR PEOPLE WENT IN TO BACK UP THE REFINERY, RIGHT? DID, DID OUR, UM, BACKUP PEOPLE? WAS WERE THEY IN PLACE? YES, THEY WERE IN PLACE. OKAY. SO YES, SIR. YES THEY WERE. THAT'S ALL FOLKS. ALRIGHT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, FRANK. YES, MAYOR, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, UH, YOUR DILIGENCE, UH, ON YESTERDAY AND THE ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU DID TO INFORM, UH, OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND TRANSPIRING. UH, I WANT TO THANK, UH, COUNCILMAN KEN LAW AS WELL FOR BEING THERE, UH, AS WELL. I CALLED COUNCILMAN, UH, UH, LEWIS, UH, AS WELL. AND HE GAVE ME THE, UH, SHELTER IN PLACE SPEECH, UH, ON YESTERDAY. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK THAT WE NEED TO DO, OR I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD DO AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME IS TO CONSIDER, UH, RE-ENGAGEMENT. I'VE TALKED TO, UH, JUDGE BRANNICK. I'VE TALKED TO, UH, COMMISSIONER, UM, UH, SENEGAL, AND TALKED TO, [01:40:01] UM, REPRESENTATIVE MANUEL ABOUT RE-ENGAGING, UM, RE-ENGAGING OUR, OUR, UH, STATE SENATOR AND, UM, REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT THE ONE WAY IN ONE WAY OUT PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE ON HIGHWAY 87 MM-HMM . AND SO I THINK THAT IT, IT'S IMPORTANT. UH, WE HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS, AND WE'VE ENGAGED TDOT. WE HAVE GONE AND TALKED TO INDIVIDUALS IN AUSTIN. WE HAVE SAID THAT IT IS A, UH, IT IS A CATASTROPHE WAITING TO HAPPEN. THOSE CHILDREN WERE LOCKED IN LAST NIGHT, AND NO ONE HERE, NONE. NO ONE IN AUSTIN, NO ONE ANYWHERE WOULD HAVE A ONE WAY IN ONE WAY OUT SITUATION IN YOUR HOME. AND SO WHEN YOU HAVE CITIZENS IN SABINE PASS WHO HAVE ONE WAY IN AND ONE WAY OUT, LET ME SAY THIS, THE WIND WAS BLOWING IN A NORTHERLY DIRECTION. IF THE WIND HAD SHIFTED THAT PLACE ON YESTERDAY, COULD HAVE BEEN, THAT SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. THE WIND CHANGE MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN THAT SITUATION BEING EITHER ONE WHERE WE CAN BE, UH, JOYFUL TODAY OR WE COULD HAVE BEEN DRAPING CA COFFINS OR CASKETS, UH, IN THE NEAR FUTURE. AND TO HAVE A CITY THAT HAD, AND TO HAVE A STATE TO LIVE IN A STATE WHERE WE HAVE THE NINTH LARGEST ECONOMY OR THE EIGHTH LARGEST ECONOMY IN THE WORLD, AND THEY WOULD ALLOW OUR CITIZENS HERE IN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR TO LIVE IN A SITUATION WHERE THEIR LIVES ARE THREATENED EACH AND EVERY DAY. AND MONEY IS BEING MADE ON OUR AREA, BUT OUR NEEDS NOT BEING ADDRESSED. SO I WOULD CALL UPON ALL OF US, I WOULD CALL UPON THIS COUNCIL TO WRITE A LETTER NOW WHILE, UH, THE IRON IS HOT AND TO BRING ATTENTION TO THIS SITUATION YET AGAIN. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER KEN LAW. THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UH, I'M GONNA GIVE, UH, UH, CONCUR WITH, UH, COUNCILMAN FRANK. UH, THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF WHAT WE, UH, WHAT TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY. UH, THE MAYOR DID A, A, A FABULOUS JOB ON YESTERDAY, UH, IN THE COMMAND CENTER THAT WE WERE ON SITE TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT. UH, SHE WAS ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE FACTS ON, BUT WHEN SHE DID, AND WHEN WE ALL WERE IN THERE IN THE ROOM, ALONG WITH OUR CITY MANAGER ASKING THOSE TOUGH QUESTIONS, SHE GOT THE FACTS AND WE PUT THE FACTS OUT THERE. SO, UH, THIS IS A PRIME EXAMPLE TO LOOK AT SOMETHING, UH, LOOK AT ANOTHER ROUTE, EVENTUALLY OPENED IT UP 87, AND THEN ENSURE THAT, UH, WHAT 2000 INDIVIDUALS ON THE OTHER SIDE WEREN'T UNABLE TO GET BY. UH, THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW WE CAN PREPARE FOR OUR CITIZENS IN THE SABINE PASS AREA TO ENSURE THEIR SAFETY ALONG WITH THOSE KIDS. SO I DO CONCUR WITH YOU, COUNCILMAN FRANK, AND I HOPE THAT'S GONNA BE IN THE NEAR FUTURE THAT WE CAN DECIDE. AND THANK YOU, MAYOR. GREAT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MCKEN LAW. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON. ITEM NUMBER SIX, GUYS, WE, UM, WE, UM, UM, IT'S BUSINESS, WHAT'S IT CALLED? UNFINISHED BUSINESS. WE DON'T HAVE ANY, WE'RE GONNA MOVE NOW TO [VII. CONSENT AGENDA] ITEM SEVEN, WHICH IS OUR CONSENT AGENDA. COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU HAVE ANY ITEMS THAT YOU'D LIKE TO WITHHOLD, IF YOU COULD PLEASE GIVE THEM TO ME NOW SO WE CAN, UM, APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. WITHHOLDING THOSE ITEMS. YES. UH, COUNCIL MCKEN LAW. YES, MA'AM. UH, PR NUMBER 24 6 2 6. WHAT NUMBER IS THAT? THAT'S ON PAGE FIVE, NUMBER ONE. NUMBER ONE. OKAY. COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. ITEM NUMBER 10 ON PAGE SEVEN. ITEM NUMBER 10. OKAY. MAYOR PROTE. ETT. OKAY. ITEM, I'M SORRY. ITEM NUMBER SIX ON SIX. UH, LET'S SEE. SOMEBODY ALREADY HELD THAT ONE. OKAY. UH, 12 ON SEVEN AND 13 ON SEVEN, 12 AND 13. 12 AND 13 ON SEVEN. GOT IT. AND SOMEBODY DID GET ONE ON FIVE, RIGHT? THINK KEN, THAT IS, YEAH, I GOT IT. OKAY, THEN KEN HAS, OKAY. YES. OKAY, SO WE ARE GONNA ASK FOR A MOTION TO, UM, APPROVE NUMBER SIX. THERE WE GO. WELL, WELL, I THINK SOMEONE'S GOT THAT ALREADY. MM-HMM. YES. SOMEBODY HAS SIX ALREADY. OKAY. OKAY. WE'RE GONNA ASK OUR, UM, COUNSEL FOR A MOTION FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA, WITHHOLDING ITEMS. NUMBER ONE ON PAGE FIVE, NUMBER SIX ON PAGE SIX, WITHHOLDING ITEMS 10, 12, AND 13 [01:45:01] ON PAGE SEVEN. CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE CONSENT AGENDA PASSES WITH THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE BEING INDIVIDUALLY WITHHELD. WE'RE GONNA MOVE [VII.C.(1) P.R. No. 24626 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Reject All Bids For Purchase of Pickups for Fire Department (Bid Number 26-009).] TO ITEM NUMBER ONE ON PAGE FIVE, PR NUMBER 2 4 6 2 6, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO REJECT ALL BILLS OR PURCHASE OF PICKUPS FOR FIRE DEPARTMENT BID NUMBER 2 6 0 0 9. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND, ANY DISCUSSIONS? YES, MA'AM. UH, UH, COUNCIL MCKEN LAW, UH, CITY MANAGER. YOU CAN ANSWER THIS QUESTION ON THIS BID. LET ME TRY IT. YEAH, COME. CITY MANAGER. GO AHEAD. GO AHEAD. GOOD MORNING, DIRECTOR. PUT I THINK THAT MIC IS, IS IT ON? IT'S ON. GOOD MORNING. NO, IT'S ON, IT'S ON. IT'S, YEAH, JUST SPEAKING TO THE MIC. I THINK IT'S ON, UH, I'M LOOKING AT THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THAT AND I'M SEEING THAT WE ARE GONNA REJECT THOSE, THE BIDS. CAN WE GET A MORE DEFINITE, UH, CONCLUSION ON WHY WE ARE REJECTING THOSE BIDS? OTHER THAN THE BACKGROUND THAT I READ AND YES. I DON'T THINK YOUR MIC IS ON. SOMEBODY CAN HELP HER OUT. OKAY. I'M JUST, YEAH, SHE HAD TO GET, UM, WE'RE WAITING ON THE MIC. UM, BATTERIES. THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF MISCOMMUNICATION ON HOW WE ARE GETTING THE VEHICLES. THIS IS ACTUALLY SCHEDULED TO BE ON A LEASE INSTEAD OF A BID. IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE TIMEFRAME AT ALL. AND IT'S ALSO NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE ACTUAL PRICING OF THE VEHICLES. AND THAT IS THE REASON WHY WE'RE REJECTING THESE BIDS. IN ORDER FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND PUT THAT ON THE LEASE, THAT'S GOING TO BE ON YOUR NEXT AGENDA TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THE LEASES AND ENSURE THAT WE DO THIS PROPERLY AS WAS BUDGETED. AND THE DELIVERY TIME, YOU SAID IT WILL BE THE SAME, RIGHT? IT WILL BE THE SAME. THAT IS CORRECT. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR? OH, I'M SORRY. MAYOR . YES. ALONG THOSE SAME LINES, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHANGING THESE THINGS, YOU TALK ABOUT FINGER TOS. UH, LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR THING. WE OPENED THIS BID ON JANUARY 21ST, ACCORDING TO THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION. AND NOW YOU'RE COMING TO US TO REJECT THIS BID ON 24TH OF MARCH. YES. I SEE THIS OVER AND OVER. WHY DO WE COME TO COUNCIL? WHY DO STAFF COME TO COUNCIL AND ASK COUNCIL TO APPROVE SOMETHING, ONLY TO COME BACK TWO, THREE MONTHS LATER, SAY WE WANT TO CHANGE IT OR WE WANT TO REJECT IT BECAUSE ALL IT IS DELAYING WHAT WE SHOULD HAVE DONE. SO INITIALLY, IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THE BID ACTUALLY CAME TO YOU AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE BID UNTIL AFTER I HAD ACTUALLY RECEIVED THE RESOLUTION. AND WHEN I SAW THE RESOLUTION, I SAID, WAIT A SECOND, THIS IS, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A PURCHASE. IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A LEASE. SO I DID NOT KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL LATER ON THAT WE HAD THIS BID, WE HAD ALL THESE FIVE TRUCKS, BUT THESE FIVE PICKUPS HAD ALREADY BEEN ON A SCHEDULE TO DO THE LEASE. IT HADN'T COME TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL AT THIS TIME. THIS IS JUST TO REJECT IT SO WE CAN COME NEXT WEEK. WE'LL HAVE OUR LEASES ALL ENGAGED AT THAT TIME. WELL, YOU ARE TELLING ME NOW YOU, YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT IT WAS APPROVED BY COUNSEL. OKAY? MM-HMM . OKAY. SAY IT AGAIN. SAY IT AGAIN. IT DIDN'T COME BEFORE YOU TO BE APPROVED AT THAT TIME IN JANUARY, WE HAD NOT APPROVED IT. IT HAD NOT COME TO YOU AT ALL. THIS IS, SO THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE RESOLUTION WAS IN FEBRUARY, AND SO IT HADN'T COME TO COUNCIL AT ALL. SO WHEN WAS IT APPROVED? I MEAN, WHEN, WHEN WAS THE BID INITIALLY APPROVED? THE BID WAS SENT OUT IN JANUARY FROM MY UNDERSTANDING. AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WERE GONNA BE DOING THIS UNTIL FEBRUARY WHEN I GOT THE RESOLUTION. OKAY. I'M NOT GONNA GO AROUND THE CIRCLES AGAIN, BUT HERE WE GO AGAIN. I DIDN'T KNOW. I DIDN'T KNOW, I DIDN'T KNOW. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO KNOW WHEN I ASK THE QUESTION, I DON'T CARE WHO WE HAVE TO BECAUSE [01:50:01] YOU SAYING YOU DON'T KNOW WHEN IT CAME TO COUNCIL OR WHEN IT WAS OPENED. IT DIDN'T COME. NO, BUT THE BIDS WERE OPENED, CORRECT. IN JANUARY. SO THAT'S MY WHOLE POINT. WE OPENED A BID IN JANUARY AND WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING TILL MARCH. YES, BECAUSE I GOT THE RESOLUTION IN FEBRUARY AND THAT'S WHEN I CAUGHT THE ERROR. OKAY, LET'S MOVE ON. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE. AYE. ANY KNOWS THE AYES HAVE THAT THE RESOLUTION PASSES. THANK YOU LYNN. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE [VII.C.(6) P.R. No. 24811— A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Enter Into An Agreement With The LaBiche Architectural Group, Inc. Of Beaumont, Texas, For Professional Architectural Services To Prepare A Schematic Design And Cost Projection For Repairs And Restoration Of Rosehill Nlanor In The Amount Of $75,000.00, Plus Reimbursable Expenses Not To Exceed $1,000.00; Providing That Funding Is Available In Project String BU0014.ENG, Account No. 307-21-049- 8512-00-10-000.] OVER NOW TO PAGE NUMBER SIX. ITEM NUMBER SIX, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 1 1 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MAN. ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE LA BEACH ARCHITECTURAL GROUP, INCORPORATED OF BELMONT, TEXAS FOR PROFESSIONAL ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES TO PREPARE A SCHEMATIC DESIGN AND COST PROJECTION FOR REPAIRS AND RESTORATION OF ROSE HILL MANOR IN THE AMOUNT OF $75,000 PLUS REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES NOT TO EXCEED A THOUSAND DOLLARS. PROVIDING THAT FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN PROJECT STRING, BU 0 0 14 G. ACCOUNT NUMBER 3 0 7 DASH 21 DASH 0 4 9 DASH 8 5 2 0 0. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND DISCUSSIONS. MAYOR ETT? YES. ROSE HILL, PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, PHASE THREE, ALL THESE PHASES. OKAY. WITH THIS ONE. THE FIRST, WE STARTED THIS IN 2016. OKAY. AND, UM, THIS IS WHAT, 2026 NOW AND EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN INVOLVED, WE ARE ASKING FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO DO THIS PART THOUSAND OF DOLLARS THROUGH THIS PART. BUT WHEN I PASS BY THERE AND DRIVE THERE AND SEE THE BUILDING SEEMED LIKE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST SEEMED LIKE THEY NEED TO BE REDONE. SO MY QUESTION IS, ARE WE DOING THIS? WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT PHASES, BUT WE ARE FIXING THINGS THAT ARE DETERIORATING BECAUSE WE ARE NOT DOING IT. WHAT IS IT WITH THIS? CAN WE FIX THIS PLACE AND GET IT OPERATIONAL? THAT'S WHAT THIS IS. OR PATIENTS ON FUNDING BEFORE. AND NOW THIS CONVENTIONAL VISITORS BUREAU IS CONSIDERED MOVING THEIR OFFICES AND THEIR VISITOR CENTER THERE. AND THIS WILL BE A FINAL FULL RESTORATION. THIS PHASE FIVE, SO WE CAN GET IT ALL DONE AT ONCE TO TAKE CARE OF THE ISSUES THAT YOU SPOKE OF. IS THE FACT THAT BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL RESTRAINTS BEFORE WE WERE DOING IT IN PIECES AND THIS WOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETELY RESTORE THE BUILDING IN ONE PHASE. OKAY. AND HERE WE GO AGAIN. WE SAYING THE COMPLETION OF THE WORK DIDN'T, DIDN'T EVALUATE THE RELOCATION OF THE CONVENTION AND VISITS TO THE BUREAU. SEEM LIKE IF WE GONNA GO THIS FAR, WE NEED TO HAVE ALL THOSE DECISIONS MADE AND, AND NOT EVALUATE. SEE, THAT'S, THAT'S, SEE THAT'S WHAT I'M, THAT'S WHAT I'M, I'M I'M KIND OF LOST. WE TAKE TOO LONG TO DO THINGS AND MOST OF THE TIME WE HEAR, WE WERE IN DISCUSSIONS. ALL, ALL WE NEED TO KNOW IS LET'S DO IT. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN. LET'S HAVE A PLAN. LET'S START EXECUTING THE PLAN. AND I NOTICED, UH, LATELY THIS, THIS SEEMED TO BE A THING NOT ONLY WITH, UH, THE VISITOR, THE VISITOR BUREAU, OR I MEAN THE ROSE HIP PROJECT, BUT WE DONE GOT THIS PHASE THING, YOU KNOW, UH, OR WE GONNA DO PHASE, PHASE ONE, PHASE TWO, PHASE THREE. YOU KNOW, I DON'T SEE WHY IT'S SUCH THING. IN SOME CASES WE NEED TO DO WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND THEN IF WE NEED TO DO IT AGAIN, WE DO SOMETHING ELSE. YOU KNOW, I SEE THAT WE TALK PHASES AS, AS OPPOSED TO PROJECTS. PROJECTS IS WHEN WE HAVE SOMETHING WE SELECT TO DO, WHETHER THAT BE A RENOVATION, A COMPLETELY NEW PROJECT BEING BUILT, BUT WE SELECTED WHEN WE SELECT IT, WE NEED TO START MAKING THINGS HAPPEN IN THIS CITY AND STOP DRAGGING THINGS ALONG. I'M JUST, THAT'S WHAT I'M JUST LIKE FED UP WITH. THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO COMMENT ABOUT THIS. OKAY. OTHER THAN THAT, I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE FUNDING. IT'S JUST THAT [01:55:01] IF YOU DON'T GET IT DONE, ALL THIS STUFF WE'VE DONE BEFORE WITH TAX BILL MONEY, WE GOTTA GO BACK AND REDO THAT BECAUSE IT DONE DETERIORATED. OKAY. OKAY. COUNCILMAN LEWIS THEN. COUNCILMAN MCIN LAW, WHEN THIS PROJECT FIRST START OVER, HOW MUCH WERE THEY ESTIMATED COST? UH, THINK IT WAS TWO AND A HALF MILLION. TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. SO ON THE PHONE, TWO AND A HALF MILLION, CORRECT? RIGHT. OKAY. AT THAT TIME I WAS, I WAS HERE SOMEWHERE AT THAT TIME, I OFFERED A SIMPLE SOLUTION INSTEAD OF PIECEMEALING THIS THING TOGETHER, GO AFTER 1 0 8 LOAN FROM UNDER THE CDBG, USE THE CDBG MONEY AS LEVER. IT DON'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO SPEND IT. IF YOU DEFAULT, THEN YOU HAVE TO FORFEIT FUTURE ALLOCATION. YOU COULD HAVE GOT ALL OF THE MONEY WHEN A ONE EGG LOAN FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, VERY LOW INTEREST RATE, YOU, YOU COULD PAY IT BACK. I THINK YOU ANSWERED MY QUESTION. I ASKED YOU THE QUESTION AT THE TIME HOW MUCH MONEY YOU HAD IN YOUR HOTEL MOTEL TARGET. AND I THINK AT THAT TIME IT WAS WAS A MILLION DOLLARS. IT IS A MILLION. OKAY. BUT 2 MILLION. OH, IT ROOF. NOW IT COULD, THE HOTEL MOTEL TYPE TIED TO TOURISM LIKE ROSE HILL TIED TO TOURISM, TIED THE LOAN COULD BE PAID BACK OUT OF THE HOTEL MOTEL TYPE THAT WAS NOTHING AS LOW AGAINST, BECAUSE IT'S A PART OF THE TOURISM TOURISM CIRCUIT. NOW WHAT I'M SUGGESTING, SEE MAN, ONCE AGAIN, AFTER 10 YEARS AND ONCE AGAIN THAT WE LOOK AT, NO, LOOK AT GETTING A 1 0 8 LOAN SO THEY CAN BE ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS AND FINISHING THIS PROJECT, ALL THIS PIECE, WHEEL AND PIECE IN WISCONSIN MAYOR TALKING ABOUT GO AFTER 1 0 8 LOAN, LOSE THE LEVERAGE OF, UH, UH, A CITY BG MONEY FUTURE. GET THE MONEY LAWRENCE RE REPAY. PAY, PAY THE NOTE OUT OF THE HOTEL MOTEL TAX AND, AND TURN THESE PEOPLE. LET 'EM, THEY KNOW WHAT THEY DOING. LET 'EM GET THE WORK DONE. ALL THEY NEEDED IT. SOME FUEL THE ONE ON. SO I'M SUGGESTING THAT LET'S GET IT DONE. YOU ARE LITTLE PHRASE. THAT'S MY FIRST, BUT I, BUT I I GOT A PLAN. I DO TOO. AND I DO, LET'S GET IT DONE. IT'S NOT A PLAN. OKAY, . OKAY, LET'S, LET'S PUT, PUT YOUR MIC ON. THE MIC IS YES, IT KEEPS AS IT KEEP GOING OUT. MM-HMM. IT'S NOT WORKING. WE GOTTA BE ON THE RECORD. SO THIS IS GONNA BE A FIVE. HOW MUCH WE DON'T KNOW. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO FIND OUT BECAUSE KEEP IN MIND THAT WE ARE, THAT ORIGINAL PLAN WAS DONE, UH, THAT WE DID PROJECTIONS WERE DONE BEFORE. WE'VE DONE PRESENTATIONS TO THE COUNCIL, I THINK JUST LAST YEAR ON THIS AND THAT WE ARE ALSO GONNA BE NEED TO ADD, UH, THINGS TO THE DRIVEWAY PARKING THAT WERE NOT IN THE ORIGINAL PLAN. SO WHAT WE'RE HIRING THE BEACH TO DO IS TO DETERMINE WHAT WE WANNA DO WITH THE BUILDING. BECAUSE NOW IT'S NOT GONNA BE JUST A HISTORICAL, IT'S GONNA BE OFFICES. AND THEN ONCE HE COMES UP WITH WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO, THE SCHEMATIC DRAWINGS, THEN FROM THERE HE CAN DO A PROJECTED COST. OKAY. SO WE CAN BUDGET FOR THAT FOR NEXT YEAR. OKAY. UTILIZING THE HOTEL FUNDS. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PRESENTING HERE TO YOU GUYS. OKAY. IT'S FOR APPROVAL FOR US TO DO THAT WITH LAH TAKING THE LEAD. OKAY? OKAY. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT, LET'S, UM, MOVE ON. HOW ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE? AYE. AYE. AYE. ALL ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'RE GONNA MOVE OVER NOW, UM, TO NUMBER 10. LET ME DO THIS. UM, I'M GONNA MOVE OVER TO THE CON, UM, INDIVIDUAL ITEMS AND I'M GOING TO PULL UP P AND C. I KNOW THEY HAVE TO TRAVEL BACK TO DALLAS. SO IF YOU, UH, I'M GOING TO MOVE MOTION. MOTION. WHAT? MOVE IT. I THINK I CAN MOVE IT WITHOUT A MOTION. DO YOU NEED A MOTION? I NEED A MOTION TO MOVE THIS NO CITY. UM, AM I I CAN MOVE IT UP WITHOUT A MOTION. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT. OKAY. POINT OF ORDER. IT'S SIMPLE. IT, IT'S A SIMPLE PROCESS. AS THIS ITEM CAN, NO ITEM ON THE AGENDA CAN BE MOVED. YES. WITHOUT THE MAYOR. I DID IT LAST. I CAN, I CAN MOVE AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA, BUT ONCE AGAIN, THAT'S THE PROBLEM. WE HAVE BLACK AND WHITE IN ORDER TO MOVE AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA. ONLY IT TAKES IS A MOTION AND THEN APPROVAL BY COUNCIL. AND THE ITEM IS MOVED, BUT THE PRESIDING PERSON DOES NOT HAVE THE AUTHORITY [02:00:02] TO MOVE A ITEM OF ITS ARM. IT REQUIRES A VOTE TO MOVE ANY ITEM ON THE AGENDA. OKAY. MAYOR PRO TIM, THANK YOU. BUT I'M, I'M UNTIL SOMEONE CAN, AND, AND WHAT I'VE DONE IN THIS MEETING AND LAST MEETING AND THIS MEETING WAS MOVE AN ITEM UP SO THAT PEOPLE CAN MOVE OUT OF I DID IT LAST MEETING. I'VE DONE IT . JUST BECAUSE YOU KEEP DOING IT, RIGHT? WELL, RIGHT NOW, NO THANK YOU. NO, NO, NO. I'M GONNA GET NO, NO OF ALL. NO, IT'S A SIMPLE PROCEDURE. LOOK, WE GONNA APPROVE IT. LET'S, IT'S SIMPLE. WE'RE NOT GONNA PUSH BACK AND FORTH OVER THIS, YOU KNOW, YOU DO. OH, I'M NOT, I'M NOT GONNA GO BACK AND GO AHEAD AND RESIGN. SO WE, UM, MOTION FOR, FOR APPROVE. EXCUSE ME. SECOND. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? UH, UH YOU'RE NOT THE MAYOR. I'M SO SORRY. MAYOR . THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. AT THIS TIME WE ARE GOING TO, I WOULD LIKE, UH, CITY ATTORNEY, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT SAYS I CANNOT MOVE THIS AGENDA AROUND? I MEAN, THAT'S AROUND. I'D BE HAPPY TO LISTEN TO COUNCIL MEMBER DEE'S LEGAL SITE. BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING BASED ON MY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AS A CITY ATTORNEY, THAT THE AGENDA IS UNDER AND THE POOLING OF THE AGENDA IS UNDER THE CITY MAYOR'S CONTROL. SO SHE CAN MOVE THINGS OUT OF ORDER. IT, IT IS, I CAN, SHE'S ON QUO AND I DON'T WANNA SIT HERE AND DEBATE FOR THE LACK OF TIME. I'M TRYING TO GET NNC OUT OF HERE. WELL, WELL IF YOU WANT, SO THAT THEY CAN GET HERE. IF, IF YOU WANT TO DO IT FOR THE SAKE OF TIME. YES SIR. IT IS A SIMPLE REQUEST THAT YOU RE THAT YOU ALLOW US TO VOTE ON IT. NOW, I WOULD BRING THE, I WOULD BRING IN THE BLACK AND WHITE IN THAT SELVES US AND THE ATTORNEY. WHEN I, WHEN WE ASK FOR AN OPINION, WE SHOULD GET WHAT'S WRITTEN AND NOT MY UNDERSTANDING. OKAY. OKAY. BECAUSE THAT RULING IS NOT WHAT WE GET. I DON'T WANT THAT. IF YOU DON'T KNOW ATTORNEY, JUST SAY YOU DON'T KNOW. OKAY. THANK YOU. BUT I KNOW, AND WE'VE DONE THIS FOR YEARS. OKAY? THE PREVIOUS MAYORS, ALL OF THEM, THEY JUST REQUESTED THAT ITEM BE MOVED. IT WAS A MOTION IS SECOND ALL IN FAVOR. THE COUNCIL APPROVES IT, THEN THAT ITEM IS MOVED ON THIS AGENDA. NOBODY HAS TO MOVE AND THE MAYOR DOES NOT APPROVE WHAT GOES IN OFF THIS AGENDA. OKAY. WE GOT AN ORDINANCE THAT SAYS HOW THIS AGENDA AND IS A RESPONSIBILITY. THE CITY SECRETARY AND THE CITY MANAGER. OKAY, WELL [VIII.A.(3) P.R. No. 24773 — A Resolution Designating PNC Bank, Pursuant To §105.015 Of The Texas Local Government Code, As The Depository Bank For The City Of Port Arthur And Authorizing The City Manager To Execute All Documents Necessary To Implement The Contract Renewal To Be Effective April 1, 2026 To March 31, 2027.] WE, AND I WANT TO FOLLOW THE RULES AND MAKE SURE IT'S DONE PROPERLY AND IN ORDER. BUT RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO PULL THIS ITEM AND, UM, PR NUMBER 2 4 7 7 3 IS A RESOLUTION DESIGNATED PNC BANK PURSUANT TO, UM, SECTION 1 0 5 0.015 OF THE TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE AS A DEPOSITORY BANK FOR THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE CONTRACT RENEWAL TO BE EFFECTIVE APRIL 1ST, 2026 TO MARCH 31ST, 2027. CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? MOTION FOR APPROVAL? CAN I GET A SECOND? SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOTIONED. AND, UM, SECOND, UM, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE, UH, RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'D LIKE TO THANK P AND C IF THEY HAVE WORDS. IF YOU, I KNOW YOU GUYS WANTED SOMETHING TO SAY, YOU CAN, YOU HAVE, YOU CAN HAVE YOU, YOU DO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY AND THEN YOU CAN GET YOUR FLIGHTS BACK TO TOWN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WE, WE APPRECIATE COUNCIL'S TIME TODAY AND JUST WANTED TO INTRODUCE OURSELVES. I'M CINDY YOUNG, I'M THE RELATIONSHIP MANAGER AT PNC FOR THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR RELATIONSHIP. AND THIS IS MICHAEL BRADLEY, HE'S MY TREASURY MANAGEMENT PARTNER. UM, WE APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT WE DO FOR THE CITY AND JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A BRANCH HERE IN PORT ARTHUR AS WELL AS SEVERAL BRANCHES IN THE BEAUMONT AREA AND LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT YEAR. AND, UM, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN ANSWER, WE'D BE HAPPY TO DO SO. BUT IN THE, IN THE MATTER OF TIME, JUST WANTED TO OH, THAT'S OKAY. INTRODUCTION. I DON'T HAVE ANYBODY'S LIGHTS ON, BUT THANK YOU FOR HANDLING ALL OF OUR ACCOUNTS AND THANK YOU GUYS FOR BEING HERE. I PRAY YOU HAVE A SAFE DRIVE, A FLIGHT BACK HOME AND UH, WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE. ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU'LL CONTINUE TO SEE US AT ALL THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR EVENTS, SO, OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY, WE'RE GOING TO NOW MOVE BACK TO OUR [VII.C.(10) P.R. No. 24819 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Execute The First Renewal Option With The Texas Parks And Wildlife Department For The Storage Of A Patrol Boat In A Boat Slip At The Marina On Pleasure Island.] CONSENT AGENDA WHERE WE ARE ON ITEM NUMBER, UH, 10, UH, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 1 9 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE THE FIRST RENEWAL OPTION WITH THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT FOR THE STORAGE OF A PATROL BOAT AND [02:05:01] A BOAT SLIP AT THE MARINA ON PLEASURE ISLAND. CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVE SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND DIS ANY DISCUSSIONS? YES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. THANK YOU. UM, CITY MANAGER. IS THIS THE SAME BOAT SLIP THAT THEY HAVE BEEN USING IN THE PAST AND WE'RE JUST RENEWING THE LEASE FOR THE SAME LOCATION? I THINK SO, YES. OKAY. AND DO WE KNOW IF THIS BOAT SLIP IS IN GOOD REPAIR? SINCE WE HAVE A LOT OF BOAT SLIPS THAT ARE NOT IN GOOD REPAIR, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR FRIENDS AT TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE HAVE A BOAT SLIP THAT IS IN THE BEST SHAPE POSSIBLE FOR THEM. MR. DIRECTOR? YES SIR. SIR? UM, EVERYTHING IS FINE. UM, THIS IS THE SAME SLIP YESTERDAY. THEY'VE BEEN RENTING FOR YEARS AND THIS IS JUST THE FIRST RENEWAL OF THE, UH, 10 YEAR AGREEMENT. AS FAR AS THE CONDITION, EVERYTHING IS FINE. IF IT, IF UM, ANYTHING IS WRONG, THEY LET US KNOW, BUT THEY HAVEN'T. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. A ANY KNOWS THE AYES HAVE THAT THE RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'RE GONNA MOVE [VII.C.(12) P.R. No. 24826 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Execute Amendment No. 1 To The Construction Contract With Pavecon LTD. Of Houston, Texas For The Redbird Street Rehabilitation Project From Green Avenue To Jefferson Drive; Providing For A (100) Calendar Day Time Extension; Providing For Funding From Street Capital Account No. 307-21-053-8517-00-10- 000, Project No. ST5106.CON.] TO NUMBER 12. PR AND NUMBER 2 4 8 2 6 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE TO THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH PAVE CON LTD OF HOUSTON, TEXAS FOR THE RED BIRD STREET REHABILITATION PROJECT FROM GREEN AVENUE TO JEFFERSON DRIVE, PROVIDING FOR A 100 CALENDAR DAY TIME EXTENSION, PROVIDING FOR FUNDING FROM STREET CAPITAL ACCOUNT NUMBER 3 0 7 21 5 3 8 5 7 0 0 0. PROJECT NUMBER ST 5 1 0 6 CO. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND. I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? MAYOR PRO TEM. JUST THAT, THANK YOU MAYOR. OKAY. THIS PROJECT IS WHY WE TALK ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY OF STREET FUNDS. OKAY. WHEN I READ THE RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION SERVE IN THE BACKGROUND, BUT, UM, THIS RESOLUTION TO THIS, UH, STREET WAS DECIDED BY FOLLOWING THE, UM, CITY STREETS PROGRAM. OKAY. STATES THAT COUNCIL MEMBER HAVE GOTTEN WITH THE, UH, DIFFERENT COUNCIL MEMBERS. WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WHEN THIS FIRST CAME TO US, I TALKED ABOUT IT THAT DAY. I SAID THAT THIS PROJECT IS USING, THIS PROJECT IS USING STREET MONEY FOR DRAINAGE AND WATER UTILITIES. I WENT AND TOOK PICTURES OF THIS STREET AND THE LOCATION OF THE WATER LINES AND THE DITCH AND I BOUGHT IT TO CANCEL. I SAID THE DITCH IS NOT DRAINING, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE CUT. WE HAVE A DEPARTMENT, DRAINING DEPARTMENT THAT DOES THAT. OKAY? THE WATER LINES THAT THEY'RE SPEAKING OF, IF YOU GO THERE, THOSE WATER LINES ARE BASICALLY ON THE PEOPLE'S PROPERTY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A DITCH. AND THIS STREET IS NOWHERE NEAR HIM. SAID THIS PROJECT, IF IT WANTS TO BE FUNDED, SHOULD NOT ALL COME OUTTA STREET FUNDS, OKAY? IS ON DEATH EARS AGAIN. BUT IF SOMEONE COME IN HERE AND READ THE CERTIFICATE OBLIGATION ON WHAT THOSE FUNDS SUPPOSED TO BE USED, NOBODY'S GOING TO CONVINCE ANYBODY THAT REPLACING AN EXISTING WATER LINE REPLACING TAPS, PUTTING IN T VALVES. ALL IT IS, IS GOING TO, IS NEEDED IN ORDER TO DO THE STREET. NOW, WHEN I WENT TO THIS PARTICULAR STREET, WHEN THIS FIRST CAME TO US AND IT WAS APPROVED BY THIS CAMP, I HAD, THE STREET WAS A GOOD STREET MONDAY WHEN I WENT OVER THERE, THE FIRST PART IS ALL TOWED UP. OKAY? BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING WATER UTILITY WORK MOSTLY. NOW, IF THE MAIN IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD, CAN I GET ENERGY TO, TO ANSWER MY QUESTIONS OR, OR TO MAKE SURE THAT CITIZENS UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M SAYING? AIN'T MY IDEA. IF A MAIN IS RUNNING ON [02:10:01] ONE SIDE OF A ROAD AND WE WANTED TO DO A TAP ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE JUST BORE UNDER THE ROAD, RIGHT? THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO IT. BOARDING IS ONE, BUT WHEN WE ARE REPLACING THE STREET, IT'S CHEAPER TO OPEN. CUT IT. OKAY? OKAY, IT'S OPEN. CUT IT. OKAY, SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT OPEN CUTTING, WHEN THAT COUNCILMAN SELECTED THIS STREET, DID Y'ALL SAY WE GONNA OPEN CUT AND WE GONNA REPLACE WATER LINES? COUNCILMAN? THE THE ANSWER IS YES, BECAUSE, OKAY, ON. OKAY. THANK YOU. ON SEPTEMBER 20, LOOK, I'M NOT HERE FOR THAT. I'LL JUST ASK THE QUESTION. THE CITIZEN WANT A SIMPLE ANSWER. I WANT A SIMPLE ANSWER. I DON'T NEED EXPLANATIONS. I NEED THAT QUESTION ANSWERED. SO I WENT OUT THERE AND FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, ALL OF THE, ALL OF THE WATER LINES HAVE BEEN BORED. THEY, THEY BORED. SO IF THEY BORED, THEN THAT MEANS WE GONNA, THEY GONNA COME UP AND DO THE STREET OVER IT BECAUSE THEY ALREADY GOT 'EM IN THERE. OKAY? THE OTHER THING IS, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SHAPING A DITCH OR CUTTING A DITCH, WHETHER A STREET IS NOT OUR GRADE ALL HAS TIRES ON IT. IT DOESN'T TEAR UP THE STREETS. AND I SAID WHEN WE CAME HERE OF THIS PROJECT, I'M GONNA SAY THIS IS HERE, THIS PROJECT, TOTAL COST IS $678,349 AND 66 CENTS COMING OUT OF STREET FUND. BUT WHEN I LOOK AT THE INVOICE FOR WHAT WE ARE GONNA HAVE DONE THIS CUTTING THE DITCH, SHAPING THE DITCH IS $18,500, 18,500. THEY'RE GONNA BE REPLACING WATER LINES. THAT'S $237,639. THEY GOT WATERLINE THERE, ROTT ISOLATION THERE, 2020 $8,000. AND THEN INSTALL 26 SERVICE TAP RENT. THAT'S NEW TAPS. THAT'S $91,516. I FIGURED OF THIS. $678,349, 400 AND SOME THOUSAND. AND IT IS GOING TO BE DEALING WITH EITHER WATER, UTILITY OR DRAINAGE. OKAY? WE APPROVED ANOTHER ONE, UH, DISTRICT ONE STREETS, OUR PROGRAM ADOPTED FOR THIS CITY STREET PROGRAM. IT STATES, ONE COUNCILMEN GET WITH STAFF. STAFF AND COUNCILMEN AGREE ON THE STREETS. THE STREETS ARE BROUGHT TO A COUNCIL. THE COUNCIL APPROVES IT. AND THEN FROM THAT POINT, IT GOES INTO THE BUDGET. YOU'LL SEE IT ON THE CAPITAL. WE HAVE THE STREET LISTED AND APPROXIMATELY THE COST. NOW THE STATE OF TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT 1 0 2 SAYS FOR ALL PROJECTS THAT ARE LISTED, WE MUST HAVE A ESTIMATED COST IN THE BUDGET. SEE, MY PROBLEM IS WE KEEP SPENDING THIS MONEY FOR STREETS. I SEE PARKING LOTS, GAZEBOS PALM TREES, AND WAR UTILITY. THAT'S WHY IF SOMEONE COME IN HERE, YOU ALL COULD TELL ME IT'S BEAUTIFICATION OR WE COULD DO TWO THINGS OR WE GOT THE VOTES. BUT WHEN SOMEONE COME IN HERE AND LOOK AT A CERTIFICATE OF OBLIGATION AND WHAT THE FUNDS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR, THAT IS WHAT IT IS. OKAY? NOW LET'S GO BACK TO THIS. WE SAYS PAID CRIME ALSO MET WITH THE WATER UTILITY REGARDING UTILITY WORK NEEDED ON REDBIRD STREET, GREEN, GREEN AVENUE AND JEFFERSON DRIVE. OKAY, WE SUPPOSED TO BE A STREET. SO THEY MET WITH THE WATER UTILITY. THEN WHEN I GO FURTHER DOWN AND I READ THIS, WE WANT TO EXTEND THE CONTRACT AN ADDITIONAL A HUNDRED DAYS. AM I CORRECT? CORRECT. ALRIGHT. WE WANNA EXTEND THIS PROJECT ANOTHER A HUNDRED [02:15:01] DAYS DUE TO THE UNKNOWN CONDITION OF THE EXISTING SEWER LINE. IN EVENT THE SEWER LINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, IT IS ASSUMED THAT APPROXIMATELY 650 LINEAR FEET OF EXISTENCE LINE, WELL, WOULDN'T WE BE ACTUALLY DOING IT? AND THEN ONCE WE GET DOWN, WE KNOW THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND THEN COME IN AND ACT FOR THE A HUNDRED DAYS. BECAUSE THE WHOLE PROJECT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE BUT 160 DAYS, I MEAN, YEAH, A HUNDRED, 160 DAYS TO DO THE WHOLE PROJECT. YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS IS ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT I'M GOING TO DEFINITELY WANT THE FORENSIC ART TO LOOK AT THE, BECAUSE THIS, ALONG WITH THE NUMBER OF STREETS THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN LEWIS HAD IN THIS DISTRICT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE STAFF IS SELECTING STREETS THAT REQUIRES SURGE AND WATER UTILITY BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY'RE LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE STREET. WE ONLY APPROVE DOING THAT IF IT CROSSED THE STREETS THAT WE WERE REPAIRING. OKAY? AND THE OTHER THING IS, ALL OF THESE STREETS, IF YOU GO BACK TO WHEN WE ADOPTED A PROGRAM AND HOW WE DID IT, THAT'S THE WAY THE COUNCIL ADOPTED. ANY COUNCIL AFTER THAT HAS THE CHANCE OR THE AUTHORITY TO AMEND IT OR EITHER RESCINDED. BUT UNTIL A COUNCIL AMENDED OR RESCINDED, THAT IS WHAT WE SUPPOSED TO DO. AND THERE'S NO CHANGE ADMINISTRATION OR PEOPLE COMING AND GOING. I READ IT, THE CITIZENS READ IT. WELL, WE COULD READ IT AND KNOW WHAT TO DO, BUT I'M SUPPOSED TO SIT HERE AND ALWAYS AGREE THAT IT'S RIGHT NOW WE GOT MONEY WE SPEND FOR STREETS, WE SHOULD DO STRAIGHTS. THAT'S WHAT CITIZENS SCREAMING ABOUT. BUT THIS COUNCIL AND EVERYBODY ASSOCIATED WITH STUFF LIKE THIS IS GOING TO SOON FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT IT MEANS WHEN YOU SAY CONSTRUCTION RECONSTRUCTION, THE STREETS AND RELATED EXAMPLE, CURD GUTTER SIDEWALKS. SOMEBODY'S GOING TO FIND OUT PALM TREES. GAZEBO PARKING LOT IS NOT WITH IT. $75 MILLION. THIS IS ONLY ONE EXAMPLE. I HAVE ALL OF THEM THAT I HAVE MENTIONED IN THE PAST THAT IS NOT, SHOULD NOT BE USED FROM THAT FRONT. AND WHEN I GO AND I ASK THE FINANCE DIRECTOR, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE PERSON THAT KEEPS EVERYBODY STRAIGHT. AND I ASK, WHY ARE WE DOING THAT? WELL, THAT'S WHAT THE DEPARTMENT GAVE ME. MAY I ANSWER? WE GOT FOUR POINTS. WE GOT, WE GOT FOUR DISTRICTS IN THIS CITY. WE SUPPOSED TO MAINTAIN MONEY ACCORDING TO THE DISTRICTS. SO ANYTIME I NEED MONEY, I WANT MONEY. IT THAT, IT GOES BACK TO HOW WE BROKE IT DOWN IN THIS BOOK AND WHAT WE SAID WE GOING TO DO THIS YEAR IN THIS BOOK. AND IF IT'S NOT IN THIS BOOK, IT SHOULD BE AN EMERGENCY OR THAT JEOPARDIZE PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY. AND THAT'S IT. COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBERS, ONE LAST THING, MAYOR. I'M THE ONE PUTTING ON ONE LAST THING. UM, AND WE HAVE THREE MINUTES AS WE'VE BEEN DISCUSSING ACCORDING TO YOUR PO UH, AND AS YOU STATED, RULES OF DECORUM, WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY WITHIN THOSE SPECIFIC TIMEFRAMES. WHEN WE DO, IT SAYS HERE SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING THAT WE HAVE THREE MINUTES COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE ALL WANNA BE REMINDED OF THAT THREE MINUTES. AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER, IT'S BEEN 15 MINUTES, UH, THAT WE HAVE, I'M HAVING SOMEONE TAKE TIME FOR ME. UM, SO THAT WE CAN KEEP ONE LAST THING AND I'LL, AND I'LL LET IT GO. MAYOR THING. I NEED TO GO TO A VOTE TO GIVE [02:20:01] YOU ANOTHER FEW MINUTES, OKAY? YOU PLEASE ASK THEM. GIMME ONE MINUTE MOTION FOR APPROVAL. I NEED A SECOND. SECOND. OH YES, A SECOND. ALL IN. UM, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY, MY LAST THING I'M GONNA SAY WHEN I BE ASKING QUESTIONS, STOP, COME UP HERE. YOU WANT TO ANSWER MY QUESTION? YOU WANT LOOK AT THE CITY MANAGER. I'M ASKING THE QUESTIONS. OKAY. THIS IS STREETS. I JUST HAD IT. Y'ALL GO. OKAY. UM, YOU, YOU MAY UH, RESPOND. UM, YES MA'AM, BECAUSE YOU ASK THE QUESTION. WE DON'T WANT YOU TO RESPOND. TWO VERY IMPORTANT, UH, POINTS THAT NEED TO BE MADE. THE WATER LINE WAS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET UNDER PAVEMENT. MM-HMM . THE SEWER LINE IS ON THE SOUTH STREET UNDER PAVEMENT. WE HAVE THE PICTURES, WE HAVE THE EVIDENCE TO SHOW THAT IT WAS UNDER PAVEMENT. THE WATER LINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SEWER LINE WE DISCOVERED AS A SECTION OF PIPE THAT WAS NOT ON ANY OF THE DRAWINGS, ANY OF THE MAPS. WE DID NOT WANNA REPLACE IT WITHOUT INVESTIGATING IT. SO WE INVESTIGATED THAT PIPE AND DETERMINED IT IS PVC IN GOOD SHAPE DID NOT NEED TO BE REPLACED. SO I HAVE TO CLARIFY THAT 'CAUSE THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT WAS SAID THAT THIS LINE IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DITCH. IT IS NOT. THE HYDRANTS ARE, BUT NOT THE PIPE. THE SECOND VERY IMPORTANT POINT, MANAGEMENT AND STAFF DO NOT DO ANY WORK WITHOUT THE DIRECTIVE OF THE COUNCIL. ON SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2024, THIS COUNCIL GAVE US THE DIRECTIVE TO USE STREET FUNDS TO REPLACE WATER SEWER UNDER THE STREETS. WE WOULD NOT DO IT WITHOUT COUNCIL'S DIRECTIVE. AND THAT'S WHEN IT WAS DONE. THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED DOING IT. AND THAT WAS AT A TIME THAT THESE STREETS NEEDED TO BE DONE. THEY WERE IN THE DESIGN PHASES AND COUNCIL SAID, YOU HAVE THE DIRECTIVE TO USE STATE FUNDS. WE DON'T DO THAT OUT OF A VACUUM. OKAY? UM, COUNCIL MEMBER KEN LAW, THANK YOU MAYOR. AND, UM, THANK YOU, UH, DR. AMY, UH, WITH THAT STATEMENT. I DO REMEMBER THE COUNCIL DOING THAT. UH, UH, WE ALSO STATED THAT WE DIDN'T WANT TO, UH, TEAR UP STRAIGHT STREETS AND PAY THOSE STREETS OR DEVELOP THOSE STREETS WITHOUT THE INFRASTRUCTURE BEING UPGRADED. AND I DO REMEMBER THAT. BUT AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THIS AGAIN, AND I'VE SAID THIS ON, UH, MANY OCCASIONS ABOUT WHEN WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT WITH A COMPANY, AND I SEE THAT WE HAD ONE, HAVE ONE WITH, UH, UH, PAVE CON, UH, FOR OUR, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS STREET AND SEWER LINES. UH, BUT IT ALSO SAYS IN THE EVENT OF THE SEWER LINE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU JUST SPOKE OF. BUT TO GO BACK AND NOT BE ABLE TO PENALIZE THESE INDIVIDUALS WITH, ON THE DESIGN PHASE THAT YOU SPOKE ABOUT, NOT KNOWING THIS. AND IT WASN'T ON ANY OF THE DRAWINGS, IT WASN'T ON ANYTHING LIKE THAT. THAT'S WHERE I HAVE THE SITUATION WITH BECAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, SOMEBODY SHOULD HAVE KEPT UP WITH IT BECAUSE IT GIVES THESE COMPANIES A SCAPEGOAT. YOU KNOW, THIS WAS DESIGNED IN-HOUSE STAFF DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT IS THERE. IT'S NOT ON OUR SEWER MAPS, WATER MAPS. AND WHEN WE'RE DESIGNING IN-HOUSE, WE ARE NOT HIRING SURVEYORS AND WASTING MONEY ON SURVEYORS. SO I LIKE YOUR POINT ON THAT. I LIKE SAVING MONEY AND THAT'S WHAT THE TAXPAYERS WANT TO HEAR. BUT IF THE TOTAL PROJECT TOOK 160 DAYS, IT WILL TAKE 160 DAYS AND WE'VE GIVEN THEM AN ADDITIONAL A HUNDRED DAYS. I MEAN, HOW DO WE HOLD SOMEONE HANDS TO THE FIRE WITH, WITH THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN BE DONE ON ANY CONTRACT THAT WE HAVE. AND THAT'S WHERE I HAVE THE ISSUE WITH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE IN COURT, WHEN WE HAD ALL THESE OTHER THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, MY THING WAS TO PENALIZE THESE COMPANIES THAT WE AGREED WITH THEM ON AND THEN TO FIND SOMETHING THAT BITES US ON THE BACK END. WE, WE HAVE DISCUSSED DELAYED DAMAGES BEFORE AND WE'VE TRIED TO SEE IF WE CAN ACTUALLY IMPOSE DELAYED DAMAGES. BUT FROM THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE, IF THERE WASN'T ACTUAL A MONETARY DAMAGE TO THEIR CITY FROM THEIR DELAY, IT IS VERY HARD TO EVEN BE ABLE TO GET ANY DELAYED DAMAGES. SO IF WE ARE HAVING A SANITARY SEW TREATMENT PLAN BEING REPLACED, THEY'RE BEHIND SCHEDULE, WE'RE GONNA BE FINE BY THE STATE IF WE DON'T FINISH ON TIME, THAT'S SOMETHING DELAYED DAMAGES USUALLY CAN BE ADDRESSED. THE SECOND IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THAT IS WHEN WE START ENFORCING THESE THINGS AND THE CONTRACTORS KNOW THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME TO FINISH THESE PROJECTS OR DELAYS CAN HAPPEN. THEY'RE GONNA UPFRONT THIS CONTRACT, THEY'RE GONNA FRONT LOAD THE [02:25:01] COST ON THESE CONTRACTS THAT END UP COSTING US MORE MONEY. SO THERE'S PLUSES AND THERE'S MINUSES ON THE DELAYED DAMAGES. BUT WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH CONSTRUCTION AND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S SEVEN YEARS OLD, WE ARE GONNA HAVE ISSUES. IT'S NOT LIKE DEALING WITH THINGS ABOVE GROUND. THERE'S, THERE'S ALL JUST AT THE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, THE THINGS WE FOUND NOBODY KNEW ABOUT. SO THERE THERE'LL ALWAYS BE ISSUES AND HOW CAN WE TIGHTEN IT UP? WE ARE TRYING ON OUR SIDE, OUR BEST TO KEEP THINGS ON SCHEDULE, BUT TIME DOESN'T COST US MONEY. AND THAT'S THE IMPORTANT PART. WE DON'T PAY THEM MORE MONEY FOR THE TIME. YEAH. BUT YOU RIGHT ABOUT TIME DOESN'T COST YOU MONEY, BUT IT COST THE CITIZENS INCONVENIENCE. AND THEN THAT'S DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY. AND WE GET THE PHONE CALLS. AND SO TO TIGHTEN IT UP, LIKE YOU JUST SPOKE OF, WE, WE PUT THESE CLAUSES IN THERE TO SHOW THE CONTRACTORS, HEY MAN, WE NEED THIS DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER. AND WE AGREE, YOU AGREE. WE SIGN THIS CONSIDERED A CONTRACT. SO IF WE'RE NOT GONNA BE THAT WAY AND WE ARE GONNA, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW THE INFRASTRUCTURE IS BAD IN PORT ARTHUR, THIS COUNCIL, PREVIOUS COUNCIL DISCUSSED THAT, YOU KNOW, WE GONNA TAKE A STRONG STANCE IN MAKING IT BETTER. BUT IF WE, IF WE'RE NOT GONNA ABIDE BY IT, WHY PUT IT IN THE CONTRACT? YOU KNOW, IF IF THEY'RE GOING TO THE PRICE RANGE AND THE FRONT COSTS, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO WITH THEM. WE GONNA GO, WE GOTTA HAVE A HAPPY MEDIUM. AND THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING. SO I, I READ THE BACKGROUND ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM AND I, I WOULD HOPE THAT WHEN I SEE THESE THINGS, I'M GONNA PULL IT. I WANT TO KNOW WHY. I WANNA KNOW WHAT CITY STAFF IS MONITORING THOSE DAYS, THOSE DELAY DAYS, THOSE RAINY DAYS THAT WE SPOKE ABOUT IN THE PAST. I'M GONNA ALWAYS PULL, I WANNA KNOW WHERE'S THE DOCUMENTATION? AND, AND, AND PRETTY MUCH LATELY IT'S NONE. IT'S JUST TAKING THE WORD OF THE CONTRACTS. AND I JUST DON'T LIKE THAT AS A, AS A, AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. AND WE'VE SPOKE BEFORE ABOUT SOME OF THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTS, BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE PROPER DOCUMENTATION. THANK YOU. WE KEEP UP WITH A LOT OF THE TIME, BUT WE, WE HAVE ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. NO DOUBT. OKAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER KINLAW. WE HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, REMEMBER? YES, NO HONOR. AND THIS IS NOT TO RUSH THE MEETING, THIS IS JUST TO STAY IN ORDER WITH THE RULES OF DECOR AND THAT GIVES EVERYBODY THREE MINUTES. SO I'M NOT TRYING TO RUSH OUR MEETING FOR CLARITY'S SAKE. I WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR. THANK YOU. OKAY. IN, IN THE EVENT THAT WE GOT ROOM FOR SABLES STATE MANUAL, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT GO BACK, GO AHEAD AND DO THE WORK, BUT GO BACK AND UH, AND UH, REIMBURSE THE DEPARTMENTS THAT'S WAS, HAS, IS BEING IMPACTED. WE USED TO THE, UH, BOND THE BOND OR COVENANT ADDRESS. YOU CAN GO BACK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND DO IT. GO BACK AND REIMBURSE ALL THESE VARIOUS SERIOUS DEPARTMENTS WHERE THEY GOT THEIR OWN MONEY. WATER DEPARTMENT GO BACK AND REIMBURSE THESE PEOPLE. SO WE CAN HAVE THAT MONEY DISTRICT ONE DISTRICT OTHER DISTRICT CAN HAVE THAT MONEY FOR THE FUTURE. I WANT IT REPLACED. AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT WE DO THAT. MM-HMM . UM, OKAY, WE YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? YEAH, A MOTION, YEAH. I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT ALL AFFECTED DEPARTMENT BE REIMBURSED FOR THOSE SEW SEWAGE AND WATER LINES REIMBURSED. PUT THE MONEY BACK. AND WHERE YOU GOING TO GET THE, THE MONEY TO PUT IT BACK? WELL, THAT'S RIGHT FROM US. YEAH. WHERE, WHERE YOU GONNA GET THAT? WHERE? YEAH, WE GOT WHERE COME UP. OKAY. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. WE HAVE A SECOND ON NUMBER 12. YEAH, THAT'S HOW WE GOT ON THE FLOOR. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. THE MO THE CURRENT, THE, THE RESOLUTION OF THE COMMENT THAT PR AND WE ARE UNDER DISCUSSIONS. OKAY. OKAY. SO WE, WE, WE GOTTA HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE, RIGHT? AND TO THAT MOTION, IT CAN'T, THE MOTION HAS TO HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE. YEAH. A BUDGET. THERE IS NO A BUDGET. WE HAVE WHATEVER IT REQUIRES TO REPLACE THE MONEY THAT'S GONNA BE PUT BACK. WE NEED TO COME TO COUNCIL OUTTA THE GENERAL. WAIT A MINUTE GUYS. OKAY. WAIT, HOLD UP MAYOR APPROACH. TIM ETTE HAS HIS LIGHT ON. UM, MAYOR APPROACH HIM THIS'S GONNA BE YOUR SECOND TIME TO SPEAK ON THIS AGENDA ITEM. THEN AFTER THAT YOU HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK AND THEN COUNCILMAN MCKEN LAW. ALRIGHT, SO LET'S GO IN THAT ORDER AND GET THIS STRAIGHT. AND THEN I SEE COUNCILOR EVERFI JUST PUT HER HAND UP. SO LET'S GO IN THAT ORDER AND WE EACH HAVE THREE MINUTES. OKAY? THIS IS, THIS IS FOR THE CITIZENS. I WAS THE ONE WHEN YOU HEARD DR. TOM MAY TALK ABOUT THE COUNCIL APPROVED INFRASTRUCTURES UNDER THE STREET TO [02:30:01] BE FIXED. IF YOU GO BACK AND REVIEW THAT, UH, MEETING, YOU'LL FIND THAT I WAS THE ONE THAT WAS MAKING THE, THE THING, IT IS NOT INFRASTRUCTURE UNDERNEATH THE LENGTH OF A ROAD. IF YOU GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT, WE SAID IF THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE WATER OR SEW LINE CROSSES THE STREET THAT WE ARE REPAIRING, WE SAID CUT IT AND REPLACE IT THERE SO THAT IF WE HAVE TO CONNECT TO IT IN THE FUTURE, WE DON'T HAVE TO DISTURB THE STREET. WE NEVER APPROVE TAKING STREET MONEY TO DO A WATERLINE. THAT RUNNING UNDERNEATH THE STREET FOR ITS LENGTH IS CROSSING. SO WHAT YOU SAID, YOU NEED TO GO BACK AND REVIEW AND BE VERY SPECIFIC. WE DID NOT TALK ABOUT THE LENGTH WE SEE QUILTON. THAT LENGTH IS A NO-NO. COUNCILOR MC, KIM, NOW, THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, JUST TO KIND OF MY COHORT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, JUST TO KIND OF GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHT. WE DON'T HAVE A BUDGETED, UM, ITEM TO PLACE THAT IF WE DO THAT, I MEAN WE'RE ABOUT TO GO INTO BUDGET IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS ANYWAY. SO, UH, IF YOU CAN KIND SLOW DOWN AND WE CAN KINDA WAIT UNTIL WE DISCUSS THIS IN BUDGETING AND WE CAN POSSIBLY GET THAT. BUT AT THIS TIME WE'RE NOT HAVING THE FUNDING SOURCE. I THINK THAT WILL PUT US AT A DISADVANTAGE. THAT'S RIGHT. EXACTLY. THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER. FRANK. WELL, LET ME SAY THIS 'CAUSE I WANNA BE SURE THAT WE NEVER HAVE SELECTIVE MEMORY. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO SAY IS, IS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE ABOUT GETTING THIS STREET FIXED AND ABOUT THIS MONEY COMING BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE SEWER ISSUES AND GETTING IT FIXED. BUT REMEMBER COUNSEL, WHEN STAFF CAME TO US AND WANTED TO INCREASE, WANTED AN INCREASE OF 7%, WE DIDN'T GIVE THEM A 7% INCREASE. WE GAVE 'EM A 5% INCREASE, WHICH DIDN'T PUT MONEY TO GET SEWER FIXED. SO THAT'S HOW WE GET HERE IN THESE SITUATIONS, THE CIRCUMSTANCES. SO LET'S NOT HAVE SELECTIVE MEMORY NOW AND ACT AS THOUGH THIS SITUATION HAS JUST COME UP. STAFF CAME TO US AND SAID THAT THEY NEEDED MONEY TO FIX SEWERS AND TO GET PIPE BURSTING CREWS AND TO DO SITUATIONS AND GET STUFF FIXED. AND SO NOW WHEN WE WANT TO TAKE THIS MONEY TO GET SOMETHING FIXED, WE WANT TO RANT AND WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. WELL, WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME WHEN WE DIDN'T DO THE INCREASE, IT WAS SAID THAT WE COULD TAKE MONEY OUT OF GENERAL FUND. SO THAT'S WHERE THIS MONEY IS GOING TO COME FROM. I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN LEWIS. YES, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO REPLACE THAT MONEY AND WE CAN PUT IT BACK IN STREET FUNDS, BUT IT'S GOING TO COME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. THAT'S WHERE IT'S GONNA COME FROM. COUNCILMAN LEWIS. AND, AND AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME, COUNCILMAN ETT WAS THE ONE WHO SAID THAT WE COULD TAKE MONEY OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND TO DO IT. NO. YES YOU DID. NO. AND SO NOW WE NOT GONNA, OKAY. OKAY. BUT I'M JUST, WE GOT A COUPLE MORE MINUTES. I'M JUST, I'M JUST DON'T MISS, ARE WE? WELL, IT HAD, IT HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE AND IT'S NOT GONNA, AND THAT INADVERTENTLY SPEAK TO EACH OTHER. WE'RE GONNA YES. YOU HAVE THE MIC. YES, MA'AM. FINISH UP. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. OKAY, IT'S GOING TO COME. LET ME FINISH. MAYOR, THANK MUCH. YES SIR. APPRECIATE 30 SECONDS. IT'S GONNA COME FROM SOMEWHERE AND IT'S NOT GONNA COME FROM SMOKE AND MIRRORS. THANK YOU. OKAY. MEMBER EVER FEEL. THANK YOU MAYOR. UM, DR. TOME, CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE US A REMINDER AS TO WHEN THIS PROJECT IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED? UH, IT'S ABOUT A HUNDRED DAYS FROM TODAY. PROBABLY IS WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE? I MEAN, THIS COMPANY HAS DONE MULTIPLE PROJECTS FOR US AND THEY'VE BEEN ON SCHEDULE ON THE OTHER PROJECTS AND THESE DELAYS WERE BASICALLY CAUSED BY THE SEWER LINE. SOME RAIN DAYS AND COMPLICATIONS WE HAD ON THE WATER LINE. OKAY. THANK YOU SIR. MOTION FOR APPROVAL. I'M SORRY. I'M MANY IN FAVOR. OH, I DON'T THINK I HAVE. SHE'S PUTTING HER HAND DOWN. I'M NOT. THAT'S IT. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? NO. LET THE RECORD, RECORD REFLECT ONE. NO, ALL AYES AND THE RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO NUMBER 13. [VII.C.(13) P.R. No. 24827 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Execute Amendment No. 1 To The Construction Contract With Brystar Contracting, Inc. Of Beaumont, Texas For The 9th Avenue Pavement Improvement Project (Nlost Westward Lane) From Jimmy Johnson Boulevard To Lake Arthur Drive, Providing For A One Hundred Fifty (150) Calendar Day Time Extension; Providing For Funding From Capital Streets Account No. 148-21-053-8517-00-10- 000, Project No. ST5023.CON.] PR NUMBER 2 4 8 2 7 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH BRIGHT STAR CONTRACTING, INCORPORATED, BELMONT, TEXAS FOR [02:35:01] THE NINTH AVENUE PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. MOST WESTWARD LANE FROM JIMMY JOHNSON BOULEVARD TO LAKE ARTHUR DRIVE, PROVIDING FOR A 150 CALENDAR DAY EXTENSION, PROVIDING FOR FUNDING FROM CAPITAL STREET, ACCOUNT NUMBER 1 48 21 5 3 8 5 7. PROJECT NUMBER ST 5 2 5 2 3. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND, HE'S GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND DISCUSSIONS. AND I THINK THIS WAS, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER KINLAW, UH, NO, I THINK IT WAS COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, ETT, UH, YOU PULL THAT DOUCETTE. UH, BUT I'M, I'M GONNA, OH, I'M SORRY. I'M, I'M GONNA SAY IT AGAIN. SINCE, UH, THE MAYOR'S RECOGNIZED ME, I'M, I'M GONNA STEP ON HIS TOES, GUYS. , BUT I'M GONNA GIVE, I'M GONNA GIVE, UH, DR. HANEY A LOOK. WE'VE GOT, WE MADE EYE CONTACT. SO IT'S THE SAME THING ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM. UH, WE'VE MADE EYE CONTACT SO YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW MY EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT I THINK ABOUT THESE EXTENSIONS. I'M SORRY. BUT, UH, LIKE YOU SAID, WE CAN DO BETTER. WE WILL DO BETTER, BUT I JUST WANNA PUT IT ON YOUR MIND AND GIVE YOU EYE CONTACT WITH IT. ALRIGHT? ALRIGHT. JUST SEC. YES, THAT'S WHAT I, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE HIGHLIGHTED. 150, 50 DAY CALENDAR EXTENSION. OKAY. I'M NOT, I'M NOT, UH, FIRST OF ALL, DO WE HAVE REPORTS? DO WE HAVE DAILY REPORTS ON THIS PROJECT? GOOD MORNING OR AFTERNOON? MAYBE AGAIN. GOOD AFTERNOON, DR. HANEY. UH, GREGORY IS THE INDIVIDUAL INSPECTING THIS PROJECT AND HE HAS THE REPORTS ON THE INSPECTIONS. GREGORY GREGORY KIR. AND THE REASON FOR THIS TIME IS WHEN THEY STARTED WORKING ON THE JOB, THEY HIT AN AREA THAT IS VERY, VERY SOFT. SO WE HAD TO GO OUT THERE AND DO MULTIPLE GEOTECHNICAL REPORT TESTING AND WE HAD TO CHANGE THE SCOPE TO STABILIZE THAT AREA WHERE THE HOT, WHERE THE SOFT SPOTS ARE. AND THAT CAUSED, UH, ANOTHER TIME EXTENSION PLUS ALL THE RAIN DAYS WE HAD. OKAY? I READ CONTRACTS, I READ CONTRACTS, AND Y'ALL KEEP USING THIS WORD LOOSELY FOR RAINY DAYS, OKAY? THOSE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE EXPLICIT WITHIN THE CONTRACT WHEN THEY GIVE US THAT, BUT THE NUMBER OF DAYS THEY SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT IN, THAT'S WHAT THAT SAYS. OKAY? UH, WHEN IT COMES TO ANY DAYS OTHER THAN THAT DAY, THEN IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE WHEREBY, UH, WHAT IT IS LESS THAN, UH, 70% OF CERTAIN PERCENTAGE THAT WORKERS CANNOT WORK. IT'S ONLY WHEN THEY'RE GIVEN CREDIT FOR A RAINY DAY. AND IF SO, THEN AT THAT POINT IT'S UP TO US TO APPROVE. OKAY? THE OTHER THING, AND THEY CONTRACT SAYS THEY WORK MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T REQUIRE WORK ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS AND HOLIDAYS, OKAY? BUT WHEN THEY'RE NOT WORKING, THAT'S WHEN WE SUPPOSED TO SEE ON THE DAILY REPORTS, NO WORK. BECAUSE ALL OF THESE, YOU GONNA FIND OUT. NOW, WE DON'T NEED, WE DON'T NEED TO GIVE 'EM NO EXTENSIONS. THEY'RE WORKING WHEN THEY WANNA WORK ANYWAY. CITIZENS TELL US THAT CITIZENS COME AND SAYS, AIN'T BEEN NOBODY HERE FOR A WEEK. SO FROM NOW ON UNTIL I LEAVE IS CANCELED AND I WILL FOLLOW. ONCE I LEAVE COUNSEL, I WILL STILL BE INVOLVED. WE NEED TO START BRINGING REPORTS TO SUBSTANTIATE WHAT YOU ALL ARE ASKING US TO APPROVE. 'CAUSE I'M NOT BUYING IT ANYMORE. OKAY? YES, SIR. THANK YOU. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? NO. THE REC, REC RECORD REFLECT ONE. NO, THE RESOLUTION PASSES. AND WE'RE GOING TO MOVE NOW TO OUR, UM, INDIVI ITEMS REQUIRING INDIVIDUAL, [02:40:26] WE'RE GONNA ESTABLISH A QUORUM CITY, UH, SECRETARY, MAYOR MOSES HERE, MAYOR PRO. TIM DOUCETTE, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS COUNCIL MEMBER. EVER FEEL PRESENT? COUNCIL MEMBER REBECCA HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LAW HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK HERE. YOU HAVE A QUORUM MAYOR, THANK YOU. FIRST OF ALL, I'M GOING TO, UH, APOLOGIZE. UH, WE DON'T KNOW, UM, WHERE THAT COULD HAVE COME FROM ON OUR VIDEO AND AS WE'RE AN OPEN MEETING, BUT WE WILL DEFINITELY DO, UM, AS MUCH INVESTIGATION AS WE POSSIBLY CAN. SO I, I DO WANT TO, UH, APOLOGIZE FOR SUCH HORRIBLE WOW, HORRIBLE, UM, INTRUSION INTO OUR MEETING ON THIS, UM, EVENING. WE ARE GONNA MOVE TO [VIII.A.(1) P.R. No. 24689 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Negotiate A Contract With The Goodman Corporation Of Houston, Texas, To Assist The City In Planning And Designing Strategies To Improve Safety And Reduce Traffic-Related Fatalities On All Roadways In Port Arthur For The Safe Streets And Roads For All (SS4A) Funding Program. Project No. GM2401.] OUR, UH, ITEMS REQUIRING INDIVIDUAL ACTION. NON-CONSENT CONTINUED. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO NUMBER ONE ON PAGE EIGHT AT THE BOTTOM. I KNOW THAT'S A LITTLE CONFUSING, BUT WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO, UH, NUMBER ONE, A RESOLUTIONS ON OUR NON-CONSENT AGENDA. PR NUMBER 2 4 6 8 9, A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH THE GOODMAN CORPORATION OF HOUSTON, TEXAS TO ASSIST THE CITY IN PLANNING AND DESIGNING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE SAFETY AND REDUCE TRAFFIC RELATED FATALITIES ON ALL ROADWAYS IN PORT ARTHUR FOR THE SAFE STREET AND ROADS FOR ALL SS FOUR A FUNDING PROGRAM, PROJECT NUMBER GM 2 4 0 1. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MAYOR, SECOND IWO MOTION AND, AND SECOND, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS, BIS HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. I'M GONNA MOVE TO NUMBER TWO. [VIII.A.(2) P.R. No. 24729 — A Resolution Authorizing The Purchase Of A Training Drill Tower From Affordable Drill Towers, LLC Of Farrell, Texas, Through Symtech LLC Of Berkely Heights, New Jersey, Under Sourcewell Master Agreement No. 102325, In The Amount Of $136,603.00; $130,000.00 For This Acquisition Is Available In The Fire Department Capital Improvement Account No. 307-19- 047-8512-00-30-000; $6,603.00 For This Acquisition Is Available In The Fire Department Account No. 001-19-047-5240-00-30- 000.] PR NUMBER 2 4 7 2 9. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED IN THE PURCHASE OF A TRAINING DRILL TOWER FROM AFFORDABLE DRILL TOWERS, LLC OF DRILL, TEXAS THROUGH, UH, SIMTECH LLC OF BERKELEY HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY UNDER SOURCE. WELL MASTER AGREEMENT NUMBER 1 0 2 3 2 5 AND THE AMOUNT OF $136,603 130,000 FOR THIS ACQUISITION IS AVAILABLE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT ACCOUNT NUMBER 3 0 7 DASH 9 4 7 DASH 8 5 2 DASH 0 3 0 $6,303 FOR THIS ACQUISITION IS AVAILABLE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCOUNT NUMBER 0 0 1 1 9 0 4 7 5 2 4 0 0 3 0 0 0. CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? UM, MAYOR, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM ETT. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, WHAT'S THIS ACCOUNT? UH, 0 0 1 1 9. WHAT IS THAT ACCOUNT? I, I WAS LOOKING TO SEE WHAT LINE ITEM THAT IS. I WAS TRYING TO FIND THAT LINE ITEM. OKAY. UM, OUR, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT, UM, HE LOU, UM, CHIEF LOUIS, UM, HAD, WOULD BEEN UP ALL NIGHT LONG. SO I KNOW THAT HE IS HAVE ANYONE ELSE? I'M OKAY. YES. SO WE MANAGE IT. LET'S, OKAY, SO OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT? YES. OKAY, THANK YOU. AFTER THE 0 0 1, 0 0 1 IS GENERAL FIVE 19 REPRESENTS THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. OKAY. AND, AND THEN 0 4 7 IS THE DIVISION OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THEN THE 52 40 IS THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. I BELIEVE THAT'S THE CORRECT 1 50 52 40. OKAY. THAT'S, YOU SEE MY, MY QUESTION ONCE, MY QUESTION HERE IS I WANT TO KNOW BECAUSE I TRY TO FIND OUT WHICH LINE ITEM IT WAS WHEN I CHECKED THE BACKGROUND, OKAY? YES SIR. I WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE MONEY IS COMING FROM BECAUSE I WANT TO ENSURE THAT THAT LINE ITEM IS WHERE THAT MONEY COULD COME FROM. YES, SIR. AND I COULD NOT IDENTIFY [02:45:01] THIS, THAT'S WHY I ASK. AND I'M STILL HAVING TO GET IN IT BECAUSE IT WOULD SAY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND YOU SAID YOU THINK, AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE MY COMMENT UNLESS I'M SURE BECAUSE IF THEY'RE COMING FROM PROFESSIONAL SERVICES RIGHT. THEN I WILL QUESTION WHY ARE WE TAKING MONEY FROM PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TO UM, PUT IN SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA REFER TO TRAINING? 'CAUSE I KNOW THEY GOT TRAINING AND TRAVEL IN THAT DEPARTMENT. YES. AND THIS, I KNOW THAT THIS ISN'T A TRAINING AND TRAVEL BECAUSE THAT IS A 5 4 4 0 ACCOUNT. I DID PROVIDE YOU A CHEAT SHEET AND A BUDGET. IT'S AT THE, TOWARDS THE BEGINNING AND I HAVE ALL THE ONLINE ITEMS LISTED BY THE FOUR DIGIT NUMBER THAT STARTS WITH A FIVE. AND I BELIEVE THAT IS IN THE SUMMARY RIGHT BEFORE YOU GET INTO GENERAL FUND. THERE IS, LIKE I SAID, I PUT IT KIND OF A CHEAT SHEET WITH WHAT THE CODE IS EXACTLY AND WHAT ALL OF THEM MEAN. OKAY. ALRIGHT. YOU STILL OKAY? ONE NINE I CAN GET WITH YOU AND GET YOU THAT PAGE NUMBER IN A LITTLE BIT. O OKAY. WOULD YOU PLEASE DO THAT FOR ME? UH, YES SIR. MEANWHILE, LET'S MOVE ON. OKAY. I HAVE UM, COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM, MAY YOU HAVE YOUR LIGHT ON? UM, MY QUESTION WAS, AND I THINK THE CITY MANAGER CAN ANSWER THIS, UM, LEMME MAKE SURE I'M ON THE RIGHT ONE. OH, WHERE IS THIS GONNA BE INSTALLED? WHICH FIRE STATION WILL THIS BE INSTALLED OUT OR WILL IT BE AT A DIFFERENT LOCATION FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ALTOGETHER? I WOULD HAVE TO, I'LL GET THAT INFORMATION FROM THE FIRE CHIEF FREE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. MM-HMM . OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE THE RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'RE GONNA [VIII.A.(4) P.R. No. 24813 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Nlanager To Enter Into A Contract With Sigma Engineers Of Beaumont, Texas For The Architectural And Engineering Design Services Related To The Repurposing Of The Existing Clubhouse (Event Center) On Pleasure Island And An Additional ADA-Compliant Parking Lot Adjacent To The Building In The Total Amount Not To Exceed $163,155.00; Funding Available In Account Number 450-00-000-8512-00-00-000 Project Number PI0011.ENG.] MOVE TO NUMBER FOUR, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 1 3 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED AND CITY MANAGER TO ENTER INTO A CONTRACT WITH SIGMA ENGINEERS OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES RELATED TO THE REPURPOSING OF THE EXISTING CLUBHOUSE EVENT CENTER ON PLEASURE ISLAND AND AN ADDITIONAL A DA COMPLIANT PARKING LOT ADJACENT TO THE BUILDING. AND THE TOTAL AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $163,155. FUNDING AVAILABLE IN ACCOUNT NUMBER 4 5 0 DASH 0 0 0 DASH 8 5 2 DASH 0 0 0. PROJECT NUMBER PI I 0 0 1 1 ENG. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOTION. AND SECOND. UM, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE EYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. NUMBER FIVE, PR [VIII.A.(5) P.R. No. 24814 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager Or His Designee To Negotiate A Contract With Sigma Engineers Of Beaumont, Texas, For Design Services Related To The Second Floor Renovation Of The Pleasure Island Office Located At 520 Pleasure Pier Boulevard, Port Arthur, Texas.] NUMBER 2 4 8 1 4. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER OR HIS DESIGNEE TO NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH SIGMA ENGINEERS OF BELMONT, TEXAS FOR DESIGN SERVICES FOR RELATED TO THE SECOND FLOOR RENOVATION OF THE PLEASURE ISLAND OFFICE, LOCATED AT FIVE 20. PLEASURE PIER BOULEVARD, PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? MOVE SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE THAT THE RESOLUTION PASSES PR NUMBER [VIII.A.(6) P.R. No. 24815 — A Resolution Authorizing The City IYlanager To Accept An Allocation Of Gulf Of Nlexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) Funds In The Amount Of $141,000.00 From Jefferson County To Support Phase One Of The Palms At Pleasure Island Green Space And Bird Habitat Project.] SIX, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 1 5. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO ACCEPT AN ALLOCATION OF GULF OF MEXICO ENERGY SECURITY ACT, G-O-M-E-S-A FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $141,000 FROM JEFFERSON COUNTY TO SUPPORT PHASE ONE OF THE PALMS AT PLEASURE ISLAND GREEN SPACE AND BIRD HABITAT PROJECT. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. NUMBER SEVEN, [VIII.A.(7) P.R. No. 24824 — A Resolution Ratifying The Work And Authorizing Payment For The Emergency Repairs Of The Grannis Lift Station Force Plain Located Along West Lakeshore Drive In The Amount Of $250,000.00 To Global Drilling, Inc., Of Winnie, Texas, With Funding From CIP Account No. 405-40-000-8516-00-00-000 Project No. WS0032.OTH.] PR NUMBER ON PAGE 10, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 2 4 A RESOLUTION RATIFYING THE WORK AND AUTHORIZING PAYMENT FOR THE EMERGENCY REPAIRS OF THE GRANNIS LIFT STATION FOREST MAIN, LOCATED ALONG WEST LAKE SHORE. DRIVE IN THE AMOUNT OF $250,000 TO GLOBAL DRILLING INCORPORATED OF WINNIE, TEXAS WITH FUNDING FROM CIP ACCOUNT NUMBER 4 0 5 4 0 DASH 0 0 0 DASH 8 5 1 16 DASH ZERO. PROJECT NUMBER WS 0 0 3 2. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? MOVE SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY. SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. ANY? NO THES [02:50:01] HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES PR NUMBER 2 4 8 2 5. [VIII.A.(8) P.R. No. 24825 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Execute Contracts With Jet Aeration Of Texas, LLC. Of Vidor, Texas And SETEX Construction Corporation Of Beaumont, Texas, Both For Emergency Water And Sewer Leak Repair Services For A Combined Total Projected Estimated Amount Of $500,000.00, Where $250,000.00 Of Funding Is Available In Account Number 410-40- 215-5315-00-00-000, Water System Nlaintenance And $250,000.00 Of Funding Is Available In Account No. 410-40-220-5313-00-00-000, Sewer System Maintenance.] A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED IN CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE CONTRACTS WITH JET ATION OF NO NOBODY'S THERE. UH, JET UH, ATION OF TEXAS, LLC OF VI, TEXAS AND SOUTHEAST, UM, TEXAS CONSTRUCTION CORPORATION OF BEAUMONT, TEXAS, BOTH FOR EMERGENCY WATER AND SEWER LEAK REPAIR SERVICES FOR A COMBINED TOTAL PROJECTED ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF $500,000 WHERE $250,000 OF FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN ACCOUNT NUMBER 4 1 0 DASH FOUR ZERO DASH 215 DASH 5 3 15. LETTER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE AND 250,000 OF FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN ACCOUNT NUMBER 4 1 0 4 0 2 2 5 3 SEWER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. WHEN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL, I'VE GOT, I'VE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND. UM, ANY DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE. ANY NOS THE AYES HAVE AT THE RESOLUTION PASSES. NUMBER [VIII.A.(9) P.R. No. 24832 — A Resolution Authorizing The City Manager To Execute Amendment No. 2 To The Contract Between The City Of Port Arthur And Freese & Nichols, Inc. Of Pearland, Texas For The Planning, Acquisition And Design Of The Main Wastewater Treatment Plant, Increasing The Contract Amount By $359,141.35, For A New Total Contract Amount Of $6,813,341.35; Funding Is Available In Account No. 404-40-000-8516-00-00-000, Project No. TW0001.] NINE, PR NUMBER 2 4 8 3 2. A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO TO THE CONTRACT BETWEEN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR AND FREEZING NICHOLS IN CORPORATE OF PEARLAND, TEXAS FOR THE PLANNING, ACQUISITION AND DESIGN OF THE WATER OF THE MAIN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT, INCREASING THE CONTRACT AMOUNT BY $359,141 AND 35 CENTS FOR A NEW TOTAL CONTRACT AMOUNT OF $6,000,813 $341 AND 35 CENTS. FUNDING IS AVAILABLE IN ACCOUNT NUMBER 4 0 4 DASH 4 0 0 0 8 5 16 0 0 0 0. PROJECT NUMBER TW 0 0 1. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOTION AND SECOND, ANY DISCUSSIONS OH. MAY APPROACH HIM ETTE? YES, I WAS, I WAS, UH, READING THIS ONE AND IT KIND OF, I I I COULDN'T GET IT THREW ME FOR A LOOP. ALVIN, IT STARTS OUT SAYING THAT THE FUNDING WAS OBTAINED. OKAY. IT, IT, IT IS FROM THE WATER BOARD. OKAY. BUT WE ARE CHANGING AND WE ARE ASKING TO, UH, APPROVE THE AMENDMENT. I'M TRYING TO FIND OUT WHEN DID WE, WHAT'S UP WITH AMENDMENT? BECAUSE I MEANT, I MEANT TO ASK THAT QUESTION AT A, THE EARLIER THING WITH STREETS TOO. I'VE BEEN SEEING THIS WORD POP UP AMENDMENT. THIS ONE. SO THIS ONE'S A LITTLE COMPLICATED. FREEZER NICHOLS GOT A PLANNING AND DESIGN CONTRACT FUNDED BY TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, I THINK IN 2015 OR SOMETHING A LONG TIME AGO. AND IT WAS FUNDED, THE, THE TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD FUNDED AN AMOUNT. WE FINALLY CLOSED THAT SECTION, THE PAD THEY CALL IT. AND THERE WAS THIS, THIS 359,000 WAS LEFT OVER IN THAT FUNDING. AND THEY SAID IT COULD NOT BE MOVED TO CONSTRUCTION, BUT IT COULD BE MOVED FREE. IT WAS IN FREEZING NICKELS. SO IF FREEZING NICKELS WAS STILL WORKING, IT COULD BE USED TO FUND THEM. SO WHEN WE STARTED THE CONSTRUCTION, THE AMOUNT THAT THEY WANTED FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 2.2 MILLION OR SOMETHING. SO WE DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY. SO WE HAD ABOUT 600,000 PLUS OR MINUS. AND WE SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THE AGREEMENT. WE WOULD, WE WOULD ASSIST THEM, WE'D SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AND WE WOULD ADD FUNDING AS WE WENT AS IT BECAME AVAILABLE EACH YEAR. SO THIS IS THE SECOND WOULD BE THE SECOND INFUSION OF MONEY INTO THAT CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. BUT IT'S COMING FROM TEXAS WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD, FROM THE ORIGINAL DESIGN FUNDING, IT'S BEEN ROLLED OVER TO FREEZER NICHOLS TO CONTINUE THE CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. AND WE NEED THEM ON SITE FOR CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT AND INSPECTION, BUT ALSO FOR SHOP DRAWINGS FOR WHEN THERE'S RFIS THAT COME UP ABOUT WE FIND THINGS UNDERGROUND OR IF WE HAVE TO DO A CHANGE, CHANGE IN DESIGN. SO IT CONTINUES THEIR FUNDING. OH GOOD. I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THIS. I READ, I READ EVERYTHING YOU ALL PUT IN THERE AND NONE OF IT MADE, MADE THE COMMON SENSE TESTIMONY OF WE GOT MONEY LEFT OVER FROM THE PERSON WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THE CONTRACT. AND THEN WE GONNA SAY WE'RE GOING TO GET A CONTRACT. BUT WHAT'S GOING TO, SO IT, IT'S [02:55:01] ALL IT IS IS SOMETHING THAT WE DIDN'T PROVIDE FUNDING FOR UPFRONT. BUT WE'VE, WE DIDN'T SPEND MONEY BACK. WE AGREED THAT OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AS WE GET FUNDED RIGHT, WE WILL START REPLACING, WE WILL PAY YOU AS WE GET MONEY AND WE TRY TO DO THINGS WE CAN DO TO KEEP THAT FUNDING DOWN. WELL I UNDERSTAND THIS. YEAH, I UNDERSTAND THIS. YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE, SOMEBODY'S DOING THE WORK ON AGREEMENT THAT AS WE GET FUNDING WE WILL PAY YOU FOR THE WORK. AND THIS IS MONEY LEFT OVER FROM A PROJECT THAT WE ARE ALLOWED TO USE THAT MONEY TO CONTINUE. SO WE'RE GONNA USE THAT MONEY TO PAY FOR THIS MONEY. IT MAKES SENSE NOW. IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE. IT'S CONFUSING. OKAY. ALRIGHT. NO OTHER QUESTION, MAYOR. OKAY. WE HAVE NO OTHER RIGHT. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. WE'RE [VIII.A.(10) P.R. No. 24838 — A Resolution Of The City Of Port Arthur, Texas Designating And Establishing The Port Arthur Convention And Visitors Bureau As The Exclusive Concessionaire For The Port Arthur Nlardi Gras 2027 And Authorizing The City Nlanager To Execute An Agreement With The Port Arthur Convention And Visitors Bureau.] GONNA GO TO NUMBER 10. PR NUMBER 2 4 8 3 8. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS DESIGNATING AND ESTABLISHING THE PORT ARTHUR CONVENTION IN VISTA BUREAU AS EXCLUSIVE CONCESSIONAIRE FOR THE PORT ARTHUR MARDI GRAS 2027 AND AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN, UM, AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PORT ARTHUR CONVENTION IN VISTA BUREAU. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND? IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? YES. OH, OKAY. I'M GOING TO, UM, LET ME FIRST SAY BEFORE I CALL ON COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT, UM, AFTER HAVING, UM, HEARING THE CRIES OF OUR COMMUNITY AND ALSO, UM, UM, GETTING A PHONE NUMBER FROM, UH, ONE OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND YOU GUYS KNOW, I'VE, I'VE SAID HER NAME ON, UH, SEVERAL TIMES ON OUR LIVE AND, UM, CONTACTING THE GENTLEMAN SHE HAS GIVEN US CONTACT WITH. WE WENT TO WORK. UH, THANK YOU COUNCILMAN REBECCA. UM, WE WENT TO WORK, UM, ON GETTING OUR OWN FESTIVAL IN PORT ARTHUR. UM, OUR FESTIVAL, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY HAS FESTIVAL IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORING CITIES. SO, UH, YOU HAVE THE RICE FESTIVAL IN WINNIE, YOU HAVE THE HERITAGE FESTIVAL IN UM, LING AND SO FORTH AND SO ON. WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THAT, BUT BASICALLY TRYING A WAY THAT WE COULD ESTABLISH A FESTIVAL IN OUR OWN CITY, IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY THAT WILL NEVER BE TAKEN FROM US. AND SETTING IT UP IN A MANNER THAT IT WILL ALWAYS BE PORT ARTHUR'S FESTIVAL, NO MATTER IF I'M ANYBODY ON THIS THERE AS WE PASS AWAY, UM, IT'LL STILL BE A CELEBRATION FOR PORT ARTHUR. WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT BEING UNDER A NONPROFIT. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT BEING UNDER SOMEBODY ELSE'S JURISDICTION OR LEADERSHIP, BUT IT WOULD BE THE CITY'S OWN FESTIVAL. UM, AND, AND THAT'S WHERE THIS STARTED. AND I, UM, THANKFUL THAT BEFORE WE PUT ANYTHING OUT THERE, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO GO TO THE CBB BOARD AND ASK FOR THEIR PERMISSION THAT THE, UH, MARDI GRAS WOULD BE UNDER THEIR LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNED BY OUR CBB BOARD, WHICH IS OUR CONVENTION IN VISTA BUREAU. AND THAT WAY LONG YEARS AFTER, AFTER WE'RE GONE, NOW ALL THE PARTICULARS HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT. BUT WE HAD TO GO WITH THEM BECAUSE THEIR BOARD IS NOT UNDER OUR LEADERSHIP AS, UM, UH, WITH SOME OTHER BOARDS. THEY'RE INDEPENDENT BOARD. AND WE HAD TO GET THAT PERMISSION BEFORE WE COULD EVEN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS FOR TRANSPARENCY. I WANNA MAKE SURE THE RECORD REFLECTS THAT. THE ONLY REASON WHY, UM, THEY WERE CONSIDERED, UM, AS I WAS TRYING TO WORK, UM, TO GET MARDI GRAS BACK TO OUR CITY, AS WITH OTHER, OUR COMMUNITY, THE CRIES ON FACEBOOK, THE CRIES, UM, THAT CAME CALLING THROUGH MY PHONE, CALLING THROUGH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT'S GOTTEN A CRY FROM MARDI GRAS. BE BACK IN PORT ARTHUR. I THINK ALL OF US ON THIS, UH, DE SES HAVE GOTTEN TESTS, TEXT MESSAGES, PHONE CALLS, BRING MARDI GRAS BACK, BRING MARDI GRAS BACK TO PORT ARTHUR. AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE. WE HAVE NOT WORKED OUT DETAILS ON WHO'S GONNA DO WHAT. THERE'S A PROPOSED MEMBER OF UNDERSTANDING AND THAT WE'RE ASKING OUR CITY MANAGER TO, UH, WORK WITH, UM, SOME TYPE OF AN AGREEMENT AS OUR EXCLUSIVE, UH, CONCESSIONAIRE TO WORK OUT DETAILS ABOUT THIS AND HOW IT'S GOING TO OPERATE. BUT THE BOARD, THE CITY B'S BOARD DID UNANIMOUSLY APPROVE US, UM, THEM HAVING, BEING THE, UM, HAVING MARDI GRAS UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF ANSWERS. WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS JUST YET. IT IS JUST A START, UM, OF TRYING TO GET IT BACK TO PORT ARTHUR AND HAVE OUR OWN FESTIVAL IN OUR OWN COMMUNITY. AND SO THAT'S WHERE THIS STARTED JUST FOR BACKGROUND HISTORY. AND SO, UH, THOSE COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT DON'T KNOW WILL KNOW, UM, HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT. AND I, I CAN EXPLAIN AND, AND ANSWER, UH, QUESTIONS AS THEY ARE. I GOT A COUPLE OF HANDS GOING ON. I'M GONNA RECOGNIZE, UM, UH, UH, RIGHT NOW I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER DOUCETTE AND THEN I THINK MAYOR PROTE, UM, MAYOR, UH, DOLORES PRINCE HAD HER HAND UP AS WELL AS WELL, UH, MAYOR PROTE. YES. THANK YOU MAYOR. [03:00:02] I, I READ THIS AGREEMENT NOW LEMME JUST UNDERSTAND, ARE WE APPROVING THIS AGREEMENT AS WRITTEN? ARE WE APPROVING THIS AGREEMENT OR ARE WE GOING TO APPROVE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM AND GET A FINAL? I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THIS IS. WE'RE APPROVING THE NEGOTIATIONS OF A MEMO OF UNDERSTANDING, BUT TODAY DOES THIS GIVEN THE MANAGER THE AUTHORITY AS IT SAYS, UH, AUTHORIZATION FOR THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PORT ARTHUR CONVENTION AND VISCERAL BUREAU. OKAY. THAT'S ALL WE'RE DOING. SO, SO, SO WHAT WAS THIS THAT WE HAD IN, IN THE PACKET, A RESOLUTION TO OH, THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A, JUST FOR YOUR WHAT IS GONNA LOOK LIKE, BUT THERE'S STILL GONNA MAKE, UM, THE CBB STILL HAS TO GO THROUGH THE MEMO AND CROSS OUT WHAT THEY WANT. IT'S GONNA BE NEGOTIATIONS. AM I RIGHT? SENIOR MANAGER FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. OKAY. COMING BACK WITH THE FINAL MOU TO THE COUNCIL. OH, WELL, WELL, I, I RECOMMEND THAT WE COME BACK WITH A PRESENTATION TO THE COUNCIL, UH, FOR THE FINAL, BECAUSE I LOOKED THROUGH THIS AGREEMENT THAT, UH, WAS IN THE BACKGROUND AND THERE WERE SOME THINGS THAT JUST, UH, JUMPED OUT TO, TO REALLY TRY TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING ABOUT DIS RESPONSIBILITY, UH, JUST FOR THE, UH, VISITOR BUREAU. I'M GLAD Y'ALL GOT IT. COMMITTEE 'CAUSE IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME PEOPLE MM-HMM . BUT I ALREADY DID WONDER WHY PAUL ARTHUR WAS SET UP WITH A MARDI GRAS THAT BASICALLY UNTIL THE ENTERTAINMENT OR CONTAINMENT AREA OKAY. ENTERTAINMENT, IF YOU CALLED, BECAUSE I GO TO LOUISIANA LIKE EVERY YEAR THEY'VE BEEN GONE FOR YEARS AND THEY HAVE THESE SECTIONS, UH, WHERE YOU COULD GO TO SOMETHING AFTER THE PARADES, BUT NORMALLY THEY PARADES, UH, PEOPLE ARE THERE AND IT'S FREE AND, UH, YOU KNOW, VENDORS AND STUFF ALONG THE ROUTE, SELLING THINGS AND STUFF. BUT, UH, WHEN WE SET UP THE INSIDE AND STUFF, AND THE REASON I'M BRINGING THAT, BECAUSE I UNDERSTOOD AND I WAS ON COUNCIL WHEN THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH, UH, THE ORIGINAL GROUP AND THE CITY, THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT WERE AN ISSUE. THE THING THAT WERE AN ISSUE WAS CITIZENS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COST TO ENTER. OKAY. THAT WAS A BIG DEAL. OKAY. AND, AND, UH, COUNCIL ACKNOWLEDGED THAT, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING WAS THE GROUP, THE MARDI GRAS GROUP HAVING A CONCERN BECAUSE YOU GOT THESE OFFENDERS OUTSIDE AND NEAR THE GATES. BUT WE ARE GETTING THESE PEOPLE INSIDE AND THEY'RE PAYING AND THEY'RE COMPLAINING THAT THEY PAYING ALL THIS MONEY, BUT YOU GOT PEOPLE OUTSIDE SELLING AND THAT JUST NEVER GOT WORKED OUT. MM-HMM . AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT I WAS SURPRISED BECAUSE THE NEXT THING I HEARD WAS THAT IT'S GOING TO BEAUMONT. SO I WAS CAUGHT BY SURPRISE AND CITIZENS HAVE BEEN LIKE, YOU TOOK SOMEBODY FROM THE FAMILY HERE IN PORT ARTHUR. OKAY. UH, AND, AND NO CHANCE TO GET IT. SO IF WE GOING TO REVITALIZE THIS, I THINK THAT THOSE TWO THINGS GOING TO HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED AND MAKE CLEAR OF WHAT WE CAN AND WHAT WE EXPECT. BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, WE GONNA BE BACK TO SQUARE ONE. THOSE ISSUE WAS NOT RESOLVED. THEY NEED TO BE RESOLVED. I I, I READ A LOT OF THE INFORMATION HERE AND WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT IS THE FACT THAT IT'S GONNA BE A CITY THING. AND NOW ONLY DO WE, NOW ONLY CAN WE USE, UH, UH, THE, THE FUNDS, THE HOX FUND, BECAUSE IT'S A CITY THING. IT INVOLVES PUBLIC PURPOSE. WE COULD FUND IT WITH GENERAL FUND. MM-HMM . JUST LIKE WE FUND MONEY FOR THE SENIOR PROM. SAME THING. SAME THING FOR PARK AND RECREATIONS. OKAY? THIS IS A PUBLIC THING. SO WE CAN ACTUALLY PUT MONEY IN THE BUDGET AND WE COULD PUT IT UNDER PARK. AND REC REC REALLY PROBABLY GO UNDER FOR THAT. OKAY. IT WOULD, BUT WE COULD PUT MONEY, OUR SECURITY, LIKE I READ IN HERE, WE CAN DO THAT. SO WE NEED TO DO THAT. BUT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE THE APPROACHES OR WE IDENTIFY AS CITIZENS OR WE DOING IT TO MAKE MONEY. AND BECAUSE WE DOING IT FOR THE PUBLIC PURPOSE, I THINK WE WILL HAVE A GOOD TIME AND WE'LL PAY, NOT [03:05:01] US, BUT CITIZENS GOING TO BE PAYING TO GO AND ENJOY IT LIKE THEY DO IN LOUISIANA TO MOST CITIES. OKAY. YOU KNOW, IT'S FOR THE PEOPLE. WE CAN DO THAT WITH TAX DOLLARS. SO, UH, I JUST HOPE THAT WE KEEP IN MIND WE WANNA DO THIS FIRST CLASS FOR OUR CITIZENS. THAT'S RIGHT. 'CAUSE THEY'VE BEEN WANTING IT. SO THAT'S NOT JUST SUPPOSED TO LET'S A LOT OF THOUGHT IN IT. LET'S FIND OUT ALL THE, UH, LOGISTICS, SUPPORT, LOGISTICS WE ARE GOING TO NEED. THAT'S RIGHT. HOW MUCH MONEY WE GOING TO NEED. AND TRUST ME, I EXPECT THIS CITY, I'M NOT GONNA BE ON COUNCIL, BUT I EXPECT THIS CITY TO PUT OUT SOME MONEY FOR A MARDI GRAS BECAUSE OUR CITIZENS SCREAMING ABOUT IT. THAT'S RIGHT. AND THEY DESERVE IT. THEY DESERVE IT. SO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO DO THIS, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IT SHOULD NOT BE JUST YOUR HO HOT HOTEL OLU TAXES. IT SHOULD NOT BE JUST HOT TAXES. WE SHOULD PUT THAT MONEY OUT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT OUR CITIZENS WANT AND MAKE IT A FIRST CLASS. AND WE, WE CAN'T USE HOTEL TAX MONEY FOR THIS EVENT. SO WE'RE GONNA BE DEPENDENT ON OUR FUNDING FROM THE BUDGET AND THEN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, WE HAVE, UM, WHAT WE NEED. GO AHEAD. UM, TAMMY. OKAY. JUST TO CLARIFY MARKETING OF ANY EVENT. SO ALL OF THE MARKETING CAN BE FUNDED WITH HOTEL TAX OUTSIDE OF THE AREA. IT IS SOME OF THE ACTUAL LOGISTICAL THINGS THAT CANNOT BE PAID FOR WITH HOTEL TAX. SO, AND THAT'S ALL PART OF THIS MOU THAT WE'RE GONNA WORK IT OUT. UM, MAYOR PRO, UH, MAYOR, UH, MAYOR BOBBY PRINCE, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK? UM, I'M GONNA LET YOU SPEAK. I KNOW YOU HAVE YOUR HAND UP. YEAH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MAYOR AND COUNCIL. UH, MAYOR MOSES, YOU MADE A, A CAMPAIGN TRAUMA. YES, I DID. AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM THAT YOU HAVE KEPT AND I I CAN SEE YOU KEEPING ALL OF THOSE THAT YOU MADE TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU CAN. BUT I WANNA THANK YOU AND I WANNA THANK YOU AND I WANNA THANK YOU ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE CITIZENS OF PUERTO ARTHUR FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE POURED INTO TRYING TO BRING THIS TO FRUITION. YOU'VE DONE IT FOR MANY MONTHS NOW. AND LET ME JUST SAY THAT, AND I, I GUESS I, I WANNA SAY SOMETHING TO COUNCIL MEMBER ETT BEFORE HE, UH, PACKS UP AND, AND LEAVES. I THINK WHAT HE'S SAYING IS WHAT I'M SAYING, WE WANNA BLOW IT OUTTA THE WATER. NOW HE DIDN'T USE THAT, THAT PHRASE I JUST DID, BUT THEN HE ALLUDED TO IT. YEAH. YOU KNOW, THE MARDI GRAS AND AT CHRISTMAS PARADE BINGO ARE THINGS THAT I WOULD CONSIDER ESSENTIAL TO A HEALTHY COMMUNITY. UH, OUR CITIZENS DESERVE THAT. UH, THEY'RE FAMILY ORIENTED ACTIVITIES AND WE NEED THAT HERE IN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. WHEN I WAS MAYOR, WE HAD, WE HADN'T HAD A CHRISTMAS PARADE IN 10 YEARS, AND CHRISTIE IS SITTING THERE SOMEWHERE ON COUNCIL UNLESS SHE'S LEFT. AND WHEN WE BROUGHT IT BACK, I CAN REMEMBER A LADY STANDING ON THE CORNER OF AUSTIN AND PROCTOR AT THE END OF THE PARADE STOPPING ME AND SAYING, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THE PARADE BACK. SHE HAD LOST HER MOM SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO US HAVING THE PARADE. AND SHE SAID THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO SMILE A LITTLE BIT. SO MAYOR MOSES, WHAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, YOU AND THE COUNCIL, BUT I WANNA PUT IN PARTICULAR, I JUST SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS, UH, IN BRINGING THIS BACK. LIKE COUNCILMAN DUETTE AND ALL OF THE OTHERS, WE ALL HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO MARDI GRAS. THIS IS ONE THAT WILL BE OURS. I, I DIDN'T AGREE WHEN THEY TOOK THE OTHER ONE AWAY. BUT THEN, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MOVE THEIR MARDI GRAS SOMEPLACE. I DIDN'T AGREE FOR THE REASONS THAT THEY TOOK IT AWAY, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS THEIR MARDI GRAS. THIS WILL BE OURS. AND LIKE YOU SAID, IT'LL BE SO I WANNA THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, UM, OF YOU BECAUSE NOT ONLY, UH, ARE WE THE CITIZENS OF PORT ARTHUR GONNA BENEFIT FROM IT, UM, IN A HEALTHY, UH, UH, HAPPY WAY. BUT WE'VE GOT OUR NEIGHBORING CITIES AND AS FAR AS LAKE CHARLES, BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT CAME FROM LAKE CHARLES TO MARDI GRAS HERE, UH, UH, IN PORT ARTHUR. SO WE JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR, UH, EFFORTS AND, UH, AND IF, IF I CAN HELP WITH ANYTHING, I'M CERTAINLY AVAILABLE. I'M SURE THAT ANY CITIZEN THAT YOU TALK TO IN PORT ARTHUR, IF YOU NEED, NEED THEIR HELP, THEY'RE AVAILABLE TOO. SO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. AND COUNCIL, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MARDI GRAS BACK IN THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. [03:10:01] THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR AT THIS TIME. COUNCIL MEMBER KINLAW. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, GUYS, I'M JUST SO EXCITED THAT WE ARE HERE, TAMMY. I MEAN, I SEE THE BIG SMILE ON YOUR FACE, UH, BEING THE CAJUN CAPITAL OF TEXAS. THIS IS A GRAND, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THIS. WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK ON THIS FOR YEARS SINCE I'VE BEEN ON COUNCIL, AND IT WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS GREAT CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, BUT I JUST WANT THIS FOR THE RECORD. PORT ARTHUR THROWS THE BEST MARDI GRAS, UH, AND GETTING SOME STATISTICAL DATA. UH, IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, ANY FROM THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, WE HAD ESTIMATED TO HAVING, I THINK I TALKED WITH DR. ABOUT THIS, OVER A HUNDRED AND 150,000 PEOPLE TO COME THROUGH HERE. PORT ARTHUR. NOW IMAGINE WHAT THAT'S GONNA DO TO ECONOMICS HERE IN THIS GREAT CITY WITH ALL THE DEVELOPMENT WE HAVE. THAT IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. SO THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP, CITY MANAGER, THANK YOU FOR STEPPING UP. UH, IT'S, IT'S GONNA BE ONE OF THESE THINGS WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT FOR YEARS THAT NO ONE THROWS A BETTER MARDI GRAS THAN PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN KEN LAW, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, AND THEN COUNCILOR ON STRUCTURE IS THIS THING, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON THE, THE NONPROFITS THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON. UH, YOU GOT ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE NONPROFITS? WE ARE A 5 0 1 C SIX. SO ANY MONIES CONTRIBUTED TO US? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE SEPARATE ACCOUNTING BECAUSE YOU CANNOT COMMINGLE HOTEL TAX WITH OTHER SOURCES OF INCOME. BUT WE ARE A 5 0 1 C SIX AND SO ANY CONTRIBUTIONS MADE BY INDUSTRY WOULD BE A BUSINESS EXPENSE RATHER THAN A, UH, US BEING A 5 0 1 C3. SO, BUT WE WERE SET UP AS A 5 0 1 6 IN 1976 BY THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR WITH THE HOTELIERS. YEAH, THE NONPROFIT. I'M TALKING ABOUT EXPANDING THE NONPROFIT, THE ONES THAT'S GONNA BE PARTICIPATED INSIDE THE VENDOR, THE VENDORS INSIDE THE GATE THAT HAS NOT BEEN, NONE OF THOSE DETAILS HAVE REALLY BEEN WORKED OUT YET. UH, COUNCILMAN LEWIS, I THINK AFTER THE APPROVAL TODAY, IF IT'S APPROVED TODAY, THEN UH, WE, UH, HAVE A MEETING LATER THIS WEEK TO WORK ON THE MOU. I BELIEVE THERE'S THIS COMMITTEE AND I, I DON'T KNOW, I THINK THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYBODY. UH, THIS IS A BIG TASK AND WE ARE A SMALL BUT MIGHTY LITTLE OFFICE. THERE'S ONLY THREE OF US, SO IT IS A HUGE TASK. AND SO WE WILL NEED EVERYONE. YEAH. WELL ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE CONTINUED IS THAT PORT ARTHUR, THE SOUTHEAST TEXAS FLAVOR. OKAY. SEE MARDI GRAS FOR YEARS, WHEN I FIRST CAME TO MARDI GRAS, HAD TRIED PULLED ARTHUR, PULLED ARTHUR HAD TRIED IT, MID-COUNTY BEAUMONT HAD TRIED MARDI GRAS. THE ONLY TIME IT BECAME SUCCESSFUL IS WHEN IT BECAME A, UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS MARDI GRAS. THAT'S WHEN IT BECAME, EVERYTHING ELSE FAILED. AND I EXPECTED WHEN THEY MOVED OUT OF PORT ARTHUR, I EXPECTED THAT TO FAIL TOO. IT WAS JUST DISTANT TO FAIL BECAUSE OF THE, IT IS JUST THE ENVIRONMENT OF COMMUNICATION HERE. THEY, UH, BE ON THE SEA WALL IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE EARLY, ALL THE WAY FROM, FROM MEMORIAL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO WOODVILLE WILSON. AND THEY JUST BE HAVING A GREAT TIME. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHEN, WHEN THEY FIRST HIT WHAT COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND, THEY ESTIMATED A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE PARTICIPATED. THAT WAS A LOT. BUT WITH THAT SOUTHEAST SECTION FLAVOR, I THINK CAN BE SUCCESSFUL. AND I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE, THEY STAYED 27 YEARS. I DON'T THINK THEY'LL BE LEAVING ANYTIME SOON. NOW I THINK THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOTS IS, IS SOMETIME IS THE BEST TEACHER. OKAY. ALRIGHT. COUNCIL REBECCA. THANK YOU, MAYOR. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA CLEAR UP SOME CONFUSION BECAUSE SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS JUST SAID, I THINK IS FEEDING INTO SOME OF THE CONFUSION THAT THE, THE LOCAL PUBLIC HAS. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EVENT THAT IS WITH MARDI GRAS OF SOUTHEAST TEXAS. THAT IS A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN RUNNING THE MARDI GRAS NOW IN BEAUMONT FOR A FEW YEARS. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT ORGANIZATION. THIS IS A COMPLETELY SEPARATE CELEBRATION THAT'S UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF OUR PORT ARTHUR CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT ORGANIZATION. BUT I WILL SAY THIS, THIS DIDN'T COME ABOUT OVERNIGHT AND I THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT. UH, WHEN I FIRST GOT ON COUNCIL IN JULY OF 2023, UH, A FRIEND OF MINE WHO AT THE TIME HAD BEEN INVOLVED WITH MARDI GRAS, SOUTHEAST TEXAS, BUT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF SPLITTING FROM THAT ORGANIZATION, REACHED OUT TO ME AND SAID, WHAT CAN WE DO TO BRING MARDI GRAS BACK TO PORT ARTHUR? HIS NAME IS KURT GILLESPIE. HE WAS HERE EARLIER, BUT I THINK HE HAD TO GO BACK TO WORK. [03:15:01] UM, I TOLD HIM AT THE TIME, I SAID, I DON'T THINK THAT OUR LEADERSHIP RIGHT NOW WOULD BE CONDUCIVE TO THAT. LET'S WAIT. THE TIME'S, NOT RIGHT. WHEN MAYOR MOSES WAS ELECTED, HE REACHED OUT TO ME AGAIN AND HE SAID, LET'S DO IT NOW. SO ABOUT THIS TIME, I DON'T KNOW, LAST YEAR WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT IT AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO GET FEBRUARY THE THIRD OF THIS YEAR. OKAY, GOOD. MM-HMM . UM, THAT WAS, WELL HE AND I HAD BEEN TALKING ABOUT A YEAR AGO, , I'M SAYING WHEN YEAH, WHEN YOU SENT ME HIS NUMBERS. FEBRUARY 3RD. MM-HMM. UH, AND SO I, I SHARED HIS NUMBER WITH OUR MAYOR AND SHE WAS VERY RECEPTIVE. WANTED TO MEET WITH HIM, GOT IT SET UP. UM, AND THEN THEY JUST TOOK THE BALL AND RAN WITH IT. AND I WANNA SHOW WHAT KURT DID ON HIS OWN FOR US AS A COUNCIL. HE HAD THESE SHIRTS MADE FOR US. YEAH. I WAS GONNA, ARTHUR HAVE EVERYBODY RAISE THEM UP AFTER WE VOTED, BUT THAT'S OKAY. GO AHEAD. 2027, THE RETURN. THAT'S RIGHT. SO HERE WE GO. SO I JUST WANT THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND WE WANTED THIS CELEBRATION TO COME BACK TO PORT ARTHUR, BUT WE WANTED TO DO IT IN A WAY, UM, THAT IT WOULD BE OURS. JUST LIKE THE MAYOR SAID, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT SOMEBODY TO COME IN AND NOT LIKE HOW THINGS ARE DONE BY THE CITY OR WHATEVER AND DECIDE TO PULL OUT AND TAKE THEIR PARTY SOMEPLACE ELSE LIKE WE'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. SO THIS IS GONNA BE OURS AND THE TIME WAS RIGHT AND I'M EXCITED. SO, GREAT. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA RAISE OUR SHIRTS UP IN JUST A MINUTE AFTER WE TAKE THE VOTE. BUT, UH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER EVERFI AND I THINK, UH, MAYOR PRINCESS. ONE MORE. MAYOR PRINCE, YOU ALREADY KNOW THE RULES. YOU GOT ONE MORE TIME TO SPEAK AND YOU GOT TWO MORE MINUTES. COME ON, COUNCILOR. EVERFI . THANK YOU, MAYOR. OKAY. I APPRECIATE ALL OF THE HARD WORK FOR THIS, UH, PROJECT. AND THANK YOU MS. TAMMY, FOR WHAT YOU AND YOUR, THE STAFF IN YOUR OFFICE DOES TO HELP MOVE OUR CITY FORWARD AND GIVE US THE OPPORTUNITY FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT. I WOULD ASK THAT WE TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION FOR JUNETEENTH FESTIVITIES AS WELL, SO THAT IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS OURS. PLEASE, PLEASE, JUST, IT IS NOT FOR DISCUSSION FOR TODAY, BUT I WANTED TO DROP THAT NUGGET FOR US TO PLEASE TAKE THIS TYPE OF PROCESS INTO CONSIDERATION FOR JUNETEENTH FESTIVITIES AS WELL. MAYOR PRO, I'M SORRY, DOLO. MR. DOLORES PRINCE. UM, I, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS I WANNA DO IS SAY THANK YOU FOR, UH, TO THE WONDERFUL STAFF THAT HELPED, UH, WITH THE PLANNING OF THIS AND THE CVBI DO WANT TAMMY'S STANDING THERE AND I DO WANNA THANK THEM, UH, FOR AGREEING TO, UH, PARTNER WITH YOU ALL. BUT AGAIN, MAYOR MOSES, I JUST SAY THANK YOU AGAIN. WE LOVE YOU. WE APPRECIATE THANK YOU, THANK YOU AND ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING. AND WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO MARDI GRAS 2020 SECOND. ALRIGHT? YES. WE'RE ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. LET, LET, LET THE RECORD REFLECT THAT WITH NO, NO, THE RESOLUTION PASSES AND WE'LL NOW BE IN CONTRACT WITH AND HOLD UP YOUR CHURCHS COUNCIL MEMBERS. WE WILL HAVE OUR OWN MARDI GRAS 2027. LET'S GO. LET'S STAND UP WITH OUR SHIRTS. PUT MINE UP. OH, COME ON. WE GOTTA SPIN UP. WE ALL ON ONE ACCORD, FINALLY. . YES. LET'S GO MORE CRAWFISH PORT. ARTHUR ZONE. THANK YOU KURT LES FOR THE T-SHIRTS. ALL RIGHT. YAY. YAY. EXCITED. I'M EXCITED. YEAH. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. OKAY, LET'S GO TO [VIII.A.(11) P.R. No. 24849 — A Resolution Recommending That The City Of Port Arthur Formally Declare Approximately 900 Acres Of The Area Known As “PA-8”, Located On Pleasure Island, As A Designated Brownfield Redevelopment Zone, Based On Historical U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Spoil Disposal Practices And Documented Environmental Impairment. (Requested By Councilmember Lewis) (Part 1 of 2)] NUMBER 11. SHOOT. TWO LARRY. PACKED UP, READY TO GO. PR NUMBER 2 4 8 4 9 A RESOLUTION RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR FORMALLY DECLARE APPROXIMATELY 900 ACRES OF THE AREA KNOWN AS PA EIGHT, LOCATED ON PLEASURE ISLAND AS A DESIGNATED BROWN BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT ZONE BASED ON HISTORICAL US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, SPOIL DISPOSAL PRACTICES AND, AND DOCUMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAIRMENT. AND THIS IS REQUESTED BY COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? MOTION FOR APPROVAL? I NEED A SECOND. SECOND. GOT A SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? UH, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. OH, EVERYTHING IS JUST DOUBLE [03:20:01] CHECKING SOMETHING. EVERYTHING THAT THE, THE 900 ACRES AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THAT STUFF IS INCLUDED. CITY ATTORNEY. WHAT? OKAY. WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? COUNCIL WANTS LEGAL ADVICE. I ADVISE TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. OKAY. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE, OKAY, WELL I GOT A COUPLE OF RIGHT GUYS. COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. CAN WE TALK ABOUT IT IN CLIP? OH, WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO PAROLE SESSION. WE'RE GONNA TABLE THIS. WELL, WE NEED A, WE NEED A MOTION TO TABLE THOUGH, RIGHT? I NEED A MOTION TO TABLE, RIGHT. WE ACTUALLY NEED A MOTION TO ADOPT THIS AND MOVE IT INTO THE CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION. UH, I GOT A MOTION. 5 5 1 0.07. OKAY. YOU MAKING A MOTION AND MAKE A MOTION? YES. I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE HOLD THIS ITEM FOR, FOR THE CONSIDERATION IN THE CLOSED SESSION, AT WHICH TIME WE BRING IT BACK UP FOR THE DISPOSITION. SECOND. SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND SECOND THAT WE HOLD THIS ITEM UNTIL, UM, AFTER OUR CLOSED SESSION. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE'RE GONNA MOVE THIS ITEM INTO CLOSED SESSION. WE'RE GONNA GO TO NUMBER 12 [VIII.A.(12) P.R. No. 24850 — A Resolution Of The City Of Port Arthur, Texas, To Oppose All Federal Legislation That Increases Maximum Allowable Commercial Truck Size Or Weight; Finding Compliance With The Texas Open Meetings Act; And Providing An Effective Date. (Requested By Councilmember Hamilton Everfield)] SO WE CAN COMPLETE OUR AGENDA ON PAGE NUMBER 11. PR NUMBER 2 4 8 5 OH. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF PER ARTHUR, TEXAS TO OPPOSE ALL FEDERAL LEGISLATION, UM, THAT INCREASES MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE COMMERCIAL TRUCK SIZE OR WEIGHT FINDING COMPLIANCE WITH THE TEXAS OPEN MEETINGS ACT AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE REQUEST BY COUNCIL MEMBER HAMILTON. EVER FEEL, MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVED. I GOT A MO MOTION AND THIS SECOND. UM, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A WAIT. OKAY. YOU SAID WAIT, DO YOU HAVE TO, YOU WANT TO DISCUSS SOMETHING BEFORE WE GO TO THE VOTE? WE DON'T HAVE TO. IF, IF I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS, IF ANYONE HAS ANY. OKAY. ALL ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE. ANY KNOWS THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES PR [VIII.A.(13) P.R. No. 24858 — A Resolution Ratifying The City Manager’s Decision To Execute The First One-Year Renewal Of The Contract With Ardurra Group, LLC For Grant Management, Administration, And Compliance Services, Related To The USDOT And Safe Streets And Roads For All Grant Nlanagement, With No Additional Funding Required.] NUMBER 2 4 8 5 8 A RESOLUTION RATIFYING THE CITY MANAGER'S DECISION TO EXECUTE THE FIRST ONE YEAR RENEWAL OF THE CONTRACT WITH THE DUAL GROUP LLC FOR GRANT MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE SERVICES RELATED TO THE US DOT AND SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL GRANT MANAGEMENT WITH NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIRED. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? VOTE SECOND. IT'S REMOVED. AND SECOND. ANY QUESTIONS? UH, MAYOR PRO TEM ETT? YES. OKAY. THIS IS JUST A RENEWAL OF A CONTRACT. HOW DID IT BECOME AN EMERGENCY? ALRIGHT, I AM, I READ THE BACKGROUND AND IT SAID THAT THE CONTRACT EXPIRED ON THE 19TH AND WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO MEET UNTIL THE 24TH. BUT TELL ME WHAT WAS AN EMERGENCY ABOUT IT. WE HAVE, I'M, I'M SORRY. I'M NOT SURE WHAT, WHAT'S THE TECHNICAL DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY, BUT WE WOULD BE WORKING WITHOUT THE CONTRACT WITH THEM AND THEY'RE WORKING ON OUR FEDERAL GRANT PROJECTS. SO WE CANNOT HAVE THAT. CAN THEY AIN'T GONE. THEY AIN'T GOING NOWHERE. UH UH, YOU GONNA WAIT TILL WE MEET, UH, AND STUFF. BUT I NOTICED, LIKE I SAY, I READ ALL THESE, THESE BACKGROUND INFORMATION, WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT WE SAY EMERGENCY IS ANY INSTANCE DEALING WITH PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY. OKAY. OR SOMETHING THAT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN FORESEEN WHEN WE DID BUDGETS, BUT WE AIN'T EVEN TALKING ABOUT THAT. OR FUNDING. WE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTING. AND ALSO, UH, I SAW ON THAT, UH, BACKGROUND AND STUFF. WE, THE CONTRACT AND AGREEMENT FOR THE CONTRACT. YOU KNOW, I, I'M NOT OFF OF THIS, YOU KNOW, I MEAN WE'VE BEEN SEEING THE SAME SERVICE FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. WHEN ARE WE GONNA BE, AND I BRING IT UP EVERY TIME THIS CONTRACT COME BEFORE US. I SAY WHEN WE STARTED IT, AFTER ABOUT TWO YEARS, WE START BRINGING QUESTIONS. I WAS TOLD, WELL WE IN THE PROCESS OF OUR STAFF LEARNING AND GETTING THE HANG OF IT AND THEY GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO THE STAFF AND EVERY YEAR JUST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. OKAY. AND, AND ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE DEALING WITH THESE CONTRACTS. UNLESS A PERSON IS HIRED FOR A SPECIFIC PROJECT, A CONSULTANT AND CONTRACT, IT SHOULD NOT BE USED MORE THAN TWO YEARS. UNLESS IT'S A SPECIFIC PROJECT FOR WHICH THEY WERE HIRED. BUT IT'S BEEN GONE ON SINCE 2019. [03:25:04] I DON'T SEE IT. WE GET THE SAME THING EVERY YEAR. HE'S SO IMPORTANT. HE'S, SO, I, LIKE I SAID, WHEN I GOT BACK ON 23, HE SAID, OKAY, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF TURNING IT OVER. THIS IS ALL WE NEED IN HERE. WE COME BACK WITH THE SAME THING. SEE THE MAN, TELL ME WHY WE KEEP DOING THIS AND WHY OUR STAFF HAVE NOT CAUGHT ON AND DONE WHAT THEY SUPPOSEDLY THEY HAD POST BEEN TRAINING US. WE DID, WE DID HIRE SOMEBODY SOMETIME LAST YEAR AND THE LADY GOT INJURED ON THE PREMISES OF HER AND SHE'S NO LONGER WITH US. MM-HMM . AND WE ARE TRYING TO FILL IN THE, WELL WE ARE TRYING TO FILL IN THE POSITION. YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S THE DETAILS OF IT THAT I CAN'T GO INTO BECAUSE THERE'S THE LEGAL PART OF IT. BUT WE DID HIRE SOMEBODY. THE PERSON GOT INJURED ON CITY PREMISES. SO THE PERSON NEEDS NO LONGER AVAILABLE TO WORK. OKAY. THAT WE DID THAT BRING YOU TO THE NEXT AND LAST THING BEFORE I LET THIS GO. THIS IS A CITY WE SHOULD HAVE NOTHING WHERE ONE PERSON KNOWS NOTHING. IF THAT PERSON PASSES OR RELOCATE OR RESIGN, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? NO, WE NEED TO HAVE PEOPLE THAT CAN PERFORM JOBS SO THAT WE COULD PROVIDE THE SERVICES AS PEOPLE COME TO US AS A CITY. IT IS NOT BASED ON ONE PERSON. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. I HAVE, I HAVE A COMMENT. MA'AM, I DIDN'T SEE YOUR HAND UP. I'M SORRY. UH, COUNCILOR MAYFIELD. THANK YOU MAYOR. I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THE, HOW THE, ONE OF MY QUESTIONS IS HOW THE RESOLUTION IS WRITTEN AND IT'S IN THE INITIAL PART OF THE RESOLUTION STATING THAT THEY WILL, UM, DO GRANT MANAGEMENT, ADMINISTRATION AND COMPLIANCE SERVICES RELATED TO THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND SAFE STREETS AND ROADS FOR ALL GRANT MANAGEMENT WITH NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING REQUIRED. I GET THAT PART, BUT THEN IN THE BEGINNING OF THE RESOLUTION, IT ALSO TALKS ABOUT DISASTER RECOVERY GRANT MANAGEMENT AND FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF FUTURE DISASTERS. SO, WHICH, WHICH ONE IS THIS FOCUSED ON FOR US? DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OR FOR DISASTER RECOVERY GRANT MANAGEMENT. SO, SO CURRENTLY, UH, THEY ARE HELPING WITH MULTIPLE PROJECTS, UH, GLO PROJECTS AND ALSO OTHER PROJECTS. I MIGHT NOT KNOW ALL OF THE DETAILS. UH, I'M, I'M STILL LEARNING MYSELF, BUT THEY ARE WORKING ON MULTIPLE PROJECTS. BUT THIS, THIS IS SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CITY STREETS PROGRAM. OKAY. SO IN THE RESOLUTION, WHY DOES IT TALK ABOUT DISASTER RECOVERY GRANT MANAGEMENT ADMINISTRATION SERVICES FOR FUTURE DISASTERS. OKAY, THIS IS CLIFF. LEMME I'LL CLARIFY THIS. THIS IS A GRANT ADMINISTRATION FOR ALL OUR GRANT PROJECTS EXCLUDING GLO 'CAUSE WE HAVE A CONTRACT DIRECTLY FOR GLO, BUT ANY OTHER GRANT FUNDED PROJECT THEY WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR. SO IT'S OPEN-END. SO IF A NEW FEDERAL GRANT CAME IN, THEY WOULD HELP US ADMINISTRATE THAT. IT IS A OPEN ENDED PROJECT FOR ALL GRANT PROJECTS, EXCLUDING GLO THANK YOU. WAS THE REASON WHY IT WAS WRITTEN THIS WAY TO FOCUS ON US DOT AND SAFE STREETS AND ROADS? I DIDN'T WRITE IT, BUT I, MY ASSUMPTION WOULD BE THAT THAT WAS PUT, BECAUSE THOSE ARE CURRENT PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE GOING ON. SO WE JUST AWARDED TODAY THE SAFE STREETS, UH, FOR THE PERSON DOING THAT. AND THEN WE JUST CURRENTLY STARTED A PROJECT WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT'S THE US DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. SO I THINK THAT'S MIGHT BE WHY THEY FOCUSED ON THOSE. BUT IT DIDN'T LIST WHAT, IT DOESN'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST STATED FOR ANY FEDERAL CONTRACTS EXCLUDING GLO. MAN, I DIDN'T WRITE IT, BUT I'M, I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S, THAT WAS THE ATTENTION OF THAT, THAT CONTRACT. WHEN WE FIRST BIDED THAT CONTRACT, IT WAS FOR ALL PROJECTS, BUT THEN GLO HAD A ISSUE, SO THEY HAD TO DO ANOTHER ONE FOR GLO SPECIFICALLY. UH, BUT THAT, SO THAT WAS JUST AWARDED TO DO EVERYTHING BUT JLO. SO WE'RE JUST SUPPOSED TO BE RENEWING THAT ONE. I WOULD ASK THAT WE GET SOME CLARITY IN THIS, UM, IN THIS RESOLUTION. BUT MY OTHER COMMENT IS I BELIEVE THAT WE DO NEED GRANT MANAGEMENT SUPPORT. I JUST HAVE NOT PERSONALLY BEEN IMPRESSED WITH A DURA SERVICES AT ALL. AND [03:30:01] WHEN IT COMES TO LEAVING MONEY ON THE TABLE FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS OVER THE YEARS, WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE SERVICE THAT I WOULD EXPECT FROM A GRANT MANAGEMENT SERVICES, UH, COMPANY. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD JUST BE FOCUSED ON THE CURRENT GRANTS THAT WE HAVE OR CERTAIN TYPES OF PROJECTS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. BUT WE NEED SOMEBODY FOCUSED ON GETTING NEW MONEY FOR US, CONSISTENTLY GETTING NEW MONEY FROM US. AND IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT THEY DON'T DO, THEN LET THE STAFF KNOW SO THAT STAFF CAN GET IT DONE OR REFER TO THE CONTRACTOR THAT SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON OUR GLO PROJECTS. BUT WE HAVE SEVERAL PROJECTS THAT WE HAVE QUALIFIED FOR FUNDING FOR AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE PROPER SUPPORT ON. AND I'M JUST ASKING FOR US TO PLEASE GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, ONE TO CLARIFY THIS RESOLUTION SO THAT WE ARE CLEAR FOR WHAT CLIFF YOU JUST DESCRIBED. IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANT THE COMPANY TO DO, THEN BE CLEAR ON THAT. BUT THIS RESOLUTION IS NOT CLEAR ON THAT. AND THEN THE SECOND PART AGAIN, IS FOR US TO PLEASE, PLEASE HAVE A GRANT MANAGEMENT COMPANY THAT IS GOING TO BE OVERLY AGGRESSIVE WITH ASSISTING US WITH ACCU WITH, UH, SECURING GRANT FUNDING FOR OUR SPECIFIC NEEDS. THANK YOU, MA'AM. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, CITY MANAGER, YOUR LIGHTS ON. AND THEN COUNCIL MCKEN, LAW COUNCIL, MCKEN LAW, AND COUNCILMAN LEWIS. THANK YOU MAYOR. UH, CITY MANAGER. AND BEFORE YOU GUYS LEAVE, ARE, ARE YOU SAYING THAT I GRANT RIGHT, THAT WE HIRED LAST YEAR, SHE'S NO LONGER WORKING OR IS IT THAT SHE'S INJURED OR ARE WE GONNA PLAN ON HIRING SOMEONE ELSE FOR GRANT WRITING? BECAUSE THAT'S ONE OF THE STAPLE THINGS THAT WHEN I WAS REALLY PUTTING THAT ON THE AGENDA, HOW IMPORTANT A GRANT WRITER IS FOR THE CITY OF THIS SIZE. SO DO WE HAVE A GRANT WRITER AT THIS POINT? NO, JUST CURRENTLY. SOON AS WE GET THROUGH THE HURDLE, THE LEGAL HURDLE WILL, UM, FILL THE POSITION. YOU'LL COME BACK. YEAH. WE'LL COME BACK. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU MAYOR. OKAY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS HAD YOUR LIGHT ON. YES. UH, A BILL ALSO WAS, WAS PURSUING ALL OUR OUTSTANDING STORM MONIES. HOW DID, HAVE THEY COLLECTED AT ALL? DO WE STILL HAVE ANY OUTSTANDING REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE STORMS? YES, WE DO. AND THAT'S HOW THEY'RE WORKING ON IT? YES. BECAUSE WHEN HE FIRST TOOK OVER, AND THAT'S, AND I RECOMMENDED TO THE PREVIOUS CITY MANAGER THAT WE GET SOMEBODY TO GO AFTER THAT MONEY. WE JUST DORM IT. IT WAS $12 MILLION UNTIL THE FINAL, UH, UH, SYSTEM MANAGER WE HAD, WE HAD AT THE TIME. GO AHEAD. YES, SIR. UM, AND AS YOU JUST STATED, THAT IS EXACTLY WHY DORA WAS HIRED. IT WAS TO GO AFTER AND TO HELP US TO RETRIEVE REIMBURSEMENTS. RIGHT FROM THE, UM, THE STORMS THAT WE HAD EXPERIENCED, UM, I BELIEVE THEY HELPED US WITH, UM, HURRICANE IKE, OF COURSE HURRICANE HARVEY. MM-HMM . UM, AND I BELIEVE IT MAY HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE STORMS PRIOR TO MM-HMM . WE DID NOT PROCURE A DOOR TO BE A GRANT WRITER FOR THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. THEY HAVE PERFORMED THOSE SERVICES JUST IN GOOD FAITH TO ASSIST STAFF WITH GOING AFTER CERTAIN FUNDING. BUT THEY WERE NEVER PROCURED TO BE THE GRANT WRITER FOR THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR. IT WAS TO HELP US TO, UM, RETRIEVE FUNDS THAT THE CITY HAD SPENT AS A, AS IT RELATED TO A LOT OF THESE DISASTERS. UM, THIS PARTICULAR CONTRACT IS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE US DOT, UM, CONTRACT. UM, BUT THEY HAVE, WE HAVE OTHER CONTRACTS WITH THE DOOR THAT THEY ARE STILL ASSISTING US WITH AND RETRIEVING FUNDS, WHICH INCLUDES ARPA AS WELL. THAT'S $1.8 MILLION CONTRACT. AN ESTIMATE ON HOW MUCH, UH, OUTSTANDING WE HAVE WAITING FOR REIMBURSEMENT ON HOW MUCH IS OUT THERE. WE CAN ASK MR. TO FARRO TO PROVIDE US WITH THE REPORT OF WHAT THOSE OUTSTANDING BALANCES ARE WITH THE VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROJECTS THEY'VE BEEN ASSISTING US WITH. MM-HMM . OKAY. NEXT, NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. YES, SIR. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, WE ARE READY TO MOVE ON. ALL, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. NO. OKAY. LET THE RECORD REFLECT. WE HAVE ONE. NO, UM, THE AYES HAVE IT AND THE RESOLUTION PASSES. RIGHT. [VIII.B.(1) P.O. No. 7405 — An Ordinance Of The City Of Port Arthur, Texas, Suspending The Rates Proposed By CenterPoint Energy Resources Corp., D/B/A CenterPoint Energy Entex And CenterPoint Energy Texas Gas Company’s Gas Reliability Infrastructure Program Filing Made With The City On Or About February 17, 2026; Finding That The Meeting Complies With The Open meetings Act; Naking Other Findings And Provisions Related To The Subject, And Declaring An Effective Date.] LET'S GO TO B ORDINANCES. PO NUMBER 7 4 0 5. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR, TEXAS SUSPENDING THE RATES PROPOSED BY CENTER POINT ENERGY RESOURCES CORP. DD UH, DBA CENTER POINT INTER ENERGY, INEX AND CENTER POINT ENERGY, TEXAS GAS COMPANY'S GAS RELIABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM FILING MADE WITH THE, UH, CITY ON OR ABOUT FEBRUARY 17TH, 2026, FINDING THAT THE MEETING COMPLIES WITH THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT, MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS [03:35:01] RELATED TO THE SUBJECT AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVED. SECOND. IT'S GONNA, UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED IN SECOND. ANY DISCUSSIONS? YES. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS, HAVE WE EVER, I KNOW ON ENERGY WE HAVE RECOVERED MONIES IN THE PAST FROM AN AUDIT. HAVE WE AUDITED ON THE, ON THE GAS SIDE? HAVE WE HAD AN AUDIT ON I WAITING ON CHARGES. SO I ACTUALLY HAVE ATTORNEY DAN LAWTON ON THE PHONE TO PARTICIPATE. HE IS THE ONE THAT'S ACTUALLY HIRED COLLECTIVELY AMONG VARIOUS CITIES FOR THIS REGION TO REPRESENT THE AREA. AND HE'S HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. I AM SORRY. UM, MR. LAWTON, THAT'S BREAKING UP. START OVER. OKAY. I'M SO SORRY MR. LAWTON. THE CONNECTION IS KIND OF, IT'S THE CONNECTION IS, UM, KIND OF SLOW. UM, KIND OF, UH, DELAYED. IF YOU COULD KIND OF START OVER, MAYBE WE CAN SEE HOW WE CAN IT CAN WORK FOR YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES, SIR, WE CAN. OKAY. UH, QUESTION. WE HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO DO THIS. YEAH. YOU HAVE A BAD CONNECTION. UM, ATTORNEY LAWTON. I'M SO SORRY. I DON'T KNOW WHAT WHAT THAT IS, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT, IT'S, WE ARE MISSING EVERY OTHER WORD THAT YOU'RE STATING. LET, LET ME TRY THE DECISION. I THINK LET'S GO WITH THAT AND LET'S TRY IT. LET'S SEE IF THAT WORKS. ALRIGHT. THERE, THERE WAS AN AUDIT, UH, DURING THE RATE CASE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO OF CENTERPOINT. UH, WE REVIEWED THE BOOKS AND RECORDS. THEY HAVE A CONSULTANTS, UH, UH, AUDIT OR, OR REVIEW THEM. AND, UH, UH, THAT RATE CASE WAS RESOLVED WITH, UH, NO RATE INCREASE FOR PORT ARTHUR OR ANY OF THE CITIES. THIS IS OH, HE DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY. I JUST HAVE ONE FINAL QUESTION. YEAH. HE'S GONE AND HE CAN GET THE ANSWER TO ME SOME OTHER TIME. OKAY. OH, MY QUESTION IS, WHO IS THE CALIBRATION? ARE WE BUYING, UH, GAS BY THE RULES OR ARE WE BUYING IT BY THE STANDING CUBIC FEET? CAN ANYBODY ANSWER THAT QUESTION? CITY ATTORNEY. OKAY, HE'S BACK. GO AHEAD. MR. MR. LAWTON. ATTORNEY LAWTON. I HAVE A, UH, YEAH. WHAT WAS THE, UH, FOR SOME REASON TECHNOLOGY ISSUES? THE QUESTION, QUESTION. THE QUESTION IS TWO PARTS. ARE WE BUYING, UM, GAS FOR OUR CUSTOM FOR RESEARCH? ARE WE BUYING IT BY THE STANDARD CUBIC FEET OR ARE WE BUYING IT BASED ON CALIBRATED, UH, BTU BRITISH THERMAL UNITS? ARE WE BINDING BY THE BTU OR ARE WE BINDING BY STANDING KING FLOOR? I, I'M HOPING, WHAT DID YOU SAY? HE SAID, I BELIEVE, WELL, IT'S, YOU BELIEVE IT. IT'S B BY BY BTUS. RIGHT? THIS AIN'T WORKING. YEAH. FOR BT, FOR BTUS AT THAT BECAUSE REBIND IT BY STANDING C OF FEET, IT WOULD TAKE, YOU HAVE TO FLOW TWICE THE AMOUNT TO GET THE SAME BTS MM-HMM . AND, BUT IF WE'RE BEING CHARGED WITH STANDING C FEET, WE GONNA PAY A LOT, A LOT HIGHER. OKAY. MR. LOTTON IS YOUR, YEAH. ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEEDED TO EXPLAIN TO US? UH, WELL CALLED BILL MR. LAWTON? I DON'T, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THAT CONNECTION, BUT WE'VE GOTTA GET A BETTER CONNECTION. YEAH. BUT HE'S STILL TRYING TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING TO US, SO. YEAH. YEAH. MR. MR. LAWTON, CAN YOU TURN OFF YOUR VIDEO MAYBE AND JUST SPEAK THROUGH US, UM, THROUGH AUDIO ON ZOOM THAT MIGHT BE BETTER. [03:40:01] BETTER RECEPTION? UH, OKAY. HE'S GONE. OKAY. WE JUST NEED TO VOTE. YES. THEN WHEN A QUESTION, I GUESS WE HAVE TO, UH, SO THE, WE KNOW WE'RE ASKING TO SUSPEND THE RATES PROPOSED BY CENTER POINT ENERGY RESOURCES. THAT'S WHAT THE RESOLUTION IS SAYING. SO WE CAN VOTE. UM, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. OKAY. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTION PASSES. IF WE HAVE QUESTIONS FOR, UH, ATTORNEY LAWTON, WE'LL JUST CALL HIM AND MAYBE IN A, A MEETING OR SO AND LIST IT IN OUR EXECUTIVE SESSION NEXT WEEK, NEXT TIME WE MEET AND THEN HAVE HIM JUST EXPLAIN TO US THEN. OKAY. LET'S GO TO NUMBER [VIII.B.(2) P.O. No. 7406 — An Ordinance Of The City Of Port Arthur, Texas, Amending Chapter 78. Personnel, Article II. Personnel Policy, Division 3. Appointment And Separation, Section 78-103 Of The Code Of Ordinances To Eliminate The Need For A Third Party Administrator To Facilitate Each Appointed Position’s Performance Evaluation; Providing A Savings And Severability Clause; And Providing An Effective Date.] TWO. PO NUMBER 7 4 0 6. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF PROACTIVE TEXAS AMENDING CHAPTER 78, PERSONNEL ARTICLE TWO, PERSONNEL POLICY DIVISION THREE, APPOINTMENT AND SEPARATION SECTION 78 1 0 3 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES TO ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A THIRD PARTY ADMINISTRATOR TO FACILITATE EACH APPOINTED POSITIONS PERFORMANCE EVALUATION, PROVIDING A SAVINGS AND SEVERABILITY CLAUSE AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MAY I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SO MOVED. SECOND FOR MOTION. AND SECOND, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THE AYES? ANY NOS THE AYE HAVE IT. THE, THE ORDINANCE PASSES. AT THIS [IX. *CLOSED MEETING (EXECUTIVE SESSION)] TIME WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO GO INTO CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION AND WE'RE GONNA, WHEREBY WE WILL HEAR NUMBER ONE, SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1, LEGAL ADVICE AND SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 2. VALUE OF ROAD PROPERTY NUMBER 1 11 40 JAMES AVENUE, NUMBER TWO, ROAD PROPERTY OF GULF DRIVE IN NINTH AVENUE. NUMBER THREE WHEEL PROPERTY AT GULF DRIVE IN SAVANNAH AVENUE. UH, ON NUMBER TWO, UH, SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1. LEGAL ADVICE SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 2. VALUE OF RURAL PROPERTY AND SECTION 5 5 1 0 8 7. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, PURCHASE AND DEVELOPMENT OF 35.24 ACRES OF LAND LOCATED AT PLEASURE ISLAND. NUMBER THREE, SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 1. LEGAL ADVICE CONTRACT FOR THE STUDY DESIGN PERMIT CONSTRUCTION OPERATION OF A SALE THAT WILL RECEIVE WASTE THAT IS NOT PERMITTED UNDER THE CURRENT CITY OF PORT ARTHUR LANDFILL PERMIT. AND THEN NUMBER FOUR, SECTION 5 5 1 0 7 4. PERSONNEL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY ATTORNEY REQUESTED BY MAYOR PRO TEM ETT, CAN I GET A MOTION FOR APPROVAL? SECOND. IT'S BEEN MOTION. AND SECOND COUNCIL MEMBER, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A AYE. ANY NOS? THE AYES HAVE IT. WE WILL NOW GO INTO OUR CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 1:33 PM ALL RIGHT, WE ARE, SEE THE SECRETARY, YOU'LL ESTABLISH A QUORUM FOR ME. OH, YOU RUN IN TWO DIFFERENT PLACES. WE'LL GIVE YOU TIME TO GET THERE. THANK YOU. WORKING BY HERSELF. SHE WELCOME BY HERSELF. YES SHE IS. YOU GOTTA BE FROM ONE TO ANOTHER TO ANOTHER. MAYOR MOSES. HERE MAYOR PRO. TIM DOUCETTE. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER LEWIS. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER EVER. FIELD PRESENT. COUNCIL MEMBER BECKHAM. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER KEN LAW. HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER FRANK. ALL PRESIDENT COUNCIL. EVER. FORMER MAYOR. MAYOR. ALRIGHT, WE ARE JUST RETURNING BACK FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION AT 3:26 PM WE HAVE, UM, DO WE HAVE AN ITEM COMING BACK? YES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, I MEAN MAYOR PRO TIM, LET ME READ FROM YOURS. OH, I, THAT SECOND RESOLUTION, SECOND I THOUGHT TABLE. MM-HMM . [VIII.A.(11) P.R. No. 24849 — A Resolution Recommending That The City Of Port Arthur Formally Declare Approximately 900 Acres Of The Area Known As “PA-8”, Located On Pleasure Island, As A Designated Brownfield Redevelopment Zone, Based On Historical U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers Spoil Disposal Practices And Documented Environmental Impairment. (Requested By Councilmember Lewis) (Part 2 of 2)] I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION THAT PR NUMBER 2 4 8 4 9 A RESOLUTION RECOMMENDED THAT THE CITY OF PORT ARTHUR FIRMLY DECLARE APPROXIMATELY 900 ACRES OF THE AREA KNOWN AS PA EIGHT, LOCATED ON PAGE ISLAND AS A DESIGNATED BROWNSFIELD REDEVELOPMENT ZONE BASED ON HISTORICAL US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, SPARS DISPOSAL PRACTICE AND DOCUMENT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPAIRMENT REQUESTED BY COUNCILMAN LAWYERS. I MAKE A MOTION THAT WE TABLE THIS ITEM UNTIL THE NEXT MEETING. NEED A MOTION? SECOND. [03:45:01] OKAY. UH, UM, ANY DISCUSSIONS? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. A. ANY KNOWS THE A HAVE IT, THE RESOLUTION PASSES. THIS TIME I'M GONNA ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO DIS ADJOURN OUR MEETING. SO MOVE SECOND. SIR. ANY DISCUSSION? NO. ALL ON PAPER SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. AYES HAVE IT. I'M NOT GONNA ASK FOR THOSE. GOODBYE. HAVE A GREAT DAY, 3:28 PM OUR MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. HAVE A GREAT TWO WEEKS AND I'LL SEE YOU IN A COUPLE AND. * 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.