City Council - Regular Meeting

Craig Pearson will be participating remotely by video conference. You can see him. I think at least we can see him on this screen from Panama City Beach, Florida. We just checked Mike's. He could hear us and we could hear him. I guess the 1 thing I need to ask is if if you drop off, is it I'm assuming it's okay that we go ahead and proceed without you.

All right.

Yes, sir. Formalities are done. So as we kick off the meeting, we're going to be starts. Councilmember Daniel Booker will lead us with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by BEDC Executive Director Cynthia Hernandez with the Texas Pledge, and then John Holmes will give our indications. Please rise.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

On the Texas flag, I pledge allegiance to the Texas, one state, under God, one and indivisible.

If you would please join me in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the beautiful weather today. We thank you for our community. thank you for our unbelievable staff, and I would ask that you help them continue to serve with a servant heart for our citizens and our entire community. Dear Lord, we also want to bless and think about the recent graduates from our high schools. Bless them, and whether they're going off to school, work, or just out of town, let them know that they always have a hometown to come back to. In your name we pray.

Amen.

All right. With that, we will call the Tuesday, May 26th council meeting to order at 531. The first item after call to order is public comments. If anyone wishes to address the council for any action not on the agenda, they may do so. At this time, we ask people to limit their comments to three minutes. I don't have anybody who signed up. Does anybody wish to make public comments?

All right.

There being no public comments, I guess we need to put a data center on the agenda. Maybe we can get a few public comments. Not on the agenda. Anyway, so. Item three is a presentation of scholarship from waste management to Belton ISD graduating seniors. Mr. Romer or Mr. Paul? Paul? Paul? Paul. Paul or Paul? One of the Pauls.

Good evening, Honorable Mayor and Council. I'm Paul D'Agero. I am with WM. We used to call it Waste Management. We call it WM now. So got a new check here because it said Waste Management. Now it just says WM. So we got a fresh one for you this year. We've been presenting this scholarship for 14 years to Belton. The first year we did it back in 2012, 2013, 2014, somewhere around there, it was $1,000. And we went up to year two through seven, and it was $2,000. And then year 18 through 13, where we're at now, it's $4,000. Counting this year together, we've awarded 31 scholarships for a total of $41,000. I've said it before. I'll say it. This is my favorite thing that I get to do all year to come here to this beautiful city. I love Belton so much with great people, dedicated staff and council. So dedicated they even do council meetings from Florida when they're on their vacation. Anyway, thanks again for having us. And congratulations to all of the 2026 scholarships and recipients. And I'm going to give this back over to Paul.

We'll hear back from Paul when we, when we pull out the big check, um, just some, some more statistics about this year's scholarships, eight total applicants. Uh, we had one that was disqualified. They didn't live in the, in the waste management contract service area, but each judge received a packet with all the applicants information. And we just asked him rank them by merit one through seven. And then we, uh, took the lowest scores, and here we are. The score sheets were tabulated, and it was determined that four scholarships would be awarded this year. Quickly like to recognize the judges. We had as many judges this year as we did people entering. So our judges were Bob Van Til, Joe Dyer, Larry Berg, Lauren Gohmert, Christina Waits, Megan Odiere, Scott Hoddy, and former mayor Wayne Carpenter. And with that, I'd like to announce the 2026 scholarship recipients. Our first one is Anahita Malhorta with a $1,500 scholarship. Then we have Palu Meringatha Parambol, who received $1,000 scholarship. And then Canaan Hammonds with $750 and Hadley Dollar with $750 award. A little bit about each of these students. Anahita was a National Merit Commended Scholar, student council member, peer tutor, chapter president of the Business Professionals of America, chair of Belton High School Youth Advisory Commission. Amanda Simpson, an academic advisor at Missouri State University and former Belton High School business teacher said, Anahita is trustworthy, reliable, always respectful and demonstrates incredible problem solving skills. Sahej Bindra, founder of Sayo Virtual, a virtual academic camp where Anahita was a director this year. I think what drove Anahita to success is that she deeply cares about others. She cares for her team and she cares for her students. I've never seen a high school student focus more on doing great work without caring about being recognized. Anahita plans to attend the University of Texas and major in public affairs. Her parents are here with us today, Amber and Gitanjali. Palu is an AP scholar with distinction, varsity cross-country MVP, class president, member of the National Honor Society, student council member, employee at Grand Avenue Theater, and has volunteered at Helping Hands and at Chisholm Trail Park Cleanup. Holly Mays, a counselor at Belton High School said, what stands out most about Palu is his integrity and compassion. As class president for two consecutive years, an active member of the student council and a leader in Hope Squad, he consistently works to make others feel included and valued. Through Hope Squad, he has helped promote mental health awareness among students. an issue that he approaches with genuine empathy and understanding. Palu believes deeply in the power of listening and connection, and his goal is that every student's voice is heard and that the decisions he makes is heard in the decisions he makes as a leader. His presence in the school has made a measurable difference in the culture of our campus. Palu plans to attend the University of Texas His parents are Patrick and Valsa, and they're here with us today, or his mother's with us today. Canaan Hammonds. Canaan had a previous, you might recognize that last name, a cousin that won in a previous year. But Canaan is a Belton High School choir president, member of the cross-country team, Texas State solo qualifier, a member of the Madrigal Show Choir, president of First Baptist Church Agape student choir, First Baptist Youth Worship team lead coordinator, and a Miller's Smokehouse employee. Tanya Laverne, choir director at Belton High School said, while his musical accolades are impressive, Kanan's impact on our program is felt most through his role as choir president. Leadership of this caliber requires more than just talent. It requires a servant leader heart. Excuse me. Kanan serves as a vital bridge between the students and the directors, acting as a role model who leads by example, whether he is organizing department events or mentoring young singers, he carries himself with a level of maturity and punctuality that is rare among high school students. Kanan plans to attend Dallas Baptist University and major in music business with an emphasis in worship leadership. His parents are Chad and Kristen. And then our final one, Hadley Dollar, is not here today. They may be watching as they are on vacation. They may be on our YouTube channel right now. But her older sister, Kendall, was awarded the scholarship in 2022. And just a few things about her. She's a member of the Belton High School Student Council, president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. member of the National Honor Society, All-Region Choir Finalist, and member of Temple First Methodist Church Youth Group, and Cali's Boutique Media Storefront Coordinator. Danny Hill, an instructional coach and math teacher at Belton High School said, Hadley possesses the rare combination of exceptional academic talent, a strong work ethic, and genuinely supportive spirit. I'm confident that she will be a tremendous asset to the University of Texas at Austin community and will continue to achieve great things. She has my highest recommendation. As her instructor said, she plans to attend the University of Texas, major in advertising. Her parents are Brad and Misty Dollar. And again, parents are traveling and regret they can't be here. With that, those are your scholarship award recipients. If you would please, everybody give them a hand and we'll invite them up to the front of the microphone. Well, now allow the recipients an opportunity to speak to the council and share their appreciation.

I just want to thank you all for this scholarship. I mean, we know college is expensive, so this definitely helps. But more than that, I also want to thank you all for the opportunity to learn more about this topic. I mean, I am studying public affairs, so studying policy is what I want to do. So getting this venue to kind of study more about environmental policy was really interesting to me. So thank you.

I'm Palu, super long last name, if you've heard it. But I just want to say thank you for the scholarship. Like Anaita was saying, college is expensive, but I think the scholarship will definitely allow me to further pursue my educational career. And I'm really thankful for it. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Kamin Hammonds. Yeah, just a huge thank you to you guys. We really appreciate it. We're thankful that y'all continue to pour back into the community and the students in this community. That's a huge blessing. And we definitely hope to make you guys proud with our future academic endeavors. So thank you all very much.

Just final words. Thank you for supporting this and allowing us to do this every year. It's a great program. Appreciate you guys.

Thank you. Yeah, I do want to give kudos to Paul with WM now. And they've been a great partner. And one of the things that's really nice to see being on the council for a while is before we had the partnership that we've now had for 14 years, the scholarship. And it's more than just a scholarship. I mean, it's a real relationship. We really appreciate you, Paul. We appreciate your team, what your team members do. Usually, trash collection is not viewed with positive comments when we go out and poll the audience like, hey, how's the city doing? Usually, one of the biggest complaints is that that is not a complaint. It's actually a compliment here in Belton. And a lot of it is because people have a face and a name. And so I think just being a real part of the community is great. So again, thank you for that. And also thank all of those that applied. Thanks for doing that. This is a great partner. I'm glad that they're able to put a few dollars towards your education. It looks like we need to have a meet at the Chick-fil-A at the Union on campus sometime next fall, because it sounds like three of you guys made good choices. I'm not...

and we'll send you a coupon for a free chick-fil-a up at dallas baptist a little long for me to get to you know but anyway so again last uh paul please uh let your drivers and staff know how much we appreciate them they are the real key to this and they know the residents they know when to help and they have really done an outstanding job They know every street, every back road to go to to pick up. And like David said, we don't have an issue, and it's really because of WM. And it really goes down to those drivers and the staff that make that happen. Thank you very much.

Well, good luck next semester, and enjoy your summer before real life starts. The rest is history. All right. Thank you guys. All right. Next item is the consent agenda items. Items four and five can be enacted by a single motion unless someone on the council wishes to remove them. I'll read them into the record and we can either act on them independently or as a group. Item four is adopting the minutes of the previous meetings, May 12th, joint council meeting with parks and May 12th council meeting. And item five is an interim financial report for the quarter ending March 31, 2026. Chair Renner.

Move we approve consent agenda items four and five.

Second. We have a motion and second to approve the items four and five. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. All opposed? All right. Passes unanimously. Planning and zoning. Item 6 is hold a public hearing and consider an ordinance amending Chapter 4 buildings and building regulations related to building codes. Mr. Van Til.

Thank you, sir. I appreciate that very much. The presentation is on its way. Awesome. There we go. Thank you very much. Um, Our staff is recommending that the Council adopt the 2024 International Codes, and you can see them listed here, as well as a number of local amendments, as well as the 2023 National Electrical Code. I believe this will help us maintain current safety standards, align with regional partners, and address modern building practices. I highlighted the 2015 IECC, the International Energy Conservation Code, because after all the discussions that we had with our partners, they suggested that we eliminate Chapter 11 out of the International Residential Code and adopt the 2015 instead of the 2024. This eliminated a whole lot of local amendments in the IRC or the International Residential Code. And so we have addressed all those issues with keeping the 2015. Now, this does not mean that all the incentives, excuse me, all the enhancements in the 24 are off the table. If somebody wants to use those improvements, they still can. And that, of course, is available to them. We currently operate under the 2015s. Those were adopted back in 2017 and 18, respectively, the fire code first and then the other international codes in 18. These recommendations are a result of a collaborative months-long effort between the Temple Area Builders Association, the Fire Department, our Department of Development Services, and the City of Temple. We did have other communities involved, but after a while, they just kind of cycled off. And I'm going to tell you the reason for that is because I was so impressed with the way the process is going that they felt like it was in good hands. The source document that we used for developing the local amendments was a document that was produced by the North Central Texas Council of Governments. That document, which was found by Michael Smith with TABA, he brought that forward to us, was a collaboration between their private sector individuals and public sector individuals, and they hammered out everything. And when we went through that as professional code administrators, we felt that it was the perfect document to begin with in building this collaboration. So we went through this thing, we took some things out, we tweaked some things, and the result is what you have in your packet as far as the ordinance that we hope that you all will adopt. Now, the other thing I wanted to mention to you is Yeah, we just developed the local amendments together. It was a wonderful process. It was not contentious. We had differing opinions. And it worked out very well. It was a very blessed process. The reasons for developing the codes are these four reasons. The first one is to maintain the fire department accreditation. The Texas Fire Chiefs Association best management practices requires that the fire department operate on the codes that are no more than two additions behind the most currently published codes. In this case, it's the 24. Those are the most current codes. The second reason is the newer codes consider advances in technology, which aren't addressed in the 25, slightly addressed in the 20, excuse me, the 15s, slightly addressed in the 18s. And to be honest with you, the 21s, nobody's a fan of those. And so we skipped over to the 24s. As construction technology advances, my notes say, the new codes regulating the safe and proper installation of these technologies is crucial. And a good example of that is the emerging markets for whole house energy sources. Many of the local amendments address these items, such as the removal of the requirement of something as simple as keeping physical plans on site. It can be done electronically now. and codes that just aren't relevant here, such as additional plywood blocking for bathrooms or grab bars, for instance. Third, the new codes are clearer and easier to enforce. The new publications have wording changes which make the requirements and intent clearer, leading to less confusion. As a guy that was reading these codes since maybe like 1987, I'm grateful for the fact that they might be using more English. than code things. And lastly, the codes provide better uniformity with surrounding cities. The 24s have become very popular. And a lot of towns have already jumped on the bandwagon before we did and have adopted these codes. So there's consistency among the region. Our hope is that ultimately we have countywide adoption of all the same codes, that there's consistent administration among the communities with the exception of maybe some of the local amendments that our city wants to focus on. So we're suggesting a distinction between the adoption date and the effective date. We hope that tonight you will adopt the code and make the effective date October 1 of this year. And this allows for a kind of a phase-in process that allows for planning. One of the things we heard from the home builders is, you know, it takes a little bit of effort or quite a bit of effort to change the plans over. 15s to whatever it is, particularly the 24s. And so we recognize that challenge for them. Different communities have different set of plans. So we're respecting that regardless of whether they have them or not. And the second reason, it allows projects that are in the planning phases, whether they're at City Hall or not, They may already be planning on the 15s. And so we can communicate that, bring your project in under the 15s so that by October 1, if you you kind of drag it out, then we'll expect the 24s. So there's that transition period. And thirdly, it offers us the opportunity to get out ahead of it, to do some explaining, to talk about it, to educate folks and things like that. So we think those are very valuable time constraints that we need to take into consideration and hope you all will agree as well. The other thing I wanted to mention to you is that as a... let's say you guys adopt the codes tonight or whenever, it is a dynamic process. It's not always like, okay, it's done. So if something comes up that we didn't think of in the meanwhile, we may run into some issue that we need to address. This is a public policy process. And so we want folks to know, yourselves included, that this is an open-ended process, basically. So if we run into something where the codes constrain something or prohibit something or cause something to be challenging, that we're open to amending the codes as we go along to make it a better product for all involved. So that's our recommendation there. So our recommendation this evening, Mayor, is for you to conduct the public hearing and adopt the codes as recommended. So, let me step back and allow that to happen.

All right, thank you, Bob. We'll start with the public hearing. So, if anyone wishes to speak for this, we will close our deliberation and open the floor for anyone who wishes to speak in favor or against the proposed code ordinances and changes. Mr. Smith, I think I heard your name mentioned. Name and address for the record.

As Mayor said, Michael Smith. I live 407 Downing Street here in Belton and represent the Temple Area Builders Association. I'm not going to have a ton of comments for you because, as Bob said, we have spent the last six months working on this. When he first came to our office, when was it? August, probably? Yeah. August of last year, Bob came. He said, Michael, I'd like to have lunch with you guys and talk about what we're working on here. And I don't think it was received as positively as he would have liked it to be received. And I think he may have gotten to his car before he called and said, I want to fix this. How do we move forward? How do we find some sort of consensus document? And We came together and we brought his staff and our stakeholders. We brought in Temple, invited a bunch of the other municipalities. And again, I feel really good about what we have here. This is something that we can all live with. It's not perfect. I think we've all given a little bit on both sides. To Bob's point, we've agreed this is something this is not the last time you're going to see us up here. Once you open this thing up, we're going to find things that don't work. And so we'll be back and we'll keep working on this. We got 10 years out of this last code. I'm hoping to get 10 years out of this one too. I appreciate staff, Sam, council. I appreciate your time. I appreciate you at least willing to give us a voice at this table. And to Bob's point, I want this to be a template for the other cities so that the rules we're using here in Belton, Temple can steal and follow, Salado can steal and follow, Nolanville. I'm hoping they're all...

i'm hoping that they're all listening because i'm going to bring this to all them next so thank you thank you thank you very much michael anyone else wish to speak in favor or in opposition to there being no other comments we will close the floor and reopen deliberations for item six so if council has any comments question or um wants to entertain them or the chair would entertain motion

I just like to say we hopped on partnerships this last few meetings, it seems like, and appreciate you guys doing the legwork. I know this is no easy task. I know my expertise is not in this area. I can't speak for the other six of us, but I'd have to imagine that updating editing codes is probably not at the top of the list for most of us. And so appreciate you guys and the builders and the city of Temple and everybody else coming together and and really working. And this is where we also talk about our trusted staff and trusting you guys to make the right decisions and laying eyes and ears to this one. That's probably thousands of thousands of pages to read through. So outside of that, I just had a question on the timeline. Is the five-month time span, is that enough time? Are there already certain things that are triggered that need more time or is it how does like just clarify that just a bit when you talked about um is it like a grandfathering what's how does that work

Well, we picked that time frame just for those reasons that I mentioned. It's a lot of kind of a gentle transition. We thought that was plenty of time. That's really it, to be honest with you. And if you feel like you need additional time, that's entirely appropriate. If you feel like it needs to be less time, well, that's appropriate.

So if we adopted them tonight, essentially, I would start trying to enforce newer standards on new construction even between now and then?

No, no, no, no. We wouldn't start enforcing the codes until after October 1. We would start educating people that it's coming. So they have enough time to react.

So I think along those lines, if somebody comes and gets a building permit two weeks from now, but the home that they're building isn't going to be finished until December or January, sometime after October 1st, What standard are we holding them to?

We're holding them to the 2015s.

To the... Yeah, the current codes. What was the issue with their building permit? Is that kind of the triggering...

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Yeah, when they submit the building permit application. Great. Yes, that's when they do that.

I'll just add, I think that this is really remarkable that we were able to do this with such genuine collaboration. Michael, all of the builders and developers from your group that were involved in this really appreciate that. We've talked about wanting to be builder and development friendly. I know that over the past decades that that has not always been possible. such an agreeable relationship at times. And so I think this collaboration between Dalton and TABA, the other stakeholders, the other municipalities is just remarkable. It's hard to do. I mean, you guys know the amount of work that's gone into this. I've kind of seen it from the outside looking in. And so just really impressed with our staff, with your group, with everybody else that was involved. So thank y'all for doing the hard work on this.

Thank you.

I'll make a motion to approve this as presented. I'll second.

We have a motion and a second to approve amending Chapter 4 buildings and building regulations related to building codes. Any other comments before we go?

Thank you.

I'll just echo what I said about WM and about having real relationships, tackling real problems, and having good results. Thanks to Michael and his team for all the work that you did to make our job a little easier. I had a meeting with the mayor of Temple and two of our commissioners as we discussed issues around zoning and planning and land use in and around the cities. I think there's a spirit of collaboration in Bell County that's rare. The fact that we on slide number three, it said City of Temple without like any like markouts or faces drawn on it. It's absolutely amazing just where we've come. And when we see today's election day, we see fractures within parties and the fact that we have other municipalities willing to work with us and us with them. So anyway, kudos to TABA for helping build that collaboration and also to our staff. So, that being said, any other comments before we go all in favor say, aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed. Passes unanimously. Thank you. Thanks, Bob. Thanks, Michael. Item 7 is we have a request to postpone item 7, which is the 2642 to the June 9 meeting. Um, so, um, we'll go ahead and entertain the. Motion to postpone that to the second. We have a motion a 2nd to postpone agenda items. See 2642 to June 9th. All in favor say aye aye aye aye. Those opposed. Passes unanimously right item 8 is hold a public hearing and consider a zoning change from agricultural. To plan development retail on approximately 1 acres located at 5209 West us highway 190 service road.

And thank you, Mr. Mayor, council members. This property is located on the south side of Interstate 4. It is east of George Wilson Road and west of FM 1670. Put in that little outliner so you can see where it is. This location at the top is where the Meadowmark building is. So it is just a little west of the Meadowmark building for residents. of more accurate location. The applicant is proposing to build a custom home on this property. This area was annexed back in November 2004, and Zone Agricultural was part of that annexation. The applicant owns the adjacent property. There is a residential house that was constructed in the 1970s. His plan is to construct a new family home for them. This area is mostly surrounded by residential homes. There's Dog Ridge Water over here, not a lot of fire protection. So development for commercial is kind of slow in this area because of the lack of utilities, water and sewer in this area. The future land use map show this as commercial and retail because it's adjacent to the interstate. However, again, adjacent ownerships are mostly residential home. There is no sewer out here. This is in the Belton CCN, but an onsite septic system will be required for development in this area. Notices were sent out to property owners within 200 feet of this property. There were no letters of support or opposition of the zoning change. With that, the Planning and Zoning Commission heard this item and recommended approval of the requested zoning to plan development retail with the following conditions that a new residential home is allowed. Development must comply with the retail standards for our setbacks. Repairs, normal maintenance, remodel, and construction of an addition is permitted for this. A future subdivision plot is required for future additions or building. Any future commercial uses will need to be reviewed for a site plan to view information on access, parking requirements, and building requirements. But that staff concurs with their recommendation for approval. I'll be happy to answer any questions that you guys have. And Mr. Cody Caswell is here, should you have any questions on him as a part of this applicant. Thank you.

Thank you, Tina. We will close our deliberations and open the floor for anyone who wishes to speak in favor or against this zoning change. All right, being the one in public comments, we will close the floor reconvene. Chair would entertain a motion or we can ask questions.

True straightforward what's currently there. So I'll make a motion to for business.

We have a motion a second to approve the zoning change any comments before we vote. Okay, all in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Passes unanimously. Item 9. Hold a public hearing and consider zoning change from agricultural to planned development commercial lawn on approximately 7.7 acres, located at 3021 Shanklin Road. Ms. Tina.

Thank you again, Mr. Mayor. This property is west of Loop 121. It is south of the county diversion center that used to be the memory care off of Shanklin Road in this area. The applicant actually used to own the property off of 35 next to the rodeo truck stop that it was a boat repair shop. The rodeo truck stop bought that property for future expansion. So he's looking at relocating to this property for the same service, boat repair and service operation. This property was annexed back in 2006 and was zone agricultural. There is a residential home right there. The applicant decided, doesn't currently know what's going to happen with existing home, but he plans on constructing a new metal workshop for the boat repair operation to take place at. So on the site plan that's shown, you can see where the existing home is, and this is the proposed 6000 square foot metal workshop for the boat repair operation. The future land use map shows this area as mixed use one, which is appropriate for commercial type uses as well as residential, should it be seen as necessary. For water, this is Belton and Water and Space Water Service. There is a water line and sewer line that runs to this property. Notices were sent out to property owners and 200 feet of the property. We did get a letter from an adjacent property owner. He was concerned. Actually, we did not get a letter. We got a call from the adjacent property owner. He was concerned about outdoor storage. When we initially spoke with the applicant, he did not plan on having outdoor storage. So we put in a condition for prohibiting that. So at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting last week on the 19th, they recommended approval of the planned development commercial one zoning district to allow for the development of boat shop must comply with the commercial one standards, boat repair and services permitted as an approved use. Development must comply with all the design standards that include site, landscape, and tree protection standards. A final subdivision plan is required for construction And outdoor storage is prohibited. I will be happy to answer any questions you have. And the applicant is here. And Dennis, I apologize. Your last name escaped my mind at the moment. Dennis Cochran is here. Should you have any questions for him as well?

Okay. All right. This being a public hearing as well, we will close deliberations and open the floor for anyone who wishes to speak in favor or in opposition to this zoning change. All right. There being none, we will. Okay. Go ahead. Yeah. name and address for the record.

Dennis Cochran. Location 3021 Shanklin Drive. So, Amy Council. So previously we talked about not having storage outside the building, but on reconsideration, there will be time periods where we're going to have people dropping off their boats to be serviced. So they will be sitting outside for time periods. And also when we're done and ready for pickup, they will also be outside. So just wanted to mention that since, uh, You know, we're kind of using the name storage. We're not actually storing them. We're just there's temporary time where they'll be outside. The building okay.

All right Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Right there being no 1 else to speak, we will close the floor and. Reopen deliberations on this item. I guess I'll ask the first question is item 4 is outdoor storage is prohibited. If you could help us understand how do you define storage versus dropping off the same question?

I still think of that as storage is storing there for a pickup or for someone to receive it. So I would think the proper thing is screening for it. How do we screen it in an area that's contained for a pickup and for transportation?

would be my thought some of those boats on trailers are really tall yeah i this is a unique one um when i when i hear outdoor storage i think more long-term abandoned sit and rot, that kind of stuff, piles of tires or all the other things. Um, and I don't know that we'd be doing a service prohibiting outdoor storage completely. Um, whatever the, the middle ground is on that. Cause I mean, we have auto body or auto mechanic shops that store outside while the car is not finished, doesn't fit in a bay, those kinds of things. I don't know. I don't, I don't know where the line is. Um, But even if you were the best boat mechanic in the world, there's no way you're getting all of your boats fixed in the same day they're dropped off. And only so many can fit inside. That's my comment. I don't know. Like I said, I don't know where that line is.

So the issue is what's come through planning and zoning is that outdoor storage is prohibited. Now that the Owner wishes to change that. We don't have the benefit of having this go back to staff. I think for us to define that, because the reality is. To your point, there's a capacity of the number of bays that can be worked on inside is X. Well, you're going to have more than that because people are going to be dropping off and then the one's going to be going out and it's going to be waiting. So what you're going to do is there's going to be. two times x is going to be outside either staging to go in or to leave and so that if you're working on four boats then more than likely you'll have 12 boats four in and eight in storage even if it's just a day each there's always going to be a boat And so if you go by over the dam, the marine place, it always is full with boats. And again, with that number four, outdoor storage prohibited, I don't think you'll be able to do what you want to do with the way it is worded. We may need to let you guys work with staff. I don't know that we can unless somebody has a good idea.

I feel like it's a PD so we can make changes tonight, I feel like. However, it may be beneficial for you guys to have some time with staff to come up with a solution, whether it's screening or I don't know what the parking lot situation is, private defense situation, something like that. I'm open to Dave Kuntz, Consider something like that, but I don't I mean if we if we sit up here tonight and say okay you've got to have a 50 by 100 foot instant area, then. Dave Kuntz, That may not be what you want and somebody's going to come back yeah just it feels like it feels like this may be needs a. Dave Kuntz, Another touch.

Dave Kuntz, Like at some point, there should be a distinction between short term. outdoor storage and long-term outdoor storage, maybe with the amount of days added to it.

Yeah, and I know the current property, and I've driven by many a time on I-35 and seen the boats up. And from what I can see, long-term outdoor storage is not an issue at the current site, so I don't think it would be at the newly proposed one. But again, that is very... That wordage is restrictive.

Mr. Cochran, I feel like... What we're leading towards is postponing this item so that you could have some more time to discuss with staff and come up with another plan. Is that. You go with that. Okay, I'm going to move to postpone this to a future meeting.

Do we need a date or. Is that is ambiguous? Okay. Future meeting. Okay.

Okay. Thank you.

All right.

We have a motion in a 2nd to postpone this to a future meeting. So I can go back to planning zoning and staff.

All those in favor say, aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. unanimously. All right. That's number nine has been postponed to a future meeting. Item 10, Z2609 has also been requested to postpone to a future meeting. So I'm still reading the whole thing. I'll just share with entertainment motion to postpone that item.

Make a motion to postpone Z2609 to a future meeting.

Second. We have a motion and a second to postpone Z2609. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Aye. Well, our future selves are getting real busy. Right. Item 11, hold a public hearing and consider a zoning change from ag to planned development retail to allow an accessory dwelling unit on approximately two acres located at 371 Mesquite Road. Ms. Moore.

Thank you again, Mr. Mayor. This property is on the west side of Interstate 35 and on the south side of Mesquite Drive. You may recall the travel center that was proposed a couple years ago. That is the... intersection of Mesquite and right at this location. So this is just two parcels down from where that proposed travel center was located at. The site is currently a home for the applicant. She is proposing an accessory dwelling unit for family members and guests that comes in. She's proposing an 800 square foot building at the south end of her property. Again, this was annexed into the city back in 2006 and zoned agricultural. However, the lot size two acres is under the three acre minimum lot size that we have. So we're proposing again, this is on the future land use map as a retail commercial location. We're proposing the same strategy that we have taken for other properties along the interstate that's in that same situation. for planned development retail. What is being proposed is, again, a one-bedroom accessory dwelling unit. There is a kitchen, one-bedroom closet and bathroom in the living room area. This is a floor plan right here that we're looking at. And again, it is top of the property, almost at the rear property line. Here is the proposed one bedroom. addition this is on septic so this had to go through the health department for approval and this is just showing where the new septic tank is going to be on the south side of the property and the leach area that is proposed for that. So again, flume, commercial, retail, water, Belton, there is a water line here that applicants will use. Private well is on a different site. So disregard that. Sewer is in the Belton. However, there is no wastewater here. So it's connected to its own private septic tank. Notices were sent out to property owners within 200 feet of the property. There was no letters of opposition or support for the application. The Planning and Zoning Commission heard this item at their meeting on May 19th, and they recommended approval of the requested zoning change. For this development, it must comply with all of the standards in the retail zoning district, and accessory dwelling unit is allowed, and there is a 10-foot side setback. The retail district requires a 25-foot side yard setback, so it's going to be a little bit of reduction, but it meets the separations that we have for fire safety. Repairs, remodel, normal maintenance additions are permitted for both the existing home and for the accessory dwelling units. A future subdivision plot is required for any future buildings that are going to be constructed. Future commercial uses, when that happens, must provide a site plan and some details on what their operation and parking requirements will be. Other than that, the applicant is here. Does she have any questions for her? And I'll be happy to answer any questions that she has as well.

Thank you we will go ahead and close deliberations since this is a public hearing and open the floor for anyone who wishes to speak in favor or in opposition to this zoning change. Right there being no 1 speaking, we will close the floor and reopen for deliberation on this. I have any comments questions.

Tina, is single-family residential an allowed use in retail zoning?

No, sir.

Okay. We've run into this problem in the past with people who wanted to finance a property that was in, I think what we had before was in the commercial highway zoning district, but the use was residential. And I'm fine with the ADU. I think the site plan looks good and everything. But I would like to specifically add in there that with this PD, single family residential with an ADU is allowed. That way, if future financing questions come up, we don't have to go through the rezoning process again. If y'all are comfortable with that. Yeah.

I think that's why the language about the repairs and stuff are there. So we know that that is single family and they can continue to that. But yes, most definitely can add on to that.

It may never come up, but if it does, go ahead and fix it tonight.

I think the last time it went through to...

title and when the title went through it showed that it was not residential and that they didn't qualify for a residential loan had to do a commercial loan and i think it had to come back to us so he's wanting to fix that tonight yeah i'm i'm fine with with the zoning to a pd retail well and that that's fine but if you sell it one day and somebody wants to finance it at that point i just do you want to

Fix the problem once and for all.

He just, I think he's wanted to say that this is for. For this property for this property.

Yeah, for for this property, just add in that. Single family residential use is allowed allowed. In this.

Well, but it is planned development.

Yeah, this is a zoning change plan development. And 1 of the stipulations on it is that single family. It's actually one of the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5 is single family.

Just to be sure, is that how the application was? Did it ask for single family usage on this? I'm not against anything being done, but to be sure what I'm saying, to get it right, if you really want to approve single family residence on a tract that's not zoned for that.

Well, it's zoned for agriculture.

That's the current use.

Where she is now, but now we'll go to another bill.

proposal is to go from ag to pd and to provide the opportunity to allow the adu i think what the council is just saying is just wanting to add the the explicit authority for single family residents but should we just be changing the zoning well they have a single family residence on it so i'm i'm sure that's implied because they're not tearing it down

So if it's already used that way, it's implied usage on ag. Well, that's the.

Yeah, the ADU is in the recommendation. I think that's.

Would actually eliminate the non-conforming status of the existing residents by doing what you're suggesting.

Okay. I'll make a motion. I'm going to try to make a motion. To approve this item with the addition of the single family residential is an allowed use in this Pd.

The motion is second to accept this, or to approve this item as presented with the addition that single family residential use is permitted as an item.

Can I ask one question about that? So does that mean If she were to sell it to someone else, they could still use it for single errors. That's why he's making it. It sticks with the property.

I did have a clarifying question. Dave was quick on the draw. Allowing an addition to the ADU? Wouldn't that just be another ADU?

Well, we're not looking for another ADU.

I don't believe you, if you call it an addition.

An addition is maybe they want to add additional square footage instead of 800, maybe 900. Maybe they want to add another restroom or something, a guest restroom to it. So that's what I mean by an addition. Not an additional unit. An addition.

Okay. Well, and also to answer John's question in number two, it says existing home and ADU. So that, that is on, that is written.

The only question I have, just to be clear, is we can only give them really legally what they asked for. And if they didn't ask for a single family, I don't see how you can do that.

Well, existing home, I think it's...

But the new units, they did this. Yeah.

We're just trying to clear up for... Yeah.

I'm just down the road. Yeah. See what I'm saying? Yeah.

That's more of a staff directive than at that point.

this is a perfect time for the open to public comments this is a good time it typically does so it's always good to preemptively because this is technically not a public hearing I'm Marie Cherovich 371 Mesquite Road and what's being built is going to be a guest house for my family coming to see me and stuff it's not going to be rented out it's not going to be any kind of thing so it's not like an additional hold right you know what i see yeah you got that yes he keeps saying like is it an additional or existing or whatever he's talking about the the original application is uh yeah okay yeah okay thank you thank you thank you

All right, we have a motion and a second with some questions. Any other questions? All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Aye. Passes unanimously. All right. Item 12. Receive a presentation on building life safety grant application for structural repairs at 301 East 6th Avenue in the Central Belton Historic District and consider authorizing the Belton Economic Development Corporation to enter into an economic development performance agreement with Clark Commercial Inc. DBA Syntex Office Pros. Planner Kofi.

I was just going to say, you're getting the whole department today. Yeah.

Thank you. Mr. mail. Um, this case is a request to consider a building life safety grant. For a contributing building located at the South East. Corner of East seat Avenue and North. The property is within the central belt and historic district, and is currently used as an office.

Okay.

So this building was constructed in 1910 and remodeled in 1990. It is identified as a bungalow pyramidal style structure with classical revival influence. The 2022 survey notes previous alteration, including relocation of the primary entrance, to the rear, replacement of windows, the front door, and the enclosure of the front porch. One of its most notable historic features is the chimney, as you can see on the further right of the picture. However, the 206 survey indicated this property has a low priority rating for preservation due to previous remodeling and changes to the building over time. Just to give you a little bit of how, I mean, what entails the work that is gonna be done for this project, the applicant hired Abacus Engineering to evaluate the building, the building structural conditions The engineer also recommended that leveling the foundation in multiple areas to address sagging. And that's a pier and beam foundation. Because the work is expected to affect existing siding, chimney and windows, the applicant is proposing an exterior rehabilitation work being done. The applicant also proposes replacing siding with cement impregnated fiberboard, that matches the existing size and the profile. The existing aluminum windows will be replaced with vinyl clad. Also, windows with sash mullions and framed awnings will also be preserved. Currently, the chimney is leaning away from the building and is expected to collapse during foundation leveling, and so removal is proposed. It is also important to note that the Historic Preservation Commission had earlier approved this scope of work at their meeting on May 7th earlier this month. And so with a total estimated project cost being $83,943, and the request being a matching grant, the applicant is requesting in an amount of $41,971.50. This project is also identified as eligible for BDC funding based on the proposed job creation and retention, including three direct or new job created with four internal staff retained. If approved, staff is recommending that this item be motioned to approve contingent upon BDC approval of the development performance agreement. This will allow the project to move forward while ensuring required funding agreement is in place. It is also important to note that the grant request is reimbursable and we don't pay upfront. So the applicant will submit all the needed receipt to the city for us to review it and we'll reimburse accordingly. Applicant is not here as at now. So we'll be more than happy to answer any questions that you may have for us. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

So this is not a public hearing. So this is a presentation and authorization request. So any comments or questions? Chair would entertain a motion.

I'll make a motion to approve the agenda as presented second.

We have a motion in a 2nd to approve and authorize the belt and economic development corporation to enter into an agreement as presented any other comments or questions before we. All right all in favor say, aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye aye

Give him a hard one next time.

All right. Hey, they didn't give you Lucky 13. That's safe for Bob. So Lucky 13 is considered an appeal to the 500 separation requirement for short-term rentals at 706 East 8th Avenue. So before we go, how long was it between when we changed the ordinance to the first appeal? Okay, there we go. All right, so. All right, Bob.

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Yeah.

As you noted, this is easy enough. This is a request to operate an SDR within 500 feet of another SDR. Move to the next slide. In this slide, the blue square is the applicant that is asking for the variance. The pink squares that you see on the slide are the existing STRs, one on Winkle Road and the other one down on 9th Street. The red circles indicate the 500-foot separation between the existing STRs. The applicant's property is approximately 100 feet from the house on, excuse me, the STR on Waco Road. The applicant's house faces East 8th, so it faces to the Southwest. And the house on Waco Road faces to Waco Road, obviously. And so I made that point just to make sure that you understand that there's no real kind of facing each other or what have you. We feel that that may play a role in the whole process. This is a picture of the house that we're talking about. 7068 and our staff recommendation at this particular point in time is denial because it doesn't meet the criteria of the ordinance. That's the only reason the owners are here with us this evening if you have any questions. And I'm here also if you have any other questions.

All right. This is not a public hearing. So we're considering an appeal to a denied request.

So comments or questions from I think it does help that they are next door to each other. Two different streets. Lily's here. Sorry that we have to see this date. But We're still good and don't mind doing this.

I agree. Is that a motion, John?

I'll make a motion. I move to approve.

Second.

We have a motion and a second to approve the appeal of the 500-foot separation. Any other comments or questions?

I'll just say I consistently said I don't like the fact that other people can affect your property rights, and so I'm by all means for approving this one.

Yeah, this goes back to the debate before we all kind of like, hey, we all think we shouldn't have to do this, but we went with the 500 and now we're going to have to be going through appeals when we probably shouldn't have to do that. Well, I guess we'll see how many appeals we continue to approve until we go back to the motion. I think Dave was pretty adamant. It's like, let's just let it take. I will say that. It's on an opposite street. And so there's another kind of hole in our ordinance is that we're kind of the intent is 500 feet probably implied along the same road. But if it's like backing up to it's a totally different road, it's different. And so anyway, that's that helps. Man, this is a challenging thing.

Yeah.

All right, any other comments before we. Right all in favor of approving the appeal to allow for a short term rental at 706 East 8th Avenue. Let us be known. Let it be known by saying, aye aye. Those opposed 100%. Okay, proving the appeal.

All right, let me make that 100 photos.

something to consider going forward all right item 14. yeah

That's not an agenda item. We can discuss that in the future.

All right. Item 14, our last item on the regular agenda is considered authorizing the BEDC executive director to execute a contract and related documents for the sale of 1.89 acres on Arbor Park to Groves Behavioral Services, PWP. Ms. Hernandez.

Thank you, Mayor, Council. Good afternoon. Good evening. So today we will be talking about the potential sale of property in the Belton Business Park. And this is an aerial of the subject property. This is an 8.91-acre track on Arbor Park Road. And so immediately adjacent to the property on the west is zoned light industrial. And so you can see Covan and Stratasys both operate on the west side of the property. On the east side of the property, we have more medical and services. That area is a planned development. And the parcel actually has shared access with Sanderford and Carroll and Oso, which is Kenny Martin's property that he owns and manages. And so we have been approached by Mr. and Mrs. Dubrock. who own and manage Groves Behavioral Services, which is currently located in Belton on South Main Street. And so their clinic provides behavioral therapy to children with autism, and they are out of space. So they are needing a location that can provide a larger building, more parking, and an outdoor play area. And so this is a rendering of what they're planning to build on the EDC property should the contract be approved tonight. And they actually have a plan to expand in the future as well. And I should note that both Mr. and Mrs. DeBrock are here. And so if you have any questions, I'm sure they would be happy to answer. I'm not putting you on the spot, but just wanted to acknowledge that they are here today. Part of their interest at this location is because of the complementary services in the area with the pediatric clinic and the other health services within that part of the business park. and Belton. So the contract in your packet provides for the EDC to sell the 1.89 acres at $350,000. And so you can see the earnest money deposit would be $3,000. They've asked for a 60-day feasibility period with an option to extend that for an additional 15 days at a fee of $1,000. And then they'd like to close quickly after the feasibility period expires. The contract does provide that the EDC will pay the commission. That's a 3% commission on the sale of the property. And They their timeline is yesterday, and so the plans are ready to go financing is in place and they're excited to move forward should should the contract be approved so i'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

I think it's easy. I don't think there's any questions. Oh, there's a question. I mean, I just think it's a great service. We, you know, being in the mental health world, we really lack ABA therapy and more services for autism. And this is a huge benefit to our community. And we really appreciate y'all being willing to do that. The only question I had was the $350,000, where did that number come from? Was there a fair market value study or where did it come from?

So it was actually negotiated. We have an asking price based on recent sales and they're Really, we negotiated and there was an ask for some assistance with the building life safety grant. And as you know, this area is not eligible for that. And so EDC did lower their price because we couldn't assist in that way. And this really was an attractive property.

Would they qualify for any of the tax abatement that the city does?

We didn't discuss the tax abatement. We'd have to look at the policy. That might be something that they're eligible based on the uses within the tax abatement policy. But just with regard to negotiating the price of the land, that was not something that we discussed.

I know BEDC is really excited about filling out more of the business part. Excited to get them in there. Negotiated water, sewer, everything's right there. Entryway is ready to go. And I know you guys are chomping at the bit to get building. And we're excited to have you in there. And we really look forward to this project and finishing out that little area of the business part. It's exciting. Thank you. It's a great addition. I move we approve item 14.

We have a motion and a second to approve item 14, authorizing the BDC Executive Director to execute the contract. Any other comments or questions before we vote? Right. All in favor say aye. Aye. Those opposed? Passes unanimously. All right. Items 15, 16, and 17 are executive session. We will be taking no action afterwards. So if you want to skedaddle, you may do so. I'm going to read these in for the record and we'll take a little pause for the cause after I read this in the record, but we'll be convened. So item 15 is executive session pursuant to the provision of the open meetings law chapter 551 government code. Vernon's Texas codes annotated in accordance with the authority contained in section 551.074, personnel matters. Item 16 is section 551.072, deliberation regarding real property. And item 17 is section 551.071, consultation with attorney. We'll be back.

Thanks, Steve. It's riveting, David. Listen to every word.

Thank you. Thank you. See you later. Good job, Bob.

Good to see you, sir. Thank you.

I'm flooding out an armadillo in my yard.

We've got to get on that thing. I wouldn't doubt it. I didn't realize you were on downing. That's a...

That's a classic street. Good old classic Belton Street.

We bought the Gossney's old house.

Oh, did you really? Very cool. Well, you know, I grew up going to a lot of people's friends' houses on Downing.

I went to swimming parties at your house.

I found someone. They must have had a huge party there one time. Because I've heard so many people say that they were there the day that they announced that Elvis died.