City Council - Regular Meeting

But I saw them both days maybe hold one You're fine.

I got to get my dig out. Two minutes off. Yes, ma'am.

All right. Good evening, everyone. At this time, we're officially opening our council. Go ahead.

With the invocation, Lord, we're just coming to you this evening, God, unless we know how. First of all, thank you, Lord, for your uh waking us up this morning, God. Thank you Lord for your son Jesus Christ who died upon a cross rose again God we just thank you for that great Easter Sunday that we enjoy on soever on yesterday God we thank you Lord for uh blessing each and everyone that's here today blessing our families God we thank you for blessing this city God we thank you Lord for also giving us the mindset to want better want more for this city for ourselves and others God we just thank you we glorify you God and we ask you Lord tonight to allow us to make good decisions, good choices um for you on your behalf and for your people God in your son Jesus name. Amen.

Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liy and justice for all.

Once again, thank you all for joining us tonight for our city council Monday, April the 6, 2026. Um let's see with uh we're recognizing all our visitors and then we just would like to give you the reminder for the public comments from the audience. It has changed in the last couple of meetings. So this is how it reads. At this time members of the public will be allowed to speak on city related matters only. No personnel matters or matters under litigation will be allowed. The length of time may not exceed 3 minutes. City Council shall not speak under this item. In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the council may not deliberate or take action on matters except as properly posted in accordance with the with the law. And at this point, we up to our approval of minutes the uh regular session March 16 through the 26. I

move that we approve the minutes from March 16th. A second. Okay, it's been moved and second. All in favor? Min carry? Motion carries. I'm sorry. And it brings us to our B business. Number two, presentation, discussion, and acceptance of fiscal year 2025 financial order. Mayor and council, we have Miss uh Molly um Ably to present the uh audit. Good evening, council. Thank you for having me. I want to send my very much gratitude to management and council for um the delays we had this year. So, the federal government decided last fall to not um issue their compliance audit until December, the first week of December. And what that did is a lot of compliance audits that um we do kind of got pushed back, which then pushed back into our spring work. So, I appreciate everyone's patience. Um we did get everything submitted when it needed to be submitted and then it will get updated with this final version um this week. Um but as far as the audit is concerned um we did as you can see changed a few little colors since the last time I was here. Um we had a a kind of change in our regime. We decided to merge with uh CRI and so instead of seeing Axel and Rodie here you see CRI. Um however your your team stayed the same. I am still here and happy to report to you tonight. Um, I will hit a few highlights for you. Um, and then I'll be happy to take any questions. As far as the audit opinion, we are issuing an unmodified opinion, which is the highest opinion we can give. It states that everything here in these financials are presented fairly in all material respects. If you flip over to page eight,

these two columns here are um one your business type activities is your water and sewer fund and that first column there, your governmental activities is your entire city of your governmental activities. In this particular column, um your overall governmental activity net position is just over the 5.2 two at the bottom of that first column. And your water and sewer fund is just over the $8.8 million uh for the entire of the city, bringing the total net position of the city of just over $14 million for the year. Um these two particular columns and the one fall in the page following are a little bit distorted from some day-to-day information that you might receive. Um it kind of right in the middle of the page you can see that there's a net pension liability and net pension OPED liability. As far as the um audit is concerned we have to come in and adjust to those numbers each year. They are actuarily determined numbers uh that we adjust to the city's portion for um so that flows through some expenditures in these particular um financials as well. But flipping over to page nine, you can see the change in your net position. In your governmental activities, it increased about $1.6 million. And your water and sewer fund, and it's kind of toward the bottom there, um decreased about $500,000. Uh really all that was if you look at kind of the one two three four fifth line from the top what we did at the end of this year since the economic development clo basically closed but still has to be open for a period of time is it's no longer in its standalone um component unit fund of the city as it has been previously. Previously, it was issued separately as its own component unit of the city. And that's what that last column there is on that page. And that, you know, few last lines there,

you can see that transfer line of that $1.1 million over into the governmental activities of the city. So that includes the assets of the economic development. That includes the debt of the economic development. As you may know, we're collecting that sales tax until that debt is paid off, right? So, all of that is now going to be reported into the special revenue fund of the city at least for reporting purposes. Um, I'm sure it'll still be kept separate as far as bookkeeping is concerned. That's that's the easiest uh manner to do that. And that fund is you can see it on page 43, but all we did um was take the ending activity and zero that fund out and move it into your governmental funds if that makes sense. So really, if you take out that 1.1 increase of that transfer line over, you basically had an increase in your um operations for the governmental activities of just over 500,000 that was just above the water and sewer decrease. So you basically kind of netted even for the entire city for the year. Um I flip over to page 11. The first column here is your general fund, which houses all of your different departments except for your water and sewer of the city. Um, a good tail of healthiness that we like to look at is your amount of fund balance over your annual expenditures. So, if you compare your fund balance of just over the 3.7 in the general fund to the 6.5 of your annual expenditures, you're sitting with about 57% of your annual expenditures and fund balance. That's a healthy fund balance. Um, if you were to compare that to your cash number on the prior page, over a 100% of that fund balance is in cash. Uh, so you're highly liquidable and the cash is there as you need it.

A few more highlights here. Of course, in the water and sewer fund, um you can flip over about to page 13 for that one. Um this is just a copy of the prior page that we looked at. That amount spans over to the front page. Um and really the significant increase and changes in that fund of course was the debt that we issued this year for all the projects that we have going on. So, you have an increase in your construction and progress for the year and of course an increase in your liabilities for that debt that was issued. Um, but overall your total net position in the water and sewer fund is just over the $ 8.8 million there toward the bottom. I know it looks a little weird that you have such a large unrestricted amount, but the problem with that is is that we have a large restricted cash number. If you look toward the top of that page, you have about $22 million of that's that bond money that you have not spent yet. So that money is restricted for those capital purchases and so it has to do a little flip here at the bottom until we've spended that money and it then it will flip back to its normal kind of um stature. So it looks looks kind of weird this year but that will go away as we spend that money down. Overall you did stay um o under budget in both funds for the year. Um and so everything was was looking very healthy. Um, is there any questions I can help answer?

Kind of the short and sweet. I know it's long. Yeah, I I I do have a question. I uh was sent and I think maybe everyone was sent the letter. Yes, ma'am. Answering uh questions in regards to the um the audit. Yes, ma'am. And so, um, being that I didn't have the audit to review to give you answers, how does how does that

The questionnaire really doesn't have anything to do with the audit numbers. It has to do with any areas of concern that you may have for us planning the audit. So, if there was anything that you knew of that you wanted to tell us to kind of look into or to go into detail more, that's kind of your open communication way of giving us that information as we're going through the audit process. Okay. So, basically, I don't get an opportunity to look at the audit. I know you said audit numbers, but how do I decide or how do I know that there are certain um issues that may be or concerns that I have if I don't see?

Well, a lot of this is historical information, so it's just information that's already happened. And so, you're here for the day-to-day operations and you're here for to ask questions at your your new monthly meetings and things of that. So, I would assume uh we assume that most things come up in that day-to-day operation. So, you would have questions about something or a concern during those um that that items that you're reviewing monthly. All right. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Anyone else? Thank you. Thank you.

Okay. Um The action would be the action would be an acceptance of the Okay. So, right as part of this not okay um do we have to have a motion for Okay. Would someone like to I make a motion we accept the audit? A second. Okay. It's been moved and second. All in favor? Opposed? Okay. It brings us I that's not opposed. Yeah, I can still give a reason. I oppose. I Well, I oppose. We just proceed the audit. Um Okay. It was just the vote. So, we didn't have an opportunity.

You didn't have to do the discussion. It's not a discussion now. It was just a vote. This just accepted and you accept it or reject it. Okay. So, there's no discussion. No, it's not a discussion. Hold on a second. It says presentation. So, she was the only one before the motion before the motion was made. You could have saved your head. You could have requested qu you could have had questions with her and she could have responded to her myself. She did have questions with her and then um that was your opportunity for discussion at this point. But we're not doing that right. Yeah. But one time we make the motion and then we have a discussion. Okay. Excuse. So how are we doing after the second was made? You could have had a discussion if you wanted to change or make any changes to the motion.

After the second was made before the Okay. Okay. So, the vote the is uh motion carries. Okay.

It brings us to uh item number three. Public hearing on request from Kenned Wayne Thomas for specific use permit to place a manufactured home on property currently having an address of 1201 North Park Street, Crockett, Texas 75835, which is identified by the Houston County Appraiser District as partial 16785 and is located near the northwest corner of the intersection of North Park Street and Downs Avenue. Yes, ma'am.

Mayor and Council, we have Mr. Kenneth Thomas here with his wife. Um there's a piece of property that they're looking at uh demolishing an old home that's dilapidated and um they're also going to and they have presented um that they're addressing the back taxes. this uh permit SU that council um if they approve it would be contingent upon um being uh current with the paying the back taxes and demolishing the old home of course um to put the new mobile home in. Um this Mr. Kenneth this this opportunity is only just for people wishing to speak for or against it and we'll give more information during the next agenda item when we actually when we actually have a a vote on it.

So, the public hearing is open. Okay. The public is now officially open. If anyone has a comment at this time, you come to the uh mic shared. So, I do have a question. If it's a council related question, we can address it during the next one. This would basically be I'm against it happening or I'm for it happening. This is for people within 300 ft of the property. Okay. Well, uh what I'm just asking that did you

what what it what it is is this item was brought before us before to even be placed on the agenda. So that's what I'm asking. I'm asking how did that process Okay, we're not dealing process. We're just address it in the next agenda item. Yeah, we're just dealing with the public opening of hearing where people have the opportunity to do. Okay. Well, that's where we are right now that we that I'm understanding which was a bye-bye, which we have. And I'm just want to make sure that I'm not on. Well, you've done well.

Okay. Does anyone from the audience have any? If not, we'll close the public hearing. Okay. Nothing else. That brings us to item number four. A consider and approve request from Kenneth Wayne Thomas for specific use permit to place a manufactured home on property currently having an address of 1201 North Park Street, Crockett, Texas, 75835, which is identified by the Houston County Appraiser District as parcel 616785 and is located near the northwest corner of the intersection of North Park Street and Downs Avenue. Okay, mayor and council, this um this property was brought before our planning and zoning. It's going to be Is it this property, Mr. Thomas, or is it further down?

Is it this one here? That's it.

Okay. So this property here, of course, this map is from 2008, but this property is was highly um overgrown. The house is in extremely poor condition. And this is where he is proposing to put a mobile home, the mobile home, as you see in your council packets. Um uh after this went through planning and zoning, we also had a planning and zoning public hearing. Uh there was only one person that um came to speak um for against and she was for it. Uh there was no other uh descent against the property. Um this next step is uh this is the application that they've applied for. Um it's going to be on this property right here. in the middle of the property is going to be um crossways where it's not linear where you're seeing the end of the mobile home, you're seeing it across um it's a it's going to be a new mobile home or within 5 years of age.

Years. Yes. And so essentially that's the um specific use permit. These are the people that were all sent notices in the in the mail um that were within 300 ft and uh no one spoke against it. I'd like to make a motion we approve Mr. Kenneth Thompson uh the permit for the mobile home. I second. Okay. And this is where there's discussion. Did you have a discussion? Yes. Um just to let you know, congratulations. Um I'm not against uh anything about you placing the home down. Don't give you your kudos,

but I just wanted to address the uh council as well that uh I'd appreciate if you put the item, bring it before the council so we can place that item on under the new business um item on the agenda. I had comment as well. Um being being a precinct 2 alderman and uh knowing that property's condition as well, I I um I spoke with a few individuals around that area and with there being no nays, I do applaud you for taking the advantage to uh you know increase the value and up update that property. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much, sir.

Thank you. And the only other notes that I'll make um for this um item uh just on the record that this is being approved contingent on uh you entering into a payment um plan for the back taxes and and proper demolishment of the current home. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you. Okay. Uh we're ready for a vote. All in favor? Motion carries. It brings us now to um It brings us now to uh item number five.

Five.

Okay. Receive as information planning and zoning commission preliminary report of possible zoning district changes for existing manufacturer homes, subdivisions, parks located within the city limits. Mayor and Council, this is the report that you have in your packet. That's the last page in your packet from my planning and zoning commission and their request um to present this. This is their initial recommended uh districts that they propose to change to MH1 and MH2. As we mentioned during the ordinance changes of our planning and zoning that we underwent earlier later later last year and earlier this year um state statute requires us to have designated mobile home by right such as Mr. Kenneth's um proposal today for a specific use permit. If he was to own property within one of these districts, it would be allowed by right. uh state statute requires every um city to have at least one zoning district that allows that to where you don't have to go through a permit process. Um that with with that said, we have um the recommended zoning changes are going to be to two area uh to three areas. Two of them for an MH2 and one of them for an MH1 district that are currently all being used as mobile homes. you know, that's all they have and they're there. That way we're not going into and just carving out a district in our city that has stick built, you know, on concrete frame homes and we've decided that mobile homes can go in in amongst them without permit. So the the the one that would be an MH1 would be Quail Trail.

Uh, Quelt Trail is a proposed MH1. Um, I'm sorry, this is not correct when I I wrote up here MH2, but that is actually an MH1. Um, in the definition here, I wrote MH1 correctly. An MH1 is where multiple property owners, this right here, the Quel Trail, is owned by many property owners in separate lots. All those lots are owned by individuals. An MH2 is a prop is a private mobile home park say like Snyder. So Snyder RV uh mobile home park will become um if council it and and there's no action tonight. We're we're just updating council about the process that we are initiating because we still have to follow uh sending out notices multiple public hearings and that whole process uh for the MH1 and the MH2. This is just notification to council that our planning and zoning has reviewed and design and requested that uh we review Quail Trail for MH1 and Snyder RV um home mobile home park inside and outside the loop. Those two pieces of property there that are currently mobile homes, those will become MH2 under our new zoning uh law zoning ordinance.

And being those people being they won't have to apply for a permit in an existing mobile home park. Okay. So, as far as what what the item the mobile home that they'll be putting in place, how would you like they still fall under the same um ordinance regulations, you can't move a a 1970s or one that does not meet code. So, it's still under our building permit process. Just like if you're building a a stick frame home, you you pull a building permit. Okay. So, we'll still have the same process for mobile homes to ensure that they meet code and they're safe, but they won't have to go through public hearings and applications.

Okay. This would not be required for the park that's further on down by four mile park. No city. That's outside the city. There are a couple other RV parks um but that those fall under already specific use where they've already been designated as RV parks like the American Legion Park. Okay. Um the one up there on the Dur Nava Road, um anyway, there's a couple of existing RV parks. But these are these are the existing as we know it of mobile home subdivisions. So, what about that one on the loop beside the house?

Yes, ma'am. This is that's this one right here. That one up. Okay. Right here. This is proalis right here. And this is the mobile home part. Okay. Schneider. I didn't know that. Okay. That's what that was called. And that's all I that's all I have for that. Okay. I do have um you know the process. Uh right now we're uh presenting the report to city council and we have these dates lined out all the way through May the 18th before it comes back to council for council's recommendation. These are the steps that we follow and I can give you a copy if y'all want that.

So that was the update. Yes ma'am.

That brings us to item number six. Discussion regarding the city swimming pool. Grand Council, I wanted to um start this by we discussed this uh last year and to remind council uh last year my direction was to apply for we had an opportunity to apply for a parks and wildlife grant uh for in the total amount of 1.5 million with a 750 match. So, it's a 50% uh 50% match and we were would be applying for 750 for a total of 1.5 million. Here's the here's the timeline. In 2015, our old swimming pool was closed. Um, it took about three years for council to decide it two to three years for council decide the amount of structural damage and the amount of cost to that pool was too great for us to fix it. Um, there was many issues. We had engineers that looked at it and we decided to not um repair the pool and we decided to apply at that time for a parks and wildlife grant for a splash pad. And since we had a big hole in the ground, we used that opportunity to put plumbing in the ground and we then we filled that pool in and we put a splash pad on top of it and we renovated inhouse. We renovated the swimming pool uh the pool house. Uh we have a little party room and some bathrooms in 2019. uh the mayor and council um expressed a desire to build a new swimming pool. We went through the initial design plans and preliminary plans and our estimates at that time for a new swimming pool were received to be somewhere around

750,000 and then add a little bit of money for um engineering. And so we went out and we borrowed um 775,000 at that point. And we borrowed that money against um the city had a reserve of debt re of debt service money that we had collected throughout the years that we had setting aside an account that was more than what our existing debt required. However, um debt reserves are for debt. They can't be transferred out and spent in for fixing streets or something else. They could only been used for debt. council at the time I said if that money will not throw us into requiring to raise taxes or doing some of that effort let's put that money towards the swimming pool since that money is sitting aside and that's what we did we went out for bid in 2020 it was late 2019 we finalized all the engineering and 2020 is also when COVID hit and 2020 is also when that spring is when we had a historical amount of freezes and PVC pipes and plumbing and all all things to deal with pumps and pipes were on back order and everything was just through the roof. When we got bids back, um the bids came back at $1.4 million over an expected $750,000 at that time. that coincided with that. We also was awarded the grant for the splash pad and uh and we got the splash pad built. Um we also revised the spool the pool specs and said, "Well, is there anything extra that was on this pool

uh design that we can carve out and reduce this price?" And we did. We took away climbing walls and slides and just anything that just really didn't have to be there. We even reduced the scope inside the the the way that we did the filtration and the pumps to save some money. And our bids came in between 1.1 million and 1.4 million. We also locally sourced park uh the the the pool fence. the local we had wholebrook lighting for light for the lighting. We had uh contractors, local contractors bid on all the concrete deck um and shoe make and Crockett fencing bid it on the fence, you know, trying to get local and trying to shave down as much as we can. And that's what we came into. And then so the project stalled because no matter how we looked at it, it was quite a bit more than what we had sitting in in the fund. In 2024, I was directed to apply for that parks and wildlife grant. We applied for it and this is where we came in. Um there was 22 awards for parks projects and we came in at 23rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 29th. We came in at 29th out of 22 that was awarded. And a lot of these projects were either swimming pools or other large park projects, big courts and activity centers and rec centers and stuff like that. So we did not get it. certain things have. We feel like we do have a good

opportunity that if we were to apply, we feel like we do have a good opportunity to receive this grant um for several reasons. One, we do have the match required for this grant sitting in an account. A lot of cities that apply for it are going to say once we get this grant, now we got to go out and issue a bond or borrow money and try to come up with a match for it. We have engineering already complete which is a significant investment and we can show um a lot of the inind work and stuff that we've already done for this pool. Um a local resident of Crockett was also appointed to the commission of the parks and wildlife um commission and will be over this program and he can also help out as legally able. We also we we f we also reached out to these cities that applied for the swimming pool program and did receive it and we're at we're getting copies of successful grant applications to see what did they include that we did not. And sometimes it's maybe inclusiv in inclusiv inclusivity projects, maybe access, maybe something for children that have different disabilities. just different ways that we can make ourselves more attractive to the grant reviewers. And so that's kind of where we're at right now. Um like this is what this is these are the options that I presented to council last year and this is the options as I see it today and it could be a hybrid of all of these but one is we build and we borrow more money. we find more, you know, we find a way to get more money like that, right? I'm just saying I don't think that council is wanting to do that, but that's an option, right? Use our existing funds to build a smaller pool with fewer amenities. We

reached out to the engineer and asked him with the amount of money that we have, what could we feasibly build? And he said, "This is one that I just completed." This was last year, but it was this pool. It's about a third. No, it's too tiny

of the size of our pool that we used to have. But with the commercial aspects, public for a public pool, everything increases from a residential pool. The type of chlorination and disinfection, um ADA access, everything included. Right. So, we that's that's one option. um reapply for the parks and wildlife grant and use our existing funds. This will cause a delay of at least probably close to a year. At this point, we should know by the end of this year. Uh somewhere November, December is when they normally do their uh grant reviews and scoring. And once again, as things increase with as time goes by, things will increase. So what we maybe have gotten a couple years ago in bids,

it's probably more. I could almost guarantee you it's going to be more. So the longer we wait, the more in expensive it's going to get, but

um or reappropriate the existing funds towards other projects that qualify for the funds that we have. um the the pool that we speced out and bid, it's not it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it's something that you can stand back and I really think we could be proud of um as a community for having a pool um the one that we did bid out and and we believe that it would we can make it fit in that budget of $1.5 million if we were to reapply. So, that's kind of where we're at right now. Um, we have a couple more months before we need to get uh about two and a half more months before we need to get that application back in to make sure that that we're being considered for the parks and wildlife grant if we're if y'all direct me to go that direction.

Um, John, can you So, y'all were already reached out to a lot of cities. I've had a couple coun uh some council members ask me like what are we spending on this pool? What is this pool going to cost? Um what kind of subsidy amount and that kind of thing. And I reached out. I had I was able to get four responses. Um but they're from cities from Rusk, Jacksonville, Navasota, Rusk, Jacksonville, Navasota, and um I believe Kilgore was the other one. So they're not all apples, you know, they're not apples to apples. How many cities told you it's a good idea to have a pool?

That's going to be, you know, a lot of it's going to be their opinion, but you know, that's just tell me how many cities, but I would say now Oh, how many Oh, you I I just said how many cities recommended having a pool about? So, um, in talking to them, there was a couple of them that mentioned, you know, pools are an expense. They're not they're not a money maker. They're a liability. Um, things break, you know. Um, right. So, no, they're you know, I don't think a they would anybody would really recommend it just apples to, you know, every community has its own needs.

But I would say I were you saying something? Sorry. In terms of in this pool. Um, let's just say we do get the grant. Is it going to cost like the taxpayers extra money or or is the city going to cover? Well, the for the city to cover something, the revenue is derived from the residents, the taxpayers. And so, we will be able to make some money. We pulled up our last budget from 11 12 2012 and 2013 and we averaged around $10,000 in revenue a year from rentals and daily fees and and stuff of that nature.

So, but it's going to cost more than 10,000. Everything that this city does cost essentially other than our water and sewer which is fee based. We bring in enough fees to cover the service. We don't make we we you know you don't make money. You're not a for business. You're not a for-profit company, right? It covers itself. Everything else you subsidize. Police department, fire department, library, animal shelter, every streets department, parks department, everything we do cost the taxpayers money. That's where we bring in fees. And we have an idea what

the monthly I was going to say. Um if we was bringing in $10,000, right? If it was making $10, how much was it costing? Like were you feeding? Were we getting the needs from to cover the bills or not? Was that 10,000 covering the bills at that time with with lifeguards, with chemicals, electricity, insurance primarily? Those are your highest um expenses. Right. You got to have supervisors too, you know, lifeguards, people to manage. He knows that he said lifeguards.

The hard thing about that one is because it runs about three or four months out of the year. So, I can't use Oh, yearly, you know, because we're usually hiring seasonal type employees, but it'll have to be maintained 12 months. Well, I can treat it. I would uh like I said I would like to um consider the pool u because it will give our our youth an activity. Um actually we have nothing anything uh whatever the correct English is for the you to keep the kids uh busy or occupied or you know

for the summer. I mean you have out of time on these kids hands. So this here is a good opportunity to provide not just for the children, this we could provide for the community, the city as a whole because not just precinct three, the community has been asking for a a pool. You have people that actually come back, the families come back to the city and they want to come out, they want to come to, they want to enjoy our park and that's one of the amenities that really drew a lot of the families and uh back to this city. Now you out, we always talking about tourist. We already talk talking about getting people to come back and spend money in our city. That's a definitely a good opportunity to spend th those monies here in our city. Now I understand going out to the Houston County Lake, the pool or whatever. I'm one that I really would rather spend my time here in the city than drive out to the Houston County Lake or those areas like that. But I mean each of his own. But my thing of it is is that also my understanding is talking to the fire department, fire chief. He they also use that pool to uh practice their water rescue. So this is a this is amenity that will benefit our city. We don't have

I mean I don't see it. I mean we made I'm going tell you like this. We've been making a promise since what you say 2015. Yeah. My thing of it is if we made a promise to to give the community to give the youth those kids like I was talking to you before. Excuse me. Let me get up here. Get back. She's

I talk with my hands. I just talk with my hands. I just do. But those kids that were in 2015 now they we made that promise way back then. Now they they now they have children. So then by the time we get the pool bit, they have children. So, I mean, if it's something that we need to do, I'm going tell you like this. If we provided a animal shelter that's not going to bring in any income, that's going to drain the city with what we do, we need to do something for our youth. We need to do something for our children, our community, our city. Yeah, I know. Thank you. Now we don't always see eye to eye but as a historical person having worked with that pool when you said that this one is a third large I used to take a group and it was body to body on top of bodies in that in the size that it was a third smaller is not going to meet this community because right now it's large and as council person mentioned very few people have personal pools very Few people have the gear to go out to the lake. I mean, you can go there, but you still have to have all the amenities. This is one of those facilities that is so close to the community. Kids would walk over there with their parents. Even the parents or even the older sibling, they walked over there. Well, I hauled them on the back of a truck before we got tagged. But the reality is there as she said there are very few things that a community open whatever the cost is that's one of those investment because there are very few activities that you can engage in for a reasonable price. Not everybody's going to play. If you ever play softball, baseball, basketball, you got to be

geared up for that. This requires a simple suit and a little you don't have to have any life guard because it's a lifeguard out there to protect you in case you fall in and all of that, but it is probably the most affordable activity and they always and the price was reasonable and and they they managed to save allowances or whatever, but it was always engaged and that's what I gave I mean that's what I value in a city. What facility can you offer that children engage in it from the morning and then they put the old peoples in there? I like that. We had a night class for swimming for us that just float.

But we just flock. I ain't swim, but it's not a pretty sight. But they had it for all ages. And then they had a part where the parents with little children could go in and and they cleared the pool from the big kids and they had a designated so the parents and the child they did the look now probably go to jail if they tell but my baby that's how long ago she said drop him in the water just drop him in

and he came up swimming I said thank the Lord for Jesus but but that a baby can even swim at an earlier age and that's just it's just so many healthy features to having a pool that's affordable and it's accessible to the whole city. Whatever the cost is, it's just a training agent and we can't afford to have to ignore our youth.

Like not all of them are going to play all of the sports. They're just not. I mean, that's where it is. But they will splash and they will get in that water and someone would just dangle their feet and whatever it is. But I think as a whole if we had any one event that was affordable to the entire community, all ages, it would be that swimming pool. And I, you know, sometime we we like to balance the whole cost, but it's been my little cry. You came on later. But back I've always expressed that we've got to have it. And and the reason that other one I didn't believe it had to be torn down till I got in the center of it and bounce. I didn't know that concrete would bounce and it did. It gave. And I knew that that was a danger to anybody. And he showed how the water could easily flow into those lights. I said, "Well, I'm glad nobody got electrocuted." But it it this is something that a city this size that's growing with the youth population always looking for something to do and if they don't find something constructed to do

you know you know what they do they will find something and it is not always and and like I said it appeals to all ages and all styles and all so the pool y'all trying to build is going to be smaller right no if we're going if we can get that grant we want to get one close to to the one that we had at least cuz one that looked miniature it would it's not going to be enough cuz they were they were body to body in the big pool they had to pull so many out and rotate it but if we can get one even the size that we had it was good rotation but if you get one smaller it's not going to fit the needs of this community at this time

this one here do we have any any idea know what the reoccurring cost will be? I mean, I don't have any concrete numbers. I but I I think I mean could we get Yes, sir. Yes, sir. We could get some pretty good estimates based on other cities, based on our historical revenue and expenses to know because I mean I think we need to know what what you know what we'd be up against what that subsidy amount would be and I know what they had proposed and we really need a pool committee to really do I mean we're talking we bring it in and we do it but if some the council

don't we have the recre don't we have parks and recreation But we need someone parks and advis parks and reccks advisory board. You said we have like two and a half months. Two and a half months and we want and and looking at how we could I make a motion. Yeah. Oh anybody have any more dialogue? You can I do. Okay. Um so my question was kind of like on functionality and funding. um even if we went for the the grant per se and um we do you know succeed

succeed and we we we get the grant we have the money to match we get the pool um functionality and funding um what's the plan on entry you know like entry fee uh the the the cost of maintenance how are we how are we planning on getting that in and would that extend to the public or would that just extend to the city? No, it would. I mean, those are the things that they could bring back if we get just get a direct person that's going to answer all since we have uh two and a half months according to

Yeah, we our administrator could if I could make a motion that we move to further uh to table further action on the pool project at this time and refer the matter to our parks and recreation advisory board along with two council members to evaluate all options including grants, project scope, alternative use of funds, and long-term operational impacts to bring about back a recommendation to us, you know, to the city council within 60 days because we have we have a would that give us enough turnaround 70 or 80 days.

I mean, I'll be working on Okay. And that that way we can get a because we we we've discussed before, but we've never gone into to actually close to what it would cost us rather than just blindly jumping out there and saying we're going to do it and then so we would have counsel. We had Rusk, Navasota, we had a couple cities that even offered to to receive us, you know, to take us on a a small tour of their project and how it looks and what their costs are and their pros and cons and, you know, just hear it from another city. I'll second that motion.

Okay, it's been moved and second. All in favor? Motion carries. Okay, and we'll pick two council or let them volunteer or I like to be a part of that board. Discuss that. Could we go ahead and have another action? That's not This is discussion regarding a city swimming pool. How would we uh appoint? It's not on agenda. Let it be put on the agenda. So, if you don't mind, huh? Oh, making it an item. Who?

Okay. We just better not discuss it in here. if just reach out to me if y'all are interested. If there's more than if there's three or more people that are interested, you know, we'll have to probably put it on the next agenda for confirmation of who's going to serve on that to bring back a recommendation. So, please just reach out to me. That would do well. Thank you. And I'm like them people you get to the end, you close your account. Okay, that brings us So, that's 60 days. Okay, that brings us to item number seven, governor code 551074, personnel matters discussing regarding appointment and duties of a city treasure.

Mayor and council, I have the conference room set up too so people can stay in here. Oh, okay. I forgot this. Oh, no. But you got you got you got a bunch of money in it. Well, they ain't going to steal it. No, they going to be cussing. They might come after. I don't think they going to take it.

I'm looking for my wallet right now. I don't know where it is. Don't tell me. I used to lose my purse and the kids bring it, but now I've got where I

remember. See tomorrow. Hallelujah. I think I heard fundraising ideas We need help.

Do we have any stronger on it too?

Well, if we come up with our subject matters, we can get AI to write it for us. at least let them okay have the parameters for what it's for do and for those you know they'll produce just like they do college papers and so I got all the basic information to feed in course like John was just saying two years ago it's going to be a lot more to build a pool by the time a grant comes through if we you find the right opportunity, then there are some uh you're looking at picking up additional cost hopefully by the hospital or picking up or I don't know if you can do some fundraising situations like yeah situations would happen once a I was going to do that anyway.

Take a photograph of all 20,000 $25,000 stars in front of the rich,000. 25,000 each. That's not bad. How many? Huh? How many? Well, I know that Captain was one

Hallelujah.

basketball. But I walked with my We do miles up and down those hallways.

I tell you what, we need to put it on game tonight. So, it's evaluation. Okay, we are now officially back in session. PTSD. You sound like a shotgun. You sound like a shotgun going off. Is anybody else? Um, I like the shot. Okay. What do the um reconvening to reg? Okay. Council, I read this again or what do we do? You call us back into session.

We're back into session and uh uh regular session. consider action if any on executive items.

Mayor, I move that the appointment and duties of a city treasurer finance director be tabled review uh for review until the city of Crockett has a financial structure for a new position for another position such as financial um uh director. Um the city manager can fill those fulfill those duties as city treasurer per the home room charter until funds are in the budget for the position of the city treasurer or finance director. There's no second. Okay. I move the motion dies for lack of a section. Second.

I make a motion that we uh give John the uh authority to go out and research what uh a position post post a position uh for uh city treasure. City treasur. I'll second. Okay. It's been moved and second. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Motion to adjurnn. Oh,

we will. Thank you. Thank you. All right, ma'am. All right.