City Council - Regular Meeting

We got 6:00. We'll call this meeting, regular meeting of January 26 to order. Hi, you want to give a prayer? Yes, sir. Dear heavenly father, Lord God, we just thank you for this day. Lord, I just pray that you guide and direct us. I just pray for all those who've been stranded, Lord, but thank you for the moisture. I just pray that all those first responders and city workers who've been out working, Lord God, that you just take care of them. It's in your name we pray. Amen.

Amen. flag of the stand indivisible with liberty and justice for the Texas flag to the one indivisible. Okay, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Approval of the minutes from January 12th and approval of December financials and bills. We need to skip the uh December financials and bills. They're not ready and it's partly my fault. We've been getting ready for the audit and I told Sarah, I said, "If you don't have ready, I need them first week meeting in February. Got to get ready ready for the audit because they will be here next week all week.

Okay, I'll just approve on approval of minutes from January 12th. Move to approve the minutes. Second. Have a motion and second. Any further discussion? All in favor? I move on to the regular agenda public com. Um I didn't have any papers.

No. when anybody sign up. Um, like I said, the auditors will be here next week. I think they're sending a team of six and we'll be here Monday through next Thursday. Um, going through everything for a yearly audit. Um, up here there is a flyer for the chamber gala. Um, anybody wants to go, I need to know so we know how many table because, uh, us and the EDC may split one if enough people want to go. Um what's the dates on that? March 21st. Okay.

Table of eight again this year. Um election packets are ready to be picked up. We do have a res resolution on tonight's agenda to call the election, but they you can pick them up now through February 13th. Correct. Yeah. That'll be turned in by then.

They have to be turned in by then. And um I was just going to tell tell y'all we bought the city bought I call them they're like mini rolloffs um to take place because you know the city has a program where somebody come in and rent the dump truck and or flatbed. This way our equipment's not sitting out there. They can still rent them for like a hundred bucks for the weekend. We go set them. We go pick them up. They're 11 yard rolloffs really. They're not great big, so they'll fit somebody's driveway. I just think it's a better way of our equipment's not out there, somebody to mess with. And um they're still affordable for those to do. So, we've got three of those and um we're I think we rented the first one out this last week already. I think I think good and as soon as I get some pictures of them, I'll I'll pass them forward. Sorry, that's all I have. Anybody else anything? Not so we'll move on to item two. Discuss or act upon economic development corporation board member renewals and appointments. I think we had discussion about this last week and several they felt need to review and I think most all of them are here.

Good evening mayor and council. We do have um three uh that have uh have expired terms. Uh once we were able to go back and get the dates all correct and everything, uh Sherry Hashki, uh Alfonso Venegas and um and Claire was replaced by Diane uh Diana Martinez from uh Hillmar. And then we had one more. Help me out here.

Miller Miller Green. uh um with an expired term. So, we've got those three expired terms still um that are up for either re reappointment or appointing new. We do have three applicants um that are interested in serving on the EDC board. Two of them could not be here tonight uh for various reasons. um Greg Dugan is uh in the audience right now and then Melissa Bundy uh CEO at the hospital and then Cynthia How um also uh with the Dust Bowl. Those three have expressed interest in serving as well. I'll answer any questions you may have. Have any questions? Everybody know the other ones?

I think everybody knows Craig Melissa Bundy. Some of y'all may not know her. Does it take some training to be on that board? Yes, they'll Well, that's the EDC will provide the training. We actually have some come up February the 14th. February the 5th. Uh, which may be subject to change depending on tonight's action. And depending on how you get involved, there's certain people that actually have to go to like two week long training. Week long. Yeah. Weekend time deal. Our former attorney myself. I think Sherry's been to it.

Taken it. Yeah. Several times. But it's all training the EDC with paper. No matter who gets on, they'll have to go to training. The rules have changed quite a bit over the years. Yeah. And and it's and it's good for the board to stay a breast of what's going on in economic development and the changes that the state's made. Any of those that want the position, they have they been trained? None of them have. Not yet. None of them.

Greg has probably had some of the training years ago. I said, but even he would have to have updated training because the rules have changed much. Of course, they've got to take the open meetings act and the public information act each time that they're either appointed or reappointed. Um, and then also sales tax training that's coming up. We we provide that as well. I think all the existing board members have had training. Let's go.

I would certainly like to see Greg go. Definitely. Yeah. Well, and I'm ready to be off. So, so that's a that's a good question. There you go. How many have expired? So, go ahead. Out of the three, one wants to be off, two like to stay on. She would do expressed interest in staying on. Yes, sir.

Well, thanks Camil that. So, why don't we do this right now? As far as okay with that, we'll take Camila off and put Greg on tonight and then we'll come back and revisit the other four, I guess. Gives us all more time to look at the applications. Okay. Yeah, we would have two applicants and then two expired. Yep. Yeah. I'd like to see the other two come in and talk to us. Absolutely. Yeah.

Yeah. And they they intended to be here. They just this morning, one of them had to work tonight and the other one's sick. So, Okay. You entertain a motion. Make a motion that uh we accept committee's resignation and appoint second. Second. Okay. We're going to go ahead and act on the other to table the other. Yes. Do you want to amend your motion? I do. And also table until we can speak to all four. Okay. I have a motion. You still second that? I'll still second.

Okay. We have a motion to table the other four and put Greg into Camila Green's slot. All in favor? Any oppose? There are now. Okay. Because I think the others want to serve. Absolutely. Thank you. Y'all don't know. With that said, um we're going to go ahead and postpone the uh February 5th training until March the 19th because we do have a couple of new people on and that this gives them time to be able to make plans to attend that training as well. I'll get an email out to everybody in the morning.

Thank you. How how many spots um are not up for how many who else is left? Okay, so we've still got Kevin Udell John Porter, Diana Martinez was just uh voted on Gary Messer, right? He's the council. Yeah, I bet you that's it. those those four. And so then Greg took Camila's spot and then we we have two that

So are Kevin and Jonathan. They're not up. They're not up. They're not up yet. They they're happy in one. Yes. Yes. Yes. Both of them here shortly. So So it's a seven seven people board. Seven seven member board. Yes. for a few that don't vote and then yeah three you've got seven plus three my question why don't we have an eight person board yeah it's a way but I'm just saying that way but that way it's four and four so four come up four stay on kind of like the council

so chapter 505 of local government code requires uh seven members um that's that's what the legislative uh legislation is enacting or a maximum minimum or max maximum no more no less and then for a type A under 504 it's a five minute board

just darling you like odd numbers okay ready to move on to item three discuss or act upon economic development corporation arcade improvement program.

Mayor and council, good evening. Uh Dowart Smiling Faces and Thriving Places uh program, otherwise known as the facade improvement program, uh is designed to offer financial assistance to local businesses to enhance their exterior appearances of their properties by providing a max of 50% or $10,000. Uh, this program encourages property improvements that beautify Dow Hart's commercial corridor areas, attracting more shoppers and high uh higher spending visitors to boost local sales tax revenue and promote community pride. Um, this is something that I took to the board last month. They uh they were excited about it. Now I'm bringing it to you guys to approve.

Do we still have the other grants? We do still have the sign grant, the mural grant, the lighting grant, um the reu uh re relocation or new location uh grant. So, we do have we still do have every one of those grant programs. This is just another avenue uh to be able to help out with existing businesses. Definitely just need to get those out to everybody. I know y'all been trying get them out there. It's just I don't know why some people just don't take advantage of them. Yeah, they don't. They don't.

I just don't know what else we can do to help them do it. I agree. Got the motion. All motion. Uh make a motion that we accept the uh business assistant facade improvement program. So second a motion and a couple of seconds. Any further discussion? All in favor? I.

Any opposed? There are move on to item four. Discuss and act upon economic development corporations business retention and expansion program. We talked about uh business retention and expansion uh in my interview and the importance of having a program that um takes care of businesses long after the uh ribbon cutting is done. Uh so the the BRE program it's a proactive partnership designed to support existing businesses by identifying challenges connecting them to resources and also helping them plan for growth through regular communication and confidential site visits. This program ensures that the business uh the business concerns are addressed early, workforce and infrastructure needs are aligned and expansion opportunities are supported, saving them time, reducing risk, and strengthening their long-term competitiveness in the local market. And this also shows that the city of Dowart truly values them as a business here. We

already do this, don't we? I'm sorry. We already do this, don't we? Um, we really we have ropes and some of them with grants. We've helped them with grants. This is continuing to to check up on them. So, this program is designed for a tier one, tier two, and tier three. tier one is, you know, this is this business needs some critical help. They're not going to come to us. Um, we have to actually have outreach that goes to them.

They're not going to come to us and let us know, hey, we're fixing to close our doors. Um, typically it's, you know, you read about it in the paper, such and such places closed their doors. All their businesses have have, you know, or all their employees have been let go or laid off. Um, and by then it's too late. But by being able to get out ahead of this and and be a being able to walk through uh some of the challenges that they may be facing um or if they're in growth mode, being able to help them continue to guide uh guide them through growth mode by looking at other resources, maybe the state maybe resources that we have. Um we approved a chapter 380. There's there's that potential to be able to trigger that. There's also workforce uh dollars out there for helping with employment and so forth. Um by being able to to to you know keep you know keep ahead of that um we're not caught in the dark.

Okay. Motion. I change motion. Uh motion that we accept and approve business retention and expansion program. Second a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor? Any opposed? There are council. Five. Discuss or act upon adopting resolution 20262 resolution calling for the general election and order general election of for municipality. So moved. Second. All in favor? I.

Any oppose? There are none. Pick up your packets. Mine's in. Make a motion we adjourn. Second. All in favor? I want you. And then there's the the paper part like your So if we just give this back to you, you'll fill it out for