City Council - Regular Meeting

Let me

call to order the one thousand, eight hundred and ninety seventh meeting of the most interesting meeting of ever. We're gonna open up with our invocation with former councilman Bill Patterson and the pledge of allegiances by councilman Justin Lee. Oh,

thank you.

If you would, please bow your heads. Holy father, god in heaven, the creator of this great universe and the sustainer of life and everything that's in this life. We owe everything we have to you, holy father, and we praise your name for it. We're so grateful tonight that that the conflict in The Middle East has kinda settled down a little bit. We continue to lift up lift up our national leaders as they deal with a very critical situation that could impact so many people. We pray for wisdom for this great city council as they deal with the affairs of this city. We're so grateful that we live in this community, a community that is filled with good community spirit and love for each other. These things I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen. So please join me in the pledges of The United States Of America and then the great state of Texas. Pledge allegiance to the flag Did anyone sign up to speak tonight?

Yes, sir. We have 10 people.

How many? 10. 10.

We had 11, but one person scratched themselves

out. So

the first one is Sherry Guerrero. If you'll come to the podium, you'll have three minutes to speak.

So for the unofficial narrative of the hypothetical you all might be all here, let me just say very clearly this will never happen.

Thank you.

Whatever you might be talking about. You probably just wiped out all 10.

Feel like that was a divine intervention. That's what I

feel like. So all 10 of you are welcome to talk, but just wanted to make some declarative of a hypothetical narrative that haven't even been applied for and hypothetically will never happen.

And forgive my memory loss, but if it's not on the agenda, hypothetically, we can't answer questions or converse.

Not on the Okay.

I just want to make sure everyone knew that.

If you don't mind, I'm still going to commit.

Absolutely. Definitely. Mr.

Mayor and esteemed members, thank you for allowing me to speak on of my neighbors. I came to this fine city at the ripe old age of four. We're not going to talk about what age I am now, but it's been a minute. It's been a minute. I grew up here. I grew up on X Street. I have neighbors here that they probably recognize me as the little smart, you know what, child that ran around and told everybody what to do. Nonetheless, we are faced with a risk to our neighborhood, a neighborhood that when we came here, we did. We ran around. We drank out of each other's garden hoses.

We loved each other. But now my concern is that there is the house at 822 North Coffin who is going that that's going to be able to house potentially felons. Some of them are going to be there legitimately. They are seeking rehabilitation. They are they are seeking reform and they are seeking restoration in a Christian atmosphere. Good for them. My issue is that a lot of these men are gonna come here and they have already manipulated the system. They're going to continue to manipulate the system. They're going to put two very near and dear to my heart populations at risk, children. I worked for a Christian maternity home.

I fought for those girls. I loved those girls. And I watched many of those girls place babies for adoption because it was the right thing to do at the right time. I'm gonna do exactly what I taught them. I'm going to do the right thing at the right time because the other population is our seniors. And I am now a person, an agent that helps seniors get health care in their homes so that they can stay in their homes safe and secure. We if this goes through, we're not going to be doing that. We are we already have neighbors who are talking about putting cameras up, spotlights on. Why are we doing this? We won't.

We won't. And y'all have said that, and we appreciate your support. It means more than you know to know that my mom won't have to worry about, I have to take my hearing aids out when I go to bed, Sherry. I don't think I can do that anymore. Maybe we should put cameras up. Maybe we should put some lights up. Maybe I should get a dog again. Good lord, no. But that's where we are. And then, of course, the children. I worry about those that have to walk home because mom and dad both work, and they're gonna have to go home. And these people could or could not be there. They will be unsupervised with the exception of meetings, weekly meetings with their mentors. I'm gonna touch on a little bit crosswalk cross what is it called? Walk.

Walk. Crosswalk has presented itself as a Christian entity. I pulled the numbers because that's what salespeople do. Out of 895, 895 women and men, we've had two commitments to Christ in two years. I don't think they're too worried about Christ. I don't yep. So that's a good place to stop.

Cheryl Crawford.

Just state your name and address. My name is Cheryl Crawford. And my address is 906 North Kaufman Drive. And I would be one house away from this proposed home. Now, their problem with this, and they don't know it yet, is that I have a home Texas registered daycare.

And I am regulated by the child care regulation, which in turn is part of the Health and Human Services of Texas. According to the bulletin from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, dated 07/24/2025, they cannot be within 500 foot of my home. And I have been in residence since 2001 and a registered day care since 2002. And they did not do their due diligence. I talked to the supervisor of the Houston area for child care regulation.

And she said all they had to do was go on Health and Human Services website, look for child care, put Deer Park in, and I would have popped up. They did not do that. And not only that, they've been very sneaky. I mean, how do you remodel a house without anything being put out to the street for big trash to be picked up? They put it in their garage.

And we have no idea how it left. But it's not there anymore. And we talked to the general contractor, and he said that he didn't know what the purpose of the house was. He just knew what he was supposed to do. But, you know, I have four kids in my daycare from the ages of four down to two years old, plus I have a 20 old granddaughter that lives with us full time, plus my husband, my son, and my daughter-in-law.

And I am worried about my parents because they start coming at 06:15 in the morning. And the last one leaves at 06:00 in the evening. And depending upon the season, it's dark in the morning or it's dark in the night. And if they have parolees down there, which they legally cannot, what's to say they would not be watching my parents getting their children? That's dangerous.

Plus all the children that walk past my house going home in the afternoon from the junior high. I see groups of three and four. Thank you.

Becky Roberts.

Mr. Stokes, they not understand the hypothetical narrative that this is never going to happen?

They want to speak their minds.

You're welcome to go speak. You're talking about something that's never been applied for and will never happen. So y'all y'all welcome to talk all you want.

Thank you.

This is never gonna happen.

Okay. Thank you.

Whatever you might be talking about.

I'll let you do.

We're My name is Becky

Roberts and I reside at 814 North Kaufman. I'm here to express my serious concerns regarding the reported plans of Houston Missional Real Estate Fund to establish a halfway house for paroled male offenders at 822 North Kaufman. According to information I have received, this property is being presented as a halfway house on their website despite the apparent lack of a required special use permit. This situation is particularly concerning to me as my daughter and my grandson live directly across the street from the proposed location. Our neighborhood is a single family residential area and the introduction of this type of facility raises significant safety and community impact concerns for my nearby residents.

I respectfully request that the city council take appropriate action to halt any unauthorized use of the property and prevent Houston Missional Real Estate Fund from receiving a special use permit should they apply. Additionally, I urge the city council to consider strengthening our zoning regulations to prevent similar situations from occurring in single family residential neighborhoods in the future. Thank you for your time.

I'm sorry, I'm going to totally butcher your name, but A. B. Streitzler? Sorry.

Good evening. Evening.

Good evening.

My name is Ab Dreichler, and I live at 818 North Kaufman next to 822 North Kaufman. When our neighbors sold the home to Houston Missionary Real Estate Fund and their partner, Crosswalk Center, they were informed it was going to be for a pastor or visiting preachers. I called and talked to them, so evidently, was lied to. Also, when the first contractor showed up to start looking at the house being a nosy neighbor, I asked what they was doing. They said they was contractors.

They was gonna look at making some changes. I said, oh, got a business card? Nope. Threw a red flag up to me. A few weeks later, the company began work at nighttime and late in the afternoon. They put all the everything they tore up, they kept in the garage till after dark, and then they'd put it in a trailer and remove it. They were doing a lot of work just just to make it shorter. Plumbing, electrical, all that. No permits in sight. So and I asked them about it.

Everybody dummy dub said they couldn't answer me. Didn't say who they worked for. So then I called the city. Then the city got on it, the ordinance and inspection department. And they was having a hard time getting information.

Then I received a letter, one of 10 people that got the letter from Houston, Michigan, what they was gonna do with the property. So since I called Greg and told him, he immediately sent somebody to come down and get a copy of the letter, and they was able to get ahold of it. And therefore, they was able to tell them they needed permits for all this vast amount of work that they had already done. And the ordinance department has worked real well with us trying to get this under control. The general contractor they've been using, Dominic Garrett, told my wife and a neighbor he was aware that Deer Park didn't require no permits to do any work.

Only a contractor that doesn't get a permit would say that.

Then I doubt if he's even got a contractor's license in the state. And that he was just doing this as a favor for him. Okay. Thank you.

Diane Dretzler. Sorry. She

told you Well, I have

know everybody knows why we're here. We want to get this on record. This has been quite an ordeal for all of us. Good evening. My name is Diane Dreitzer. I live at 818 North Kaufman right next to this transitional halfway house at 822 North Kaufman Drive. I'm here tonight to inform you of an issue that is happening in our Deer Park Gardens neighborhood. We know you know. I believe most of you are already aware of that this issue with the Houston Missional Real Estate Group and Crosswalk Incorporated. I'm here to ask each of you to imagine having this halfway house next door to you.

My being here early is that my hope that you, as our city council, will vote no to this entry entrance this transitional halfway house if an SUP is requested for 822 South Kaufman and house these eight inmates. I would also like this is a little different, but I would also like your knowledge and your help with changing the residential zoning ordinances to keep transitional and halfway houses out of a transitional rent residential areas in all of Deer Park. We need to make some changes and we need to talk maybe to the planning and the zoning department to change the ordinance to include more feet from the day cares, from the schools, from the children at play, and parks like other cities in the surrounding area. Information. The Texas law allows municipalities to impose spacing requirements of 1,000 feet from residential areas.

That'd be great if we could do that in

a way.

We already do.

We do?

That's right. What are We've got some of the restrict the strictest zoning narratives. If anything you're going to bring up, we already have that in place.

So we have that in place?

Absolutely.

So why can't we just tell these people to go away now?

Well, they don't ask for permit when they need to and they've not asked for the specific use or rezone because they know they're not going to get it.

Okay. But anyway, if we could, I'd like to know where that zoning is

It's already in place.

Okay. All right. Well, then that solves that issue, doesn't it?

Then it's not a halfway house. It's a single family house.

It's a what?

It's a single family house.

Okay.

That's per the zoning ordinances. Am I wrong, Mr. Stokes?

Well,

There's a definition of what would require the use of a specific use permit. No, but that housing housing question right

now is a single family

house. Zoned single family.

Yes. It's not a halfway house. It's a single family house. It'll never be used for anything other than that.

Okay. I'm going

to trust you. Thank you very much.

Joe Wood.

Talked about. I just won't be on record. Joe Wood, 901 North Kaufman Drive. I'm right across the street from 822 North Kaufman Drive. We don't want it.

Don't We don't either.

And it's getting like they were saying, it has been a headache for the last couple months watching these people work and not be able to do a damn thing about it. But I just wanna go on record that I oppose. My wife and I oppose this business going in. Thank you.

John Chaddock.

My name is John Chadwick. I live at 902 North Coffin right next door to this house. I don't know if you're aware, but inside the house, there's only a spiral staircase for the people to go up and down inside the house. They can't move any furniture up and down inside. And there's a stairway between their house, that house, and my house, which is seven foot six inches from my master bedroom wall. They'll be sitting out on those steps if it goes through. And I have teenage granddaughters. They're at my house all the time, spending the nights, the weekends. During the summer, they spend weeks with us. We don't need it.

We don't need those people there sitting out on those steps, staring down in my backyard. That's all I've got to say. Thank you.

William Todd.

Good evening. William Todd, 1006 North Kaufman. Howdy, neighbors. Ditto for all that. But I'd like to bring up one more thing. I ride my bike a lot when I have time. And I'd like to see more bike lanes areas on the streets in Deer Park, if that's possible or if that's been a consideration. First meeting I've been to, I wanted to throw that out there and not repeat what everybody said. I'm against the house down there being turned into a halfway house as well. Interested in seeing bike lanes on the streets that we've got plenty of width, but people use it for a spare lane. If we could stripe it and make it bike lanes, that'd be great for me because I ride a trike since the doctors recommended it. But anyway, that's all I got. Thank you, gentlemen, ladies.

Sylvia? Thank you. I wasn't even gonna try.

And I'll keep it short as well. I came with the same intention with the rest of my neighbors. My name is Sylvia Ioannidis and I'm at 801 North Kaufman. I'm at the corner probably like four houses down. I did write a letter because I didn't know everyone else was gonna be here, I am just gonna read it quickly just to have it on record, okay?

Good evening, mayor and members of city council. My name is Sylvia Ioannidis, and I live on North Kaufman here in Deer Park. I want to begin by saying I understand the importance of rehabilitation programs and helping individuals reintegrate into society. Halfway houses can play a valuable role in that process. However, I'm here tonight because I strongly oppose placing this type of facility in a residential neighborhood like ours.

Our community is made up of families, children, long term residents, and some that have become widows and widowers, myself included. This area originally was chosen because of its safety, stability, and stillness. Introducing a halfway house into this environment raises serious concerns, not only for me but all of my neighbors about public safety, increased traffic, and overall character of the neighborhood. Additionally, our area is not equipped with the resources to properly support this type of facility. Placement in a more appropriate closer to public transportation and support services would better serve those type of residents, in my opinion.

I also asked counsel to consider the precedent this decision sets. Allowing this here could open the door to similar placements in other residential neighborhoods without adequate review or community input. This is not about rejecting rehabilitation efforts. It is about ensuring that they are located in areas that are appropriate, sustainable, and safe for everyone involved. My one question is if this was a viable option, why didn't the leads of that organization purchase a property on their street in their own neighborhood?

I respectfully asked counsel to deny the proposal should it come up. And I did wanna touch on what miss Sherry said earlier about the cameras. I have cameras all around my house, but that happened only after my husband died because I was scared to death. It was just me and my daughters. And so, yes, I can see every angle but that doesn't make something not happen. It just makes it available to play it back. So safety is very important. Anyways, thank you for your time and thank you for your service to our community.

Last one, Rachel Castielo.

Hi,

my name is Rachel Castello. I've been a resident of Deer Park since 2010 at 4918 Academy Lane. I would like to introduce an idea for stakeholders and city officials to use the building at 2805 Center Street for a dual concept anchor for our city, the and Foundry. The Belladonna would be a coffee shop that offers breakfast and tacos as well. The back half of the building, the foundry, will be a first of its kind industrial tech hub.

It would be home of one of the first AI driven Babble Wall translation and digital twin simulation suites specifically for the Port Of Houston and our industrial district. Currently, our local industry partners are taking their high stakes strategy meetings to Downtown Houston or the Galleria because we lack these technical facilities in Deer Park. The foundry keeps that business and that tax revenue right here on Center Street. In the front half of the Belladonna, it will be an upscale specialty coffee shop and Curiel Gallery. As we see new residential growth like East Meadows Place, our residents are looking for a sophisticated third place that honors Deer Park's history while offering a modern stylish space to gather.

We aren't just selling coffee, we are investing in the quality of life and unique sense of community that is central to the city's mission statement. Mayor, I'm not here to just share vision. I'm here to ask for a follow-up meeting with the business growth and development committee to discuss how we can partner to make this project a cornerstone of the Center Street revitalization. And that's it.

If you'll get with mister Stokes after this meeting, he can set that up.

That's all, sir.

That's it?

Yes, sir.

I have a proclamation. I'm gonna make my way down

Here in council for Deer Park to recognize our telecommunicators in particular for the work they do behind the scenes for our police, fire, EMS, and citizens for which we are grateful and appreciative.

You communicate very well.

Thank you.

Anything else you want to add about all of that? Sound like you said most of it.

That's the overreaching, I guess. We, you have two dispatchers on duty every day to handle 45,000 law enforcement calls a year, 3,500 EMS calls, roughly 500 fire calls, and roughly 15,000, 14,000 incoming and outgoing 911 calls. So they know a little bit about everything that we do public safety. They have to know a little bit about being a firefighter, paramedic, police officer.

Do do all this by yourself or you have some help?

Two on duty.

Two on duty.

Minimum. Hopefully three when we're fully staffed like we are now. And 13 total, not including me.

Tell them about that really cool setup you have when you're taking all these calls.

We have a very cool, formal looking, brand new, mission control looking situation. Absolutely. Video wall, desks that go up and down, courtesy of the great city of Deer Park and its wonderful taxpayers who facilitated us to serve you to the best of our abilities for which we again are very grateful.

It does kind of give me that buy when I'm watching everything with Artemis like

Does it look kind of similar? Yeah, little it looks pretty cool. It looks legit. Looks very professional. We're grateful for that.

Is that part of the text that we get also? Or, you know, lightning or

So, the dispatchers would potentially be the ones who most likely to set off the sirens in an emergency. They do have access to set off what we had before code red or Everbridge now. So, a lot of city people actually, city personnel do have the option or the ability to set that off. If we're talking about last minute high pressure, the very first ones to go out, it's likely your dispatcher, dispatch supervisor and or EOC members pushing that out. So yeah, we do have the privilege of sending that. I will often have the privilege of sending the first ones out sometimes because they're a little tied up and I'm trying to support them to the best of my abilities. Yeah, absolutely that could be us.

She's even filled with Q and A. She's awesome.

Let's do it. Let's do it.

Now therefore, I, Mayor Jerry Mouton, City of Deer Park, by the virtue of the authority invested in me by the constitution laws of the City Of Deer Park, Texas, do hereby proclaim the week of April 12 through the 2026, National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

That's mouthful.

I had to say it slow so I could get it all in. Thank you for what you do.

Thank you, sir.

So for us normal folks, when you dial 911, she's

the one

who picks up the phone and answer this. And when we need help, you send it.

We facilitate. So calm in the chaos. First first responder. Sometimes what we're called, we're not in the field. We're not in danger, which is why we picked it. And I love the AC. She can tell. I don't like getting hot. But we're going to take the call, we're going to put it in, and we're going to send out the right people to the right place and the right time using foot pedals, keyboards, mice, phones, computers galore. It's really neat. If you have the opportunity, please join our Citizens Police Academy. Swing by, do a ride along, do a dispatch observation. We'll be happy to show you.

Thank you for what you do.

Thank you.

Moving on to awarding and rejecting of bids. Agenda item number two, consideration of on awarding the bid for sodium. I'm not even going to be able to say that ortho phosphate for the water treatment plant. What's your pleasure, counsel?

Move for approval.

Second. I have a motion by Mr. Hates and a second by Mr. Ginn. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries consent to calendar. Move for

approval. Second.

I have a motion by Councilman Yin and a second by Councilman Ford. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries new business. Agenda item number four, consideration of an action authorization to sell obsolete street signs. I'll make a motion for $25 and $50 with a limit of four. Second. I made motion by Mr. Councilman Lee, and second by Councilman Martin. Second.

There we go. Second.

Did you not

have the second? Wasn't.

I just second to the second.

Either way, as I've recorded it, the first and the second. Any more discussion? All in favor?

Aye.

All opposed? Motion carries. Agenda item number five, consideration of an action on approving the resolution authorizing the submission combined subdivision participation and release form of the new national opioid settlement with six regional distributors and dispensers, defendants, and authorizing the city manager to execute the related documents. Mr. Fox.

Resolution of the city council of Cedar Park, Texas, participating in the remnant defendant settlement agreement authorizing the city manager to execute settlement participation forms and establishing an effective date.

Move for approval. Second.

I have a motion by Councilman Garrison and a second by Councilman Gidde. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. Item number six, consideration of an action on ordinance appointing seven members and appointments of staff to the charter review committee for a two year term. Mr. Fox.

An ordinance appointing seven members and staff appointments to the charter review committee of the city of Deer Park, Texas providing for procedures and specifying member terms. The appointees have been named Ron Martin, Lori Cunningham, John Matuszak, Ray Belusick, Bill Patterson, Steven Robertson, and Jack Raley.

Move for approval. Second.

Motion by Councilman Ford and second by Councilman League. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. Agenda item number seven, consideration of an action on purchasing services of branch construction group via their the tips contract to perform a 10 inch borderline improvements on Center Street. What's your pleasure, counsel? Move for approval.

Second.

I have a motion by Councilman Ginn and a second by Councilman Haidt. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries agenda item number eight, consideration of an action on entering into an agreement with Cobb Finley to stutter alternates for drainage improvements for South Pasadena Plaza neighborhood.

Move for approval. Second.

Motion by Councilman Ford. Did you get?

I got Councilman Martin as the second.

Second by Councilman Martin. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion carries. That's all the items we have tonight. This meeting is adjourned.