City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Time now is 5.45 p.m. We're calling to order the tax increment re-investment zone number three board of directors meeting scheduled for today, July 7th. I see that all members of the board are present. According to the bylaws of that board, all city members of city council constitute the board of directors for the TUR zone number three board. Will the City Secretary certify public notice?

Yes, sir, Mayor. The meeting was posted, of course, to Texas Open Meetings Act on June 30th, 2026 at 8.10 p.m. All right.

Next item is the disclosure of conflict of interest.

Mr. Mayor, under state law, a local government official is required to disclose a substantial interest for themselves or certain family members and abstain from voting on matters related to such conflict. Are there any conflicts to disclose related to the pending matters on today's agenda? No, sir. No, sir. Thank you. All right.

Next item is public comments. Madam Secretary?

There are no public comments here.

All right. So next on the agenda is the regular agenda items of 5A. Secretary can read the caption.

Consider approval of church three board minutes for the meeting held August 4, 2025.

Is there a motion? So moved. Second. Motion to approve, I imagine? We had a motion to approve?

Yes.

Okay. Motion to approve and a second. Any objection to the motion? Hearing none, motion is adopted. Next item, 5B. If the Secretary could read the caption.

Yes, sir. Discuss and consider accepting the independent accountant's report on applying agreed upon procedures to cost reimbursable to Burns Brothers LTD dated March 31st, 2026, prepared by McCall Gibson, Swedland Barefoot LS PLLC certified public accountants.

Is there a motion on this item? So moved. Moved to approve.

Okay. Second.

All right, so there's a motion and a second to accept the independent auditor's report. Any objection to the motion? Hearing none, the motion is adopted and the independent accountant's report is accepted by the city. Item C, if the secretary could read the caption.

Yes, your mayor. Consider approving the Idaho County tax increment payment of 667,971.51 cents and the city of Edinburgh tax increment payment of 672,518.41 cents to Burns Brothers LTD in connection with reinvestment zone number three, city of Edinburgh, Texas.

All right. Is there a motion on this item?

Motion to approve.

All right.

Second.

Motion to approve and a second. Any discussion on this item? All right. Hearing none, all those in favor of the item, raise your right hand. All those opposed?

All right. Motion passes.

There being no additional business and all items being discussed and dealt with, this meeting is adjourned.

Give us about 12 minutes and we'll get started on the next one. Thank you all. Thank you.

Coming up next on ECN, a regularly scheduled meeting of your Edinburgh City Council. On the Council, Mayor Omar Ochoa. Mayor Pro Tem David Salazar. Council Member Dan Diaz. Council Member Jason DeLeon. And Council Member Jerry Lozano. Sitting in as advisors, City Manager Myra Ayala and City Attorney Ben Alonso. And now live from the Edinburgh City Hall, the Edinburgh City Council.

Time now is 6 p.m. on July 7th, 2026. Calling to order this regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Noticing that we have A full house with our city council, a quorum being present. If we could, please start with a prayer. I believe we have Reverend Conklin. Yes, to lead us, thank you.

Gracious God, we give you thanks for this day and for the opportunity to gather in service to our community. Grant wisdom to those who have been entrusted with leadership, patience as they listen, courage as they make difficult decisions, and compassion for all the people they serve. Help this council to seek the common good, to treat one another with respect, and to work together with honesty and integrity. May the conversations held here tonight be guided by a desire for justice, peace, and the well-being of every member of this community. Bless all who call this city home and inspire each of us to be good neighbors to one another. Amen.

Council Member Diaz, if you could lead us in the pledge.

Yes, it would be an honor. My honor. If I could ask everybody to please stand if you are able. Remove all your headgear unless you're in uniform.

Place your right hand over your heart and let us say together, 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 liberty and justice for all. Thank you.

Next item is the Certification of Public Notice. Madam Secretary?

Yes, sir. Mayor, the meeting was posted in accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act on June 30th, 2026 at 630 p.m., sir.

Next item is the Disclosure of Conflict of Interest.

Mr. Mayor, under state law, a local government official is required to disclose a substantial interest for themselves or certain family members and abstain from voting on matters related to such conflict. Are there any conflicts to disclose related to the pending matters on today's agenda? No.

Thank you.

All right. Next item, City Highlights. Just a couple of things coming up. On July 8th, we have the Edinburgh Police Department with Operation Chill. A really fun time. If anybody in the area or even not, you just want to come by, you're more than welcome to do that, along with Movies with a Cop, which will be on July 10th at 8 p.m. at Bicentennial Park. This is community outreach events by our police department, our COP division. does a lot to try to connect with our community, hosting these little events all across the city. A lot of it is in run-up to our National Night Out, which will be in August. So thank you so much to our police department for everything that they do to keep connected with the residents here in our city. Next item is the Mayor's Report. And I just want to say, I see Ronnie right over here, and he may have some words on a wrap-up. But I do want to take a little bit of an opportunity to say thank you very, very much to the Chamber of Commerce for putting on a wonderful July 4th festival. If we can all please give them a round of applause. I don't know what the final count was or the final estimated count on the number of people out there, but I'm sure it was a lot. It was a huge, huge success. Double the number of vendors. You know, increased number of rides for all of the kids. We had everybody staged on Ebony Golf Course as opposed to being kind of disjointed. Longer fireworks show. I mean, everything about it this year was just really, really great. And the Chamber of Commerce is the entity planning this, executing it in conjunction with a lot of our city staff. And I know the staff really steps up Parks and Rec, our police department, our fire department. utilities, so many step up to make this a wonderful event. But the Chamber did take the lead on planning it and on making sure that it happened. So they do deserve huge recognition for that completely free event, right? It is just so great that we are able to host this for all of our families, for all of our residents, for visitors to the city of Edinburgh to come in and enjoy, especially this year on America's 250th. So thank you again for putting that together. do also want to take a moment of privilege here because we've got a couple of proclamations on the agenda tonight but there was one that came in that I did want to go ahead and recognize and you know the the proclamations are not City Council action so technically by law they don't need to be noticed but it's always nice when they do so they can get that recognition but even though they're not right we do want to honor our Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club, the Lobos FC 2013 Boys Soccer Team, for their accomplishments that they've gone to date and for the amazing things that they're going to be doing very soon. So if we can, I would like for the city secretary to please read the proclamation out loud. And while she's doing that, if you all can come up to the front so we can take some pictures with you all. All right, please, Madam Secretary.

Yes, sir, Mayor. Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club, Lobos FC 2013 Boys Soccer Team. Whereas the Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club proudly recognizes the achievements of its young athletes whose dedication, discipline, and commitment exemplify the values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and community pride. And whereas the Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club has served for 45 years as a cornerstone of youth development by fostering athletic excellence, leadership, and character through the game of soccer. And whereas the Lobos FC 2013 boys soccer team has demonstrated outstanding perseverance, determination, and competitive spirit while representing the city of Edinburgh with honor and distinction on and off the field. And whereas through countless hours of training and wavering commitment and the support of their coaches, parents, families, and volunteers, these young athletes have achieved success that reflects positively upon the entire Edinburgh community. And the Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club recognizes the dedication of the players. Number 6, Moises. Number 11, Jofiel. Number 16, Joaquin. Number 15, Oliver. Number 17, Aaron. Number 9, Kai. Number 34, Carlos. Number 4, Armani. Number 18, Gianni. Number 90, Cesar. Number 3, Elias. Number 10, Milan. Number 20, Cristobal. Number 31, Jesus. Number 5, Dylan. Number 7, Iker. Number 25, Matthew. Number 13, Fabian. And coaches, head coach Julio Reyes and assistant coaches Cesar Medina, Rubicel Olivares, and Carlos Portales. And whereas the Lobos FC 2013 boys soccer team is the only U.S. Youth Soccer Association-sanctioned soccer team in the Rio Grande Valley to have competed and obtain regional and state titles at the highest competitive level of play, securing their seat in the USYS National Championships this July in Utah, where they will face fierce competition from teams from all across the country. And whereas the Edinburgh City Council proudly recognizing the Lobos FC 2013 boys soccer team, in hopes to inspire other young athletes to pursue excellence, embrace teamwork, and strive toward their goals with integrity and respect. Now, therefore, the Mayor and Council of the City of Edinburgh, Texas, by power vested in them by law, Do you hear me recognize Edinburgh Youth Soccer Club, Lobos FC 2013 Boys Day in the City of Edinburgh. Encourage all residents to join in recognizing their success and wish them the very best of luck in their upcoming competition as they make all of the Edinburgh community proud.

Coach, please, go ahead.

Yes, guys. Thank you, guys. City of Edinburgh, City Council members, Mr. Mayor, I appreciate the time that you guys take to honor us, having us over for a few minutes. We're going to make you guys proud here in the City of Edinburgh and the Valley. We're going to be representing the Valley, not just Edinburgh, on this coming 16th of July in South Lake City, Utah. And we're hoping to bring back the National Championship for Division I U.S. soccer. Thank you, guys, for your time.

Excellent. Any of the youth would like to say anything?

Anybody want to say anything?

Thank you, Mayor, for this opportunity and for this opportunity to be here with you and meet all the counselors and you. And I'm very proud to be representing the Valley Texas 956 over there in Utah Nationals. And just wanted to say thank you for this opportunity to all of you guys and our team.

Excellent. Thank you. Thank you so much. Well said. All right. So I just want to say I appreciate the sentiment that you want to make us proud, but you all need to know that you already have, right? The effort, the time, the sweat that you've put in, even to get to nationals on its own means a lot. Our youth sports here in Edinburgh is second to none. And that's from sport to sport to sport, whether it's softball or baseball or boxing or soccer. We really value our youth and the effort that you put into this. You're building life skills and you're bringing pride to yourselves, to your family and to our city. So on behalf of the entire city council, thank you guys so much for everything that you've done to highlight all the great things about the city of Edinburgh. Next item up under Proclamation 6A. This is a proclamation to recognize Coach Elias Moran. Is Coach here? Yes. Coach. Coach. Sorry. Come on up, Coach. And same thing. If the city secretary, if you could read the caption. And while you're doing that, we'll come down and take some pictures with you.

Yes, sir. Presentation of proclamation recognizing Coach Elias Moran as 2025-2026 Texas High School Coaches Association Region 7 CLASS 6A BOY SOCCER REGIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR. WHEREAS COACH ELIAS A. MORANLEAL CURRENTLY SERVES AS A HEAD BOY SOCCER COACH AT EDINBURG NORTH HIGH SCHOOL, HAVING DEDICATED 17 YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AS A HEAD COACH. AND WHEREAS AS A PROUD EDINBURG NORTH ALUMNI, COACH MORAN REPRESENTS THE VERY BEST OF OUR COMMUNITY BY GIVING BACK DAILY TO THE SCHOOL THAT HELP SHAPED HIS FUTURE. AND WHEREAS AFTER ARRIVING IN THE UNITED STATES FROM MEXICO AT THE AGE OF 15, EDINBURG NORTH HIGH SCHOOL BECAME THE FOUNDATION UPON WHICH He learned English, embraced new opportunities, and developed values that would guide his life and career. And whereas as a student athlete, he helped lead the 2000-2001 Edinburgh North Boys Soccer Team to the first district championship in school history, inspiring a dream to one day return and lead the program himself. And whereas that dream became reality when Coach Moran returned to his alma mater and helped transform the Edinburgh North Boys Soccer Program into one of the premier soccer programs in South Texas. And whereas guided by his personal motto, jamás rendirse, never give up, He has built a culture centered on excellence, discipline, perseverance, leadership, and character development. And whereas under his leadership, Edinburgh North has achieved monumental success, including three district championships, five bi-district championships, three area championships, two regional quarterfinal championships, three regional semifinal appearances, and two regional final appearances. And whereas Coach Moran was named the Monitor and RGV Sports All-Valley Boys Soccer Coach of the Year in 2024. and was recently honored as the 2025-2026 Texas High School Coaches Association Region 7 Class 6A Boys Soccer Regional Coach of the Year, and whereas this highly prestigious THSCA distinction recognizes coaches whose programs achieve outstanding competitive success while exemplifying the core values of sportsmanship, character development, academic excellence, and service. And whereas while these accomplishments and recognitions are significant, Coach Moran's greatest source of pride remains mentoring young men and helping them develop into responsible leaders, productive citizens, and positive role models. Now, therefore, the Mayor and Council of the City of Edinburgh, Texas, by purpose and by law, do hereby recognize Coach Elias A. Moran-Leon for being named 2025-2026 Texas High School Coaches Association Region 7 Class 6A Boys Soccer Regional Coach of the Year for his outstanding leadership, dedication to excellence, and for the lasting impact on the student-athletes and the Edinburgh community.

First of all, thank you, Mr. Ochoa. Thank you, City Council. Thank you, Board. This is a great honor. It's a privilege. I feel humble, happy. It's an honor for me to wake up every day and go back to Edinburgh North. I'm a proud alumni, class of 2002, to go every day and inspire the life of young athletes through the sports of soccer, to believe in their dreams, to chase them every day, to get up and practice and to inspire them to to conquer against any opponent in the region. We're still in development. Like I see these athletes over here, the new generation, it doesn't matter where they ended up going. I just want you to see that it's going to be one day, one year that Edinburgh, some team in Edinburgh, whichever it is, is going to be the state champion. So that's a dream. Thank you.

Thank you, coach. Thank you, coach, for dreaming big. But even more than that, working hard every single day to try to achieve that. I mean, the list of accolades that you have brought as the head coach for the soccer team at Edinburgh North High School is very impressive. But more than that, I know you are molding great young people who are going to go off and use those same discipline skills, teamwork skills to do even better things for themselves, for their families, and for our community. So for all of that, You definitely deserve this recognition. I'm glad we were able to do that. This is the summer of soccer. And tonight, right, is no less. We're celebrating our youth soccer achievements and our coaches. So thank you very much for everything, Coach. All right, next item, we've got 6B, proclamation recognizing one of our retirees. If the city secretary could please read the proclamation. and if we can come down to take some pictures.

Juan G. Esparza, Inventory Specialist, Utility Systems Department. Whereas Mr. Juan G. Esparza was hired by the City of Edinburgh Utility Systems Department on December 12, 2005 as a meter reader one, and whereas on October 1, 2013, Mr. Esparza's position was reclassified to meter reader, and whereas on August 31, 2015, Mr. Esparza transferred from meter reader to inventory specialist. Mr. Esparza attended numerous trainings where he received and held the following certificates. Certificate of Attendance, Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Risk Pool, Certificates of Completion, City of Edinburgh Safety Training, Certificate of Training, University of Texas Arlington, Emergency Management Institute, FEMA IS 700A, FEMA IS 800B, and numerous Certificates of Employee Appreciation and City of Edinburgh Acknowledgements of Training. And whereas Mr. Juan G. Esparza received the following certification licenses, Class C Water Distribution Operator License, and whereas Mr. Esparza was awarded Employee of the Month on August 2008, and whereas on May 29, 2026, after 21 years of service, Mr. Juan G. Esparza retired from the City of Edinburgh. Now, therefore, the Mayor and Council of the City of Edinburgh, Texas, by the power vested in them by law, do hereby recognize Juan G. Esparza, Inventory Specialist, Utility Systems Department, for his years of loyalty and dedicated service to the City of Edinburgh, The Annamarie City Council would like to express their gratitude and wish him a happy retirement.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Gerardo Carmona, Director of Utilities. So I'm just going to say a couple of words for Mr. Esparza. So we are here today to recognize Mr. Juan G. Esparza, who has played an incredible role in our utilities department. As our inventory specialist, Juan was truly the backbone of our field operations. Day in and day out, he ensured our water and sewer crews had the exact tools and materials they needed to keep our community running. But where Juan truly shined was during those unpredictable emergencies. When the unexpected hit and supplies were scarce, Juan would work tirelessly to track down the required equipment so service could be restored without delay. Juan, your dedication, hard work, and reliable presence will be deeply missed. Thank you for everything you've done for us, and we wish you a long, happy, and well-deserved retirement. Thank you.

No, thank you for all these years.

Juan, before you leave, I just want to say that he also dedicated many, many years making a lot of bad calls as an umpire. In the adult softball, just kidding. He struck me out a time or two. But thank you for all years of dedication. I do believe you're still an umpire now and refereeing with your sons, everything you guys have done. All the years of dedication to the city. Thank you very much.

Okay, it's been a journey for all these almost 21 years. Thank you for everything, Mayor, Council, everybody, and these people too. And what I said is just good luck. Thank you for everything.

Absolutely. 21 direct years of service to the community is something to celebrate. And so we're just very inspired by everything that you did, You know, your utility department, it's a frontline service. It's something that people see and feel many times a day. And so the importance of that cannot be understated. But you're also a first responder, right? When things go wrong, being there on site to fix things so that people can get their service back, it's just an amazing thing. And I know a lot of times it can feel like a thankless job, but today we want to very emphatically say thank you for everything you did.

Thank you, Mayor. Yes, sir.

Next item we have are public comments.

Mr. Mayor. Good evening everyone. The Edinburgh City Council allows for a specific portion of the City Council meeting to be dedicated to public comments. Public comments are limited to three minutes. I'll be taking time. Please note the public comments cannot the Council may not respond to public comments. At this time we're in Council there are six public comments. The first public comment is Leo Longoria. Regarding five ordinance violations in railroad estate.

This is my first time I ever talk in a city council.

Welcome.

Thank you. So I had to cut my speech because they told me it was for three minutes. So I'm going to be jumping up and down. Good evening, Mr. Mayor, Councilman. My name is Leo Longoria, retired mass chemistry teacher, served Texas public schools for 32 years. After retiring from teaching, I work as a realtor for 10 years. After the loss of my 32-year son and my wife from cancer, I have decided to move to Edinburgh. This was the place where I met my wife. She was educated and also a school teacher. Edinburgh is a beautiful city if we keep it. It is blessed with citrus, vegetables, palm trees, and tropical plants. Notice I'm jumping. Let me point out the five ordinance that are in violation in the railroad estate. Dogs is a problem. When I came in, they were roaming all over the street. My neighbor has 13 dogs. I'm used to where they're limited to two dogs per resident. I'm also used to where they're leech and not roaming all over. Embarking at night and keeping us from sleeping. Trash containers. They're left on the street. They're overly, excessively full, so that means the lid is open, flies are roaming all over. For me, that is a health issue. Trash bulk is in violation of the ordinance, which states that it should be placed in the curb seven days prior to Pick up. Guess what? I'm seeing the ball trash every day of the year. I've been here seven months. Vehicles park on top of the curb. I guess because they don't have room where to place them, but that is an ordinance that it should be parked. And number five is high grass. I like to give some compliments. to the employees of the city. Brandon Alaniz, Jose Lara, for helping me organize a neighborhood meeting in front of my house. Frank Zavala and Rafael Gonzalez was code enforcement and their director, Ignacio. Frank is my hero for his smile and shining badge enforces the violated ordinance. You have seen Frank, how sturd it gives you, right? Carlos Cerda with Public Works for his professionalism. Reyna Gomez and Ray Robles with Animal Control. Solid Waste Department for bringing to an end the dumping of trash at the end of Rainbow Street. Does that mean I'm finished?

Yes, but you can finish up.

Thank you. Appreciate it. You know, when I came in, there was trash at the end of the street. And guess what? I caught a guy from McAllen dumping trash. I took his license plate. And, of course, he begged me not to report him. That's how he got stopped. So I praised the Department of Solid Waste. And they put a sign that it would be a violation if he continued to dump. So it's beautiful now. I'm going to number Mr. Mayor in conclusion and Councilman. As you can see, city employees are working to make real estate a better community, just like they demonstrated to the community next to Railroad. That is Salinas and Flores. So we're looking forward to see Railroad Estates to become a nice and clean, healthy neighborhood. We're only 600 yards away from Whataburger and other restaurants, so that is a big concern of mine. The other thing I have is almost the end. In conclusion, I challenge city employees to get motivated, to enforce violated orders, so to keep a beautiful city and healthy. Thank you for listening and and let's work together for safety and healthy reasons. Mr. Mayor, hope to meet with you. I have made an appointment to discuss the progress we should be proud of. Thank you.

The next public comment is Mr. McClarty.

Gentlemen, I am here to discuss the sale of bonds. When you were running for office, you printed flyers. You understood that reducing taxes was a people's priority. But now that you have been elected, you sell bonds is the solution to every problem. I agree that more money would solve our problems, but the point is that we live in an area of the state where a significant number of people live in conditions of poverty That is why we elected business people to run the city. If your solution to our problem is to sell bonds, any joker can do that. If you sell bonds, the problem will come in 12 months when the tax bill is due. The city pays about $9 million for existing bonds. If we sell $275 million in bonds, our taxes will double. The annual payment for a $275 million bond sale for 30 years is $10.7 million. That does not include the $9 million that we are paying now. The city cannot spend its way out of poverty. This week we saw a sign stating that the school district will be providing free meals to its students until July 4th. Why do you think they would be doing that? Because they understand that families are having problems feeding their kids. Now, what are you going to do with the money? The city recently increased water rates by 67% for the purpose of improving infrastructure. Now you want more money for infrastructure. The city has hired a golf director at $100,000 plus, hiring a consultant for the purpose of expanding this activity. Gentlemen, golf will not pay for itself. and you are having to move money from departments that are making money to those that are not. That is not good financial management. It is not good business to give the EHR $10 million to improve a business deal when we have to sell bonds to repair equipment at our landfill. It is not good business to emphasize the culture activities and beautifications when 25% of our population is living in poverty. In reference to the university, stop supporting sports and create internship programs that give students a head start into meaningful employment and participation in their own government. What do I have to tell you is to quit wasting our money and lower our taxes. Again, I think y'all are doing a good job, but when you talk about bonds, try to remember that all the people that live in Edinburgh have to pay for them. I did sign up for an item, but I didn't realize that it was a public hearing, so I'll wait till then. Thank you.

The next public comment is Ronnie Lauderdale regarding Texas COCOM 2026.

Good evening. Mayor, Council, Ronnie Letta, the Executive Director of the Edinburgh Chamber and Explore Edinburgh. You know, I'm here to thank everyone regarding this past 4th of July. It was a wonderful event. Texas Cookham, high stakes in Edinburgh. We were celebrating our 20th anniversary for Cookham. So, you know, however, it was the 250th birthday for America and we were proud to be one, the only one in the Valley to be an official block party for for America 250. So it was a great day. I want to thank you for acknowledging that. But I did want to come here and thank the council for the entire support. Of course, the city management's team and all the departments. I know all the directors are back here, but there's not one department that didn't help with this event. You know, being out there on a holiday and in the hot sun all day and then you know all the work that came before that you know we all see the event but we don't see the days prior and after that all the work that comes into it it is a great great event that's been put on you know I remember as a kid going to a neighboring city to see a fireworks show and and we've always had this mentality and I know you guys always you know dream big and want to do things for our community and this is one special event that has been brought recently and it's becoming a huge tradition and in the city of Edinburgh again not only that the Rio Grande Valley and people visiting across the state so it is a wonderful event and we hope to to continue doing great things with this with this event and we appreciate everything that the city does and the EDC and and all the departments and I did also want to acknowledge our sponsors right this event is not available It's not possible without the business community that puts up their dollars for their community as well. So, of course, our great friends at HEB that play a huge role in this event. Of course, Explore Edinburgh, the Edinburgh DDC. I mentioned the city. You know, Jay Gonzalez Law Firm, the Omar Ochoa Law Firm, Burt Ogden Auto Group, L&F Distributors, Vermeer, Texas, Louisiana, Bobcat RGV, Total Wireless, Linebarger. Attorneys at Law, Greater State Bank, IBC Bank, DHR Health, Texas National Bank, Martin Farm and Ranch, Aguiladas Meat Market, Vedas Kingdom Meat Market, Vedas Kingdom Meat. So a lot of businesses, a lot of the volunteers, our chamber board, our ambassadors also contributing to this event to bring something special to our city and the Rio Grande Valley. So I know my time is almost up. But I want to thank the community for going out and supporting these initiatives. They don't have to go far. It's right here in their backyard to see a great quality of life that a lot of different cities would love to have in their community. So thank you guys and have a good evening.

The next public comment is Ms. Diane Teeter regarding Texas parking garage A-straining.

Good evening, Diane Teeter. I'd like to offer a different perspective on how our city invests our tax dollars. I live, shop, and spend time downtown, and I've repeatedly heard about the cost of the parking garage. Consider that very few people can buy a house outright. Most of us take out a mortgage because it lets us invest today in something that will serve us for decades. Municipal bonds work the same way. The downtown garage is that kind of long-term investment. Edinburgh is growing. Our arts, culture, and events center, the amphitheater, are expanding restaurants, and small businesses are drawing more people than ever. A multi-level parking garage isn't just a place to park, it's an economic engine. When I worked in downtown Dallas, I gladly paid to park in a multi-level garage because it was conveniently close and shaded. This could be considered as a possible revenue stream and allow for more street-side parking. If not, consider that more parking means higher event attendance, stronger sales tax revenue, and more foot traffic for the businesses that anchor our downtown. It supports. property values, encourages private investment, and helps build the walkable, lively district residents like myself and others consistently ask for. Using bonds to build it is a smart, forward-looking choice. Now for the fun part. Bravo to Edinburgh's ACE for their art classes and workshops taught by our local artists. My husband and I attended a 10-week watercolor avian painting class for seniors for no fee and materials were supplied. We met new people and we reappointed with our neighbors. For example, I brought these and you can see that there was a little bit of improvement, but I'm not going to be selling or giving my art away as of yet. We also recently attended a two-hour sip and paint acrylic fireflies workshop for fee and add-ons. And for us, it was special, as we have a painting by the artist who instructed us, hanging in our home. This is an example of the acrylics. Now, this may be considered as frivolous, but it's been shown that art increases the intellect, helps with physical, and also helps with the soul and the heart. Arts are the heart of our community. And thank you for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in our community through the Edinburgh ACE. Thank you.

The last public comment is John Leal.

My name is John Lou Allen. I live at 324 Butterfly. And like I said, I was here two years ago, and I said I have nothing belong to the city of Edinburgh, but I'm being taxed $6,000. I didn't get evaluated and say that I owe $6,000. Everything, all the easement, every, I have an acre of land, they take 10 feet this way, 10 feet that way, and everything, I end up with a half an acre of land, but yet I'm being billed for the whole acre of land. It's $206,000 an acre. I have three acres of land, and they're eating my lunch. The middle class is the backbone of this country. Without the middle class, there would be no country because the wealthy will find loopholes to get out of it, while the middle class don't have the money to find these loopholes. So we are tied down. by paying these taxes. Benjamin Franklin said, the only thing you have to worry about is death and taxes. And taxes is killing this country. And it's almost $6,000 an acre of land that I have is totally ridiculous. When I bought this land in 1977, I paid $7,000. Now it's worth $206,000 an acre. And I'm 86 years old. Four more years, I'll be 90. And who's going to pay, do the payments for me? And I had a heart attack about, oh, in November. So it's, I'm not a rolling stone anymore. But we have to think about the middle class. They're eating our lunch. If it wasn't for the middle class, there would be no United States because like I said, The wealthy will find loopholes not to pay. And the middle class is the one that ends up with all the problems of paying their taxes. I know that a lot of people are going to be selling their houses and stuff like this because they can't pay their taxes. And the reason why that most of the young people staying at home because they can't afford a down payment If you look at the houses nowadays, they are $300,000. You've got to come down with $10,000 or $15,000 for a down payment. How can you save money and pay rent at the same time? You can't do that. It's awful hard. We need to take a look at it and see what we could do to lower the taxes on our houses. Like I said, I'm going to be 87 years old and I've got to come up with $6,000. It's awful hard. And I'm not the only one. There's a lot of them out there. They are selling their houses or renting their houses out, and we went out someplace else. But we need to think about it very hard. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

No further comments, Mayor.

Thank you. Next item are the public hearings, Item 8A. If the Secretary could read the caption on that.

Yes, Your Mayor. Hold public hearing. Consider the ordinances providing for the comprehensive plan amendment from general commercial uses to auto urban uses. And the resultant request from commercial general district to residential urban and townhome district being 3.056 acres of land out of lot 15, section 275, Texas Mexican Railway Company survey located at 22698 Headfield Drive as requested by Meldon and Hunt.

All right. The public hearing on this item is now open. If there are any members of the public wishing to speak for or against this item, you can come up to the podium.

Good evening.

I'm Richard Rupert. A lot of you here know me. First of all, before I get started, I want to say thank you to each and every one of you all for what you do for the state of Edinburgh. I follow you. I see you on TikTok. I see you on Facebook. Amen. We are blessed with a great city council that is working hard for our city. And I wanted to say that before I got started on the other part, but thank you. This zoning change, I live in southwest Edinburgh. I live on Hobbs Drive. I SERVED THIS CITY IN PLANNING AND ZONING FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND I ALSO SERVED THIS CITY IN MY DEVELOPMENT. I SEE WHAT'S GOING ON. WE'RE GROWING, WE'RE DOING WELL. WHAT'S PROPOSED, A CHANGE OF USAGE OF LAND THAT'S PROBABLY BRINGING $20 FOR THREE ACRES ON HAYLAND IS NOW GOING TO BE $7 OR $8, $10 MILLION WORTH OF TAXABLE PROPERTY WITH SOME single-family townhouse lots are going to be upscale. They're going to be very nice. There's an architect in Mexico that's putting this project on. There's an investor that's putting the money together to do the deal. And it's something that we have lots of multifamily projects in Edinburgh. This is a single-family professional And we have lots of professionals in Edinburgh. We got another brand new hospital down there on McCall. McCall is growing it. I don't want to say it's our North 10th Street because I don't want to compare Edinburgh. I'm very proud of Edinburgh. I'm very proud to be part of it. And I love seeing the growth on McCall. Man, we're in a great place. And this is just another addition to what's going on in that part of town. So I encourage you all to support the change of usage. Thank you very much.

Please, go ahead.

OK. Well, I've gotten a call about this property. That's why I'm here questioning it. It says the proposed zoning is not consistent with the future land use. This is from the city's website there. And it shows 204 feet, I guess, wide. And the lot depth is 660 feet. I understand by the time the city takes the easement or whatever, that 204 will be 150 foot. And we're looking at 27 town homes, which they will be attached, so they will be closed. And I guess the main thing that they were concerned about was that it's 3.056 acres, and the future land use designation for this property is general commercial use. So that's why I was coming because it said the staff recommended denial. So obviously there's someone out there that has also got a problem and questions as about this changing from the commercial to an existing or whatever. So if someone could kind of explain so that they can understand. Thank you.

Come on up.

Good afternoon Marlon Garza with Melvin and Hunt representing the developer for this project. So as Mr. Rupert was stating and as the previous citizen was stating we are trying to rezone this property from general commercial to residential urban and townhome. The main reason there's been kind of like referring to what Mr. Rupert was stating there's a lot of new commercial development that's already along McCall. There's a new plaza that's on the just west side of McCall just north of this. There's another new plaza that's just north of this also on the east side kind of fronting each other. There's an existing plaza that's right in front of this property with the parking lot along Headfelt. But on the north side of Headfelt is two existing residential homes as well. And they have their own little private access road to get into those two properties. Due to the existing nature of the parking lot, the plaza that's already in front of this property, it puts it in a really weird position to do more commercial in this portion that we're trying to rezone. It kind of hides it. In addition, there's existing water line and sewer line that goes through the property that we're proposing to reroute part of the water line. The sewer line's trying to stay in place. We're still working through the plans and the layout, but it doesn't lend itself to doing a plaza or anything. It's not very wide. It's very elongated, but it's not a very wide property to work with for trying to propose something general commercial. For that nature, As Mr. Rupert was saying, the developer, he's working with an architect out of Mexico to be able to do some house vendors and some house fits that will fit the townhome designation that we're trying to go for. If you have any other questions or any concerns, more than glad to answer. Okay, thank you. Thank you.

Any others wishing to speak for or against this item can come up to the podium. All right, seeing none, the public hearing is now closed. Is there a motion on the item? Move to approve. Second. Motion to approve and a second. Jaime, could you come on up and just talk a little bit about this, please?

Yes, Mayor. Jaime Acevedo, Planning and Zoning Director for the record. On this one, Mayor, staff did vote or recommend against it only because the property to the south is all zoned commercial. And we do have some property to the north, but it's suburban residential, which are larger lots. So the Future Land Use Map did call for commercial. But as the applicant stated, there is a development already in the front that kind of screens it from public view. It is kind of hidden back there. So we have seen some residential to the north, but at this time, the property does border a large tract of land that's commercially zoned to the south.

Okay. I just have a couple of questions just to make sure that we're oriented correctly. If we could put back up the diagram. There we go. Thank you. So my understanding, right, it was zoomed in. Can we zoom back in? There we go. So where this is to the west of it, that's McCall, right? Correct. And just north of that is the HEB. So this is exactly what we were talking about, right? There's a lot of development going on right now in that corridor, right? And so what I can see is immediately to the west of this lot, there's already a plaza there. That's what everybody's been talking about. And so this area right now that's being asked to be rezoned from commercial to townhomes, what was presented by the engineer, it sounds like, is that because there's already that commercial portion there on McCall, I forget what's in there. Do you remember what's in there?

I don't know off the top of my head.

There's this really good taqueria in this area. That's a little further north. Okay, not there. All right. Well, anyway, there's already stuff that's there, it looks like, right off of McCall. And it sounds like the reasoning is because there's already a plaza fronted, if you were to build more commercial units in the back, it's just going to be really hard to see when you're driving down McCall. And in that regard, it may not be the best place to locate a plaza or a business because it's going to be out of view from the main road. So instead of turning it into a commercial area that might not do so well, they want to at least propose to build town homes so that people can drive through that access area into the home area. There's already homes to the north of it. This is, I'm trying to orient myself. Is all this accurate so far?

You got it, Mayor.

Okay. The reason, and so Planning and Zoning Commission, they approved this item, correct?

That's correct.

Okay. The reason, though, that the city staff made the recommendation that they did is because this particular, the future land use, right, is... the city contemplates that this will be a commercial area. And because the contemplation of the future use is commercial and what they're proposing is not commercial, that's what brought on the recommendation to deny, correct?

That's correct, Mary. It kind of goes against the trend that we've seen in that area.

Okay, I got you. All right. So like I said, I just want to understand, and it sounds like the crux, right, of all of this is that the reason for the request is because it's not ideal for commercial given what's in front. um and so we might as well do something with it and they think townhomes could actually be a hit in this area just given all of the commercial activity that's going on that's correct okay uh okay great anybody have questions on that i've got another tangent of questions to ask but no and i'll just add i'm very familiar with this property i was actually interested in about a year ago i've been looking for a place to build my my business and it is it's literally right behind heb it borders a neighborhood

it'd be very difficult to put any sort of commercial that needs frontage to a busy street where you can actually see the business. Townhomes, it's going to be nestled in real good there. And it's kind of like a private drive. There's like nine empty lots. There's a few businesses there. And I think the use, obviously, there's always a plan, right? What's the future of this area? That's the reason why staff had to vote to deny it. But I think nice town homes, not apartments, something that looks really nice. I do have a question. Is it going to be private? Private, so even more so, gated subdivision, or are they going to take care of their own streets? Right there, it's kind of like a little hidden gem. I think it's a great idea.

I did see that they presented a plaque, right, of what it is that they're intending to build. out in this area. I thought I saw that in the back there. It looks like, what, 27 units? That's correct, Mayor. Are there any variance requests tied to this development?

I did speak to the engineer of record earlier on this particular project to see if there was any variances that are going to be requested. And what the engineer has told me is that they're still working on it. They haven't finalized the plot. So we don't know yet.

Maybe, maybe not. Hopefully not.

Hopefully not. Yes.

I think there's plenty of space there to build some really nice stuff without having to ask for any variances.

Okay.

Other questions?

But we will consider anything that needs to be done to make it a good project.

Any other questions?

Discussion? No? Okay.

There's a motion to approve in a second. All those in favor of the motion, raise your right hand. All opposed? All right. Motion passes. Next item, B and C, I believe. Can you give us an idea on this one?

Mr. Earlier this afternoon, I did get an email from Melvin and Hunt, the representative for this sign variance for 8B and 8C, and they are requesting to pull the item from consideration here tonight.

Mr. Okay. All right. So we'll skip over those. We'll go to public hearings, routine items, Section 9. A quick reminder, right, to everybody what this section is. For each of these sections, each of these items and routine items, The city's staff recommendation is aligned with the unanimous recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission, and there are no written comments opposing the recommendations. So the idea is that these are all aligned for the recommendation to move forward. So we'll go ahead and open the public hearing for all three items. If anybody here wishes to speak in opposition to the recommendation, you're welcome to come up. If you are in favor of the recommendation, my advice is you don't need to come up and talk because everybody's in agreement with you. All right. Anybody? All right. Seeing none, we will close the public hearing on items 9A, B, and C. Is there a motion? Motion to approve. Second. All right, motion approved. Items I, 9A, B, and C. All those in favor of the motion, raise your right hand.

All those opposed?

All right, motion passes. Did I do that right?

Mayor, historically, the motion has been to adopt the recommendations provided by city staff.

That's right.

I think currently the recommendation was to approve, but I think it can move forward as is.

Okay, great. Thank you. Please, feel free, jump in next time if I get it wrong. I get it wrong sometimes, so please, feel free, jump in. All right. Moving on to Item 10A. Is there a motion on Item 10A? Motion to approve. Second. Motion to approve. Any second. Any discussion? All right. Seeing none, all those in favor of the motion, please raise your right hand.

All right.

All those opposed? Motion passes. Next, we have the consent agenda. I'll entertain a motion to approve items a through F motion to approve all right motion to approve in a second all those in favor of the motion raise your right hand all opposed all right motion passes next item is other business any future items requested by the City Council okay next item is item B considering the rescheduling the August 4th meeting to Wednesday, August 5th. Can I get a motion?

Motion to approve. Second.

All right, there's a motion to approve and a second. And the reason for the rescheduling is because August 4th is National Night Out. Do you want to say anything about this, Chief? Real brief, brief, very brief about National Night Out, just to let people know and welcome them to come out? You'll have another opportunity later, absolutely, but let's take every opportunity we can.

Well, since you gave us the opportunity, Jaime Ayala, Police Chief, August 4th is our 30th annual National Night Out, and there's going to be so much to do for families and kids and giveaways and whatnot. It's a promenade, so please bring your families and attend.

Excellent. It is such a great event. We are so excited about it. We are 100% on board with it that we are actually moving our city council meeting so that everybody can be there. So instead of coming here, I'll see everybody. I'll see everybody over at Promenade Park on the evening of August 4th. Okay. We had a motion. We had a second. All those in favor of the motion, raise your right hand.

All right.

Motion passes. All right. Next item in the executive session. Can I get a motion to enter executive session? So moved.

Second.

Motion and a second. Any opposition to the motion? Hearing none, motion passes. Time now is 6.55. We are entering executive session.

Item A, consultation with city attorney. Item A, consultation with city attorney regarding personnel matters. Item C, discussion of possible action regarding the conveyance exchange or lease of real property. 1, Project 1718. Item D, discussion and possible action regarding economic development matters. 1, Project 25. 2, Project Tadpole. 3, Project Comida. 4, Project Happy Gilmore. 5, Project Workforce Resource Center.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

But he owns the other parts of it.

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