City Council - Regular Meeting

Everyone to the Tuesday, September 15th City Council meeting. As always, we start the meeting by discussing and reviewing our agenda items. We've got a full agenda, so we're going to get right to it. A couple of executive session items and a healthy work session. So executive session, Westlake Data Center Development, 128 and 136 Faith Street. For our work session, you can see that there. August 26th. Any questions about the minutes? Yes, sir. No questions on the minutes. F3, resolution increasing the purchase order with all sorts of enterprises for repair services for fire department vehicles and apparatus. Any questions on F3? All right. F4, resolution adopting the RESOLUTION FOR ADOPTING THE QUARTERLY FINANCIAL REPORTS, F5, F6. ANY QUESTIONS ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE'S WORK? F7, WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT IN WORK SESSION. SO IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS NOW, WE CAN CHEW THROUGH IT, BUT WE HAVE A PRESENTATION AND IT'S AN AGENDA ITEM. ANY QUESTIONS ON F7?

Yeah, actually, I'd like to pull that and put it under new business instead of on the consent agenda.

Yeah, sure. And like I said, we'll discuss it in work session two. F8, consider a resolution approving the interlocal agreement for jail services. F9, consider a resolution adopting the killer sports park tournament policy. I'll go ahead and pull that one since it's directly related.

on F8 regarding jail and stuff. Are we still using 2010-11 numbers?

No, sir. We update that each year as part of the contract. Okay.

That's a great question.

Yeah. All right. So we're pulling F7 and F9. F10, consider a resolution entering an interlocal agreement with the City of Southlake for the alter Yeah, so 875,000 for the design and engineering. That's just our share, yes sir. Yeah, I was talking about it with someone today. I said, we don't really get excited when a little water comes out of our faucet, but we get excited when it doesn't. And this is a project that we've been literally deliberating on since I joined in 2020. So the fact that you can get started on this work, generational work, so exciting. And then F11, also a work session item. It's a resolution enhancing automatic license plate readers, public safety guidelines. Any questions on F11?

Yeah, Mr. Mayor. This is one that I was telling you about when you were walking in. I didn't get to finish. I had a good meeting with the chief, like most of us did, on this. Had a lot of feedback from citizens. And what I would like to do is table this item to actually be at the next meeting. And we can re-notice it so we can discuss it as a whole, the merits and the contract, since the contract part wasn't listed here. But more importantly, I think it'd be great to offer the citizens, not just the persons to be heard, but the public notice where they can speak to it. And then also so the chief can do that presentation out there for more citizens to see it, because it was a pretty good presentation.

that's what I'd like to do so we can notice it again and then people can come in for a public notice on that so it's been it's been publicly noticed I know but we can't speak to the contract so or any of that well I mean if you guys don't want to hear the item tonight we don't have to have chief fortune I mean it does give me a little bit of pause just because we set the expectation with our eyes that residents that we were having the conversation tonight and it's on I would think we would do the work session item. That's just normal protocol. I've never actually tabled a work session item.

No, I know. And it's just so, again, it's just so we can speak. Because this is noticed for the guidelines and what was in there. And a lot of the citizens and obviously what's been in the news in the last month are concerned about this. And we can't speak to all of the issues related to the contract. There can't be any action taken to it if that were the will of the council. And so...

On the AOPR item, there's a resolution that's been noticed. I think it's actually probably germane to the language within the resolution to consider the merits of the contract as a whole city.

What their contractual obligations are and what the parameters and the scope, if you will, of what they're doing.

And you can take action on the contract?

I think we would take action on it.

Right. And then my public notice is the other part of it, too. And when I was talking to the chief, he was saying that he would like us to even comment on social media to say if citizens had questions to come in for the next meeting so they can come to the actual public hearing, not just the public comments at the beginning, but the actual public hearing for the items so they can ask any tough questions. Everything's out there and transparent. Because the presentation is, you've seen it, too. They said it's really good, and I think it can mitigate a lot

can do that during the public notice and then we can ask it to the chief and so I mean I'll just as far as the resolution goes I mean that's an item that we can vote on or not but as far as the work session goes I think we should hear the presentation because that's the expectation our residents have that's fine I made a motion so I'd prefer to if council doesn't want to but we don't vote on what to put on the work session like that's something that you know two council members and the mayor can add item that any of you want to hear on a work session item. I just think it's our obligation to hear the item. So if the majority of council wants to move it, you don't want to move it, is what you're saying? No, that would be putting words in my mouth. What I said was if we put it out there in the public and it's on a publicly noticed agenda, I think we should have the discussion.

We table it all the time.

I'll finish real quick. So let's hear the work session item. full transparency on issues like this.

to the next city council meeting or whatever, another city council meeting, it's still going to be consent agenda? Is that something?

Well, no, I'll pull it from consent.

Okay, it wouldn't be consent. It would be just a regular agenda item in the city council so that people can speak to it publicly?

Yeah, so anytime. That's a great question. I've done this plenty of times, and we all can and should. If there's an item on consent agenda that any one of us want pulled from consent just to have further discussion in an independent vote, items on there where like for example in this situation if we go through the work session item and there's not consensus on it then the only logical conclusion is to pull it from consent does it make sense from a procedural perspective yeah so all you do in that situation is we just pull it and I'll do my motion to table out there I was just trying to save time as well feisty review of the agenda item. So does that mean 7, 9, and 11? It's not a consent, is it? It's not a consent. 7, 9, and 11. So to Councilman Armstrong's question, we have 7, 9, and 11 that we'll pull from consent for action to be taken independently. Any other questions on the consent agenda? NOT ITEM H1 IT'S A RESOLUTION APPROVING A CHAPTER 380 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE HIVE AND HOLDING COMPANY LLC LOCATED AT 128 BATES H2 RELATEDLY BUT A SEPARATE PROPERTY A CHAPTER 380 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR 136 BATES H3 ALSO RELATED TO THE SAME project concept it's 380 agreement I haven't holding company LLC at 128 and only 136 spades I think that's a solid improvement grandma is that right Aaron H1 and H2 or the facade oh I messed it up H1 and H2 or the facade H3 is the

Chapter 380?

Yes, the 380. Well, they're all chapter 380s, but the H3 is the...

Traditional verse facade.

Yeah. All right. Any questions on H1 through H3 for staff to research or answer?

What was the Economic Development Committee's recommendation yesterday?

So it ended up being a recommendation to support the facade. And it was a recommendation to fund the, if you take out the $20,000 for the facade improvement, 50% of the other items.

Which is $30,870. Yeah. Okay.

It was a good robust discussion. Two and a half hours into it. Oh, wow.

It was good.

It was a good discussion. Fully deliberated and considered, I can tell you that. H4 is a specific use permit.

Carport.

Yep, carport item. Any questions on H4? H5, specific use permit for carport on Johnson Road?

$883,000.

That is age 6, 7, and 8. If you guys have any questions on 6, 7, and 8 at this point after as many budget discussions we've had, then I'm joking. Any questions? Certainly time for questions right now for staff research on the budget. I think we need to throw it out and start over. Hey, that would be right in line with the tone of the council tonight. I love it. I love it. We're starting to scratch.

table this one. Illegally we can't. Don't tell the mayor pro tem that. Don't tell him that. We're tabling it.

What if the majority of council wants to table it?

So, in all seriousness, as much as we would, please don't do that. There's a legal deadline that has to be taken care of and you have to vote the budget in before the tax rate. You have to have the tax rate in and legal deadline as well. So the budget, in theory, you have contingencies within the charter for that. However, that's trumped by state law requirements on the tax code. Awesome. There's not an opportunity to table. If there is an issue with the budget that needs to be addressed, we can always come back and amend it.

But procedurally, if one of you wants to make a motion to table, we can consider it. CONSENSATION WITH THE ATTORNEY. CLOSED MEETING. A GOVERNMENTAL BODY MAY NOT CONDUCT A PRIVATE CONSENSATION WITH THE ATTORNEY EXCEPT FOR THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY SEEKS THE ADVISE OF ITS ATTORNEY ABOUT PLANNING FOR CONTEMPLATED LITIGATION OR A SETTLEMENT OFFER OR ON A MATTER ON WHAT'S THE DUTY OF THE ATTORNEY TO THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY AND THE TEXAS DISCIPLINARY RULES OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT. THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS CLEARLY CONCLUDES WITH THIS CHAPTER. THAT ITEM IS TO DISCUSS LEGAL ACTION RELATING TO THE WESTLAKE DATA CENTER DEVELOPMENT. WE'LL ALSO BE AN EXEC UNDER SECTION 551-087 TO DISCUSS OR DELIBERATE REGARDING COMMERCIAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY HAS RECEIVED FROM A BUSINESS PROSPECT, THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY SEEKS TO HAVE LOCATE, STAY, OR EXPAND IN OR NEAR THE TERRITORY OF THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY AND WITH WHICH THE GOVERNMENTAL BODY IS CONDUCTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEGOTIATIONS OR TO DELIBERATE THE OFFER OF A FINANCIAL OR OTHER INCENTIVE TO A BUSINESS PROSPECT DESCRIBED BY THE SUBDIVISION AND THAT'S RELATED TO 128 BAY TO 136

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All right, good evening. I'd like to welcome everyone to the regular session here on September 15th. As always, we're going to go ahead and get started with an invocation. So we have the good bishop here. If you wouldn't mind coming forward, sir, and introduce yourself and, you know, give us an invocation.

I'm Bishop Matt Watcott in the Keller Third Ward. And I just live right behind here. Appreciate your inviting me tonight to say the opening prayer. Will you join me in prayer? Father in heaven, we are grateful to gather in this chamber this night. We're grateful for the city council and for their desire to serve the community of Keller. And we're grateful for this opportunity for people in Keller to come and address the council this evening. We pray for a spirit, thy spirit to be here. We're grateful for the community. We're grateful for those who serve in our city to make this a wonderful place to be for families and individuals and the youth of this community. We pray for all within this community. May it be a place of peace and love of our neighbors and a place for opportunity for our families to thrive. Express gratitude for the blessing of living in this land. We're grateful for those who serve to protect our freedoms here. May this meeting go as planned this evening. And those who have come to address the council will have the opportunity to do so. And the decisions will be made according to their consciences and desire to serve the community. We pray for these blessings and ask for these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Amen. All right, if you wouldn't mind standing for the Pledges of Allegiance. 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. Honor the text, sister. So one of the things we like to do in the City of Keller is, many of you know if you're not a stranger here, and if you are a stranger to watching our meetings or attending, you'll know after tonight, We really like to celebrate excellence in our community, especially our young people. And tonight we are going to recognize our Miracle League of Keller All-Star players. And we are so excited that you're here. My understanding is we have a young athlete, and her name's Kaylee. Is that right? Yeah, Kaylee. We're so glad you're here. You've been a proud member of the Miracle League of Keller since the very beginning. You bring a spark to every game that's impossible to miss. Your teammates, coaches, and families know that you are one of the brightest lights on the field. Your energy is contagious. Your smile lights up the park. And one of the things that really excited me is not only do you have a bright smile, but I hear you are a fierce competitor. very fierce competitor. So we thank you for being here tonight. In a second, we're going to call you up and officially recognize you. We also have Kyle. Kyle's been, where's Kyle at? Kyle, how are you? So excited that you're here. You've been a proud member of the Miracle League since the very beginning as well, as I understand it. And in that time, you've become quite the leader, actually, on the field, which is impressive, those leadership qualities. You're known for your strength at the plate. Maybe you're a cleanup hitter, I don't know. But you're known for your strength at the plate. You have a signature move that the fans look forward to every game, and my understanding is you do something like where you call your shot, you point, yeah. So when we do the picture, if you wouldn't mind, we can call the shot. I'll call it with you if you want. Yeah, just like that. That's awesome. So beyond the talent, what makes us really proud is that Both of you, Kyle, you in particular, lead by example, encouraging folks, making sure that we have camaraderie on the field, that folks are having an enjoyable experience. And with the parents, the organizational leaders, and the family members, and all the athletes know is that's what we're all about. It's about creating a wonderful experience to have life-changing, in a good way, memories. And memories that we won't forget. So Kyle, Kaylee, thank you so much for being here tonight. We'd like to give you a big round of applause on your recognition as all-star players and invite you up. So come on up. as big of an athlete as you, but I was going to ask our mayor for a time. We've all set this up to come down and we put together some along with my friends here on the city council. Awesome. Thank you all.

How are you? Thank you for being here. Thank you. Thank you all for bringing Homer. They love him.

So, yeah, so...

Can I hold it for you or do you want to hold it?

Don't swing it. Don't swing it.

All right, so on the count of three, we're going to make a big smile and sing this play with a green thumb.

Thank you. Thank you.

Yeah, that would be good. Thank you. Congratulations.

Thank you.

Yeah, and thank you, everyone, who is here. It makes the Miracle League of Keller possible. We appreciate you. There's a lot of hours that go into it. Homer, the mascot, I'm not sure how much work you accomplish, but we thank you for being here as well.

And Stephanie, are you all still looking for volunteers out there?

Every single Saturday.

So if anyone listening wants to volunteer every single Saturday, just come on out to Sports Park, the Miracle League field. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

All right. So we have a good agenda tonight. Couldn't have started off any better. We have persons to be heard. This is a time for the public to address the city council on any subject. However, the Texas Open Meetings Act prohibits the city council from discussing issues which the public has not been given three business days notice. Issues raised may be referred to city staff for research and possible future action. Each speaker will be allowed three minutes to speak. We do have some cards. If you're in the audience and haven't filled one of these out, you're welcome to visit with our city secretary, and we'll get that taken care of. So first up, in no particular order, we do have Brad DeLong. And I have your name and address here, so no need to repeat it. And you're no stranger to council, so thanks for being here.

No, thank you. I'm sure you probably have my name memorized as many times as I've come and spoken in there. But no, I continue to push for the women's tournaments, the two women's tournaments that have addressed Alliance Rugby Club about using the sports park in there. So I have the Mary Graham tournament, which is put on by the Texas Rugby Union. And Mary Graham is the very first women's coach for adult women's coach in the state of Texas. And taking a look at some of the math on the economics in there, you're looking at about three nights for six teams to come in. the potential of the Hampton Inn right here, potential of the restaurants. And there you're looking at about six to eight rooms per team for those nights. The hotel runs for about $140,000 to $150,000 a night, including tax. So that comes out to about $22,000 in revenue there. Plus you're looking at the meals, too, that they'll be having. So, of course, they'll probably have breakfast there, but then they'll have dinner somewhere probably within the confines over there. that piece so then you're probably looking at another ten to fifteen thousand dollars in revenue part of it with that the other thing too with the kent quick across the street i do have a relationship with the kent quick offices in midland odessa which is kent oil in there so i'm sure that there's something that we could do with the convenience business over there with the gatorades and with the water and stuff for them purchasing products from over there and that tournament was for early december and then the second tournament was from usa rugby which would be the U23 women's, select women's playing, select teams also, which would be eight teams. That would be four nights of hotels, 25 players per team, plus coaches, plus medical in there. So you're also looking at, again, about seven or eight hotel rooms per team. Now you're looking at four nights. So now you're potentially looking at around $60,000 in hotels and you're probably looking around 30 to $40,000 in total meals coming in just from these two tournaments in there. So I really like to push to have the sports park tournament policy wrapped up and done with a reasonable pricing in there because the pricing that was discussed the other night when we were in that economic slash meeting was $1,000 to $1,500 for one baseball field for one day for synthetic. My boss, who's a huge baseball nut in San Diego, $800 to rent a field for one day in San Diego. And we're looking at $1,000 to $1,500 here in Texas. So I think it's some other things to take a look at with the tournament policy. Yeah, we have a beautiful sports park, probably the most beautiful sports park in the state of Texas now. But I think there's some things that we could kind of take a look at with my consumer product good background and pricing products out, especially dealing with Walmart at a headquarter level, Kroger at a headquarter level, Tom Thumb at a headquarter level that we could probably look at and be more advantageous on a tournament policy. And once again, I implore, let Keller have the Mary Graham Women's Tournament. Let Keller have the USA Rugby U23 Women's Tournament. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

All right, next up, we have Melissa Dodd, and then followed by, looks like Tina Stevens, is that right? Melissa? I also have your address here, so if you don't mind just reintroducing yourself.

Yes. Hi, my name is Melissa Dodd. I am the owner of Fit for Mom Keller Southlake in North Fort Worth. I'm here to discuss the Keller Depot. I am a Keller resident. I have five kiddos and a husband who is a first responder in North Fort Worth. We moved to Keller about four years ago. The Keller Depot is meant to be a gathering place for people and bring more community together. Part of my role in Fit for Mom Keller in Southlake is to also bring community together. We've had many events where we've had 125 to 100 families frequent those events to meet local different businesses and things like that. I think that the Keller Depot, what it's offering our community and our mom village and all of the families of Keller is really beautiful. Having five kids and that being said, one of the problems that I see is the no restrooms. Anytime I host a free community event here in Keller, the first thing that I always look for is restrooms. The second is parking. I really firmly believe that allowing for restrooms to be there will really open up from maybe 25 people participating to maybe 150 on any given day. I work with local mom groups as well that are non-profit. Anytime that they host an event, the first thing in their event guidelines is, is there restrooms or is there not? Miss Ashley asked me to come and speak about this, being a mother of five kiddos. You know, my husband's a first responder. He works weekends. So any of these events, the camp outs, the things that we participate in, I'm generally going solo. Four of my kids are under the age of seven. So trying to make it two blocks to a bathroom is never going to really happen again. for someone like me and for a lot of the moms. A lot of local businesses here, like the Keller Farmer's Market, I've offered my tent space to before. So I kind of open up a changing and nursing table tent for free just at their events and their communities. So families and mothers have a space to be able to have somewhere private to change their kiddos or to nurse them. With that being said we chose Keller because it is so community driven and so beautiful of a place to live So I'm hoping that you guys will consider possibly having restrooms for Mamas like me Thank you for allowing me to speak of course.

Thank you for being here All right Tina And then next up after that we have Ryan Drury

Hello, good evening. I'm Tina Stevens and I'm here to talk about the Keller Depot and the proposed bathroom project that we have been trying to decide on as a Business owner. I'm the owner of Steven sweet shop, which is a mobile candy store at this time But I am one of the business owners that's considering the Jackson cottage, which is the smaller building 128 Bates so as a up-and-coming business owner, that's a very small building and one of the biggest things that I've talked with Ashley about and Jamie to is decide if that is where I want my home to be for my business that it's on the festival street and being area that the city has events and the whole project with the up-and-coming businesses there's an issue with the bathrooms and being a business owner that additional foot traffic would bring us a little bit more business but looking at a whole lot more traffic just for people wanting to use our restroom is a concern and if we have the opportunity to have the bathrooms built. It's just a win for everybody. Being a candy store, we definitely will bring the families. And if there's more interest to have festivals and events there, which that's my goal with the whole area that we have planned, I'm looking forward to hosting just some of our own events and really utilizing that street. than I've had to consider the bathroom. So I certainly would love to see it come to fruition, and I think it would be a huge benefit, not just as a business owner, not just as the Keller Depot, but on the Festival Street for the city, too.

Awesome. Yeah. Thank you very much. All right, Ryan. In the next up, we have Gary Davis.

All right, good evening, Mayor, Council. So my name is Ryan. I'm a Keller resident.

Is that loud?

I'm a Keller resident and a father of three and a combat veteran who never would have thought when I was fighting for my country, it would one day become a complete surveillance state. I'm not going to bury you in stats tonight. You'll hear plenty of those later, most of them curated from the company selling the software. I want to be clear about who I'm here to talk about tonight. It's not our police. We love our police. It's big tech. Flock Safety is a venture-backed surveillance company a tech company that was founded in 2017 by Garrett Langley. I'm here because a big tech company in another state should not be building a digital paint opticon here in Keller. Keller doesn't own the cameras. We rent them. It's the entire business model. Flock calls it safety as a service, or you can call it surveillance as a service. It should be called the city pays an annual subscription, roughly $3,000 per camera per year, depending on the city or the township, and Flock keeps the hardware. When the contract ends, Flock comes and takes the equipment back. So let's retire the argument before anyone even makes it. There is no infrastructure investment to protect here. We simply stop paying and have the cameras removed. The company decides what the product becomes. This is the biggest issue. Not the council, not the police, and here we are today. You are not voting on the cameras that exist today. You're voting to be a customer of a company that keeps adding to what it sells, just like any other software or SaaS company. Flock already markets a tool called Nova. designed in the company's own language to let police jump from license plate to person by combining camera data with commercial data broker records. I believe we currently have the Falcon cameras in Keller. But what about when we end up with the Condor cameras or Nova? Nobody on the council will prove that. Nobody has asked, but we will have it soon enough. That's how software companies work. You sign a contract and the products change underneath you. Just like when you have an iPhone, it gets old, it quits working, Apple quits servicing it. What do you have to do? You have to buy the new iPhone with all the new features. So you're telling me once Keller is told they have to get the Condor cameras, get Nova to utilize it, all of a sudden they're going to cancel the services then? I have a high suspicion that won't happen. We are told that no one has access to this data outside of Keller PD. On the Keller Flock portal, it shows 100 other organizations that it shares data with around Texas. Well, then where is this data being stored at? The AWS servers that Flock utilizes that the federal government can access whenever they want? Third and lastly, Texas is already pulling back and Keller is behind so far. Three weeks ago, Governor Abbott ordered state agencies to stop funding flock cameras, and many cities around Texas and the country have ended their contracts. So here's my ask. Don't renew the contract. End the big tech surveillance in Keller. And before this council signs anything else with the company, read Keller's own network audit, the organizational audit. You can see what records have been pulled, who's been looking at what, and what's been going on. Let's stop outsourcing Keller to a tech company. And lastly, to quote Benjamin Franklin, those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Next up, Gary Davis.

Good evening, sir. Hi. I'm Gary Davis. I'm going to stay with the tech theme. I'm going to talk about the city's legal action related to the proposed data center in Westlake. So I respect the neighbors of the lakes of Marshall Ridge. Their concerns about noise and quality of life are real. That does not mean Keller should spend taxpayer money trying to control land that we do not zone. Keller has no zoning authority over the Circle T track. That land is Westlake. It's been planned for office, office industrial, commercial since the Westlake 1998 plan development ordinance. The data center on that parcel is Westlake land use decision. Keller can ask for buffers, monitoring, coordination. Keller cannot rezone another city's property, and you guys all know that. The city has already passed a resolution hired counsel, and authorized legal action. Another existing court case is being driven by HOA and private plaintiffs over Westlake's notice process. That case will rise and fall on its own facts. A second city-funded fight will not give Colorado the power to dictate Westlake zoning. It will give us unnecessary legal bills, and that's kind of my big concern. So on August 28th, Mayor, you and I actually spoke for a little bit. Good to see you. And I do appreciate the time that you gave me for that. One of the things I was asking you about was what was our spending level, and you shared that that might jeopardize our legal strategy. And I don't necessarily agree with that reason to withhold costs from people because we're paying the bills. What I'm concerned about is the city's writing a blank check on a case that we can't change Westlake's zoning authority. If the strategy is strong, It can survive the sunlight on the price tag. If the only way to protect the strategy is to hide the spin, that's not a legal strategy. It's more of an accountability problem. Please be honest with the residents about what the lawsuit can and can't do. It cannot move the city limit. It cannot turn the 1998 commercial industrial land into a residential buffer. If the goal is better setbacks, berms, independent noise meters, and limits on generator testing, pursue those through negotiation with Westlake Zone ordinances. That's a cheaper and more likely outcome. There's also land use history that can't be ignored. So back in 2015, Keller actually rezoned the lakes at Marshall Ridge track from planned development commercial to single family. And it was a 4-3 vote on the remnant. The commercial lot behind the 377 frontage next to the land in Westlake had already been designated as commercial industrial. So putting houses on a commercially zoned remnant surrounded by commercial designations was probably not a good choice. And using city funds to litigate predictive consequence of that choice is probably also not a very good choice. So I'm asking the city council to not waste taxpayer dollars on open-ended fight that cannot win zoning authority or any other tangible gains. So protect Keller taxpayers and work the problem that's actually in our control.

Yeah. Thanks, sir. Thanks for being here. Good to see you.

Yep.

All right. Next up, we have Ben Nelson.

Hey, folks. My name is Ben Ernest Nelson. I first moved to Keller in 1993. I'm a graduate from Keller High School and I'm actually the father of two kiddos currently in the Keller feeder pattern, so I'm absolutely a local. I'm grateful that I'm not the only person that thought of the Ben Franklin quote because I want to talk about the automated license plate readers, flock cameras, and broader safety in our community. So tonight, y'all are voting on enhancing the safety measures around the existing flock system, and I'm here to express citizens' concern that it's not going to be enough, and I'm imploring all of y'all to do more. The Institute for Justice has cataloged more than 200 incidents of automated license plate readers abuse, including but not limited to stalking, wrongful stops and detainments, non-law enforcement use, and other forms of misconduct. The American Civil Liberties Union has also reported ICE using Flock to go after immigrants regardless of their legal status and without warrants. Police in Kansas have used the ALPRs to pursue and harass someone who wrote an op-ed critical of them. And a mother and a child were held at gunpoint because an ALPR camera and the automated AI system wrongfully flagged her car as stolen. These companies like Flock or Axon harvest our data and sell it to the highest bidder. And we as citizens have zero recourse, even as our information is sold potentially to overseas bidders. Now, I'm proud of the way that Keller residents showed up. and y'all worked to defend our residents against a data center in our own backyard. I was in many of those meetings with y'all. But it is hypocritical and two-faced to then get further in bed with massive surveillance companies that rely on those very same hyperscale AI data centers. So once again, I'm here to ask, hope, potentially demand that our city council acts responsibly and in the best interest of our citizens to not only pass stricter controls on these ALPRs, but to remove them completely from our cities, communities for good. Not just Flock, but any of them. Many headlines talk about Flock being replaced, but they're being, excuse me, Flock being removed, they're being replaced by other companies. And it's the same thing, just under a different banner. So let's not fall for it. Thank you.

Thank you, sir. Next up we have Pam Gray. And those are the cards that we have this evening. So if you haven't already and you wish a speaker in person to be heard, then, you know, visit with the city secretary, Kelly Ballard. How are you? I'm good. Good.

Okay. My name is Pam Gray. I'm with the Keller History Museum on Bates Street in Old Town Keller. I would like to talk in favor of the items involving the Keller Depot. First, we are excited about the fact that the Keller Depot is saving these two historic buildings. Both are original residences to Bates Street. One is almost 100 years old, and the other is over 100 years old. We see this as a partnership between the Keller History Museum and the Keller Depot to preserve the history. With that in mind, we have given the Keller Depot the historic red ticket booth that is one of only two in Tarrant County, it's authentic, and several historic railroad artifacts to the Keller Depot to incorporate in their plan. Obviously, we're all about the history and we're happy to see this project has the same vision. Second, we're in favor of the facade grants. Being able to make these buildings beautiful and inviting will be great for the Bates Festival Street and for Old Town as a whole because it will draw people in. It will be beneficial for the Keller History Museum too. With more people coming to Bates Street, we'll have more visitors who will fall in love with what they see in the Keller History Museum and maybe leave us a little donation to help us keep our doors open. And third, and maybe the most important thing, is letting the Keller Depot add two ADA bathrooms to the project. We all know that bathrooms have been a problem with the Festival Street since it opened. The porta-potties are okay, but they're not really a good long-term solution. For example, I have two examples. The first was the day that the Bates Street, Festival Street opened. Porta-potties were delivered. They were set up right next to the food trucks. And people were kind of grossed out by that. And they even told us, you know, this is really gross. And the second time, there was another festival that was held, but the porta-potties were not even delivered. And people needed them, and the city staff could only tell them, go to the quick trip down the street. That's all we can do. People were not happy about that either. By approving both of these, the city will be following through with the inviting, family-friendly atmosphere that it has chosen for the future of Old Town Keller.

Thank you, it's great to see you. Okay, that's all we have. Is there anyone else that would like to speak during Persons to be Heard? If not, we'll move on to consent. All right, seeing none, go ahead and get on the consent agenda. F1, consider approval of the minutes of the Wednesday, August 26, August 26, 2026 City Council work session. F2, consider approval of the minutes of the Tuesday, September 1, 2026 regular City Council meeting. F3, consider a resolution authorizing an increase to the purchase order with all source enterprises, LLC, DBA, Safe Industries for maintenance and repair services for fire department vehicles and apparatus and authorizing the city manager to execute all documents relating thereto on behalf of the City of Keller. F4, consider a resolution adopting the 2026 City of Keller Financial Management Investment Purchasing and Fund Balance Policies as approved and recommended by the City of Keller Finance Committee. Thank you, Councilman Brennan and Mayor Pro Temps for serving on that. F5, consider a resolution receiving the quarterly financial reports for periods ending March 31st, 2020. and June 30th, 2026 and providing an effective date. F6, consider a resolution receiving the quarterly investment report for periods ending March 31st, 2026 and June 30th, 2026 and providing an effective date. We're going to pull F7 for a presentation and consideration. F8, consider a resolution approving amendment number two to the interlocal agreement for combined public safety dispatching and jail services for the cities of Keller, Southlake, and Collierville, Texas for a one-year extension of the interlocal agreement authorizing the city manager to execute said agreement on behalf of the city of Keller. F9, consider a resolution adopting the Keller Sports Park tournament policy. I also requested to have that pulled because it's related to F7. Consider a resolution. F10, consider a resolution entering an interlocal agreement with the city of Southlake for the Alta Vista Waterline project and authorizing the city manager to execute said agreement on behalf of the city of Keller, which, believe it or not, out of all the things we considered tonight, that's $875,000 to help revitalize a generational water line. And so we don't get excited when water comes out of our faucet, but we should because our water lines need to be kept up with. That's an exciting item. And F11, consider a resolution enhancing automated license plate readers, public safety guidelines. And F11, we're going to pull that. And so we'll recognize a motion to approve, presumably, F11. 1 through F6, F8, and F10. Mayor Pro Tem?

Yeah, correct, Mr. Mayor. I move that we approve items F1 through F6, F8, and F10 as presented. Thank you. Councilman Will? I second. All right. Let's take a vote.

All right. That passes 7-0. All right. First up, we'll consider F7. Jordan, I think we have a brief presentation. Consider a resolution creating the Keller Sports Authority. And while you're walking up, I also want to thank Councilman Rankleve and the Mayor Pro Tem for their work on this as well. It's an item that the Full City Council directed us to look into after our strategic work session. What month was that in? Like three months ago? Time flies when you're having fun. End of June. End of June? 2019. Yeah. So thank you both for that. Jordan?

Yep. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. I have a presentation going over the Keller Sports Authority. So the Ask the City Council action, consider a resolution to create the Keller Sports Authority and provide Keller residents a greater voice and a seat at the table, appoint at least five Keller residents to serve on the new board for an initial two-year term, periodically receive, evaluate, and implement recommendations and updates from the Keller Sports Authority on strategies to improve the youth sports environment in Keller. Our tagline is Premier Field, Stronger Programs, Better Experiences, Next Level Keller, Keeping Keller Kids Playing in Keller. So how did we get here? A premier facility, an opportunity to elevate the experience. The city of Keller has invested approximately $48 million to transform Keller Sports Park into a premier youth sports facility in all of North Texas. With the investment comes an obligation to ensure the programming and users experience match the expectations of our residents. We continue to hear opportunities to improve from families regarding the youth sports experience, including team formation, scheduling practices, professionalism of sporting events, and overall program operations. Many Keller families are choosing to participate in programs outside of Keller despite having a premier facility in their own community. We want to keep Keller families playing in Keller. So the Keller Youth Sports Timeline. June of 2021 was the creation of the Keller Sports Task Force. March of 2022, City Council approved the design contract after receiving significant stakeholder input on both design and youth programming. December of 23, City Council approved the initial guaranteed maximum price and construction commences. April of 26, the grand opening of the updated Keller Sports Park. June of 26, Keller City Council Strategic Work Session, where a subcommittee collects additional stakeholder feedback. September of 26th, Recommendation to Create the Keller Sports Authority. And then March of 2027, Upcoming User Agreement and Renewal Discussions with Youth Sports Partners. The next step to ensure that Keller Youth Sports remain family-friendly is not just providing great fields, it is creating a great experience for the families who use them. So what is being proposed? Establishing the Keller Youth Authority, Keller Sports Authority. The Keller Sports Authority would provide focused oversight and a stronger connection between Keller families, youth sports associations, and the city of Keller. A minimum of five Keller residents with direct experience in youth sports programming. Similar to other city boards and commissions, applicants encouraged to apply with eventual city council review and appointment authority. Meet on an as-needed basis with the goal of setting clear and high expectations for the Keller youth sports experience. Receive at least annual updates from each sports associations and make recommendations to city council for improving Keller youth sports across all youth sports. Serve as a forum for collaboration, accountability, and continued improvement of the youth sports in Keller. So our purpose is putting kids and families first. The goal is to encourage a more kid-focused, family-friendly, and community-driven approach to Keller youth sports, potential topics for the Keller Sports Authority to consider, explore strategies to create a more family-friendly youth sports environment in Keller, example, requiring sports associations to honor buddy and friend roster requests whenever possible, improve practice and game scheduling efficiency across all youth sports programs, Foster a town ball environment across all committees. Example, the Keller Central Chargers. Example, provide a Keller families a better platform to be heard. Next is to ensure the city partners with youth sports associations that are actively creating a competitive youth sports environment we are all proud of. evaluate partnerships, the leadership, and the governance of structure of partner associations, make recommendations to City Council for strengthening and implementing user agreements, and evaluate potential tournament hosts and agreements in collaboration with City staff. So immediate next steps, putting kids and Keller families first. Consider creation of the Keller Sports Authority this evening. Consider applicants for appointments to the Keller Sports Authority in October of 2026. And the Keller Sports Authority immediately begins working with existing youth sports associations to identify and implement reforms that take Keller youth sports to the next level beginning in the spring of 2027 athletic season and beyond. Questions? I'm here.

Thanks, Jordan. I'll just add one thing. I view this, you know, as one of 47,000 folks who happens to be heavily immersed in youth sports. I can't remember who said they have five kids. Yeah, I was going to joke around and say, well, that's a lot of kids. But I can, yeah, it is a lot of kids. So, you know, this is the first part for me of a conversation Our colleagues directed us at the strategic work session to have a subcommittee, Councilman Rankleve, Mayor Pro Tem, and myself, to look at opportunities. And my impression of those conversations has been we have gotten a lot of good stakeholder feedback, particularly when you look at the timeline over the years. But this is the starting point in the conversation. We currently already do a little bit of this work through our Parks and Recreation Board, but from a capacity perspective, we are limited in our capacity at Town Hall. We only have so many volunteers, we only have so much staff, so this is a really neat opportunity to increase our community engagement in this topic. I think it also helps create a great environment for collaboration alongside the Parks and Recreation Board, but particularly with folks, if we happen to get a lot of good applicants, which I think we will, it creates a dialogue that we just haven't had as a community in this capacity yet. So that's the, you know, I got a few questions about it, so the reason I'm addressing it now is, you know, what's the intent and purpose? And really the intent and purpose is to take the first step in a conversation about what are opportunities to work together and make it a great experience at the sports park and in our other facilities. You know, like volleyball at the Keller Point, for example. So with that, just wanted to put that bow on the end of an already great presentation by Jordan, but Councilwoman Brennan, you have a question?

Yeah, first off, I have a question. I noticed that the board would be five people. Why not seven people where we'd have one picked by each of the council members like we do the other commissions? So each council member would have somebody in the community, obviously, related to youth sports in some way that they would nominate to the committee. Why five? Why not seven?

Yeah, I can answer that if you want. Yeah, or I don't know, Dr. Inkley, if you want to jump in, Mayor Pro Temp. Yeah, so, you know, it's just a minimum. Some of our boards have more, a lot of them have seven. I think seven is just fine. I have no issues with that. But, you know, you want to make sure that with a new board, you know, we don't know what type of app type and how many applications we're going to get. And so we want as many good people involved as possible. But I think seven is a great recommendation. And I don't want to put words in anyone's mouth, but I think that was actually an idea that Dr. Rankleve has as well. So I think we're in agreement.

Okay, and then, I mean, just my two cents about it. I mean, it's been a long time since I've had kids in sports. I used to a long time ago, and they're all grown. I appreciate and understand that we have a top-notch sports park and that we need to have programming and tournaments and events for the kids that are equivalent to that, certainly a notch above. And it is an awful lot for the current Parks and Board Committee to... I think do at a level I think that is appropriate. So I have no problem with creating a board. I recommend that it be seven people, one appointed by each person on council, so we have a real variety of people from the community. And then it's a board, so they would look at the current operations and make recommendations and would still have to go through council and would still have to approve. So I don't see this as a big ask. because we're just creating another board. Future asks will be based on what the board decides they need to do. So that's my two cents. Thank you.

Great comments, Councilman Brennan. Just sequencing of the agenda, it's a little wonky tonight. So one of the things I wanted to touch up on was the appointment process. It'll function like every board. And so... in the City of Keller. And so, to the Councilwoman's point, we make nominations for our boards and commissions. There won't be one of us that, you know, picks a particular slot, but we make the nominations and then we vote in an open meeting, just like this one, and then we vote together on consensus for who serves on the board, which is a really It's a similar way of saying what the councilwoman said, but there are some folks on our current boards and commissions that think, like, I unilaterally appoint them, and that's procedurally not quite how it works. We make nominations, we consider the applicants, and then we come together, as we always do in an open meeting, and, you know, make the appointments. So is that on target? Okay. It's a little function like our other boards and commissions, but great comments. Councilmember Will? Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Jordan, is the creation of this board a staff recommendation? I guess I'm curious because you're doing the presentation.

This is a recommendation by the task force that was enacted at the council retreat.

Yeah, the subcommittee.

Okay.

I guess, to me, this feels a little cart before the horse. At the strategic session in June, we asked the sports task force committee to go and look at, like you said, look at opportunities and come back to council with those opportunities, not create an action item for us to create a board before we've had a chance to discuss those opportunities as a body. So I think I would... respectfully ask that we table this until we've had a chance to discuss it as a whole before we actually create some new branch of our city government.

Yeah, so I'll just briefly respond. I mean, I think that's a reasonable point. The feedback I got, in fact, one of the comments you made, Councilman Will, was impressed upon me, which is that I won't get it exactly right, But it was, hey, we need to make every effort to take our partnerships with the youth sports associations and make them work as well as possible. That needs to be our first step. Do you agree with that? I don't have a problem with that statement.

I'm just saying we haven't had a chance to discuss this.

So just to be honest with you, yeah, one of the main core things that the sports authority addresses and the reason we're bringing it forward tonight is capacity issue. You know, right now, I mean, for example, when we looked at Keller Lacrosse and the tournament policy, or not the tournament policy, but the field policy, in the user agreement, Jordan and I effectively functioned in the role and capacity that the sports authority would if we support it. We sat down, we met with lacrosse, and then we brought a recommendation to you guys for you to consider. And just to be candid with you, I would prefer more people involved in that conversation, not less. I don't necessarily think that you know, the mayor and the Parks and Recreation director need to call balls and strikes like that. I think that's something that, considering this board, and I think it actually is the first step in bringing forward answers to the questions that you're asking. So, for example, what opportunities are out there? Well, I mean, to be honest with you, sir, with us immersed in youth sports right now, as I personally am, we could be here all night talking about it, and that's a real story. Like, I spent I don't know, two hours trying to reschedule one five-year-old soccer game. I just don't think that's my job or any one individual's job. I think it's our job to create the framework and the structure to have a collaborative conversation. And even getting on, you know, Dr. Inkley's a busy guy, the mayor pretends a busy guy, even coordinating the meetings and having those conversations, it's a challenge. And so if we're looking at, you know, one practical reason why we would do this, it would be to create capacity you know, to address the points that, honestly, you just brought up?

Sure. No, I get it. I just, I mean, I'm just simply asking that we table this until we have a discussion about it. Considering the fact that the user agreements aren't up until March of 2027, we've got several months, so I don't really see what two weeks or four weeks would do.

Yeah, so it creates a significant time crunch for... anything that's going to be done in the spring. Because literally last night at 12 on 1 a.m., I registered a youth sports team that I coached to go play in December, January, and February. So from a youth sports programming perspective, and we have a couple of folks in the audience. We have Mr. DeLong from rugby, Chance with KYA baseball. The planning for spring programming starts really soon. If not now, I mean, the tournaments that Mr. DeLong was referencing, for example, are December and he needs answers like yesterday to implement that. So yeah, I agree with you from like a normal cadence. Like what's the, you know, why now? It's actually because if we wait too much longer, we're just going to miss an opportunity to meaningfully weigh in on our spring sports season. Just that's the timeline, and that's the answer. But that's a reasonable point. Did you have anything else?

No.

Okay. Good comments. Councilman Whatley?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I actually just wanted to echo the sentiment of Councilman Will. I'm in agreement. I would like to have a little more discussion about this. And since you mentioned Mr. Long, I would think that maybe if such a panel is chosen, that there should be somebody on there who should at least consider the rugby situation as well. I'm just throwing that out. but I echo council member Will's sentiments.

Thank you. Yeah, good comments. You know, if you don't have anything right now, then I'm not trying to put anyone on the spot, but we have put quite a bit of sweat equity into the discussion. And so I would just encourage you, if you have specific things that we're somewhat limited in how we can communicate as a city council on this topic, and that's why we have the subcommittee approach, if there are specific items that you'd like us to research, just like, you know, bring them forward for us to consider, so that way we can present them, because like, at least for me, I took pretty careful notes on different comments, right? Councilman Armstrong made a really good point in that discussion about making sure that Keller residents have a good seat at the table, and I don't know, Councilman, if you agree with that, but that's what I recall from our discussion. You know, your comment, sir, about, you know, the first step being, hey, look, let's take the highest road possible and make it work with the associations. That really, your comment, actually, you know, I think in a really positive way helped form and inform this policy recommendation. I'm just extremely concerned from a capacity perspective that if we don't act, we just We're a little short staffed, so I've already said that, though. Mayor Pro Tem?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I apologize. I know you sent these out Thursday, and I just haven't had a chance to go through some of these, and we've been in a lot of these meetings. I guess since we are creating a new board, and I know a lot of our colleagues are seeing this for the first time, just to kind of maybe dumb it down for an Aggie like me. So we're creating a board, and the expectation it's going to meet once or twice a year Citizens will come in with any concerns they have about youth sports. And that board's going to decide whether it should make a recommendation to council that something should be changed. Or, like, I guess what I'm saying is for us to create this board. And, like, I think this board has a lot of potential. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it. I'm just saying, like, to clarify it. I just want to clarify exactly what this board's doing per se as we create it. And for those listening as well. And for our colleagues as well.

Yeah, that's a good question. So in terms of the board, I'm going to reframe it a little bit just because that's how my brain works. In terms of the board scope, honestly, can we bring up the slide that talks about purpose? I think this actually kind of gets at the heart of your question. And, you know, like with all of our board and commissions, we don't have... necessarily an agenda that we give to them and say, this is your job. Like with the Parks and Recreation Board, we actually solicit, we say, hey, we're gonna budget for trails, and we're gonna budget for playgrounds and things like that, but we really lean on them for ideas and innovation. So the scope would be youth sports, and much like our other boards function, they'll continue the work that the Parks and Recreation Board currently does in looking at youth sports, start to look at these issues in a little bit more robust manner when you look at all the examples up there. And I would argue that's probably just the tip of the iceberg. They hit on some of the broad themes and narratives that we heard and have heard and continue to hear from parents. But there's not really a prescriptive agenda, if you will, for any of our boards. This one, much like our other boards, would just work within the youth sports environment to bring us good ideas to elevate the programming experience. So it'd be programming for youth sports. And I don't know if that gets at the heart of your question or not.

Yeah. The reason I ask is because I look at this as part of a larger thing is as we are, you know, as S3, as we've had a lot of meetings on this and we get, you know, we're getting a lot of feedback from citizens. And if there are changes to recommend to our vendors that like KYA or KSA or whoever is doing a sport, the mechanism we provide that feedback, or if we think we need a higher standard of something, how we do that, whether that be in the contracts we just updated. And the reason I'm asking is I think this board, if it is created, could have a very important part in that process. And that's why I want to be, again, I completely understand you on the spring thing. I just, if we do this, I want to do it right. And I'm not saying we're doing it wrong. I'm just, I want to be, maybe it needs more authority, maybe it needs less, but You know, I, again, I think this board has a lot of potential. I just, it's kind of, it's very, and maybe, you know, you're saying, you know, we create it and we can hone on it, which is fine. It is. Yeah. And I just, I think we, I just, I want to be clear on like what, you know, we're asking people to volunteer. Like say I bring one, you know, these five people up here. What's the expectation that we're asking them when parents come? Because I do have a concern on a level of, and I just got to say this, is if, you know, we, If someone comes in, a parent comes in and says, I don't like A, B, and C, because there's a lot of issues out there. We'd like these to be fixed. And they tell this board, and this board comes to us, we can't really do anything unless we update contracts or make recommendations or set new standards. Yes, sir. Right, and so what I'm saying is whether this board can play a part in that, giving them that authority, or are we going to own problems that, No, what I'm saying is we're going to... I don't want us to own... You know, people come in and complain, and then we own the problem, but we can't do anything to fix it. That just is... And so maybe it's part of a... Maybe we go ahead and work on that after we create it. I don't know. But that's just a concern I wanted to share on this.

Yeah, no, I think that's a... Yeah, I think that's a good point. But I would just reiterate, you know, this is the work that already is supposed to be taking place and is to some extent... To your point, Mayor Pro Tem, and for the rest of the council and the audience, we have pretty robust user agreements that when we enter into those with sports associations, we abide by them. And so one of the first steps, I think logically, you know, it's right there, evaluate the partnerships, leadership, and the governance structure of partner associations. That's a phrase that would make looking at bylaws, for example, and then working collaboratively with sports associations on what those bylaws look like and having that conversation. And they can have that conversation. They can make a recommendation to us, but if they happen to make a recommendation we like, we support it. If they make a recommendation we don't like, We don't support it. And that's just how our process works. And we can always change it to, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Good comments. Did you have anything else, sir? No, I'm good. Okay. All right. Councilman Armstrong.

Mr. Mayor, my comments are going to be brief. I spoke with Dr. Rancliffe about how many times y'all's committee has met. And he said he recalls three, right or wrong. I don't believe I recall any updates regarding any of those meetings. to get us informed as a body to say, hey, here's where we're headed and all that. Right or wrong, I'm just not saying we should go and agree with Greg that this is fairly new to most of us on here except the three of you that have met. I'm not opposed to what you're recommending on the numbers on the committee. I think you probably need to have staggered terms instead of everybody coming on at the same time and having two years because you could possibly once the people that are asked to perform that task they could all tell you to go take a hike and you lose all five or seven of them at one time sure so yeah I just don't I don't feel like that the council as a whole has been kept informed on what y'all have done a good job doing but I don't think we're informed on it yeah so

From a, I think that's a good point. From a process perspective, I would agree. I think, I don't remember the exact number of meetings. It probably is three. One of them, it was, we put a, I think we noticed it. It was like a potential notice of quorum, I think, that we posted. Is that right? Do you remember, Kelly? It was on a Friday. I just know we were here all day soliciting, like literally it was close to all day soliciting stakeholder feedback. And So we also have a heavy amount of interactions outside of the three of us. And so I think what you're seeing, to your point, and it is our job to keep each and every one of you informed. Quite frankly, our first meeting, there wasn't anything worth updating y'all on. I don't think we solved very much at all. I'd argue the second meeting, probably about the same result because you kind of need to get in a room, meet, deliberate, figure out where our strengths and weaknesses are, and then try to apply some gray matter. And what we realized, at least from my perspective, is, look, this needs to be a community-driven approach. We need to have more folks than even just the seven of us involved. It's an important discussion. A lot of people care about it. And so I actually think this is one of the I'm not the smartest guy in every room, but I think this actually is one of our ways to try to help address your point to keeping you informed in this discussion, because I think you'll get more information out of this body than, you know, even what we've been able to provide at this point. So, you know, why weren't you briefed after meeting one? Well, I don't think we did. We didn't solve a whole lot, but those are good points. Good points. All right. Good discussions. Anything else?

can i yeah okay i didn't okay i just say uh for everyone listening regardless of how this goes or there's a lot of work going into this to a larger solution because as the mayor was saying or excuse me jordan when she was reading this spent over 40 million dollars largest investment in keller's history we have a really good sports park out there and we want to do everything we can to support the programming to make it the best it can be and the best way to do that obviously is by getting feedback if there are problems, defining them, making sure they're actually problems, but then fixing them. And for me, you know, I can only speak for myself, the sports authority would just be one part of that and a larger solution so we can have the best youth sports. Because there's a lot of things we can do to leverage the infrastructure we have out there. So just wanted to add that.

All right. Good comments. Thanks.

Dr. Rankleaf? You guys have touched on a lot of points, so I'm not going to sit here and spend a lot of time. I do want to just kind of echo what Shannon said, which is we have a really great youth program here, and we have really great facilities within Keller. And my son plays travel baseball, and it's kind of neat to go to these different baseball tournaments, and you'll see the kids that are playing for KYA, and there's a lot of hometown pride. And I think the discussions that we had... You know, that was really clear. You know, how do you maximize the investment that Keller's made in youth sports? How do you make sure that the experience that those kids and families have are maximized? And I look at this committee, whether we approve it tonight or whenever it gets approved, is an opportunity to have those discussions and kind of strengthen what we already have in Keller. So thank you, Mr. Mayor.

All right. Thank you, and thanks for putting the work into it. All right. Russ, I did ask to table this, so.

Yeah.

Yeah. If you want to, I'm going to, I have a motion. You know, we, I'm happy to, I think we're ready to go, to be honest with you. So you and I happen to disagree, and that's okay. Procedurally, if you want to amend the motion, that's the way we could do it. But my motion will be to go ahead and approve item F7. Councilwoman Brennan?

I second approving it.

Okay. We have a motion and a second.

Did you want to? I would like to amend the motion to table to a later date.

Okay. Like we always do, do you have a date in mind? The next meeting, two weeks.

When's the next meeting?

October 6th.

So that's the, what do we have on that agenda? October 6th.

I'm sorry?

What do we currently have teed up for that agenda? Two big items are Kroger and Samantha Springs.

Kroger, Samantha Springs, okay. And then potentially AOPRs if that happens to get tabled. Okay, so October 6th? Yes. Okay. All right, so let's go ahead and consider that motion to amend. We need a second. I'll second it just so we can get through the process. And let's...

I was going to comment on his motion real quick.

Yeah, go ahead.

I'm okay with tabling it for two weeks. I don't think it kills anything. It's two weeks away? Three weeks. Well, over three weeks. Because I think we can keep moving. If we have the assumption that it's going to pass, we can keep moving on it. I'm okay. Because this is the first time our colleagues are seeing this, and Councilman Rand Cleave and the mayor and I have had a lot of time to chew on this hours upon hours. And so I'm okay with tabling it. And so I'm voting in favor of that from a council member's request. But just say we can keep working on it and defining this because this is a lot of work.

And specifically to have a work session item to this so that we can discuss it.

Because there was a work session item. That's true. Okay.

Well, functionally what we're doing is a work session. But, I mean, you heard the same presentation you were going to hear. All right. So we have a motion and a second. Any further comments? All right, let's vote on the motion table. All right, that motion passes six to one. Next up, item F8, excuse me, F9. It's to consider a resolution adopting the Keller Sports Park tournament policy. I think we just, do we have a presentation on this one?

Not a formal presentation, just the actual tournament policy. This should have been sent out to review, so if you have any edits or anything, happy to discuss and make them as needed. Would you like me to read the policy? The purpose of these policies is to establish clear expectations for tournament organizers, protect the city facilities, promote participant safety, and ensure successful events. A tournament includes three or more teams participating in multiple games. Thank you for considering the City of Keller for your tournament or league. Please carefully review the following guidelines to ensure a successful and compliant event. For assistance or questions, contact the Parks and Rec team at the number above. So this will be the reservation process to reserve a field at Keller Sports Park. Please follow these steps. Review the tournament and league field use application and information guide, which this is that. Submit the following at least 30 days prior to your event start date, assigned field use application and hold harmless agreement, full payment of the complex rental fee, certificate of insurance listing the city of Keller as an additional insured, final site map including ADA accommodations and the vendor list if applicable. A pre-event walkthrough is required, schedule at least seven days in advance. Definitions, event director is the individual responsible for organizing and overseeing all event activities, must be 18 or older. Terms and conditions, use priority, so first is the City of Keller sponsored events. Previously established associations, leagues, and tournaments. Third is City of Keller residents and fourth is non-residents. Rental fees, full rental payment due with application, late cancellations under 10 business days is no refund. Refunds issued only if city cancels due to weather or safety concerns. If the tournament is a multi-day event and only a portion of the tournament is canceled due to weather, a prorated amount will be refunded. Security may be required and on-site maintenance crew may be required, minimum two crew members at $350 each per day. Field use and maintenance, game times. The earliest start time is 8 a.m. The latest end is 10 p.m. City of Keller responsibilities. Before the event, we will have the fields dragged, raked, watered, and lined per standard. Only in baseball and softball will be lined according to standard field configurations. Renters utilizing the soccer or multi-use fields will be responsible for coordinating and contracting any necessary field striping based on their specific layout and needs. During the rental, on-site maintenance available for $350 per day includes restroom cleaning, trash removal, grounds upkeep, event director responsibilities include but not limited to serve as primary contact with the city of keller remain on site for the entirety of the tournament ensure compliance with city policies and procedures report report emergencies and damage and communicate weather delays to all parties weather and safety umpires and referees decide on in progress delays lightning detection system requires immediate evacuation to seek shelter AEDs are located at all restrooms. Stay-off fields during maintenance. There's emergency call 911, and non-emergency can call our on-call crew. Prohibited activities, alcohol unless permitted through a park special use permit and a TABC permit, pets within the Keller Sports Park complex except for service animals, hitting and kicking balls into fences and buildings, bicycles, scooters, rollerblades, and skateboards, smoking or vaping within 20 feet of the fields and playgrounds, no hanging anything from the net, fencing, cameras, recording devices, speakers, signs, etc., No gum, no seeds or nuts of any kind, no metal cleats allowed on any field, and no firearms or weapons. Additional permits that could be required. Alcohol permit requires city approval and a park special use permit. Amplified sound or music requires park special event permit. This does not include personal speakers used in dugouts for walk-up songs between any music or similar purposes. Vendors must provide insurance and business licensing. Vendors need a Texas Department of State Health Services permit. laws, rules, and regulations, event directors, participants, vendors, coaches, officials, and spectators are required to comply with all applicable federal and state laws, City of Keller ordinances, and the rules and regulations established by the City of Keller Parks and Recreation Department governing the use of the Keller Sports Park and other city park facilities. The event director is responsible for ensuring that all individuals associated with the event comply with these policies and procedures. Individuals are responsible for any damage they cause to persons or property while using city facilities. This includes, but is not limited to, damage caused by balls, bats, equipment, or other activities associated with the event. If the responsible individual cannot be identified or does not accept responsibility, the event director will be responsible for any resulting damages. Alteration, modification, defacement, or misuse of city property, facilities, furnishings, or equipment is strictly prohibited. Any cost incurred for cleaning, repairs, or replacement, including city, staff, labor, and materials will be billed to the event director or sponsoring organization. Failure to reimburse the city for damages may result in a denial of future reservations or permits and or legal action. The pre-tournament walkthrough. A pre-tournament walkthrough is required for tournament league rentals. The event director or an approved designee must schedule and attend the walkthrough with city staff no later than seven days prior to the event, unless otherwise approved by the city. During the walkthrough, city staff and event director will review assigned fields and facilities. field conditions, facility amenities, event logistics, access points, special requests, safety considerations. Walkthroughs are conducted by appointment only and are not available on a drop-in basis. Please allow approximately one hour for the walkthrough inspection. Tournament requirements. Tournament requirements vary depending on the size, scope, and nature of the event. To ensure the safety of participants in the successful operation of each tournament, the following items may be required before final approval. Certificate of liability insurance, vendor documentation, site map, security plan, tournament schedule, required permits and licensing. All required documents must be submitted with the tournament application or by the deadlines established by the city. Insurance requirements. The event director or leasee shall provide general liability insurance meeting the minimum coverage requirements established by the City of Keller. At a minimum, the policy should cover general liability insurance of $1 million. The insurance policy shall name the City of Keller as an additional insured, remain in effect for the duration of the event, be submitted to the director of Parks and Recreation prior to permit approval, and include proof of coverage in the form of a certificate of insurance or policy declaration page. Identification. The event director agrees to identify, hold harmless, and defend the city, its officers, agents, and employees from and against all liability for any and all claims, suits, demands, and or actions for damages, injuries to persons, including death, property damage, including loss of use, and expenses, including court costs and attorney fees and other reasonable costs. occasioned by or arising out of Lee C's use of the park named above and our activities conducted in connection with the incidental to this permit and arising out of or resulting from the intentional acts or neglect of Lee C, its officers, agents, employees, and persons participating in the event sponsored by Lee C. So, Jordan, the indemnification, would you mind scrolling to the

Damages and permit revocation. As I recall, I'm going to take it from someone who is like...

This is the last pair. Yeah, you go ahead and do it.

You win the race, finish strong.

Damage and permit revocation. The City of Keller reserves the right to deny, suspend, revoke, or modify any tournament reservation when necessary to protect public health. Safety, city property, or any orderly operation of Keller Sports Park. Reasons for denial or revocation may include, but are not limited to, failure to submit required documentation, failure to make required payments, violation of city policies or ordinances, damage to city property, unsafe conditions, failure to comply with permit conditions. Whenever practical, the city may work with the event director to modify event operations or relocate activities in lieu of canceling the reservation.

Awesome. Nicely done. So we are fully briefed on this one. Any questions on the tournament policy? I do have one question. As you're making decisions on who to, what tournaments to allow, how do you make those decisions?

So that is, to be determined, it's kind of been made apparent to staff that it's kind of case-by-case basis and it's up to staff to kind of decide on tournaments. So personally, I would go with the usage, city-sponsored events, association leagues, second, and then residents, and then non-residents. It's going to be a decision what sports we allow, if we wanna allow all sports, or if we wanna allow the approved sports on the fields that are played on them right now. But I think we ask, if the city doesn't have any tournaments, see if the associations have anything that they're interested in, and then allow all outside applications. including residents and non-residents, and start accepting six months in advance.

Six months in advance. Okay. So it sounds like you'll do your best. I will absolutely do my best. Okay. And not trying to revisit an old item, but just for colleagues on council, when I'm talking about the sports authority, and we're continuing the conversation, we're going to pick it up as much as we need to, but this is a great function for that board potentially. where Jordan can lean on some folks that have direct current day experience in this because it's just a lot for staff to kind of juggle all that. So, did anyone else have any questions on the tournament policy besides me? As far as the, I did have one more. Can you remind me the finances and the figures, how we agreed a rate?

So we don't have published rates as of yet. So we kind of threw out some numbers out there, and KDC recommended to have residents and associations pay the same rate. Non-residents pay a little bit more, but it was deferred to staff to set the rates.

Okay. So hopefully, again, that helps kind of, you know, it's one piece of a much larger pie where I think the folks can provide that input. So Dr. Rankleaf?

Yeah, and since we had a process question about the previous item, and again, I'm sorry, I'm also an Aggie, so don't hold that against me. What was the process to kind of create this document? Like, what did that look like?

So in the very beginning, the bones came from the Parks and Rec Board. They created a subcommittee within their board to come up with a tournament policy. It was also in line with the association agreement, their yearly agreement that they signed. So they created this, got us really good bones, and then we just took other cities' policies, took pieces from it, and created what we thought would be best for the city of Keller and represent us the best and protect our fields and facilities, but also get great tournaments and outside people visiting Keller.

Do you remember what year that was?

They started the tournament policy, I believe, back in October. Of 25?

Of 25, yes, sir. Yeah, okay. Good question. Any other questions, comments? Otherwise, I recognize a motion from Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. The amount of hours, again, I don't know how many meetings between KDC and then with Parks and Rec and staff on this. This is a culmination of a lot of work. Hopefully, we can have some really good tournaments here in the city. I'll bring in revenues for the hotels, as Brad was giving an example, hotels and restaurants. as is the goal. So excited about this. Thank you. Well, with that, I move to approve item F9. Sorry.

Got it. All right. Motion to approve item F9. Councilman Will? I second. All right. We have a motion and a second. I'll just tell you, being an inpatient personality, when we have a discussion in October 2025, I want you guys to bring it forward to us quicker than... You know, that's just a lot of discussion, a lot of effort to go into a policy that, quite frankly, we could have captured a lot of tournaments. And I'll own part of that. Like, it's not me pointing the fingers at anyone. I remember providing red line edits. Quite frankly, I thought the policy was already on the books. But we have so much volume, which, again, you know, hopefully we can increase that capacity moving forward. But thanks for the work that you did with this, Jordan. Motion is second. Let's vote on item F9. All right. That item passes. F11. I'm going to go ahead, being that impatient person, and make a motion to table F11 to the October 6th meeting date. Mayor Pro Tem seconds. Motion to second. Yes. Let's vote to table F11. Before that, though, there are folks in the room that are here for this issue. So, Chief, if you wouldn't mind giving... A bit of a presentation on it just for folks in the room, and I'll be prepared on that.

Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of council, Brad Fortune, chief of police, and this is Ryan Coe, deputy chief over support services. And so we're just going to, as we've heard earlier, there's a lot of discussion surrounding ALPRs in our country. And it we wanted to use this as an opportunity basically to outline how Keller is using these cameras And I know that there's also some misinformation some myths out there and so we just want to give facts about our use and our and our Guidelines and our guardrails that we've actually implemented because of a lot of the concern around the country so Someone's doing that Okay, so I don't know how it turned, but it turned. So bottom line is our primary objective, you hired us, me, and we as a police department is to ensure public safety, number one, as well as protect individual liberties. Ryan and I are both also military veterans, and we are very passionate about both of these tenets. But we have to also understand both of these are not mutually exclusive either. So I wanted to start off the presentation just the way everyone understands and is aware of what the Fourth Amendment is, what it says. And just to outline that Supreme Court and districts around our country have consistently acknowledged that these cameras are not any kind of violation of the Fourth Amendment. There's no expectation of privacy in the exterior of your vehicle on a public roadway. And through many facets, we've shown that you have to have license plates and they have to be regulated. Driver's license, motor vehicle registrations, they can be denied, revoked, suspended. So operating a motor vehicle on our roadways is a privilege, it's not a right. So this is information, I'm not gonna play this video. I put this here for citizens to watch this because the presentation is live. It's about a three minute long video, but it explains basically the foundation of how the flock system works. And this is from flock, so take it for what it's worth. But it is a good base as we go forward with our presentation for any citizens that want to view this on their own. So now getting into specifics about how we're using this in Keller. So the map on your right is an outline of where our cameras are located. We have right now 10 cameras in nine map locations. You'll see there that Tarrant Parkway, Davis, and Keller Parkway are the roads that we've chosen to put our cameras. We were very strategic in where we're going to put them because we want to know who's coming into Keller And God forbid if a silver alert or Alzheimer's patient is leaving Keller or a child that has been taken is leaving Keller, we want to know that too. We want to know anyone that's going through our heavily traveled roadways. Once you're into Keller and where you go in Keller, that's not our concern. We're not trying to know that. There's 14 TxDOT cameras that initially were approved when we got approval two years ago. We are still waiting on TxDOT approval. When that comes along, You'll see 377 there. We have cameras designated for 377 and Keller Parkway additionally. But you'll see that all the cameras are on the exterior of Keller. So it was mentioned earlier, but we do have what they call the Falcon cameras. Anyone who goes on Flock and they start Google, Flock has a lot of different products. And as mentioned before, they have products called Condor, CCTV, and Nova. And so we do not have those cameras and we haven't deployed those cameras. As mentioned, those are AI-generated video with pan, tilt, zoom capabilities. We do not have those cameras. Our cameras are a still image only when you go by and it's taking a picture of the rear of your vehicle and a license plate. There's no video feed capabilities within our cameras. There's no PTZ. There's no facial recognition software in our cameras. It doesn't record names, addresses, social security numbers, or any DMV data, nor does it have any kind of revenue-generating enforcement activities, such as looking for expired tags, expired driver's license, speeding, et cetera. Right now, this is a list of our current camera locations, and I'm not going to sit as everyone reads through this, but this is online, and people are going to be able to look at it, because the table on the right also shows for each camera what the coverage of those cameras are detecting, what locations. And you'll see number one and number 18, it takes two different cameras to cover the size of 377. Or, I'm sorry, Tarrant Parkway from 377. I also wanted to provide, I mentioned earlier that we had text out of cameras initially approved, but we do not have them installed. But when we do get approval, if we do, and they do get installed, these were the locations that were outlined for those to cover, and you can see to what I said earlier, they stay on the exterior of Keller in our main traveled roadways, 377 and Keller Parkway. Moving on to our flock deployment, how the flock deployment works. There's two primary ways that flock is utilized. Number one is real-time alerts. So anytime currently when people are wanted, when vehicles are stolen, as law enforcement agencies, we enter into systems called National Crime Information Center or the Texas Crime Information Center. The flock cameras receive alerts through those systems so that if a stolen vehicle comes through our cameras, if a person has warrants and related to a specific vehicle, if we have an amber alert issued through the state, if we had silver alerts issued or missing persons that we've entered, those are through official databases that send in alerts to our department and then we can respond accordingly. We also have what they call hot lists that if we have a specific case individually in Keller or if Grapevine has a murder and they have a specific case and they have a vehicle that's related to that case, they can enter in this database as a hot list for as a vehicle of interest that they need to be found. That also can make alerts to us. The second type from the real-time alerts are investigative searches. That's where our officers can go into the system and search specifically for vehicles. We have put more restrictions on them because of some of the issues that have been mentioned earlier and that we're hearing around the country of misuse. And so we understand the individual liberty part and it's up to us to put the restrictions on it to make sure we can control it, and our guys are using it for lawful reasons for public safety. So number one, they have to put an investigative type. There's a list of drop downs that FLOX provided that we choose of what we're going to use to search, whether it's burglary, the different types of call types. Number two, if there's a case number or a call for service number related to it, we have to enter that. Now, if there's not a case or a call for service number, then there's another field called reason for search that our officers are required to enter a reason bringing it back to a law enforcement purpose. So if another agency reaches out to us and wants us to search our flock cameras, they need to provide us a call for service number, bringing it back to the lawful purpose of why we're searching anything in that system. The last part is investigative restraint. I'm going to let Deputy Chief Coe kind of talk to this a little bit.

So we talked a lot about real time, how the cops use it in real time, those alerts. or investigative searches on the back end of it. But one of the things it also has provided that we've seen a tremendous benefit on is exonerating innocent people. And just a couple of quick examples of that. A couple of weeks ago, we lost an ATM at a bank. A guy pulled into the back of a bank, tied a chain to it, and drug it off, and stole the ATM. Well, the witness saw a car that was associated with this whole thing and was a good witness. They tell the patrol cop, hey, here's the description. Here's the license plate. So the patrol cop's taking that down. That's a good suspect. That's a good lead for us. So the next day the detectives get in there, and the first thing they do is they start working that lead. Going into the flock system, using that database, was immediately able to exonerate that person, completely innocent of being involved with this crime rig, no association with them, remove them from the police reports, don't have to knock on their doors. Another one we get quite often are hit and runs. They happen quickly. A lot of times people are in their cars or on their phones or whatever, and they hear it, and then they look up, So they see a different car might be involved in it and they say, well, that was the suspect that took off. So a lot of times we're able to go into there and through the flock camera and prove the damage isn't there or prove that they weren't even there. Couldn't even have been impossible because they were in Arlington that day. So we're able to exonerate quite a few people that we've done through the flock system so far.

So I wanted to highlight the four top searches right now, 2026 so far, that Keller has used. And this is important because it aligns with the calls for service that we respond to the most and the type of crime that we deal with here in Keller. Number one is missing and endangered persons. We consistently have, unfortunately, you know, sadly enough, we have some older folks in Keller that are maybe suffering from Alzheimer's that we put silver alerts on that get lost. And so that's our number one search in Keller. Number two is larceny theft. That's our number one part one crime that we deal with, especially from Lowe's, Home Depot. We're going to discuss with them a little bit further. Wanted persons fugitives and then motor vehicle theft being the last So I'm gonna let bra so if you remember back a couple years ago when we first brought flock in We brought up a specific case. This was when we did not have flock. We had a missing person that was in Keller as you know Keller citizens are passionate about being Keller citizens. So whatever the issue is we're going to hear from them and so number one When this was going on, this was a young lady, she was in her 30s, and she left one day to go to Target, and her friends didn't hear from her. And so she had two kids, she was married, they said this is very much unlike her. So they really, really started to speak out to us. They were on social media, wanting us to get county and state officials, wanting us to get search parties. We obviously had been communicating with the family and realized there were some other things going on that we couldn't share publicly. But there was a huge outcry from the citizens wanting us something done because this was so unlike her. Long story short, we were able to ping her cell phone because there was still a concern making sure that her welfare was okay. And we pinged her cell phone. She was in Oklahoma. So we obviously put a miss in person, BOLOs out nationwide to try to find her just to confirm that she was in fact okay to substantiate what her family was saying. And they realized that she started to, some agencies that did have flock, started to check their cameras and locations for her vehicle. They found her in Paris, Texas. Then she went through Rowlett, Texas. Then she came to Fort Worth, Texas, where Fort Worth PD was able to stop her on body-worn camera, talk to her, and she just basically said, I was done. I just needed to leave. She was safe. She was on her own. She's an adult. There was no criminal offense. She just needed to go. And six days later, we confirmed that she was safe, and we were done with that. But had we had the flock cameras ourselves, we would have been able to search those cameras in Texas without putting missing persons out and possibly have tracked where she was to confirm that earlier. The rest of these successes, we have a tremendous amount of successes that we're tracking, but we've identified about four or five of these that I want to outline here so the citizens hear this to understand the value of these cameras and what they've done just in Keller.

So I'll just go over a few of our successes here. May of 2025, we had that call that no cop wants to get. It was a kidnapping that just occurred at the Coles parking lot. And so every officer we had available was heading down that way. It was a wife with her husband and her nine-year-old daughter. And we didn't know it at the time, but it was a child custody issue where the father didn't have custody. But the father, the ex-husband, showed up with his family, knocked down mom and this other guy. violently take the kid, and they take off. Well, she was able to provide our dispatch center with a description of the vehicle and a partial license plate. And that was all our dispatchers needed. While all these cops were on their way to Coles, they were able to get a flock hit on Tarrant Parkway heading into Fort Worth, fleeing the scene. So now we don't need three or four cops going to Coles anymore. I only need one cop going to Coles. I need the rest going to try to stop the truck. And through the series of the next several minutes, it hit a couple more cameras Sure enough, we pull up into a red light over in Fort Worth, and there's the car, stopped waiting for the red light, and we were able to effect a failing traffic stop, take three people into custody, and get back that nine-year-old all within a couple minutes of that call from that system. This year, April, we got an alert at one of our cameras, and that was an Amber Alert out of the state of Louisiana. Once again, it was a child custody exchange. The father didn't have any rights to this kid whatsoever, but took the kid and then went across state lines trying to flee, and we were able to reunite that child with his mom as well. We mentioned the most missing elderly. There's a case on here, but this actually most recent was this last Friday. We had a gentleman, early onset of dementia, 82 years old. He went to a work function. He left his cell phone at home. After hours of not coming home, his wife finally got concerned. She called one of the coworkers and said, man, that work function's been over for hours. But he never showed up to the function at all. And so she called us to report a missing person. So we get there. We couldn't do anything on a ping on a cell phone because it was still at the house. But immediately going to the flock cameras, we could see that he had just been driving around kind of all the DFW area. Ultimately, we were able to get him stopped safely and get him. He just couldn't find his way back home. But we were able to get him back home with his wife. January 2025, up in the northern Keller, we had a tractor stolen. The tractor didn't have a license plate on it. But the truck that stole it with the trailer did have a license plate on it, so we ended up pitting some flock cameras for the next morning when the detectives get in. We were able to track that truck and trailer all the way out to Azle, write some search warrants to go on the property, recover that property, and take a guy into custody on that one as well. February 2026, we go to pull somebody over for speeding. They take off. This kind of mini high-speed pursuit occurs for a couple seconds. We don't pursue a whole lot of vehicles, especially for traffic violations. And so we shut down and let the guy go. And a lot of people think, okay, well, they get away with it. Well, we'll still continue to search for you because that's a felony evading. And so we were able to utilize the flock system and see that they entered a business parking structure, parking area in Fort Worth. So we went over there and found the guy right outside of his car and were able to safely take him into custody and not risk the public safety with vehicle pursuits. And then I talked about the hit and runs. Last one I'll talk about, it's not up there right now, but on the commercial side of it. We do have some theft from our businesses, unfortunately. We had a guy that was kind of killing us at Lowe's, and we had seven felony arrest warrants out for this guy. And so we had that attached to his vehicle. And Lowe's, Home Depot, Walmart, a lot of these organizations have flock cameras in their parking lots now. They're private property. And so this guy happened to pull into a Lowe's in Euless, and it immediately alerted Euless PD. So the first thing they did was call our dispatch center to confirm that these warrants were good, which they were. ULIS PD was able to detain the guy in their parking lot, and we sent a Keller officer down to take him into custody and book him into jail and clear our warrants out of the system. So there's a couple successes that we've had so far with this system.

So last of the successes, I just want to remind you a couple weeks ago, and the citizens can check out this presentation on their own as well, when we entered into an MOU with Trident, which is a real-time crime center in Fort Worth, and they're expanding their crime center into the regional partners. The reason I bring this up is that the value of these cameras is they had a whodunit random shooting that happened. And within 15 minutes, using flock cameras and eyewitness testimony of the vehicle, they were able to identify the suspect vehicle. And within an hour, they were able to locate this random shooting and place that suspect in custody. And that was with the partnership of Haltom City, Fort Worth, and North Richland Hills. And that was just a random shooting causing a murder within an hour, taken into custody. and it was solely by the flock cameras.

So now I'll talk a little bit about data sharing. We heard a little bit earlier about who we share data with, and I think that's been a big topic nationwide about this. OK, here's Keller, and then we're sharing our data to thousands of agencies across the nation. And so I think that's a legitimate concern. And so we feel the same way. And we've tightened up a lot of it. So if you look for us now, we're probably one of the tighter ones in the nation. We feel that our data here collected in Keller needs to remain in this area, at least, to help solve crimes or crime trends. So we only share our data in the greater DFW Metroplex area. Now, if, let's say, Houston had a murder and the vehicle that was fleeing was registered here in Keller and they wanted to get some information from us, no problem. We'll definitely help out other law enforcement organizations. But we have a protocol in place for that as well. They're going to call us, go through our dispatch center, our detective bureau. We're going to create our own call for service in our in-house data record system called CADRMS. We're going to get the case number for whatever agency we're working with, the detective, their phone number, their callback, the license plate, everything to log it into our system and then be able to provide them information. But with our data sharing, Flock allows you to share as much as you want, including your historical data and downloads and everything. We don't. We only allow agencies to search the data or get an alert if one of their hot list ones comes through the city. They can't download the data. Nothing passes. We delete after 30 days anyways. So we really restrict the amount of sharing to only the DFW area. Now, our organization, our cops, our detectives, When they're trying to solve crimes for our victims here in Keller, they're allowed to search the state of Texas. If there's another Texas agency that wants to share their information with us, we're fine with them looking at that. We don't really see a need for us to have access to the whole nation. I think that just, we want to reduce any even potential of misuse of the system, right? So that's greatly reduced to only the state of Texas. Same thing, if one of our detectives has a case that takes them to a suspect in Oklahoma, pick up the phone and call a detective up there and work detective to detective and be able to document all of that.

So when we first approved FLOC two years ago, one of the concerns was the fact that they said that after 30 days, the data was going to be deleted. And I remember one of the councilmen at that time had concerns. We had a separate council meeting. We brought in members of FLOC from Atlanta to further discuss this. And we were always trying to say, how can they prove this data is gone because what it was mentioned earlier, this stuff is, you know, we own the data. It's on a server cloud in encryption, but it's owned by Flock. So, or it's housed with Flock. And so how do we know that data is gone when we say it? So we did an experiment on August the 11th and August the 12th, Deputy Chief Koh took the city vehicle and we got, he got his vehicle captured on several different cameras. You can see the times there and the timestamps are on each of those still images. So then we waited 30 days and we did another search on September the 12th. And that was the results we received when we searched for that specific vehicle. And as you see, it says no results found. So this is a lot. My hypocrisy only goes so far. So this is a lot of security things. I don't know about all these things. But I know some of our citizens do. So this is some of the Flock certifications from a security perspective that they provide. One thing I do want to mention is they also have this adversarial external testing from Bishop Fox. And what they do is they target the hardware, software, the cloud infrastructure of Flock, trying to hack it, trying to penetrate it to just maintain its security. So I wanted to also talk about because of the discussion around the country, there's been a lot of revisions and guardrails that we've realized internally that we needed to shore up on our own policy and we needed to be more specific with what we would allow and what we wouldn't allow to be aligned with what the concern is of our citizens around the country. And so just to start, we actually put into policy about the things that are prohibited And we also made sure that our officers are going to know that not only there may be discipline in a termination perspective, but there's civil liability and there's also criminal prosecution that can be involved. So what a lot of folks don't know is that as a police department, we are made aware and have access to personal information that goes well beyond the back of a vehicle and license plates. We have access to that information. Our officers have access to that information. And so you have to have remedies in there to, if you do have an officer that does misuse it, there has to be consequences and penalties for that. And that's why there's already a Texas Penal Code 3905 misuse of official information. And that's because all the other access or data that we have access to, again, well beyond just license plate in the vehicle. I also want to make sure that There was also an example given earlier that is specific to what I'm about to say is that for us, just because there's a license plate hit on a vehicle, we get an alert, that is just a reason to be there. That does not give us the authority to take law enforcement action. We have to create our own probable cause. We have to confirm that with human verification. We have an audio that we've played it for some of you earlier this week that just happened last week where we got a hit on a stolen vehicle. They gave the tag. Well, one of our officers on the street as well as a dispatcher were trying to confirm that tag and realized that the hit mistake a K for an X. And so it was not a valid vehicle. And simultaneously, the officer on the street and the dispatcher got on to tell the responding officers it's not a valid hit. So not only are we trying to make sure that we're being accountable to each other, but none of our officers want to be misusing this equipment. And we darn sure don't want to do it. And it affect the citizens. So we are accountable to each other as well. So in addition to that, so number one, we have to verify what that hit say to confirm that that's what that tag actually is and that that actually is a valid warrant or hit before we take any kind of law enforcement action. Again, I want to remind our citizens we are nationally and state accredited through CALEA and TPCA. Because of this discussion going around, CALEA is already starting to put out a standard on if you have ALPR technology, what that police department has to do. And I can say that seeing that standard, we have already made the revisions to our policy that goes beyond what the CALEA accreditation standard says. And then lastly, I also want to make sure the citizens are aware. So we have a crime control and prevention district board that approves our CCPD budget every year. In fact, two of them are in the audience who vet these items and these ALPR cameras were in this budget. They vet this program. They approve this program. So that's one version of citizen oversight to make sure we're purchasing the right product. Number two is if We have this product. We already talked about the possible misuses and what we're going to do if we, if there's an allegation that an officer is misusing it, it will go to an IA and all IAs go before my chief's advisory council, which is a citizen's council. So it's a second oversight board over this technology. And I just want to make sure that our citizens were aware of that. From a training perspective, we've enhanced that, that when our officers get out of the academy, they go through what we call a mini academy for about three weeks before they hit field training. We realize that during this mini-academy, that's when we're going to hit the policy over broad, the administrative side of it, the constitutional protection, so they understand the gravity and responsibility associated with dealing with the flock and these ALPR hits. And then when they go into field training is when they'll use the practical application and use of the equipment.

One of the things I want to talk about that I think a lot of you guys are big on, and we are as well, is the transparency side of it. And so we also, it's an option that you have in Flock, we choose to do it, is to have a transparency portal. And it's live right now, right this second, on our city website, where anybody can go to the Flock transparency portal, and it gives you some information about what the cameras are, how they're used, how many reads, how many cars have gone through these cameras in the last 30 days, how many searches have been conducted, and it lists every agency that we share our information with. We want to be very transparent about it. I'm working with FLOC right now to try to get a way for our policy to be linked directly on there so nobody has to search for our AOPR policies. And then with the reporting side, we conduct our own internal monthly audits and monthly reporting that we've put up the chain of command. But we'll also have twice a year, semiannual, reports that we give to the council. We want those council reports up on our portal as well for transparency purposes. So you guys will see that coming. Oh, last thing I'll talk about too is the audit side of it. So Flock, to their credit now, has increased their abilities to do audits. And so one of the things they have now is they will have flags that will send to me. I oversee our flock program, and so I'm in there every single week looking at these, and they'll flag things for certain reasons. For example, they flagged me because I was running my license plate to do the presentations for this. It says, hey, this guy's running the same license plate a couple times. You guys should take a look at it. And it's nothing major other than the fact that it gives us an opportunity to double check the work that our guys are doing. So we're able to take the license plate that they're running in those searches, run it against our CAD and RMS data to be able to see, oh, there was a call for service for that license plate. It's involved, it's a suspect of a hit and run or a suspect in whatever crime, whatever the call for service was. And then there's times, oh, no, there's nothing in there. Why did this guy run this license plate? And we'll have one-on-one conversations with him. It might be, well, Grapevine PD just had a bolo come over the radio for whatever case, and I wanted to see if it hit our cameras, I'm working night shift right now, and see, look, that makes perfectly sense. We're able to cross-reference all of those. So we have several audit layers in there, one automatically done by FLOC, but ourselves going in there on a weekly basis, and then we have three different levels underneath me as two lieutenants and a civilian manager over dispatch, all conducting audits as well.

So, Deputy Chief, just a quick question. Yes, sir. That was news to me. So you ran the license plate through a search on the ALPR system, and then because you searched it, I'm guessing you did the search? Correct. Okay. And then the software automatically flagged your searches for potential misuse or non-allowed activity? Is that what you're saying?

Yeah. So other than this one, I was trying to get that 30-day deletion. So I'd go in there, okay, I'm going to look today, is it deleted? I'm going to look today, is it deleted? So at some point it goes, why is this guy reaching only a single license plate like eight or nine times in a two-day period? Like that's odd. So please take a look at this. And they tell the agency, please take a look at this. Now the next line that Phlox can be rolling out, it's not live yet, is, so it's called audit assist. And they're going to start making it to where, hey, agencies, if you're not auditing these people that we're telling you you should audit, after 45 days, these people on the audit list, we're going to freeze their account. Because we're saying, hey, there might be something here. It's your responsibility, agency, to clean that up. And if not, we're going to freeze it. We're not going to let it continue until you guys go through and do your audits properly. So we're on top of it on our side of the house as far as making sure those audits get cleaned out. Thanks, sir. Thank you, sir.

Last slide. One thing I also want to make everyone aware of is a lot of people are talking about Flock. Flock is a brand. What we're talking about is ALPRs, automated license plate readers. And it was mentioned earlier, there's a lot of other companies that provide ALPRs. Right now, every one of our vehicles through Axon has ALPR capabilities. And we also, we have additional seven ALPR cameras through Axon. We have not deployed them. Because of the concern going around, we wanted to make sure that our policy was stricter and aligned with what the council's vision is as well before we use those. But the reason that those would be used, similar, we provide police services for Westlake. They had a string of burglaries this last summer. We were able to realize by the way they were accessing all of these homes and these communities within Westlake, we had a pretty good idea of the roadways that these people were coming in and where they were parking. So you can post mobile ALPR cameras to try to then now get suspect information based on leads that you've received et cetera. So those are capabilities that we have. Again, the seven fixed through Axon we have not deployed, but we do have 15 in-car video cameras through Axon that are out there on the street that our officers use. I also want to remind, it was brought up earlier, FLOC has a different section with the private sector that has nothing to do with us, but there's many HOAs out there that are now getting FLOC cameras at their entry exit gates because they want to know who's coming in and out of their subdivisions. We have Home Depot HOAs. Lowe's, as well as Walmarts that are having these private sector cameras. The example was provided earlier. And then they also will share data with us. And I also want to remind everyone that they're out there. There are Ring cameras, North Texas Tollway cameras, our body-worn cameras on our own officers, our in-car video that are much more invasive than a back of a license plate in the back of a car. We also have the Community Camera Program, which offers citizens in the private sector, whether it's businesses or residences, that if they want to register with us, that they have cameras that they want us to have access to. So if we have a crime in a certain area, we can go and reach out to that resident knowing that there's cameras out there. So this is a part of our world, period. So it's important, though, we just don't accept it. We have to put the right restrictions and guardrails and fail safes to ensure there's no misuse. But again, like I said at the beginning, it's individual liberties with public safety. The last part that I will bring up, is from a retention, recruitment perspective with police officers, these are tools of crime fighting. We are in the Metroplex. We border Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Watauga, and criminals do not know boundaries. We have an excellent crime rate in Keller. We have a tremendous community that our officers are choosing to work in. But these officers are also doing a job that they want to catch bad guys, and this is a tool to do that. And the fact is, from a recruitment tool, a retention tool, I think these cameras have a very big impact on that I just wanted to mention that. Also, there are associations around the country that now knowing about the fact that we are getting these alerts when these kind of vehicles and these people are coming into Keller, through Keller, about from a situational awareness and a tactical advantage situation from our officers, this is an officer safety issue. And there's associations around the country that are now bringing this up in their cities, just highlighting this point of taking this away. We're now back in the blind on certain situations. So those are the last two points. points I wanted to make, but we'll be happy to answer any questions that you guys may have.

All right. Thank you, Chief, Deputy Chief. So, you know, we've all been getting questions and folks who wanted information, so I think it's really important just, I think you said it better than I'll say it, but for transparency and accountability's sake that we get this information out there, you know, when folks have questions. I'll just be really candid with Council. I've been, you know, We've all, I think, had the opportunity to meet with Chief, and I think most if not all of us have had the opportunity to successfully go through that meeting and learn a lot. You know, I think if we want to consider this an item related to ALPRs, again, we can do that. I actually really like the resolution as it's written. If you guys want to table this resolution, that's fine with me. It's not a hill that I'm going to die on. But when I look at the substance of the resolution, What particularly piques my interest is the auditing requirements, because we had an issue where there was some officer far away from Keller, because I don't think our folks would do this, but we can't just trust. We have to verify. Where they searched 10,000 times, I think, for maybe their ex-girlfriend or whatever vehicle, and it was a complete abuse of that tool and their authority. And so the fact that we have that, you know, the ability to pass a policy that puts puts language around that is not only administrative in nature, meaning it's not just leadership at KPD, but we as a council have the opportunity to act on that. I think it sends the right message. It's related to, you know, the ALPR contract, if you will. But it's not. that's not the question presented this evening. And so anyway, I just wanted to make that known. If the will of the council is still to table it, that's fine. I think we could actually pass this resolution. It's a positive resolution. It's not a statement. And honestly, when I read the resolution, it doesn't take a position on pro or anti-AOPR. It's a statement, it's a policy statement, at least the way that I read it, that basically just says in the copy here that all the safeguards that the chief and deputy chief just talked about should and shall be implemented in the future. So for that reason, look, if you all want to table this item as well, that's fine. You know, I'm not opposed to having this on the agenda again October 6th either, but given the level of work and the effort that went into this. I just think it's really good policy. That's what's on my mind and heart this evening. With that being said, Mayor Pro Tem, thank you both for the presentation. Deputy Chief Lemoyne, thanks for being here. It's nice to meet with you as well, and thanks for digging into this. Yes, Mayor Pro Tem.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Real quick, I'll explain my reason I'm moving to table this until the next meeting. First of all, thank you all for the presentation. I think almost every council member Met with you guys for over an hour. We have this presentation. Originally, this item was on consent. We were gonna meet in working session. The way this item is noticed, it's in specific reference to specific guidelines that we could go through, and there's some things in here that I know some colleagues have some issues with they'd wanna reword. However, my bigger concern is that this is a significant public, this is an issue of significant public interest, and I would like to move it to the next meeting so we can re-notice it so citizens can speak at a public hearing. And also the chief, he, in the interest of answering all the citizens' questions that have interest and so forth, he was saying even promote it on social media so people could come back at the next meeting and provide their feedback on any issues or concerns they have. Because you guys have done so much work, and this is a really good presentation as well. So that's why I wanted to table it so we could speak through the whole gamut, because as it's noticed, we can't speak to the contract or any action on that, so forth. So just so we can speak to everything related to LPRs and from citizen request and providing citizens the opportunity to speak on this issue. That's why I'm wishing table at just one meeting. And when we come back, you can present again if you want. If the citizens watch it, we can just go directly into it, get their feedback, and then you can maybe answer some of their questions and we can too, and then we'll be done with it.

Well, yeah. Well, I'll go ahead and recognize Councilman Wiley and I'll address that. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Yes, sir. Chief, Deputy Chief, appreciate you both so much. I have 100% faith in you. I want to protect our officers and our force, but I agree with Mayor Pro Tem. I want the public to have an opportunity to come, voice their concerns, and realize I think a lot of their concerns, although well-intended, possibly with a little more education about how the system works, it can relieve some of that. So I agree with Mayor Pro Tem with the table, but thank you, gentlemen. What you do for the city is amazing. I've never been as proud of any force in my life. Thank you very much.

All right, Councilman Armstrong.

I will not be voting in favor of tabling this item. Having gone through the election process this past May, I didn't even know what flock was. The people out there that educated me on it, educated me on it based on a biased opinion. And I would welcome anybody to come and sit with any of these people within our Keller police force and open-minded. So I think it's time for us to continue to protect our citizens The crime is coming this way, like it or not. I campaigned on that then, and I continue to support these guys, and this helps that. It doesn't track people like everybody's saying it does. And if you can't trust these guys now to tell you what's happening, you never will. So I will be voting against tabling.

All right. Thanks, Councilman. This is for anyone to answer. I just want to make sure I understand the expectations. Councilman Watley, you're mayor pro teme. So typically with the resolution, we don't have public hearings. You know, we talked about the ICE partnership a couple years ago. There wasn't, I mean, we had persons to be heard, but there wasn't a public hearing. We've considered resolutions like this before. And so honestly, as much for staff as anyone, in terms of the expectation for a public hearing, what sort of communications are you expecting that go out? And the only reason I ask is because being a rule follower like me, at least I try to be, I'm not perfect at it, This is publicly noticed in an open meeting. So I'm just looking for ideas on expectations on how you want this communicated to the public as a public hearing. Councilman Wiley?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I appreciate, I got so involved in the presentation. You're right, this doesn't really require a public hearing. No, it's okay. And... And so I would be fine approving it tonight as well.

Okay. I just want to make sure we're clear because I was lost a little bit. Dr. Rankleaf.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yeah, thanks for putting this on the agenda, Mayor. And then thank you again for meeting with, I think, all of us and then giving this presentation. It's been very informative. I agree with Mayor Pro Tem. I think... What I'd like to see in the next meeting is just kind of a broader discussion because this is a weighty issue within our community. I think before we approve a resolution, I think it's beholden on us to make sure that we give the community an opportunity, A, to see the presentation. So I would hope that this thing is made available somehow, like it's easy to get to beyond just going to Granicus. And that, B, when we do notice this, it's a broader discussion about, you know, is this something that the citizens of Keller want as a safety and security mechanism? Like, I think you guys do an outstanding job. I don't think this is about that. I think it's about whether or not we want to have this as a tool in our community. And so I think, I'm not going to put words in the Mayor Pro Tem's mouth, but I think that's what we're looking for, just to get feedback on this so that If this is the tool that we continue to move forward with, we've given folks the opportunity to review the presentation, to provide feedback, hopefully to reach out to you guys and have conversations with you, and then we can maybe dive into the actual resolution itself, and then I do have questions over the resolution. I went home and I noodled on the presentation that you gave us, and I think I can't speak for all of the council members here, but I'd like an opportunity just to kind of sit down and and ask some what-ifs and, you know, could we do this to maybe strengthen it? Sure.

Yes, sir. All right. Thank you, Councilman Rankleaf.

Mayor Pro Tem. Yeah, Councilman Rankleaf pretty much said it perfectly. Just really an opportunity for the citizens to have a public hearing. And, yes, we don't have to have a public hearing on an item, but we can definitely do one. There's no rule against us not having it. And I'm all for the public being able. And, you know, as the police chief said, he's excited, or maybe excited is the wrong word, He's willing to get feedback from citizens and answer and alleviate their concerns, if they may have any. Because this is a really good presentation, and I think I was the sole vote four years ago, and you brought in this person when we discussed it again. But a lot of good points here on the outside of the city and difference between tracking and surveillance and when warrants are needed. But ultimately, there's a lot of philosophical questions here, and this is definitely a weighty issue that... I think a lot of citizens would like to discuss. So just move it to the next meeting to discuss that. And if we have to tweak and re-notice it somehow, that's fine. But in the public interest, I definitely want to table it to the next meeting. Thank you.

Yeah, last thing I'll say, because I've been listening closely to where you guys are headed. I honestly think what you're talking about is a town hall. I don't think we're talking about like a public hearing or anything like that, because public hearing is like a statutory requirement on an agenda. I think if we're going to have, I'm being 100% serious when I say this, I think what we're talking about is a community discussion in a town hall type atmosphere where folks can get their questions answered, they can show up to the community room, and engage in the discussion. I'm not sure that showing up at 9 p.m. at night or whatever time it is and me sitting here and gaveling a public hearing does a whole lot to inform the public. Because you're right, we can technically, even if it's not required, have a public hearing But I think the most effective way for the public to be heard actually would be a town hall. And we could actually do both. I think we could have a really robust community discussion about this. So whichever the way the vote to table goes, my personal opinion, because this resolution, again, doesn't take a strong stance one way or the other, at least with the edits that I communicated with our city manager and our chief of police when I was reading through it myself. You know, and it's the hard copy that y'all have in front of you, just so everyone's on the same page. But I think what we should do, my recommendation anyway, and I'm one of seven, is have a town hall, maybe at the community room, and give folks a more convenient time to show up and be heard, 5, 6 o'clock. We pick a date as a city, and we can put a notice of public quorum out, and then whoever can show up that evening, we show up. I just think that's, if I was a resident, that would be the most meaningful way for me to get my questions answered. Mayor Pro Temp?

Again, you know, this is a weighty issue. I wasn't planning on getting into the meat of the bigger issue. I just want to table it. It was important enough for the governor to take some action. I think there's a lot of citizens. I don't know why you're a little reticent to have them come in in three weeks and ask questions. I'm not reticent.

What I'm saying is we should... Let me finish, please. Hold on a second, sir.

I have the mic.

I'm going to call the question.

Then let's vote if you're calling the question.

Let's go ahead and vote to get the item done. But I'm not reticent to table it. We can put it on the next meeting agenda. That's not an issue.

Just call the question, sir, and let's vote.

Yeah, let's vote. So what's the motion, Mayor Pro Tem?

To table until the next meeting.

All right, I'll second that. I'll be against, though.

So just to be clear what we're voting. Okay, so we're doing motion to table. Okay.

Yeah, motion to table. He called the question, which means stop discussion and move to vote. And I was willing to see that instead of voting on it. Oh, I understood this. This thing hadn't been updated here.

So I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.

It's a motion to table to October 6th. All right. And that motion carries 5-2. And to be clear, we're tabling this resolution. So we'll reconsider the resolution at the October 6th meeting because that's the item that we tabled. Thanks, Chief. Thanks, Deputy Chief. Both Deputy Chiefs for your work tonight.

Thank you all very much. All right.

No old business? New business? H1, consider a resolution approving a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement pursuant to the Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code and pursuant to the city's economic development policy with Ashley Hernandez of the Hive and Holding Company, LLC, authorized representative of the property located at 128 Bates Street, Keller, Texas, 76248, for a City of Keller Facade Improvement Grant. Nina?

All right. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Anna Irwin with Economic Development. Tonight I'll be presenting three separate requests associated with the same property owners. you will consider and vote on each item separately. However, to help you and the public understand the full scope of the project, I'll be presenting the three requests together, and then as we move through the presentation, I'll make sure to clearly identify which request corresponds with each agenda item. Oops. Okay, here is an aerial view of both properties. The properties will remain separate but are under the same ownership and are both planned to be part of the new Keller Depot development which is owned by the applicant, the Hive and Holding Co LLC. You'll hear more about the overall Keller Depot concept throughout staff's presentation as well as during the applicant's presentation. As a reminder, the overall request includes two separate facade improvement grant applications one for each property, as well as a Chapter 380 incentive request. This slideshow shows the current condition of the properties as they were acquired by the new property owners. This slide shows the conceptual vision for the three proposed phases of the Keller Depot development. Phase one includes the redevelopment of both properties before you tonight. 128 Bates Street, the applicant is anticipating a January 2027 opening with a potential candy shop tenant. At 136 Bates Street, the applicant anticipates opening a coffee shop by summer of 2027. The applicant is requesting the following. Item H1 is their request to approve a facade improvement grant providing up to $10,000 in reimbursement for eligible improvements at 128 Bates Street. And H2 is the same request for 136 Bates Street. Here I separated both properties so that you can see both of their requests for facade improvement grant for each of them, and then the corresponding items for each property that will be part of the Chapter 380 request. And I will clarify even more in my upcoming slides. I know it's a lot. Together, these improvements are intended to support the long-term redevelopment and activation of both properties and contribute to the continued revitalization of Kellers Festival Street, Bates Street. The images shown here represent the applicant's conceptual vision for the properties, and you can see which requests go with each property. As part of the Chapter 3 request, the applicant is investing approximately $125,000 in redevelopment of both properties as part of Phase 1 of the Keller Depot plans. Looking beyond Phase 1, the applicant anticipates a total investment of approximately $250,000 across the current and future phases of the Keller Depot project, and that's not including the investment they've already made in purchasing the property, which they purchased in July. Across all three incentive requests, the applicant is requesting a total reimbursement of $81,740, with $20,000 of that being in facade improvement grants and $61,740 in the Chapter 380 incentive. Here's the cost breakdown provided by the applicant for the proposed facade improvements at 128 Bates Street. And here is the cost breakdown for 136 Bates Street. So remember these two are for H1 and H2 for the facade improvement grants. Now we're moving into the return on investment profile for the Chapter 380 request. Should both the grease trap and bathroom reimbursements be approved tonight? The city is projected to break even in year seven, assuming the two businesses generate a combined total of $650,000 in annual revenue and based on the post-construction property values provided by the applicant. And these numbers came from the applicant provided estimates. The applicant will go into greater detail that the Keller Depot concept includes two additional phases to be programmed and developed in the future. I will let the applicant go into full detail. As far as phase three, the Depot marketplace pictured here, it is envisioned to include small local retailers in a community gathering space. Phase three is not included in the incentive request before you tonight. However, the applicant has indicated that the incentive being considered tonight is necessary for her to move forward with planning and ultimately activating phase three. The Keller Depot incentive requests meet the following incentive policies. Section one, the general policy goals. Section three meets general eligibility. Section four meets high priority business. It is experiential retail that is family-friendly and will attract visitors to Keller to enjoy a unique experience. As part of the request, the applicant has proposed to invest first, commit to long-term public access, and activate the project before reimbursement becomes available. The applicant will share her vision with you Next, but first, I want to show you the Keller Economic Development Board's recommendation from last night's meeting. They've recommended $10,000 reimbursement through the Facade Improvement Grant Program for 128 Bates Street and $10,000 reimbursement for 136 Bates Street. They also recommended $30,870 for the Chapter 3D reimbursement representing 50% of the applicant's request. So the total recommended city assistance from the Keller Economic Development Board is $50,870. Before the applicant's presentation, I'd like to remind you that you will be voting on each of the three items individually. The Facade Improvement Grant for 128 Bates Street, which is H1, the Facade Improvement Grant for 136 Bates Street, which is H2, and the Chapter 380 Economic Development Program Incentive agreement for reimbursement of publicly accessible restrooms at 128 Bates Street and a commercial grease trap at 136 Bates Street. City Council has the following options when considering an incentive request, approve as presented, approve with modifications or additional conditions, including the recommendation by the Keller Economic Development Board, table the agenda item to a specific date with clarification of intent and purpose, or to deny, If you have any questions for me, I will be here My next my next step is to hand it over to one of the property owners Thanks, you know Does before we get to that council have any questions for staff?

All right, yes, sir I'm sorry.

I do when we when we vote Basically, the one vote, depending on how we vote, will address items H1, 2, and 3 all collectively. Right.

That's right. Yeah, so we'll do the facade. This is for the facade improvement grants. That's a good question, sir. Good clarification. Yeah. Right.

So we'll vote one at a time. Thank you.

All right. I'm going to go ahead and make a motion to approve item H1 for the Facade Improvement Grants. We had a pretty robust discussion about that at Economic Development Board last night. Each of us have had, I think, the opportunity to interact also with the applicant on this item. So I'll make a motion. Councilwoman Brennan.

Yeah, I think the facade improvements are outstanding. So, yes, I approve the $10,000 facade improvement for this first property that we're talking about.

All right. We have a motion and a second. Is there any further discussion? Let's vote. All right. Hey, we got one. 7-0. Good stuff. H-2. Consider resolution approving a chapter.

License plate readers.

That was the first 7-0 tonight, I think, guys. Nice work. I'm proud of everyone for that one. Round of applause.

Thank you. We got consent.

Hey, no one can ever accuse us of not doing things in the light of day. I will tell you that. We're out here. We do our work for better and better. H2. Consider a resolution approving a Chapter 380 Economic Development Agreement pursuant to Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code and pursuant to the City's Economic Development Policy with Ashley Hernandez of the Hive and Holding Company LLC, authorized representative of the property located at 136 Bates Street, Keller, Texas 7628 for a City of Keller Facade Improvement Grant. So similar to the last item, Facade Improvement Grant, just instead of,

128 we're also considering 136 We have a motion before that motion any any councilman Wally go ahead and and it's only because I'm easily confused I was about to make the motion to approve the facade Grant for the other property. Yes, sir. That's we're doing all right Then then I do make a motion to approve the second facade We're going for another 7-0 here h2 and

Motion to approve. Councilman Armstrong? Second the motion from Mr. Whatley. Motion to second on item H2. Unless there's any further discussion, any discussion on this item?

If not, let's vote.

All right. 7-0. First two items. You know, and just, I'll make a brief comment before we get to H3. Part of the reason, at least from my perspective, that these first two items are so easy to synthesize was because you've done a great job in your presentations presenting a vision that I think all of us are excited about on city council. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean we, we'll see where the discussion goes. I have no idea, as evident by some other items tonight. You know, we'll look at a... Thanks, Councilman.

I like this side better than the side of Matt. I'm just saying. You're good. You're good. You're good. You're over here. You're with us.

Sorry, a little humor. But no matter how this 380 agreement goes, you know, we're excited about the vision, and I'm sure other folks will have comments about that, but... We'll go ahead and consider a resolution approving a Chapter 3 of the Economic Development Program Agreement pursuant to Chapter 3 of the Texas Local Government Code and pursuant to the city's economic development policy with the Hive and Holding Company LLC at 128 and 136 Bates Street and authorizing the city manager to execute said documents on behalf of the city of Keller, Texas. So you can see it up there on the slide. I think this one... Frankly, if you guys don't mind kind of clarifying a little bit, Ashley, Jamie, if you want to come forward. I just had a quick question, and that was could you briefly explain H3 and what the incentive is? I think it's bathrooms and on one of the properties and then maybe a potential grease trap concept for another. Yeah. Am I tracking it right?

Yes. Can, yeah. I'm just gonna have her pull up part of my presentation. I won't do the whole thing, but I'll just go to those specific items. How do I, how do I?

So it's a PDF, so you can just scroll. You're gonna have to have the mouse up there.

Oh, oh, that's fancy, okay.

All right, I'll just jump right to the slide. Let's see, okay. All right, so just want to make sure I have the right ones. Okay, so for the chapter 380, yes, this is a pretty unique request. And so I'll kind of go through each one. There's two here that y'all are reviewing tonight. So the first one is for the bathrooms on Bates Street. What we're proposing here, one of the properties, the cottage, is to add an extension for two ADA public restrooms. One of the main reasons, well, there's a couple reasons actually, but one of the reasons for public benefit on Bates Street that is deemed as Festival Street, we would love to see more festivals and more events happening on that street, but currently there are no bathrooms. And so that has limited quite a bit of things and activity happening there. And so on one hand, this could be a great public benefit, to provide that as the Keller History Museum stated and a couple other folks, it would be helpful so that way more people would want to host more things. We do plan to host more events as well. We plan on, as we go through renovations, we are activating the space starting September 25th. We will be hosting events and also National Night Out. And I just realized October 6th, y'all have a meeting. But if it ends early, come to our event. But we are hoping to activate the space by once a month having events there. Currently, I own a property right behind this, and so we have a gate, so I'll be able to open my doors and not have anything at my other property so we can offer a bathroom. But it is a big hindrance. It is a big concern. Separately from that... One of the unique things about this bathroom is it is private. So we are told that eventually bathrooms will come to the street. But as you heard from the mom earlier today, we also have polled on Facebook to get feedback as to what people would want to see if bathrooms did come to Bates. and one of which was that privacy to have that space for families, moms specifically. There was two things, breastfeeding and then also having changing tables. So they wanted that privacy, but they also wanted to be able to change their baby in private. And so we agreed that if we bring this forward, that is one of the items we will make sure we have is changing tables. So that's kind of on one hand the public benefit. You can see there's some signage there. The hours of the bathrooms would be available with electronic locks. It would unlock automatically each day for that time. So even if our tenants don't have their doors open, we still want to make that accessible. So for example, if we had a coffee shop that closed at I don't know, 5 p.m., if there was an event happening on the street that was going until 9 or 10 p.m. in the evening, those bathrooms would still remain available. Separately from that, they had mentioned about our phase three. And so this is our phase three concept. I'm a big thinker, big visionary, and I like to go big with anything that I do. And this is the dream, truly. Being a small business owner for 25 years and an entrepreneur, I can tell you it's not always easy to get started and to sustain and stay in business. And so this concept to me in my heart of hearts is an incubator for small businesses. Think about the farmer's market and the vendors there that do these pop-ups and they have their tents. Oftentimes they have great success at our color farmer's market and they want to transition into a brick and mortar. Doing so sometimes is still a big leap. A lot of people don't realize that big leap from those tents to those brick and mortars. We have seen in the past in Keller where that has happened and some of them have not made it and succeeded all the way through. And so this is kind of that in between concept of the smaller square square footage. So approximately 100 square feet each unit. We want them air conditioned. We want them to be usable year round. but to create that small footprint for that in-between person that has that small business before they're ready to go into that next space. And it really will be a community hub for small businesses and a gathering space. So not just for the community to come in and experience it, but then also have the businesses really thrive and work together, cross-collaborating and so on and so forth. And so that is my big wild vision. But with that said, these bathrooms, are part of the incentive for us to be able to have this happen. Owning an event venue right behind this, I've experienced this personally, where my occupancy load can only go so high when I only have one bathroom available. And so I'm kind of capped there. And with these properties, with both of the buildings that we're renovating, That will be the same case. Actually, these buildings are even smaller than my event venue. And so the occupancy load will be contingent to the capacity of those buildings, not the size of the property itself and how many people we can actually fit on the land part. And so that will limit our capabilities quite a bit. And then also how late some of these businesses can stay open if they want to stay open. you know, later for pop-ups or festivals, that bathroom accessibility is going to be really important. So that is the bathroom side of it. I also want to note, just to say, we mentioned how much our investment is and how much between acquiring the property and our current investment is $250,000. That figure is not including this. This would be an additional... At minimum, with just the casitas, it's $175,000 additional investment. But in total, probably when Allset is done, we'd probably be looking more to like $225,000 for that phase three. So I just wanted to add that initial investment that we would be making if this is possible, and the additional revenue that we would be able to bring with sales tax revenue, because each one would be retail. Okay, so going to the next one. So this is a grease trap. So for this particular building, I am set on we need a coffee shop on the east side. And we really want an anchor property. We want to give people a reason to come and sit, stay, and hang out a while. And so our goal is to have a coffee shop tenant. We have actually five LOIs for this property, which is almost unheard of. The vision that we casted online was so well received. We received over 80,000 views on this when we first initially launched it. It's up to about 200,000 views to date. We have been offered five LOIs, letter of intents, of interest. And so with that, what we discovered was three out of the five we're actually requesting a grease trap. I learned this evening it's actually required for a coffee shop concept, but a grease trap allows us to have the infrastructure to be able to consider those potential people that are gonna diversify their menu, they're gonna be doing more to the build out and to the building if they're able to have that type of infrastructure. And so for us as property owners, as much as I'd love to offer that because of the significant investment that we have planned, that was not part of the initial plan. And so this will absolutely be an incentive for us to not only have this infrastructure, but be able to potentially choose the tenants that would like this. That is pretty much the two incentive items before you.

That helps me and I think the public can answer my question about reminding me kind of what we're getting at in the 380 proposal here for the bathrooms and the grease trap. So if you don't mind standing by in case there are questions for staff or the applicant. Any questions, colleagues? Councilman Wiley, is that a motion that you're trying to make? Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. Okay, all right. So we'll recognize that motion and then see if there's any questions from... Is the motion on the table? Yes. Yeah, and he hasn't stated the motion yet, but... Any questions for the applicant or for staff? Otherwise, we'll... I do have a question. Yeah, Councilwoman Brennan?

Hi, Ashley. I have a question. The grease trap, $19,500. That's a very expensive grease trap for such a small business. So where did you get that number from? Because just some, you know, stupid searches on the internet indicate that that's kind of more of a high end in ground grease trap that may not be necessary for the type of usage that you're expecting.

Yeah, so that particular figure came in from my contractor after discussing with the plumber that we were going to have on site. But I also did talk to other restaurant doors in town And in truth, and you're absolutely right, they range anywhere from, I think the most inexpensive I've seen was like a couple thousand to upwards of 40,000. And so I think in discussion after what we've looked at for the LOIs, one in particular has more of a robust kind of, not a full kitchen, it's more of a partial kitchen and bakery. And so based on the discussions with my GC and the plumber, this is what they recommended. One thing I can know, and I'm not super familiar with these Chapter 380s, so I don't know fully how they work, but should we, whatever is required is less than that, I would assume it's a reimbursement based on what we have to purchase. So this was based on what we've been quoted, but certainly if there's a different type or a different type of requirement that costs less, we would only seek reimbursement for what we spend.

Okay, that's my grease trap question. I'll circle back around after all these other people. Okay.

All right, thanks, Councilwoman. Councilman Rankleaf.

Thank you, Mayor. Well, I guess this is more of a broader question about bathrooms at Old Town Keller, and we talked a little bit back there. I guess it would be helpful to talk about, so what's available right now, and what's the timeline for the city to construct bathrooms there? I'm sorry, this isn't a question for you, but I think since we're talking about bathrooms, let's have that conversation.

Good question. So right now there's no public facilities out there. That said, on our five-year CIP for the next year, we would have the KDC install a restroom at Bates Street, at the Bates Street Park. So slated for the FY28 budget. So at some point tonight, maybe we will get to adopt the 27 budget. That doesn't include the budget, but next year. So we would probably start looking at moving that project pretty quickly during 28 to time that so that when Elm Street's completed, we have the restrooms available.

Could we expedite that if we wanted to?

You could do a budget as part of 27 and expedite if you would like to. We have to make sure we have the cash flow for it, but that is an opportunity during 27.

Yeah, and then I guess my second question, I don't know much about grease traps, so could you talk a little bit about grease traps as it relates to this facility, what you're talking about with the coffee shop?

Yeah, I don't know how well-versed I will be on it, but I will tell you, and one of the things that you have brought up earlier, so... Usually for restaurants, it helps with their particular menu items, but specifically for a coffee shop, milk and different, I mentioned lettuce. So if they diversified their menu, because most of, even though they're offering coffee shop, everyone that has looked at this property, they're trying to think, how can we diversify our offerings and not just be limited to just coffee. But to my understanding that I learned this evening, that to have a coffee shop in general, it's still a requirement, potentially, regardless if you have food or not.

can list the items, right? Milk and cream fats, coffee grounds, butter, oil residues, even dishwashing, waste water. And it doesn't have to be a McDonald's that makes French fries and fries chicken. It's just...

It's the oils. So that's what I understood when they told me. And I did speak to a couple brokers that did mention about that requirement that... It's standard that almost all have it. There was kind of a unique, and I don't know, I'm going to look into it further, but I did speak with someone that was a potential tenant. They do own a coffee shop elsewhere in a historic 100-year-old building, and it was not required, and they went through a city process, but I don't know why or They didn't have one, and it wasn't required, but they were also very limited on what they could offer. So I don't know maybe if that was contingent about that, but that's the only thing that I'm aware of. But I was told by a broker that most coffee shops, and then he mentioned the lettuce thing, and he said something about the oils.

Thank you. All right, good questions, good conversation. Councilman Whatley. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Ashley, I love your concept. absolutely awesome. I am 100% behind you with the facade grant for both locations. One of the reasons for that, I have sat on this council and at one time, many years ago, applied for a facade grant myself, which I never accepted. I was approved, but I did not take the money. And that was about seven, eight years ago. I'm a big proponent of 50-50 matching grants. So I'm 100% behind you on the facade for both of them. Because of the plan for Bay Street and because of the fact that the city will put in the public restrooms, And the grease trap, I owned an ice cream store in downtown Grapevine on Main Street. And because of all the milk fat and dairy products, we had to have a grease trap. Very simple. I'm familiar with them. But I, unfortunately, it's just my opinion, I don't feel that the other requests really follow the intent of our 380 agreements for businesses, especially when applied for by the landlord as opposed to the business that is actually leasing out the space. So for those reasons, I'm 100% behind you on the facade grants, but I can't support the other. So my motion is to approve Well, I'm sorry. We've already approved the facade dress.

Can I speak to that briefly ma'am? Can I speak to that briefly? Am I able to say anything?

Yeah, let's hear the question. Okay. Yeah, I'm disappointed clarification. What was your motion?

Cuz you're kind of my motion is to deny I

Okay, so there's a motion to deny on the floor. I had a few questions. My first question is, what are your thoughts? What were you about to say?

Just to that point, as far as me being the landlord and not the tenant, there... There has been other Chapter 380s that has been tied to a tenant with a very short-term lease that didn't come to fruition. And I think for this particular circumstance, tying it to the landlord and the building, we do have a significant investment that there is more of a guarantee for us to follow through to ensure that that infrastructure is actually utilized. And so I think in that sense, the other part is it's an incentive. And so if I... do this, it incentivizes and ensures that we have the type of restaurant or the type of use that we want in Old Town. If we already signed the lease and someone already comes and then they're asking for something like this, then there's really no incentive at which point. So I'm just confused how the incentive program actually works in that case, because this would incentivize us to be able to attract the proper tenant. But once we already get a tenant, then it wouldn't matter.

Yeah, no, good question. I mean, you know, a lot of it is it's like asking my kids what their favorite flavor of ice cream is. It's kind of in the eyes of the beholder to some degree. You know, what's an incentive and what is not an incentive? What entices a person to come in and what doesn't? You know, I think your point's well stated. Traditionally, at least it's been my experience, that quite often we will do the 380 with like a tenant, but there's also precedent for doing a 380 with the landlord, or excuse me, the owner, or the landlord. And so I think it goes either direction, to be honest with you. I think there's an incentive there. Like in this case, I can argue it both ways, just because I can argue both ways doesn't mean I believe both things, but I can articulate reasons why it's an incentive in this situation. I could also articulate why, you know, If you have a tenant moving in, maybe they want to expand their offerings, right? Maybe they're offering one thing, but the incentive that you provide helps them expand. We've seen those applications as well, and that's not the best answer, but it's the best I got tonight. Hopefully that helps. Councilman Armstrong?

Ashley and Jamie, great job. I don't think it's... business owners objective or responsibility to provide public restrooms we've talked about it I think the city is revitalizing that area I think they're not going to be as slow on bathrooms for that area as Elm Street is and I know we'll all be ready for it I like the concept of it I think it would be an asset to that entire area especially to the current businesses that are there already, but I do not think it's a business owner's responsibility to provide anyone that's walking along that street to have a bathroom, and then it be at y'all's expense to keep it clean.

Good comment. Councilwoman Brennan.

Yeah, I agree with Councilman Armstrong regarding the bathroom. I think especially knowing that the city of Keller already has plans to put a bathroom in at the completion of the Elm Street project, if not sooner. There's a chance we can move it up to be sooner. So we're going to put in bathrooms there. So for the city to invest in additional bathrooms as part of your project, I do struggle with that. Grease traps. back to the grease trap. I just never thought I'd talk about such a thing. But grease trap, you know, I would offer, I guess there's a motion and an aye, so I would have to, I don't know how to do it officially, but I would offer that rather than 19,500, that maybe we set it at a lower threshold because I just think that's a lot of money. for the type of grease trap I think you really need for that facility and a smaller number rather than the 19-5. So I would be okay with that part of it, but not the bathrooms. Sorry. Thank you.

All right. Thank you, Councilwoman. Dr. Rankleaf?

Thank you, Mayor. Yeah, I think I agree with Councilman Armstrong and Councilwoman Brennan. I appreciate you bringing the bathroom issue to us because it tells me that perhaps we need to have a conversation about expediting bathrooms for Old Town. I appreciate that you're the advocate for Old Town. I like your project and I don't know what the process is. I agree with Councilwoman Brennan. I'm interested in having a conversation about the grease traps and what we might be able to do to help with that. I just

to be honest don't even know how to amend this thing to do that or what the number would be but i'm certainly happy to have that conversation thank you sir councilman will thank you mr mayor ashley i love your vision for these properties i i'm so excited since i saw your your initial concepts for it um i don't think it's uh i don't think it's it's i don't think i'm violating anything from exec when i say i i think there was a consensus that if you came forward with a tenant who needs a grease trap, like with a certificate of occupancy for them. And they're something that we would want to see going in there that I think there would be more conversations with regard to this. But again, I love your vision. I absolutely love it. I'm so excited to see this take shape on Bay Street. So yeah, but I don't want you to think that it's a no, it's just it's a not right now, I think is really the consensus of council

Yeah. No, a lot of good comments. I referenced earlier we do things in the light of day. Perfect example, right? Everyone's kind of sharing their thoughts, all good comments. So procedurally, well, I'll just say where I'm at. So I think we have talked about doing the bathrooms in Bates Street for quite some time. It's reminiscent of the tournament policy we started talking about quite some time ago. We just have a lot of work on our plate. I think this is a project that's worthy, and to Councilman Rankley's point, I appreciate you pressing us with urgency on this issue, because you're 100% right. There's testimony about, you know, five kids, seven and under or something like. I mean, bless you. She had to go home to her kids. I thought I had it bad. What did you say?

She had to go home to her kids, so she left.

Yeah, and I'm going to have to go home and do laundry, so I get it. There's a lot of laundry with five kids. So all those points, I think what's going to happen tonight, I don't have a crystal ball, but I think what will happen is that we're going to take action on the bathrooms sooner in part because of the work that's gone into it because of KDC discussions, Parks and Recreation discussions. Everyone's passionate about activating OTK. And you've made the polite point in a more polite way. We need to act with more urgency. So I have heard that tonight from colleagues. We've heard it previously. So thank you for bringing that forward because that is going to help activate a discussion, I believe, on getting construction going sooner. Right now, the good news is that it's currently, the bathroom construction is currently somewhat aligned with the completion of Elm. The thing is, with the completion of a big project like that, it's a big project. And so, you know, I don't think that stops us from getting the bathrooms going sooner than that and trying to activate Bates Street further, which you've articulated, sooner. So I think for that reason, I'm in agreement with colleagues on the bathrooms. As far as the grease trap, I'm more aware, Councilman Brennan and Dr. Ann Cleaver at, quite frankly, The number I had in mind was to probably cap it at 10,000 and then go up to 10,000, but really more the idea would be at cost. And so if you find something that works for the property, but tie that in forms of accountability for the taxpayer, tie that award to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy. So the reimbursement would occur It might get denied. I don't know what the wisdom of council will be on the item, but that would be my idea. Because it is a unique request, but it's also a really unique property. We didn't really do as much justice to it as you did last night in the Economic Development Board meeting, but it's a historic property. You're doing a lot of work to preserve it. I'm willing to think outside the box with you, and I think all colleagues are as well. Like Councilman Will's point, for him, it's You know, maybe or maybe not right now, but, you know, maybe or maybe not later, right? We're really thinking through this. So that's my two cents. Not a fan of this because of, honestly, what Councilman Armstrong said. I don't feel right putting you in that spot as a business owner of doing the work of the city. I think that's our obligation, and we need to own it and be responsible and accountable for it. But that's my thoughts on the bathroom and the grease trap. So with that, well... recognize the motion from Councilman Whatley first, and then, well, how do you want to do it, Councilman? Do you want me to recognize your motion, or do you want to consider the grease trap first? I'll defer to you.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Sure. In my opinion, the way to handle this would be recognize the motion and she can always reapply when she's looking for a COI or has a tenant for the building.

I said I would defer. I'll honor that. I'll defer to you. I'll go ahead and second the motion as a courtesy second. I'm going to be opposed to the motion to deny, but there's any further discussion let's go ahead yes councilman armstrong the motion to deny is to deny both yes sir okay all right motion second let's vote motion to deny no okay so that motion uh does not pass by a vote of five to one. So I'll go ahead and unless there's someone else wants to make a motion, I don't. All right, Councilman Brennan.

So I'd like to amend the motion to make it so that we, rather than the full amount that you have requested for the chapter 380, that we cap it at $10,000. And then that would be refunded to us if you don't spend that much. And it would be refunded once you receive a certificate of occupancy for that building. That's how I'd like to put the motion. Does that make sense?

Yeah, one question, Councilwoman. I'm in agreement. I think what you mean is...

The grease trap is what I meant. Yeah, the grease trap.

Yeah. Sorry, I didn't specify. No, that's good. So I think what you mean is reimbursement of the cost up to $10,000.

Of the grease trap.

For the grease trap. Okay. Did I get that right? Okay. Dr. Rankleaf?

Thank you, Mayor. I second.

Okay, and then just so I'm clear, are you both in agreement of tying the reimbursement to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy? Okay. Yes. Okay, got two nods. So that's the motion, up to $10,000 at cost upon reimbursement upon the issuance of a CEO. Councilman Whatley?

Just for clarification, is that up to $10,000 matching or... pay for the grease trap in total up to, if it costs $9,500, are we paying in total or 50% matching?

So, yeah, I mean, I think the way the motions, the way I would answer it would be the way it's stated is if it happens to succeed, it would almost be up to the applicant because... it could end up being a matching situation if you went to the full $20,000 for whatever the, pardon me, the letter of interest, the potential occupant, the potential tenant, if they want to put in a Cadillac grease trap for $20,000, she could spend the $20,000, but we would only reimburse up to $10,000. Alternatively, it wouldn't be matching as much if the applicant went out and then got a grease trap for $2,000 because then we would just be doing the bill. So it kind of depends on how it goes. Thank you for the clarification. Good question. All right. Any further discussion on this one? Okay. We have a motion and a second. Let's vote. Okay. And then that passes five to one. So Congrats getting through the process. Thank you for investing in Keller. All of us up here are excited about the vision.

So public bathrooms, 2027?

We'll take that item up.

Thank you, guys.

All right. Moving along. H4, it's a public hearing to consider an ordinance approving a specific use permit. And thanks for everyone that came out to speak tonight. Thanks for your patience on Hearing this item, I know it was a little bit longer, so thanks for sticking with us. H4, it's a public hearing to consider an ordinance approving a specific use permit with variances for a 253-square-foot carport on .44 acres located on the west side of Oak Bend Lane, approximately 1,533 feet north from the intersection of Rapp Road and Oak Bend Lane, legally described as Lot 17, Block 4 of the Oak Bend Estates Zone, single-family, 20,000-square-foot lot size. Addressed 1124 Oak Bend Lane, Richard and Christine Carino are the applicants slash owner. Thank you, Mayor.

Good evening, Council. Ethan Flanders, Planner 1. Aerial and zoning map before you. Subject property is zoned SF20. The applicant this evening is requesting an SUP to construct a 253 square foot carport with a variance to encroach the side yard setback and a variance to allow for more than two accessory structures on the property. Proposed carport is 11 feet wide and 23 feet long at roofline, and the peak height will be approximately 12 feet and 6 inches. The proposed building material will consist of all metal, including a dark green metal roof. Site plan submitted by the applicant indicates that the carport will be located along the existing driveway, northwest of the main structure, approximately 15 feet from the west property line and 22 inches from the north property line. According to the Tarrant Appraisal District, the main home was built in 1986 and is approximately 3,100 square feet. There are two existing structures on the property, existing 146 square foot shed and an existing 248 square foot playhouse. UDC limits the number of accessory structures per single family lot to two. And so this applicant is requesting that variance to allow for more than two accessory structures on the property. On August 13th, the city mailed out 31 letters of notification for this public hearing. Staff has not received any public feedback in response to this request. However, the applicant did provide documentation of their correspondence with the neighbor to the north. At the August 25th Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, commissioners recommended approval of the SUP and variances by a vote of 4-3. Section 8.02 of the UDC states that when considering an SEP request, a city council shall consider the following factors, that the use is harmonious and compatible with surrounding existing uses, the activities requested by the applicant are normally associated within the permitted uses of the base district, nature of the use is reasonable and appropriate, any negative impact on the surrounding area has been mitigated, and that any additional conditions specified ensure that the intent of the district purposes are being upheld. Again, the request before you this evening is an SUP for a 253-square-foot carport in the SF-20 zoning district, and the variances are a variance to allow the proposed structure to encroach the side yard setback by 10 feet and 6 inches, and a variance to allow for more than two accessory structures on the property. Council has the following options when considering an SUP request with variances. Approve as submitted with those requested variances. Approve with modifications, table, or deny.

staff and the applicant are here for any questions all right thanks ethan um i did have a quick question and we'll open the public hearing what was the planning and zoning vote on this one i'm sorry sir the pnz vote planning zoning it was a 4-3 recommend for approval okay all right i was trying to recall this one from pnz and in that meeting so thank you all right um this is a public hearing would anyone from the public I'd like to speak on item H4. If not, we'll organize a motion to close. Councilman Whatley? Motion to close public hearing. Yes, sir. Councilwoman Brennan?

I second.

All right, motion to second. Let's vote. Public hearing is closed. All right. Any questions for, yeah, is the applicant here?

I do. I have a question.

Okay.

Yeah, awesome. So applicant, homeowner's here. I recognize a question from Councilman Brennan.

Yeah, I just have a question. What was the discussion in P&Z? Why it wasn't unanimous? What were some of the issues or some of the problems they had with it? Do you remember?

So I think some of the concern was regarding the encroachment into the side yard setback. The commissioners felt strongly against that. However, there was an existing carport at that location approximately 20 years ago whenever he purchased the property. And so the applicant's intent is to just rebuild a carport in that same location as the proposed.

Okay. Okay. All right. Good. Thank you.

All right. Good question. Councilman Whatley. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I want to make sure that I have a clear understanding. What is the side yard setback? Is it supposed to be 20 feet? What is in the UDC?

So the way the side yard setbacks are written across all single family residential zoning districts, whether it's 8,400 square foot lots all the way up to 36,000 or bigger, is it's a 15-foot, let me put it this way, 10% of the total lot width not to exceed 15 feet. So the maximum side yard setback you would have is 15 feet. On this particular lot, if you see the measurement along Oak Bend Lane, it's about 125 feet wide. So their side yard setback is 12 1⁄2 feet.

And he is in closing on that by 10 feet 6 inches.

Yes, sir. It's a little less than two feet off that north property line is where he's proposing to put the carport.

So it is right on the property line?

It is very close.

Okay. And you're the owner? Yes, sir. I have to say, and that's fine. If you want to come forward, somebody else might have a question for you if you want to come up to the podium. I totally support you having the two additional structures and the carport, because that's only a very small portion of the total size of the main dwelling. And one of them's a playhouse. So I have no heartburn with the variance to allow for more than two accessory structures. However, I cannot justify in my own mind the fact that 20 years ago there was a carport there that was torn down, and now you want to replace that with one that is that close to the property line. If there's somewhere else you should move it, I would reconsider, but otherwise I'm And I'm just one voice of seven. But I will.

So can I address your concern?

Yeah, come on up. Yeah. So the carport has actually been there the whole time. So what happened is I bought a trailer. My wife and I are getting close to retirement. And so we bought a trailer that's 10 foot tall. The structure that was there before has been there when I bought the house. And it's been there. So that carport, there was a carport there the whole time. The difference is, though, I tore down the old carport because it wasn't tall enough for the trailer.

And when did you tear it down? Excuse me? When did you tear down the old one?

About three or four years ago, I tore it down.

And have you already built the carport?

No, I'm asking to build a new carport. Okay. Okay. Yes, sir, because the old carport, number one, wasn't tall enough, but number two, it was starting to fall apart. Right. So with it being 20-plus years old, it was starting to come apart.

And you have no new neighbors or anything? Same people live on that side of you?

The neighbors to the north of me, they've only been there five or six years, but I've talked to them, and they don't have an issue with it. I mean, as it is, the trailer sits in that spot today. The reason I want a carport is because it's a heavily wooded lot, and if you live in the woods, you've got sap, trees. I mean, I came from the desert. I didn't realize that when you bought a wooded lot that you'd end up with all kinds of things falling on your cars, your head, and so on and so forth. So it's really to protect the investment of the trailer. It's an aluminum trailer. It's an Airstream. So the sap is really what I'm really worried about. And then with the storms, I'm worried about branches falling on top of the roof. That's really the concern. But there was a carport there before. All I'm doing is upgrading it and making it taller.

I get that. I get that. It's just I appreciate the explanation. That helps. I'm just having a little difficulty justifying that much of an encroachment on the setback. But thank you for that.

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you.

All right. Any questions? Councilman Wool?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. My question's for staff. I suspect I know the answer already, but I just want to get it on the record. Knowing that the side yard setbacks are not just to prevent looming over neighbors and provide a certain amount of distance between the structures on the property, but also to provide utility easements so that utilities can run through there. And like I said, I see that there's some flat work. The driveway basically comes all the way over to the property line already. I suspect the answer is no, but does staff have any issues with the fact that putting this structure here would prevent any kind of utility work that would or might need to happen in the future?

So they would have to provide the documentation as part of the building permit and I would hope they've already done their due diligence to determine there's not any easements or anything in that area. So the simple answer is if there's not any utilities there or other easement encroachment, we don't have a problem with the encroachment if it's approved by council. Obviously we always encourage people to follow the code.

Sure. Sure, thank you. That being the case, since we're replacing a structure that was already there and was there when he acquired the property. And if there is no utility issues, then I don't have a problem with approving this. Thank you.

Okay, Councilman Brennan.

And I guess I have one more comment about the encroachment issue. I think it looks like from the picture, you already have concrete there, right? The concrete. So, I mean, you're just taking down, you tore down the shell structure that was there previously. You got the pad still sitting there in the same location it always was. You're just going to put a taller pad structure on it. So that makes it, you know, obviously more explanation as why you're not moving it. because you're not going to go pour additional slab and concrete underneath that. So I don't have any problem with it. Thank you.

All right. Thank you. Councilman Armstrong.

Sir, you have not had any negative feedback from any of your neighbors, and they've all been made aware of what you're trying to do. Thank you.

All right. I recognize a motion. Councilwoman Brennan.

Yeah, I'd like to make a motion to approve this item.

Thank you. Councilman Rankleaf.

Thank you, Mayor. I second.

I second. Unless there's any further discussion, let's vote. It's to approve. All right?

Yes. All right.

Yeah.

All right. That item passes 7-0. Thanks for sticking around this evening, and at least we entertained you a little bit.

It's been great, actually. Good. This is the first meeting I've said it, and you guys go through a lot.

It's a doozy today.

We're here every other week. You should come back.

Hey, we do have boards and commissions. So if you want to volunteer, go ahead and apply. But seriously, thanks for being here. Thank you for going through the process as a homeowner. We don't always get that where someone's going through the process and not speaking for anyone, but colleagues I've served a long time with, I think respect that a great deal that you went through the process before you constructed. So thanks for being here. H5. It's a public hearing as well. Consider an ordinance approving a specific use permit with a variance for an approximately 883-square-foot carport located on 1.53 acres on the south side of Johnson Road, located approximately 400 feet southwest from the Johnson Road and Keller-Smithfield intersection, legally described as Lot 3 of the Frank Moore subdivision. Keller's own single-family 8,400-square-foot lot, size or greater, and addressed as 1330 Johnson Road, Blake Cotone, applicant. Kelly Seaton, Laura C. Harden, the owners.

Thank you, Mayor. Alexis Zimmerman, senior planner. Is that better? Okay. So to start, we have the aerial and zoning maps. The subject property is zoned SF 8.4. The applicant this evening is requesting an STP to construct an approximately 883 square foot carport on the property at 1330 Johnson Road, with a variance to encroach the east side setback. The site plan submitted by the applicant indicates that the carport will be attached to the east facade of the main home and will be located approximately five feet from the east property line. As we discussed on the last item, The side setback for property is calculated by 10% of the lot width up to 15 feet. In this case, the property has a side yard setback of 13 feet. The plans indicate that the carport will encroach the side setback line on the property by eight feet. If you see here, it's right along that five foot easement on the south property line. The proposed building materials will also match the main structure. And again, it will be attached to the main home. Here are some elevations provided by the applicant. The main home was built in approximately 1994 and is about 5,000 square feet. There are four existing detached structures on the property, including a detached garage, However, since this carport is attached to the main home, the number of structures on the property is not increasing, and therefore a variance is not required in this case for additional detached structures. On August 13th, we mailed out 32 letters of notification for this public hearing. The staff has received no public feedback in response to this request. However, the applicant did provide a letter of support from the owner to the adjacent property to the east of them, 1344 Johnson Road. which is included in the agenda packet. At the August 25th Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, the commissioners recommended approval of the S2P and variance by a vote of 5-2. Here is a reminder of the UDC criteria to consider when looking at an S2P request. And again, that request for you this evening is an S2P for an 883-square-foot carport with a variance to encroach the side yard setback. Council has the following options when considering this request. Approve as submitted or with modifications, table, or deny. Staff is here if you have any questions.

All right, thank you. H5 is a public hearing. Is there anyone from the public who would like to speak on this item? If not, we'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. Councilman Armstrong?

Motion to close.

Thank you. Councilman Watley? Second. Motion to second. Let's vote. Public hearing is closed. Any questions for staff or the applicant? I'll entertain a motion. Councilman Wally, excuse me.

Yeah, is the homeowner here? I guess that's no.

I don't believe so. If they were here, they might have left for the evening.

All right. Well, hey, we just approved one that was 10 foot. This one's less. All right. Thank you.

All right.

Thanks, Councilman.

Councilman Armstrong.

you commented that the neighbor to the east was in favor of this project it's it's uh the neighbor to the east is not familiar because i live close but then who did they get a letter from because that's form boards up for a new home is it just the people that own that new home being constructed is that what you're talking about

So, admittedly, I did not dig into the letter sent. It was included with the applicant packet when they applied for the SUP and is included in your agenda packet.

And one other thing, was this originally not submitted as being attached to the body of the home? Or has it always been attached?

The plans, at least as I've seen them, has been attached.

Thank you very much.

So, Council Member Armstrong, the letter submitted in the applicant packet, it just gives the address of 1344 Johnson. They don't really elaborate much on, you know, their plans for their own property. But if they own it, you know, we're still going to include it in the backup.

All right. Council Member Wohl.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Just for my own clarification, And maybe this is a mistaken understanding, but I understood that if it was attached to the structure of the home, it didn't trigger the SUP requirement previously?

It's a point of conflict that's in the UDC. It's actually on our list, kind of lower on the priority list in terms of changing. So if you dig into the actual text of the UDC, it talks about detached carports. needing an SUP and detached carports needing to be at the back of the lot. But if you actually look at the use charts, it just says carport. There's not a real clear delineation on if it's attached or detached. So we have over the years erred on the side of having council review those until we make a modification in the code. And even then it would depend on how council wanted to treat those.

Okay, thank you.

All right. We have a motion. Councilman Wally.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Motion to approve.

Thank you. Councilman Rankleaf.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I second.

Motion to second. Let's vote. All right. That item passes 7-0. This is what I thought everyone showed up for. It's an important one. H-6. It's a public hearing. to consider an ordinance approving certain amendments to the fiscal year 25-26 annual operating budget for the City of Keller. I thought they were here for H-7. In accordance with Article 8, Section 8.13 of the City of Keller City Charter.

This one's still pretty exciting.

It's exciting. It's totally exciting.

Three. Yeah. All right.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. So we will have a public hearing to discuss amending the FY26 annual budget. Most of these things we've already talked about before, mainly two weeks ago at the proposed budget when we had the budget workshop. So the sports park amendment, I think this originally went back to November of 2025. The Parks Board discussed having adding amenities to the sports park. So this is just how that funding is going to be decided. So council saw this back in December of 2025, mainly moving some debt interest that we've earned through either debt interest, CIP interest, ARPA interest. We have some funding from the wastewater KDC tree preservation funds. the self-insurance fund we've talked about this during the budget meetings as well insurance claims have been up this year so proposing a budget amendment to fund those we have the green ribbon grant with funding coming from the general fund and the proposed sports park gateway amendment that was on that previous slide from the general fund as well that's for that gateway monument sign You may recall a few different work session items on the Union Pacific Railroad Amendment. So that's coming from the bond fund and the shade structure and concrete pad over at Canine Point Dog Park. That was a 50-50 match with the Bear Creek Running Club. So the city is going to front that money for the shade structure and the concrete pad, and then they will reimburse us the approximately $9,000. And then the proposed sports park utilities amendment that was coming from the Water Waste Water CIP Fund and the Water Waste Water Fund for material storage. And then finally, this was something that we started last year on the maintenance. So we took some maintenance items that are coming in a little under budget so far And we want to move those funds over to the appropriate CIP or replacement funds just to make sure that we have money over there for when we need it in a future year, create a sustainable future for the city. So these transfers are transfer up to amounts. It may be less, depending on how final expenses come in during the year. We would also make sure that prior to transferring any money, we don't dip below the projected fund balance that's in the proposed budget that Marshall will be presenting. And finally, city council has the option to approve as presented, approve with modifications, or deny.

And staff is here for any questions. Thanks, Brian. This is a public hearing on item H6. Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak on H6? If not, we'll entertain a motion to close the public hearing. Councilwoman Brennan?

I motion to close public hearing.

All right. We have a motion. Councilman Rankleaf?

Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

I second. Motion to second. Let's vote. All right. Public hearing is closed. I'll go ahead and make a motion to approve item H6 as presented. If there's any discussion or questions, of course, we can ask those. Anything? All right. If not, Mayor Pro Tem. I second. All right. We have a motion to second. Let's vote on item H6. All right. That passes 7-0. You said it would be exciting. Thanks, Brian. All right. H7. A lot of work goes into this one. We're actually doing pretty well. I remember voting on budgets later in the evening. Yes. So we're actually doing well, guys. H7 is a public hearing. Consider an ordinance adopting the annual budget for the City of Keller, Texas for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2026 and ending September 30, 2027, including the 2026-27 Capital Improvements Program and adopting the fiscal year 2026-27 fee schedule for the City of Keller, Texas. Marsha?

Good evening, Mayor and Council. I will be brief. As I know you have seen these presentations several times now. On H7, we'll be presenting the budget for fiscal year 26-27 to include capital improvement projects and the fiscal year 26-27 fee schedule. As well, on H8, we will be considering the approval of an ordinance for the approval of our property tax, levying taxes to be assessed on all taxable properties within the City of Keller. Essential point, as a reminder, in our 26-27 budget, this is an operationally balanced budget. We have adopted a tax rate below the no new revenue rate. Personnel increases add up to about 4.25%. We are maintaining our self-insurance fund, providing the largest public safety pay adjustment in the last 10 years and adding one position to the KDC fund. We are continuing to invest in our streets and sidewalks. This is our fifth year with our tiers number two. We are adjusting water rates, wastewater rates, and the drainage fee. We are maintaining our replacement funding by adding a pothole patch truck and backhoe, and as well a proposal to repair the foundation and town hall patio. So very briefly, our proposed operating budget is $111,886,195. It's a .52% increase from last year's budget. You can see the individual funds before you and those amounts. Looking at those revenues by source based on revenue types, those are there before you. And then the expenditures by fund for the budget itself. Property tax rate history, as we discussed over the last nine years, we have continued to adopt the rate under the no new revenue rate. Our proposed rate within this budget is .300417, which will be an additional $7.34 of an increase annually for our citizens. That levy is $1,381, and that is our tax levy for the past 10 years. We have continued to mitigate our taxes for our citizens, and you can see the chart here before you as we have done that for the past 10 plus years. That $1,381, which is what the average citizen spends on their property tax, if you divide that by 12, it is $115.08 per month that the average citizen pays for their city services, about 50% of those are for public safety, police and fire. Our general fund, before you here, and the fund balances are within the proposed policies, or not proposed, but the policies that the city has for fund balance. You can see the fund balance, the general fund expenditures by activity with the reddish color being public safety. Our one-time costs that are included in this year's budget include compensation, economic development incentives, the town hall patio repair, the two vehicle replacements, the vehicle equipment schedule, one siren, and also the agenda and meeting kiosks for town hall. Before you is a water and wastewater fund summary. Included in here is the project with Southlake for the Alta Vista project that we discussed earlier. And as well as the expenditures, that area in the light blue, that is the increase in rates from TRA, which you'll see on this next slide. It's about 7% increase. Our citizens will see about an average of $6.02 increase on their water bill per month based on the proposed increased fees. As far as other tax funds, here are the revenues, expenditures, and fund balance for those. And our internal services funds, those are the fund balances there as well. As a reminder, on the drainage fund, we do have that $1 increase. Highlights of our 15 capital improvement projects, starting with the Alta Vista line, street reconstruction, Johnson Road Park playground replacement, the Knox Tank maintenance, synthetic turf at the sports park, trail system expansion, the town hall patio repair, sidewalk repairs. Old Town Keller Elm Street, lift station rehabilitation, the annual water line replacements and wastewater line replacements, the Gabbion installation trails at Bear Creek Park, annual drainage, I'm sorry, at Bear Creek, annual drainage improvements, and then the wayfinding signs over at the sports park. Council action tonight to conduct a public hearing on the proposed budget, hopefully adopt the proposed budget, and then adopt the tax rate as well.

Marsha, this is a public hearing. Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak on this item? If not, I'll make a motion to close the public hearing. Councilwoman Brennan?

I second the motion.

Motion to second, let's vote. Public hearing is closed. Comments, questions from council? All right. I'll go ahead and make a motion that we approve item H7 and really just want to commend staff as we do every year on the work that goes into this process from our department heads up and down the organizational chart. It's a very collaborative team process. Not everyone gets the outcome or the exact budget requests that they seek. But we're very deliberative, and I would argue that this year we've probably been as deliberative as ever in the budgeting process. As a result, we'll be below the no new revenue rate for the ninth year in a row. That's very exciting for our residents. We've provided roughly $1,200 annually in tax mitigation. No other municipality, I would argue, in this area, or maybe even the state of Texas, can actually say they've been below the no new revenue rate that long. And I think even more excitingly, we're providing a very significant increase to our public safety compensation, and this makes that official. And so, proud of the work of our staff, of colleagues on council, and I thank everyone for their efforts and proudly will motion to approve this budget. Mayor Pro Tem.

Yeah, thank you, Mr. Mayor. And everything the mayor said is correct. Just want to add, I always like to do some highlights just real quick for maybe the two or three people that are still listening this late. In addition to the 8% increase in public safety we're doing this year and 4% for the civilians, we're providing $7,500 sign-on bonuses for police. 25% of our budget is for public safety, providing 60 new tasers, 70 new body cams, millions of dollars worth of renovations at the police department. Employee compensation as a whole for the entire city increased by 4.3%. In our five-year CIP that we have planned, We've got $35 million in street projects, $17 million in water, and $9 million in wastewater projects, in addition to $800 grand for Johnson Road Playgrounds, $70,000 for Bear Creek Trail Lights, $500,000 in trail system improvements. I don't want to go on forever, but we've cut two FTEs this year, and this budget has 21 less full-time employees than we had 20 years ago when we had 20 less percent of the population. We're doing more with less, and that's because we invest in our employees and we invest in technologies that hopefully empower them to be more effective. Our staff has hosted 30-plus events this year, from Keller Lights to the upcoming Keller Citizen Awards. Our library received recognition that only 20% of the libraries in the nation have achieved. Netcom processed more than 260,000 police activities. We received more than 33,000 911 calls. We kept the crime rate at or below 6% when our goal is 7.25. Our police response times were less than 4 minutes and 15 seconds. This is a strange one. We had more than 150 animal bite calls. Not really sure. That was interesting. We detained 685 people from Southlake, which was less than the killer citizens we detained, which was 536, naughty Southlake. And our fire inspector performed over 1,300 fire inspections And our fire department did over 17,000 hours of fire training. And for 96% of the fire EMS calls, they were in route within 60 seconds of receiving the call from dispatch. So that's all pretty good. And yeah, I just want to say thank you to all.

No, I'm joking. Yeah, well said. Thanks for doing the homework on that. So we have a motion and a second to approve item H7. Let's take a vote. All right, budget passes unanimously. So thank you again to the entire team. Because we spend so much time on it, it's somewhat of an anticlimactic effort. The work is done February or March through today. So that's how good teams and, I believe, good coaches win championships. So well done, staff, and thank you for that work. H8, consider an ordinance. And just to give council a heads up, We'll get through this item pretty quick. Just to keep us rolling, we'll go ahead and pick up the few work session items we have remaining right here. So we don't have to pick up, move our stuff, go over there and spend another 10 to 15 minutes on that. There's not much. So H8, consider an ordinance levying taxes to be assessed on all taxable properties within the city limits of the city of Keller, Texas for the tax year 2026, fiscal year 26-27. I don't think we need a presentation on this one, do we? All right. Councilman Whatley? Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Motion to approve item H8. So, to be clear, Councilman Watley is the one motioning to approve levying the taxes, right? I'm just joking. I'll be in support with you, sir. Yes, levying the taxes. Yes, sir. Mayor Pro Tem. Let me add that.

Mayor Pro Tem. Second.

Yes. It's begrudgingly seconds. We have a motion to second. Let's vote to levy the taxes on item H8. GOING TO A GOOD CAUSE. THAT PASSES 7-0. ALL RIGHT. THAT COMPLETES OUR REGULAR AGENDA FOR THIS EVENING ON WORK SESSION. Completed items D4 and D5. I'm going to go ahead and move D1 to a future meeting because that's just an informational thing. And Aaron, if you wouldn't mind putting that in a report for staff, please tell our team putting together this. I'm assuming it's Alonzo. Yeah, that, you know, we're looking forward very much forward to his information. And we'll consider that soon. Let's go ahead and. go to D2, discuss cancellation of various city council and board and commission meetings through 2027. All of you have this document that was very well put together by our city secretary, Kelly Ballard. Kelly, jump in if I mess something up, but the idea here really isn't to do much of anything different except to try to plan in advance. So rather than just deciding to cancel a meeting one month before, A lot of these meetings we've traditionally canceled anyway. Is that an accurate representation? Kelly?

Yes, it is.

Okay, so take a second to read through it. Let us know if you have any concerns, but the current plan is to go ahead and cancel these meetings for both planning and zoning and the city council.

Mr. Mayor, I got a question on that, if that's all right.

Yep.

So I was looking at the front part of this and the back part of it, and again, For the upcoming November, December, and January, to line it up with the back end, I mean, I love meeting, but is there an opportunity to provide some parity with this? So like, for example, and maybe I'm misreading it, it looks like December 21st, we're saying that we're going to cancel the city council meeting due to Christmas holiday period. I know that we've got, like, the December that's coming up, would we not want to talk about maybe doing the same thing?

I mean, it's... Are you talking about 2026? Yes. Yeah. So, you're talking about the top of the... Yes, sir. So, yeah, that's in there. So, December 2026, December 22nd, 2026, the recommendation is to... Oh, planning and zoning. Oh.

We're not planning to cancel the second meeting in December this year because it falls well before the Christmas holiday.

What date is it? 15th.

I'm just trying to help you guys out here. It might interfere with someone's vacation, but, you know. All right, so then, and then I guess the same question would be November?

Because of the way the meetings fall, that meeting... is before the Thanksgiving holiday, so we don't have a planning, a council meeting during the Thanksgiving break, but we do have a planning and zoning meeting, that's why we have that one canceled. Okay. It's just how the meetings fall.

Sure, yeah, absolutely, okay. I just wanted to make sure that, because we were canceling them in 27, that if there was an opportunity to do that in November and December for the same reason, which is to allow staff to enjoy their holidays without thinking about a council meeting.

Right. The way the meetings fall this year in 26, we're planning to cancel that first meeting in January.

Okay, perfect.

Thanks for doing this. What's the first meeting in January? What date?

January 5th, 2027.

January 5th? I don't know, man. It's on there. So the Mayor Pro Tem was talking to me earlier about canceling December 1st, 2026. He wasn't talking to me about that. But Dr. Rankley's point, is there a reason that organizationally, and I'll be very honest right now, that's my wedding anniversary, so I'm trying to sneak out of a meeting, and I'm trying to back up Councilman Rankley.

If you want to cancel an additional meeting, you're welcome to.

Thanks for the air support, Mayor. I appreciate it.

Yeah, I've been looking out for you.

Just a reminder that there's a PNZ. As long as we do it well in advance, staff can plan ahead.

I can't afford vacations anymore.

If we're having it, I'll be here as long as I'm well. So if you guys want to have the meeting, we can have the meeting.

Are we looking at December 15th?

I was saying December 1st. We can pick it up if we need to. I'm not trying to overcomplicate it. Do you guys have any concerns with this document?

No.

And I really wasn't trying to complicate.

I was just trying to, if there's an opportunity to do that in November and December, just, you know, just throwing it out there.

Good try, sir. I was with you. All right. So we'll go ahead and I got the green light from Councilwoman Brennan. So yep, looks great. Thank you, Kelly, for doing that. Let's go ahead and get it done.

Before we move forward on that, in the notes on the bottom, I would like to see if it would be okay if we make an amendment to the, if you could direct me to start a change to our board and commission handbook to cancel board meetings that are scheduled on days the town hall is closed for holidays or for inclement weather?

Yeah, let's do that.

Okay, I will bring that forward at a later date.

Any other thoughts on this one? All right. So adopted. All right. The next one, D3, is to discuss the board and commission appointment process. So Kelly and I were talking earlier. At least two of us are new to this discussion on council. Really, it's just FYI. It's not a big process discussion or anything like that. It's just checking your temperature if we need to do a change-up on the process, specifically the process. So last year... You know, we started, we modified the process slightly, and basically what happened is instead of meeting one or two Saturdays or a couple weeknights to interview a lot of folks that common sense would dictate we're going to reappoint, We just kind of put the burden on the city council for us to go proactively interview folks if we have questions. So the idea was to try to save time for potential applicants. You know, if we get a new applicant, which we do get new applicants, then we can go out, talk to them, ask whatever questions we have. Alternatively, if we have, you know, maybe a board or commission where we have a low number of applicants, the idea would be that whatever place number is assigned to you you go out and proactively try to recruit applicants, high-quality people that would bring a good resume to the council. None of us in that process have direct appointment authority. It's really just a nominating process. And then as we've always done, as long as I've been on city council, we consider it in work session, we vote in the public. So I did get a couple questions on that from board and commission members, and that's how I've been explaining it. Kelly, is that pretty much the gist of it? Okay, if you all want to go a different direction, we can. We would just communicate that to the board and commission members, but I think staff is waiting on direction tonight to green light, continue with the current process, or if we need to go a different direction, we can. And then what we'll do from there is I'll work with Kelly and Aaron and the team on making sure that the message that goes to board and commission members when they reapply is clear in terms of process. But it'll reiterate what I just stated right now.

And Mr. Mayor, I just want to say thank you for doing that because I know not just for us keeping us informed and Kelly, you as well, but all of our members and volunteers and the boards and commissions, I know they appreciate that. So thank you, Mr. Mayor, for being willing to do all that.

Of course. Thanks, sir. Any questions? I mean, it can be anything about the process.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Sure.

Yeah. Yeah, if you guys have any questions that you think of later on, you know, meet with Kelly. I'm happy to meet with you as much as I can on an individual basis as well. All right. Yes, sir. Hold on. Councilman Armstrong?

My comment will be just basically upon observing meetings and commission happenings, it appears that there becomes somewhat of a arrogance of title with certain people that I've observed. And I would just like to make sure that we have something in place that this doesn't give you any trophy. I've seen disrespect offered towards staff and to other council and commission people. Not necessarily council, but commissions. And I don't think it's appropriate. I want that to go on the record.

Yeah, and one of the things we could do, and I'd be happy to work with you on it, is I think you're talking about setting clear expectations for board and commission members, and I think we all actually agree on that. So one of the things we could do is just sit down, go through the board and commission handbook like Kelly was talking about with... Because there's been glitches here and there, right? Kelly just didn't wake up one day and think, like, hey, we probably need to edit this. We have had folks who want to meet when town hall is closed just because they feel like they need to meet, and that's fine. But it's our job to set those expectations. And so what I'd like to do is just confer directly with you, work through the board and commission handbook, and clean things up a little bit. And we'll probably recirculate some of those changes through staff over email. And if you guys have any big concerns, then you can work with staff on it. Sound good? All right. Well, I was going to adjourn because, you know what, I want 7-0 votes, but this one is kind of exciting. Oh, I'm aware. I'm aware. The reason we put this here is I knew you would stay at the meeting if we put it at the very last item. So Aaron talked about this. I appreciate that, Mayor.

We talked about it.

Yeah. Like, Shannon, I don't know if we knew you'd be here. All right, Randy, so talk us through this pretty exciting new idea about voting for Keller's Best Residents of the Year, our Citizen Award finalists.

Do you want me to talk while you set it up? Sure. Randy and I discussed this, so I'll just say a couple things. First of all, we want to thank Greg, Karen, and I as the rest of the council. We want to thank six organizations that helped us whittle this down. To three finalists, what we're doing today is this that I handed to you are the three finalists for all five awards. Tonight we're going to vote on the finalists, and obviously we want that to remain secret. The three finalists aren't, but the finalists we choose tonight, Randy's going to give us a code, and we're going to use our phone, and we can vote that way. But the write-ups for each person are right here. It shouldn't take you more than a couple minutes. But while he's setting that barcode up, I just want to say a couple things. I want to thank Greg and Karen. We've done a lot. We've set up a project plan for this year that's kind of moved this along with staff and also for future years. We created a website in June and July, and we took in more than 165 nominations. We created five awards and defined them as well, which might sound easy, but it's kind of hard. We worked with the Arts Board on the logo as well. The mayor helped with that too, on the awards and et cetera. We got buy-in from those six groups, which were the Lions Club, Rotary Club, Keller Education Foundation, the Greater Keller Women's Club, the Keller Farmers Market, and the Chamber. They're all, they didn't just help us this year, but they're going to help us in future years, so this is really a community event. Karen went and worked with the kids at KCAL and got us a contract on floral arrangements, so even the school districts involved here. And we were able to lock down the Bowdoin, and we're only selling tickets for $25, which is way cheaper than the mill cost. It's a good deal. And All that's left, just to kind of inform council, is we'll vote on the finalists today. We'll order the awards, because the awards will have the winner's name in it. We're going to create stationery, and we're going to notify all the finalists that they've been nominated, which will be fun. They'll get like an official thing, and we'll hand it out.

So I was going to ask you about that, because I received a question. Do the finalists know they've been nominated? No. This is just now.

We just got it today. Okay.

Well, I'm not going to divulge anything, but yeah.

And just so everyone knows, uh, the youth of the year, that was, uh, the Keller education foundation whittled down the finalists there for senior of the year. It was a greater killing women's women's club. The chamber helped us whittle down the finalists for business of the year volunteer. The year was the lions club and citizens of the year was, we received help from the, uh, from rotary, but, uh, real quick, just two more things. Uh, All we have left is to really finalize the agenda and videos we're going to do there. But council, I'd like to ask you guys to help sell tickets. It's not going to be hard for us to fill up the 120 that we have, but we have to have all the food orders in two weeks prior. So if we're going to expand to use the whole room at the Bowdoin, I'd ask that you call all the local businesses, not just the finalists, but anyone that we want to be involved, political candidates that are elected officials locally that may want to be involved and so forth. But I'll be reaching out to all of y'all because of Whether you like it or not, you'll probably be speaking at the event, and it'll be fun. So with that, do you have the code ready?

I do. I just wanted to clarify, would you like the finalists to be shown on the screen, or would you like that to... No, no, we don't want, we gotta keep it... That's why I'm asking.

Yeah.

So then I'm gonna pull up a QR code for you all to scan. I'll be texting you. I'll pull it up, and it should appear on your screen here in a second.

Randy's gonna get the results.

So you should be able to scan that. And then everyone just let me know when you are.

You just use your phone on the screen here and it pulls it up.

It says there's no active polls. Not yet. Oh, OK. Yeah. Let me let me know when everyone's in and I can start.

I'll wait till everyone's logged in. We're technological tonight. Is everyone there? Oh, sorry. Yeah, he's going to bring it up.

Yeah, we're waiting to start it until everyone's in, yeah.

So just to, I mean, it was stated, but to restate it for clarity's sake, we are, the subcommittee put together some nominees, some finalists, and then we're going to vote on, it's our selection, about who wins tonight. We're not going to know the winner until the show

Correct. Which is what date again? October 22nd. It's from 6 p.m. to 8.30.

6 to 8.30. Thank you. All right. And then the finalists are going to be notified when? This week, as soon as possible. Yeah. By who?

By most likely you and us.

No, it'll be like, we'll get into that, but. They're finalists, not winners.

Yeah, they're the finalists. Yeah. Yes. And they get free tickets, and they don't have to pay for their meal, and they get recognized. All right.

Much. Shannon, this is the first time I've seen the list. I haven't even read it yet, and yet we're voting now.

Well, if you need more time, some of these are paragraphs, some are short, but if you need a minute to read it, we can wait. It shouldn't take us that long. The rest of the nominations are kind of short. But it's only three per, and there's only five awards. But if you need more time, we can give it to you. We need to do it tonight because we have to order the awards.

I told you they're on point tonight. I mean, it's me. I'm waiting us down over here on this side.

They're doing great. I'm waiting us down. They're just messing with me. They're enjoying it. Is everybody logged in so we can get started? Is there a motion to table? Do you have seven in?

Yeah, which one's the first? I can't see it at the moment. Go ahead and start.

So this is for Youth of the Year. Go ahead and read if you haven't and then make your choice. So we... So on the Youth of the Year page right here, you could read the nominations of the final three, and you can choose the one you think is best deserving.

Those three names should have popped up. They're here on my screen, but they're not on my phone.

You'll be voting on your phone. Yeah, vote on your phone, sorry.

Here, so then...

All right, I'm showing seven votes so I'm gonna go ahead and move to senior of the year all right senior of the year with Greater Keller Women's Club with all these three down I All right. I have seven votes, so we're going to go ahead and move on to business of the year.

Oh, so you wait for all seven to come in, so it's like a real deliberative process.

If I move on, I think it'll close out the question. I don't want to let anyone lose their vote.

Yeah, Mayor Proton's going to call the question.

Yeah, it's okay.

That one's easy.

All right. Business of the year. All right. These are the finalists for business of the year. The chamber helped us whittle these three down.

I still show we're waiting on one. All right. Take your time. There we go. All right.

Moving on to Volunteer of the Year. And Volunteer of the Year, again, the Lions Club helped whittle this down. And for the final two, there were a lot of nominations. So, again, special thanks to Lions and Rotary.

And Mayor Pro Tem, I can give you total number of nominees for any category if you'd like it. Total number of what? No, no, I didn't want to confuse them. Let's keep it simple. Y'all are doing the hard work. I'm just standing here. All right, showing seven votes. We're going to move on to the final category, Citizen of the Year.

And this is the one the Rotary helped us finalize, and they're all equal importance, but this is kind of the last one we'll announce in the evening.

Did you nominate yourself that many times like I did?

Jared might have had a couple nominations of himself in there on accident. I will neither confirm or deny.

Different IP addresses, right? All right. We got it all in? We've got them all. All right.

Well, this will be exciting.

So I'm going to mark your calendars. Thanks, everyone, for their work on it. And, yeah, just let me know what I need to do to help notify the finalists. Yeah, Councilman?

Can you send the information out so I can start getting up some people?

Oh, yes, definitely. I'll send an email tomorrow. And, again, if we fill it up really quickly, we can open it up to take up the whole meeting floor of the ballot, which would be nice. We can expand it.

How much are the tickets?

$25, but for Arts Board, Councilmember, and some staff, there's a code we can use. If... to not have to pay the $25, but the tickets are only $25. They're not available. Sorry? $10 per table.

$10 per table, $25 a ticket, and how many do you hope to attend?

We need $120 to fill up the third that we've cut off, but again, if we fill it up more, we can open it up, which actually won't be hard.

Thank you.

And the date again? October 22nd. And it'll be from 6 to 8.30 because we don't want it to be long event people. It's a school night, a Thursday night. And we made sure there were no events from any of the organizations or the school district. So it's a good night. No church, no football or anything. So if you're watching at home, buy your ticket now.

Yes. And tickets are available at cityofkeller.com slash awards. There's a link on that web page.

And we'll be promoting it as well. Absolutely. And I'll be annoying council members to do phone calls. Thank you. All right.

All right. Thank you. You're putting up on the signs across town.

Yes, we're going to be. Those should be going up probably tomorrow. We're going to be having signs going up that have QR codes to the Web page where you can purchase tickets and just information about the event. All the different categories. They'll be going in all of the different trailhead signs around the city.

Nice, man. Thanks for all the work you're putting in. Absolutely. Randy, thanks. Thank you. Karen, Greg, thanks to the team. All right. I'll take a motion to adjourn. Aaron Rector made the motion. Let's hear each other. Councilman Wiley makes the motion. I'll second. All in favor? We're adjourned.