City Council - Regular Meeting

As well, continue to sustain and uplift them in their leadership of our dream city. Tonight, we also give you thanks for the homecoming of Six Flags and other economic successes in our city. We pray that we will continue to be good stewards of all the blessings that come our way. That in our celebration, we will not forget those who are still hungry, hot, and lonely. In this unrelenting heat, we particularly remember all our city workers and others who work outside. Protect them and restore them at the end of the day. We lift up to you those who are living unsheltered, that they may find a cool oasis through the efforts of DRC, the Arlington Downtown Library, and Arlington Life Shelter, among many others. We ask your presence to be known here tonight as our leaders work through budget requests and fiscal year proposals, through amendments and zoning cases. Please continue to guide and support our municipal judges, especially Judge Delaney and the community court program and their attempts at restoration and renewal. May everything we do seek to pursue those goals of restoration and renewal, of bringing the most amount of faith, hope, and love to the most amount of people. May we continue to lift up the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all of your beloved children. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Amen. Please join us for the Pledge 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 Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas, one state, under God, one and indivisible.

Thank you. You may be seated. Ms. Garcia, speaker guidelines and general decorum, please.

Thank you, Mayor. We ask that the citizens and other visitors in attendance assist in preserving the order and decorum of this meeting and to provide for attendance, ad, and participation in the meeting without fear of intimidation, threats, or hostility. Any person making personal, profane, hostile, slanderous, or threatening remarks, who uses vulgar or obscene language, who engages in and other actions that disturb or are calculated to disturb the meeting, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor and the city council, or while attending the city council meeting may be removed from the council chambers. All speakers shall address the city council and not the audience or city staff. and shall not call out individually named members of the city staff or the public. For speakers tonight, when your name is called, please come to the microphone at the podium and state your name and the city of residence for the record. Speakers may not use music, videos, or other forms of media, signs, or props. During public hearings for zoning cases, the applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make a presentation. Speakers in support or opposition of the item will be given three minutes each to make their statements. The applicant will then be given three minutes for any rebuttal. For all other items on the agenda, speakers will be given three minutes to speak. If multiple speakers plan to provide the same or similar comments, Those speakers may, if they so desire, designate one or more individuals to provide public comment on behalf of the group. A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time. In consideration of other speakers, please conclude your comments promptly when you hear the bell. We ask that you address your comments to the mayor and city council.

Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Do we have any appointments this evening to boards and commissions?

Yes, we do, Mayor. We have four appointments to boards and commissions. To the Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors, Brian Johnson, place 11. To the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Jeremy Dean, place 2, Ben Chapman, place 7, and Wesley Bolton, place 11.

Yeah, I want to recognize Council Member Hogg.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor. As mentioned in afternoon session, I'm delaying my two appointments for ZBA.

thank you and just for the record mr hogg which two appointments are those

That is for place seven and place 11.

Thank you. So can I get a motion and a second for the remaining two appointments to boards and commissions? I have a motion from council member Gonzalez and a second from council member Galante. Please cast your vote.

Mayor, there is a lap, so it'll come up here shortly. There we go.

There it is. Okay, perfect. And the motion passes. Consideration of minutes, Ms. Garcia.

Mayor, we have the minutes for the August 4th, 2026 afternoon and evening meetings and the August 11th, 2026 regular meeting.

Thank you. Do we have any speakers on this item?

We have no speakers, Mayor.

Thank you. Council, do you all have any additions or corrections? Seeing none, I have a motion from Council Member Galante, a second from Council Member Ware. Please cast your vote. The motion passes. Consideration of consent agenda, please, Ms. Garcia.

The consent agenda this evening contains 18-minute orders, five ordinances, and 14 resolutions. One through six, annual requirements contracts for Amazon online marketplace for the purchase of office supplies and equipment for citywide communication cable and installation services. for the purchase of fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides, lawnmower repair parts, and for irrigation supplies for Parks Golf Division, and for the sole source equipment replacement, repair services, water, and testing supplies. Seven, ratification of assignment and renewal of the annual requirements contract for liquid aluminum sulfate. Eight and nine, renewal of annual requirements contracts for concrete repair services for the Water Utilities Department and for concrete materials. 10, renewal and modification of the annual requirements contract for elevator maintenance, repairs, and annual inspections. 11, renewal of annual contract for specific stop loss coverage. 12, 2026 concrete panel and sidewalk replacement program phase two. 13, construction contract for 39 inch water transmission main improvements, 14 consulting services contract for solid waste cost of service assessment, 15 professional services contract for auditing services, 16 five-year contract for the purchase, installation, implementation, and maintenance of budget software, 17 five-year revenue contract for kayak and paddleboard self-service rental units and program management, 18, purchase of golf course grounds maintenance replacement equipment. The ordinances seek to authorize 19, zoning case PD25-21, 1013 North Mesquite Street. 20, zoning case PD25-18. 1605 Wilma Lane. 21, amending the fiscal year 2026 operating budget. 22, appointment of senior associate municipal judge. 23, tax increment reinvestment zone number one amended and restated project plan and financing plan. The resolution seek to authorize 24, Banking services contract for depository services. 25, amended and restated employment agreement. 26, fiscal year 2027, annual audit plan. 27, fiscal year 2027, annual budget for the Tarrant County 9-11 district. 28, resolution for naming of the Brett Smith Pavilion at the Martin Luther King Jr. Sports Center. 29, authorize a competitive sealed proposal, request for proposal, procurement method for janitorial services for the parks, recreation, and culture facilities. 30, settlement with Atmos Energy Corp. Mid-Tex Division regarding the Atmos. Mid-Tex 2025, rate review mechanism filing. One fifth amendment to the Ambulance Service Contract. 32, Texas Department of Transportation Aircraft Park and Apron Construction Grant Agreement Amendment. 33, Arlington Entertainment Area Management District appointment. 34, amendment to lease agreement for office space near I-20 and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. 35, tax increment reinvestment zone number one, economic development and reimbursement agreement, TCDFW Development, Inc. 36, A&B downtown redevelopment, Abram Main Acquisition, LLC. Mayor, this concludes the consent agenda for this evening.

Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Do we have any speakers on any of the items on the consent agenda?

Yes, we do, Mayor. We have, let's see, one speaker for 712, Jimmy Burke.

Mr. Burke?

Want me to come down, sir?

Yeah, please. Yes, sir. We're pretty fancy here, Jeremy. We can accommodate you, OK?

Apparently, I appreciate that. Been a while for me to be here. And as I believe it would be, can you hear me OK? Yes, sir. As I believe it would be irresponsible of me as a citizen who has not looked up the budget on how this $950,000 or so is allocated, I don't want to divert when I should have educated myself what it's for. But I appreciate a moment to indulge that I am in favor, especially as someone using a wheelchair, albeit gratefully temporarily, that we do need to address the sidewalk situation in town, especially when there's spots where there's not a sidewalk on either side and not manageable. And not for nothing, I'm pretty capable for most people in wheelchairs. But I just wanted to make my comments as brief as possible on that to not divert from the budget because I did not want to take up the council's time since I have not done the due diligence yet to look up for what that's allocated for. So I appreciate your patience and let me...

do that and not waste the council's time but also get a couple of comments and i really appreciate it thank you sir thank you miss garcia any other speakers mayor we have uh two speakers in support uh the applicants joel barons and kevin hickman if you'd like to speak if it's just y'all don't really want to speak you're just here if we need you right perfect Those are all the speaker cards, Mayor.

Okay. Council, can I get a motion and a second then? I have a motion from Council Member Galante, a second from Council Member Pham. Please cast your vote. The motion passes. 10.1, Mr. Jay Warren.

Gabe, Mayor and Council, 10.1 is an amendment, actually the first reading of an amendment for the Municipal Elections Chapter of the Code of the City of Arlington. This relates to the signage of polling places at city-owned facilities during our election season. Happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Thank you, sir. Ms. Garcia, any speakers on this item?

We have no speaker cards on this item, Mayor.

Thank you. With that, I have a motion from Councilmember Galante and a second from Councilmember Gonzalez. Please cast your vote.

Councilmember Galante, your vote.

And the motion passes. 10.2, Ms. Thoppel.

Thank you, Mayor. We have Dylan Ritchie, our Senior Environmental Health Specialist here to present the amendments.

Good afternoon. My name is Dylan Ritchie, Health Services, Planning and Development Services. The item before you is a consideration of an ordinance revision to Article 4 of the Health and Sanitation Chapter covering food establishments rules. The revisions are intended to update and clarify our food establishment regulations and ensure that they remain consistent with the current practices and regulatory requirements. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, sir. Ms. Garcia, any speakers on this item?

We have no speaker cards on this item, Mayor.

Thank you. I have a motion from Council Member Galante and a second from Council Member Hunter. Please cast your vote. The motion passes. Ms. Garcia, citizen participation, please.

Citizen participation gives the public an opportunity to make comments or address concerns regarding matters related to city business or affairs that are not in the scope of the authority of the city council, which are not posted on the evening agenda. However, please understand that the mayor and council are not permitted by law to respond to discuss or address the comment at this time. As these items are not included on the posted council agenda for this evening, the mayor and council may only ask clarifying questions and or direct staff to take appropriate action. Speakers who have pre-registered will be given two minutes to make their comments, except that if 26 or more speakers have pre-registered, each speaker will be given one minute to make their comments. First speaker, Vanessa Strength.

Ms. Strength.

Okay, I got a couple of shockers for you. Not too many people know this, but when I came back to Arlington five years ago after having graduated the Well House, the restoration program for trafficking survivors, and you only had to be there one year to graduate, I stayed there an extra year. Well, I didn't just get certifications. I got credentials there. I and one other lady were given a scholarship to take a course called Perspectives and then to prerequisite for missionary work because I didn't think I could ever come back here after the things I'd been through. But I got wind while I was taking that course that in New Jersey some people think Jesus Christ is a cuss word. They don't even know it's a person. So I said, what can I do to make my Abba Father happy? Why don't I go back to where I was hurt the most and plant seeds in those that hurt me the most? And that's happened. But I want to let you know about something else, an achievement you're not giving yourselves credit for. Okay, in the Bible it says, the least of mine a drink of water. It says be a voice for the voiceless. It says stand in the gap. It says, be there for the orphan, the widow. Y'all are grooming people, and you have successfully groomed thousands upon thousands around the world to disobey God. Am I missing something? And furthermore, your whole career at APD, starting at DEA, coincides with everything that happened to me in my whole story. And you knew I was here all through those years, a child in need of supervision, because the worst of the worst took me in and did horrible things to me, and I got busted, and y'all kicked in doors, and just left me there. You didn't take me. I was just left there with them. Good day.

Next speaker, please.

Jimmy Burke.

Mr. Burke, come on up.

Thank you, Mayor and Council. Homeless of the American Dream, part eight, finally. It's been 98 days since I was here last, and let's hold that thought for just a minute. I'm sure many of us have heard of the great Vince Lombardi. For all he accomplished, many NFL championships, including Super Bowls, he's famous for every year in a new season, like we're in right now, football or otherwise, he would famously say something like this. He says, gentlemen, this is a football. He'd go back to the basics. As we enter the fall season right now, when we have plenty to celebrate as Arlington, especially this year, great. And fortunately, we've been doing things. But let's go into the fall season with some things in mind. So just for symbolic purposes, let's use the same 98 days. Since the last time I was here into the future, it just happens to be a good symbolic December 1, 98 days from now. And you know me with my silly acronyms. Only a minute left. Let's just say all hands on deck, A-H-O-D. Well, that could apply to several things. I submit just for brevity's sake, hopefully, accountability, the A. And that's not just negative. We should know and give ourselves credit and each other credit for when we're doing things right. And our plan as we've been doing things moving forward into the future, we need to do those things, but also A-H-O-D. Health, whatever that means, we could use that word in all facets too. Get our rest as we do what we need to do too, so we can look back on December 1-ish, enjoy what we did, but also have enjoyed life. And as I'm running out of time, it's okay I didn't get through all this. But as we look back, we need to have a deep dive too as we plan what we're about to do into the future. Some things are inside the box, some things are not. And little by little, we can accomplish what we're moving forward to, and I look forward to continuing this as we move forward. Thank you. Thank you, sir.

Ambika Sharma.

Ms. Sharma. Ms. Sharma. Any other speakers? Ms. Garcia?

We have no other speakers, Mayor.

Thank you. Council, do you all have any announcements this evening? Seeing none, Ms. Garcia, announcements please.

I'd like to remind our residents, Arlington City Council evening meetings are rebroadcast on Sundays at 6 p.m. and on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 6.30 a.m. The council's afternoon work sessions are rebroadcast on Sundays at 1 p.m., Wednesdays at 1.30 p.m., and on Saturdays at 6 p.m. You can also watch the meetings online anytime at www.arlingtontx.gov.

Well, did y'all have a good time coming up here? What troop are y'all with? 6-15? Well, I'm glad you all came out here. This wasn't a real exciting council meeting for you, was it? But I'm glad you got to see a quick one because sometimes they can really drag on. And I appreciate you all coming out and watching us. So thank you for doing that. With that, we are hereby adjourned.

Arlington. My name is Christian Orozco, Communications Supervisor for the City of Arlington's Dispatch Services. Our 911 service is vital to get the help you need in case of an emergency. But when it comes to this service, there are some misconceptions that can hinder aid getting to you or another victim. We want to clear up those misunderstandings to help you when an emergency happens. Okay Christian, if I dial 911 and call takers are busy, will hanging up to dial back in get my call answered quicker? If someone calls 911 and we are busy, they will receive a recording in both English and Spanish asking them to not hang up. Many people hang up because they don't want to wait on the line. When someone hangs up and calls back, that call goes to the end of the line as calls are answered in the order they are received. Our call takers are tasked with calling back all 911 hangups. We want to stress that staying on the line will be the quickest way to speak to a 911 call taker. What if I don't know my location? People see movies and TV shows where someone calls 911 and the dispatcher can see their exact location. This is not always true. There are several factors that impact what the 911 center receives when people call, like the kind of phone and cell phone service they use. When we receive a call, the most important thing we need is the caller's location or the location of the emergency. If someone calls in and they do not know their address, given things like cross streets, landmarks, or describing their surroundings, can assist us in sending