City Council - Regular Meeting

Dang it.

I don't understand. If it's not you, why does it It's from I haven't read the whole texture. So, we're we're going to give Laramie couple of minutes before we start.

Sorry. There he is.

Hey, that's not bad. I've had this happen to me before. All right. With arrival, we'll start the meeting tonight. Mr. Calibrator, would you offer our invitation tonight?

Father, we come to you. We thank you for all your love, grace. Thank you for the city of thank you for all the things you've done for us, what you're going to do. I pray that you just bless in this meeting and help us understand what would be best for all the people that live here, the businesses that operate here, things that we decide here make a big difference. So I pray that you give the council, the mayor, city manager wisdom to be able to take care of these things. So bless this night. May this meeting be to your glory. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Amen. Please join me in the pledge. I aliance 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. Okay. Couple of items for community interest. one. Um, Cindy has left at each one of your packets and I'd like for the public to be aware of the all you can eat breakfast at the senior citizen center which is Saturday, April the 27th, starts at 7:30 to 10:00 a.m. Um, $12 for adults and $6 for children. I think it's one of their fundraisers, isn't it? So, yeah, it's pretty important pretty important to the center. Also, I'd like to thank everybody that came out to the pickle ball facilities on Friday. I know some of you didn't get to make it, but we did get to play some pickle ball and there were lots of people from out of town and it it was a huge hit. So, I appreciate everybody and all the all the people that worked on that project. I think I think we have one of those gentlemen here tonight. Um, let's move forward to the city manager report. If you will recall in a few meetings back, we had a case come up where there was a sheriff's sale for a house on Clay Street where the county wanted us to accept a payment of $600 for the property. On our recommendation, the county agreed with us and voted not to accept the bid. We then started the process of an online sale of the property where we were selling the property and another property on Nelson Street. It worked out in that both properties brought over $40,000 for a total of over $80,000 to be split between the city, county, and school district. This amount will more than

cover our cost for caring for the properties until we can get it sold. So, who for that?

Uh the contract on the sewer line project has blocked Roach Street close to CVS pharmacy and it will be blocked for about 10 days. contractor on phase two of the project is not as efficient as the last contractor and it has been slowgoing. I asked our engineer about the pace of the construction and he told me that as long as the contractor is finished by the time allotted on the contract he is within his rights. Uh but if the time goes over the allotted time there are plent penalty clauses in the contract. Uh we still have not decided about which project we're going to use to apply for the Texas Water Development Board's 100% grant. Uh as I told you before, we can apply for uh the raw water pump project or the affluent water reuse project or do the plan for the water plant expansion project. I have a Zoom meeting on Thursday with the engineers so that we can see what project is most likely to be approved. There's $10 million available from the grant for cities our size and I want to get all we can get. So, it's a kind of a tough decision. Uh I got an update from the engineers on the rock and pillar street drainage project. The plans are about 90% done uh as they are finalizing plan specs in the estimate. They noted that they are seeing price increases currently. Blaine Boswell said that the every load of concrete uh that they're hauling has a fuel search charge attached to it around Witchto Falls. Right now, the estimate is between 1.3 and $1.5 million uh with some finetuning to go. The engineer wants to start the bidding process in the month of May. So, uh that's something we'll talk about later. Also, we're going to be talking about the library later, but I'd like to announce

that Beth got a grant from the Pretty Foundation uh for to be used on the library in the amount of $25,000. So, we keep going and stuff. So, for the library, you keep doing something right.

That's it. Anybody got any questions? No questions. Well, then let's move on. Your consent agenda items are the minutes from the workshop from the uh planning meeting and the minutes from the regular meeting also uh March they were two days 23rd and 24th we can approve them together. So if you have um read them and you're ready to make a motion I'd accept that motion to approve. So moved spr I have a second second host. Mcuan I post I Holstein I Truax and Sprouls

Hi. Thank you very much. Our next item on the agenda is to approve the recommendation from the planning and zoning on request from Buck Ross to replat B block 7 HCLS survey abstract 319 creating lots 1 through 10 phase 1 Kingdom Ridge subdivision 4.06 acres.

All right. Uh thank you for letting me have something to say about it. Uh the planning zoning commission met March 19th. We had a quorum and uh we uh looked over all of the plans and what was going on. Had a lot of questions for the developer and all those things were met. And so we uh unanimously approved to bring it to the city council for this recommendation to reszone or replant rather replant this uh this property. So, if you have questions, they're here. You can ask them any kind of questions you want. No questions.

So, each one of you have the plat in front of you, too. I'm assuming we're building houses. Yes, he's building homes. Well, I think that's great. So, Everybody understand where the phase one is and how it's coming in? That's way too easy. Do you guys have anything you want to say? Well, I would love to see you at the podium. All right. Thank you, Mr. Calabrada. Yes.

So, my name is Buck Ross. Some of you guys know me. Uh but we're excited about the about the project. Obviously, we're working on phase one of the project and uh I think if I'm not mistaken, if if uh my engineers told me right, we're we're talking about uh do a doing a preliminary on all four phases, but we're just approving phase one. Uh is that is that how you would say that? And so, um phase one has 10 homes in it and uh and phase two has 23 and so on and so forth. And so, Obviously, uh you guys do this a lot more than I do. And so, uh our our goal, uh starting this out was to get more affordable homes in in Buoie, uh where somebody could buy a new home and uh and still be around $200,000 for for their home. Uh as opposed to buying a remodeled home or something like that. But, uh, in doing this, um, in phase one, like I said, there's 10 homes and we're already a half a million dollars into the property and just clearing the property and the engineering stage stages of it. And so, by the time we get the infrastructure in, which is the road and the uh, and the sewer and water, we're going to be at a million dollars. And so, you do the math, 10 homes, million dollars, $100,000 a lot. Anybody want to buy a lot for $100,000? So, I lose about a half a million dollars on phase one. And so, uh, that's the hopefully to be made up in the other phases. Uh, but anything you guys can do with your expertise that can help us to keep these affordable homes, uh, we would love to do that. Um, in phases 2, three, and four. We may have to go with bigger homes. We may have to go on a grander scale, you know. Uh, they may not be able, they may be half a million dollar homes, you know, and I'd hate to do that. I'd really like to keep them uh for first time buyers and and and but you know how many times has buoy America I've been here since 88

and I've never seen a new subdivision with 67 homes built in it. So this is kind of a first. Uh and so we work with a lot of other cities where we built these subdivisions and and they help us any way that they can and I'm sure that you guys will too. But I don't know how that you can help. Uh I'm just asking for your expertise and saying hey you know let's do this let's do this. We've checked into grants and we've checked into a lot of different stuff that uh we don't qualify for because it's in the city limit. And so that's something that you guys would have to help us with uh to move forward to try to keep the cost down. So if you can do the math, this one road and this just the one sewer right here is a half a million dollars. So if you do that times four, you're $2 million in just the infrastructure alone. Uh and that's putting in the new roads and and the new sewer and new water to the to the whole thing. And so we just we would love to we would love to keep that cost down, you know, and I'm looking for you guys as help to say, "Hey, why can't we do this or what about this or how about this?" Because there's a lot of costs associated just with inspection fees and just with permits and just, you know, uh just taxes and just so many different things. U we've contacted Monte County and uh and they've assured us that they're going to help us with the tax portion of that and they said they've got a new program that they said that uh we can implement that they'll make us only pay half of the taxes until the home sales. And so things like that that we didn't know going into this, but God always shows us, you know, directs us and gives us, you know, uh the peace and the understanding of what he wants to do. I'm associate out here at the Lighthouse Church and and that's my gift. That's my calling. This is just something I do uh to help other people and to you know to pay the bills. And so um we we just you know I'm going to lean on you guys to to give us you know direction in this and

and help us to make this happen. Our our second uh plan B was to build four homes in here at 5 acre tracks and uh and not use city water, city sewer or electric and so we wouldn't have to pull, you know, go through all the all the red tape, all the extra stuff, uh, to do that. And so, but we would love to, you know, I think we need 67 more homes than it does four big homes, you know, in in the neighborhood here. So, that's kind of where we're at. Um, Mr. Rainey has worked great with us uh and helping us and but he's also told us that you know the city of Bu does not pay for infrastructure and things like that but obviously you you don't do anything this this scale either you know uh and so um just I'm open to suggestions I'm open to ideas I'm open to say you know uh here's what we've seen done or here's what we know you know in our experience but uh yeah uh we're excited about getting phase one started. It may be phase one and it may be phase one and out, you know, if if I go broke. So, uh, but it is what it is, you know. Uh, I believe God's blessing this and and he wants us to do this and I think it's great for this this town that I grew up in. I graduated here in ' 88 and uh and I've been here a long time since ' 84 and uh we'd like to stay here. This is my son and my daughter and my grandbaby. uh they're they're taking over the business when I retire. I'm not going to do this forever, but uh we're hoping in the next three to five years we can complete all five uh FA or all four phases in five years. 3 to five years and good Lord willing the houses sell. We've already got three respective buyers right now. So that's pretty much all I got.

Where where exactly is this? I'm I'm sorry. I'm I'm looking at at the map and could you help me? Upper Monte Grove where the elementary school is there. Keep going right past the upper uh upper uh elementary school, upper Monte Road and way on the fence butting up to the elementary school there. So is the elementary on this side? The uh elementary is going to be.

Okay. Okay, thank you. How much time are you going to allow for option A before you move on to B?

Uh, does that make sense as far as Yeah. Well, it really just depends on on how uh if everything goes well with option A. Um, we would like to be u we would like to get the first according to the bank, we'd like to get the first five houses sold and then we can borrow them enough money to finish uh phase two. uh and and move into that. And so, but again, um we just we we've just got to figure out ways to to get that cost, you know, get that cost down. Now, we've worked diligently for several months and and we've cut about a half a million dollars off the budget already. So, we know it's possible. We know God works those things out and and uh but again, um phase option two is a last resort. I don't really want to go go down that, you know. I mean, I do that outside the city limits all the time. Two acre tracks, five acre tracks. You know, I've got several of those subdivisions going up right now,

but I'd like to keep it at a at a a smaller track, you know, quarter acre tracks, but that's still on the table. And if you made it through all four, it would be acceptable, profitable. I mean, it'd be a good deal for you as well, or is it just strictly for

That's correct. Yeah. If we can get if we can keep the cost down uh obviously and and sell the homes for uh u I mean that's my goal. I mean if I've got to if I got to change up phase two and phase three and and and make those tracks bigger so I can put a bigger house on it, you know, so there's more profit in it, you know, then obviously that's uh that's one of the reasons we're not doing a full plat on everything at the moment. That's one reason. Another reason is the taxes that you have to pay on each one of those lots once you to break it down into a quarter acre track. Most of the infrastructure cost would be in the the first phase.

No. Uh each each phase, like I said, each phase uh the road and the sewer in each phase is going to be between half a million and a million dollars per So, it's it's divided into each phase and not just taken out on that first.

That's correct. We're actually uh we're actually doing less plumbing in phase one than we will in phase two. Phase two's got the biggest plumbing in it because we're putting in the pump station and uh and and doing it's brand new. Everything's brand new right now. We're tying into existing in the alley there. And that's another thing, you know, tying into existing. Every time we tap into that is a tap fee. Every time we put in a meter is a meter fee. You know, I mean, there's just things like that that Mr. he's trying to work with us on, but his hands are tied because there's obviously you guys are the So, do you know of any grants that may or may not be out there infrastructure or new construction?

Not for us, but we did they did tell us that there is some that the city could apply for for new neighborhoods uh going in for u house cost effective housing for for people first- time buyers and things like that. So, we could get more information on that. But once they told us we couldn't apply for it, this the city would have to apply for it, we kind of stopped pursuing that. So obviously you're not coming in on Upper Bont County Road on this first plat. That's correct. So you're going to be coming in from what is the name of that? Yes, Tiglin.

We'll come in from Tigland here. Uh because because we don't have an exit, we're going to put a turn there for the fire trucks and stuff at the end of the above the sector. So it'll be just just a one road there. And this subdivision is not on Buoie electric, is it? It is not. It's on Wise. That's correct. But it is on Buoie water and sewer. That's correct. It's a shame it's not on electric. Well, um Wise was and I don't know how good a relationship you guys have with Wise, but uh they uh they they cut off $100,000 off their bill to to be able to get the homes, you know, to be able for me to sign a contract with them, but

well, it's their territory, so they wouldn't have let us have it anyway. Any other questions? I'm anxious to see it start. Me, too. Me, too. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks, B. So, now we have to have a motion to approve the replat as presented. And I would entertain a motion. So moved. Post. Do I have a second? Second. Muan. Truax. Hi. Holstein. I spr Post. I Mchuan. Hi.

Thank you very much. Thank you very much, gentlemen. We look forward to it. Although I would like to ask you if you do have that information to forward it to us. The grant information. you forward it to us. I'd like to at least look at it. All right. Next item on the agenda is to award the bid to public management for application and administrative services for the TPWD local parks grant. Thank you.

B, you want to discuss this?

Uh, yeah. We're going to be applying for wildlife grant uh for the park. And if those of you that came to the meeting uh with the parks board know a little bit more about this, but uh this the uh parks and wildlife grant does not pay for the uh uh management company to manage the grant. So, it'll cost us, and I don't have the numbers in front of me, I think about $10,000 to uh pay the grant coming in. Don't hold me to that figure, but that comes to mind, but anyway, to manage the grant, but that'll be on down the line after we make application for it. So, it probably won't that money won't be spent in this budget year. Probably be spent next budget year. Yeah, I think that's what Kristen I mean Katie told us that she didn't think it would be ready for four October.

Yeah.

So, um, who was at that meeting and who wasn't? I don't You weren't here. You weren't there. So, um, it can vary the the grant proc the grant that they're looking at can vary between 300,000 and a million dollars. So, and it's not all grant because it's a match grant. So, it's fully matched grant. So, um they're trying to decide now, put together the different projects that are available to come back to us, present to us what they think it would cost for it to to for the project they're bringing back, which we don't even know yet. So, that's why we're looking at October before we get any of that information. Right now, you're just making the decision to allow us to award a bid to public management for application. We sent out we have to send out three well we have to uh to three different management companies. We got one answer and of course we were already dealing with public management. So that's why we chose them and they've been good to work with. We like them anyway. So

any questions? Any moves to approve this? Is this something we have to do? the the grant process. We can't manage it. Well, we can't manage it. So, so yeah. So, yeah, we have to have a management company. Yes. Okay. I'm just trying to understand. Yeah. So, what we're doing here? So, do I have a motion to approve? So moved. Do I have a second? Second. Holstein. I Spr. Post. I Truax. Hi, Muan. I thank you very much.

All right. The next item on the agenda is the reappointment to the parks board. Margin Leam, Janice Blahuda, and Michael Iller. They have to be done individually. All three have shown an interest who want to be reappointed. So the first one would be Margin Leam. Do I have a motion? Some moved. Post. Do I have a second? Second. Let him have it. Who's let him have it? Okay. TJ. Uh, Mcuan. Hi. Post. Hi. Holstein. Hi. Sprouls. Hi. And Truax. Hi. Second individual is Janice Blahuda. She has been there for a couple of years now, too. Do I have a move? Motion. So move. Truax. Do I have a second? Second

TJ. Um, Sprouls. I Holstone. Hi. Mcuan. Hi. Post. Hi. Trux. Hi. And the last individual for this is Michael Eicer. very instrumental in the pickle ball project. Do I have a motion? So move. Um Holstein have a second. Second. Sprouls. Post I. Mchuan. I. Holstein. Hi. Sprouls. Hi. And Truax. All right.

The next item on the agenda is to consider the library hour change. Um there's been a Thank you. I was about to ask you, would you like to come to the podium? So, in at least the last recent year, things um as far as the library traffic has changed. You know, everybody has a phone in their pocket nowadays. So, uh, readership is still up, but, um, and one thing we've noticed is there seems to be one full-time position that turns over and over and over and over. Um, we have, um, looked at the stats as far as who comes in at what time and how busy the library is, and we're just not real busy on Saturdays. And the people who do come in are also people who come in at regular business hours during the week. And then on our late hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, uh we're open an hour later till 6, it's the same. There's barely anybody in the library at that time. And we felt that it would be more costefficient in our budget to not replace that full-time person. That would also we would not be paying benefits for another full-time employee. But it would be easier on the staff if we and the public too because the way our hours are now, everybody's so confused as to what times we're open and when we're not. Um, but it if we had more uniform hours, it would be easier on the staff and easier

to staff the library. And I don't think it would disenfranchise anyone in the community to change the hours.

So, I know you've been told I have a difficult time with taking away the Tuesday and Thursday um access to the public after five. Um but I I don't have vote in this matter. So, but I'm just voicing an opinion. The Saturday thing I understand Bert said that you really did a good door count and you right. It's not that big a deal. What about your Saturday events? Those will still take place.

Those will still say so there are a few afterhour events like we craft night book club things that we do after hours. We would still do those monthly after hours. We just rotate staff to do those. Uh we do right now we do three Saturday events and they would stay on the books and we would still do those. We partner with different people in the community to do those and they're big events that draw people into the library. So, uh, the mini ComicCon in May, the art exhibit that coincides with Chicken and Bread Days, and then the Elf Magic that they do on the Saturday at the Pancakes with Santa. So, those would stay the same and possibly even more things would come up, but

that's a ghost in the building. Yeah, there there would still be some times when we would do outside of business hours. Have you? Now, I I did run numbers on the um I went back a whole year for Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was going to ask we averaged three people after five o'clock that check out books that check out books.

So, it's average over a year of Tuesdays and Thursdays. Does that mean only three people came in the library or only three people checked out a book? So I I guess my concern was right access to kids that the school goes on to four o'clock now. Parents don't get home in time to get on their four. And the ones that do come in, they come in right after school and they're gone by five or a little after 5. So, have you track the foot traffic in general? I mean, not just the ones that check out books between that five and six on Tuesday and Thursdays, and it's still minimal. It's very minimal.

So, you'll have to forgive me. It's been a while since I've been to the library from a 9 to5. Of course, we come for the art show, art exhibit, that kind of thing. What What does the traffic typ typical traffic look like in a day? Who comes from? depends on the day and and whether or not we have a program going on. 50 60 is an average slow day or like slowish day. If we have a program, it can be anywhere to 100 to 108. So during the the school day, would that be like co-op kids or stay-at-home kids of some kind or adult?

We do have a large population of homeschool that use our library. Yes, we do do a big homeschool program and and then after that three to five I think you were saying was more the public school traffic. Yes. So would you be willing to listen if we had complaints about it being closed, you know, that one hour, those two days a week, if if if we start getting complaints here, would y'all be willing to relook at this? Yes, absolutely. I mean, we're here to serve the public. I mean, that would be that's my that's my issue is the the public hours.

Would you be willing to track from this day forward on the Tuesdays and Thursdays that the traffic that comes in between five and six just so that we can see? I mean, depending on what y'all vote today, this would take effect immediately. Start immediately though, maybe zero. Can you remind me what your foot traffic is on Saturdays? On Saturdays, normal actual foot traffic is around 18 people. Okay.

And that's that's not people checking out books. It's usually like maybe kids coming in to play on video games or the computers, Roblox. We we get a lot of that, you know, pre-teenage kids that come in and get on the computers. Probably more traffic when it's 95 degrees and humid. outside? No, not really.

Because my only thing is is the fact that I mean I I know it's Saturday and nobody wants to work on Saturdays. I'm not going to lie. But my concern is the fact of we do have a lot of kids that do rely on needing something to do in our community. So, I'm just curious if it would be more beneficial to be closed on Mondays and extend your hours.

No. Uh we do a lot of traffic now for the DMV and we already close at two on Mondays and there are times when some of us are there still after 2 o'clock on and we've got people coming and jiggling the door needing to come in to print or use the computers for services. What do you mean about the DMV? A lot of people come from out of town now to use our DMV to get their driver's license renewed. Well, when they come, they don't realize they have to have a bank statement or their insurance card printed off. And RDMB doesn't do any of that. So, they send them to the library. Wow.

To do that. Yeah. I did we did $400 in printing last month at 25 cents a page. Oh, you get any of that printing between five and six on Tuesdays and Thursdays?

Maybe. Maybe a little. I didn't keep track with that. And and I'm yes there with any change there are going to be some complaints and some people may be upset and we can like you say revisit this at a later time if it's a lot of complaint but if you look at it at the budget standpoint too um you know it saves the library quite a bit in budget money to do this. Well, I understand the Saturday thing. I I I do understand the Saturday thing. I'm not opposed to the Saturday thing. The Tuesday and Thursday. I personally like the consistency of hours and the proposed.

Yeah, I do like that. The the hours right now are just kind of all over the place. And I can see where people would be. Are they open or are they not? Are they? You know, it's much more consistent. Well, I guess if you have no traffic at all between the five and six, then I can see it. But if you have plenty of traffic, then even if they're not checking out books or they on the computer, what you consider plenty of traffic for to warrant a staff member. Well, we're here to provide a service. So, but you're still not working more hours. I mean,

the hours do not change at all. We were open 40 hours then as of now and this would continue 40 hours even though the staff

we we won't the staff will come in at 8 because we have to clean the library ourselves. So we clean the library every morning uh between the hours of 8 and opening and staff comes in Y'all need to discuss this. What are are Does somebody want to make a motion? I think it makes sense. I like the hours being a little bit more

um reasonable and easy to remember and so on so forth. Um And again, like Laura said, we provide a service. So the Saturday thing, I think, would be the biggest concern. Even if it's short time, but as you mentioned, if there's a a public outcry, it can it can go we can change it back. Correct. Um, but the hours as presented, I think, make more sense. Monday through Friday. So, we're Monday through Friday, 9 to5, no Saturday. I'll make a motion to accept the proposed. Okay. Second

Shaw. Oh, wait a minute. He's not here. Truax. Hi. Holstein. Hi. SP. Hi. Post. Hi. And Mchuan. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks, Beth. We appreciate everything you do. You look good, Beth. Beth, you look wonderful tonight, too. Yes, you do. I love the new hairdo. Have y'all made a decision? Pardon me. May I ask her? Oh, yeah. Hang on a second. Have y'all made a decision what you can do with the grant money?

I can discuss it. Um, we want to change the park area in the front to safer playground for the kids. I would like to get a piece of equipment around it. So parents when they because kids never want to leave the library. They never want to leave the play area. So a lot of times parents let's go play outside so that they're closer to the parking lot. So we would like to make it a better area. The gravel's not real in there and all the mess from the palm trees keeps it dirty. Cool.

I I can make a few recommendations of what not to do. We'll cover brains. Thank you. Thanks, Beth. Thanks, Beth.

All right. The next item on the agenda is reappointment to Hotel Motel Board. Um myself and Jamie Roden. Um I I represent the um council on the hotel motel board. Jamie Roden will actually represent the chamber of commerce and she has been there before. So she's a reappoint. Um entertain a motion to accept Gayen Burus reappoint. Thank you. Do I have a second? You guys do this every time. Second. Okay, Laura, I gave it to you. Post I Mcuan. Hi.

Holstein. Hi. Fro. Hi. And Trux. Hi. And Jamie Roden would be the second one. Do I have a motion? So move. Post. Do I have a second? Second. TJ. Mchuan. Hi. Holstein. I. Post. Hi. Sprouls. Hi. and Truax.

And the next one on your agenda is um generally the Chamber of Commerce executive director also sets as a member on the hotel motel board and we finally have one. So her name is Wendy Hickey and she's been advised that this is part of her position. So I would entertain a motion to appoint Wendy Hickey to the hotel motel board. So moved. Post. Do I have a second? I second. Holstein. Truax. Hi. Holstein. I Mchuan. Hi. Post. Hi. And Sproul. I.

And the next item on the agenda is public comments if anybody has any. If not, we will entertain. I mean, we will adjourn this meeting tonight at 6:41. I need everybody's name. And we need everybody's map back. Please move your mind. Thank you. I need assignments.