City Council - workshop

Jennifer, do we have any citizen comments? Thank you. City Manager Hillman, City Operations Update.

Okay, thank you. First of all, I'd like to welcome our colleague, I want to say thank you for being here. What a nice surprise. Welcome back in the fold here, my friend. Okay. Well, I have the honor of inviting up two very special individuals. First of all, Maura Gass. Maura, would you join me with your honorees to be part of the proclamation I'll be reading on behalf of the Hotel Association of North Texas Centennial Day? Would you like to introduce them before I do this?

Proclamation. Whereas Irving's hospitality tradition dates to 1911, when the city's first hotel opened with eight rooms, and today has grown to more than 90 hotels and 13,000 rooms, reflecting more than a century of growth, and the industry's enduring contributions to Irving's economy, and whereas the Hospital Association of North Texas was founded in 1926 and marks the 100th anniversary this year. celebrating 100 years at the heart of hospitality. And whereas, for the century, the hotel associations have fulfilled the mission to lead, connect, promote the North Texas hospitality community, re

Okay, this time I'd like to welcome Samantha Beltran. Samantha, are you here somewhere? There you go. Samantha will be representing our libraries and our library directors. Please come up and join us all. Okay. Keep coming. Keep coming. Come all the way around. Come all around. Oh, we got the new one.

The City of Irving Office of the Mayor Proclamation, whereas Library Card Sign-Up Month highlights the value of the library membership and the resident card which offers free access to information, new technologies, homework, resources, and materials that can change lives and bring immeasurable enjoyment, and whereas the Irving Public Library mission is to provide a gateway to knowledge and discovery by building connections between resources, services, and events with residents and whereas Irving Public Library staff venture beyond the library buildings to share their love of literacy, introdu

Shall we take a photo? Yeah. Okay. Come on over. Get right in the middle.

Okay, what a great way to start today. At this time, we're going to go into the review of the regular agenda unless city manager has anything more that I need to deal with at this point. Thank you. Okay, our city council agenda, we've already completed our city operations update. We're now moving into the adoption under the ordinance of 2026-2027 City of Irving's fiscal year budget. This budget will raise more than a total property tax than last year's budget by $32,296,939, or 14.38%. And of that amount, $3,372,681. million is tax revenue to be raised from new property added to the tax roll t

Okay. So let me see if I understand it. Do you want me to read this administrative comments or not? No, sir. So we're good to go. I just want to be sure. Okay, thank you.

Because Dennis is going to tell me I don't have to read it all. Right, Dennis? Okay, item number three, ordinance, ratifying the fiscal year 2027 budget, which increased property tax revenue. Administrative comments? We'll move on to item number four, ordinance, setting the 2026 tax rate and levying the tax as required by the state of Texas property tax code. That concludes that portion of the agenda. At this point, we'll move on to the consent agenda. Item?

Yes, you're correct. I missed it. Five, ordinance adopting the 2026 city Irving tax rule as required by the state of Texas property tax code. Okay. We're on to item number six, which is consent agenda. Approving the budget retreat minutes for Tuesday, August 11, 2026. I'm going to go through it all, and then we'll just do one motion. Is that appropriate? Or do we need to do each one?

Correct. All right. Item 7, approving the work session minutes for Thursday, August 27, 2026. Item 8. approving the regular meeting minutes of Thursday, August 27, 2026. Item 9, resolution amending the City Council rules of procedure requested by Mayor Zapanta. Next, item 10, resolution approving an agreement with the Office of the Governor of Texas Homeland Security State Administrative Agency. to receive and participate in the fiscal year 2025 Homeland Security Grant Program for the Police Department's Traffic Camera Project. Number 11.

Okay, item 11, resolution, approving an agreement with the Office of the Governor of Texas Homeland Security State Administrative Agency. to receive and participate the fiscal year 2025 Homeland Security Grant Program for the police department's SWAT headsets project. Item number 12, resolution approving the interlocal agreement with Dallas County Health and Human Services for control of communicable disease services in the total estimated amount of $81,906. Item number 13, resolution, approving a billing service agreement with Digitech Computer LLC for emergency medical services billing and c

David? Okay. Yeah, thank you. Okay. Thank you, Jennifer.

Okay, any other questions? Thank you, Jennifer.

Item 21, Resolutions. approving the amendment to the professional service agreement with AECOM Technical Services Inc. in the amount of $32,175 for large meter survey to aid in the advanced metering infrastructure replacement project. Item number 22, resolution, authorizing payment to ITRON, I-T-R-O-N, Inc., in the total amount of $124,979.91 for the renewal of hardware and software maintenance agreements for the advanced metering infrastructure network and meter reading equipment and software. Item 23. Resolution approving Change Order No. 1 to the Princeton Booster Pump Station Expansion wit

Okay. We have a presentation at this point?

Are you good with that, Dennis? Okay. Explain more. Good. Okay. So be it. Okay, on to zoning cases at this point. Thank you, Jocelyn.

Okay. Any other questions for Jocelyn? Thank you, Jocelyn.

Item number four is the, I think we take up the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, is that correct?

Anybody else on the council have a comment? Okay, I'll give you my input. I did meet with Carmen and her new board members, along with the acting chairman, Sam Reed. And so we had a very good meeting. This was about, I guess, about a month ago. And at the end of the meeting, it was very clear that, unfortunately, the past couple of years, they did not have the leadership. that was needed and they didn't have, I'm going to use Louise's comment, the ROI on the money that we have put in over five years. I am very clear on one thing. I don't think we just don't continue with their contract will be

Okay. Anybody else? Okay. Phillip, any comments?

I guess I'm trying to give them time to make the transition. I think for us to have to make a decision on another five years in the next 90 days, too premature, I don't think it's fair to them. I don't think it's fair to us, because I don't think we can judge them. But if we give them enough time to do the transition and continue to the end of their fifth year, which is, I assume, September 30th of 2027. but to also transition out, and that'll be something your people will have to handle, the transition physically out of the space. Because if, in fact, we don't go forward with another five yea

Okay. There's kind of a broader, I'd like to, before I finish with comments, there's a really broad question I think we need to deal with, and that is small business. And how do we really, you asked the question, what is small business? Well, I think we know it. I have the SBA, you know. At the end of the day, I know what that number is. But how are we dealing with it, and how are we identifying our small business, and how do we do it across the spectrum? We keep saying we're the most diverse city and community. Well, we can't not just have one chamber of commerce other than the general one, a

Phillip, any last-minute comments from you?

Okay, rather than ask a representative, because I think we'll be dealing with the greater Irving and Los Calientes Chamber later, so it's not the right time to be bringing it up. But I think, David, you bring a really critical point, because at the end of the day, we have restaurateurs with small restaurants. We have little construction, remodeling. So we've got all the striations. And I think it'd be good, we might want to start to really distill it down and try to focus where we can help in certain areas. and then look at are we helping. I will tell you that in one of my new duties of visiti

Okay. No, it's nice to have you back. Okay. City Manager, any last comments from anybody? Kayo, we need to go in executive session, am I correct? Yes, sir, we've got a couple of items for your consideration. Okay, well, if you would, thank you everybody for being with us. We'll go ahead and we're adjourned for the regular start of our meeting, but we'll go into executive session. Thank you.