City Council - Special Meeting

I now call this special council meeting of the city of Santa Fe, June 11th, 2026 to order. Natalie, roll call, please.

Mayor Brandon Noto.

Here.

Mayor Pro Tem Marks.

Here.

Council Member Schrader.

Here.

Council Member McKamey.

Here.

Council Member Jeanette.

Here.

And Council Member Dickerson.

Here.

We have a quorum.

Thank you, Natalie. We'll now do the invocation and the pledges. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this day that you have made. We just ask that you would bless this time that we are here, making the decisions for our community, that you would give us the wisdom and the guidance that everything that we say and do would be pleasing to you. Father, we just ask that you meet the needs of our community, that you heal the brokenhearted, and Father, that your spirit would dwell among us. And we ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, indivisible with liberty and justice for all honor the texas flag i pledge allegiance to the texas one state under god one indivisible thank you there before we get started Yep, absolutely. I'll call upon our city manager, Seth Collins, for a special presentation.

All right. Well, I'm going to do it from here, and then we're going to stand up. But I'm going to be presenting one of our employees who is moving on from us. Who is that? Georgia Argentine. is moving on to bigger and better things and i just want to tell you how much that as city manager and i know mayor and council and our staff appreciate you in your time and your dedication here at the city of santa fe for the past three years you've been above and beyond you've been a dedicated employee And as I mentioned earlier today, your fingerprints are all over this city, good, bad, or indifferent for all the things that you've done here for us. You've really helped modernize our community services department. we've seen how much you've been able to do with our parks it's been fantastic and your hard work definitely does not go insane we're definitely going to miss you here at the city and I know that it's sometimes very hard to work in your hometown to be that person and to be Mrs. No sometimes but you've done a really good job at that and we're definitely thankful for your time here, Georgia, and we love and miss you, and we know you're going to do great things at Centerpoint, and I just wanted to be on the official record. She promised us that we would have all our street lighting in the city of Santa Fe for free from this point forward. No, I'm joking, but thank you, George.

Make sure the minutes reflect that.

She's also going to be our direct contact.

Yeah, at this Centerpoint. Whether she wants to be or not. That's right. That's all right. George, if you'll come up, and I'm going to give this a call.

Congratulations, Georgia, and thank you for everything. It seems like just the other day we were introducing you as the community services director, and I was expressing how happy I was to have a born and raised Indian here at City Hall, and now you're moving on. But good luck to you, and if we can be of any assistance to you, please don't hesitate to reach out. You got the job. They didn't call me for a reference, so it all worked out. Good luck to you in your future endeavors. All right, item number four, business one, consideration and possible action appointment of two members to the Park and Recreation Board to each serve an unexpired two-year term to expire February 2027. I guess Georgia has your last act of service to the city. And you don't get to leave when it's over.

I know. I have two things on this one.

Oh, that's right.

Maybe three. I don't know yet. So we had two members that that resigned from the Park Board. So we are going to be filling their positions. We have two alternates that currently serve and they are very active members. And that's Mr. Kyle Jordan and Mr. Rusty Schroeder. And we also had four applicants. Two of the applicants are listed on the cover sheet. That's Emily Janish and Jennifer Lazenby. And then we had Janet Jamie that had applied the last round. And then we had a late applicant who is Ms. Cindy Sanders. And so that will give us six people for consideration. So if the two alternates are appointed and the two empty positions, then we would need to reappoint members to the unappointed or now vacant positions.

Okay, very good. Well, I know Council Member Schrader serves as an alternate on there, so.

What was the other alternate's name? Carl Jordan.

I do know that Emily Janish looks like she's involved with the barrel racing and the horse riding community. So as Runge becomes a bigger part of the park sport, it might be fortuitous for the city to have someone that's liaison with that part of our community on the parks board. I don't know her personally, but just looking at her application, certainly something to consider, I would think.

And you said both officers have been pretty active with the meeting this time?

Yes.

I haven't missed one. Some of them did last time.

Even the ones that don't exist.

So it's up to you, council.

I'll make a motion to appoint Rusty Schrader and Kyle Jordan to the two permanent positions and appoint Janet Jamey and Cindy Sanders to the alternate positions.

Second. It has been moved and seconded to appoint Kyle Jordan and Rusty Schroeder as full members. And then who was it? Emily and who else? DAVID BURRAGE. Janet, Jamie, and Cindy Sanders. DAVID BURRAGE. Oh, I'm sorry. Janet, Jamie, and Cindy Sanders as alternates. Second. DAVID BURRAGE. Is there any further discussion on that? Natalie, roll call, please.

Council member McKamey.

Yes.

Council member Jeanette.

Yes.

Council member Dickerson.

No.

Council member Marks.

Yes.

And council member Schrader.

Yes. If I can vote on it.

Yeah, you can. Okay. All right. Motion passes. Thank you, council. All right, item number two, consideration and possible action adoption of a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Fe, Texas, approving a contract for the removal of the existing playground equipment and installation of the new playground equipment at Joe A. Tambrella Park and authorizing the city manager to execute the contract and related documents on behalf of the city of Georgia.

so we were delaying this approval to receive back some additional quotes we did receive back the additional quotes and comparing the quote for pro playgrounds versus the additional quotes that we received the services were not quite going to be the same. The additional quotes that we received were also not part of our four co-ops that we were part of. So for us to consider that quote, we would have to go out for an RFQ or an RFP, either or, and that would open up a very extended process. By going with pro playgrounds that is already part of a co-op that we are already in, then we don't have to open up that process as we've already gotten the best price available. So staff recommends going with the quote that we've received from playgrounds.

So this is state contract. This is state contracting. So in order for us not to have to go at RFP, if we want to go with the quotes that we have currently, we'd have to do with the state contract and premier is not state contract. Now, who they, um, What I believed when first seeing this, that who they used is who they buy their equipment from is state contract, but they are not state contract as a company. But who they serve, as I guess their vendor that provides their stuff is state contract, but they are not. So in order to do this, we would have to go with somebody who's state contract and pro playground is.

Even though we can't buy directly from the vendor?

I'm sorry?

We can't buy directly from the vendor or the installation cost would have to be added into that other cost.

That's correct.

Are you comfortable with these people? Have you met with them and talked to them?

Yes, and I've built a park with them before, so very comfortable with them.

Why didn't we know there was information before we extended it even longer?

I apologize I wasn't at the last meeting and we went outside of our normal purchasing process to extend this.

Fake last meeting he wasn't he wasn't ready to give a video either. It was such a quick timing I don't think he had his numbers ready and then he was this stuff that leading to since then I Don't think we can delay this anymore Our quotes going to expire with pro playgrounds and the price is not going to be the same. Yeah we have I mean, this has been a problem since January. And, you know, the parks board has worked through this, and I think that... We're going to go back to the parks board, the stuff that we saw in that meeting the last time that we opened.

Correct, yes. Yes.

Yeah, that was a nice... The maroon and white?

Yeah, I don't think so. but that was a nice conservative ground colors the new water treatment plant i think there was going to be a tower that lit up burn award and had number one sticker in it somebody call the question please

All right, Council, what say you? I move to adopt a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Fe, Texas, approving a contract between the City of Santa Fe, Texas and Pro Playgrounds for the removal of the existing playground equipment and installation of the new playground equipment at Joe A. Tambrella Park in an amount not to exceed $274,999. and authorizing the city manager to execute the contract and related documents on behalf of the city. Second.

It's renewed and seconded to adopt a resolution approving a contract between the city of Santa Fe, Texas and Pro Playgrounds in an amount not to exceed $274,999. Council, is there any further discussion? Hearing none, that's all.

I would ask if we could reach back out to our local vendor and stuff and see maybe if he would be willing to.

get the proper paperwork so in the future if we have anything to do then we could reach out to him absolutely for him to join state contract yeah he's gone correct and it's good to have somebody here i mean it is and he's very great guy but unfortunately we're just hamstrung hands are tied now all right any other uh discussion council

No. Hearing none, Natalie, roll call, please.

Council Member Jeanette?

Yes.

Council Member Dickerson?

Yes.

Council Member Marks?

Yes.

Council Member Schrader?

Yes.

And Council Member McKamey?

Yes. Motion passes. Thank you, council.

Thank you.

Item number three, consideration of possible action adoption of resolution of the city council of the city of Santa Fe, Texas, approving an agreement between the city of Santa Fe, Texas and mill Shirley LLP to provide additional legal services and authorizing the city manager to execute the contract and related documents on behalf of the city. Mr. Collins.

Yes, this is for additional legal service that we are going to require for pending litigation, and we can discuss that in executive session after this is approved.

Okay. I don't like my question now.

I'm in full support of this for that matters.

But I don't know all the particulars yet, so I can't comment.

Well, the mayor being in support of it causes pause for me. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

I know that. I think it's all overdue. Yeah. It's kind of a difficult position because we can't discuss with him until we've agreed to go into contract with him. So it's kind of a catch-22. I don't think it's long overdue.

Well, this is needed, and he's well qualified. I think that Mills-Shirley is definitely the premier choice for us for this type of litigation.

I'm just saying, I mean, you're having a discussion. Sure, of course. Please come up.

Yeah. Hi, I'm Robert Booth. I'm the major partner at Mills-Shirley. um happy i don't want to delay your procedure here but happy to visit with you all in the executive session and then you all can come out and make a decision you can also do it that way too so yeah yeah but i'm prepared to brief you all on the on the case and discuss the my opinions on that in a confidential session it's up to you council well

In order to go in the executive session, we would have to be our legal counsel to do that.

Are we going to talk about what we're hiring them for? Yes. No.

In the executive session. We're going to discuss what we're hiring for. Correct. That was kind of backwards.

Our attorneys can't, like, we can't go into executive session if it's not our attorney. That's kind of the, but this is when.

What's the agreement for, Seth? I mean, for how long? For the duration. For the duration. To replace the existing contract? No. No. This is an addition to. This specific contract.

For this specific case.

Our current attorneys won't handle this.

Our current attorney is not going to handle this case, and so we're having to go to outside legal to just have somebody that specializes in this field.

I make a motion to approve an agreement between the city of Santa Fe, Texas and mill Shirley LLP to provide a legal additional legal services and authorizing the city manager to execute the contract related documents on behalf of the city.

It's been moved and seconded to, um, adopt a resolution of the city council, um, approving an agreement with the city and mill Shirley LLP to provide additional legal services and authorizing the city manager to execute the contract. Is there any further discussion? Finally, roll call, please.

Council Member Marks?

Yes.

Council Member Schrader?

Yes.

Council Member McKamey?

Yes.

Council Member Jeanette? Kind of, yes. I need it for sure. Council Member Dickerson?

I might vote. Tighten yes.

Yes. Okay. Motion passes. Then we will go ahead and retire into executive session for items number four and five. Number four, executive session closed to the public pursuant to chapter 551.071, Texas government code consultation with council on legal matters. And then item number five, executive session closed to the public pursuant to chapter 551.074, Texas government code regarding the appointment and employment of public officers or employees renewal of the city secretary's employment agreement. All right, it is now 7.33, and we'll come out of executive session. call this meeting back to order. Council, is there any action from executive session?

I move to approve a five-year employment agreement for City Secretary Natalie Arnett, effective June 11, 2026, as presented.

Second. It's been moved and seconded twice to approve a five-year employment agreement with City Secretary Natalie Arnett, effective June 11, 2026, as presented. Council, is there any further discussion? Natalie, I just want to thank you for your service to the city and all that you do to maintain a transparent and accessible government here. And I know it's extra work, but certainly appreciate all your efforts and look forward to having you for at least five more years.

Thank you. If you break that contract, you don't get severance.

All right any further discussion council if not Natalie roll call please Yes Yes Yes

Motion passes unanimously. Thank you, Natalie. Council, any announcements? We didn't do that earlier before executive session. I apologize. Well, we can't really discuss that because it's not on the agenda.

I'd like to add something to the agenda for next meeting.

Okay.

And that is council's participants Participation in overseeing of boards and committees and corporations within the city and our ability on who to appoint to those boards as far as living within the city and outside the city to the eligibility, eligibilities. And so we are on We are in conjunction. We agree. We know who can be selected, who can't be selected. So we're all on the same page. Because, I mean, there's a lot of stuff flying around. There's a lot of different people looking at things. And everybody has a different opinion on what it means. And I'd like for us to get into something where we know what you know when we're appointing these people what the boundaries are so we can tell people once and for all these are the boundaries this is what it takes to get on this board and plus go back and have somebody look at our applications like you said and make some updates to them and you know get on with june of 2026. it's going to be the july meeting though it'll be the to put that up because we've already got the next week's meetings already been done How long does it take? When do we set the agendas?

It has to be three days, but you can't count the date that you post it, and you can't count the day of the meeting. So it has to be posted by today, because you can't count today. Well, Friday. Because you can't count that day you post it, and you can't count the day of the meeting.

And if there's a holiday, that also affects the posting.

I'd also like to talk about, just like this right here, making motions to have things on the agenda. Like say I wanted to do something on a Monday, and you have to have another councilman's approval. I'd like to talk about that so we know exactly how that works as well.

Yeah, we adopted the policies and procedures for city council. So we can certainly look at those again.

I wonder if so everybody, so we know,

You know what people ask me as it is right now, the American put things on the agenda in a city council, uh, city council members technically have to have two people, but I have never, I have never denied any of y'all to put in a, I've never made y'all like if we did though, like if you did need, you know what the, you know, how to do it the right way.

Sure. Be a good refresher.

Anything else? Make a motion to adjourn.