City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay, welcome everybody. Looks like we got a pack house tonight. I always like to see always enjoy when we have a pack house. Um, today is Tuesday, May 5th, 2026. We'll go ahead and bring this regular council meeting to order. And we're going to go ahead and start by our opening prayer and pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States and the state of Texas. Council member Maluso. Father, I'd like to pray for the attendees and their families tonight. Please bless them and anyone who might be going through difficult times right now. Please show them your grace and power and provide them comfort. I ask for clean hearts and minds and to help us be more like you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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 aliance to the Texas one state under God one and indivisible.

Thank you for that. This evening we'll have three proclamations uh that we're going to we're going to do. Let me come on down. Bless you. So, this proclamation is recognizing uh the 57th annual Municipal Clerk's Week. Uh our clerks uh they're kind of like some unsung heroes. They do a lot of work behind the scenes that a lot of people don't know that they do. And so definitely want to recognize them for all their hard work. So we'll start where areas the office of the professional municipal clerk a timehonored and vital part of local government exists throughout the world and where areas the office of professional municipal clerk also called by other names such as city clerk and city secretary along with their deputies and assistants is the oldest profession among public servants and where areas the office of the professional municipal clerk provides a professional link between the citizens the local governing bodies and the agencies of government at other levels and were areas professional municipal clerks have pledged to be ever mindful of their neutrality and impartiality render rendering equal service to all and where areas professional municipal clerk should continuously strive to improve the administration of the affairs of the office of the professional municipal clerk through participation in education programs, seminars, workshops and annual meetings.

at their state, provincial, county, and international professional organizations. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, Ralph Rodriguez, mayor of the city of Shirts, do recognize the week of May 3rd through May 9th, 2026 as the 57th annual Municipal Clerk's Week. And I do hereby extend the city's sincere appreciation and recognition to the professional municipal clerk Sheila Edmonson, city secretary, Sheree Kernney, deputy city secretary. Irene Chavez, assistant city secretary, and Melissa Zip, RMC, for their vital service and dedicated commitment to the city of Shirts. Congratulations. Thank you all. Thank you, Mayor Rodriguez. We are truly honored to receive this proclamation for the municipal clerk's week. While much of the work happens behind the scenes, it is work that helps keep our communities running smoothly, transparently, and responsibly. It is a privilege to serve our community in a position that supports our elected officials, staff, and most importantly, residents of the city of Shirts. Thank you again for this honor and for recognizing the important role municipal clerks play in our community.

apologize. Our next proclamation will be recognizing the economic development week May 4th through the 8th, 2026. Council member Hayward,

I'm excited to do the economic development week because economic development in our community is strong and it is one of those things that's near and dear to my heart. They do a our economic development corporation does a great job. I would say fantastic if they just get me that Cracker Barrel. I'm just joking. I know that's not what you guys do, but you know, you guys do a great job and I just I am pleased to be able to read this proclamation. Economic development me week May 4th through the 8th, 2026. Whereas more than 100,000 economic development and related professionals worldwide are committed to creating, retaining, and expanding highquality opportunities that foster long-term prosperity and equitable outcomes for the communities. And whereas the shirts economic development corporations broad board and staff serves as stewards bridging connections among community stakeholders including residents, business leaders, e elected officials in industry executives and educational institutions to promote job creation, capital investment and infrastructure advancement. And whereas since 1926, the International Economic Development Council and its preceding organizations have advanced the profession globally, making 100 years of leadership dedicated to fostering innovation, sustainability, resilience in communities of all sizes. Now therefore, be it resolved, I Allison Hayward, on behalf of Ralph Rodriguez, mayor of the city of Shersz, do hereby recognize week of May 4th through the 8th, 2026, economic development week, celebrating 100 years of impact, reflecting on progress achieved, honoring the professionals who strengthen our communities today, and inspiring the next century of economic opportunity and growth. For the Economic Development Corporation, please come up.

Thank I'll just briefly just say a couple words about the corporation. We're funded by a half cent of sales tax and the money that we receive on that allows us to work projects and do infrastructure for the city. So y'all's property taxes doesn't have to suffer that burden. Uh we met today at the county with the a lot of the EDC people from our region and it's true that a win for them is a win for us as well. So, our region has benefited. Uh, we're the glue that holds it all together is out there making sure that we can land projects. So, thank you guys very much. I might need those. The last proclamation that we have is rec recognizing our police department. And uh they always say that when firefighters run in, everybody else runs away. Well, same thing when it comes to law enforcement. They do a lot to make sure that we are very well protected and not just the community, but our residents and uh and so they always engage uh in a lot of uh dangerous activity. So, uh, definitely appreciate them. So, National Police, uh, Memorial Day is May 15, 2026. National Police Week is May 10th through the 16th, 2026. Where areas of members of the city of Church Police Department play an essential role in safeguarding the

rights and freedoms of the citizens of Church and provide a vital public service and where areas. The city of Church Police Department consists of 73 sworn officers, 54 professional staff members and where areas the city of church police department responded to approximately 43,320 service calls last year and where areas the city of church police department host numerous community events in collaboration with our community partners throughout the year which include National Night Out, Breakfast with the Blue, Community Car Seat Checks, Citizens Police Academy, Junior Police Academy, Teen Police Academy, CarFit, crime prevention programs, community safety presentations, Texas Special Olympics, and more. and wereas. It is important that all citizens know and understand that the duties and responsibilities, hazards, and sacrifices of their law enforcement agencies and that members of our law enforcement agencies recognize their duty to serve their people by safeguarding life and property by protecting them against violence and disorder and by protecting the innocent against deception and the weak against oppression. And now therefore, be it resolved that I, Ralph Rodriguez, mayor of the city of Shirts, call upon all citizens of the city of Shirts, to observe May 15, 2026 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day to honor those officers who through their courageous deeds have made the ultimate sacrifice and service to their community or have become disabled in the performance of duty. and let us recognize and pay respect to the survivors of our fallen heroes. I further call upon the citizens of church and upon all patriotic civic and educational organizations to observe the week of May 10th through the 16th, 2026 as national police week with appropriate sum with appropriate ceremonies and observances in which all

of our citizens may join in commemorating law enforcement officers past and present and who by their faithful and loyal devotion to their responsibilities have rendered and dedicated service to the communities and in so doing have established for themselves an invaluable and enduring re reputation pro for preserving the rights and security of all citizens. Thank you'all very much for everything that you do. Thank you everybody. It wouldn't be possible to do what we do without the support of the city staff, without the mayor, without the council, and especially without the support of the city residents and the businesses. We do everything we we can for you guys, and we look forward to it every single day that we come to work. Also, it's also nice to have someone that firefighters can look up to, but in the future, right? All right. Well, think of

Okay, moving on to employee introductions. First, we have EDC Thank you, M. Mayor, members of council. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Kimberly Lovejoy. Uh Kimberly came to us as our executive assistant in the office and is trying to keep us all straight. That's a full-time job. Uh she has a history in finance, which makes her a good fit for us. Uh her and her husband, I believe, is here tonight. He's a retired Coast Guard. They come here from the Bowmont area where they once survived a refinery explosion that was 200 yards from her house. So, I'm glad that she's here. Um, they have two adult children. Her and her husband are avid RVers, the fifth wheel kind, not the drive behind because she doesn't I was weird deal. And then also they they're also avid hikers. They've hiked Paladuro Canyon, which is the largest canyon system in the United States. And then Utah uh they've hiked Zion National Park. So, Kim,

good evening. I am excited to be part of this wonderful organization and the opportunity to learn and work with Scott, Amy, and Ashley. I look forward to a successful career with the city of Shirts. Thank you. Thank you. We look forward to having you.

Next, we have the fire department. That's going to be hard to follow up.

Mayor, council members, Mr. Williams, it's my pre pleasure to introduce six new firefighters who have recently joined our department. We're going to start with firefighter Elijah Butos. Elijah is 19 years old and a lifelong resident of San Antonio where he grew up with his two sisters, one older, one younger. He attended John Paul Stevens High School where he participated in basketball and other sports as a proud Falcon. Elijah has long aspired to serve in public safety either as a police officer or a firefighter, and we are pleased he chose the firefighter. If he could be a fictional character, he would choose Aquaman for the ability to communicate with animals and live underwater. His favorite dad joke is, "Why did the coach go to the bank?" To get his quarterback. That's Elijah. Would you like to say something?

I just want to say I'm very blessed to be in this position at such a young young age. And I'm just grateful that y'all are instilling uh trust in into me to to serve this community. And I just hope I can commit make a difference and put a smile on y'all's face. Next up, firefighter Zachary Baldwin. Zachary was born in San Antonio and raised in Converse, graduating from Justin High School, Judson High School, sorry, in 2011. He has a diverse work background including oil field and fire alarm services and began began his fire service career in 2017 with the Balcone Heights Fire Department. Zachary met his wife Victoria in 2013 and they were married in 2020. They welcomed their son Wyatt in June of 2025. Would you like to say something?

Uh, thank y'all very much for the opportunity. Um, this is something that I've looked at this city for a while. Um, and I'm very, very grateful for the opportunity to work here. Um, everybody I've met has been just an awesome person so far. So, I can't wait to uh show everybody what I've got and serve the city of Shirts and its citizens. Next we have firefighter Joseph Crisp. Joseph was born in New Bronals and raised it and raised in Canyon Lake. He has a younger brother who is also his best friend. He has an older halfb brotherther. Joseph graduated from Canyon Lake High School in 2018 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps shortly thereafter. Serving five years before separating in 2023. After exploring other opportunities, he found himself seeking a renewed sense of purpose encouraged by a friend in wildland firefighting. Joseph pursued a career in the fire service which ultimately brought him to Sharks. Say something.

Good evening y'all. Thank you all for having me tonight. Uh I think it's an absolute blessing to be here. Um you know, I look forward to serving you in the community. Um so far, everyone that I've met, they've been so friendly and welcomed me with open arms, and I'm excited to be here. So, thank you all for having me. Unfortunately, firefighter Albert Lopez III was unable to make it. He had a prior family engagement, but I would like to say something about him. Albert Lopez III, named after both his father and grandfather, was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. He has three sisters and is a proud uncle to 10 nieces and nephews. After high school, Albert worked in the oil field from the age 19 to 30 before transitioning to the fire service. During the fire academy, he met his fiance and then he began his fire service career with a small ESD department in his hometown where he built lasting friendships over three years of service. Next, we have firefighter Pton Steffett. Payton was born in Corpus Corpus Christie and moved to Marian at the age of two where he has lived for the past 22 years. He attended a college preparatory high school in New Bron Falls where he met his wife Katie. Payton later earned an engineering degree from Texas State University while co-owning a business with his wife installing high-end koi ponds. Their shared journey has been filled with adventure, and Payton now brings that same dedication and enthusiasm to his new career in the fire service.

Thank you guys for having me. Obviously incredibly thankful to be here and in this position. Um it's been a phenomenal experience from the people we've met to the things we've done so far and I know it will continue to be. So excited for a long career here. Last but not least, firefighter Ryan Macos. Ryan was born in Alamagorda, New Mexico, and moved to Live Oak, Texas in 1994. Following the 1998 flood, his family relocated to Cibilo, where he attended Steel High School as part of its first graduating class. Ryan began his public safety career as a volunteer firefighter with the Camelot Fire Department before attending the police academy in 2010. He then served 12 years as a shirts police officer. During that time, he completed fire training and made the decision to transition fully into the fire service. He later joined the Civilo Fire Department and after three years returned to the city of Shirts as a firefighter. Ryan also continues to serve as a reserve volunteer peace officer with the Shirts Police Department. Thank you'all for having me and thank you for rehiring me. We definitely welcome you all to the church family and look forward to the impact that you'll have on in this community. Thank you'all. Next up, we have Parks. Good evening. Um, tonight I have the pleasure of introducing Taylor Corbin. She's our new admin. She's splitting her time at both the civic center and the

senior center. Um, so she's got a busy schedule over here. She previously worked in opthalmology clinics serving as a medical scribe where she supported physicians, coordinated patient care, and helped manage fast-paced clinical operations. She's excited to translate that experience and high volume detail oriented environments into supporting the parks and recreation department here in Shirts. Taylor is a military spouse and her husband serves in the Air Force, which has allowed her family to live and travel in different parts of the world. Most recently, they relocated from Guam to Texas. As a Texas native, she is especially excited to be back home and serving her local community. She is also a proud mom to an 18-month-old and is currently pursuing her masters in healthcare administration. She hopes to bring a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for improving systems and supporting the community through her role. Taylor is excited to be part of the parks and recreation department and contribute to making the city of Shirts an even better place to live in a small but meaningful way for her daughter and other families here in Shirts.

Well, good evening. Hello. I want to start by saying I'm genuinely grateful to be here with the parks and recreation team. As a mom, this role is personal to me as I care about the kind of community that my daughter grows up in. I'm excited to be able to contribute, even in a small way, to making sure it's a place families can enjoy and feel proud of. Being involved in the operations of city events has already been incredibly rewarding. I enjoy working behind the scenes to help bring people together and it's even more meaningful knowing that my own family gets to participate in those experiences. On that note, I need to give a shout out to the team that I've already met and started to love. The entire parks team, parks and recck team has already made a significant impact on me, especially with our team meetings. I've never looked forward to Monday meetings as much as I do now. The civic center the civic center team from Athena and Sam to Robert and the event staff have been welcoming and supportive giving me the space to learn and build confidence. I also have the privilege of splitting my time at the senior center which has been a major highlight as Sam and Amy have created such a fun and engaging environment for both me and the members. And even the park team has showed me an incredible kindness, such as Jared making me feel seen and respected in my very first meeting and Margaret having an abundance of patience with me as she led me through the intricate processes that we go through as admin. And not to mention Cassie taking the time to drive me all around the city of shirts so I can meet in everyone in every department. And these are just a few of the impressions that have been made on me in a twoe span since I've started. Needless to say, I'm more than sure that I've landed in the right spot with the best team and look forward to contributing to what makes the city such a great place to live. Oh, and of course, thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you for choosing church as your church family. Next up, we have our police department. Mayor and Council, it's my honor to introduce Ashley Aldava. She is with us now from San Antonio. Uh she's halfway through her first phase in field training. So she's been here for for about a month. Um little stuff about her. She went to McCome High School. She graduated the police academy summer uh last

last June last summer. Um, so she's excited to be here. Um, her goal is to become a detective. She's also the mom of two daughters and, uh, she's started to train for marathons, which I couldn't do. So, here's Ashley.

Hi. Uh, just want to say that I am thankful for the opportunity that the city of Shorts has given me and I'm grateful to be here and I look forward to being here for a couple years. Thank you. Thank you very much and welcome to the church family. Next up we have public works and drainage. Good evening, council. Mayor, we'd like to introduce one of our newest employees, Kevin Joler. He was previously with us in the water department, came back, decided to join the drainage team. He's been a a great asset to us, knowledge of equipment, being able to run everything. Uh some of his uh outside of work hobbies are enjoying time with friends and family, barbecuing, hunting, and fishing. Also like to introduce Greg Molden. He uh is new to our team, never worked for the city. Started about about a month ago. Uh his outside hobbies enjoying time with grandkids and uh anything to do with the grandkids and uh one place he'd like to go is uh Paris. Thank you, sir. Thank you very much for joining the church family. We definitely can utilize y'all services. Uh next up we have public works streets.

Good evening, Mayor Council. I'd like to introduce uh one of our newest employees with the streets, um Mr. Michael Padilla. He's been a um great asset since he started. He did have a little bit of a mishap with his foot, but he's back he's back to normal now. So, um he previously worked for the um Judson School District. He is a graduate of Judson High School. He loves spending time with his family, with his kids. Um, we look forward to many years, uh, him working here. That's what he promised me anyway. So, um, uh, he is born here in San Antonio, raised in San Antonio. So, welcome aboard.

Hey, how's it going, guys? Uh, a little more about myself. Um, I have two twin, 5-year-old girls, and I have one 14-year-old son. Um, fortunately I won't be able to be here today. They were at my son's concert today, but still I'm looking very forward to work for you guys and we actually just moved to the city of Shirts 2 this weekend. So just really excited to be here, meet you guys. Appreciate it. Thank you and welcome to the church family as well. Next up, we have public works water.

And we all know that y'all are extremely important because we need water. So,

good afternoon, council and mayor. We have a big group. So we had to share a load. So with me I have uh Matthew Carpio. His hometown is here shirts. Um his favorite hobbies is skateboarding. Um there's uh activities he enjoys to recharge is skateboarding. Um one of his favorite place places to visit and skateboard nearby is Sagin skate park and what

skatepark I frequent. Oh he frequents there at Sigin skate park. Um, one of his places, one of his place, one place he would like to visit in the world would be Barcelona, Spain. And next to him, I have Cade Guardiola. Hometown Gonzalez, Texas. Come and take it. Uh, favorite hobbies, fishing, fishing, hog hunting, collecting, trading cards. his activities that he enjoys to recharge saltwater fishing collector club on stone oak

on stone oak. He also likes to barbecue and play with his kids. I see um one of his favorite one of a places that he would like to visit in the world would be Italy. Welcome. Yeah, I would like to say three minutes each. You just say whatever you want to say. Uh, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here with shirts. I just moved here at the end of January. Come from a small town and got two boys with me. Hopefully, uh, I can raise them here in shirts and be here for a long time. Thank you.

I appreciate you guys for letting me work with y'all. The team so far has been amazing and it's a pleasure to serve my community that I live in. One more thing for Steve, Mr. Williams, we have a couple of uh leaking curb stops waiting for you. It's got your name on it.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to start with Aaron Ael. Aaron kept with us about a month ago. Um, his favorite hobbies and activity is shooting pool with his father-in-law and being with his family. Uh, his favorite movie, I'm sorry, his favorite TV show is The Office. And he enjoys listening to country and rock music. And his place that he would like to visit first would be Colorado or Georgia. And next, I will introduce Kevin Davis here. Kevin Davis came to us from three rivers. Uh, of course he enjoys being with his family and spending time with them. Um, here it says, "What's your favorite book, movie, and TV?" He does not have one. As far as his favorite uh music, it is anything. Country, rock, gangster rap, and anywhere he can go in the world, he would like to go to Hawaii. You guys like anything to say? Um, I just want to thank y'all for the opportunity giving all of us the opportunity to work for y'all. Uh, hopefully we can, you know, stop these curb stops. You know, they're fun and you're getting wet. They're fun. I want to thank my bosses also for giving us the opportunity. Also, thank you. Uh, I'd just like to say thank you for the opportunity. Um, just excited to serve my community. Good evening. I've got Lulu Lauderbach. Uh, she started with us recently. She's from Mexico City. She brings a couple years of experience from city of Kirby. She enjoys camping and she loves working

outdoors. She enjoys listening to country music and she's excited about the ability to be able to grow here in the city of Shirts. Like to say anything? Hi, good afternoon. Well, my name is not Lulu, it's Lana or my first name is Aishu. It means I love you in Japanese, but everybody calls me Lulu. It's easier, I guess. I just want to say thank you for the opportunity. I'm blessed to be part of the shirts family. and excited to be here. Thank you.

Next, I have Tyler Bradley. He goes by Dace. He is from San Antonio, Texas. He brings about one year of experience from Green Valley. He enjoys fishing and he's a excited about the advancement opportunities that he will have here with the city of Shirts and he enjoys listening to country music. Do you have anything you would like to say?

Hello. Appreciate it for the opportunity. And last we have Adam Copus. He is from New Bron Falls and he brings about 30 years of experience from general construction. He enjoys going to the beach and traveling. He likes watching Seinfeld and he likes listening to heavy metal and classical music. and I think he would like to say something. No,

I just want to say thank you for inviting me into this family that is public works. It's uh been a pretty warm welcome and uh I'm enjoying the work so far and I'm looking forward to many years serving this community of shirts. Thank you. And I just want to give a big thanks to Jeremy and Ish for coming out. Two crew chiefs from the water department who were able to help introduce all these seven tonight. Thank you guys. Good job. Well, thank you all very much. Uh welcome to the city of Shorts family and we're looking forward to the impact you're going to have in this community.

Mayor, may I make a comment? I I will comment on the curb stop references. I've had an opportunity to spend some time in the field with several departments and one of which was the public works department and had the opportunity to attempt to replace a curb stop and after being completely drenched, I was promptly showed by the professionals how to get it done. So, highest respect for what they do, Mayor. Thank you. Thank you for sharing. We may need those. Next up, we have utility billing.

Good evening, mayor, city council. It's my pleasure to introduce our newest billing specialist. Uh this is Miss Amelia Zapata. She comes to us with previous experience from Texas Water Company. She is a native to New Bronals. uh still currently lives uh there with her her husband and two children. She is a graduate of New Bronul High School. Uh for her spare time, she enjoys uh showing her golden retriever at dog shows during the weekends. And um please mind the the shyness. She's not really shy. She does provide great customer service to our represents. She's real quick to answer the phone, answer any questions that they have, and then try to get them and get all their issues resolved.

Thank you.

I believe we have one more announcement. No, I'm the next. Okay. Presentation.

All right. Uh so that ends our employee introductions. We have a lot of new uh employees. Welcome. Welcome to the church family. Um so next we're going to go ahead and move on to presentations. And we're going to go ahead and start with pres presentations on the 50th July uh 50th July 4th Jubilee and America 250 celebration. 250 year celebration. Go ahead. Yes, good evening. Um, so I'm sure many of you are aware, but it is a big year for us here in shirts. Um, do I have to click something for the presentation?

I believe they're welcome.

All right. Um, and so, um, it is America 250 this year, but it is also a big year for shirts with our 50th, um, Jubilee this year. So, um, with that being said, we wanted to make sure we went big this year. We, um, had direction from council in the fall and formed a subcommittee, um, that's been meeting. And so, we're just excited to tell you all about the themes with like Captain America, National Treasure, things like that to just kind of tie into that America 250, 50th Jubilee feel. We also have t-shirt sales, which are on sale now, pictured here. You can get those at the Shirt Civic Center, senior center, or the parks office. We'll also be selling them at various events leading up to the 4th of July. We'll have uh special edition street banners as pictured here as well. So commemorating America 250 and the 50th Jubilee. Those will be down Shirts Parkway and Main Street. We'll have increased social engagement with our PA team working to find kind of historic photos of Jubilee and reach out to people who might have been at the first Jubilee and kind of tell those stories on social media and really kind of get some engagement from the community. And then we will also be doing every year we have parks and wreck month t-shirts. We'll be doing those red, white, and blue this year in honor of the two America 250th Jubilee as well. Some of our event elements will be staying the same. So, we're going to kick things off with Project Flag Line, which is on June 29th um at 7:30. And so, that's when we put all of the flags up and down Church Parkway. So, you're welcome to come on out. Um there's volunteer spots signed up online. So, a lot of the community comes out, different organizations come as a kind of a team building thing and it's really cool to see. Um, and then we'll take those down on Monday, July 6th, following the 4th of July. Takes about approximately a hundred volunteers to do that. We divide Church Parkway up into 12 sections and each group kind of takes a section. So, here's kind of really the big new thing. So, July 3rd, we will be expanding this year for a two-day celebration. July 3rd and 4th. And on July 3rd, we will be having a concert in

the park at Pickroll Park and that's going to be Josh Abbott Band featuring and we'll have an opener that night as well. Um, additionally new this year to help with we always have parking issues every year um at Pickroll Park and so to kind of help alleviate some of those issues, we're going to be doing shuttle services from the Shirt Soccer Complex to Pickroll Park. Um, so people are able to park and then shuttle over and hopefully that'll alleviate some of the parking congestion that we get over at Pickroll. Um, also on July 3rd, the carnival will be open. So, typically they're only open on July 4th, but since we're doing this additional day, uh, we did expand the carnival to be open, um, 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. on July 3rd. And of course, we'll have food trucks and drinks out there for, um, the concert that night. And then we head into our typical Fourth of July celebration. So, we're going to kick off with the Freedom 5K at 9:15. that starts at the uh Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex right over here and follows the same par route as the parade. The parade kicks off right after the Freedom 5K um at 9:30. And then just for awareness, this is the parade route. It remains the same. So we parade stage in uh Clemens parking lot and it comes down Church Parkway, turns on to Main Street to 1518 and then comes back up Arrow and returns to the parade staging in Clemens via Buffalo Drive. the carnival this year. So, like I said, it will be open on July 3rd as well from 6:00 to 10 p.m. And then July 4th, it'll be open its normal hours, 11:00 am to 10 p.m. And that's located at Thulmeer Park um just right across um Arrow from uh Pickrol Park. And then we get into Jubilee. Um so we have our live music with the afterparty is our party band this year. We'll have food trucks. We'll have family zone um activities. new this year. We're kind of going for that nostalgia feel and doing a pie baking contest and a pie eating contest and we'll have like face tattoos

um and things that uh we'll be doing for kids. And then we'll have our float and fireworks which is at the pool um that night. And then we will be doing a historic flyover as well. We have um uh the lead aircraft from the D-Day invasion booked along with the um another plane that has smoke. Um, so we'll be doing a historic flyover with the uh commemorative central Texas wing is going to be doing that for us. And so all of this will be located at Pickroll Park like usual. Um, and so we're really excited to celebrate this 4th of July kind of evening timeline. 7 p.m. is typically when we um do our mayor and council welcome. That's when the flyover will be coordinated um to be happening as well. And then we conclude the night with a star spangled banner at 9:13. And as soon as that is um finished, we have our fireworks spectacular. Um and so we also plan on having an expanded fireworks spectacular uh this year pending um it's on consent agenda tonight. So pending that goes um uh gets approved, then we will have an expanded fireworks show as well for the 4th of July. I'll take any comments or questions.

I have none. Any Anybody have any comments or questions? Go ahead, Councilman Guerrero. Uh the um what is the cost for the t-shirts? The t-shirts are $15 for the adult sizes and then $10 for youth sizes and uh you mentioned food trucks. Approximately how many food trucks are we going to have on on boots? We typically have around 16 food trucks out there on both days or

Yes. Right now, I think we have 10 on uh the fourth and nine on the um third signed up, but I don't anticipate having any issues filling all 16 of those spots. Typically, we have a wait list. Thank you. I think that's it. Thank you. Next up, we have our presentation of Kit Cancer Pep Rally and 5K run 2026. donation to Mazize Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. Back.

All right. Um, yes. So, I am here to uh kind of recap our kit cancer 5K. Um, we have that every year in honor of former council member Tony Willek um who passed away from cancer. And so, um, we had that on March 7th this year. And so we are presenting um the check for UT health today. Just kind of a quick recap of the the pep rally and 5K. Um I did want to say thank you to our sponsors. HB and shirt civil emergency clinic were both iron sponsors. And then we had t t-shirt sponsors GVEC shirts bank and trust blue bonnet Palace Orange Theory Fitness Rapid Plumbing and Renewal by Anderson. And then another special shout out to Clemens High School cheer came out um that day to get us all jazzed and ready for the 5K. Um so we really appreciate them coming out and um performing with us. And then Amy Stevens, our recreation specialist at the senior center, also led us in a warm-up that morning to gear up. Um so nobody pulled anything during the race. Attendance. So despite it being spring break weekend, we still had good attendance. We had 467 runners. Um, we do a club challenge as well. So, we had 19 clubs or teams that signed up with our largest team being the Pascal Patriots with 103 runners on their team. Impact, our 2026 donation this year is going to be $11,255.33, which brings our total raised um since the beginning of the race to $237,517.92 um to further cancer research. And so I do have um a check here. I'd like to bring up Valerie Willen, um Tony's wife, um and have a picture with the mayor with the check. Thank you.

Thank you It's done. Thank you very much for that presentation. Next up, we have the YMCA presentation by CEO Lewis Lopez. I'm surprised I remembered how to open up this deck. So, that was Thank you for helping me earlier. Um, good evening mayor, members of the dis city staff, residents of the shirts community. Uh, my name is Lewis Lopez and I serve as our president and CEO for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. Joining me is our uh, leadership staff from our shirts family YMCA along with some of our executive staff from our YMCA of Greater San Antonio Association and one of our board members over uh, in the back there. and really wanting to come today and share um an update on our services, but also just to thank you for uh the opportunity to continue to partner and serve the community and residents of Shirts uh and from our presence just really helping to uh helping to share how critical uh this relationship and this partnership is for us. We are also celebrating a milestone year. We are turning 150 years which is great to celebrate with you all at 50 years and our shirts YMCA uh just turning 15 years. Uh but our YMCA as a whole serving San Antonio since 1876 continues to grow, continues to evolve as our

communities evolve and in our shirts communities a great example of how we expand services, go to communities that really need us, but also it in partnerships with municipalities, how much impact we can have collectively. up here is just as I was reading through the the uh city of Shirt's uh strategic plan and on the website, it was interesting to find how much alignment there is from both of our organizations wanting to improve the well-being and quality of life for uh all of the residents. And I wanted to do a quick look back. In 2010 is when the Schz family YMCA opened and we opened with only 696 members. As of this past year, we finished with 15,568 members and over 2,000 of them being uh seniors. Our population here being at 45,000, we look at penetration rates to help us know how successful we are in communities. Our penetration rate here is 34% which is if you hit 10%, that's a pretty successful penetration rate. But what this says is the residents of shirts one have embraced this as their YMCA but also have answered that this is indeed um a service and a partnership that they appreciate uh and want to make sure that we continue to serve. Uh on the right side you'll see just some quotes from some of our members. Uh and on the bottom there, our net promoter score uh has reached a all-time high of 77, which in that industry and industry st standard, that is considered exceptional. Uh and again, thank you to our leadership staff and our partnership in our community because of our members and our families and our community are certainly answering and responding that this is uh something that is greatly important to them. I wanted to give a quick snapshot of our strategic plan which is vision 2030 and what our pillars and our strategies are uh and

again where that alignment is to ensure that we are working together to better serve our communities. Uh and as a result we have implemented uh quality of life surveys. We know anecdotally that communities that have YMCA's experience the following things. And now we have quantitative data that is telling us that where there's YMCA's 85% of individuals experience an increase of quality of life. 84% increase their physical health and wellness. 82% increase their mental and emotional well-being. And 80% find meaningful connections and friendships. This next slide gives a impact report of numbers as an association but also locally in shirts. And I want to move to the next slide that just calls out some numbers that I think are um are great to to see. One that out of our 15,500 over 50% are families that are coming to our YMCA. And again answering the call that families want to find a place where they can come and uh be together. Our seniors are finding a place at our YMCA. Uh if you're not aware of this, our YMCA now does licensed counseling services in all of our wise. This past year, and this had just kicked off, but we did 250 mental health counseling services at R Y for veterans, for seniors, for families, for teens, and for individuals where really the holistic wellness approach can be met. We have over 200 teams that volunteer every summer and earn their membership to be able to come to the Y. They have to volunteer for three hours a week. They earn their membership. They're at our Y all the time. Uh if you come and work out at our Y, you probably see them all over the floor and enjoying our Y. And what a great uh challenge to have all of our seniors, our teens, our kids, and our families in our YMCA's. We serve over 500 kids in after school programs, over 11 sites in the city of Shirts. In the summer, we serve 300 in

summer day camp. and swim lessons. We did over 8,000 life-saving swim lessons skills in this community and over 3,000 kids participate in our youth sports program. And this is another statistic that I think makes us so different uh is that over $100,000 in financial assistance was provided to the city of Schz residents to ensure that no one is ever turned away due to the inability to pay or their financial position. Our YMCA also does over 20 events that are free to the community and we've seen over 15,000 people be able to come from um Robert where you came and got to see uh Duncan our our Easter egg hunt in the water to Duncan for pumpkins to our uh trunk and treat and all of these events throughout the year uh where residents are able to come and enjoy their time at their YMCA. So, just a couple other programs that we have from mental health to for everyone. Let's Is that okay to keep going or do you want me to

You can I'll give you another three minutes.

All right. Thank you. Um to healthy living programs that you can find at our YMCA and these are just some pictures in action so you can see our residents enjoying their services at their local Y. And I will wrap up with a partnership that we are excited about. We have just entered a partnership with Gordon Hartman and Morgan's Wonderland to build a YMCA that will be designed to serve and meet the needs of individuals with special needs and disabilities. The exciting part about that for us is this will then move across our entire system. So, we will learn how to train our staff um how to prepare programs to be able to embrace, accept, and expect individuals with special needs and disabilities at all of our YMCA's and our YMCA here in Shirts. So, thank you for allowing me to come and share. Uh, if I have a couple of minutes, I'd have be happy to take any questions. Uh, if there are any council members have any questions.

No questions. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Thank you for your presentation. Uh the Y uh the YMCA is definitely has made a huge impact not just within the community of church but the surrounding community and they have a lot to offer from young all the way to the old. Uh and they even have a daycare uh for you to be able to go and work out and participate in activities and they'll be more than happy to watch your children. So uh thank you all for everything that you do throughout our community. Thank you. All right, moving on to city events and announcements. Announcements of upcoming city events.

Yes, thank you, mayor. Uh, this Saturday, May 9th, will be another nature discovery series in Crescent B Nature Park. That'll be at 9:30 a.m. Um, on Monday, May 11th, we had a proclamation earlier for our police week, but it will be National Police Week Memorial Service. It's a co-event with the city of Cibilo. It'll be hosted by Shirts PD this year and it'll be at EVO and that starts at 6 PM. And then finally, just uh the runoff election information. This is for council member Place 6 to serve the remainder of the term. And voting information um can be found on our city website. And the last day to early vote is Tuesday, May 12th. And election day then is on, let's see here, I think it's on the 16th, Saturday, May 16th. And then finally, we'll have our next meeting. Um, it'll actually be next Tuesday, May 12th, 6 PM here in the council chambers. Thank you.

Thank you. Next, we have announcements and recognitions by the city manager, Steve Williams.

Thank you, mayor. We have one promotion this month, David Moscetta, and he was promoted from drainage worker trainee to water wastewater operator trainee in April. And then also we received a really nice email from a couple of our happy resident a couple of residents that were happy. David and Barbara Williams of Shirts expressed their gratitude to Steve Miller for his exceptional assistance. Steve took the time to identify some overhanging limbs on their property and helped them trim them and ensuring compliance. his kindness and dedication have truly enhanced their experience living in shirts and they invite everyone to give Steve a well-deserved pat on the back for his outstanding work. So, great job, Steve. Thank you. And uh the only announcements that I have is one, I definitely want to thank our uh city staff, our city secretaries for the wonderful job they did for us to be able to recognize uh our annual volunteer board. um awards banquet uh recognizing our board members uh people serving on committees and commissions. So, thank you all for everything that y'all did to be able to put that on. It was suess a successful event. So, thank you. Um I also want to recognize the Sam Clemens High School baseball team for advancing to the second round of the playoffs. So, uh we've been looking we'll be looking forward to rooting them on as they start the second round against Calin High School. And lastly, um I hope everybody was able to make it out to the Thunderbird show this past weekend. They definitely put on a good show. Definitely wanted to thank our staff that participated and helping and volunteering for that event for it to be a successful event. So, thank you all for that as well. At this time, we'll go ahead and move on to hearing of residents.

This time is set aside for any person who wishes to address city council. Each person should fill out the speaker register prior to the meeting. Presentation should be limited to no more than three minutes. All remarks should be addressed to the council as a body and not to any individual member thereof. Any person making personal impertinent or slanderous remarks while addressing a council may be requested to leave the meeting. All handouts and or USB devices must be submitted to the city secretary no later than noon on the Monday preceding the meeting. Handouts will be provided to each council member prior to the start of the meeting by the city secretary. All USB devices will be vetted by the city IT staff to ensure city property is protected from malware. First up, we have Amber Carlton. When you come up uh to the podium, if you'll please state your name and your address for the record, please. Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Amber Carlton. I live at 624 Heather's Way in Sigin. Um, thank you so much for allowing me to speak tonight. I'm a participant of the core leadership program for the chamber. Um, I wanted to thank you for the opportunity to learn more about the city, how the city operates. The experience has given me a greater appreciation for the work that goes into serving the community. Um, I'm originally from Baltimore, Maryland, but I've been in Texas for about six years. So, it's great to learn more about the different communities that um, I work in and move in. And I appreciate your leadership and the dedication of the city staff. So, I thank you for your service. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have Arthur Porter. Thank you, Mr. Mayor, for allowing me to present here and to the city council. Just want to speak on behalf of the senior center here. They are doing a wonderful professional job and your money is well spent there for providing for the seniors of this community. Thank you very very much, sir. I appreciate

Thank you. Next up, we have Daniel Jameson. Good evening, Mayor Council. On behalf of the VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars, we salute you guys for what you're doing here. Keep in mind, we have breakfast coming up. We also have tonight our flag retirement ceremony. For all of those stars and stripes that we've all served under, they're being officially retired permanently, respectfully by our Boy Scout troop over here behind the VFW Hall. And if you got time in the community, go by and see what it's like to see the proper retirement of the American flag and why its colors are respected so much. Any questions, feel free to call the post. Let us know how we can help the community throughout our endeavor here in the community. Thank you.

Thank you. Next up, we have Raquel Guutieres. And as a reminder, as you come up to the podium, if you'll please uh state uh your name and address. Good evening, mayor, council, city staff, and shirts community neighbors. I'm Raquel Gutierrez. I live at 1016 Silverree. Before I begin, I'd like to make one small request. Because I will be speaking directly to the residents, I'd like to ask that the camera remain front-facing so residents can see and hear me clearly when the message is for the public. Visibility is important. Thank you. What I'm presenting is not an opinion. It is not an assumption. It's a series of facts and documented actions that have occurred during an active election. This matters because it directly affects the integrity of the process that every resident relies on when they cast their vote. This was not an isolated incident, but it has been a series of actions. First incident during early voting, a campaign related interaction took place at a polling location inside a protected voting environment where neutrality is required in election related matters are handled only by election officials. Second and third incident in the days that followed campaign signs were removed under disputed rightaway claims. Those signs were not left in place. They were disposed of at a separate location, later retrieved and restored to their original placement. This is important because before these actions occurred, public guidance had already been issued stating that

political signs should not be handled in a way that interferes with an election. For clarity, the political sign handling standard had already been established and it was not followed. The actions taken did not align with the city established policies and procedures regarding campaign signage. Fourth incident on April the 4th, election day, a complaint was filed regarding the 100 ft boundary. That complaint was revised, reviewed, and addressed by the election officials and verified the campaign was in full compliance. Fifth incident. During recent public meetings, the camera view has been shifted from front-facing position to a rear viewing during my remarks. Residents have arrived to see the person speaking. Six incident. At a candidate forum, a nonshirtz resident directed repeated aggressive targeted remarks toward one campaign to the point the moderator had to intervene and stop it. These are facts. Individually, each action may be explained together. They perform they form a pattern during an active election. Boundaries are crossed, authority exercised, and public trust impacted. Misconduct creates the appearance of interference, intimidation, involvement in an election process. It impacts public trust. At the same time, there were public reports that the same leadership connected to these actions was actively seeking employment outside this community. While that is a personal decision, it raises reasonable concerns about focus and leadership during a critical time for our community.

Okay. I don't mean to interrupt you, but um can you state for the record the other person that's giving you their additional three minutes? Yes. Ryan Marcato. Okay. You may continue.

Thank you. There has been no assumptions, no speculation, just facts and timing. Here is why every resident should care about what has happened. When actions like this occur during an election, it does not just affect one campaign. It affects confidence. It affects fairness and trust in the process. If it can happen in one election, it can happen in any election. So I asked the question clearly, why was one campaign repeatedly targeted through these actions during an active election? That question deserves an answer. Moreover, this is important for residents to understand. These concerns are directly connected to an item on tonight's agenda that council will discuss in close session. This is not abstract but formally before city council tonight to discuss. The record is clear. The focus has been on facts and governance. The actions are documented. The standard was already established. What remains now is how will city council address and handle this important matter before them. The council is selected by a body of residents entrusting them to protect the process. There are seven different interpretation and only one conclusion of these events. However, this council has both the authority and the responsibility to review these matters thoroughly, uphold the standard expected of leadership, and ensure that the integrity of our process is preserved when public trust is fragile. The community expects a thorough review, clear accountability, public acknowledgement, and a reaffirmation of the standards that protect every resident. More importantly, it is about

ensuring that moving forward, there is absolute clarity regarding the role of top city leadership during an election because this is about your vote, your voice, your trust in this process. And that is why I'm coming forward to protect the integrity of the process, the trust in our elections, and the confidence of this community. I stand by what I have presented. I welcome a fair review, and I trust that this council will approach this with the seriousness it deserves. Thank you for your time, your trust, and your support in this campaign. Thank you. Next up, we have Michelle Tur Teritzki. I hope I didn't butcher that. Mayor, council, Mr. Santi, Mr. Williams, I just want to say thank you to some staff. Lawrence from Sarah Gonzalez, Brian, and I won't go into detail. I'm sorry. 705 Maryland Drive, the shelter lesbian on a an issue that I brought to them about the senior center. I also want to thank very much one of the first responders group which is the public works guys. I want to thank I ish Matt Travis and the two ladies that answered the phone because on two separate occasions I called them and they came out and I now have a new water beater box that I'm just so thrilled about. Anyway, they deserve some credit

when they come out and help a senior student for sure. Now, I want to thank the mayor for taking my phone calls, taking my texts, and always answering, and always getting back to me. And now, I want to leave you you with food for thought. And it's a West Texas one. Dan says, "Never stand close to somebody kicking a wet cow patty because some of it may fling onto you." Thank you. Next we have Dana Eldridge Dana Eldridge 2628 Gallant Fox Drive shirts Texas 78108 I've come up here before you guys on several occasions of t talking about the divisiveness we have going on in our city right now. You just heard an individual get up here and talk about integrity. Well, that's a good word. Honesty goes along with it. There's a candidate running for this place six where Miss Hayward has been. She's done an outstanding job in our city. She's been honest to people. Unfortunately, sometimes she has to tell us no, but most of the time she tries to get us help. The lady that's running in her position is honest and has integrity. She doesn't go around spreading rumors about other candidates like she did about Miss Hayward when she was running for city for county commissioner, telling an individual in the neighborhood, uh, oh, you know, you shouldn't vote for her. She owes the city money.

That's not honest and that's not having integrity. And yet she gets up here and she teach tries to teach you guys what you need to do up here on city council. That's divisive. It needs to stop. Um I also appreciate the the thing on the trash. Um I asked Sarah a question. I know it's going up at least can go up to 5%. But if we do add on something to it to the contract, not sure how much that'll go up. Um there's certain numbers, but I don't know. But I appreciate that going out, Mr. Williams. That was good job. Um so we need to get this div divisiveness stopped in this city. It started when the last mayor got uh did not get reelected and we got a new mayor and it has continued until this time. Hopefully by this election it will end. Thank you.

And next we have Lauren Patton. Good evening everyone. Thank you. Um, mayor, city management, city council, I appreciate everything you do for our community and it's a pleasure to speak before you. My name is Lauren Dalton. I reside at 117 Carmel Drive in Cibilo, but I get to work closely with the city uh, and my role as vice president of the chamber. Also, as part of that role this year, I get to be a 2026 candidate for leadership core. and that has given me even more perspective about what you all do and even more appreciation. Um, thank you all and I will see you soon. Thank you. And I do apologize for getting your last name wrong. And that'll end hearing of the residents. We're going to be moving on to the consent agenda. The consent agenda is considered self-explanatory and will be enacted by the council with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless they are removed from the consent agenda upon the request of the mayor or council member. Council members, are there any consent agenda items you'd like to have removed? Having none, can I entertain a motion?

Some moved. Second. Okay. have an a motion made by Council Member Hayward, seconded by Mayor Pro Tim Davis. Can I get everyone to cast the votes? Can I get the votes published, please? Have that working?

Yes. Okay. So, uh, note that, uh, Mayor Pro Tim Davis, uh, record is not being recorded, but he is voting yes for the record. And so, having seven yays, no nays, motion passes. At this time, uh, we're going to be going into close session at 7:16.

test. Okay, we're going to be coming out of executive session at 9:16. We have uh reviewed all the allegations uh in close session. Uh, Mayor Pro Tim Davis

and Mr. Mayor, if I may, uh, city council has reviewed the six incidents alleging misconduct and/or political interference by the city manager after a discussion with the city attorney and the city manager and a review of applicable city records and documentation to include the city charter, city policies, and email transactions. The city council has found no definitive or validated violations of policy relating to the election process or election activities. However, the city manager has been advised to remind all city staff on city policies and standards regarding political activity and proper interaction with candidates. At this time, I'll make a motion that no further action be taken by the city council. Second.

Okay. I have a motion made by Mayor Pro Davis, seconded by Council Member Watson. Uh can I get the electronic boards up, please? They're not working. All right. Uh, so all those in favor say I. Mayor. Go ahead. There should be a opportunity to speak about on a motion. All right. Go ahead. Proceed.

Go ahead. All right, mayor. Um, there are really two separate issues before us. the underlying actions of the city manager and the transparency of the uh review process based upon the information reviewed. I agree with the presumptive outcome and find find little fault with the city manager's action. However, I do believe that the public would have been better served by a process that provided greater transparency within the limits allowed by law. Even when the final decision is appropriate, the public's confidence depends not only on the outcome, but also on whether residents can understand how council reached that outcome. Going forward, I believe council should continue to strengthen how we communicate the steps taken, the standards applied, and any policy improvements considered with concerns involving city leadership are reviewed. My goal is to support a fair result while also encouraging a process that gives the public confidence that concerns are taken seriously, reviewed objectively, and handed handled with as much openness as legally possible. Any other comments? Other comments?

Okay. having no other comments. I already have a motion uh by Mayor Pro Tim Davis, second by Council Member Watson. Uh all those in favor say Oh, is it working? Mr. Mayor, mine is the only one that's not I have a wire disconnect. Mine's only when it's not working. Okay, it's up. It is up. I see it. All right, everybody cast your votes. Uh, mayor prom Davis broken. Mine is broken. I do vote yes. Okay. All right. Uh, can I get the votes published?

All right. Having seven yays, no nays, motion passes.

So, let's see here. Um so the information available for 8 and 9 uh is in the council members packets. And now we'll go ahead and move on to items attended. Uh request any request by mayor council members for updates or information from staff. No. Having none request by mayor and council members that items or presentations be placed on future city council agendas. All right. Um any city and community events intended or to be attended by council?

I attended the volunteer ceremony and that was all.

Yeah. Attended their show. this past weekend. We also had the Hal Baldwin uh committee meeting today to where we were able to vote on the awards which will be coming soon. And also, just to piggy back on earlier, got to witness uh Clemens win their um first series in playoffs and they'll be playing their second one this week. So, we're rooting for Clemens to do well. I attended the uh historical preservation meeting uh the closeout soccer ceremony, visited the library to recognize the volunteers annual volunteer banquet and air show.

Yes, mayor. I went to the uh shirts historical um society committee meeting. Uh also attended the volunteer banquet and I had an opportunity to play in the uh shirts uh shirts bank and trust uh chamber golf tournament. Yesterday I attended the U volunteer banquet and I had the opportunity to be a model in the Universal City first annual 55 and plus fashion show and it was a great success. They had a soldout crowd and it it turned out great. This was their first annual and maybe they'll have another one. That's all.

Yes, mayor. I attended the Nicole Coleman retirement, the airshore air show, excuse me, uh toward the SSLg and attended the uh volunteer banquet. And then also I want to make sure that uh just to remind everybody uh we need your feedback on the uh trash survey that's out on the shirts magazine and on the shirts uh website. So please need your input. Thank you, Mayor, mayor. And I think there's one thing most of us did and I think probably more important than all others is I actually went to vote. So I think that was important to vote for the bond one way or the other.

I too uh attended the air show. Uh it was an awesome air show as well as I had the privilege and the honor to be the MC at the volunteer banquet. I really enjoyed that very much. Uh also uh played in the church bank and trust chamber open. And so I'd really enjoyed networking with a lot of people uh on the golf course and and also attended and had the honor to be at the closing ceremonies for uh Gracea for the for the soccer. So appreciate that. And again, I'd like to echo some of the things that y'all said up here. Go Buffs. Uh I hope they continue to to win as they go to the second round. And um and also to be able to encourage our citizens uh uh please fill out the garbage survey that went out. Uh you can uh go to the city website, you can go to the church magazine, uh you can go to the library. We have several locations out there where you can uh get the survey for you to be able to fill out. We'd love to get your feedback so that way we're providing the type of service that y'all are wanting out there in the community. So, thank you'all very much. At this time, we'll go ahead and uh close our regular meeting at 9:24.