Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

It is a bit of a unique situation tonight, given that both the mayor and the local mayor are absent. I start by saying that we have to break point 4 and 5 of tonight's agenda. These are the size of TW and the size of the airport. EHM, I have four. Oh, and four, five and six. Sorry. So two of those points are the size of the airport. One is the size of TW. EHM, but we have to. You four ask who will preside over this meeting. Well, district five is next. Local mayor, so I nominate Danny Jewel as chairman. But district two is the oldest member of parliament. Well, then I nominate the one who wants it. Okay, I'll just say it. No, I'll just throw it out there. So as long as it's not the last one. I support the proposal to nominate Danny as chairman. He said he wants it. I think we have to give him some practice here. Director, can we vote by hand? I could use some practice myself. I can take a look at that. I've seen you sit there before. I have a lot of experience with that. Well, if I can't work with a few people, I understand that. So, we have a motion to have director Jewel preside over the meeting and a second one. EHM, all for, say, yes, yes, are there, against? I'm not going to say no. Okay. Director Jewel, you can take over from here. Well, I'm going to sit here, Danny. Can we sit somewhere else today? Here, because I have my gun here so I can look. Well, I say yes. Good, so you have a big chair to fill. Good. It looks like we have to check the list of names first. Well, no. Opening of the meeting. Then the list of names.

Director Hollingshead is absent. Assistant Mayor Brewer is absent. Administrative Mayor Joel.

Here.

Director Smit.

Here. Director Roberts. Here. Director Harris. Here.

And Mayor Brown is absent.

Now, prayer and the food of marriage. Then I assume that Roberts will take the word. Would you like to do that for us? Please stand up. Our Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that you give us the opportunity tonight to come together and to manage the affairs of the city. We pray that this will proceed in an orderly manner and in a way that will benefit everyone, whereby the citizens are always at the forefront and your name will be glorified. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. I swear allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic before which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all. You may sit down. Okay, we'll continue with the agenda points, which are not needed for discussion. The first point is the approval of the notary for citizen communication. Oh yes. Thank you, Director Roberts. Time for citizen communication. I don't have any. Do you have any cards? There should be one. We got one from the public. If you want to report, please give us your name and address. I'll scroll down so I don't miss the next one. Would you like to give us your name, sir? Brandon Norman. Go ahead. Give us your name, please. Brandon Norman. Go ahead. EHM, may I give you a copy? Absolutely. Thank you. May I read it on my phone if I don't have a physical copy? No, I have that. Go ahead. Would you like to keep the microphone a little closer to you? You are longer than most people. Yes. Well, I can bend, no problem. Today I come to talk to them about a formal complaint about receiving a fine for leaving a stray dog. May I read it? Okay. I submit this statement in order to formally confirm my experience with a stray puppy that appeared in my garden on 16 September 2026. My subsequent attempt to get help from the animal shelter and the subsequent threat with a tollway leave. On the morning of September 16, 2026, I woke up and found a stray puppy in my garden. The puppy was not my animal and I had never owned or claimed the puppy before. After I had found the puppy, I contacted the animal shelter to ask for advice and help on what to do with the animal. Only after my phone call did I learn that a woman from the neighborhood had bred the puppy. I did not know this woman in advance and I had not taken care of the puppy. We were left behind at home. From the information I received, I understood that they were feeding the puppy because apparently this one roamed around in the neighborhood. This information confirmed that the pup had been missing for some time. Because I wanted to make sure that the pup was safe and was looking for a suitable solution, I then drove the pup to the animal shelter to get rid of the animal and make sure that it ended up in good hands. When I arrived at the clinic, the employee I spoke to asked if I had an ID with me. I explained that I didn't have a physical ID with me. Before I could explain that I had a photo of my ID on my phone or could ask if that was acceptable, the employee's attitude changed. Then I was told that I would get a fine of $1,000 for leaving the dog. This caused me great concern because I was physically at the clinic to get help and to get rid of a stray puppy that I had found that same morning safely. I didn't leave this animal behind terribly. I want to make it clear that I didn't leave the pup behind terribly. I found a stray animal on my field and tried to contact a suitable animal shelter after I heard that a woman had fed the pup. I took the extra step to personally bring the pup to the animal asylum, because I certainly wanted the animal to be well taken care of. The city of Texarkana, Arkansas, describes the animal asylum as responsible for picking up pets and abandoned animals in the state and states that the Center for Underfloor and Housing offers unwanted pets. For this reason, I request clarification on why my attempt to bring the stray animal to the facility resulted in a threat with a fine of $1,000 because of abandonment. I respectfully request that you review the circumstances surrounding the incident and assess whether the established or threatening fine was justified. Do I have to keep reading everything? Yes, if you want. You still have some time. Okay. I specifically request that the fine be withdrawn or fined if the city determines that the facts do not indicate abandonment of the animal. Als de gemeente van mening is dat ik een verordening heb overtreden, verzoek ik u respectvol om mij de specifieke verordening of wet te verstrekken die ik naar verluid heb overtreden. De exacte feiten waarop de conclusie is gebaseerd dat ik de pup heb achtergelaten, een uitleg over hoe mijn gedrag voldoet aan de wettelijke definitie van verlating, het beleid met betrekking tot de opname van zwerfdieren in het dierenopvang- en adoptiecentrum, the identification documents that in fact indicate that the clinic accepts the PUP, the correct procedures that residents and their owners must follow when an unexpected predator appears on their site, and the procedures for requesting eviction, withdrawal or review of the compensation. In addition, I would like the municipality or employees and residents to receive clear and consistent instructions when residents bring a predator to the facility for help. You're not really convicted, are you? Huh? No, I am. Okay, you've been convicted. Yes, you're convicted. Yes, I have to appear before the judge on Thursday. Oh, really? Was Josh's action really leaving an animal behind? Well, you can't just leave someone else's property behind, and not an animal at all. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have to appear for the judge on Thursday? HM. EHM. Do you have Yes, I received your complaint and I read it a few hours ago. Yes, sir. E.H.M., so I will investigate the case and speak to the employees of the animal asylum. Yes, sir. E.H.M., and I will let you know something, but yes, you have to bring this Thursday to the judge. Yes, sir. But you still hear from me a response to your complaint. Okay, thank you, but I have a question. We have in the state of Arkansas a kind of law that regulates good marriage or the kind of poor Samaritan. And that law is overruled in what has happened to him, because he has strained himself. He went to the right place, tried to do the right thing. Now he has to appear before the judge and pay a fine of $1,000. What kind of sense does that have? I do not see the rationality and logic in it. And I know that he should appear to the judge to explain this, but in my opinion this could have been solved better with a suit. By the municipal authorities. I do not know, I still have to find out. So just to be clear, the fine was issued because they did not believe it was a stray dog. They thought it was your dog and that you let him into the stake. Well, what happened when I arrived at the clinic was that she asked for my ID. I said I didn't have a physical ID with me and then they immediately put the dog back in my car and said, well, we can't take him with us. I asked her to show her a picture of my ID, but then she said, you don't have your ID with you. And then I asked her, are you more concerned about the fact that I drive? I live close to the asylum. I asked her if she was more concerned about the fact that I drove without ID than about the dog. The dog seemed to think, that is your biggest concern. En ik denk dat ze daar boos over werd. En toen zei ze, nou, je krijgt een boete als je weggaat. Ik wist niet wat ik moest doen. Ik had mijn identiteitsbewijs niet bij me. Ze wilde de hond niet meenemen. Dus ik moest wel weg. Ik wist niet wat we moesten doen. We zouden alleen maar in cirkels blijven praten. Nou, hoe kwam ze aan jouw gegevens? Het was geen boete voor het achterlaten van een zwerfhond. Het was een boete voor het achterlaten van een zwerfhond omdat ze dacht dat de hond van jou was. Nee, ze wist dat het een zwerfhond was. Ze wist dat het een zwerfhond was. Het was duidelijk een zwerfhond. Het leek wel een zwerfpuppy. I don't understand anything at all. In a fine of $500 for leaving a stray dog, she took a picture of my father's truck. And another reason why I didn't have my idea with me. I got into my father's truck because he has an open trunk and I didn't want to put my idea in my own truck because it was freezing cold. So I didn't think about taking my idea with me. So I just jumped in his truck, threw the dog in the back. Well, not really threw, but I put the dog in the back of the truck and drove to the clinic. When she asked for my ID, she called me. I said I didn't have it and then she said, well, you drive without ID. And I thought, wait a minute, where are we here? We should focus on the dog anyway. So she takes a picture of the car to get your information. Yes, and then I went home. I called back. I was a little overwhelmed because the dog was walking on the street. I have a video of the dog running on the street. Someone had to stop and then the dog went back to the house of that woman. So I put the dog in a bag for her house. The animal asylum came to pick up the dog and then came to my house. They asked me why I had left the dog behind and I explained what had happened. They said, we have to give you a punishment. Explain this to the judge. And I thought, so you went to the animal asylum, went home with the dog and then they came to pick up the dog from the woman and gave me a punishment. I want to give my opinion about this, because I think they are lucky that they are. I didn't know what it was, I already caught a bat last year, sorry. And if you tell this. This is, this problem is exactly why citizens are frustrated. Yes, this man would not have to appear before the judge. This would have to be handled today or tomorrow and the case would have to be closed. Is that a motion? He would not have to appear before the judge for something like that. The municipal manager could call in the morning and say, we recommend that that one of you declare the violation of animal protection as invalid and then it is immediately finished. Is anyone from the animal protection team present? No, sir, but I think that that employee has become angry and I mean, you have time to run away and ... You may take a picture of a vehicle, but you may not look into someone's phone. Come on, tell me. That is ridiculous. I think that judge Potter has better things to do than to deal with this kind of business. Here, the city must be attacked to offer this man some help. We have water bills of $1,000 that we are trying to pay and they are worried about a man and a dog for whom he is seeking help. That is really absurd. Can you do something about this? Yes, of course. They have to withdraw that appeal. I will definitely investigate the case and I will contact Brandon tomorrow morning. Can you also let us know what it's like? Of course, yes, because I mean, I... If not, then I'll come with you to the court. I'm already in my own state. Thank you, thank you. Well done, sir. Anyone else? If not, then we will proceed with the adjustment agenda. We have received approval for the notice of the moved regular meeting of 8 September 2026. Take a resolution to move the meeting of the Board of Directors in 2027, since this coincides with certain holidays. Point 3. Make a resolution that the city manager is authorized to sign a contract with WSBLLC from Texarkana, Texas for the project with the expected LSW model. What is the interest of the council? Motion to approve. Second. Would you like to check the list of attendees? It is a motion that is in motion. Who is for? Het is een stemming per handopsteking. Stemming per handopsteking. Stemming per handopsteking. Wie is... voor? Wie is voor? Ja. Ja. Ik geloof dat iedereen die voor is zegt iemand tegen. Ik geloof dat het aangenomen is. Oké, we gaan verder met ons volgende punt. Dat is de reguliere agenda. And I believe that everything is accepted, except, we have one more point left, right? Is it correct? Yes? That is, accepting an order that requests a pre-existing municipal approval of our request for a private club on Arkansas Boulevard 20-29-5, T Salty Pilot LLC, Jack Loveless. May the gentleman take the floor? We can accept this, but we can't get the two-thirds majority, right? Because we don't have the five necessary votes for that. That's right. We can't fully approve the emergency clause, but we can accept the emergency clause. Yes, you, the only thing you can do is the first lecture. You can't go to the second lecture because you don't have the two-thirds majority. Yes, that's right. This is the typical request for a private club, like a restaurant that has to serve to get a drink permit from the state. EHM, I'm not sure if Mr. Laflis is here. Okay, he's here. E.H.M., if you have any questions for him, Mr. Laflis, just to clarify, since we only have four board members, this cannot be handled fully by all the members present here tonight. But, eh, so if they read the order tonight once, then we will continue with our next meeting on 5 October. Good. So, city attorney, would you like to read the order and briefly summarize it? An order that the request for immediate municipal approval of a request for a private club by Jack Loveless as a requestor named Salty Pilot LLC is recognized for calling an emergency and for other purposes. And since we can't do anything about it, that's all we can do. It's up to you whether you want to talk about it or not. So... It stays the same and we'll take it up during the next meeting. And you can do it in the old-fashioned way. You can read it a second and third time, depending on what the board wants. So we could actually approve it. Order tonight. No, no. Oh, well, yes, then both. Next meeting. Depending on the meeting we have, we have another one. Oh, we are arranging someone. We are arranging someone. So our next agenda item is the director's comment. And you know, and the yes list, oh, we'll skip that. You know, he's going to get a question about the bridge there on Seabrook and Washington Street. I get questions about it a hundred times. And I think I've even been told that the city has received a warning of three years. That's what I've been told. Whether it is true now or not, you will say it if it is not true, but I have been told that the employee who closed the bridge was warned about it three years in advance. But apart from that, what is the status of that bridge? And when will it be finished? So, the status of the completion has not changed since the last update I gave you. EHM, the state ARDOT, their process, they do not expect the project to be completed or the construction will start in at least one and a half year. So it still has to go through the engineering and purchase phase and everything. What we are currently trying to arrange is to demolish the bridge itself and install a temporary bridge. But before that, we have to deal with a number of things with ARDOT. First of all, ARDOT has already told us that the costs will not be compensated, so we have to pay for them ourselves. We did have a conversation with ARDOT to choose the preferred infrastructure for that bridge, namely. Cookers, I don't know the exact measurements anymore. We have considered whether they would compensate the costs of the boilers, so that we can place those boilers and use them to build the temporary bridge. I do not know yet whether they will compensate that. If they do not compensate it, then for those boilers that is too much for the city. So, We are now trying to demolish the bridge and install a temporary overpass with our own means. We still have to answer a few questions from our department, but our goal is to demolish the bridge as soon as possible and install a temporary overpass. But some factors are currently out of our control. My question is, I came back from Washington D.C. last week and I received an email about the new housing law that was adopted in June. Although President Trump has not signed the law, this has automatically become a force, even though he has not issued a veto on it. So he has not signed the law. And if I understand it correctly, the city will still be able to receive about 200 million dollars a year. In short, do we get a housing law? A person? So yes, why not? I know you said something about the question of whether we are going to hire someone for housing. Yes, certainly, to help, etc. There is more than 200 million dollars available to cover the housing and tackle the housing problem in Texarkana, Arkansas. If you think that there is no housing problem in Texarkana, Arkansas. Well, you've never heard me say that. Okay, the first thing I want to do is to conduct an investigation into the housing, because I can guarantee you that you need it to get access to that $200 million. I don't think so. But if you arrange something that makes it easier for someone to get a house, you get extra points. If the city takes measures to simplify the process, you get extra points for that. So if you ask for money for a house, you're a step ahead of everyone. There are other factors, but I'm going to send you and Tracy the email I receive, so that you are aware and can get the information directly from these people about how we can get this money. Because every time I drive around in what they call the Hondenwijk, and maybe somewhere else in Texarkana, I hear that we need this money hard, but no, we need someone who wants to go after it. But I also think that we need someone who, as soon as you have set up that commission, which already exists according to the ordinance, that commission, because there are at least two board members needed, a city manager and maybe a lawyer. But that lawyer doesn't necessarily have to be there. Let's see if we can do something and if we can get help. I know someone who does that. She said she would do it for free in the beginning. and the person with whom I and he have spoken, and she will later be able to get her money as a city manager or via a subsidy, but she does not try to earn a lot of money. She knows the problem. I do not want to name her name, I will not give you the verified name of the person with whom I have spoken, but I have spoken to her. How? I have spoken to her. Okay, so you know whether what I say is true or not. Why don't you do what you can to get this process going? Ik vind het vreselijk om al dat geld te zien liggen. Ik rijd elke dag rond en kijk naar mijn wijk, naar de stad en zie hoe het er daaraan toe is en hoeveel geld er ligt te wachten. Dat geld zou beschikbaar moeten zijn. Als we iemand voor een woningfunctie zouden aannemen, hoe je dat ook wilt noemen, dan moet diegene eerst. A survey. I would rather do a survey, a housing survey, so that we know exactly what the needs are. I do not believe that this has to be done by an employee of the municipality. We can spend that, but if we have that housing survey, we can possibly request subsidies with which we could then cover that function. That is why I am firmly convinced that we need that housing survey and it is an important goal for me in the coming budget. I don't say it often enough, but I will say a few things that you need to know. You act as if I attack you again. I didn't hear what you said. Anyone else? Ik hoor een motie tot schorsing. Eh, directeur Jewel, ik ben... Oh, sorry. Eh, directeur Brewer wilde dat ik... Zijn inwoners eraan herinnerden dat hij aanstaande donderdag om zes uur s'avonds een vergadering voor wijk 4 organiseert in het recreatiecentrum. Oh, en ik was het bijna vergeten. Ik moet mijn bril weer opzetten. Heeft u nog iets? Nee, meneer, dat was het. Oké. Let me put on my glasses again for a moment. Do I hear a proposal for eviction? Proposal for eviction. Second. Heather, do you want to call off the list of attendees? Director Smit? Yes. Director Roberts? Yes.

Director Harris?

Yes.

Administrative Mayor Joel?

Yes. We evict the meeting. If it had been a tie, what would we have done?