City Council - Regular Meeting

muted. As a reminder, council, please remember to speak into the mic. Five, four.

Good evening everyone. Welcome to our council meeting for Tuesday, April 21st. Happy Saninto day everyone. Miss Hillberg, will you please call the role? Yes sir. Councilman Delarza, I am present. Councilman KD here. Councilwoman Butler present. Councilwoman Scott here. Mayor Pro Tim Young here. Councilman Lofrren here. And Mayor Crocker

here. If you would please rise, join me for the pledges followed by a moment of silence of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisibley and justice for all the flaggis. Thank you. Please be seated. All right. Again, welcome everyone. We'll jump straight into our items for the evening. We'll begin with announcements and reminders. Mr. Garzu, good evening. Good evening, mayor and council. I do have a few announcements uh this evening. On behalf of our communications department, the newest episode of the city's town talk podcast featuring our newly officially promoted police chief eters and deputy chief Moya is out now on YouTube and Spotify. Uh they discussed retention and recruitment, the connection between public safety and community development, and the challenging and rewarding role of police work. On behalf of Environmental Services, we want to remind the public that KBB's spring trash off cleanup will take place on Saturday, May 2nd from 8 to 10:00 a.m. Volunteers will meet in the Target parking lot and work in teams cleaning up major roadways throughout Victoria. Sign up to volunteer for our biggest KBB cleanup of the year at keep victoria beautiful.org. On behalf of development services, applications for the CDBG 2026 plan year are due by Thursday, April 30th. Eligible organizations are encouraged to reach out to Zack Wendell, community development planner, with any questions before the application deadline. More

information and application forms can be found at victoriax.gov/cdbg. And lastly, on behalf of economic development, we'd like to invite the public to a new Growing Victoria franchisee workshop, a free half-day event where residents can learn more about what it takes to become a franchise owner, network with the experts, and learn about resources available to prospective business owners in Victoria. The event will be held on Monday, May 4th from 10:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Texas&M Victoria Small Business Development Center located at 1604 East Airline Road. Interested residents can sign up at victorix.govfranchise. And that's all I have for this evening.

All right. Thank you very much. We'll move on then to public and employee recognitions. We'll begin with a proclamation for National Apprenticeship Week. Miss Hilbert.

Yes, sir. National Apprenticeship Week um serves as an annual observance to evaluate awareness of the critical role registered apprenticeships play in advertise in addressing workforce needs across key industries. And whereas registered apprenticeship programs cultivate a highly skilled workforce by equipping individuals with in- demand skills while creating pathways to stable high-wage careers that strengthen the nation's economic competitiveness. And whereas registered apprenticeships are industrydriven highquality career pathways that enable employers to develop and train the future workforce while providing participants with paid hands-on experience under the guidance of a mentor. Progressive wage increases, related classroom instruction, and the attainment of a portable national recognized credential. You know, whereas the city of Victoria recognizes the importance of preparing and sustaining a highly skilled workforce capable of meeting current and future industry demands and acknowledges the pivotal role that educators, school counselors, and educational institutions play in advancing this effort by raising awareness of registered apprenticeship opportunities among students and parents while also serving as training providers, program sponsors, and intermediate intermediaries. Whereas Mid Coast Construction Academy is the only registered apprenticeship program in Victoria, Texas, providing training in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC trades. Now, therefore, I, Dwayne Crocker, Mayor of Victoria, Texas, do hereby proclaim April 26 through May 2nd, 2026 as National Apprenticeship Week in Victoria, Texas, and call upon stakeholders and partners to recognize the value of registered apprentichip programs to actively promote their awareness, utilization, and expansion.

was told to write a few comments and I might have overdid it, but uh thank you to Mayor Crocker and Victoria City Council for your continued support of Mid Coast Construction Academy. We've been in business in Victoria since 2018 when we started with a total of 31 pre-apprentices and apprentices. Students came to us from VISD, Quero ISD, and Ganedo. Eight years later, we are training students from VISD, St. Joe, Quero, Howletsville, Ganedo Industrial, The Vine School, and some of the homeschool programs around the area. Our numbers have grown this year to 74 students in total. Our high school instructors are all masters in their craft. We've trained students as young as 15 and as old as 54 years old. Uh the MCA was started out as a necessity by the Associated Builders and Contractors when members complain that they cannot find good new hires with practical skills. We're starting to see a bigger push for jobs in the trades and apprenticeships. Baby boomers and even Gen Xers are starting to retire faster at a faster rate than those getting hired to replace them, causing an employment vacuum. Not everyone needs to go to college for a good paying job. You just need strong work work ethic. Texas has also seen huge growth in apprentichip trainings across the state. In the last fiscal year, there were 1,028 registered programs within I'm sorry with 40,710 active apprentices. That's an 11% increase in the number of active apprentices across the state. When we began in 2018, we only offered courses in plumbing and electrical, but because of demand, we started offering high

school HVAC classes a few years ago. And this year, the Department of Labor approved us for an HVAC apprenticeship. Uh we continue to grow and we appreciate the support of our local schools, parents, employers, and our local leaders. Thank you again. We appreciate it.

Thank you. We appreciate the important work you guys are doing to uh train skilled uh labor in the in the workforce. And so it's important and keep it up. You're doing great. You bet. All right, let's move on then. Um, we will move into our second proclamation tonight, which is a National Library Week proclamation. Miss Hilberg,

whereas libraries offer the opportunity for everyone to connect, learn new skills, further personal achievements, and pursue their passions. And whereas libraries have long served as trusted institutions, striving to ensure access to information and services for all members of the community. And whereas libraries adapt to the everanging needs of the communities continually developing and expanding collections, programs, partnerships, and services. And whereas libraries are accessible and welcoming places that promote a sense of local connection, advancing understanding, civic engagement, and shared community goals. And whereas libraries connect people to technology by providing access to electronic devices, broadband internet, and trainings that are critical for assessing educational systems and employment opportunities. And whereas libraries play a pivotal role in economic development by providing resources and support for job seekers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners, thus contributing to local prosperity and growth. And whereas libraries are trusted institutions that preserve our collective heritage and knowledge, safeguarding both physical and digital resources for future for present and future generations. Now therefore, I, Dwayne Crocker, mayor of the city of Victoria, proclaim April 19th through 25th, 2026 as National Library Week in Victoria, Texas. I encourage all residents to visit their library, explore its resources, and celebrate all the ways that libraries draw us together as a community. Hello. Good evening, Mayor and Council. It is an honor to stand before you tonight on behalf of our local libraries and residents of Victoria. Thank you. Your your continued support is an investment in our city's future. Libraries are no

longer just about books. They are essential to growing Victoria through modern technology, essential resources, and meaningful program that serves all ages. I am especially proud to recognize the dedicated library workers joining us tonight to celebrate this proclamation. We are joined by the library director and five librarians from Texas A&M University Victoria. We are joined by the library director of Victoria College, several of my team at Victoria Public Library, and several board members from the Friends of the Library. Together, these individuals represent a unified front for literacy and education in our community. Thank you for recognizing the vital role our libraries play in the lives of every Victorian. Thank you. Thank you, Miss Burgerer, and all of those here in attendance. Thank you for your work uh on behalf of our community. Thank you, Mr. Garza. Do you have any other public and employee recognitions?

I do have a few this evening. This month, our municipal court earned both state and national recognition, continuing a strong tradition of excellence. On April 2nd, the court was honored at the Texas Municipal Traffic Safety Initiatives Conference for the sixth consecutive year, recognizing its commitment to public safety through partnerships with Billy Tikatan Recovery Outreach Center, Mid Coast Family Services, and the Child Passenger Safety Program. Just days later, on April 8th, the court received the public sector excellence award for performance and innovation for the second time from Tyler Technologies at the Tyler Connect Conference in Las Vegas. I wanted to go, but they didn't let me. This national award highlights the court's innovative efforts to improve access to justice through outreach dockets with community partners, as well as expanded evening and weekend court options. Please join us in congratulating our municipal court on these outstanding achievements and their continued dedication to innovation, safety, and service to our community. Special thanks to of course our municipal court administrator Tiffany Tota and our municipal court judge Hinold uh who I know wants to say a few words but congratulations to them both for their leadership and the recognitions.

Good evening. Welcome.

Welcome. I will be very brief with your time, which I know is unusual when you have a lawyer with a microphone, but rest assured, I just wanted to say thank you for the recognition. Um, and certainly want to recognize the people I get to work with um at the municipal court. I have an incredible team and I tell people all the time, they make me look amazing. Uh, they work so hard and I um am very proud to be a part of that team. But I also wanted to take a minute and thank all of you because I'll be honest with you. Um the the statewide award is unusual for a court to get six times and we've been there. We've done it. We've um it's incredible. The national award, however, is um it was it really took my breath away, honestly, because they recognized this innovation that um other courts in the state of Texas are not doing. And in fact, courts in other states are not doing this. We kind of felt a little bit like celebrities when we were there in Las Vegas. We had television interviews. We had podcast interviews. We had a panel discussion in front of a huge group of people. And when I say huge group, 6,000 attendants at this uh this conference, right? All wanting to learn um what it was we were doing. And so I want to thank all of you because you all trusted us and gave us the freedom and the leeway to figure out innovative ways to address age-old problems in court administration. And for us that is court attendance. And because you allowed us to have a little bit of freedom in that um thinking outside the box and creatively about how to address those things, we've come up with these concept of this outreach docket which has been an amazing success for the city of Victoria. So, thank you. I hope this is a notch for all of you as well. The other thing I want to say is that we're going to continue to work hard to bring honor to the city of Victoria. We have

so much to be proud of, but especially to the municipal court. So, thank you. Thank you for your time. Certainly well-deserved recognition and congrats to you and your team. You are doing a great job. Um that is all I still got some. Do you still have some? Okay. I was like, wait a minute. That's all I have here. What do you have?

I know it feels like I should end there, right? But um I should have Anyway, but I do want to continue with with a few uh recognitions. On behalf of the Victoria Police Department, we want to recognize uh one of our telecommunication operators, Christina Jackson, if you wouldn't mind standing uh Christina, for being awarded the outstanding emergency operator award at the 25th annual Mid Coast Hurricane and Disaster Conference last week. Uh she has been with us for a few years and we are very grateful for her dedication to our community. Um dispatch work, telecommunication work is sometimes taken for granted. Um, but I think we do a great job in our community in recognizing that they are part of the first responder family, part of our public safety family. And so it's awesome whenever one of our own is recognized for that, for that sacrifice and that dedication. So Christina, thank you for representing us and for your service. And lastly, uh somewhat of a bittersweet, u announcement, but tonight is our uh economic development director's last council meeting with us. Um and so I do have a few words to share, and I promised her I would put her on the spot, um to say a few words herself, but Danielle has been with us for for with the city of Victoria for 18 years. She began her career with us as a recreation specialist in our parks and recreation department in 2008. In 2013, she was promoted to recreation services manager and soon after promoted to assistant director in 2014. In 2020, when the city took over the main street program, we enlisted her assistance and she became our first Main Street executive director under this new management structure. In this role, she helped with the development of our downtown master plan and sparehead the implementation of several key recommendations from that plan, including improvements in just communication with our downtown stakeholders to the establishment of our

first and still only tax increment reinvestment zone, the facade grant program, building improvement grant program, of course, the big expansion of Delium Plaza that occurred downtown, and then um if if tapping into her for that wasn't enough in 202 22, we tapped her services to become our first ever economic development director. In this role, she improved our retail recruitment efforts, which eventually led to several retail and restaurant projects. Sometimes these take time, but it included the ongoing Victoria Village development, which includes Burlington, Five Below, Ulta, etc. that's currently um open and still under construction. Uh she also assisted with the creation and implementation of our growing Victoria effort. Um she was involved with the vision behind it, creating the website, launching it, um and of course was part of the u recent growing Victoria summit. Um and currently been focusing a lot of her time on helping us expand our uh recruitment and expansion efforts. Um of course with the recent hire of Chris, um we're we're focused more on that. And so all in all, she's contributed quite a bit to our organization both with parks and recreation, main street, and economic development. And she is certainly going to be missed in our organization. I think it is every city manager's um dream goal to have folks develop, progress, uh promote, grow professionally, grow personally, and just be part of the overall mission of the organization. And I think Danielle truly exemplifies what it means to be a team player, what it means to be, you know, in it for the total overall mission. Um, I've always appreciated her ability to be open to trying new things. Um, and trying new things is what's led her to the opportunity that she's going to be uh going towards or moving to. Um, but again, I just think that just speaks highly to just her her uh what motivates her, which of course is the overall

mission. And so I'm just very grateful for her leadership and service to the city. And so Danielle, for whatever it's worth, thank you for your service and we wish you the very best.

I hope she's walking up behind me. Thank you, Jesus, for the recognition and those kind words. It it really means a lot. Um, serving the city of Victoria has been the most meaningful chapter of my career. started here right out of college and never thought I would ever leave, but um God has a different plan and um taking it all the way to love. So um but more importantly, any success that I've had here is because of the people in this room and across this organization and the community. Um so council, I thank you for your leadership and for trusting the staff to help carry out your vision. Um to Jesus and the ELT team, I thank you for your guidance, your mentorship, and your steady support. Um and to the staff. This organization is full of people who deeply care about this community. And it's been an honor to work alongside each and every one of you over the past um 18 years. And so I am incredibly grateful for the relationships built and the work we've done to serve the people of Victoria. and I will always look back on this time with pride and we'll be cheering this community's um continued success and hopefully good news after the bond um passes. So um thank you all and um I will miss you all. Thanks. Thank you Danielle and certainly best of luck to you and your family. That's all I have for this evening. Okay, very good. Thank you. Moving on then. items from council. Does anyone have anything this evening? Okay, I have one. Um, Mr. Garza, I know there's been some media coverage recently um on open records requests received by the city related to our audit and I just wanted you to give an update on that if you would please.

Sure. I appreciate the opportunity to address the topic and clarify a couple of misconceptions. Um, I can certainly confirm, as we recently did through uh several statements to media outlets, that we did receive an open records request from the Attorney General's office on April 8th requesting a copy of our fiscal year 2025 audit. This this request is for our annual audit that we conduct every year. Uh, they actually submitted a very similar open records request last year for fiscal year 2024 audit. I think it's important to reemphasize that the audit that they are requesting is not an additional or supplemental audit of any kind. This is part of just our ongoing uh business as a city to have an external auditor conduct this audit for us every year. Our fiscical year 2025 audit has been completed and has been submitted to the attorney general's office per their request and in addition is now available on our website and our auditor plans to be here at our next regularly scheduled meeting on May 5th to present it as a city manager report very similar to what she's done for the last many years. Um, I also think it's important to note that the city of Victoria takes great pride in our financial transparency and I think that is reflective of the 40 years that we have uh received uh GFOA's recognition for excellence in financial transparency. I think that speaks to just our uh decades uh long um dedication to that financial transparency and to these external audits. And so I think it's just important to remind the public of that. Um, and again, this request from the Attorney General's office is is simply just for our recurring annual audit that we conduct every year and it's been submitted as requested.

All right. Thank you for the update. Appreciate it. Then we will move down the agenda this evening. Move to citizens communication. I have three cards this evening and we'll begin with Michael Bondora. Sir, welcome.

Welcome. Good evening, Mayor Council. I'm Michael Vandro. I live on 21107 North Bin, Jordan. You know, when you work for someone, I think it's the employer's responsibility to make you or help you work in a safe environment. And a lot of the businesses, you know, on Neo, I don't feel are safe to work at because there's a lot of homeless people that live at the businesses. I don't mean just to cool down. I mean 24 hours a day. And a lot of them are living there, you know, during working hours. And I don't want to publicly, you know, name these businesses, but I think, you know, the city of Victoria and the police department know of them. And it's just a pity. You know, you're trying to wash your car and there's homeless people there like at um Christ uh um you know, by the Salvation Army. So you go to another and they're trying to hustle money from you, you know, at Splishion Dash and homeless people are living there permanently at Splish and Dash and uh the car washed by the Salvation Army and trashing it out. And I would like to see the business owners accountable and held accountable for all the trash and stuff like that. There's vacant houses on East New Aces and uh Lewis Street where they the homeless people picked up a barrel of trash and slung it all over the place. And uh this is continuing every day. Right now, Queen City Park is all trashed out and the Victoria Parks and Recreation have to come there early in the morning like 6 a.m. to clean it up. And I don't know why they call it a park. It shouldn't be Queen City Park. It should just be Queen City Hangout because it is no park. You know, I've never seen anyone from the city council

bring their children. Why? Because they have enough sense not to. I've never seen children there. And I'd recommend not to bring children there, but it's being trashed out every day and nothing gets resolved. And I just wish they could just um close it down. It don't serve no purpose. And you know, and the Victoria Parks and Recreation have to do extra work every day to clean it up. And you know, PE, you can't hire someone to babysit people. And you know, if they want to not clean up, I guess there's right, but that's their right. But I do wish the city of Victoria could do more to clean things up. And I don't agree with homeless people living at businesses full-time because it's not safe for the workers. Thanks and have a good afternoon.

Thank you, Mr. Vond. Thanks, Carter. I have is Richard Dasis. Good evening. Welcome.

Good evening. Um, see, let me just open this up real quick. I my wrote my notes down on my my phone. I apologize. Um, did you Okay. Just want to say uh thank you for allowing me to speak uh to this evening about the future of Victoria. I want to share briefly why the upcoming VISD bond is a smart necessary investment for our community. This bond focuses on the most urgent needs in our schools, aging buildings, failing infrastructure, and facilities that are costing taxpayers more every year. Passing it now prevents even more expensive repairs later and ensures students learn in a safe, functional environment. VSD is well in its way of earning the the community's trust. In just one year, attendance is up. 18 campuses have met the district's goal. The ACA the academic turnaround has been dramatic. In 2024, VISD had nine F-rated schools and zero A's. By the by the first five months of Miss Quayazo being our superintendent, we had zero Fs, three A-rated campuses, and improvements across every category. The district enti entire rating roof rose one level from a D to a C, which is very difficult as a district to do. real momentum that we can build on. The ISD is also expanding real opportunities for students. Dual credit access has been grown significantly. Participation is up. Success rates are high. And the freshman to freshman initi initiative lets students begin earning college credit as early as 9th grade, potentially finishing an associates degree before graduation at no cost to families. But our buildings are not keeping up with our students success. At Okconor Elementary, staff avoid the restroom because the odor is so severe. At how middle school, broken pipes have forced students to bring bottled water from home. These are daily conditions affecting real children and educators, and they will only get worse and more expensive if we do nothing. This bond addresses those issues directly. It replaces obsolete buildings, modernizes viable campuses, and rights sizes the district to save roughly $2 million every year. Money that can go straight

into classrooms, programs, and teacher retention. And modern schools matter. Better air quality, lighting, temperature control, and safety lead to higher test scores, better attendance, fewer behavior issues, and stronger graduation rates. New and renovated schools consistently close achievement gaps. This bond also strengthens our local economy. Stronger schools attract families, employers, and new businesses. They protect property values and build the workforce Victoria needs to grow. For the average home in Victoria, the proposed tax impact is about $17.39 a month. or the cost of one takeout meal invested in said in safer schools and a stronger community. And this bond is different from past ones. It was built by a 43 member bond action committee made up of people from all different aspects of our community based on data and facility assessments. And a community-led bond oversight committee will monitor every dollar and project. Victoria is moving forward. VISD is moving forward. This bond keeps that momentum going. A stronger VID means a stronger Victoria. Let's choose progress and the future our kids deserve. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. And then finally, I have uh the last card is Woodro Wilson Wagner II.

Good evening. Welcome.

Good evening. My name is Woodro Wilson Wagner and I was born and raised here in Victoria. Multiple generations of my family have helped build and educate this community. I was proud to work for VISD at Memorial High School during those first three difficult years of consolidation. Tonight, I want to talk about two words: trust and results. In the past few weeks, the citizens of Victoria have been asking themselves, why should we trust the VISD school board and superintendent to manage a $240 million bond package? A valid question with a simple answer. Results. Not pie in the sky may, not hypotheticals and projections. Actual empirical and quantifiable and measurable results. When a new superintendent within one year reduces administrative costs by $3.1 million, that's results. When the district improves its state accountability ratings from zero A campuses to three and nine F campuses to zero, that's results. When VISD expands its dual credit offerings, exceeds its attendance goals, increases graduation rates, and improves its district rating one full letter grade. That's results. Trust is earned, not simply given away. As President Ronald Reagan once said, "Trust but verify." Indeed, our superintendent and school board have the results to verify and earn our trust. Now, some have suggested that VISD is hiding things from us and created this bond proposal in secret behind closed doors. Yet the fact is this bond package

was created by we the people, specifically 43 of our fellow citizens representing a cross-section of all walks of life in Victoria. I for one trust my fellow citizens including business leaders like David and Tammy Murphy, Ben Galvan, Yonas Titus, Russell Dempsey, and many others who support this bond and see it as a catalyst for economic growth. In terms of transparency, Superintendent Quoyazo has made hundreds of hours of presentations to dozens of community groups. She answers every question. No dodging, no double talk, no obscurity. Our democracy thrives on differences of opinion when it comes to solving our problems. Yet, vote no is not a plan. So, I invite all who might be listening, trust the good ideas of our fellow citizens, trust the tangible results of our school board and superintendent, pass this bond. So say we all.

Thank you for your comments. Appreciate it. All right, that will close out citizens communication for this evening. And we'll move on to section C, items with public hearings. And we'll begin with item C1. Item C was the ordinance amending chapter 14, Occupational Licenses, Taxes, and Regulations of the City of Victoria Code of Ordinances, and adding article 11, short-term rentals. And this item is on first reading.

Good evening, Mr. Novisa. Good evening, Bayon Council. Thanks for having me again to talk about the short-term rental registration ordinance. I have a short presentation for you. I will be boiling down the main points of the ordinance language. But uh before we begin, just a little background um just to highlight the uses of this program is that this is a process that many other cities in Texas have in place. Um, our focus is really on ensuring the health and safety of the people renting these short-term rentals in Victoria. But additionally, it creates a fair business environment for all lodging options, including hotels and motel. Offers more lodging options that we can market, something we very much need, especially in the downtown area, and allows the CBB to serve as a marketing arm uh for short-term rental owners and create business connections for them. Okay. Um, so just a quick overview, all short-term rentals within city limits must register for the with the city. Those include those uh single rooms, apartments onto a larger structure, that sort of thing. So, any type of short-term rental listing would need to register with the city. Um, it will be a mandatory program and again as I mentioned each separate rental unit or structure requires its own registration. So if you have a plot of land with three houses on it and each one is its own rental, each one needs its own registration. As an effective date, uh, short-term rentals will have 60 days to obtain their registration or file an application for registration, which would then lead to a inspection and registration fee of $25. Renewal is every two years. So the application, what would we

require? Just some very basic information. The physical address, the owner's name, address, email address, and telephone number. The operator, so if they have a manager or some kind of staff that oversees, sometimes the owner operator is the same person. Sometimes the owner of the property may have someone they hire to run it for them. uh the name and website link to all sites that the uh short-term rental advertises or takes reservations through. Of course, we all know Airbnb and Verbbo, but there are some other sites out there. And then the name, address, and email, the name, address, email address, and 24-hour telephone number of a local contact person. And then the number of bedrooms in the short-term rental unit and the proposed number of occupants per unit. So, I mentioned safety before registration is issued and these were requirements given to us by our fire marshall's office. At least one operable uh emergency escape in each bedroom. So, something like a window that's unobstructed, doesn't have furniture in front of it. At least one working smoke detector in each bedroom and on each level of the property in a hallway. At least one working carbon monoxide detector if the property has gas appliances. At least one fire extinguisher on every floor and a clear evacuation plan in case of fire. And again, as I mentioned, that local contact person will be a part of that safety as well. Um, not just for us on our side, but for the people occupying the space. Okay. Um, so registration is issued when all fees have been paid. The applicant has submitted a complete application and they passed the fire marshall inspection. Now, would an application be denied? Possibly. If there's false or misleading information or incomplete information, if the owner is overdue in any payment to the city on any other kind of taxes or fees or fines, uh the applicant failed the fire marshall inspection or the applicant or property

has pending complaints or violations of our code of ordinances. And then, of course, any change in information uh on that application uh must be reported to the CVB director or designate within 10 calendar days. So, uh, as we looked over the language of the ordinance, potential language of the ordinance since our last meeting, I met with Allison Lacy, our city attorney. Um, we decided to make the, uh, life of the the registration two years, so our, uh, fire marshall's office is not having to inspect folks all the time. We felt that was fair. um with the ownership. Um the registration will um will uh expire when the uh if the ownership of the short-term rental changes, uh they will need to file a renewal application at least 30 days before the expiration. Uh renewal shall be approved by the director of designate and a another fee of $25 shall accompany a renewal application. Um, we will give them an opportunity and we'll produce it at our own expense, a uh sticker to display on their property to show that they are a uh registered uh short-term rental. Um, they must provide all the information to OP occupants, so the contact information for that 247 local contact person. um city contact information, website and emergency numbers, and a floor plan of the uh of the short-term rental and showing emergency evacuation routes. And the owner operator must remain current on payment of hotel occupancy taxes owed following the initial approval. And those hotel occupancy taxes are our standard 7% as well as a 2% venue tax. So, can a uh registration be taken away? Possibly. Uh failure to comply with any provision of Sydney ordinances

applicable to short-term rentals, providing false or misleading information if that's ever discovered. uh after an application or a registration has been approved. Um if there's found to be false or misleading information uh the failure to notify a change of information uh not remitting the hotel occupancy taxes or failure to uh to pay any required fees uh as pursuant to the chapter. Um now if someone is if their registration is revoked we would give them a notice. uh they have 10 calendar days which in the scent sent uh which in sending or delivery of that notice to remedy the violations. Um upon the re revocation a written notice will be sent along including the basis of the revocation um and information that the owner has the right to appeal. Uh so revoke short-term rental registration. It may be reinstated if violations are remedied and $25 reinstatement fee is paid. Oh, sorry. Now they I mentioned the process to appeal. They do have a chance to appeal. Uh so if the director denies an issuance of a registration or it's revoked, uh the action is final unless the owner operator files a written appeal to the city manager within 10 calendar days. Uh if a written request for appeal is filed, um the city manager shall hear the appeal within 30 calendar days and this or at a different date mutually agreed upon by the city manager or the owner operator. And then the city manager may only refer or reverse a denial or revocation if it's proved that the director aired in any of those u rulings and then the uh decision of the city manager is final and no appeal may be granted. So, pretty simple ordinance. We followed uh the structure of one I really liked in Bassrop. It's very simple and they

have a lot of short-term rentals there. Uh again, as I mentioned in my me uh presentation last meeting, we have a little over 40 here in this town, but it has grown from about a handful about eight years ago to now over 40. So, we are seeing growth there. Uh and this is being very forward thinking and seeing cont uh continued growth in that area. Uh and at this time, I can answer any questions you might have. What's the definition of a short-term rental? And in the ordinance, it just says short-term rental. It doesn't say. I'm sure there's probably a state definition or something. Do you mean the actual definition is in the ordinance or what's the the amount of days that defines a What is the definition? And is it written in the ordinance the definition? Yes, sir. Yes. Okay. What is the definition? Would you like me to read it to you?

Yes. Sure. Um, okay. Okay. So, a short-term rental, also known as transient rentals, vacation rentals, short-term vacation rentals, or resort dwelling units, means any residential structure, including a single family home, an accessory dwelling structure, or a unit of an apartment or condominium building, or any portion thereof used for lodging accommodations to occupants for a period of less than 30 consecutive days. The definition of short-term rental does not include a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, executive suite, or other non-residential use. Properties rented for longer than 30 days that are still advertised as available on a nightly basis fall into this category.

And the 30 days is consistent with how that rule applies to regular hotels, motel. Is this a state definition? It stem it stems from it. Yes. originates from if you stay in a hotel the same room continuously longer than 30 days you can apply to get your hotel taxes refunded. Thank you. Any other questions? Yes. Yes. Is there an additional fee for the fire marshall inspection and what does that inspection look like?

So there is no additional fee for the fire marshall inspection. Uh that would be scheduled with the fire marshall's office once it is been uh the application form has been it's complete. It's reviewed. it's come seen as complete. Um, and so that would be the next step and that would require cooperation with my office as well as the fire marshall's office to schedule that inspection. What's the expectation during the inspection? What are they looking for? Um, I had it listed in the presentation. I can go back. Is it the the bedrooms and the fire? Yes. Yes. That is specifically from our fire marshall is what they would specifically inspect. Okay. Thank you.

Any other questions? All right, I think we've all seen the draft then, so this will be on first reading. Thank you for the information. Appreciate it. So, with that then, um, I will open up a public hearing with respect to item C1. If there's anyone who wishes to address council on this item, please come forward at this time. Seeing no one, I will close the public hearing on item C1, and this will be back at a later uh, meeting. Do we need to vote to approve? Yes, sir. Yes, we do. Yeah, I think it said this was a first reading. It did say first. I move we adopt C1. Second.

Okay, I've got a motion, a second on C1. Any discussion? No. All in favor say I. I. All opposed? None. And C1 passes. Thank you, Miss Lacy, for keeping me straight on that. All right, we'll move on to item D, which is the consent agenda. Silver.

Item D1 is the adoption of minutes of the regular meeting held on April 7th, 2026. Item D2 is a resolution authorizing the city manager to execute a settlement participation and release forms in the state of Texas opioid litigation against six remnant defendants. Item D3 is a resolution approving a memorandum of understanding of Victoria County for the 2025 Edward Bren Memorial Justice Assistance Grant or the JAG program. Item D4 is a resolution approving the addition of TAC of task number five to the professional services agreement with Victoria Engineer Engineering Incorporated DBA Urban Engineering for improvements to the city's boat ramp and kayak takeout point in Riverside Park in the amount of $38,698 which in increases contract total from $15,389 to $144,87. Item D5 is the resolution approving an advanced funding agreement between the city and the Texas Department of Transportation for the Guy Grant Trail project for the amount of 3,29,000. Item D6 is a resolution approving the renewal of city attorney employment contract. ID item D7 is a resolution approving a professional services agreement with all four LLC to provide air quality planning services for the writer 7 air quality program. The amount of $281,250. Item D8 is a resolution authorizing the city manager to accept a grant and execute an interlocal agreement with the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission to support and promote the know where it goes household hazardous waste campaign in the amount of 23,68645. And item D9 is a resolution approving the purchase of a 2026 Ford F550 bucket truck from Rockdale Country Ford DVA Caldwell Country in the amount of $253,653.

Thank you, Miss Hilbert. Do I have a motion on the consent agenda? Motion to approve consent agenda as read. Second. All right, I've got a motion and a second. All in favor say I. I. Any opposed? And the consent agenda is approved. We have no action items this evening. So, we will jump into city manager reports. Mr. Garza, we have one update for you this evening. It's been a few months since we've last spoken to you about civil service and or just our efforts to implement it. And so, we thought it'd be a good idea uh to have Nina, which of course is our director of HR, but more importantly is officially our civil service director as well uh to provide an update for you this evening. So, Nina, good evening. Welcome.

Thank you. Good evening, mayor and counsel. So today's civil service presentation is going to tell you a little bit about where we were, where we're going, and what's in the future and how that's going to impact overall operations.

Sorry. See, I thought it was just Mr. Nova.

Thank you. On November 4th, 2025, voters approved the adoption of chapter 143 and 174 for the Victoria Fire Department. Chapter 143 establishes a formal civil service framework with independent oversight by a civil service commission to ensure fairness, consistency, and accountability. At its core, Chapter 143 ensures a merit-based system with due process protection, objective hiring and promotions, structured disciplinary process, consistency, and transparency. These principles have guided all involved in establishing a strong foundation for successful implementation. The civil service commission consists of three members and I want to commend our city manager for taking a deliberate and strategic approach in selecting individuals whose experience and perspective not only strengthen but add credibility to this process. Lee Keeling who has been appointed chair Casey Cullen Joseph Deanter

Decater Decar typo sorry Joe sorry Joseph

sorry Joseph I don't know if he's here The city manager, civil service director, city attorney, and fire chief actively participate in regularly scheduled meetings to provide operational, administrative, and legal oversight. In addition, the city has engaged Frank Garza as outside council to ensure alignment with chapter 143 and provide specialized guidance as needed. The timeline shows the timeline highlights the initial implementation phase for our civil service commission from January of 2026. The commission officially began its work in January starting with the initial formation meeting where expectations, responsibilities, and overall direction were established. This was a critical first step in setting expectations on the scope of work ahead. In February, the focus shifted to the initial review of foundational rules, specifically one through four. Rules one through four are primarily foundational and administrative in nature, which makes them more straightforward, requiring less interpretation, operational impact, and policy discretion. As we moved into March, rules such as hiring, promotions, and discipline became more complex. Why? because they directly affect employees and operations, require greater policy decisionmaking, and carry higher legal and operational implications. So, you can see as we've moved through the first four, that was our first meeting, but it's under definitions and terms so that there's no misinterpretation of what words like firefighter or um shift or department head or some of those words that could be interpreted differently are not. Rule two is general provisions. It establishes the civil service system. So scope, authority, legal precedents, cover EEO. It closely aligns with the city policies that we're currently practicing. And then rule three

establishes exactly what the commission's responsibilities are. So what is their role? What's their responsibilities? And it outlines authority. It defines not only the civil service director's role, but also the commissioners.

Just pause right there for a second. can take a breath. Um, so really quickly kind of if you can go back. So I just want to apologize to Decatur Joseph for the misspelling. So Decator if you're listening, sorry about that. Uh, and that's it. Rule four, meetings, agendas, minutes, and hearings, establishes how the commission conducts business, including open meetings, agenda posting, and compliance with Texas Open Meetings Act. Details meeting procedures, p public participation, recordkeeping, and formal hearing processes for disciplinary matters. The commission has agreed to meet regularly. and will hold quarterly meetings the third third Wednesday of the month. Special meetings may be called by the civil service director or chairperson of the commission. Under citizens communication, it was agreed that citizens are allotted a maximum of three minutes to address any issues with the commission. Under civil service rule five, classifications refer to the structured system of job titles and ranks within the department, defining each position's duties, responsibilities, and place within chain of command. These classifications establish a clear organizational framework that supports consistent pay structures, outlines promotional pathways, ensures positions are applied uniformly across the department, creating fairness, clarity, and alignment in how roles are defined and advanced. The commission has agreed on the following classifications. Under firefighting, battalion chief, captain, lieutenant, engineer, and firefighter. under emergency medical services battalion chief captain lieutenant paramedic crew lead and emergency

medical technician regarding pay. It was established by the commissioners. The intent is to align pay with current structures of our existing step program. Rule six takes a deeper dive into the minimum qualifications and examinations for firefighters. Minimum qualifications are currently or will in this rule be defined as having reached their 18th birthday, having not reached their 35th birthday, high school education, GED, homeschool, all of those must be verified and they must meet CEUS requirements. In addition to minimum eligibility requirements, applicants are also required to submit to a physical and cognitive test to determine their ability to perform essential job functions. Rule seven outlines a structured and competitive process for promotions, ensuring decisions are based on merit, fairness, and transparency. Employees must meet established eligibility requirements, including minimum time and rank, and submit a formal notice of intent to test within required deadlines. Promotions are determined through a written examination designed to assess job related knowledge with the minimum passing score required and seniority points applied to final rankings. Results are posted promptly to maintain transparency, and candidates are provided the opportunity to review and appeal exam outcomes through the Civil Service Commission. As you can see, the rules moving forward are currently under development. We are meeting as a group to establish what we'd like to define those rules as, but they have not been presented yet. Rule eight, discipline and accountability. Rule 8 defines disciplinary standards, including causes for suspension, demotion, or

termination. This rule outlines disciplinary levels, appeal rights, hearing procedures, and decision-making standards. It also establishes details as to how disciplinary cases are reviewed and resolved. While all rules are important, you can see that as we move forward, these rules not only affect operations, but they carry higher legal and operational implement implications. Rule nine. Rule 9 specifies the types of leaves including military, administrative, line of duty, vacation, bereavement, sick leave, and leave without pay. This rule defines eligibility, usage, and conditions for each leave type. While all rules again play a critical role, this one not only impacts how we staff shifts, but it also impacts how we maintain service levels and manage long-term costs. The complexity of this role will derive from finding a mutual solution as we transition from what we currently offer to what chapter 143 requires. Rule 10, fitness for duty. Fitness for duty goes through what the requirements are not only to enter the firefighter program but also to maintain their their status. physical examinations, mental fitness. It allows for medical and psychological evaluations when needed. It establishes a process for resolving fitness dispute disputes and define standards for both current employees and applicants. As we go through the timeline again and go through to collective bargaining, I'm going to hand it over to Mr. Garza.

Thank you for that. I appreciate the overview. Um I think it's important to remind you of the fact and the public of the two different things that are that are happening right there's the implementation of civil service which you know now we've gotten a good sense as to what that entails the timeline associated with it but then of course the second piece of what was adopted in November is collective bargaining um and if you go to the next slide please James and collective bargaining is the formatting of this thing I don't know how that happened I promise it wasn't no it was good

made that Uh but anywh who uh we're at the beginning stages of that and so we received formal intent to bargain from the firefighters association a couple of weeks ago. Um we've made initial formal contact with them. We are in the process of finalizing our very first informal meet and greet meeting amongst negotiating amongst negotiating teams to take place the first week of May. We are working with them collaboratively on doing some training since this of course is new for everybody involved. uh they've been um very collaborative um and very professional in our dealings um in regards to setting it all up. So we anticipate that formal collective bargaining meetings will commence in May. Those meetings are meetings that are open and publicly posted and open to the public. Our goal is to have all of those meetings uh take place at the public safety headquarter facility which is also where the civil service commission meetings have taken place. Um, and so you may recall five months, five or six months ago when we were talking about how all of this was going to play out, this idea that it's important for civil service to go first and be finalized as much as possible prior to beginning collective bargaining. And I want to give you a few examples of why that's important. And so, if you wouldn't mind, James, going back to um I think it's rule five, I'll tell you when to Stop right there. Um I guess one more if you wouldn't mind. So um we know that these rules that are being established in collaboration with our civil service commission have to for the most part abide this chapter 143, right? And so everything that Nina just went over is in accordance with that state law. However, collective bargaining allows opportunities for both sides to make changes that maybe are reasonable and that make sense. And so, as an example, it's not uncommon for

collective bargaining to come in and say, you know what, we think 36 having to be 36 years old may, you know, let's quote unquote negotiate that to increase that age to open your pool of candidates to be much larger. As an example, it's a very minor example of that. Um if you go to the next slide, one of the things that also is very common to address as part of collective bargaining are issues associated with um eligibility with examination. Um civil service requires that um promotions basically occur based off of the results of a test. And so it is common to try and negotiate assessment centers so that um decisions for promotion are based off of a variety of different topics and not solely a test. Just to give you another example u if you actually go back several slides that one. Yeah, here's another example of that. So under civil service law, everybody basically is a firefighter. Um, we've had to work very creatively with our outside legal council and the commission to establish this emergency medical services. But what you don't see here is fire marshall's office. Um, because under civil service, everybody for the most part's a firefighter. And so part of, you know, another example of something that that makes sense to um bring up as part of collective bargaining is to structure the department in a manner that make that is basically how we have it. because in the absence of that there no longer is there there no longer our fire marshal positions. Um and civil service would require that everybody in the department be either a firefighter, engineer, lieutenant, captain or battalion chief. And so the way that that works in other departments is that basically somebody becomes a engineer but gets assigned to the fire marshall's office or is a firefighter and gets assigned to the fire marshall's office if they have the adequate um

certifications. So, it it's doable. Obviously, other departments do it, but you just it's just different than what we've accustomed to. Um, move forward, please. Next slide. Next slide. One item too that oftentimes comes up in collective bargaining is the psychological evaluations part of it. This is also a very common topic that comes up especially in communities that don't have great access to psychologists or great access to resources to conduct psychological evaluations. And so that's typically a common item that comes up um during collective bargaining and we anticipate it'll come up as well during ours. Next slide please. Next slide. And so that's just an example of some things that either side may want to bring up as part of collective bargaining, which is why it was important to get through the civil service part of it first so that both sides understand what things need to change, what things we need to have conversations about going into collective bargaining negotiations. Of course, in addition to cleaning all of that up that I just went through, a big part of collective bargaining will of course center around compensation and benefits. That typically is, of course, the heavy ticket item involved with that. And our goal is to try and wrap up collective bargaining by the summertime so that come official proposal of the budget at the first meeting in August, all of that is taken care of. Um, but only time will tell. Um, and so we hope that that's the case. And with that, happy to answer any questions that you might have. Anybody have any questions on the updates? I know that there's been uh many meetings um setting this up early from our commission. So I want to thank them for their diligent work that they've put in or continuing to do. So Mr. Garza, please keep us updated.

Yeah, absolutely. All right, that concludes then I believe what we have on the agenda and I understand we do not have an executive session. Is that correct? Do not. All right, well then we are out at 602. Nice.

That's your goal.