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FRONT[00:13:14]
NOTES.GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE HARLINGEN CITY COMMISSION MEETING.
THE TIME IS NOW 5:33 PM WE WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
IT HAS BEEN DULY POSTED AS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW.
WE HAVE A QUORUM AS ALL OF THE CITY COMMISSION IS PRESENT.
I ASK FOR EVERYONE TO PLEASE RISE AS COMMISSIONER BEEZ LEADS US IN OUR INVOCATION.
DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE COME BEFORE YOU TODAY WITH GRATITUDE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY.
WE ASK FOR YOUR GUIDANCE AND WISDOM IN OUR DISCUSSIONS AND DECISIONS THAT WE MAY ACT WITH FAIRNESS, INTEGRITY, AND COMPASSION FOR ALL.
BLESS OUR CITY AND ITS PEOPLE, AND HELP US WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE A BRIGHTER FUTURE.
PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE LIBERTY.
UNDER STATE LAW, A CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXISTS IF A COMMISSION MEMBER OR CERTAIN MEMBERS OF THAT PERSON'S FAMILY HAS A QUALIFYING FINANCIAL INTEREST IN AN AGENDA ITEM.
MEMBERS WITH A CONFLICT OF INTEREST CANNOT PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION NOR VOTE ON THE AGENDA ITEM.
ARE THERE ANY KNOWN CONFLICTS OF INTEREST TO DISCLOSE AT THIS TIME? COMMISSIONER.
COMMISSIONER? UH, I HAVE NONE.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO ITEMS ELSEWHERE ON THIS AGENDA, THE CITY COMMISSION MAY REPORT ON ITEMS COMMUNITY INTEREST, INCLUDING ANNOUNCE, ANNOUNCE,ITEM THREE B, CITY MANAGER'S ANNOUNCEMENTS.
UM, WE'RE GONNA BE HAVING, UH, FIESTA DE PINATAS NEXT SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER THE 14TH FROM FIVE TO NINE AT GUTIERREZ PARK AND LUCIA LIBRE.
UH, FRIDAY THE 13TH FROM SEVEN 30 TO NINE 30.
AND I'D LIKE TO WISH COMMISSIONER KINSLEY A HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
MOVING ON TO ITEM THREE C, CITY COMMISSION MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS.
COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ANNOUNCE? UH, THE ONLY THING I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS THIS EVENING BEFORE YOU GO TO BED, TAKE A MOMENT.
GOOD THOUGHTS TO THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE IMPACTED BY TODAY'S SCHOOL SHOOTING IN GEORGIA.
ANOTHER TERRIBLE EVENT, BUT, UH, GIVE 'EM A QUICK PRAYER.
COMMISSIONER KINSLEY'S, UH, REMARKS.
ITEM FOUR, PRO PROCLAMATION PRESENTATION OF AWARDS.
WE, TODAY WE HAVE FOUR, A HARINGTON ANIMAL SHELTER PET OF THE WEEK.
TONIGHT OR THIS EVENING, WE HAVE MONTY WITH US.
HE'S A LITTLE SHIHTZU MIX, MALTESE SHIHTZU MALTESE MIX.
HE'S ABOUT TWO AND A HALF YEARS OLD.
UM, HE IS, HAS ALL OF HIS VACCINES AND HE'S READY TO GO INTO A LOVING HOME.
UM, THE PERSON WHO TURNED, TURNED HIM IN SAID THAT HE'S HOUSEBROKEN, UH, HE LIVED WITH A CAT, SO HE GETS ALONG WITH CATS,
UM, HE'S JUST AN ALL AROUND FRIENDLY, GREAT LITTLE DOG.
SO ANYBODY LOOKING FOR A SMALL DOG, HE'S VERY LOVABLE, VERY CUDDLY, AND WOULD LOVE TO SIT IN YOUR LAP AND SPEND TIME WITH YOU.
BUT ANYBODY INTERESTED IN HIM IS WELCOME TO GO BY THE HUMANE, THE HARLINGEN ANIMAL SHELTER.
UM, AT 1106 MARKOWSKI, THE SHELTER'S OPEN EVERY DAY FROM, UH, ONE TO SIX.
UH, SHANNON, I THINK HIS BACK NAIL IS STUCK ON HIS FUR 'CAUSE HE'S LIMPING.
UM, BUT THE VET HAS LOOKED AT HIM AND HE GETS ALONG FINE.
HE, IT DOESN'T AFFECT HIM IN ANY WAY.
I KNOW HOW THAT FEELS TO BE JUMPING AROUND ON ONE LEG.
AND WHAT WAS HIS NAME AGAIN? MONTY.
WELL, AND I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT BEETHOVEN DID GET ADOPTED.
SO FOR EVERYBODY, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T SEE IT ON, ON FACEBOOK, HE DID GET ADOPTED.
SO HE'S FOUND HIS LOVING HOME.
AND SO MONTY IS NEXT ON OUR LIST.
THANK YOU BOTH FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE HARD WORK OVER AT THE SHELTER.
AND I KNOW THAT WE HAD, UM, THE ADOPTION EVENT THAT YOU HAD AND YOU ADOPTED.
HOW MANY WAS THAT, JASMINE? EIGHT.
AND HOPEFULLY THE COMMUNITY COMES AND ADOPTS MONTE HERE AND GIVES HIM HIS LOVING HOME.
OKAY, ITEM FIVE, CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
AT THIS TIME, THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ADDRESS THE CITY COMMISSION AND SPEAK ON ANY MATTER NOT SPECIFICALLY LISTED FOR PUBLIC HEARING ELSEWHERE IN THIS AGENDA.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION MEMBERS MAY NOT RESPOND TO COMMENTS OR DELIBERATE ON TOPICS ADDRESSED.
WE HAVE A TOTAL OF THREE, UH, CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS.
WE WILL START WITH MR. RAYMOND REYES.
WE MISSED YOU LAST TIME, MR. REYES.
MY APOLOGIES WITH DEALING WITH SOME OTHER ISSUES.
AND WE SAW HOW THAT PANNED OUT YESTERDAY.
SO, UH, RAYMOND REYES 7 0 6 NANTUCKET DRIVE, UM, OF COURSE HERE IN HARINGTON.
UM, YOU KNOW, UH, IT JUST GOES BACK TO WHAT I ALWAYS REITERATE.
UM, PROPER OVERSIGHT AND EVERYTHING THAT'S DONE ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS OF HAREN.
UM, THIS PANEL COMMISSION HAS BEEN ELECTED TO DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE ANYTHING
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ELSE, WHETHER IT'S A MUNICIPALITY OR CORPORATE ENTITY, A BUSINESS, YOU GOTTA ACCEPT THE GOOD WITH THE BAD.UM, SOMETIMES THINGS GET AWAY FROM US AND WE THINK WE CAN GET AWAY WITH LITTLE THINGS AND IT'S NOT GONNA GET NOTICED.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PEOPLE, I'M NOT GONNA SAY LIKE ME, BUT OTHER PEOPLE THAT NOTICE EVERY LITTLE THING BECAUSE I TRULY BELIEVE IF WE DO THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS, UH, THINGS WILL PAN OUT.
IN SOME INSTANCES THOUGH, YOU KNOW, UH, SOME INDIVIDUALS WAS TOLD TO ME A VERY LONG TIME AGO BY MY GRANDFATHER, HE WAS FROM MEXICO.
IF YOU WANNA KNOW SOMEBODY'S TRUE CHARACTER, GIVE 'EM A LITTLE BIT OF POWER, YOU ARE GONNA FIND OUT EXACTLY HOW THEY ARE.
SO, I, FOR ONE, HAVE ALWAYS STAYED TRUE TO REALITY THE WAY THINGS REALLY ARE.
I DON'T GET LOST IN FANTASIES.
MY FAMILY'S ALWAYS BEEN VERY WELL POLITICALLY CONNECTED, UM, BECAUSE OF MY FATHER'S BUSINESS INTERESTS MOSTLY.
UM, SOME OF Y'ALL KNOW WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS HE DID, YOU KNOW, FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
LET'S JUST SAY IT WAS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY ALONG WITH JEWELRY STORES AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO I THINK AS LONG AS WE STAY ON THE RIGHT PATH, WE CAN DO RIGHT THINGS I DO, FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, UM, THERE'S SOME INSTANCES ABOUT TAXES BEING CONSIDERED TO GO UP AGAIN.
AND I JUST THINK THAT IF WE REEVALUATE EVERYTHING, IS IT REALLY NECESSARY TO DO THAT? UM, SOMETIMES IT'S NOT.
SOMETIMES YOU DO THINGS NOT JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DO 'EM.
YOU GOTTA RE-LOOK AND ANALYZE IT EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU MAKE DECISIONS LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, LOOK AT ALL THE CONSEQUENCES OF HOW EVERYBODY'S AFFECTED.
BECAUSE WE'RE STILL DIGGING OUT FROM THE TRENCHES OF WHAT WE JUST WENT THROUGH A COUPLE YEARS BACK.
AND, UH, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE CITY, I DUNNO WHAT THEY CALL IT, RESERVE FUND, SLUSH FUND OR WHATEVER, IS ACTUALLY DOING PRETTY GOOD.
I REMEMBER FROM BACK IN THE DAY WHEN THE CITY HAD LESS THAN $3 MILLION.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY AT THAT TIME I WAS GOING THROUGH LITIGATION WITH THE CITY, UH, AND WE DROPPED THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE GONNA LOSE.
AND I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD'VE BANKRUPT THE CITY.
BUT AGAIN, I DID THE RIGHT THINGS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE PUT OUR BEST FOOT FORWARD, DO THE RIGHT THINGS, LIKE I'VE SAID BEFORE, AND ALWAYS HAVE OVERSIGHT ON WHAT WE'RE DOING.
IF NOT, WE SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED WITH THE CONSEQUENCES THAT WILL MATERIALIZE FROM NOT DOING THE RIGHT THINGS.
WITH THAT NOTE, MY PHONE KEEPS BUZZING, SO I HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND I THINK HOPEFULLY I BEAT THE BUZZER.
AND Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD AFTERNOON.
AND THERE IT'S, UH, WE HAVE ROBERT LEWI.
ROBERT LEWI, 9 0 9 EAST PARKWOOD.
I JUST WANNA START OFF WITH AFTER, UH, STOMACHING THROUGH THE LAST MEETING, COMMENTS ABOUT THE TAX RATE INCREASE.
EVERY TAXPAYER IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN NEEDS TO BE ALARMED, ESPECIALLY AT Y'ALL'S BEHAVIOR.
LAUGHING, MOCKING, MISLEADING.
THAT'S, THAT'S JUST AN EMBARRASSMENT FOR THE CITY.
Y'ALL NEED TO BE PROFESSIONAL.
YOU WANNA CUT THESE MEETINGS DOWN TO AN HOUR, HOUR AND A HALF.
TAKE YOUR JOB SERIOUSLY AND DO THE HOMEWORK.
IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A TAX INCREASE, ADMIT YOU HAVE A TAX INCREASE, HAVE SOME INTEGRITY.
WE'VE GOT $2.5 MILLION TAX INCREASE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY, AND YOU GUYS ARE SAYING THAT IT'S, NO, IT'S A RATE REDUCTIONS, LOWEST RATE REDUCTION WE'VE HAD IN 24 YEARS.
WE DON'T PAY RATES, WE PAY THE LEVY.
THAT'S THE COLLECTIVE TAX BILL.
THIS NOTICE RIGHT HERE, WHICH IS THE CITY NOTICE, SAYS 2.5 MILLION.
YOU KNOW WHAT THE LAST ADMINISTRATION IN 2014 FOR THE 2013 TAX YEAR, THEY INCREASED 200,000.
THE NEXT YEAR, ANOTHER 200,000.
THE NEXT YEAR, 250, IT TOOK SIX YEARS TO GET TO $2 MILLION OF LEVY INCREASE.
IT SAYS RIGHT HERE, TAX ON AVERAGE HOMESTEAD $650 FOR 20 20 24, 706.
HOW MANY, HOW MANY TAX BILLS ON THE AVERAGE HOME DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE UP $2.5 MILLION? SOMEBODY SAID, OH, WELL THIS IS NEW.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRIOR BUDGETS, WE'VE, I'VE ALREADY READ THIS TO YOU.
THIS BUDGET FOR 2024 PHYSICAL YEAR WILL RAISE MORE TOTAL TAX PROPERTY TAXES THAN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET BY $1.8 MILLION, THREE, $302,000 IN TAX REVENUES RAISED WITH NEW PROPERTIES.
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THE EXISTING PROPERTY OWNERS HAD TO COME UP WITH.AND THEN WE'RE TELLING EVERYBODY, WELL, YOUR RATE WAS LOWER.
WHO CARES ABOUT THE RATE? WE PAY A LEVY, WE DON'T PAY A RATE.
ONE POINT, UH, $1 MILLION, 361,000 WAS NEW PROPERTY OUT OF THIS $2.5 MILLION.
MR. MESMER, THIS IS NOT ALL NEW PROPERTY.
MAYBE 300,000, $400,000 IS OF NEW PROPERTY OVER $2 MILLION.
MAYOR, I'M, I'M, I'M SCARED ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID AT THE LAST MEETING.
YOU SAID WE HAVE TO HAVE THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, WHICH IS THE MAX ALLOWED BY STATE LAW BEFORE YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTERS.
IF YOU DO 2.11 MILLION YOUR FIRST YEAR, 1.8, THE SECOND YEAR, 2.5, THE NEXT YEAR, YOU KEEP MAXING THAT OUT.
NEXT YEAR'S TAX INCREASE IS GONNA BE OVER $3 MILLION TIME'S UP, MR. QUI.
OKAY, UP NEXT WE HAVE MR. RUBEN A PENA.
GOOD AFTERNOON MAYOR STATE COMMISSION.
I AM A PROUD, UM, GRADUATE OF HARLINGEN HIGH SCHOOL IN 1966.
AND AT THAT TIME TO FOLLOW UP ON COMMISSIONER, UH, KINSLEY'S COMMENTS, WE DID NOT HAVE, UH, ISSUES REGARDING SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.
UH, THE THE NEWS, UH, WAS REALLY TRAGIC IN GEORGIA, TWO STUDENTS AND TWO TEACHERS WERE KILLED TODAY, AND NINE PEOPLE WERE INJURED.
SO, YOU'RE RIGHT, WE NEED TO KEEP THEM IN OUR PRAYERS AND WE REALLY NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT GETTING REASONABLE, UM, GUN SAFETY GOING ON.
BUT I'M NOT HERE TO TALK ABOUT THAT TODAY.
I WANT TO BE HERE TO, UH, TO THANK YOU, UM, COMMISSIONER PEREZ AND THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COMMISSION FOR FINALLY GETTING AROUND AND FIXING PALM COURT BOULEVARD.
BECAUSE EVERY TIME I WOULD GO OVER MY BUMPY ROAD, I WAS HAVING BACK PROBLEMS AND, UH, GOING, I WOULD HAVE BACK PROBLEMS COMING BACK, UH, IT WOULD STRAIGHTEN OUT.
BUT I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR, FOR DOING THAT, UH, FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA.
IT IS A A IT'S, IT'S A REAL, REAL HELP.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR IS PUTTING, UM, THE SIGN BACK UP ON LIEUTENANT GEORGE GUTIERREZ PARK, UM, WHICH WAS MISSING FOR A WHILE.
UM, I HAD SPOKEN TO A COUPLE OF THE VETERANS AND THEY WERE WONDERING WHAT WAS GOING ON.
AND I, I TOLD 'EM NOT TO WORRY.
I HAD THE, THE COMMISSION IS GONNA PUT UP A, A SIGN AND I DIDN'T SPEAK TO ANYBODY ABOUT THAT.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR THAT BECAUSE THAT IS, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY NEAR AND DEAR TO THE RESIDENTS OF OUR COMMUNITY, TO THE FAMILIES AND THE FRIENDS OF GEORGE WHO, WHO KNEW HIM AND, AND, UH, AND WERE FRIENDS WITH, WITH THE FAMILY.
THE LAST THING I WANT TO ASK YOU IS TO CONSIDER DOING SOME KIND OF HOMAGE FOR CONNIE AND JUAN.
UM, THEY WERE CITIZENS OF THIS COMMUNITY FOR MANY, MANY YEARS.
DID A HECK OF A LOT, UH, TO, UM, IMPROVE THE CITY TO DO DIFFERENT KINDS OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE CITY THAT, UM, THAT, UM, EMPHASIZE THE HERITAGE, UH, THE HISPANIC HERITAGE OF OUR COMMUNITY.
AND I'D LIKE, UM, THE COMMISSION TO THINK ABOUT, UH, DOING SOME KIND OF HONOR, UH, IN THEIR MEMORY.
THEY WERE BOTH GREAT CITIZENS.
THEY CAME BACK FROM CHICAGO WHERE THEY WERE VERY ACTIVE AND POLITICALLY AND VERY POLITICALLY ACTIVE HERE.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK.
I KNOW IT'S THANKLESS MANY TIMES.
I SAT ON THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS AND I KNOW THAT IT, IT'S EASY TO SO DAGGERS.
BUT I CONGRATULATE YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU DO AND, AND THE TIME THAT YOU TAKE OUT TO SERVE OUR CITIZENS.
THAT CONCLUDES OUR CITIZEN COMMUNICATION.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES REGULAR MEETING OF JUNE 19TH, 2024 AND REGULAR MEETING OF JULY 3RD, 2024.
ANY MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND.
OKAY, MOVING ON TO ITEM SEVEN, CONSENT AGENDA.
NO DISCUSSION IS ANTICIPATED ON ANY OF THE ITEMS IN THIS SECTION BECAUSE THEY ARE ROUTINE BUSINESS.
WERE INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET ADOPTION PROCESS OR HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED AS A STAFF REPORT OR DISCUSSION ITEM.
THESE ITEMS WILL BE CONSIDERED COLLECTIVELY BY A SINGLE VOTE UNLESS A COMMISSION MEMBER REQUESTS AN ITEM BE REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
IS THERE ANYTHING TO BE REMOVED? YES, I WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE ITEM E.
ANYTHING ELSE IS THERE, UM, MOTION TO APPROVE THE REMAINDER OF THE CONSENT AGENDA.
ROSE MOTION CARRIES SEVEN EA 70
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CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN INSTALLATION OF SPEED HUMPS IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS.UM, THIS ITEM WAS REQUESTED BY COMMISSIONER FRANK MORALES AND COMMISSIONER FOR KINGSLEY.
UM, I'VE, SINCE I'VE BEEN BLOCK WALKING LATELY, I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF THE CITIZENS AND THEY'VE, UM, REACHED OUT TO ME AND SPOKE TO ME ABOUT SOME OF THE SPEED HUMPS THAT THEY THINK MIGHT BE NECESSARY.
SO I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THESE TO THE LIST.
UM, ONE WOULD BE ARAGON DRIVE BETWEEN HABERFORD DRIVE AND WEST ARBOR STREET.
THE OTHER ONE WOULD BE WEST ARBOR STREET BETWEEN MID LANE AND ARDEN STREET.
AND THE LAST ONE WOULD BE KINGBIRD BETWEEN HACKBERRY STREET AND MULBERRY STREET.
I CAN ADD ONE TO THE 1200 BLOCK OF WHITE WING.
WHAT WAS THAT? 1200 BLOCK ADDRESS? 1200 BLOCK.
NOW I CAN GIVE YOU THE SPECIFIC ADDRESS.
WE DID IT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF WHITE WING.
WE RAN THE NUMBERS, BUT IF WE CAN DO IT ON THE EAST SIDE, DO WE NEED TO HAVE THOSE EMAILED TO YOU, JOSH? I'M RUNNING DOWN.
AND, AND JOSH, IF I COULD ADD, UH, RIO HONDA ROAD BETWEEN PHOENIX AND 25TH STREET AND MATT'S BETWEEN SEVEN AND 13TH STREET, IF WE COULD GET A TR, EXCUSE ME, TRAFFIC ANALYSIS DONE ON THOSE TWO? YES.
SO JUST FOR THOSE THAT ARE TUNING IN AT HOME AND THE NEWCOMERS TO THE COMMISSION MEETING AND MIGHT, UM, WE, THIS IS JUST TO PUT IT ON THE LIST FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND THEN THEY'LL GO OUT AND DO THE STUDY MAKING SURE THAT TRAFFIC IS ACCOUNTED FOR.
IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
AND SO THEN THOSE WILL BE REPORTED BACK TO EACH OF THE RESPECTIVE COMMISSIONERS, UM, AND ALSO THESE ARE ALWAYS REQUESTS THAT COME FROM THE RESIDENTS WITHIN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND I WAS GONNA MENTION JOSH, CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT, UM, I KNOW THEY HAD STARTED DOING IT, BUT I KNOW THOSE A TIME WHERE, 'CAUSE I KNOW IT'S, IT'S FRANK AND AND FORD THAT REQUESTED THIS.
CAN YOU MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE DATA COMES TO ALL OF US? YES SIR.
IS THERE A MOTION WITH THOSE ADDITIONS? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
UH, ITEM I I ACTUALLY YOU, I'M SORRY, I NEED TO ADD ONE MORE.
UM, I WANTED TO DO ON BECKHAM ROAD, UM, BETWEEN THE, UM, THE FRONTAGE AND OLD BUSINESS 83 OR BUSINESS 83.
MOTION APPROVE SEVEN E WITH THE SUPPLEMENTAL OR THE ROADS THAT WERE ADDED TO THIS SECOND.
JUST IT WAS A LOT TO SEND THOSE TO JOSH VIA EMAIL FOR THE COMMISSION.
ITEM EIGHT, STAFF REPORTS AND OTHER DISCUSSION ITEMS, ITEMS IN THIS SECTION ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REQUIRE ACTION BY THE CITY COMMISSION AND ARE GENERALLY FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
HOWEVER, ANY ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION MAY BECOME AN ACTION ITEM WITH THE REQUEST OF THE MAYOR OR AFTER THE REQUEST OF ANY TWO COMMISSION MEMBERS OR THE CITY MANAGER.
ITEM EIGHT, A CITY MANAGER'S REPORT.
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO REPORT, SIR? I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING.
AND WE HAVE NO STAFF REPORTS, MAYOR.
SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE, PUBLIC HEARINGS.
AT THIS TIME, THE MAYOR WILL INVITE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM.
TO ADDRESS EACH ITEM LISTED IN THIS SECTION, PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS TO THE TOPIC OF THAT PUBLIC HEARING.
IF MORE THAN ONE PUBLIC HEARING IS BEING HELD, YOU WILL BE ALLOWED TO SPEAK DURING EACH TOPIC, PROVIDED YOU HAVE FILLED OUT THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CITIZEN COMMUNICATION FORM FOR THE APPROPRIATE TOPIC.
IF YOU'RE SIGNED UP FOR TWO OR MORE PUBLIC HEARINGS, YOU WILL BE LIMITED TO FIVE MINUTES FOR ALL TOPICS.
MAYOR, WE DO HAVE A TOTAL OF FIVE CITIZENS THAT SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC HEARING AND THAT IS FOR ITEM NINE H.
DO YOU HAVE THE, UM, WE ADDED MR. UM, MR. ORTEGA AND MR. MARTINEZ? OKAY.
UM, AND THAT IS ONLY FOR THE ONE ITEM, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO WE'LL GO THROUGH THESE REALLY QUICK HERE.
UM, ITEM NINE, A PUBLIC HEARING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS SMOKE SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT LOCATED AT 1601 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP SUITE D DURING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOT 22 AND 23 BLOCK 11 ARROYO STATE SUBDIVISION.
AND AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, BUT HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND MOVE ON TO ITEM NINE B PUBLIC HEARING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS MO
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SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT LOCATED AT 4 0 1 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP, SUITE E BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST 10 FEET OF LOT ONE AND ALL OF LOTS TWO THROUGH SIX WINDSOR PLACE SUBDIVISION.AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST.
THIS ITEM NINE C PUBLIC HEARING FOR VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION REQUEST OF A 56.45 ACRE TRACK OF LAND OUT OF A SURVEY, 2 95 STEWART PLACE SUBDIVISION LOCATED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF GARRETT ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 650 FEET EAST OF SMAS ROAD.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THIS PUBLIC HEARING, BUT HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST, WE WILL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME.
N NINE D PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION REQUEST OF A 7.7 ACRE TRACK OF LAND LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS LOT ONE BLOCK TWO GEORGETTE SUBDIVISION, LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF VAST BOULEVARD AND JOHNSON LANE.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING, HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST.
ITEM NINE E PUBLIC HEARING FOR AN SUP TO ALLOW THE SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE DISTRICT AT THE ROYAL MART FOOD STORE.
LOCATED AT 1 20 12 22 SOUTH FIRST STREET, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOTS.
THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, HAVING NO ONE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST.
WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME.
ITEM NINE F PUBLIC HEARING AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLEEN CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 1 0 9, SUBDIVISION ARTICLE FIVE STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, SECTION 1 0 9 DASH 1 24 F SIDEWALKS BY AMENDING THE TIMEFRAME FOR THE UTILIZATION OF THE SIDEWALK ESCROW FUNDS TO FILL SIDEWALK GAPS IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS.
THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AS NO ONE IS HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST OR SIGNED UP.
ITEM NINE G PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ADOPTION OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN ANNUAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025.
THIS TIME WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AS NO ONE IS SCHEDULED TO, AS NO ONE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST.
ALRIGHT, AND AT THIS TIME, WE WILL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND WILL YOU CALL UP THE FIRST QUESTION? WE HAVE MR. R FRANK LOZANO.
GOOD AFTERNOON CITY COMMISSION.
I COME TO SPEAK TO OPPOSE THIS TAX INCREASE, AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS.
A TAX INCREASE I'VE SPOKEN TO OPPOSE THESE TAX INCREASES EVERY YEAR THAT THEY'VE COME UP AND THEY'VE COME UP MORE FREQUENTLY WITH EVERY YEAR.
WHAT I'M DISMAYED BY AND DISAPPOINTED IS THAT THE COMMISSION HAS ADVERTISED OVER THE PAST YEAR WHEN THEY RAISED IT LAST YEAR TO THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE, THAT THEY'RE LOWERING THE TAX RATE.
NOW, WHILE THAT MAY BE FACTUALLY TRUE, THAT THE TAX RATE IS LOWERED, THE ACTUAL TAX AMOUNT IS EVER INCREASING.
NOW, AS ABRAHAM LINCOLN SAID, YOU CAN FOOL ALL THE PEOPLE SOME OF THE TIME, AND YOU CAN EVEN FOOL SOME OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME.
BUT YOU SIMPLY CANNOT FOOL ALL OF THE PEOPLE ALL OF THE TIME.
WITH THIS ELECTION COMING UP, WE NEED TO HAVE A LOWER TAX RATE IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS CITY FUNDS, AS GOVERNMENT FUNDS, THIS MONEY IS COMING OUT OF THE POCKETS OF ALL OF OUR HARDWORKING HARLINGEN NIGHTS HERE IN THE CITY.
IT'S COMING FROM OUR SWEAT TIER LABOR.
UM, WE HAVE A, UH, A RIGHT TO HAVE THE NO NEW REVENUE RATE, AT LEAST, IF NOT AN ACTUAL TAX DECREASE.
LUCKILY, THE 86TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE DID GIVE US, GIVE, UH, TAXPAYERS THE POWER TO SEE WHAT THE CITY COMMISSION IS APPROVING.
THE CURRENT PROPOSAL IS FOR THE VOTER APPROVAL RATE.
AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT THE PROPOSED, UH, RATE IS GONNA BE SET EXACTLY AT THAT VOTER APPROVAL RATE.
IF IT WAS EVEN A HUNDREDTH OF A CENT MORE, IT WOULD REQUIRE AN ELECTION TO GO BEFORE THE CITIZENS OF HARLINGEN, AN ELECTION THAT WE ALL KNOW WOULD BE STRUCK DOWN FAIRLY QUICKLY.
SO I ASKED THE CITY COMMISSION HUMBLY TO PLEASE JUST TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE WANTS AND DESIRES OF THE CITIZENS OF HARLINGEN AND TO NOT INCREASE OUR TAXES YET AGAIN ANOTHER YEAR, TWO AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS COLLECTIVELY OUT OF ALL OF OUR POCKETS.
AND ALSO TO PREEMPT THE, UM, ASSERTION THAT PERHAPS SOME OF THIS IS COMING FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION.
WELL, THAT NEW CONSTRUCTION HAS LISTED ON THE AGENDA AS ABOUT 350,000 OUT OF THE 2.5 MILLION INCREASE.
SO NO, NOT ALL OF IT IS COMING FROM NEW CONSTRUCTION.
YOU CAN LOOK AROUND, THERE'S NOT THAT MANY, UH, NEW DEVELOPMENTS, WHICH THERE'S SOME ISSUE WITH THAT TOO, BUT THAT'S ON A SEPARATE MATTER.
BUT IN ANY CASE, I I, ONCE AGAIN, I'D JUST LIKE TO, UH, EMPLOY THE CITY COMMISSION TO PLEASE, UH, FOLLOW THE WILL OF THE VOTERS AND DECREASE TAXES, NOT INCREASE THEM AS THEY'RE PROPOSING TO DO.
NEXT WE HAVE MR. ROBERT LEFTWICH.
OKAY, THEN WE'LL MOVE ON TO MR. RON LOZANO.
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MR THREE ATTORNEY PENA MENTIONED DAGGERS THAT HE MAY HAVE THRUST AS IN, BUT THE STANDARD HERE SHOULD BE HIGHER IS THE DAGGER THRUST ACCURATELY.SO, DISTRICT THREE SMAR NOTES THAT CAMERON COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT ONLY ADJUST PROPERTY BUMPS EVERY THREE YEARS.
PERHAPS THAT EXPLAINS WHY HE CONSISTENTLY VOTES FOR ACTUAL TAX INCREASES ON HIS CONSTITUENTS, SUCH AS NOW THIS FISCAL YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW IF DUE TO SOME DEAL HE HAS WITH THE DISTRICT, HE'S EXEMPT FROM WHAT THE REST OF PROPERTY OWNERS FACE, WHICH IS YEARLY UPWARD BUMPS, REGARDLESS OF HIS POSTURING ON OR ABOUT OUR TAX RATES, WHICH TRADITIONALLY ARE DONE SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE KNOWN APPRAISED VALUES.
AS THE FINANCE DIRECTOR MENTIONED TO GABE JULY 25TH, THIS IS WHAT THE STATE TYPICALLY MANDATES.
IT DOES NOT FLOW THAT COMMISSIONERS DON'T KNOW IF THE AVERAGE TAX INCREASE IMPOSED WILL BE HIGHER, EVEN IF THE TAX RATE IS MINIMALLY LOWERED.
AS HAS BEEN NOTED, THE LEVY IS HIGHER FOR THE AVERAGE TAX PAYER.
THAT'S WHY COMMISSIONER PETTI SAYS, I VOTE YES FOR A TAX INCREASE.
HE'S GOT SOME NOMINAL FACTS, NOT ALWAYS PERCEPTION.
THE INCREMENTAL IMPACT AS THE TAX LEVY NUMBERS REFLECTS, IS HIGHER FOR DECENT RATE PAYERS HERE.
OUR CURRENT MAYOR LAMENTED FOR OVER TWO MINUTES AT THE LAST MEETING THAT OUR TAXES ARE TOO LOW ONLY FOR HER AND HER TAKE ON THAT SPECIAL CHRISTIAN TERM.
YET, TO HER CREDIT, SHE CITES LAGUNA VISTA.
AND TOMORROW, BECAUSE I MIGHT HAVE BEEN SLOW ON THE DRAW, OUR BUDGET WILL PROBABLY INCREASE BY 200,000.
THIS IS THAT HUMANE SOCIETY THAT WAS A PRIVATE ORGANIZATION OF 400,000.
WE'RE PROBABLY ALREADY DOUBLED IT WITHIN ONE YEAR.
I WANNA REMIND EVERYONE THAT IS SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
YOU SHOULD ADDRESS YOUR COMMENTS DIRECTLY TO THE COMMISSION AS A WHOLE AND NOT PERSONALLY ATTACK OR COMMENT DIRECTLY TO EACH OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
SO IF WE COULD JUST PLAY BY THE RULES, THAT WOULD BE NICE.
OKAY, WE HAVE MR. JUAN ORTEGA.
HELLO, UH, JUAN ORTEGA FROM, UH, 24 0 1 ALANI CIRCLE, ARLINGTON, TEXAS, MY COMMISSIONER, MR. PEREZ.
AND ANYWAY, I'M ADDRESSING ALL OF YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE AN IMPORTANT DECISION TO MAKE AND HOPEFULLY IT'S FOR THE GOOD OF ALL THE PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, DIFFERENT DISTRICTS.
THE SITUATION I FIND MYSELF IS APPARENTLY, I, I'VE BEEN A, A VETERAN FROM VIETNAM AND I, I WAS, UH, GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP AVOID MY, MY TAXES BECAUSE ON MY DISABILITY, BUT SOMEHOW OR ANOTHER, THE GOOD LORD DECIDED TO GIMME A GOOD HEART AND CARE FOR OTHER PEOPLE, EVEN THOUGH I DON'T HAVE TO PAY THEM.
I'M STILL VERY CONCERNED FOR OTHER INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE.
SO I HOPE THAT YOU ALL FIND IT IN YOUR HEART TO BE CAREFUL IN YOUR DECISIONS AND HELP OUT THE THE COMMUNITY BY NOT INCREASING THEM, BECAUSE THAT'S ALREADY A JOB THAT'S ALREADY DONE FOR YOU BY THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
EVERY YEAR THEY GET THE ORDERS FROM THE CONTROLLER AND THEY SAY, THIS IS HOW IT'S GONNA BE.
AND I NOTICED ONE TIME AS I WAS LOOKING AT MY STATEMENT, IT WAS MARKET VALUE SO MUCH.
AND THIS IS APP PRAISE VALUE, WHICH IS BASED ON THE SALES OF HOUSES AROUND THE AR YOUR AREA COMPARABLE.
AND SOME OF THOSE HOUSES, YOUR HOUSE MIGHT BE KIND OF, UH, DEPRECIATED AND EVERYTHING, WHEREAS THE OTHER HOUSES ARE BRAND NEW AND THEY'RE PUT UP FOR SALE AND THAT'S WHAT THEY BASED YOUR TAX APPRAISAL FOR YOUR HOUSE.
EVEN THOUGH IT'S VERY OLD, I WISH, UH, BIRD GAN AND THE DGA LADY WOULD ACTUALLY SAY, HERE, WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU THIS MUCH FOR YOUR OLD
[00:45:01]
CAR AND IT'S GONNA BE BASED ON THE SAME PRICE OF THE CAR THAT YOU BUY.THAT'S NOT THE CASE WITH THE HOUSES.
SO, BUT ANYWAY, IT'S ALREADY FIGURED IN WHERE YOU ALL HONORABLE MAYOR AND COMMISSIONERS DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THAT DECISION BECAUSE THE INCREASE IS ALREADY THERE ON THE APPRAISAL.
AND I INVITE YOU TO STAY IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE REST OF THE MEETING, AND WE'LL BE GOING OVER THIS, UM, ITEM.
AND SO IF YOU HAVE TIME, I THINK IT'D BE GREAT IF YOU COULD LISTEN INTO THE, THE DISCUSSION.
ANY CHANCE? MOVE IT UP ON THE AGENDA.
AND LET'S NOT TALK FROM THE, FROM THE AUDIENCE.
UP NEXT WE HAVE MR. DEI MARTINEZ.
I COME IN, PEACE NAME IS DEY MARTINEZ.
AND I HAVEN'T BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE.
I HAVE AN AUTISTIC GRANDSON AND HAVE TO TEND TO HIM TOO.
PLUS MY WORK AT 73, WE STILL WORK.
A LOT OF OUR ELDERLY STILL WORK.
BUT THE POINT IS HERE THAT THE MESSAGE WAS SENT OUT.
NOW I'M THE ONLY SOCIAL MEDIA.
AND AS AN ECONOMIST, THE PURPOSE OF HERE TO COME TODAY IS IMPORTANT IS THAT THIS ACTIVITY, THAT POLICY YOU'RE GOING TO PUT IS A BUDGET DEFICIT TWICE IN A YEAR AND TWO YEARS.
AND ACCORDING TO THE INFOS GOT AND THE NEW GUY, IT WAS A LOT LESS YEARS PRIOR YOU WERE HERE, MR. MESSMAN.
UH, I AM HERE BECAUSE THEY ALSO, IN THE MESSAGING OUT THERE THAT I RECEIVED WAS PROVIDED SOLUTIONS.
YOU HAVE AN AUDIT COMMITTEE AND YOU HAVE AN AUDITOR.
AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT SOME OF THE RE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WE'RE MAKING OUT THERE ON INSURANCE, ON PROPERTY INSURANCE, SELF-INSURANCE, POTENTIAL OPTIONS, YOU KNOW, COMBINING SOME OF THESE.
WE HAVE THREE BIG ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS CITY.
I MEAN, IN TERMS OF POLICY, THEY HAVE TO COME THROUGH HERE THROUGH YOUR BUDGET THAT YOU SET UP.
A PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC FINANCE AND OTHER, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO OVERVIEW THAT YOU HAVE AN AUDITOR.
WHY YOU HAVE AN AUDITOR THAT CAN MANAGE THAT BUDGET.
AND, AND AS A CITY, AS A CITY, UH, MANAGER TYPE GOVERNMENT THAT WE ARE, YOU DON'T RUN IT CITY MANAGER DOES FOR US.
SO ADVISOR, CITY MAYOR, TO GIVE YOU THE ADVICE THAT WE NEED.
SO WE DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THESE COMPLICATIONS.
YOU DO HAVE SOME SAVINGS POTENTIALLY OUT THERE.
AND YOU HAVE MADE, I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I I GUESS A MILLION ON INTEREST, UH, UH, ON INTEREST ON THE RAINY DAY FUND.
ALL THESE DISASTERS WE JUST WENT THROUGH, THEY'RE NOT WORTHY OF CONSIDERING SOME OF THAT MONEY FOR SOME OF THE COSTS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE FOR THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS.
I'M NOT IN YOUR SEAT, BUT I KNOW HOW TO, HOW TO FIX IT BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DO.
IT'S CALLED TURN IT AROUND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, HOW TO DO IT.
AND WITH YOUR AUDITOR, YOU WANT A SOLUTION.
AND THAT WE PARTICIPATED THERE THAT KNOW ABOUT THIS BUSINESS ARE DOING TURNAROUNDS.
I'VE DONE TURNAROUNDS IN HOSPITALS AND CLINICS IN AIRPORTS AND AIR CARGO, ET CETERA.
THIS IS A BUSINESS PRIVATE PUBLIC BUSINESS.
SO I ASKED YOU CONSIDER WORKING ANOTHER MODEL I'M NOT HERE FOR OR AGAINST.
I KNOW YOU WENT THROUGH A LOT OF STUFF.
MR. MARTINEZ, PLEASE LOOK AT THIS OPTION.
THAT CLOSES OFF OUR PUBLIC HEARING FOR NINE ITEM NINE H MAYOR.
OKAY, CAN WE MOVE ON, MELINDA? YES MA'AM.
ITEM 10, ACTION ITEMS CITY COMMISSION WILL DISCUSS, CONSIDER, AND TAKE ANY ACTION DEEMED NECESSARY ON ITEMS LISTED IN THIS SECTION, INCLUDING THE ADOPTION OF A RESOLUTION OR AN ORDINANCE.
ITEM 10, A CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS SMOKE SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT LOCATED AT 1601 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP, SUITE D BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOTS 22 AND 23.
BLOCK 11, ARROYO STATE SUBDIVISION APPLICANT MOHAMED AL HAN
[00:50:02]
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT MAYOR CITY COMMISSION.UH, THIS IS FOR A PROPOSED, UH, SMOKE SHOP IN THIS, UH, COMMERCIAL PLAZA.
UM, THERE'S NO OPPOSITION FROM THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY OWNERS.
PAN ZONING COMMISSION APPROVED THAT UNANIMOUSLY SUBJECT TO THE CONDITIONS IN YOUR PACKET.
JAVIER, I JUST HAVE A QUESTION.
I, UM, NOTICED A LOT OF THEM KIND OF POPPING UP IN THE, IN THE COMMUNITY, THERE'S NO, UM, RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS OR, UM, THAT THEY NEED TO BE, WHETHER IN A CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM SCHOOLS OR THERE'S NOT NO, AT THIS POINT, NOT LIKE THE ALCOHOL.
UM, WE COULD ADD TO OUR ORDINANCE, OUR REGULATIONS TO THAT EFFECT SO WE CAN ADD OUR OWN REGULATIONS.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, UH, CONSIDER AS A POSSIBLE, UH, ZONING ORDINANCE, AMENDMENT FOR THESE TYPE OF BUSINESSES THAT THEY WILL, THEY WILL NOT BE ALLOWED WITHIN A CERTAIN DISTANCE OF A RESIDENTIAL AREA OR A CHURCH OR A PARK.
UH, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT COULD BE DONE, UH, IN A SONY MORNINGS AMENDMENT.
UM, IF YOU WANNA CONSIDER THAT MARY, THAT WOULD'VE TO GO BEFORE THE P AND Z RIGHT? UH, FOR CONSIDERATION FIRST BEFORE IT COMES TO THE CITY COMMISSION.
RIGHT? I, I DON'T, I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT EITHER WAY.
I JUST NOTICED THAT RECENTLY WE'VE HAD QUITE A FEW, UM, AND I KNOW HOW THE COMMUNITY FEELS ABOUT, UM, THESE TYPES OF, UH, NOT ALL IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT I HAVE HAD SOME FEEDBACK IN, IN REGARDS TO THESE SHOPS.
AND, UH, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THE COMMISSION FEELS ABOUT IT.
I JUST WANTED TO CON TO ENSURE OR CONFIRM THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY RESTRICTIONS RIGHT NOW AT THIS TIME.
UH, SO NOW, NOW THEY JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE COMMERCIAL ZONING.
THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO WE INVITE THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY OWNERS TO, UH, TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK, UH, IN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY.
THEY'RE, THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED, UH, BECAUSE ADULT BUSINESSES ARE NOT ALLOWED WITHIN THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY.
SO THEY ARE RESTRICTED THERE? YES.
IN THE DOWNTOWN, UH, DOWNTOWN DISTRICT OVERLAY.
LIKE THESE OR TATTOO SHOPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE.
IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, ORDINANCE NUMBER 16 DASH A TO THE CITY OF ARLINGTON TO ISSUE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS SMOKE SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT LOCATED AT 1601 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP SUITE D BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOTS 22 AND 23 BLOCK 11 ARROYO ESTATE SUBDIVISION.
ITEM 10 B, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS SMOKE SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL GR DISTRICT.
LOCATED AT 4 0 1 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP SUITE E BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST 10 FEET OF LOT ONE AND ALL OF LOTS.
TWO THROUGH SIX WINDSOR PLACE SUBDIVISION APPLICANT MOHAMMAD RAHI PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
THE CAPTION MARK IN ORDINANCE TO EXTENDING THE CORPORATE, OH, HANG ON, I GOT THE WRONG ONE HERE IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES, UH, ORDINANCE NUMBER 16 DASH EIGHT OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN TO ISSUE A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW AN ADULT BUSINESS SMOKE SHOP IN A GENERAL RETAIL DISTRICT LOCATED AT 4 0 1 SOUTH 77 SUNSHINE STRIP SUITE E BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE EAST 10 FEET OF LOT ONE AND ALL OF LOTS.
WINDSOR PLACE SUBDIVISION MOTION.
CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR THE VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION REQUEST OF A 56.45 ACRE TRACK OF LAND OUT OF SURVEY 2 95 STEWART PLACE SUBDIVISION LOCATED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF GARRETT ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 650 FEET EAST OF ALTA PALMAS ROAD, APPLICANT JOSA CARLOS ATTACHMENT AND PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
MARK IN ORDINANCE TO EXTENDING THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN BY ANNEXING FOR FULL PURPOSE.
A 56.45 ACRE TRACT OF LAND OUT OF SURY 2 95 SEA, A PLACE SUBDIVISION LOCATED ALONG THE SOUTH SIDE OF GARRETT ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 6,050 FEET EAST OF ALTUS
[00:55:01]
PALMAS ROAD BINDING LAND TO ALL OF THE ACTS, ORDINANCES, RESOLUTION AND REGULATIONS OF THE CITY APPROVING AN ANNEXATION SERVICES AGREEMENT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE THERE.ATTENDEE CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR THE VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION REQUEST OF A 7.7 ACRE TRACT OF LAND LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS LOT ONE BLOCK TWO GEORGETTE SUBDIVISION LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF BASS BOULEVARD AND JOHNSTON LANE.
APPLICANT GEORGINA AND SAUL GONZALEZ.
MARK IN ORDINANCE EXTENDING THE CORPORATE LIMITS OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN BY ANNEXING FOR FULL PURPOSE.
A 7.7 ACRE TRACK LEGALLY DESCRIBED AS LOT ONE BLOCK TWO.
GEORGIA SUBDIVISION LOCATED AT THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF BASS BOULEVARD IN JOHNSON LANE, BINDING THE LAND OF TO ALL OF THE ACTS, ORDINANCES RESOLUTION IS AND REGULATIONS OF THE CITY APPROVING AN ANNEXATION SERVICES AGREEMENT PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE THERE.
CONSIDERATION OF POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING FOR A SPECIAL USE PERMIT TO ALLOW THE SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ON-PREM ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DISTRICT AT THE ARROYO MARK FOOD STORE.
LOCATED AT 1222 SOUTH FIRST STREET, BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOTS.
ADDITION APPLICANT EDNA MARTINEZ PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
CAN YOU READ THE ORDINANCE? IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, A SPECIAL USE PERMIT ISSUED TO EDNA MARTINEZ TO ALLOW THE SALE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FOR ONSITE CONSUMPTION IN NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES.
NS DISTRICT LOCATED AT 1222 SOUTH FIRST STREET BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF LOTS.
LILY AND BUSH EDITION, I THINK IS YOUR DISTRICT DANIEL? UM, NO, NO, IT'S MINE.
IT YOURS? DO YOU HAVE ANY I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, DID WE GET ANY, UM, OPPOSITION OF THIS? NO, NO PHONE CALLS? UH, NO.
YOU HAVE A CHURCH JUST ACROSS THE CANAL? IT'S A THREE.
YEAH, BUT MORE THAN 300 FEET AWAY.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A LOT CLOSER THEN YOU HAD THIS.
THEY, WELL THEY, THEY HAVE AN ALCOHOL.
THIS BUSINESS HAS BEEN, UH, AROUND FOR 30 SOME YEARS.
AND SO THEY ALREADY, THEY SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, UH, FOR FPR CONSUMPTION.
SO YOU CAN, YOU CAN BUY A, A, YOU KNOW, A PACK OF SIX PACK OF BEER AND TAKE IT TO GO.
BUT, UM, NOW THEY WANNA, SIMILAR TO THE STRIPES CASE, THEY WANNA SELL THE, THE MARGARITA.
UH, THEY, THE APPLICANT IS SAYING THAT IT'S GONNA BE TO GO, UH, BUT THE LICENSE THAT IS NEEDED FOR THAT IS FOR ON-PREM CONSUMPTION.
UH, MY PROBLEM IS, IS YOU HAVE KIDS GOING FROM COLEY GOING HOME, CORRECT? THE, THE, THE SCHOOL THAT'S THERE.
UM, IS, UH, MS. MARTINEZ HERE? I DON'T BELIEVE SO.
THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRIPES AND THIS LOCATION HERE IS THE STRIPE DOESN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TRAFFIC OF STUDENTS GOING BY.
AND, AND I DIDN'T HAVE THE TIME TO PAY HER A VISIT AND TALK TO HER DIRECTLY.
MAYBE TOMORROW I'LL MAKE SOME TIME THE DAY AFTER, BUT FOR THAT REASON ALONE, UH, I'M NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS.
I DO UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, WE HAVE SOME RESIDENTS THERE, BUT MY CONCERN IS THE KIDDOS.
AND AFTER WE'VE SEEN SO MANY VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST KIDS, UH, I'M VERY LEERY.
SO COMMISSIONER, I'LL JUST SAY FOR THE RECORD, UM, WHEN WE WERE VISITING THIS WITH THE STRIPES, THAT WAS ALSO IN YOUR DISTRICT, I THINK.
CORRECT? UM, I VOICED MY CONCERNS AND WAS OPPOSED TO IT, BUT OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE ON THE COMMISSION WAS IN FAVOR.
AND MY CONCERN WAS THAT, AND I KNOW WE TOOK THE TIME TO TALK TO THE CHIEF AND TO THE DEPARTMENT, AND THAT IF YOU DO IT FOR ONE, YOU BETTER DO IT FOR ALL.
AND SO NOW IF YOU ARE OPPOSED TO THIS, THEN YOU'RE REALLY NOT TREATING ALL THE BUSINESS OWNERS THE SAME.
AND IT WAS A CONCERN THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO SEE IT AND THEY'RE GONNA WANNA DO THE SAME THING IN THEIR BUSINESS.
AND SO I WOULD JUST CAUTION THAT, THAT, THAT THAT IS, THAT IS AN ISSUE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, NOW YOU'RE LOOKING AT A, THIS STORE AND
[01:00:01]
YOU'RE RIGHT, BECAUSE I DID GO TO COLEY AND YOUAND THIS IS KIND OF A MOM AND POP TYPE SHOP.
AND NOW WE ARE NOT TREATING THEM THE SAME AS THE BIG GUYS IN TOWN.
AND THAT COULD BE LOOKED AT AS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SINGLING THEM OUT.
AND, AND I WOULD JUST CAUTION, YOU'VE ALREADY MADE A DECISION AND I THINK THIS COMMISSION SET A PRECEDENT AND NOW GOING AGAINST IT MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST THING FOR THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE CITY.
THEY ALREADY SERVE ALCOHOL HERE.
CORRECT? THEY, THEY, THEY SELL ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, UH, LIKE, LIKE BEER, UH, TO GO.
SO THAT'S BEEN, UH, IN 30 YEARS.
AND WHAT ELSE DO THEY SELL HERE? IT'S A CONVENIENCE STORE.
AND THEY WANT TO EXPAND IT TO CARRYING MARGARITAS OUT TO THE STREET.
SO THEY HAVE THIS PRODUCT THAT THEY'RE INTERESTED IN SELLING, WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE A MARGARITA DRINK.
AND SO THEY'RE WHAT THE APPLICANT IS SAYING, I JUST WANNA SELL IT TO GO.
BUT THE LICENSE THAT THEY NEED FOR, FOR THIS PRODUCT IS FOR ON-PREMISE CONSUMPTION.
AND THAT WAS MY ISSUE, WAS THE ONSITE CONSUMPTION.
AND SO NOW THEY WANT TO SELL IT TO GO, BUT RESIDENTS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO OPEN UP THAT MARGARITA, SIT DOWN AND DRINK AT THE STORE.
BUT AGAIN, I MEAN IT, I THINK YOU'VE ALREADY DONE IT FOR THE OTHER STORES.
SO, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL APPLICATIONS THAT ARE COMING IN FOR ALL THE OTHER STRIPE STORES.
SO WE HAVE, YOU'RE GONNA SEE TWO EACH MEETING.
UH, JOSH, YOU MAY REMEMBER, I REMEMBER DURING COVID, GOVERNOR ABBOTT SIGNED, I BELIEVE IT'S HOUSE BILL 10 24, WHICH ALLOWED RESTAURANTS, REMEMBER YOU COULDN'T GO OUT TO EAT.
AND THEN IT ALLOWED RESTAURANTS FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO GO TO A RESTAURANT, BUY THEM WHATEVER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE AND THEN TAKE IT TO GO WITH YOU.
THAT'S STILL A, I'M LOOKING IT'S STILL IN THE BOOKS.
AND IN FACT, IT GOT FORMALIZED AND PASSED BY THE TEXAS STATE, UH, SENATE AND THE HOUSE AND WHATNOT.
AND THIS HAVE YET IS NO DIFFERENT THAN THAT.
AND AGAIN, I GUESS GOING TO COMMISSIONER MES MARK'S POINT, THIS IS NO DIFFERENT THAN PICKING UP A SIX PACK TO THEN TAKE IT HOME TECHNICALLY.
AND, UH, AND THEN THERE WAS NO OPPOSITION FROM THE SURROUNDING PROPERTY OWNERS IF, IF THERE WOULD'VE BEEN IN A POSITION.
NOW THINGS ARE DIFFERENT, BUT NOT NOBODY, NOBODY OPPOSED THIS CASE.
THOSE NOTICES YOU SEND OUT, THEY'RE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
SO THESE ARE THE PEOPLE THAT GOT THE NOTICE.
AND IN THE LEGAL NOTICE THERE'S A SECTION IN, IN, IN THERE THAT IF YOU WANT A SPANISH TRANSLATION THAT THEY CAN CALL US.
BUT THEY CAN'T READ ANYTHING ON THERE.
WELL, THEY CAN CALL, POTENTIALLY THEY CAN CALL FROM THAT TENANT.
THEY CAN CALL TO FIND OUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S GOING ON.
HAVING GROWN UP IN THAT AREA, THERE'S A LOT OF SPANISH SPEAKING PEOPLE IN THAT COMMUNITY.
AND I BET YOU THEY GOT IT AND THEY THREW IT IN THE GARBAGE.
'CAUSE THEY DIDN'T KNOW, NOT ALL OF THEM, BUT POTENTIALLY.
AND SO WE SHOULD STRIVE TO HAVE IT IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
I THINK THAT'S A CHARTER AMENDMENT.
IT'S IT'S GOING TO BE IF IT'S PASSED.
I I, I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT THAN CHEDDARS LETS YOU DRIVE UP AND, AND GET ONE OF THEIR DRINKS AND IT'S CLOSED AND YOU PICK IT UP AND, BUT YOU CAN ALSO HAVE DINNER, HAVE YOUR DRINK AND ALL.
I THINK IT'S MUCH DIFFERENT THAN WHEN YOU'RE GOING TO A CONVENIENCE STORE AND YOU COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE ON SITE CONSUMPTION HAVE THE PROPERTY OWNER CAN SAY THAT THEY'RE SELLING THIS PRODUCT, BUT YOU HAVE TO CONSUME IT OFF PREMISE.
SO THE THE APPLICANTS HAS, UH, UH, INTENT RIGHT NOW IS TO JUST SELL THE, THE DRINKS FOR OFFSITE UH, CONSUMPTION.
BUT THEY IN THE FUTURE, UH,
BECAUSE THEY ARE, THE LICENSE ALLOWS, RIGHT? ALLOWS THAT NOW YOU CAN PLACE ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS IN YOUR, IN THIS ORDINANCE, YOU CAN ADD A CONDITION THAT IT IS, IT WILL BE ONLY FOR OFFSITE CONSUMPTION.
SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING AS A CITY THAT WE SHOULD DO IF, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GONNA GET ALL THESE FROM ALL THE STRIPES AND, AND SAY, HEY, WE, YOU KNOW, WE WANT YOU TO, WE WANNA SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO ENCOURAGE ONSITE CONSUMPTION.
UM, THAT'S, I NOT, NOT FOR TODAY, BUT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING TO TO CONSIDER.
BUT, SO THESE ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT WE HAVE IN, IN THE ORDINANCE.
SO AN ADDITIONAL CONDITION COULD BE ADDED IF THAT'S WHAT THE COMMISSION WANTS.
[01:05:01]
ONLY FOR OFFITE.MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN PRESENT TO THE P AND Z BOARD.
IT WAS PRESENTED AND THE, AND THE APPLICANT OBJECTED.
TO, TO ADD THAT CON THAT CONDITION.
WELL, WHY WOULD THEY OBJECT IF THEIR INTENT IS JUST TO, BECAUSE IN THE FUTURE THEY MAY WANT TO
I THINK TO, TO SEE IF WE CAN RESOLVE YOUR CONCERN AND GIVE COMMISSIONER MORALE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO HIS CONSTITUENT.
OR, AND MS. MARTINEZ, CAN WE TABLE THIS? AND YOU RESEND OUT NOTICE IN FULLY IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH? YES, WE CAN DO THAT.
AND IF WE CAN, WHATEVER WE NEED TO DO TO PUT IT INTO AN ORDINANCE, UH, THAT ALL THOSE NOTICES FOR OBJECTIONS NEED TO BE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH.
ONE SIDE ENGLISH, ONE SIDE SPANISH, SO THAT EVERYONE HAS A FAIR, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.
SO IS THERE A MOTION TO I'LL TAKE A MOTION TO TABLE SECOND.
ITEM F CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING, AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN CODE AND OR OF ORDINANCE CHAPTER 1 0 9 SUBDIVISIONS ARTICLE FIVE, STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, SECTION 1 0 9 THROUGH 1 24 F SIDEWALKS BY AMENDING THE TIMEFRAME FOR THE UTILIZATION OF THE SIDEWALK ESCROW FUNDS TO FILL SIDEWALK GAPS IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS, UH, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
MARK IN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 1 0 9 SUBDIVISIONS ARTICLE FIVE, STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS, SECTION 1 0 9 1 24 F SIDEWALKS BY AMENDING THE TIMEFRAME FOR THE UTILIZATION OF SIDEWALK ESCROW FUNDS TO FILL SIDEWALK GAPS IN RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION AND ORDAINING.
OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING.
IS THERE MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE.
OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES A G CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING, PUTTING EVERYTHING TOGETHER IN OUR PACKET TO MAKE US MORE EFFICIENT.
ITEM CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING, ADOPTING THE CITY OF HARDEN'S BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 BY RECORD VOTE FINANCE DEPARTMENT.
SO THIS IS THE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2025.
UH, GOOD EVENING MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSIONERS.
THIS IS THE, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2025 BUDGET.
WE HAVE A PROPOSED, UH, TOTAL REVENUES FOR ALL FUNDS OF THE CITY.
UH, 114,385,180 COMPARED TO PROPOSED EXPENDITURES FOR ALL FUNDS OF THE CITY OF 115 MILLION 585 0 34.
I HAVE ATTACHED EXHIBIT A, UM, WHICH BREAKS DOWN EACH FUND, UM, BY FUND BALANCE, PROJECTED REVENUE, PROJECTED EXPENDITURES, UM, REVENUES OVER UNDER EXPENDITURES AND ENDING FUND BALANCE.
IS THERE ANY DISCUSSION? AND SO YOU NEED A RECORD VOTE? IS THERE RIGHT ON, ON THIS? WE HAVE A RECORD VOTE ON THE, ON THE TAX.
IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE READING? I'M SORRY.
IN ORDER TO ADOPTING THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, TEXAS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, OCTOBER 1ST, 2024 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025, PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION OF THE CAPTION OF THIS ORDINANCE AND ORDAINING OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING.
YOU HAVE IT HERE AS RECORD VOTE.
IS UNDER EXECUTIVE SUMMARY? YES.
SO YOU DON'T NEED A RECORD VOTE? I JUST, IT'S UP TO YOU.
SO IS THERE A MOTION? I I HAVE A QUESTION.
UM, IF I READ THIS CORRECTLY, WE'RE GOING TO BE OFF BY 1.2 MILLION, CORRECT? WE HAVE ON OF ALL FUNDS.
HAVE WE DONE OUR DUE DILIGENCE IN REDUCING OUR EXPENSES? I BELIEVE IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE COVERED EVERY POSSIBLE.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE, WE WENT THROUGH THREE WORKSHOPS AND WE DID MANY CUTS THROUGHOUT THE WORKSHOPS.
THE ACTUAL REQUESTS ARE MUCH LARGER THAN WHAT THEY ARE NOW.
THE THE REASON THAT IT SHOWS, UH, UH, WOULD YOU JUST CALL THE DEFICIT, IS BECAUSE WE'RE TAKING MONEY OUTTA THE FUND BALANCE AND WE CAN'T TRANSFER THAT INTO THE BUDGET AND SHORT OF REVENUE.
SO IT'S MONEY THAT WE HAVE ON HAND ALREADY.
SO THE EXPENDITURES THAT WE SHOW, UM, ARE MORE THAN THE REVENUES THAT WE'RE TAKING IN, BUT WE'RE BRINGING IN MONEY FROM THE FUND BALANCE TO COVER THOSE EXPENDITURES.
AND THIS INCLUDES SEVERAL ONE-TIME PURCHASE PURCHASES
[01:10:01]
FROM FUND BALANCE THAT ARE GONNA REDUCE, UH, FUND BALANCE THROUGH THE, UH, OPERATIONS THROUGH THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE PORTION.SO IN THOSE EXPENDITURES THAT YOU SEE, THE 150 MILLION INCLUDE MANY ONE-TIME CAPITAL EXPENDITURES.
UM, HOW MANY ON UNFILLED POSITIONS ARE WE CARRYING ON, ON THIS BUDGET UNFILLED POSITIONS? UM, VERY FEW WE, THAT I KNOW OF.
WE ONLY HAVE, UM, I THINK TWO IN THE GENERAL FUND.
I DON'T THINK THAT, UM, UH, CHIEF DO YOU HAVE ANY POLICE YOU DO RIGHT NOW? OH, NO, NOT, NOT COUNTING THE COPS.
OH, WELL THAT'S JUST IN, IN POLICE.
UH, IS CHIEF BALD ETT US HERE FROM FIRE? ANYBODY FROM FIRE? NO.
I, I DON'T KNOW THAT, I DON'T THINK FIRE HAS NEED BECAUSE THEY JUST HIRED, UH, SOME CADETS THAT THEY'RE, THAT THEY'RE TRAINING.
SO I THINK THEY'RE FULLY ACTUALLY NO, THEY'RE FULLY STAFFED.
UM, AND THEN IN THE GENERAL FUND, UM, I THINK WE ONLY HAVE TWO RIGHT NOW.
WHY DON'T WE LOOK AT THE ONES THAT WE NEED TO FILL.
YOU HAVE THAT SLIDE, RIGHT? CAN YOU UH, YEAH, THE ONES THAT, UM, THE ONES THAT WERE APPROVED OR THAT ARE SUBJECT TO CONTINGENT.
SO THE TOP PART OF THE ONE TIME, UM, EXPENDITURES THAT WE ARE TAKING OUT OF FUND BALANCE.
SO, UM, THE SECOND SECTION ARE THE FUNDED POSITIONS THAT WE ARE, UM, ADDING IN 2025.
BUT YOU HAVE UM, A SLIDE OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
UM, BECAUSE WE, WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS HOW MANY ARE WE CARRYING OVER THAT HAVEN'T BEEN FILLED, IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT.
CAN WE ELIMINATE SOME OF THOSE INSTEAD OF CARRYING THEM ON THE BOOKS? NO, YOU CAN'T, WE CAN'T ELIMINATE THE ONES FROM PD 'CAUSE THAT'S SAID BY NO CBA.
THERE WILL BE OTHERS THAT WE'RE CARRYING ON THE BOOKS.
UM, YOU WANT AN EXAMPLE? LET'S GO WITH THE MEDIA.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED.
YEAH, THAT'S AN OPEN POSITION THAT IS GONNA BE FILLED.
HOW LONG HAS THAT BEEN OPEN? SO THESE POSITIONS ARE NOT POSITIONS THAT EXIST CURRENTLY IN FISCAL GRADE 24, BUT ARE APPROVED FOR 25.
THESE ARE, THESE WILL BECOME VACANT POSITIONS ON TEN ONE.
UM, THE MEDIA HAS ONLY BEEN VACANT FOR A WEEK AND A HALF.
I THOUGHT YOU HAD REQUESTED SOMEBODY ELSE AS WELL.
WE, WE DID, BUT WE HAVEN'T, UH, HIRED THAT POSITION BECAUSE, UH, THE, UH, DIRECTOR HAD BEEN ON LEAVE THAT SHE REQUESTED.
BUT, BUT I WAS, SO IF WE HAVE TWO OR THREE POSITIONS THAT ARE, THAT'S TO SAY THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO FILL THEM, WHICH I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S THE CASE.
AND THEN THE ONES THAT WE HAVE THAT ARE OPEN, THOSE ARE FAIRLY NEW POSITIONS, BUT WE HAVE 21 NEW POSITIONS, SO IT, IT WOULDN'T, WOULDN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PAY 21 NEW EMPLOYEES.
IS THERE ANY FROM HERE THAT YOU'D LIKE TO CUT? NO, THAT'S NOT MY QUESTION.
I THINK IT'S ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED.
WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO OR THREE POSITIONS.
MEDIA AND THEN WHAT? JUST ONE IN HR.
SO I DO REALIZE THAT'S JUST A DROP IN THE BUCKET.
SO MY NEXT QUESTION WOULD BE, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED TRYING TO RENEGOTIATE THE CONTRACT WITH THE, UH, TEXAS UTILITY TEXAS ELECTRIC UTILITY? IS THAT A POSSIBILITY TO REDUCE HOW MUCH WE PAY? THAT'S A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT THAT WE SIGNED WITH THEM.
UH, WE'RE PAYING ABOUT FOUR AND A HALF CENTS, 4 CENTS PER KILOWATT HOUR.
NO, THAT THEY'RE NOT GONNA, AND THAT'S A, A GREAT DEAL FOR US.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA RENEGOTIATE THAT.
MATTER OF FACT, WHEN WE HAD THAT CONTRACT AWARDED, UM, THE COMMISSION RECOMMENDED AND I AGREED THAT WE SHOULD SIGN A MULTI-YEAR CONTRACT BECAUSE THAT, THAT, UM, HEDGES ARE INCREASES OVER TIME WHENEVER YOU HAVE FLUCTUATIONS IN ENERGY.
AND THERE HAVE BEEN QUITE A FEW LATELY.
SO I, I WOULDN'T RECOMMEND WE DO THAT NOW.
AND TWO, THAT I DON'T THINK THAT THEY'RE NOT IN ANY POSITION TO, TO BE OBLIGATED TO RENEGOTIATE THAT CONTRACT.
I DO RECALL THAT CONTRACT BECAUSE I WANTED A CONSULTANT TO MAKE SURE WE GET A BI BANG FOR OUR BUCK.
WELL, UM, WHAT ABOUT THE LINEBERG?
[01:15:03]
CAN THEY REDUCE HER FEES SO WE CAN UH, WE DON'T PAY, WE DON'T PAY LINEBERGER.THEY MAKE THEIR, THEIR, THEIR REVENUE FROM THE PEOPLE THAT OWE THE CITY MONEY.
SO THEY'RE THE ONES WHO PORK IT OUT? YES.
ALRIGHT, JOSE, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT FOR NOW.
BUT LET ME ASK YOU ONE, SINCE I JUST LOOKED AT HER NOTE HERE WE HAVE, WE WENT FROM 2 0 8, UH, DAYS AND DAYS OF OPERATION TO TWO 20.
CAN THAT BE USED TO REDUCE THE DEFICIT HERE? WE, WE DON'T HAVE A DEFICIT COMMISSIONER.
WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT A PROPOSED EXPENDITURES OF 1.2 MILLION OVER REVENUES.
THAT'S BECAUSE WE CAN'T ACCOUNT, WE CAN'T COUNT.
BUT WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET TO HERE IS THIS, IF WE CAN REDUCE OUR EXPENDITURES, ALRIGHT.
WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GET, WE'RE GONNA TAP INTO THE, UH, GENERAL FUND WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT.
OKAY? WE'RE DOING THAT FOR ONE TIME.
SO, COMMISSIONER, JUST TELL US WHAT YOU WANNA MAKE SOME CUTS.
WHAT DO YOU WANNA CUT? SPECIFICALLY? IF WE NEED FUNDS, WHICH WE WILL, WHAT DO YOU WANNA CUT SPECIFICALLY? SO WE CAN MOVE THROUGH WHAT WE'RE DOING.
SO IF WE'RE GONNA DO, IF YOU WANNA DO THAT, CAN YOU IDENTIFY WHERE WE'RE GOING TO CUT? I'M LOOKING AT 220 DAYS, SO, OKAY.
ON, ON THE, UH, DAYS OF OPERATIONS.
SO WHAT WE, WE STARTED THE YEAR WE HAD THE 220.
AND SO WITH THE ONE TIME CAPITAL EXPENDITURES THAT WE ADDED, IT'S DOWN TO 1 77.
YOU SAID ONE A HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN DAYS.
OKAY, BECAUSE WE STARTED OFF WITH 2 0 8, WE WENT UP TO TWO 20.
NOW WE'RE GONNA BE DROPPING DOWN TO 2 77.
I JUST DON'T WANT TO KEEP ON INCREASING.
AND THAT, AND THAT INCLUDES ALL OF THE ONETIME EXPENDITURES, ALL OF THE PROPOSED NEW POSITIONS AND THE OTHER INCREASES? NO, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT TAKING MONEY FOR THE POSITIONS OUT OF THE, THE FUND? NO.
WELL, THAT, THAT'S, UH, THROUGH THE OPERATIONS.
BUT THE ONE TIME EXPENDITURES ARE OKAY.
SO WE'RE TAKING 1.2 MILLION OUT OF THE RAINY DAY FUND, CORRECT? CORRECT.
AND THAT REDUCES US FROM HOW MANY DAYS TO HOW MANY DAYS? WE HAD 220 I THINK IT WAS, RIGHT? YEAH.
SO, SO WE ARE NOW AT 177 DAYS.
WE, WELL, WE WILL BE AT THE END OF 25.
AND SO, UM, TODAY THE YIELD CURVE CURVE REVERTED, AND THAT'S A CAUTIONARY TELL FOR THE ECONOMY.
UM, THE YIELD CURVE CONTROLS OUR LIVES AND PEOPLE COMPLAINING.
WE MADE A MILLION DOLLARS FROM OUR RAINY DAY MONEY.
UH, THE FEDERAL RESERVE LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE REDUCING RATES IN TWO AND A HALF TO THREE WEEKS.
WE TAKE 1.2 MILLION OUT, THAT INTEREST WILL GO DOWN.
AND SHOULD THE YIELD CURVE STAY REVERTED, NORMALIZED, THEN THERE'LL BE ROUGH ECONOMIC TIMES AHEAD AND YOU NEED THE SAFER RAINY DAY.
'CAUSE EVERY NOW AND THEN IT RAINS.
AND YOU DON'T LIVE PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK.
SO IS THERE, IS THERE ANYTHING ON THIS BUDGET COMMISSIONER THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO REMOVE? IS THERE ANY CUTS OR IS THERE ANYTHING IN YOUR DISTRICT THAT YOU WANT TO TAKE OUT AT THIS POINT? I'LL JUST SAY, WE'LL STOP RIGHT THERE.
WELL SEE THE THING IS THERE, THERE'S GONNA BE ANOTHER SECTION THAT WE'RE GONNA DISCUSS ON, ON, IN REFERENCE TO, UH, TO THE OTHER MATERIAL THAT EVERYBODY'S VERY CONCERNED.
AND I'LL, AND I'LL BRING UP SOME POINTS THERE.
SO FOR RIGHT NOW, LET'S JUST GO AHEAD AND TAKE OUR VOTE THAT I WANNA GIVE YOU THE OPTION TO MAKE ANY CHANGES ON THE BUDGET SHOULD YOU WANT TO MAKE ANY CHANGES.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES AT THIS TIME? NO.
SO IS THERE A MOTION TO, YOU ALREADY READ THE WE DID.
SO IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION? OKAY.
AND SO IT NEEDS A RECORD VOTE.
SO COMMISSIONER, WE NEED A SECOND.
[01:20:01]
IS THERE A SECOND? YOU NEED A MOTION? I MAKE A MOTION.AND WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER KINSLEY.
WELL, COMMISSIONER, JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T VOTE, YOU CAN'T OPPOSE IT AND THEN NOT PROVIDE ANY SOLUTIONS.
THAT'S WHAT BECOMES THE ISSUE.
BECAUSE IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SOME CHANGES, AND WE SHOULD DO THAT.
BUT IF YOU HAVE NONE, AND THEN TO OPPOSE THE BUDGET, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, THAT'S FINE.
YOU GOT YOUR RECORD, YOUR RECORD VOTE.
ITEM H, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING, ADOPTING THE TAX YEAR 2024 AND VALIUM TAX RATE FOR MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS.
TOGETHER WITH AN INTEREST IN SINKING RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025 BY RECORD VOTE FINANCE DEPARTMENT COUNCIL.
WE ARE PROPOSING A, UH, M AND O RATE OF 0.4 5 3 6 2 8 PER $100 VALUATION.
TOGETHER WITH THE INTEREST AND SINKING FUND OF 0.0 7 3 8 9 6 PER $100 VALUATION FOR A TOTAL PROPOSED TAX RATE OF 0.5 2 7 5 2 4, UH, PER $100 VALUATION STAFF RECOMMENDS IMPROVEMENT.
SO ROBERT, JUST BEFORE I KNOW THAT, UM, CLEARLY WE HAD A FEW PEOPLE THAT SIGNED UP, AND I KNOW I ASKED MR. ORTEGA, BUT I'M SURE HE PROBABLY HAD TO TO GET HOME, BUT THEY CAN WATCH THIS.
UM, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO SHOW THE COMMUNITY WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE DOING IN TERMS OF, UM, THE, THE, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE HAVE PURCHASED, THE SALARIES THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE FUNDING.
AND SO CAN, CAN YOU JUST TAKE US THROUGH THAT REALLY QUICK? SO THAT WAY CAN YOU DO THAT WITH SOMEBODY? THE ONE, THE ONE PAGE? YEAH.
BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK, RIGHT? AND I THINK, UM, YES, YOU CAN LOOK AT NUMBERS AND YOU CAN SEE $2.5 MILLION THAT THERE IS AN IN AN INCREASE AND I'M SURE THAT THAT'S THE, THE TERM, RIGHT? RIGHT.
FOLKS WANT TO HEAR, UM, THAT IT'S A $2.5 MILLION DIFFERENCE FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE IS SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT TRUE OR THAT'S NOT ACCURATE.
UM, BUT 2.5 MILLION, WHAT DOES THAT BUY A CITY? I THINK THAT'S THE QUESTION, RIGHT? AND SO WE KNOW FOR SURE OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I KNOW THAT WE HAD THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN THIS COMMISSION.
UM, AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF HARLINGEN VALUE PUBLIC SAFETY.
AND WE WANNA ENSURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO RETAIN OFFICERS THAT THEY ARE PAID A LIVING WAGE AND THEY'RE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEIR FAMILIES AND TO DO THE GREAT JOB THAT THEY DO.
OUR FIRE DEPARTMENT IS PHENOMENAL, THE SAME THING FOR THEM.
AND SO WE SPENT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS IN JUST THOSE TWO ORGANIZATIONS.
AND SO EVERY CENT GIVES US AS A CITY ABOUT 500,000.
THAT IS SO, AND IF WE WERE TO GO DOWN 2 CENTS, THAT WOULD BE THE MILLION DOLLARS.
YOU AND I TALKED ABOUT COMMISSIONER MORALE, BUT WE SEE THAT THIS COLLECTIVE, AND I, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT I I LOOKED AT THE PAST, UH, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR FIRE AND POLICE, NOWHERE NEAR WHAT THEY RECEIVED, THESE LAST WHILE WE'VE BEEN HERE ON THE COMMISSION.
AND THAT IS BECAUSE WE WANT TO ENSURE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE FIRST GOT HERE, THEY WERE HAVING A HARD TIME KEEPING OFFICERS.
NOW WE'RE HAVING A A, A HARD TIME, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH THE, YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT LATERAL TRANSFERS, PEOPLE WANTING TO COME IN AND, AND HARLINGEN PD IS WHERE PEOPLE WANNA WORK.
AND WE WANT THE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY WORK IN THE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY LIVE AND NOT GO TO NEIGHBORING CITIES.
I THINK WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED THAT.
SO, SO DO YOU HAVE THAT, UM, JUST UH, IN WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE HAVE THESE OTHER PAYROLL INCREASES.
SO IF YOU SEE, UM, AT THE BOTTOM WE HAVE CBA POLICE INCREASES JUST IN, UH, 2025 THAT WE'RE EXPECTING, UH, THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN AGREED UPON BASED ON THE AGREEMENT.
UH, WE HAVE 613,000 IN POLICE, UH, CBA INCREASES.
WE'VE ALSO NEGOTIATED, UH, THE FIRE OR YOU ALL HAVE NEGOTIATED THE FIRE CONTRACT IN THE CURRENT YEAR AND WE EXPECT THAT TO INCREASE THE BUDGET.
JUST SO JUST IN THOSE TWO, WE HAVE ABOUT ONE POINT, UH, 2 MILLION IN THERE.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE THE, THE SECOND AND FINAL YEAR OF THE EVERGREEN STUDY, UH, WHICH INCREASES, UM, OUR SALARIES BY 239,000
[01:25:01]
7 98.AND WE HAVE 5%, UH, HEALTH INSURANCE INCREASE, UH, FOR 2025.
SO WITH THOSE OTHER PAYROLL, JUST IN THOSE OTHER PAYROLL COSTS, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT 2.1 MILLION, UM, INCREASES IN THE BUDGET, NOT COUNTING THE NEW POSITIONS AND THE ONETIME EXPENDITURES.
AND THESE ARE REOCCURRING BECAUSE NOW, AND THEY WILL BE REOCCURRING GOING FORWARD AND THEY'RE JUST GONNA CONTINUE TO CLIMB, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT DOES A MILLION DOLLARS BUY WITHIN A CITY, THIS IS JUST INCREASE.
THAT'S NOT TO COVER THEIR SALARIES.
THIS IS JUST THE INCREASE THAT WE HAVE AND NOT TO, THIS DOESN'T INCLUDE NEW POSITIONS.
THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE NEW POSITIONS.
AND, AND THAT INCLUDES, UH, UH, DEPARTMENTS IN THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH IS MIS PARKS, UH, PARKS AND RECREATION BUILDING INSPECTIONS, UH, A LARGE ONE FOR STREET MAINTENANCE.
WE HAVE ABOUT 624 7 48 IN STREET MAINTENANCE.
UH, WE HAVE SOME IN THIS TENNIS CENTER, UH, SANITATION FUND, ABOUT 89,000 IN THE SANITATION AND ALSO IN FLEET MAINTENANCE, 44,000.
SO IN TOTAL FOR 2025, WE EXPECT AN INCREASE OF 1,000,094.
AND THEN YOUR ONE TIME PURCHASES, I'M SEEING YOU HAVE A TOTAL OF $6 MILLION, 6.3 MILLION, SO THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, THE LARGE ONES ARE, UM, ARE, UM, STREET MAINTENANCE.
WE'RE GETTING THE NEW STREET MAINTENANCE CREW.
SO THAT IS GOING ALONG WITH THE NEW, UH, POSITIONS THAT WE HAVE INCLUDED.
THESE ARE ALL THE ONE-TIME EXPENDITURES FOR EQUIPMENT.
WE ALSO HAVE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, TRAFFIC SIGNALS, ANIMAL CONTROL, THESE, AND THIS IS ALL ONE-TIME, UH, PURCHASE EQUIPMENT, UH, PARKS, DEPARTMENT LIBRARY, PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
WE HAVE THE SANITATION DEPARTMENT THAT'S 2.8 MILLION, UH, AND EQUIPMENT.
AND THAT WAS JUST APPROVED IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS.
UH, MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE AND MOTOR VEHICLE.
SO THAT'S ABOUT $6.4 MILLION IN, UH, EQUIPMENT ALONG WITH THE ADDITIONAL 3.2 MILLION.
SO THAT BRINGS A TOTAL OF TO 2.6 MILLION.
AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE THOSE COSTS AND THE BUDGET FOR 2026.
RIGHT? NOT, NOT THE ONE TIME RECURRING THAT WILL JUST BE IN 2025.
BUT THE RECURRING ONES WILL BE, UH, THE POSITIONS FUNDED AND THE OTHER PAYROLL INCREASES.
BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE WHEN YOU HAVE FOLKS THAT SAY, HEY, YOU HAVE THIS RAINY DAY FUND, WHY DON'T YOU DIP INTO THAT RAINY FUND, DAY FUND AND MAKE THESE PURCHASES? AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING.
BUT IN A RESPONSIBLE, THAT'S WHY THE IS DECREASED FROM 2 24 TO 1 77.
SO, SO GABE, UH, ARE WE SHRINKING AS A CITY? ARE WE GROWING IN POPULATION IN BUSINESS? NO, SIR.
OUR LAST CENSUS COUNT HAD THE CITY GROWING BY 5,000 PEOPLE.
UH, THE CENSUS HAS IS AT 71,500.
WE, BY OUR OWN ESTIMATION, THINK WE'RE AT ABOUT 85,000 IN POPULATION.
AND AS THE CITY GROWS, THEIR GROWING PAINS.
IS THAT CORRECT, GABE? YES, SIR.
AND HOW, AND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO YOU ADDRESS GROWING PAINS? YOU HAVE TO GROW YOUR FLEET AND YOUR EMPLOYEES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES.
ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE STARTING OUR OWN, UH, STREET DEPARTMENT, BECAUSE THE 1.5 MILLION THAT WE COLLECT FOR STREETS, WE'RE ONLY ABLE TO GET ABOUT $4 MILLION IN ROADS BECAUSE WE GO TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR BY DOING IT IN HOUSE, WE CAN ESTIMATE THAT WE CAN TAKE THAT SAME DOLLAR AMOUNT AND GET $8 MILLION, I MEAN EIGHT MILES, UH, IN ROADS RECONSTRUCTED.
SO, SO YOU'RE SAYING WE'RE INCREASING OUR EFFICIENCY? YES, MOST DEFINITELY.
AND ALL IT TAKES IS MONEY THAT'S TO ADDRESS, ADDRESS A GROWING CITY.
AND SO IN ADDITION TO THAT, UM, THESE ARE EXPENDITURES THAT ARE ONE TIME EXPENDITURES, BUT BEING ABLE TO FUND THIS CREW IS ACTUALLY GOING TO SAVE US MONEY IN THE LONG RUN BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE IN-HOUSE WORK THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
WHERE WE USED TO OUTSOURCE IT AND PAY, UH, SUB, UH, CONTRACTORS TO DO IT.
AND WE ARE LEVERAGING GRANTS BECAUSE THIS ISN'T ENOUGH, UM, FOR US TO DO ALL OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING.
AND SO IN ADDITION TO THESE FUNDS, WE ARE LEVERAGING GRANTS, BUT CORRECT.
I WANTED TO JUST GO BACK TO, YOU KNOW, THE 2.5 MILLION AND, AND COMPARE THAT TO THE SIX POINT.
YOU KNOW, I, I GUESS YOU COULD BACK OUT THE SANITATION FUND 'CAUSE THAT'S THEIR OWN, THEIR OWN ACCOUNT.
UM, BUT YOU STILL HAVE 3.3, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU HAVE THE POSITIONS THAT NEED TO BE FUNDED, THE 1 MILLION, THOSE AREN'T, AND THOSE ARE GONNA BE REOCCURRING.
AND THEN OBVIOUSLY THE, THE, THE INCREASES OF THE 2.1.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE ASKING, WELL, WHERE ARE YOU SPENDING THIS
[01:30:01]
MONEY? THIS IS WHERE IT'S AT.AND SO MY QUESTION TO YOU, COMMISSIONER IS, IS THERE ANYTHING HERE THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD NOT FUND THAT IS NOT NECESSARY, THAT IS WASTEFUL? ONE THING THAT WE COULD REALLY CONSIDER THAT I'VE BEEN ASKING FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS FROM HERE? NO, LET ME FINISH.
BUT MY QUESTION, AND I'M GLAD AND, AND I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN THAT, BUT I'M, MY QUESTION IS, IS THERE ANYTHING HERE FROM THESE ONE-TIME PURCHASES OR THESE POSITIONS THAT YOU FEEL THAT NEED TO BE STRICKEN? THESE ONE, BECAUSE IT'S WASTEFUL SPENDING, THESE ONE TIME PUR PURCHASES ARE COMING FROM THE GENERAL FUND.
THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE KEEP ON MISSING OUT ON.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE'RE DOING, WE'RE VERY EFFICIENT, BUT HOW MANY CLAIMS ARE WE HAVING PER YEAR OR WORKMAN'S COMP? OKAY, WE'RE GETTING, WE'RE, WE'RE, WELL THAT, THAT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE GOING BEYOND THE SCOPE.
IT'S THE QUESTION IS THESE ARE, THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US AND IF THERE'S ANYTHING, AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT THESE ARE FINE, THESE ONE TIME PURCHASES, THESE POSITIONS AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE DONE, WHICH COMES TO A TOTAL OF I GUESS $9 MILLION DOWN HERE, YOU'RE OKAY WITH CORRECT.
I'M GONNA PUT MY FOOT IN MY MOUTH HERE.
OKAY, HERE'S, HERE'S WHAT, HERE'S WHAT I'M LOOKING AT.
THIS IS WHAT THEY PUT IN FRONT OF US.
WE KEEP ON DRINKING THE KOOL-AID AND WE CAN'T KEEP ON ACCEPTING WHAT'S BEING PUT THERE.
ALRIGHT? THAT'S WHAT I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH.
WELL, THEN MAYBE, WELL, I DON'T, I THINK THAT THAT'S NOT ACCURATE.
UM, THERE'S BEEN MANY WORKSHOPS AND YOU'VE BEEN ABLE TO ATTEND THOSE WORKSHOPS.
AND I KNOW THAT I SAT DOWN PERSONALLY WITH FINANCE AND I SPENT SEVERAL HOURS THIS, THIS PAST WEEK.
AND TO UNDERSTAND AND TO ENSURE AND TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYWHERE THAT IT COULD BE CUT.
DID YOU DO THE SAME? DID YOU GO? NO, MA'AM, I DID NOT.
WELL THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ON STAFF.
IF IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THEN ASK THOSE, THOSE, THOSE QUESTIONS.
BUT LET'S NOT MISLEAD THAT WE ARE GIVEN INFORMATION AND THAT WE JUST ACCEPT IT AND THAT 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT ACCURATE.
WHAT WE DO IS WE READ OUR PACKETS, WE COME PREPARED, AND IF THERE'S SOMEWHERE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO CUT, THEN I'D LOVE TO HEAR THAT AND, AND YOU KNOW, WE CAN ENTERTAIN THAT.
BUT IF NOT, THEN ALL THE REST IS JUST NOISE.
AND SO I, I I DON'T, UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, I, I WANTED TO IS, I WANTED TO SEE, IS KAREEM HERE? KA HERE, I'M GONNA PUT YOU ON THE SPOT HERE.
JUST BECAUSE YOU, SO, UM, AND THIS IS HARD STUFF RIGHT? FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND.
AND I KNOW THAT I WAS PROBABLY ASKING QUESTIONS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, MADE ME LOOK LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW BECAUSE AT THE TIME I DIDN'T KNOW.
AND YOU HAVE BOTH EDUCATED ME IN TERMS OF WHERE THAT 2.5 MILLION COMES FROM.
UM, IN ADDITION IN, IN, IN ADDITIONAL COLLECTIONS.
AND SO IT'S BEEN, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN SOME COMMENTS THAT THESE ARE ALL SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, BUT I LEARNED THROUGH YOU THAT THERE'S ABOUT 20 CATEGORIES.
UM, CAN YOU GO THROUGH SOME OF THOSE THAT ARE ALSO TAXED? SURE.
OFF THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD, BASICALLY ANY PROPERTY IN THE CITY, UH, IS TAXED AT THE SAME RATE, CORRECT? CORRECT.
BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT THE VALUES.
ALL, ALL THE PROPERTIES IN THE CITY ARE TAXED AT THE SAME RATE.
SO WE DON'T GET TO CHARGE A DIFFERENT RATE FOR SINGLE FAMILY HOMELESS VERSUS OTHER PROPERTIES.
UM, AND, AND SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES ARE GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS. THE, THE MAIN ONES ARE, UH, RAILROADS ARE UP THERE.
UH, COMMERCIAL LIMITED PROPERTY IS A, IS A MAJOR COMPONENT, BUT I, I THINK IF SOMEBODY WANTS TO REALLY AFFECT WHAT THE CITY IS DOING, THEY SHOULD REALLY JUST REACH OUT TO THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT AND PROTEST THEIR PROPERTIES.
UM, BECAUSE WE'RE JUST A SMALL COMPONENTS OF THE ENTIRE TAXING ENTITY.
WE, WE, WE, WE RESEARCHED IT EARLIER AND WE WERE ABOUT 27% OF THEIR TOTAL TAX BILL.
SO REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO WITH THE TAX RATE, WE MIGHT SAVE THEM $10 HERE, BUT THEY MIGHT END UP PAYING $50 EXTRA TO THE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES.
AND SO WE JUST WANT THEM TO TAKE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF, UH, THEIR ENTIRE TAX, TAX PROCESS AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN AFFECT HERE AT THE CITY.
'CAUSE WE REALLY CAN'T AFFECT THAT MUCH BESIDES THE TAX RATE.
AND THEIR OVERALL BILL MIGHT BE, UM, MORE INFLUENCED BY THE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES WITHIN THE CITY.
SO WE LOOKED AT POTENTIALLY SHAVING UP A CENT 2 CENTS AND, AND DID THE MATH AND, AND, AND ALL OF THAT.
AND, AND YOUR, I THINK RESPONSE TO ME WAS POTENTIALLY $20, $30, UM, A A A AND THAT'S BEING, YOU KNOW, I GUESS GENEROUS WITH YOUR, WITH YOUR MATH.
I MEAN, EACH PROPERTY IS DIFFERENT.
SO I MEAN, IT, IT'S POSSIBLE THAT SOME PROPERTIES WOULD GO DOWN.
[01:35:01]
ON THIS YEAR BECAUSE THE, THE TAX, UH, THE VALUATIONS DID GO UP, UH, PRETTY HEAVY THIS YEAR.BUT IF, IF YOU LOOK AT MOST PEOPLE'S VALUATIONS, THEY'RE STILL BELOW MARKET VALUE FOR JUST ABOUT EVERY PROPERTY THAT WE LOOK AT.
THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT IS TRYING TO CATCH UP TO MARKET VALUE.
WE'VE HAD AN, A HUGE INCREASE IN OUR PROPERTY VALUES, UH, IN THIS AREA IN THE LAST, UH, THREE OR FOUR YEARS.
AND SO WE'RE STILL PAYING LESS THAN WHAT WE WOULD GET IF WE SOLD THAT PROPERTY.
IN TERMS OF THE TAX, UM, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT QUESTION AND I DON'T KNOW IF I ANSWERED IT, BUT SO, SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, I WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT THERE WERE 20 DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, ACTUALLY MORE THAT WERE BEING TAXED.
AND SO WHEN FOLKS ARE THINKING, OKAY, THIS 2.5 IS SPREAD AMONGST ALL PROPERTY OWNERS, SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, UM, THAT IS NOT A, THAT'S A FALSE STATEMENT BECAUSE THERE'S ALL THESE DIFFERENT ENTITIES, UH, NOT ENTITIES, DIFFERENT CATEGORIES.
AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, I THINK OUT OF THE, UM, THE TOTAL HOMES THAT ARE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, WHAT WAS THAT TOTAL LIKE, ABOUT 19,000 OR, THAT'S CORRECT.
AND THEN, UM, ABOUT 12,000 HAD THEIR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION APPROXIMATELY.
SO THE CONCLUSION WE CAN DRAW FROM THAT IS THAT EITHER, UM, MOST OF THE, NOT MOST PRODUCT, BUT A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES ARE EITHER INVESTMENT PROPERTIES OR PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T GONE OUT AND GOT THEIR HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY CAN DO IS MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAD A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION.
IF YOU'RE TRYING TO SAVE MONEY, A COUPLE CENTS ON THE TAX RATE IS GOING TO BE MINIMAL COMPARED TO MAKING SURE THAT YOU HAVE THAT HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, WHICH LIMITS YOU TO A 10% INCREASE IN VALUE EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
AND SO NO MATTER WHAT THE PROPERTY VALUES ARE DOING, YOU'RE GOING TO BE LIMITED IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH IT'S GOING TO INCREASE.
SO I WOULD SAY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU, YOU CAN DO IS MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION ON YOUR, UH, PERSONAL PROPERTY, AND THEN ALSO LOOK AT YOUR TAX BILL AS A WHOLE AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE, UM, LOOKING AT THE ENTIRETY OF THE PICTURE.
WHEREAS THE CITY MIGHT, YOU KNOW, TOTAL INCREASING 4% ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY, THE OVERALL INCREASE COULD BE A LOT HIGHER ON SOME OF THE OTHER TAXING ENTITIES.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THOSE OTHER TAX ENTITIES? SURE.
SO FROM THE LIST, CAMERON COUNTY IS, IS CHARGING A SIMILAR RATE TO US.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS THE LARGEST COMPONENTS OF THE OTHER TAXING ENTITY.
SO THE CAMERON COUNTY, UH, DOES 21%.
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT IS 44% OF THE TOTAL TAX RATE.
UH, THE PORT OF HARING'S MINIMAL, THE DRAINAGE DISTRICT IS 6%, WHICH I WAS SHOCKED ABOUT.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE TAXING ENTITIES, WE ARE ARE AT 26% OF THE ENTIRE TAX BILL.
SO NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, WE CAN ONLY AFFECT A QUARTER OF THAT, OF THAT TOTAL TAX BILL.
SO WHEN PEOPLE GET THEIR BILL, THEY LIVE IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, BUT THEY MAYBE JUST ASSUME THAT THAT WOULD, THAT THIS IS THE CITY OF HARLINGEN TAX BILL AND WE ARE CITY OF HARLINGEN.
BUT IN REALITY THERE'S A TON OF OTHER, NOT A TON, BUT THERE'S SEVERAL OTHER ENTITIES THAT ARE TAXING ENTITIES.
AND WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT THE, THE, THE MAJORITY.
BUT I THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS THE DIFFERENT, UH, TAX ENTITIES.
AND SO THERE'S A DRAINAGE DISTRICT TAX.
YOU KNOW, WE LIVE IN THE DESERT, EVERY NOW AND THEN WE FLOOD AND PEOPLE B***H ABOUT, WHERE'S MY DRAINAGE? AND THERE'S A DRAINAGE FACILITY, RIGHT? SURE.
AND WE PAY A TAX TO THEM TO KEEP THE DRAIN, TO KEEP THE DRAINAGE AND EXPAND AND GROW THE DRAINAGE TO KEEP US SAFER.
MM-HMM,
I KNOW THEY'RE GONNA BE REPETITIVE BECAUSE THE ANSWERS HAVE, HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVIDED, BUT I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY.
WHAT IS THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE TAX INCREASE? SO THAT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM.
IT IT'S HARD TO LOCK THAT DOWN.
SO IF, IF YOU NOTICE, A LOT OF THE NOTICES THAT WE PUT OUT HAVE DIFFERENT PERCENTAGES AND EVERYBODY'S LIKE, WELL, WHY IS THIS PERCENTAGE DIFFERENT FROM THIS PERCENTAGE? AND THE REASON IS, IS THAT ALL ANALYZING IT IN DIFFERENT WAYS.
SO, YOU KNOW, THE 10% OF THE 2.5 MILLION THAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT THAT IS COMPARING THE CERTIFIED TOTAL FOR THE UPCOMING TAX YEAR WITH THE CERTIFIED TOTAL FROM LAST YEAR.
THE LAST YEAR NUMBERS ARE ADJUSTED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
AND SO THOSE AMOUNTS REALLY CHANGE, BUT WE CAN'T KEEP DOING THAT.
WE HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAWS THAT ARE PUT FORWARD BY THE STATE OF TEXAS.
BUT, BUT THAT AMOUNT IS PAID OFF THE LEVY.
CORRECT? THE AMOUNT THAT THE OKAY.
THE, THE AMOUNT THAT'S BEING CHARGED.
OKAY, WHERE DO WE GET THAT FROM? THAT'S A CALCULATION OF THE, UH, TAX RATE MULTIPLIED BY THE VALUE OF ALL OF THE PROPERTIES IN OUR TAXING AREA.
[01:40:01]
OKAY.SO BASICALLY WE'RE SAYING IT'S A DOLLAR AMOUNT OF TAX INCREASE AT 2.5 AND CHANGE MORE OR LESS.
YES, YOU CAN SAY THAT, BUT Y YOU KNOW, I, I COULD GET IT TO SAY JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THAT I WANTED CAN SAY.
THAT'S WHY, CAN, CAN YOU MAKE IT SAY 1.7? I I CAN AND I CAN SHOW YOU SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS TO GET DOWN TO 1.7, BUT THAT, THAT'S JUST ONE WAY TO ANALYZE IT.
SO EVEN THAT 2.5 MILLION IS NOT ENTIRELY TRUE BECAUSE THE, UH, BALANCE LAST YEAR NEEDED TO BE INCREASED BECAUSE THERE WAS AN EXOR UH, AN EXCEPTIONAL AMOUNT OF, UH, PROTESTED PROPERTIES LAST YEAR THAT WASN'T INCORPORATED INTO THE CALCULATION.
SO WHEN YOU GO BACK AND CALCULATE WHAT WAS DONE LAST YEAR, IT WAS ACTUALLY MORE MONEY.
SO WHEN YOU COMPARE THIS YEAR COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, IT'S NOT AS BIG A GAIN AS IT SHOWS.
BUT I CAN'T GO IN THERE AND MAKE THESE ASSUMPTIONS AND TELL YOU, WELL, IT'S NOT REALLY SHOWING YOU WHAT YOU'RE WANTING TO SEE.
I HAVE TO FOLLOW THE LAW AND, AND PUT ON THERE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO COMPARE.
BUT THE LAW DID STATE THAT WE HAD A 2.5 AND CHANGE TAX INCREASE, RIGHT? I DON'T KNOW THAT THE LAW STATED THAT, BUT THE LAW STATED WHAT I HAD TO SHOW.
BUT, BUT THAT'S WHAT THAT WAS, THAT'S WHAT WAS IN OUR PACKET.
NOW MY NEXT QUESTION IS WHAT'S THE DOLLAR AMOUNT OF THE EXISTING PROPERTY? OF THE EXISTING PROPERTY? WELL, WHAT ABOUT NEW PROPERTIES? SO ON THE NEW PROPERTIES, THERE WAS ABOUT 322,000 THAT WAS CALCULATED BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WAS GIVEN TO US BY CAMERON COUNTY, 324,000.
UM, SO, OKAY, UM, I GOTTA BE CAREFUL HERE.
SO THE, AS FAR AS THE, THE AMOUNT OF A NEW PROPERTY IS 325,000.
MORE OR LESS THE VALUE OF THE TAX ASSOCIATED TO THE ADDED PROPERTY FROM THE PRIOR YEAR.
SAME QUESTION, BUT ON EXISTING PROPERTY.
HOW, HOW MUCH REVENUES ARE WE GETTING FROM THE EXISTING, UH, PROPERTIES? SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE EXISTING PROPERTIES PLUS GAINS IN VALUE OVER THOSE PROPERTIES TIMES THE TAX RATE.
'CAUSE OUR TAX RATE HAS TECHNICALLY GONE DOWN.
SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE INCREASES FROM THE APPRAISAL DISTRICT ON, ON A LOT OF THOSE PROPERTIES.
WOULD IT BE SAFE TO SAY THAT 3 25 FROM 2.5, THAT WOULD BE FROM THE EXISTING PROPERTY, EXISTING PROPERTIES? NOT ONE.
EVERYBODY'S AS I UNDERSTAND IT, YES.
AND OUT OF THOSE EXISTING PROPERTIES, ISN'T IT TRUE THAT THEY'RE NOT ALL SINGLE FAMILY HOMES AND IT'S THE RAILROADS, ELECTRIC COMPANIES, THE TELEPHONE ADDED, LOOKING AT HERE, SMALL BUSINESS, I WOULD SAY IT'S 50 50, PROBABLY 1.34.
IT'S PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF, A LOT OF OUR PROPERTY VALUES DO COME FROM SINGLE FAMILY HOMES, BUT FROM THAT NUMBER, IT DOES NOT BREAK OUT, UH, INVESTMENT PROPERTIES.
I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF, MIGHT HAVE A HOME THAT I LIVE IN THAT HAS THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, AND THEN YOU MIGHT HAVE ANOTHER INVESTMENT PROPERTY.
SO IT'S STILL GONNA SHOW UP AS A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENT, BUT IT'S, IN MY CASE, IT'S AN INVESTMENT.
BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE MISSING, FRANK, IS CONTEXT.
YOU'RE TRYING TO THROW THESE NUMBERS OUT, TRYING TO GET WHAT YOU WANTED TO SAY, BUT YOU'RE MISSING THE CONTEXT.
WELL, WHAT I'M ALSO LOOKING AT, AND I'M, I'M I KEEP THIS IN MIND, OKAY, WE GOT SENIORS ON A FIXED INCOME, AND IF YOU DRIVE IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS, LIKE WHERE I LIVE, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE PEOPLE OUT THERE TRYING TO SELL THEIR, HAVING THEIR GARAGE SALES TO TRY TO MAKE ENDS MEET.
I DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT THEIR LIVING SITUATION IS.
OKAY? SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE PROTECTED BY HOMESTEAD AND THEY'RE ALSO PROTECTED BY FROZEN PROPERTY VALUES WHEN THEY REACH A CERTAIN AGE.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, CONTEXT, YOU'RE LOOKING AT A PRICE OF, UH, A GASOLINE THAT'S $3 TO THREE AND A QUARTER.
THAT $20 THAT YOU USED TO GO OUT THERE AND BUY MILK AND EGGS AND BREAD DOESN'T COVER THAT ANYMORE.
SO WHAT I'M LOOKING AT, YES, YOU DO HAVE DIFFERENT ENTITIES.
THEY'RE ALL GOING AFTER THE SAME PEOPLE, THE SAME, THE SAME TAXPAYER, THE SAME RESIDENT, RESIDENT RESIDENT, OKAY? WE NEED TO FIND A WAY TO PROTECT THEM AND SAY, INSTEAD OF SAYING, YOU KNOW WHAT, HERE'S WHAT WE NEED.
THAT'S ALL I'M TRYING TO GET TO.
THE PROBLEM IS, I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE 2.5 MILLION AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT APPLIES TO THAT 55-YEAR-OLD PERSON ON A FIXED INCOME.
AND I THINK YOU NEED TO LOOK MORE AT THE MICRO.
IF YOU PULLED UP THAT PERSON'S INCOME AND YOU LOOKED, THEIR TAX MIGHT STAY EXACTLY THE SAME.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT IT FROM A MACRO LEVEL AND YOU SAY,
[01:45:01]
WE GOT $2.5 MILLION IN, IN INCREASES, IT, IT LOOKS CRAZY, BUT IT'S NOT APPLIED TO EVERYBODY THE SAME WAY.LET'S SAY THAT WE DISREGARD THE RESIDENTS AND YOU HAVE 10 SMALL MOM AND POP SHOPS, THE REVENUES AMOUNT TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND A YEAR.
OKAY? SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO OUTTA THE 2.5, WE CAN DO AWAY WITH WHAT, 25 BUSINESSES? SO WE CAN GET THAT.
I, I KNOW THAT I, HOW MANY SMALL BUSINESSES ARE WE WILLING TO PUT UNDER ON THIS KIND OF TAX RATE IF THEY'RE, IF THEY'RE JUST MAKING A HUNDRED THOUSAND? I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ANSWER THAT.
SO IT, EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE, ALL RIGHT? SURE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT HOMEOWNERS, SOME ARE DOING WELL, DUAL INCOME, OTHERS NOT SO WELL, OTHERS ARE RETIRED.
ON A FIXED INCOME, WE HAVE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THAT ARE TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING.
OKAY? ARE WE GONNA TAX THEM JUST AS MUCH ACROSS THE BOARD? THAT'S MY CONCERN AS WELL.
I'M TRYING TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE AS TO HOW IS IT GONNA AFFECT HIM, HOW IS IT GONNA AFFECT HER? OKAY.
IF I JUST, ALL I CAN SAY IS, IS GO LOOK INDIVIDUALLY AT THEIR TAX BILL AND SEE HOW IT AFFECTS THEM.
AND HOW CAN PEOPLE LOOK AT OTHER, THEIR OWN TAX BILL, ALL THAT INFORMATION OR OTHER PEOPLE'S TAX BILLS.
ALL THAT INFORMATION IS ONLINE.
I ACTUALLY JUST LOOKED UP YOURS RIGHT AS I WAS SITTING IN THE BACK, UM, BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAD HAD MENTIONED IT.
AND SO I I I SAW YOUR PROPERTY TAX MONEY.
BUT YOU CAN LOOK UP ANYBODY'S PROPERTY TAX.
WHERE, UH, ON, ON CAMERON, UH, CID YEAH.
HAVE YOU LOOKED AT YOUR TAX BILL? COMMISSIONER MOR MORALES? NO, I HAVEN'T.
BUT YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU PROBABLY LOOKED AT IT YOURSELF.
BUT I'M WONDERING, I MEAN, YOU'RE, SO YOU'RE ADVOCATING, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU PAID MORE OR LESS SO THAT IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, AND, AND TO KAREEM'S POINT, WE NEED TO LOOK AT INDIVIDUALLY.
I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M A TAXPAYER HERE TOO.
I HAVE MY HOME AND, AND MY TAXES.
DID I PAY ADDITIONAL TAX? YES.
DO I WANT TO PAY ADDITIONAL TAX? NO, BUT WE HAVE TO FUND THE POLICE.
UH, NO ONE WANTS TO DEFUND THE POLICE OR THE FIRE.
I GOTTA MAKE SURE THAT THE EMPLOYEES THAT WORK FOR THE CITY ARE, ARE PAID, UH, A LIVING WAGE.
AND, AND WE ARE STRIVING TO DO THAT.
THEY NEED HEALTHCARE INSURANCE.
WE NEED TO PROVIDE EXCELLENT SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
WE NEED TO DO BETTER IN TERMS OF PARKS, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE FUNDING MORE POSITIONS.
WE NEED TO DO BETTER IN TERMS OF STREETS.
WE NEED TO DO BETTER IN TERMS OF DRAINAGE, WHY WE HAVE THAT CREW, AND WE ARE WORKING REALLY HARD.
I THINK NO ONE IS SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE HAS BEEN NO INCREASE.
YES, WE HAVE SAID THAT THERE IS A REDUCTION IN THE TAX RATE, AND WE SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT BECAUSE YES, THAT HAS HAPPENED IN THIS COMMISSION AND IT CONTINUES TO TO GO DOWN AND WE HAVE MORE SALES TAX COMING IN THAT IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THAT EVEN FURTHER.
BUT YOU KEEP SAYING THAT WE SHOULD DO MORE, BUT YOU HAVE ZERO SOLUTIONS AS TO WHAT YOU WANNA CUT.
YOU JUST KEEP SAYING, WE NEED TO, WE NEED TO HAVE IT LOWER, BUT THEN YOU WANNA FUND ALL THESE THINGS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU, WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE A CHILD AND YOU GIVE 'EM AN ALLOWANCE AND THEY WANT ALL THESE OTHER THINGS, BUT THEY REALIZE THEY ONLY GOT 10 BUCKS.
RIGHT? THAT'S ALL YOU CAN BUY.
BUT THEY WANT THE THING, THEY WANT THE NINTENDO OR THEY WANT ALL THESE OTHER THINGS, BUT THEY CAN'T HAVE THAT BECAUSE THEY ONLY HAVE $10.
AND SO YOU, YOU HAVE TO PICK AND CHOOSE AND, AND YOU HAVE, HAVEN'T DECIDED THAT YOU WANNA CUT ANYTHING.
AND SO I'M, I'M REALLY CONFUSED AS TO WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO OR, OR, OR, OR SAY HERE, BECAUSE IT, NONE OF IT, IT REALLY MAKES ANY SENSE.
IF, IF I COULD SAY SOMETHING, UH, THE CAMERON CAD, THEY'RE INDEPENDENT.
NOBODY IN THE CITY OR SAN BENITO OR RIO HONDO OR BROWNSVILLE GOES AND SAYS, JACK UP, THAT GUY'S RATE LOWER MINE.
THEY'RE AN INDEPENDENT AGENCY.
WE HAVE NO REPRESENTATION ON THE CAD.
WE HAVE PEOPLE ON THE CAD WHO SAW DUTY, DUTY IS TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S BEING RUN HONESTLY AND PRUDENTLY AND WITH A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY.
AND PEOPLE ARE TASKED WITH RAISING OUR TAXES, BUT THE CAMERON COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT, CAMERON CAD, RAISES OUR TAXES TOO FREQUENTLY.
[01:50:01]
I'VE BEEN IN MY HOUSE 41 AND A HALF YEARS, BOUGHT IT FOR 53,000 HOUSES ON MY STREET ARE SELLING FOR 215,000 HOUSES ACROSS IN MY BACKYARD ARE SELLING FOR TWO 50, 270,000.NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I BELIEVE THESE NUMBERS, BUT THEY'RE REAL.
AND I BET YOU, YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TAX BILL IS EVERY YEAR.
DOESN'T EVERYBODY, BUT, BUT THE THING IS, IS SO WE CAN ALL THUMP OUR CHEST AND SAY, WE'RE WORTH MONEY ON PAPER.
I'M WEALTHY, I'M WORTH 300 OR A HALF A MILLION OR WHATEVER ON PAPER.
BUT NOBODY WANTS TO PAY ANY TAXES FOR IT.
AND SO HARLINGEN IS REDUCING THE TAX RATE AS WE GET MORE TAX DOLLARS IN.
AND GABE, WHERE DO WE GET TAX DOLLARS IN FROM EXISTING PROPERTIES? YES.
OUR REVENUE, UM, COMMISSIONER, OUR LARGEST PORTION OF REVENUE IS NOT THE AVALOR TAX RATE, IT'S RETAIL SALES.
AND SO WE GENERATE THE, THE MAJORITY OF OUR REVENUE FROM SALES TAX COLLECTED.
AND IT'S NOT JUST NECESSARILY FROM HARLINGEN RESIDENTS, BUT FROM VISITORS THAT COME INTO HARLINGEN AND SPEND HERE, UH, FROM THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE THAT COME INTO TOWN TO VISIT FROM OTHER PARTS OF, OF THE STATE.
UH, AND THEN IT'S, UM, AVALOR TAXES, AND THEN ALL THE OTHER FEES THAT WE COLLECT FOR USE OF OUR PARKS, UH, PERMITS, BUILDING PERMITS, UM, ALL TYPES OF, OF REVENUE.
SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A BIG LIST OF WHERE WE GET OUR REVENUE FROM.
AND WHEN I FIRST RAN, I TOLD EVERYBODY THEY, THEY HEARD SIN CITY.
I SAID, SIM CITY, THAT THAT USED TO BE A, A OLD, UH, COMPUTER GAME WHERE YOU BUILD A CITY, RIGHT.
AND BACK IN WHAT, THE EIGHTIES OR NINETIES AND, AND YOU DO THIS AND PEOPLE REBEL AND YOU DO THIS AND PEOPLE LOVE YOU, AND YOU IGNORE THIS, AND THEN, YEAH, IT ALL FALLS APART.
AND SO WE'RE NOT IN THE IGNORING LET THE CITY FALL APART FACE.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALSO HAD, I THINK THAT YOU, UM, POINTED OUT LAST TIME COMMISSIONER LOPEZ AND YOU PROVIDED, DID YOU PROVIDE THIS TO US IN ON OUR, IT'S THE LIST OF ALL THE OTHER CITIES.
UM, AND SO THANK YOU FOR THAT.
I KNOW YOU HAD, YOU HAD BROUGHT THAT UP.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, DO YOU HAVE THE SLIDE FOR THAT? I DON'T, I THINK I DIDN'T BRING THE SLIDE FOR THAT.
WELL, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC TO KNOW, AND I'D LIKE US TO INCLUDE THIS ON THE WEBSITE SO WE CAN SEE IT IS, IT'S A, I ASKED LAST TIME FOR A COMPARISON OF THE HAR TAX RATE COMPARED TO CITIES THROUGHOUT CAMERON COUNTY.
UH, AND WE FOUND THAT WE'RE ONE OF THE LOWEST WE'RE, AND THAT IS A COMPARISON OF ALGO AND CAMERON COUNTY.
SO EVEN IF WE WERE LOOKING AT THE VOTER PROOF WITH LOOKING AT THE VOTER APPROVAL WITH TAX RATE, WHICH IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, WHICH IS 0.52, WHEN YOU COMPARE US TO CITY OF ETT, THEY'RE 8 CENTS MORE THAN US.
CITY OF BRASWELL, 8 CENTS MORE THAN US, CITY OF LOS PERS PROPOSED.
AGAIN, THEY, THE VOTER PROOF RATE IS A DOLLAR OH EIGHT MORE THAN US.
SO WHEN YOU COMPARE HER ARMS TO THE REST OF THE CITY OR THE REST OF THE CITIES IN CAMERON COUNTY, WE'RE A LOT LOWER OUR PROPERTY TAXES.
SO, PUT IN ANOTHER WAY, IF YOU WERE TO MOVE YOUR HOUSE AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND PUT IT IN A DIFFERENT CITY, LET'S SAY BROWNSVILLE, YOU WOULD BE PAYING A LOT MORE IN PROPERTY TAXES, JUST YOUR SAME HOUSE, YOUR SAME NEIGHBORHOOD, JUST MOVING IT INTO A DIFFERENT CITY.
CORRECT? UM, I'M IN A UNIQUE POSITION, AND YOU GUYS KNOW THIS, I'VE BROUGHT THIS UP IN THE PAST.
THAT DISTRICT TWO, UH, UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T GET THE NECESSARY ATTENTION THAT IT NEEDED IN THE PAST.
WE HAD THE WORST FLOODING IN THE CITY.
UH, WE HAD SOME OF THE WORST PARKS IN THE CITY.
UH, AND SO WHEN I GET CALLS FROM CONSTITUENTS CONCERNED ABOUT WHY ISN'T THE PARK GRASS CUT, RIGHT? I GET A LOT OF CALLS ABOUT VEST PARK.
I GET CALLS ABOUT TI PARK, I GET CALLS, UH, I GET CALLS ABOUT POTHOLES.
I GET CALLS ABOUT, UH, JUST THE DIFFERENT AMENITIES THAT PEOPLE WANT.
AND IF I'M CONSTRAINED AND WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY THERE TO DO IT, THEN MY HANDS ARE CONSTRAINED.
I'M BLESSED THAT I WORK ALONGSIDE A, A FANTASTIC COMMISSION THAT HAS SUPPORTED OUR DISTRICT, AND SPECIFICALLY DISTRICT TWO AND OUR PROJECTS, UH, WHERE WE DID THE TRAIL AT
[01:55:01]
ME, AND WE'VE WORKED TOGETHER TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN EACH OF OUR PROJECTS.UM, SOMETHING FRANK THAT I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO CONSIDER, AND I'M HAPPY THE MAYOR HIT ON THIS EARLIER, IS WE'VE BEEN REALLY GOOD ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT EVERY DOLLAR WE SPEND IS PUT FORTH IN A WAY THAT WILL BENEFIT THE, THE RESIDENTS THE MOST.
WHEN I FIRST CAME ON BOARD, UH, AS A COMMISSIONER, WHEN IT'S ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO NOW, YOU GUYS, WE ALL WORKED TOGETHER TO USE ARPA MONEY AND WE NEEDED TO CREATE A DRAINAGE CREW.
AND WE TURNED AROUND AND USED THE ARPA MONEY THAT WAS DESIGNATED FOR LOZANO PLAZA OR LOZANO, UH, DETENTION POND, WHICH IS NORTH OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
WE WERE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THAT MONEY AND CREATE A CREW.
AND WE USED, WE DID AN, WE ONLY BOUGHT THE EQUIPMENT WITH THE ARPA MONEY, CORRECT? YEAH.
AND WHICH SAVED US HOW MUCH IT WAS $1.2 MILLION.
THE, THE, THE COST TO BUILD IT, IT WAS 1.2, WE BILLED IT FOR HALF, FOR HALF A MILLION USING FEDERAL MONEY FOR THAT, RIGHT? ANOTHER EXAMPLE IN SOMETHING ELSE THAT'S COMMISSION'S BEEN PUSHING, AND I'M PROUD OF US, IS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT, IF YOU RECALL RIGHT NOW, THE CITY IS WHAT IT'S CALLED, UH, FULLY FUNDED OR WE, WE DO, WE ARE FULLY FUNDED AND WE'RE LOOKING AT GOING INTO SELF-FUNDED, WHICH WILL THEN NEXT YEAR SAVE US ABOUT HALF A MILLION DOLLARS, UH, IN TAXPAYER MONEY.
UH, WE WORKED WITH AN ENERGY COMPANY TO PUT IN, WHAT, $75,000 INTO, UH, THE HARLINGEN SPORTS SOCCER COMPLEX.
WE WORKED WITH ANOTHER ENERGY COMPANY TO PUT IN ANOTHER $75,000 INTO THE, UH, PUBLIC SOCCER COMP, THE LIBRARY, PUBLIC LIBRARY.
UH, WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THIS STREET CREW, UH, AND SIX, $6.3 MILLION IS A LOT OF MONEY, BUT WE'RE DOING IT TO SAVE US MONEY IN THE LONG RUN SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE EFFECTIVE.
BECAUSE HOW CAN I GO TO CONSTITUENTS AND TALK ABOUT WE WANNA BECOME THE CAPITAL CITY IF WE'RE NOT INVESTING IN OURSELVES? AND UNFORTUNATELY, UH, EACH OF US, EACH DISTRICT AND YOUR DISTRICT AS WELL, FRANK, REMEMBER, HOW LONG HAD YOU HAD TO WAIT 30 YEARS FOR THE, FOR THE, THE FIRE HYDRANTS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YOUR DISTRICT, RIGHT? AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT BY USING FEDERAL FUNDS.
AND SO THIS COMMISSION HAS BEEN VERY PROACTIVE IN LEVERAGING FEDERAL FUNDS.
REMEMBER LAST YEAR, WE EXPANDED THE GRANTS DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS BRINGING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AS WELL.
THE MAYOR HAS DONE A PHENOMENAL JOB OF WORKING WITH OUR STATE AND FEDERAL, UH, PARTNERS.
YOU GOT US WHAT, $1 MILLION FOR A DRAINAGE PROJECT? $1.2 MILLION FOR A DRAINAGE PROJECT RIGHT BEHIND CITY HALL.
1.1 0.9, WASN'T IT? 1.9 MILLION FOR THE DRAINAGE PROJECT AND THEN ANOTHER 600 FOR POLICE.
SO I KNOW THAT THAT'S, IT KIND OF, IT, IT SURPRISES ME.
'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S TALK OF WHY IS NORMA GOING TO, TO WASHINGTON, WHY IS NORMA WORKING WITH THE DELEGATION? WHY IS NORMA GOING TO AUSTIN? BUT I CAN SAY THOSE, I WAS ABLE TO DELIVER BY GETTING THOSE EARMARKS AND GETTING 1.9 MILLION FOR THE CITY OF HARLEEN BY HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND MAKING THOSE TRIPS AND TAKING THE TIME TO FOSTER THOSE RELATIONSHIPS SO THAT WAY WE COULD GET THAT.
AND IT, IT WORKED FOR DRAINAGE AND ALSO FOR THE POLICE.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOME MORE THAT HOPEFULLY WILL BE COMING.
AND WE HAVE THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD RIGHT HERE.
IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE THE CHAIR SITTING IN THIS CHAIR FROM THE WATER DEVELOPMENT BOARD.
AND GETTING A $10 MILLION LOAN BECAUSE OF THOSE, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I KNOW THAT YOU WENT UP THERE WITH ME AND SO DID FORD AND HAVING A DELEGATION, UM, A A, UM, A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE FROM THIS COMMISSION DID GO A LONG WAY.
AND SO WE ARE LEVERAGING THOSE GRANTS.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU.
I JUST TOLD THE NAME OF THE CHAIRMAN.
SO, SO EVERYONE KNOWS, I'M SORRY, CHAIRWOMAN, I'M SORRY, SORRY.
AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE ARGUMENTS THAT ARE BEING MADE.
UH, IT WAS APPRAISED AT THAT TIME AT $60,000.
UH, NOW IT'S BEING APPRAISED THIS PAST YEAR.
I LOOKED, IT'S BEING APPRAISED AT $150,000.
I'M BEING CAPPED OUT AT 10% INCREASE.
AND THAT'S 'CAUSE UH, BEFORE I BECAME A CITY COMMISSIONER, I HAD HEARD OF THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION, BUT I FINALLY APPLIED IT MY FIRST YEAR AS WELL.
UM, YEAH, I, MY FAMILY, IF YOU KNOW, THE LOPEZS, WE'RE, WE'RE A BIG, WE'RE A BIG GROUP.
BUT I, WHEN I MAKE THESE DECISIONS, I KNOW THAT ON THE WEEKENDS WHEN I SEE THEM, A FAMILY GET TOGETHERS AT BIRTHDAY PARTIES, I'M GONNA HAVE TO ANSWER TO THEM.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO ANSWER TO MY NEIGHBORS.
AND I FEEL THAT EACH DECISION WE MADE HERE, EACH POSITION, WHETHER IT'S MAKING, UH, CREATING MORE POSITIONS FOR PARKS, FOR STREET MAINTENANCE, UH, FOR SANITATION.
IN FACT, ON MONDAY EVENING, I WAS DRIVING, UH, BY, UH,
[02:00:01]
AT THE, BY THE AIRPORT.AND I SAW ONE OF OUR, ONE OF OUR, UH, SANITATION TRUCKS BEING TOWED BY, UH, CAPITOL TOWING.
I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL ARE HERE, BUT THANK YOU VERY MUCH,
I KNOW WE'LL BE RECEIVING THAT BILL SOON ENOUGH.
UM, DO YOU KNOW HOW EMBARRASSING THAT IS?
HOW BAD IS IT, RIGHT? LIKE, HOW BAD IS IT THAT I'M DRIVING IT AND I'M SEEING ONE OF OUR, UH, UH, SANITATION TRUCKS BEING TOWED BECAUSE THE ENGINE WENT OUT ON IT, RIGHT? THESE THINGS, THEY'RE NOT FUN.
THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT EXCITING.
BUT THESE ARE THE THINGS, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR A CITY TO RUN.
AND IF WE WANT OUR CITY TO BE THAT BEAUTIFUL CITY, THAT BEAUTIFUL SHINE CITY ON THE HILL, AS THEY SAY, UH, WE HAVE TO INVEST AND WE HAVE TO MAKE SMART INVESTMENTS.
AND I BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT WE ARE DOING SUCH.
AND I WOULDN'T VOTE FOR THIS IF I DIDN'T BELIEVE SO, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID LAST TIME, I'M GONNA HAVE TO SHOW MY CONSTITUENTS WHEN I GO TALK TO 'EM, HEY, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE SPENDING YOUR MONEY ON.
AND THIS IS WHY I'D ASKED YOU GUYS, AND THE MAYOR AND I SEPARATELY AND PARTLY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS LIST, IS I WANT OUR PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT WE'RE SPENDING OUR, THEIR MONEY ON.
AND SOMETHING WE'RE DOING, AND I'VE TALKED TO YOU ABOUT THIS, COMMISSIONER, MORALE, MORALE IS WORKING ON THAT PROJECTS LIST.
AND SO FOR THE PUBLIC OUT THERE, SO Y'ALL KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THAT WE HAVE DIFFERENT PROJECTS GOING ON IN DIFFERENT, IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY.
YOUR NEIGHBORHOODS RIGHT AROUND Y'ALL.
AND I WANT TO HAVE A LIST ON THE WEBSITE, OUR CITY WEBSITE, WHICH WILL SHOW YOU WHAT PROJECTS ARE GOING ON, HOW MUCH WE'RE SPENDING ON IT, THE COM, THE START DATE, THE COMPLETION DATE, WHERE WE'RE GETTING THE MONEY FROM.
IF YOU GUYS WERE WATCHING OUR CITY COMMISSION MEETING, WHAT ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AGO, WE HAD A GENTLEMAN COME AND TELL US CA SOUL, WHICH WE'VE ALL BEEN TO, WE'VE ALL HAD QUINCEANERAS, WE'VE GONE TO WEDDINGS.
THERE, UH, HAS BEEN NEGLECTED.
UH, THAT BUILDING, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL KNOW THIS WAS DESIGNED BY AN ARCHITECT WHO HAS A STORAGE HISTORY IN HARLINGEN, UH, TO REPLACE THAT GAS THAT THAT SOLD BRAND NEW IN 2020 $4.
UH, BUT IT'S GONNA LOOK AT NEEDING A $2.9 MILLION RENOVATION.
THAT'S WHAT THESE THINGS GO TOWARDS, RIGHT? THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT OUR MONEY, WE NEED TO USE OUR MONEY ON.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, BECAUSE WE ALL ARE HOMEOWNERS, MANY OF US ARE HOMEOWNERS, WE KNOW THAT IF YOU DON'T REPLACE YOUR ROOF, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE ISSUES WHEN IT RAINS.
WE KNOW IF YOU DON'T PAY, UH, TAKE CARE OF YOUR FOUNDATION, YOUR HOUSE IS GONNA HAVE ISSUES, RIGHT? WE ALL WANNA SPEND THE MONEY ON THE POOLS OR THE WHATEVER PEOPLE, TVS.
BUT IF YOUR HOUSE IS LEAKING WHEN IT RAINS, WHAT DOES THAT NEW COUCH DO FOR YOU? RIGHT? AND SO I, I SAY THIS AND, AND, AND I MEAN IT, WE GO THROUGH THESE COMMISSIONER MODEL.
WE GO THROUGH THIS, THIS PROCESS OF THE BUDGET, UH, FOR MONTHS.
WE'D TAKE, WHAT ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET PROCESS.
I MEET WITH STAFF, THE MAYOR MEETS WITH STAFF.
WE ALL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH STAFF.
WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR IDEAS, TO CUT MONEY, UH, TO, TO CUT COST FOR, TO, TO SAVE THE TAXPAYER MONEY BECAUSE I WOULD WANT THAT IN SOMEONE IF SOMEWHERE ELSE RAN IN MY POSITION.
I WOULD WANT THEM PUTTING IN THE EFFORT THAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING IN TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE THOSE SAVINGS AND THAT EVERY DOLLAR WE SPEND GOES TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT IMPROVES OUR CITY AND IS NOT WASTED.
AND SO THAT, AGAIN, THAT'S WHY I SUPPORT IT.
I'VE, I'VE LOOKED OVER THE NUMBERS.
I WORKED WITH GABE ON IT, AND THAT'S WHY I'M ALWAYS, SO THAT'S WHY I APPLAUD GABE.
GABE HAS DONE A FANTASTIC JOB OF ALWAYS CUTTING COSTS, RIGHT? I'VE ALWAYS MADE THE JOKE ABOUT HIM THAT HIS FIRST ANSWER IS ALWAYS NO.
WHENEVER YOU ASK HIM FOR ANYTHING FINANCIALLY, THAT'S NOT TRUE.
IT IS
THE EXAMPLE THAT I BROUGHT UP LAST TIME, OR MAYBE LIKE A MONTH AGO, IS THAT WE, THIS COMMISSION APPROVED TO DO THOSE MASTER PLANS, RIGHT? WE GOT A 300 FOR EVERYONE OUT THERE.
WE GOT A $300,000 GRANT TO DO A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR THE CITY.
AND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS WHAT THE NEXT, THE PROJECTS WE'RE GONNA HAVE FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
UH, THAT'S WHERE WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UH, PUBLIC MEETINGS.
WE'LL BE SHARING IT ON THE WEBSITE AND WHATNOT.
AND THIS COMMISSION, UH, INCLUDED THREE OTHER COMPREHENSIVE PLANS.
ONE PLAN WAS FOR A DOWNTOWN MASTER PLAN.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR DOWNTOWN? HOW CAN WE BETTER HELP OUR BUSINESSES AND, AND BRING MORE BUSINESSES OR MORE BUSINESS AND TOURISTS AND, AND, AND CUSTOMERS DOWNTOWN.
ONE WAS FOR PARKING, AND THEN THE OTHER WAS FOR PARKS.
BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HEARING Y'ALL, UH, HAVE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT PARKS SAYING ABOUT THE GRAFFITI.
I'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER EXAMPLE.
WE'VE HAD ISSUES AT THE ROOF AT PENDLETON PARK POOL.
THAT'S ANOTHER, UH, EXPENSE THAT COMES UP.
WE'VE HAD EXPERIENCE ISSUES AT CAA DE SO WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER BEEZ, YOUR WALKING TRAIL.
UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, UM, SMAR, I'M SORRY, UH, SMAR, UH, WITH, WITH YOUR RE HUH?
[02:05:02]
YEAH.AND THESE ARE THE THINGS WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, SPEND OUR MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE AVOID THE ISSUES OF THE FUTURE.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THIS COMMISSION HAS INHERITED ISSUES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN LOOKED AFTER, MAYBE AS WELL AS WE COULD EVER SHOULD HAVE OR WHATNOT.
OR, AND I'M NOT TRYING TO KNOCK ANYONE ELSE, BUT WE HAVE TO HANDLE THOSE.
AND SO PERFECT EXAMPLE WOULD BE WHEN MR. PENA CAME UP HERE WITH SOUTH, SOUTH PALM COURT ROAD, THAT ROAD HADN'T BEEN TOUCHED.
AND FROM WHAT I, THE RESIDENTS HAVE TOLD ME IN OVER 30 YEARS, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DO IT THIS YEAR.
I THOUGHT IT, I THOUGHT, BUT I WASN'T GONNA DO THAT.
TRUST ME, THE JUDGES GET AFTER ME TOO.
WOULD YOU LIKE SOME? NO, THANK YOU.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT MY FLIGHT COMES BACK AFTER.
SO YOU, THEY'RE GONNA EDIT WHATEVER I SAY.
YEAH, I THOUGHT I THOUGHT ABOUT A PROPERTY MARK.
[02:10:05]
NOT REALLY GOOD CHOCOLATE.YOU LIKE, UM, BLUEBERRY NATURAL.
YOU DON'T NEED MY, HAVE WE TRIED THESE? THESE ARE REALLY GOOD.
BECCA BOUGHT, UM, MOOSE, UH, UH, ALMOST A SUB GENERAL STORE WORTH OF SNACKS AND ALL THAT FOR SCHOOL.
AND WE HAVE LIKE BOXES OF THAT.
I WAS LIKE, DID YOU BUY HER FOR THE WHOLE YESTERDAY
AND SHE LITERALLY TOLD ME I CANNOT GET INTO ANY OF THEM, SO OF COURSE I SNEAK THEM ONCE.
[02:15:01]
FIND OUT.OH YEAH, OF COURSE YOU'RE YOURSELF, CORRECT.
WE'LL SEE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LIVE NOW.
SHE'S PROBABLY WATCHING AND OH YEAH, SHE KNOWS.
WE'RE GONNA JUST CONTINUE WITH YOU.
WHAT, WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY, WELL LET'S JUST, UM, UH, IT'S 7:35 PM AND WE ARE BACK IN OPEN SESSION AFTER SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
AND SO NOW MIKE, YOU WERE SAYING? YEAH, WHAT I WANTED TO SAY, UM, DANIEL, YOU MISSED THE SIXTIES.
FORD AND I WERE THERE AND, UH, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL, ONE OF THE PHRASES FROM ONE OF THE SONGS WAS A MAN HEARS WHAT HE WANTS TO HEAR IN DISREGARD TO THE REST.
AND THEN, UH, PERTAINING TO ALL THIS DISCUSSION.
BUT THE OTHER THING IS NO EXPLANATION IS NEEDED FOR SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS.
FOR SOMEONE WHO DOES NOT WANT TO UNDERSTAND.
COMMISSIONER, WERE YOU SAYING SOMETHING? NO, I'M GOOD.
SO Y'ALL WERE GIVEN THIS? YES.
MAYOR, CAN I READ THE AGENDA ITEM? YES, PLEASE.
IN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, TEXAS, LEVI VALOR, TEXAS FOR USE IN SUPPORT OF THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR, BEGINNING OCTOBER 1ST, 2024, AND TERMINATING SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2025, PROVIDING FOR APPORTIONING EACH LEVY FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, PROVIDING WHEN TAXES SHALL BECOME DUE AND WHEN SAME SHALL BECOME DELINQUENT, IF NOT PAID, PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION IN AN EFFECTIVE DATE AND ORDAINING OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING.
OKAY, SO WE DO HAVE, THIS HAS TO BE DONE IN A SPECIFIC, IN A SPECIFIC WAY.
SO I WOULD NEED A MOTION AND FOR IT TO BE READ AS IT IS LISTED ON YOUR DOCUMENT IN FRONT OF YOU.
WHOEVER'S GONNA MOVE WITH THAT MOTION, IF WE CAN START WITH THE NUMBER ONE.
I MOVE THAT THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS TAX RATE BE FIXED AT 0.4 5 3 6 2 8 FOR $100 SECOND.
AND WE'LL DO THE RECORD VOTE STARTING WITH COMMISSIONER KINSLEY.
AND YOU'VE GOT THAT I'M, OKAY.
AND THEN NUMBER TWO, I MOVE THAT THE INTEREST AND SEEKING TAX RATE BE FIXED AT 0.0 7 3 8 9 6 PER 100.
MAY I SAY SOMETHING ON THAT? YES SIR.
THE SINKING TAX RATE IS THE MONEY WE HAVE TO SET ASIDE TO PAY OUR BOND OBLIGATIONS.
SHOULD YOU VOTE AGAINST THIS? YOU'RE VOTING FOR THE CITY TO DEFAULT ON ITS BONDS AND SO IS THAT A SECOND? SOMEBODY MADE FIRST? YES.
AND SO I'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER KINSLEY.
I MOVE THAT THE PROPERTY TAX RATE BE INCREASED BY THE ADOPTION OF A TAX RATE OF 0.5 2 7 5 2 4 PER HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHICH IS EFFECTIVELY A 5.57 INCREASE IN THE TAX RATE.
SO THE SECOND AND FINAL VOTE WILL TAKE PLACE ON THE PROPOSED TAX RATE ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2024 AT THE REGULAR CITY COMMISSION MEETING AT FIVE 30 HERE AT TOWN HALL AND CITY HALL, 1 8 1 18 EAST TYLER IN HARLINGEN, TEXAS.
AND YOU'VE GOT WHAT YOU NEEDED, RIGHT? I WANNA THANK YOU, ROBERT, YOUR TEAM, UM, EVERYONE IN KAREEM IN IN FINANCE, THAT BOTH OF YOU HAVE WORKED REALLY, REALLY HARD.
AND I COMMEND YOU AND ALL OF CITY STAFF, ALL OF THE DIRECTORS AND EVERYONE THAT PUT IN THE WORK TO PROVIDE US THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEEDED TO MAKE THE DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE, UM, AND ALSO TO THIS COMMISSION FOR WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE DOING THE RIGHT THING BY OUR COMMUNITY.
AND GABE, OF COURSE, FOR LEADING THE SHIP AND CUTTING AND CUTTING AND CUTTING AND CUTTING
I'M EXCITED FOR THE FUTURE OF HARLINGEN AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO, UM, MOVING, MOVING FORWARD.
ALRIGHT, AND MELINDA, MOVING ON TO ITEM 10 I, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE VEHICLE TOWING ORDINANCE ON SECOND AND FINAL READING,
[02:20:01]
AMENDING THE HARLINGEN CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 1846 DASH 93 THROUGH 46 DASH 1 35, SCHEDULE A FEES AND CHAPTER 46, ARTICLE THREE, VEHICLE TOWING PERTAINING TO TOWING STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR TOWS REQUESTED BY POLICE, CITIZENS OF PRIVATE TOWS, PROVIDING FOR APPLICATIONS, PERMITS, REGULATIONS, C CERTIFICATIONS, AND OTHER SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, PROVIDING FOR ENFORCEMENT AND PROHIBITIONS, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CON OR CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, AMENDING LICENSE AND TOWING FEES, WHICH MAY BE CHARGED WITH THE CITY AND OTHER PARTICULARS POLICE.AND BEFORE WE GET STARTED WITH THIS, I WANNA EXTEND MY APOLOGIES TO EVERYONE THAT IS HERE FROM THE TOWING INDUSTRY.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE HERE.
I SHOULD HAVE MOVED, GEORGE, AGENDA THE ITEM UP SO YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO SIT HERE THROUGH ALL OF THIS.
UM, I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT UNTIL RIGHT THIS SECOND SO, UM, AND USUALLY THESE GUYS HERE TELL ME, AND, AND, AND SO I, I APOLOGIZE, UM, FOR, FOR THAT AND WE'LL TRY TO BE QUICK, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I KNOW THAT COMMISSIONER LOPEZ, WE HAD DISCUSSED OF MAKING THIS, EVEN THOUGH IT'S NOT LISTED AS A PUBLIC HEARING, TO HAVE, UM, COMMENTS FROM ANY OF THE OPERATORS THAT ARE HERE.
SO, BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, UM, CHIEF
AND THE HEAVY DUTY TOW STAYED THE SAME AT 700 FOR THE BASIC FEE.
ALL OTHER FEES ASSOCIATED WITH ANY OF THE, THE TOWS ARE GONNA BE, UH, DEFERRED TO THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF LICENSE AND REGULATIONS, WHICH RE REGULATES THE RECORD CHARGES.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, EVEN THOUGH IT, IT DOES STATE THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA LIMIT THE ROTATION LIST TO EIGHT COMPANIES, ANY COMPANIES CURRENTLY ON THE LIST WILL BE KEPT ON THAT LIST UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY FALLS DOWN TO EIGHT.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
SO LET'S SAY THE, UM, IT, AND THERE WE GO.
UH, LET'S SAY, UH, A WRECKER OPERATOR HERE HAS FOUR DIFFERENT COMPANIES.
DO THEY ALL QUALIFY OR IT'S, IT'S THE PARENT COMPANY THAT QUALIFIES IF THEY'RE IDENTIFIED AS THE COMPANY IS REGULATED, IN OTHER WORDS, BY TAX ID.
SO IF THEY'RE INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES YES.
AND SO, AND EVERYBODY GETS A FAIR SHAKE THROUGH THE ROTATION, RIGHT? I KNOW WE DID.
WE HAD ASKED, UM, AND, AND WE WERE HOPING TO HAVE A MEETING AND, AND I KNOW THAT THE TWO OF YOU WERE GOING TO, THEN IT CONFLICTED WITH ANOTHER, ANOTHER MEETING.
BUT, UM, WE HAD ASKED TO GET A LIST OF ALL OF THOSE, UH, WRECKER COMPANIES AND WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT.
BUT IF YOU CAN JUST SEND IT TO US WHEN YOU GET AN OPPORTUNITY, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT.
I KNOW EVERYBODY'S BEEN REALLY BUSY AND THEN IT WAS A HOLIDAY, UM, ALSO, AND I I, BUT WHEN YOU SEND IT TO US, IF YOU CAN SEND IT TO THE ENTIRE COMMISSION AS, AS WELL.
WE'LL, I'LL GET THAT DONE TOMORROW.
AND, UM, THERE WAS A, BUT I THINK THAT, AND I DIDN'T SEE IT HERE, CHIEF, BUT THERE WAS A QUESTION REGARDING THE TIME.
IS THAT RIGHT? RE AND, AND SO WE REVERTED BACK OR, UH, WE ADJUSTED THE TIMES FOR THE LIGHT DUTY TOES DURING, UH, MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY, EIGHT TO 5:00 PM TO 20 MINUTE RESPONSE TIME DOWN FROM A 30 MINUTE, BUT EVERYTHING ELSE STAYED THE SAME.
AND THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT YOU GOT FROM THE STATE, RIGHT? I THINK THAT WAS, THAT'S WHAT THE STATE, UM, OR NOT THE STATE, BUT LIKE THE, YOU MENTIONED THAT THAT WAS A REQUIREMENT BY, I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY.
I'M LOSING, I THINK THAT WAS THE STATE.
SO IT WAS KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WAS PROPOSED AND WHAT WAS, WHAT WAS PROPOSING, WHAT WAS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS, RIGHT? CORRECT.
UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF? IS, DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR HIM? NO, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU.
I KNOW THAT, UH, YOU MET WITH, UH, THE TOW TRUCK DRIVERS AND GAVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK IT OVER AND, YOU KNOW, TAKE IN THEIR FEEDBACK.
SO I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK Y'ALL HAVE BEEN DOING ON THIS.
[02:25:01]
THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT, AND I THINK THAT WE DIDN'T COME TO AN AGREEMENT, AND MAYBE THAT CAN BE SOME, UH, PRESENT, NOT A PRESENTATION, BUT MAYBE JUST DISCUSSION WITH THIS COMMISSION WAS THE, THE, THE, THE REQUEST OR TO ADJUST OR AMEND THE ORDINANCE TO REQUIRE A EQUIPMENT LIST.AND THERE WAS CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, BUT THERE WAS REALLY, I DON'T THINK THAT WE CAME UP WITH A, WHAT, WHAT I MENTIONED TO THE CHIEF AND TO THE TOW COMPANIES THAT I COULD NOT UNILATERALLY DO ANYTHING MYSELF.
AND THAT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE THE COMMISSION TO CONSIDER THAT.
'CAUSE THAT WOULD BE A CHANGE FROM THE ORDINANCE.
WE DID HAVE 'EM PROVIDE AN EQUIPMENT LIST IF YOU SO DESIRE.
AND SO ARE THERE ANY OF THE COMP, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS SOME OPPOSITION, UM, TO THAT, AND THEN THERE WAS SOME SUPPORT FOR THAT.
AND SO I, I DO WANNA GIVE THE OPPORTUNITY, SINCE YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING HERE, UH, PATIENTLY, IF, UH, IS THERE ANYONE HERE THAT WISHES TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COME ON UP.
UM, THE LIST, WE ALREADY HAVE A LIST FROM TDLR.
THEY TELL US WHAT THE TOW TRUCK NEEDS, WHAT EQUIPMENT WE NEED.
THAT'S THE ONLY LIST THAT WE NEED.
AND I THINK IF SOMEBODY COMES IN AND SPENDS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON EQUIPMENT, WHY DOES THAT HAVE TO KICK EVERYBODY ELSE OUT? I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR.
THE, I THINK WE OUGHT TO GO BY WHAT TDLR SAYS, THIS IS THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO DO HEAVY DUTY.
THIS IS THE EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO DO REGULAR DUTY.
THAT'S WHAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS WENT BY.
SO WHY CHANGE THAT NOW? I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY REASON WE SHOULD HAVE TO CHANGE THAT.
UM, THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO SAY ON THAT, THAT PART.
CAN I CHANGE THE SUBJECT OR NO? YES, SIR.
UM, I BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE ONE STORAGE LOT.
ONE COMPANY, NOT ONE STORAGE LOT, FIVE AND SIX COMPANIES.
THAT AIN'T FAIR TO EVERYBODY ELSE.
IT SHOULD BE ONE COMPANY, ONE STORAGE LOT, ONE OWNER.
THAT WAY EVERYBODY HAS A FAIR SHOT.
IT SHOULDN'T BE, WELL, WE HAVE FIVE OR SIX COMPANIES.
WE USED TO HAVE FIVE COMPANIES AND WE FELT IT WASN'T FAIR.
WE PULLED OUR COMPANIES OUT, WE LEFT ONE JUST TO MAKE IT FAIR WITH EVERYBODY ELSE.
SO FOR SOMEBODY ELSE TO COME IN AND SAY, WELL, Y'ALL TO HAVE THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT FAIR.
IT'S ONE OWNER, ONE COMPANY, ONE STORAGE LOT.
AND, UH, THAT WAS THE OTHER THING.
I I DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR TO HAVE MULTI COMPANIES, SAME OWNER ON ONE LOT.
THAT JUST TAKES FROM EVERYBODY ELSE.
ANY, ANYONE ELSE? YOU'VE BEEN HERE WAITING PATIENTLY.
HI, MY NAME IS NICOLE ORTIZ AND I AM FOR THE EQUIPMENT LIST.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE THERE HAVE BEEN INSTANCES WHERE RECORD COMPANIES GO OUT TO THE SCENES AND THEY DON'T HAVE THE EQUIPMENT THAT'S NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DONE, WHICH THEN IN TURN MAKES THE ROTATION OF THE OFFICERS OR DISPATCHERS HAVING TO WAIT TO CALL ON THEIR RECORD SERVICE TO GO OUT.
I KNOW IN THE BIGGER CITIES, LIKE IN HOUSTON, UM, THEY DO HAVE THIS WHERE THEY HAVE AN EQUIPMENT LIST FOR THE LIGHT DUTY AND FOR THE HEAVY DUTY, WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN EQUIPMENT LIST FOR THE LIGHT DUTY, BUT THERE IS NOT AN EQUIPMENT LIST FOR THE HEAVY DUTY ROTATIONS OR THE REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO BE ON THE HEAVY DUTY ROTATION FOR THE CITY OF HARLAN.
IS THERE ANY, UM, QUESTIONS? YEAH.
WHETHER IT'S YOU JONES, UH, SIR, IN THE, UH, IN THE MY FRONT ORANGE OR YOU, MA'AM? OKAY.
UH, IF YOU'RE GONNA SPEAK, I'M GONNA NEED YOU TO JUST COME UP HERE JUST, UM, AND WHOEVER CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION, RIGHT? SO AS THESE GUYS KNOW, I'M A BIG PROPONENT OF JUST FOLLOWING THE STATE, THE STATE ORDINANCE, RIGHT? KEEPS THINGS SIMPLE AND CLEAN.
UM, IF YOU COULD EXPAND ON YOUR, YOUR CONCERN, MA'AM, OF HAVING AN EQUIPMENT LIST.
WHAT LIST, WHAT EQUIPMENT'S ON THAT LIST THAT IS NOT ON THE STATE LIST THAT WOULD NECESSITATE OR HAS CAUSED ISSUES IN THE PAST? LIKE I PRESUME YOU GUYS ALL CARRY CHAINS.
SO IF YOU CAN GIMME AN EXAMPLE, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK THAT UP BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE'S ACTUALLY, UM, AN EQUIPMENT LIST ON TDR.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR CHAINS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE YOUR BROOMS, YOUR SHOVELS, ALL OF YOUR NECESSITIES.
[02:30:01]
SO IT'S LIKE THE BASIC NECESSITIES.IT'S NOT NECESSARILY FOR LIGHT OR HEAVY.
AND SO YOU, YOU'VE BEEN AT OR HAVE HAD SITUATIONS WHERE MAYBE SOMEONE DOESN'T HAVE ALL THEIR EQUIPMENT ON THEIR LIST OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE AND IT'S CAUSED ISSUES.
AND I CAN GIVE AN INSTANCE OF, UM, I BELIEVE A YEAR OR TWO AGO THERE WAS A ACCIDENT.
UM, THE ROAD WAS FROZEN, LADY WENT INTO A CANAL, SEVERAL WRECKER SERVICES HAD TO BE CALLED OUT TILL THEY GOT TO US TO BE ABLE TO RETRIEVE THAT VEHICLE FROM THE CANAL.
FILLING ME IN AND EDUCATING ME.
AND I THINK, UM, MR. MYERS MAYBE, UH, JUST BECAUSE THE, THE REST OF THE COMMISSION WASN'T THERE, YOU HAD MENTIONED THAT, UM, WHATEVER YOU DIDN'T HAVE, YOU COULD RENT, IF I RECALL.
YOU CAN RENT IT OR WE HAVE IT.
I MEAN, WE HAVE THE EQUIPMENT.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S FAIR FOR THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE BUSINESSES TO BE BASICALLY KIND OF SHOOT OUT WHERE THEY CAN'T DO SOMETHING THAT THEY COULD DO.
THEY, EVERYBODY HAS EQUIPMENT.
DO YOU HAVE THE MOST EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT? DO YOU HAVE ALL THOSE OTHER SPECIALTY TOOLS? THERE'S A LOT OF SPECIALTY TOOLS.
WE DON'T NEED TO DO THE JOB AND DO THE JOB.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN CALLED OUT THAT WE'VE EVER, EVER TURNED OUT A JOB.
SO WE CAN STILL DO THE SAME JOB NO PROBLEM.
AND I BELIEVE WE SHOULD JUST STAY WITH WHAT THEY SAY ARE NECESSITIES.
I BELIEVE THEY HAVE A LIST RIGHT NOW ALREADY IN FORCE.
WE JUST KEEP THAT LIST FOR EVERYBODY.
AND JUST TO BE FAIR WITH EVERYBODY, WITH ALL THE RECORDS, CHIEF, HAVE YOU HAD ISSUES WITH, UH, COMPANIES NOT HAVING THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF.
AND AND AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE A A LIST ON HERE WHEN WE DO THE INSPECTIONS, BUT IT'S THE BASIC LIST FOR LIGHT DUTY TOWS.
MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING THAT COMMISSION, IF IT BECOMES AN ISSUE, CHIEF, YOU BRING THIS BACK TO US AND WE UPDATE THAT LIST AS NECESSARY.
I THINK, UM, I KNOW GABE POINTED OUT THAT IT, IT WOULDN'T HURT TO HAVE AN EQUIPMENT LIST TO KNOW WHAT DID, WHAT DID YOU MENTION THAT SO THAT WAY THAT AT LEAST IF THERE'S THESE MAJOR ACCIDENTS, YOU KNOW EXACTLY, UM, WHAT THESE INDIVIDUAL COMPANIES HAVE.
SO THAT WAY YOU ARE NOT WASTING TIME AND YOU WERE EFFICIENT AND WE CLEAR THE ROADS.
AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE DISCUSSION WENT IN TERMS OF WELL, THAT IS TRUE.
HOWEVER, IF IF A CERTAIN COMPANY DOESN'T HAVE THAT, THEN THE STUFF IS READILY AVAILABLE TO, TO RENT OR TO, TO BORROW OR, OR WHAT, WHAT HAVE YOU.
AND SO, UM, I DON'T, WHAT WHAT WE COULD DO ALSO, MAYOR, IS JUST ASK THE COMPANIES TO GIVE YOU ONE VOLUNTARILY.
THEY CAN CHOOSE TO GIVE YOU ONE OR THEY CANNOT CHOOSE TO GIVE YOU ONE.
THAT WAY YOU HAVE IT ON, ON FILE IF YOU NEED TO.
SOMEBODY DOES GO INTO A DITCH, YOU KNOW, WHO CAN PULL 'EM OUT.
UM, AND NOW I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE I BROUGHT THAT UP HERE THAT, UH, I DON'T RECALL, BUT I KNOW THAT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE THE DISCUSSION WENT.
AND THEN, UM, RODNEY SAID, WELL, WE CAN BORROW OR OR RENT FROM LA FARIA I THINK IS, WELL WE'VE BEEN AROUND.
SO IT'S BASICALLY, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND 37 YEARS, NEVER HAD A PROBLEM RECOVERING ANYTHING AND HAVE WORKED FOR HARLEY IN ALL THEM YEARS.
WE'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM RECOVERING ANYTHING IN HAR AND AT ALL.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CLEAN UP ANYTHING HERE.
WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE A LIST CHIEF AND I BROUGHT THIS UP BEFORE WE SHOW UP AT A SCENE AND IT'S A MESS.
YOU KNOW, I CALL THEM, I DEPEND ON THEM TO, IF THEY SHOWED UP AND THERE WAS SOME SPECIALTY EQUIPMENT, THEY DIDN'T NEED TO, IT'D HAVE TO BE THEM TO SAY, WE DON'T HAVE THAT EQUIPMENT.
YOU COULD GO ON FOREVER TRYING TO MAKE A LIST.
I MEAN, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS YOU COULD HAVE TO GET, YOU COULD USE, BUT THERE'S OTHER THINGS YOU DON'T NEED TO DO IT.
OTHER COMPANIES MIGHT HAVE, UH, A SKID STEER WHERE ONE MIGHT HAVE A TRACTOR.
NO, BUT LIKE, LIKE YOU NEED IT ALL ON THE LIST BECAUSE LIKE, YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT THE LIST THAT YOU HAVE IS FOR THE BASIC NECESSITIES.
I'M TALKING ABOUT LIKE FOR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIGHT DUTY AND HEAVY DUTY.
LIKE, WOULD IT BE BENEFICIAL TO HAVE A LIST FOR THE HEAVY DUTY SO THAT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE A LIST OF CHAINS, ALL THE STUFF THEY NEED.
I MEAN, 18 WHEELER FLIPS OVER.
EVERYBODY HAS A CHAINS IN A HEAVY DUTY TO FLIP THEM TRUCKS OVER AND DO WHAT THEY NEED TO DO.
I APPRECIATE ALL THE TIME EVERYONE'S HAD TO PUT INTO THIS.
UM, I'M HOPING THAT THIS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING TOWARDS IMPROVING THE PROCESS FOR EVERYONE.
UM, AND AGAIN, JUST 'CAUSE WE DID IT THIS ONE TIME, THIS WAY, YOU KNOW, IN A YEAR OR TWO WE CAN ALWAYS COME BACK AND IF THERE'S BEEN ISSUES, WE'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO IMPROVE.
THIS COMMISSION HAS BEEN GOOD ABOUT ALWAYS, UH,
[02:35:01]
EVOLVING RIGHT.UH, CHIEF, IF YOU HAVE NO FURTHER COMMENTS, UH, MARK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ THE ORDINANCE SO THAT WE CAN YES.
I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN HOME HERE LATE AND WE JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE GAVE EVERYBODY AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
MARK IN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, AMENDING HARLINGEN CODE OF ORDINANCES AT CHAPTER 1846 TO 93 THROUGH 40, 46 THROUGH 1 35, SCHEDULE A FEES IN CHAPTER 46, ARTICLE THREE, VEHICLE TOWING PERTAINING TO TOWING STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR TOWS REQUESTED BY POLICE, CITIZENS OR PRIVATE TOWS, PROVIDING FOR APPLICATIONS, PERMITS, REGULATIONS, CERTIFICATIONS AND OTHER SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, PROVIDING FOR ENFORCEMENT AND PROHIBITIONS, PROVIDING FOR REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES, AMENDING LICENSE AND TOWING FEES, WHICH MAY BE CHARGED WITHIN THE CITY.
ITEM J, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO ADOPT AN ORDINANCE ON FIRST READING, AMENDING THE CITY OF PARDONING AND CODE OF ORDINANCES.
ARTICLE TWO, COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SECTION 38 31 DUTY TO PROVIDE RECEPTACLES SPECIFICATIONS BY CLARIFYING THE SIZE OF THE RE RECEPTACLE FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL SECTION 38 33 RECEPTACLES TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO COLLECTORS BY CLARIFYING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE GARBAGE CONTAINER.
AND SECTION 38 THROUGH 39 TREE LIMBS, BRUSH TRIMMINGS AND THE LIGHT COLLECTION BY CLARIFYING THE DATE AND LOCATION FOR BRUSH TO BE PLACED ON CITY RIGHT OF WAY FOR COLLECTION SERVICES, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
MARK, IN ORDER TO AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, CODE OF ORDINANCES, CHAPTER 38, SOLID WASTE, ARTICLE TWO, COLLECTION DISPOSAL SECTION 38 31 DUTY TO PROVIDE RECEPTACLE SPECIFICATIONS BY CLARIFYING THE SIZE OF THE RECEPTACLE FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL, UH, SECTION 38 33 RE RECEPTACLES TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO COLLECTORS BY CLARIFYING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE GARBAGE CONTAINER.
AND SECTION 38 39 TREE LIMBS, BRUSH TRIMMINGS AND THE LIKE COLLECTION BY CLARIFYING THE DATE AND LOCATION FOR BRUSH TO BE PLACED ON THE CITY OF RIGHT OF WAY FOR COLLECTION SERVICES, PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION AND ORDAINING.
OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING.
SO WE'RE WITH THIS ORDINANCE AMENDMENT.
SO THIS IS, UH, IN COORDINATION WITH THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
SO THERE ARE THREE MAIN THINGS THAT ARE BEING PROPOSED WITH THIS ORDINANCE.
THE FIRST ONE IS, ALL BRUSH MUST BE PLACED ON STREET RIGHTWAY ON THE ASSIGNED WEEK ONLY.
IT SHALL BE UNLAWFUL TO ANY CUSTOMER TO PAY FOR COLLECTION IN ANY STREET RIGHTWAY BEFORE THE MONDAY OF THE CITY WEBSITE PUBLISHED ANNOUNCEMENT OF BRUSH COLLECTION BY THE CITY.
SO ONLY THE WEEK THAT IS ASSIGNED FOR YOUR, UH, AREA, THAT'S WHEN YOU, UH, YOU CAN PLACE YOUR BRUSH.
UH, UH, NUMBER TWO, ALL HOUSE, ALL HOUSEHOLD TRASH MUST BE BACKED.
NUMBER THREE, ALL LOOSE LEAVES MUST BE BACKED.
UH, SO THEN ALSO THERE'S A, IF YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE, AND YOU COULD GET A NOTICE OF VIOLATION.
AND IF THAT DOESN'T WORK, THEN YOU WILL GET A CITATION IN MUNICIPAL COURT.
AND WHAT ARE WE TALKING? UM, I JUST THINK IT'S FUNNY.
THEY COME AND PICK UP THE BRUSH AND THEN THAT NEXT DAY PEOPLE PUT BRUSH OUT ON THE STREET FOR A MONTH.
AND I'VE HAD SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THAT.
BUT WHAT IS, WHAT IS THE NOTICE OF VIOLATION? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SO IF YOU DO THAT, YOU PUT A BRUSH RIGHT AFTER THE TRUCK PASS BY, UH, THE CODE COMPLIANCE OFFICERS WILL GIVE YOU A NOTICE OF VIOLATION BECAUSE NOW YOU'RE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE, WITH THIS NEW ORDINANCE.
UH, SO YOU HAVE 10 DAYS TO REMEDY THE SITUATION.
REMOVE THE BRUSH, UH, DO YOU KNOW, TAKE IT SOMEWHERE.
IF YOU DON'T, THEN TAKE IT TO TAKE IT TO THE LANDFILL.
NO DUMPING, NOT, NOT ILLEGALLY DUMP.
UM, SO IF YOU DON'T COMPLY WITHIN THOSE 10 DAYS, THEN YOU COULD GET A CITATION.
UM, AND SO THE CODE COMPLIANCE OFFICER WILL GIVE YOU A CITATION AND YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE A TICKET WITH MUNICIPAL COURT.
AND HOW DOES SUPPLI TO ALLEYS AS WELL, OR JUST ROADSIDE? SO, UM, I'LL REFER TO, UH, MS. GU.
GOOD EVENING, MAYOR CITY COMMISSION.
RUTH NEW ASSISTANT PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR FOR THE RECORD.
SO YES, THAT'S GONNA BE APPLIED TO EVERYTHING ALLEYWAYS OR ROADWAYS AS WELL.
DO, DO WE NEED TO CLARIFY THAT IT ALSO APPLIES TO ALLEYS? 'CAUSE RIGHT NOW IT JUST SAYS STREET RIGHT OF WAY AND ALLEY IS NOT A STREET RIGHT OF WAY.
[02:40:01]
OKAY.AND AND THEN HOW DO YOU KNOW IF SOMEBODY THROWS, UH, A COUPLE OF TWIGS OR BRANCHES IN THE GARBAGE CAN? IT'S HARD TO TELL.
WE REALLY WON'T BE ABLE TO TELL UNTIL YOU ACTUALLY, UM, DUMPING THEM.
SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO ALSO IS TO EDUCATE THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? SO THAT WE DO HAVE THE DRIVERS REPORT THAT TO DISPATCH, AND THEN WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GET THE ADDRESS AND ALSO BE PROACTIVE IN THAT WAY TO EDUCATE 'EM WHEN THE TREE LIMBS DON'T GO THERE.
OF COURSE, IF THEY'RE STICKING OUT, THEN THEY WON'T SERVE AS A CONTAINER AND REPORT THE ADDRESS AS WELL.
SO WHEN PEOPLE, I'M JUST KIND OF THINKING OF, UM, 'CAUSE I GET THE COMPLAINTS YEAH.
AND, AND, UH, YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS, I THINK, AND SO WHEN FOLKS HAVE THEIR, THEIR YARD, UM, THEIR YARD CUT OR THEIR TREES TRIMMED, UH, NATURALLY WHENEVER THEY GET THAT DONE, UM, THAT MIGHT NOT FALL ON THE TIMEFRAME OF WHEN THE CITY GOES AND COLLECTS.
SO GENERALLY PEOPLE JUST DO ALL THAT AND THEN THEY PLACE IT IN FRONT OF THEIR HOME AND IT SITS THERE UNTIL IT'S READY TO BE PICKED UP.
UM, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF BEEN THE, THE ISSUE.
SO NOW PEOPLE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
IS THAT RIGHT? SO IT GOES BACK TO EDUCATING THE COMMUNITY, RIGHT? SO IF, YOU KNOW, YOUR WEEK OF, UH, PICKUP IS NOT UNTIL THREE WEEKS, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDED TO MAYBE NOT DO TWO TREATMENT THAT WEEK, THAT WEEK, MAYBE WEEK CLOSER TO YOUR PICKUP.
BECAUSE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS TO HAVE HIM PICK, PLACE IT OUT THERE BEFORE THE MONDAY OF YOUR DAY OF COLLECTION.
BECAUSE LIKE YOU ALL MENTIONED, IT DOES HAPPEN QUITE OFTEN WHERE WE JUST PASS BY THERE AND THE NEXT DAY, OR WITHIN THAT SAME WEEK, THEY'RE CALLING US, HEY, I HAVE BRUSH OUT THERE AND YOU GUYS ARE NOT, WE WERE JUST THERE YESTERDAY.
AND RIGHT AWAY, DOES THAT MEAN IT CAN NO LONGER BE LAID ON BY THE CURB AND GUTTER ON THE STREET? IT HAS TO BE UP ON THE SIDEWALK.
SO IT WOULD BE ON THE, IT WOULD, IT WOULD BE BEST ON THE SIDEWALK.
SO WHAT IF THERE'S NO SIDEWALK AND THERE'S NO, UM, SO LIKE, USUALLY WHEN THEY HAVE ALLEYWAYS, IF THERE'S ALLEYWAYS, THEY'LL PLACE IT IN THE ALLEY, BUT THEY COULD NOT PLACE IT IN THE ALLEY NOW.
AND IF THEY DON'T PLACE IT IN THE ALLEY, THEY PUT IT ON THE, ON THE WHERE? ON THE, WELL, I'M JUST SAYING, 'CAUSE I KNOW LIKE IN DISTRICT FIVE, OR SAY MY NEIGHBORHOOD, WE DON'T HAVE, THERE'S NO SIDEWALKS.
WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE CURBING GUTTER.
SO WHERE WOULD MY NEIGHBORS PLACE THEIR BRUSH? AND WE DON'T HAVE AN ALLEY.
SO IT WOULD BE ON YOUR PROPERTY, BASICALLY THE RIGHT OF WAY ON YOUR RIGHT OF WAY.
BUT YOU CAN'T HAVE IT THERE UNTIL IT'S YOUR TURN TO BE PICKED UP, RIGHT? CORRECT.
SO I THINK IS THERE GOING TO, AND I THINK THIS IS GREAT, A GREAT IDEA BECAUSE WE WANNA BEAUTIFY HARLINGEN.
I HAVEN'T HAD, UM, SOME CONSTITUENTS CALLING AND SAYING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE AN ORDINANCE WHERE, UM, THERE'S A SPECIFIC TIME AMOUNT THAT YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR TRASH CAN OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE.
BECAUSE PEOPLE LEAVE THE, YOU KNOW, THEY COME AND THEY DUMP THE TRASH AND THEN THEY LEAVE THE CONTAINERS, YOU KNOW, ON THE FLOOR, LIKE, UH, SIDEWAYS OR, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND IT'S A MESS.
AND THEN ESPECIALLY IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THERE'S, YOU HAVE VERY LITTLE SPACE BETWEEN HOUSES.
AND SO THEY'LL CALL AND SAY, HEY, MY NEIGHBOR, HE NEVER PUTS HIS, HIS GARBAGE.
YOU KNOW? AND, AND IT JUST STAYS THERE UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR, SO IT IS AN ISSUE.
PEOPLE WANT THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS TO LOOK NICE.
BUT, UM, WHAT KIND OF, UM, WHAT KIND OF AWARENESS ARE WE GOING, WHAT KIND OF PUBLIC, UH, CAMPAIGN, I GUESS AWARENESS TO LET PEOPLE KNOW YOU NEED TO CHECK THE WEBSITE TO SEE, UM, ARE WE GONNA HAVE LIKE AN AMNESTY PERIOD OF WHERE WE'RE EDUCATING PEOPLE INSTEAD OF FINDING THEM SO THAT THEY CAN KIND OF GET INTO THE GROOVE OF THINGS AND IT'S A FOLLOW UP.
HOW ARE PEOPLE GONNA KNOW THIS? RIGHT.
I WOULD SAY POLY SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE THE BEST WAY TO GO ABOUT IT TO, AND SEND LETTERS TO KIND OF ADVISE THEM OF IT.
UM, RIGHT NOW, I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANYTHING IN PLACE AS TO FAR AS HOW THEY WERE GONNA BE COMMUNICATED.
BUT I WOULD SAY SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE THE FIRST WAY TO GO.
'CAUSE MANNY, YOU'RE, YOU'RE THERE.
YOU WANNA COME UP HERE REAL QUICK.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU GET THESE CALLS? ALL THE TIME.
SO THESE CALLS ARE PRETTY FREQUENT.
SO OUR APPROACH IS GONNA BE ON MY DEPARTMENT.
'CAUSE YOU'RE GONNA COME THROUGH ME.
IT'S GONNA BE A COURTESY NOTICES TO GET 'EM STARTED.
WE'RE GONNA SEND OUT COURTESY NOTICES, ADVISE 'EM OF THE NEW, OF NEW ORDINANCE THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE JUST TO ADVISE THEM.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, IS THIS IS IN PLACE WE'RE LETTING YOU KNOW IS BIG RED LETTERS, COURTESY ONLY.
WHAT DID IT WHERE IT'S GONNA BE.
AND AS FAR AS PATIENT YOUR BRUSH OUT, YOU KNOW, THE WEEK BEFORE, USUALLY I ADVISE 'EM A WEEK BEFORE YOUR PICKUP IS, IS GREAT 'CAUSE YOUR GRASS WON'T DIE WITHIN A WEEK.
A LOT OF THE ISSUES THAT I, THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW WITH, WITH, UM, NUMBER
[02:45:01]
TWO AND NUMBER THREE IS WHERE OUR DRIVERS GO OUT THERE, THEY DUMP THESE CANS AND THEY, THEY DON'T BAG THEIR TRASH.AND THEN THEY GO ALL THESE, ALL THESE DEBRIS ON THE GROUND.
NUMBER THREE, ESPECIALLY, UM, I DON'T LIKE IT BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE LEAVE THEIR LEAVES ON THE RIGHT OF WAY.
I'M TRYING TO PROTECT OUR STORM INLETS.
AND ONCE THESE LEAVES GOING TO THE STORE, MAIN OUTLETS, THEY'VE CREATED A WHAT LIKE TO CALL LIKE A, LIKE, LIKE A PILLOW WHEN IT RAINS, IT JUST PLUGS IT UP.
AND THEN WE HAVE SOMEBODY WORKS OUT THERE WITH THEIR VAC TRUCKS TRYING TO, TRYING TO VACUUM THINGS OUT.
TRYING TO GET THOSE THINGS TO, TO RUN.
WE DO DO DO OUR HANGERS AS WELL, UH, COURTESY OUR HANGERS JUST TO ADVISE 'EM OF THE SITUATION.
AND SOCIAL MEDIA WILL BE ONE OF BIG ARE BIG OUTLETS.
NOW, BACK TO YOUR, WHEN YOU MENTIONED ABOUT THE TRASH CANS, WE DO HAVE AN ORDINANCE IN PLACE FOR IT AND WE DO ADDRESS IT.
CAN YOU SEND IT TO ME? I WILL, WILL DO.
IT'S UNDER THEIR, THEIR ORDINANCES.
BUT WE DO ADDRESS SOMEONE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
SO, SO WHAT, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THAT IS? IT STATES, AS SOON AS THE, THE, THE TRASH IS PICKED UP, THE CAN MUST BE PUT AWAY OFF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
TO REPORT TO YOU IF NEXT WEEK IS PICKUP FOR MY AREA, I'M CLEAR TO PUT THE TRIP, PUT THE LIMBS OUT THIS WEEK.
BECAUSE IT, LIKE THIS CASE THIS WEEK HAS BEEN RAINING, SO YOU CAN'T GET YOUR GARDENER OUT THERE.
THE ORDINANCE HAS BEFORE THE MONDAY OF THE CITY WEBSITE PUBLISHED ANNOUNCEMENTS OF PRESS COLLECTION BY THE CITY.
THAT'S WHAT THE ORDINANCE SAYS.
AND I'M GONNA WORK WITH CITIZENS.
SOMETIMES A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE CAN'T GET TO THE YARDS, YOU KNOW, DURING THE WEEK BECAUSE THEY WORK EIGHT TO FIVE, EIGHT TO SIX.
IT'S GONNA DO A TIME CHANGE NOW.
SO IT'S GONNA GET DARKER EARLIER DURING THE DAY.
SO THEY HAVE TO WORK ON THE WEEKENDS.
I DON'T HAVE AN ISSUE WITH WORKING FOR THEIR CITIZENS, BUT IF THEY CAN HELP ME OUT WITH P*****G IT, SO WE'RE GONNA REWORD THAT.
THEN WE CAN ADD VERBIAGE CHANGE IF WE HAVE TO.
WHENEVER, IF THAT'S WHAT THEY WISH OF THE COMMISSION IS.
I I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
IT SHOULD PROBABLY SAY THE MONDAY BEFORE THE WEEK.
SO THAT WAY IT'S EXTREMELY CLEAR.
AND THEN WE CAN ALSO HAVE A, A MEDIA COME UP WITH A VIDEO ABOUT THAT.
'CAUSE THAT'S GONNA BE IMPORTANT.
SOCIAL MEDIA, FLYERS, DOOR HANGERS.
BRANDON CAN COME OUT OF THE TRASH CAN.
'CAUSE I RECEIVED SOME CALLS FROM SOME OF MY CONSTITUENTS THAT WERE WORRIED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE KIND OF LIKE WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE, THE LEAVES AND ALL THAT STUFF, UM, CLOGGING UP THE, THE DRAINAGE AND ALL THAT.
SO THIS IS WHERE THEY CAME FROM.
MANNY'S IDEA WAS LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ACTUALLY BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS FOR A WHILE.
SO THEN I REACHED OUT TO DANIEL AND THEN DANIEL'S BEEN HELPING ME, UM, WORK THIS OUT.
HE'S THE ONE, YOU KNOW, MR. LAWYER MODE GOT ALL INTO IT AND WORKED OUT THE DETAILS.
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY, UH, COMING FROM WHAT THE PEOPLE WANT.
RIGHT? NO, I THINK WE ALL GET THOSE, WE ALL GET THE CALLS AND THEN YOU GET MOST OF THE CALLS AND THEN WE GIVE YOU OUR CALLS.
SO, SO WE, WE UNDERSTAND, AND THIS IS DEFINITELY, THIS IS A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE GIVING SUFFICIENT NOTICE TO PEOPLE.
AND SO THESE COURTESY, UM, LIKE WARNING NOTICES TYPE OF THING WILL BE FOR A MONTH, TWO MONTHS.
NOT INDEFINITELY BECAUSE WE'VE GOT PEOPLE TOO.
I MEAN, IT'S GOING TO, IT IS GONNA BE AN ONGOING PROGRAM TO GET 'EM, TO GET 'EM USED TO IT.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY'RE USED TO JUST PUTTING IT OUT.
LIKE, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, THE ONE DAY AFTER YOU TALKED TO ME, MR. BE PICKED IT UP AND THE VERY NEXT DAY THERE WAS ALREADY A COUCH OUT THE FOLLOWING DAY.
MAYOR, I WOULD SUGGEST IT WOULD GO A MONTH BECAUSE IT TAKES A MONTH TO CYCLE THROUGH THE ENTIRE CITY.
SO I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, THAT WE DON'T, UM, ACTUALLY UNDERTAKE ANY OF THIS IMPLEMENTATION UNTIL WE, WE GO IN THE PUBLIC 30 DAYS NOTICE THAT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN.
I DO THINK THE WARNING IS GOOD THOUGH, WITHIN THIS 30 DAY NOTICE.
BECAUSE THEN, YOU KNOW, ONCE YOU GET THAT NOTICE, YOU'RE NOW, YOU, YOU NOW YOU KNOW, NOW YOU KNOW.
AND YOU'RE GONNA KEEP TRACK OF ALL OF THAT.
SO THAT WAY THERE'S NO REPEATED WARNINGS.
AND YOU'RE GONNA, YOU'RE GONNA GET CALLS, UM, THAT THEY, THEY GOT A, A NOTICE FROM US FOR, FOR TRASH AND THEY, THEY'RE GONNA TELL YOU THEY'VE BEEN USED TO IT FOR MANY YEAR AND WHY THEY'RE CHANGING.
IT'S JUST WE NEED TO BEAUTIFY AND HELP US OUT.
THEY DO HAVE THEIR BRUSHING DEBRIS AND THEY HAVE THEIR BULK PICKUP.
SO THEY ARE ALLOWED, YOU CAN HAVE WASHER AND DRYERS IN YOUR BACK, IN YOUR ALLEY.
BUT BY ORDINANCE THEY DO ALLOW THEM, IF THEY DON'T HAVE AN ALLEY, THEY CAN'T P**S 'EM IN THE FRONT FOR PICKUP AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT ON THE STREET.
AND LIKE SHE SAID, AS LONG AS THEY'RE ON ON OFF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
IN A CASE LIKE YOURS, UH, MARY, YOU LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A, YOU DON'T HAVE A RIGHT HAVE, BUT YOU HAVE A BAR DITCH.
YOU GET, THEY CAN USE ERS IN THAT AREA, RIGHT? YEAH.
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO REACH YOU WHERE THEY GRAB THEM.
WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT, BUT I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF RURAL AREAS IN DISTRICT FIVE.
[02:50:01]
AND IT'S PART, IT'S AN ISSUE WITH, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS.BUT I DO GET CALLS, WELL, MY NEIGHBOR PUT A COUCH OUT, YOU KNOW, IN THE FRONT OR, UM, A REFRIGERATOR
AND SO THOSE ARE FOR SPECIFIC DAYS.
AND SO IS THIS ADDRESSING THAT ALSO? NO.
I DON'T, DO YOU WANT, YOU WANT TO DO HEAVY BULK WEIGHTS ITEMS AS WELL? I WOULD JUST SAY IF YOU'RE, IF YOU'RE UPDATING IT, JUST PUT EVERYTHING IN THERE SO THAT WAY YOU DON'T HAVE THE COUCH THERE FOR A MONTH WAITING TO BE PICKED UP.
SO WE CAN MAKE THE, FOR THE SECOND READING, WE CAN MAKE THE ADJUSTMENT ON THE, ON THE WEEK BEFORE AND THEN WE CAN ADD ABOUT THE BULKING ITEMS MIGHT AS WELL WHILE YOU'RE HERE.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THE APP, RIGHT? UPDATING THE CITY APP.
THIS IS THE TYPE OF STUFF I WOULD LIKE US TO BE ABLE TO SHARE WITH PEOPLE.
AND ONE OTHER THING IS I WOULD ALMOST LIKE REMINDERS.
LIKE, YOU GET AN, IF YOU SIGN UP FOR THE, WHAT DO THEY CALL THE, THE NOTICES FOR? IF I SIGN UP FOR THE NOTICES, I WOULD LIKE THE APP TO BE LIKE, HEY, REMINDER IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD YOU BETTER PUT OUT THE BRUSH, PICKUP BRUSH.
IT COMES IN ONE WEEK, YOU GOTTA PUT IT IN NOW.
THE A HAS THAT PICTURE FOR, UH, NOTICES.
IF THE THE CITIZENS SIGNS UP FOR NOTICES THAT THEY'LL GET, WE CAN PUSH THOSE.
I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE COMMUNICATE AS ON AS MANY DIFFERENT FRONTS AS WE CAN ON THIS.
WELL, MANNY, YOU KNOW THAT LITTLE APARTMENT COMPLEX THERE ON MORGAN THAT I ALWAYS HAVE THE PROBLEM.
I MEAN, DO THEY GET NOTICE ON THESE THINGS OR, OH, YEAH.
AND SO NOTICES WILL BE SENT OUT TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH THE, WITH THE TENANT.
'CAUSE THEY CHANGE OUT SO MANY TENANTS PER MONTH.
SO THESE WILL ALL BE RUN OUT TO PROPERTY OWNERS.
AND THAT ONE PARTICULARLY HE'S OUTTA BRONZEVILLE.
UH, THE ONE THAT HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES WITH IS THE ONE ON HELL.
UM, I JUST TAKE THAT ONE ON MORGAN.
'CAUSE I MEAN, PEOPLE COME FROM THE AIRPORT, THAT'S WHAT THEY SEE.
DRIVING BY SOME OF THESE MATTRESS.
SO WE WILL ADDRESS THE PROPERTY OWNERS DIRECTLY AND THEY'LL BE THE ONES GETTING NOTICES.
AND THEN FROM THERE THEY WILL SEND IT OUT TO THEIR, THEIR TENANTS.
AND MAYBE ON ONE OTHER THING IS ON THE, AND Y'ALL ARE DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB OF, THIS IS ON THE WEBSITE WHERE WHEN YOU LOG INTO THE WEBSITE SAID IT HAS WHERE YOU HAVE TO CLICK TO CLOSE OUT THE POPUP, UH, TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THE REST OF THE WEBSITE.
MAYBE YOU CAN PUT THIS NOTICE THERE TOO.
UM, DID WE READ THE CAPTION? I DON'T RECALL.
THIS IS SOME, OH, YEAH, YEAH, WE DID.
I DON'T CAN YOU DO IT AGAIN IN CASE I DON'T RECALL.
IN ORDINANCE, AMENDING THE CITY OF HARLO.
AND CODE OF ORDINANCE IS CHAPTER 38.
ARTICLE TWO, COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL SELECTION.
38 31 DUTY TO PROVIDE THE RECEPTACLE SPECIFICATIONS BY CLARIFYING THE SIZE OF THE RECEPTACLE FOR SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL SECTION 38 33 RECEPTACLES TO BE ACCESSIBLE TO COLLECTORS BY CLARIFYING THE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE PLACEMENT OF THE GARBAGE CONTAINER.
AND SECTION 38 39 TREE LIMBS, BRUSH TRIMMINGS AND THE LIKE COLLECTION BY CLARIFYING THE DATE AND LOCATION OF BRUSH TO BE PLACED ON CITY RIGHT OF WAY FOR COLLECTION SERVICES PROVIDING FOR PUBLICATION AND ORDAINING.
OTHER MATTERS RELATED TO THE FOREGOING MOTION TO APPROVE.
OPPOSED? THAT WAS WITH THE CHANGES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
THE, THE MOTION IS FOR, TO AMEND THE LANGUAGE AS PROPOSED BY THE DIFFERENT MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION.
YOU GOOD WITH THAT? FORD, YOU'VE MADE THE MOTION.
SO YOU GOOD WITH THAT? CORRECT? YES.
CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THEIR PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION PLANS AND FINAL PLAT OF THE PROPOSED COURSE OF ACRES.
SUBDIVISION BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF 3.73 ACRES OUT OF LAND, OUT OF LAND, OUT OF BLOCK NUMBER TWO, FZ BISHOP SUBDIVISION OF SECTION NUMBER 39.
LOCATED ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF SOUTH PALM COURT DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 777 FEET SOUTH OF GARRETT ROAD.
APPLICANT, CASA ENGINEERING PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT.
UM, MARK, THAT'S NOT AN, IT'S NOT AN ORDINANCE.
IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE.
DO WE HAVE ANY LIFT STATIONS NEARBY THAT CAN BE CONNECTED TO AVOID THE SEPTIC TANKS? NOT FOR THE SOUTH DIVISION, NO.
[02:55:02]
THANK YOU.THERE'S A MOTION APPROVED BY TI.
IS THERE A SECOND? YES, MY COMMISSION.
ITEM L, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE PRELIMINARY CONSTRUCTION PLANS AND FINAL PLAT OF THE PROPOSED ROBERTO SUBDIVISION BEARING A LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF 3.73 ACRES OF LAND OUT OUT OF BLOCK NUMBER TWO, FZ BISHOP SUBDIVISION OF SECTION NUMBER 29, LOCATED ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF RANGER ROAD, APPROXIMATELY 1200 FEET NORTH OF SIMMONS ROAD APPLICANT GUZMAN AND M MUNOZ, ENGINEERING AND SURVEY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT IS YOUR MOTION.
WANNA BE UPSTANDING ON THIS, UH, ITEM? YES.
ITEM M, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A REQUEST FROM REMI GAR CAMERON COUNTY ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT TO USE THE HARLINGEN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER, LOCATED AT 5 75 76 DRIVE, AND HARLINGEN CITY HALL, TOWN HALL MEETING ROOM, LOCATED AT ONE 18 EAST TYLER AVENUE.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21ST THROUGH FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25TH FROM 9:00 AM TO 7:00 PM SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26TH THROUGH SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27TH FROM 10:00 AM TO 5:00 PM MONDAY, OCTOBER 28TH THROUGH FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1ST FROM 8:00 AM TO 8:00 PM AND TENTATIVELY BOTH LOCATIONS ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2024 FROM 7:00 AM TO 7:00 PM CITY SECRETARY THERE.
MOTION? I HAD A QUESTION REAL QUICK.
I KNOW REMY WAS LOOKING TO, UH, USE THE GABE, UH, USE THE CONVENTION CENTER THAT DIDN'T WORK OUT OR WHAT HAPPENED? NO, HE'S FOR, FOR NOVEMBER 5TH, HE'S GONNA HAVE IT.
THE ONLY ISSUE IS THAT THERE'S GONNA BE THE BURNING FESTIVAL THAT WEEK, SO IT'S GONNA BE REALLY CROWDED.
BUT HE'S GONNA USE THE KINGFISHER, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE PAVILION ON THE LEFT SIDE, RIGHT? YEAH.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SIGNIFY AYE.
OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES ITEM N CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE THE CYBER INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH TEXAS MUNICIPAL LEAGUE.
ITEM O CONSIDERATION, POSSIBLE ACTION TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT VALLEY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT'S PROPOSED OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024.
MY APOLOGIES TO, TO MARVA ALSO FOR NOT MOVING YOU UP ON THE AGENDA.
UM, BUT WE KNOW ALL THE WONDERFUL WORK YOU HAVE DONE AND WHAT'S IN OUR PACKET.
IS THERE A MOTION? MOTION TO APPROVE? SECOND.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE WORK.
AND TO ESTABLISH AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE OF WAIVING ADOPTION FEES AT THE HARINGTON ANIMAL SHELTER ON NATIONAL DOG DAY, NATIONAL PET DAY, NATIONAL CAT DAY AND NATIONAL ADOPT A PET DAY ATTACHMENT
SO I THINK THIS IS, UH, WONDERFUL.
UH, THE ONLY THING I HAD TOLD, UH, GABE, AND, AND HOPEFULLY I'LL CONSIDER IS MAYBE INCLUDE THE OTHER MAJOR HOLIDAYS TO GIVE STAFF THE ABILITY TO, YOU KNOW HOW, UM, LIKE CHRISTMAS, DURING CHRISTMAS TIME, THEY'RE LIKE, OH, YOU NEED TO GO GET A, YOU KNOW, PUPPY FOR CHRISTMAS OR, UM, CHRISTMAS AND MAYBE VALENTINE'S DAY.
JUST SO THAT THEY HAVE THE, THEY DON'T HAVE TO, BUT THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO THAT DURING THOSE HOLIDAYS, I'M DOWN.
AND, UM, SO AT CHRISTMAS AND VALENTINE'S, CHRISTMAS VALENTINE AND ANY OTHER, WE JUST HAVE TO, WE HAVE TO IDENTIFY THEM.
EASTER, WE HAVE TO HAVE A DATE.
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS ON CHRISTMAS.
SO A WEEK BEFORE WELL, WE'RE CLOSED ALSO ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
SO IT WOULD HAVE TO BE, AND WE'RE CLOSED CHRISTMAS EVE BEFORE OR SO MAYBE.
SO YOU HAD SAID THAT THEY HAVE TO IDENTIFY THE HOLIDAYS, NICHOLAS, YOU JUST MENTIONED, OR DECEMBER 7TH, YOU ALL CITY HOLIDAYS.
COULD WE JUST DO THAT IN ADDITION? NEW CALENDAR? WELL, WE'D HAVE TO IDENTIFY THE DAY BEFORE THE CITY HOLIDAYS BECAUSE THEY'RE NORMALLY CLOSED ON HOLIDAYS.
SO COULD WE SAY THE BUSINESS DAY OF ALL PRIOR CITY PRIOR TO ALL CITY HOLIDAYS IN ADDITION TO THESE THAT ARE HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED? YES, WE CAN DO THAT.
AND A MOTION TO APPROVE, UH, THIS ORDINANCE SUBJECT WITH READ IT RESOLUTION AND THE CAP.
GOTTA READ THE CAPTION, BUT NO, IT'S A RESOLUTION ORDINANCE.
IT SAYS ORDINANCE, ORDINANCE OF THE CITY, OR AMENDING CHAPTER
[03:00:01]
18, MASTER FEE SCHEDULED TO ALLOW FOR THE RETROACTIVE WAIVING OF ADOPTION FEES FOR NATIONAL DOG DAYS, AUGUST 26TH, 2024.AND TO ESTABLISH AN ANNUAL OCCURRENCE FOR WAIVING ADOPTION FEES AT THE HARLAND GEN ANIMAL SHELTER ON NATIONAL DOG DAY, NATIONAL PET DAY, NATIONAL CAT DAY AND NATIONAL ADOPTIVE SHELTER.
SECOND, PROVE, UH, THIS ORDINANCE, UH, INCLUDING THE LANGUAGE THAT THE MAYOR SUGGESTED.
AND SECOND BY IS, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES FOR YOU.
ITEM Q, CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AND INTER LOCAL COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY FOR PARTIAL USE OF THE SOCCER COMPLEX FOR STUDENT PARKING CITY MANAGER.
I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND THAT WE STRIKE THE TERM BUS STOPS FROM THE AGREEMENT, UH, AND THEN RECOMMEND APPROVAL.
MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE SUBJECT TO GABE'S, UH, AMENDMENT.
ITEM R CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO AWARD A CONSULTING CONTRACT TO MARVO CONSTRUCTION, I MEAN CONSULTING TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF HARINGTON REGARDING THE HOMELESS POPULATION, CITY MANAGER.
UM, THIS WAS, UM, A MEETING THAT THE MAYOR AND I HAD WITH THIS GENTLEMAN, ROBERT, UH, BU.
AND SO HE, UM, CONDUCTS SURVEYS ON HOMELESSNESS.
AND SINCE WE'VE HAD AN UPTICK IN THE HOMELESS POPULATION, UM, HE WAS ASKED TO COME DOWN BY A, UH, ONE OF THE RESIDENTS OF HARTON TO, TO MEET WITH THE CITY.
AND SO HE GAVE US, UM, AN OVERVIEW OF WHAT HE CAN DO FOR THE CITY.
HE'S DONE THESE TYPES OF SURVEYS BEFORE, UM, AND HE WOULD, UH, NEED ABOUT THREE MONTHS TO CONDUCT THE, UH, THE SURVEY.
UM, HE WOULD CHARGE APPROXIMATELY $8,000 A MONTH, UH, FOR THREE MONTHS.
AND THEN HE WOULD CHARGE, UH, EXPENSES TO COME DOWN.
SO I WAS ABLE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT THE, UM, THE TRAVEL EXPENSES AND WE'RE GONNA CAP THEM IF IT'S APPROVED BY THE CITY, UH, TO BE FIXED AT, UH, $2,400 AND $800, UH, ADDED TO, UH, THE CONTRACT.
NOW, HE DID ASK THAT WE DO THAT, UM, MONTHLY, BUT I'M GONNA TALK TO HIM ABOUT IT, JUST DOING IT FOR ONE MONTH.
SO, UM, WE DON'T HAVE THE MONEY BUDGETED FOR THIS, SO WE'D HAVE TO HAVE A BUDGET AMENDMENT PROBABLY AT THE NEXT.
UH, SO WHAT EXACTLY IS HE GONNA DO? CONDUCT A SO, SO WE MET WITH HIM.
UM, AND, AND SO I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT Y'ALL, BUT I'VE BEEN GETTING A LOT OF, UH, AND I THINK YOU HAVE IN YOUR DISTRICT BECAUSE IT'S SOME OF THE ONES THAT YOU GET I GET ALSO.
UM, AND, AND, AND PD DOES AN AMAZING JOB OF ADDRESSING THE ISSUE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE MOVE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER PLACE.
AND SO EVEN THOUGH THEY'LL, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE SOMEONE ON ONE STREET OR ONE DISTRICT AND THEN PD REMOVES THEM, THEN THEY DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO BECAUSE THEY'RE, THEY'RE HOMELESS, SO THEY'LL GO TO ANOTHER LOCATION.
AND SO I FEEL LIKE RIGHT NOW THE HOMELESS POPULATION IN HARLINGEN IS MANAGEABLE, UM, IN COMPARISON TO OTHER, OTHER, OTHER CITIES.
AND SO I KNOW VANESSA, UM,
AND SO SHE MET A WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE, UM, DURING HER TIME, UM, IN THAT, IN THAT POSITION.
AND SO ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE OTHER FELLOWS THAT SHE MET WAS THIS GENTLEMAN, AND HE HAS, THAT'S HIS SPECIALTY, IS HOMELESSNESS.
AND HE'S GONE TO SEVERAL, SEVERAL COMMUNITIES AND, AND ASSESS THE SITUATION AND PROVIDED BASICALLY A STRATEGIC PLAN ON HOW TO, TO, TO GET THIS DONE.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS, YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW DANIEL PROBABLY APPRECIATE THIS, WHEN, WHEN WE'RE IN LAW SCHOOL, UM, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THIS OTHER THAN THE FACT THAT THE, THE BASIC ANSWER IS, UH, BEING HOMELESS ISN'T A CRIME, RIGHT? MM-HMM.
SO, SO THERE'S NOT MUCH THAT YOU CAN DO.
WELL, THERE'S BEEN A RECENT CASE THAT, UH, REALLY CHANGES THAT AND GIVES MUNICIPALITIES VERY, UM, JUST REALLY THE, THE ABILITY TO, TO DO, UH, WHAT, WHAT COULD NOT BE DONE BEFORE IN TERMS OF, UM, I GUESS EVERYTHING RIGHT? IS WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, SAYING, OKAY, WELL IF, IF YOU, IF YOU, YOU KNOW, WE COULD PURCHASE, UM, TICKETS FOR THEM TO, TO LEAVE RIGHT? THE CITY, UH, YOU CAN GIVE THEM A CHOICE IF THEY ARE IN A CERTAIN AREA TO SAY EITHER YOU GET ARRESTED, UM, OR YOU GO TO THE LOCAL SHELTER, OR YOU
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HAVE TO BE REUNIFIED, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH YOUR, WITH YOUR FAMILY.AND SO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT WAS VERY INTERESTING IS HE, HE CHOKED.
HE, HE SPOKE TO US AFTER, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNEW THAT WE WERE GONNA BE, WE HAD, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN PLANNING FOR SOME TIME FOR HIM TO COME DOWN HERE, BUT, UM, I HAD TO PUSH THE MEETING AND WHILE I PUSHED THE MEETING, 'CAUSE I HAD THINGS TO DO, THEY MADE USE OF THEIR TIME AND WENT TO LOAVES AND FISHES AND, AND SPOKE TO THEM.
AND, UM, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE ISSUES REGARDING, UH, HOW THEY CARE FOR THE HOMELESS POPULATION.
AND SINCE THEY'RE FAITH-BASED, THERE'S CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS AND, AND HOW THAT MAY IMPACT THE HOMELESS POPULATION IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHETHER THEY'RE ABLE TO BE, UH, RESIDENTS IN THE SHELTER.
AND ALSO IDENTIFYING, UH, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE HOMELESS, THAT ARE PART OF THE HARLINGEN COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, THAT GREW UP HERE, LIVED HERE, HAVE FAMILIES HERE, WENT TO SCHOOL HERE, VERSUS PEOPLE THAT ARE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE CITY OF HARLINGEN.
AND THAT, UM, ARE RECENTLY ARRIVED TO HARLINGEN.
OR MAYBE THEY ARE COMMUNI IN GOING FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
AND THAT THE SERVICES NEED TO BE DIFFERENT AND TO SERVE EACH OF THEM IN THE WAY THAT BETTER SOLVES THE ISSUE.
AND SO HE'LL PROVIDE A COMPLETE ASSESSMENT ON HOW TO GO ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN HE'LL ALSO WORK AND, AND, AND SPEAK WITH THE, THE LOCAL SHELTER, UH, AND COME TO THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, AND, AND DO MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, THEY DID A DRIVE THROUGH THROUGH THE COMMUNITY, BUT IT'LL BE MORE IN DEPTH.
AND HE'S DONE THIS IN MULTIPLE, UM, CITIES THROUGHOUT TEXAS AND THEN ALSO OUTSIDE OF, OUTSIDE OF TEXAS MM-HMM.
AND SO I THINK THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THE COMMUNITY IS ASKING US TO DO.
I MEAN, IF YOU SIT ON THIS COMMISSION AND YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN A QUESTION OR A CALL FROM A RESIDENT, I'D BE VERY SURPRISED IN TERMS OF WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT THIS? YOU KNOW, THE, THE HOMELESS POPULATION, WE WANNA DO IT IN A RESPONSIBLE WAY.
BUT THE FACT THAT NOW MUNICIPALITIES, THEIR HANDS ARE NOT TIED ANYMORE.
THERE'S, I MEAN, YOU REALLY CAN DO WHATEVER TO TO, TO, WHICH IS A LITTLE SCARY IN TERMS OF SOME MUNICIPALITIES WE HEARD, UM, FROM THIS INDIVIDUAL THAT THEY'RE BEING VERY AGGRESSIVE.
UM, I THINK THAT WE WANNA BE RESPONSIBLE, WE WANNA BE, UM, COMPASSIONATE, BUT WE ALSO NEED TO, TO REALLY TACKLE THE ISSUE.
SO RIGHT NOW THAT IT'S MANAGEABLE.
SO I THINK THIS IS A, A GOOD INVESTMENT IN, IN OUR COMMUNITY AND IN SOMETHING THAT WILL DEFINITELY, IF WE CAN GET HIM STARTED, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, THEN POTENTIALLY BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR, WE CAN HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE TO, TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND, AND DO SOMETHING.
AND I REALLY LIKE THE FACT THAT HE WANTS TO HELP AND, AND, AND HAVE THOSE, UM, WRAPAROUND SERVICES TYPE FOR THE, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT ARE WITHIN OUR COMMUN THAT ARE IN OUR COMMUNITY AND THAT CHOOSE TO, TO BE, TO BE HOMELESS.
AND HOW YOU TACKLE THAT AND ENSURING THAT THE BEST COURSE OF ACTION FOR FOLKS THAT ARE NOT FROM OUR COMMUNITY IS TO REUNI REUNITE THEM WITH THEIR FAMILIES IN WHATEVER STATE THAT THEY'RE, I THINK IT'S A GREAT, UH, GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US.
AND I'M, I'M REALLY, UM, GRATEFUL TO, TO VANESSA TO REALLY BRINGING THIS TO, TO MY ATTENTION, UH, AND THEN SPENDING THE TIME WITH, WITH GABE AND I, UH, MAYOR, JUST JUST TO CLARIFY, THE, UH, REUNIFICATION WOULD HAPPEN FOR HOMELESS, EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF BATTERED WOMEN, CORRECT.
OR, OR BATTERED CHILDREN, UH, IF THEY'RE HAVING TO BE HOMELESS.
AND SO HE WOULD PROVIDE US A, A SURVEY OF THE HOMELESS POPULATION AND THE SERVICES AVAILABLE IN THE CITY TO SYSTEM WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO HELP THE HOMELESS POPULATION HERE.
UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE THOSE SERVICES ALREADY, AND GIVE US A REPORT THAT WOULD ACTUALLY OUTLINE ALL THAT MOTION TO APPROVE.
SECOND, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
IF WE CAN, I WOULD LOVE FOR HIM TO JUST DO A ZOOM PRESENTATION TO US.
JUST BECAUSE I, IT'S OVERWHELMING THIS ISSUE.
AND SO I WOULD LOVE TO, AT LEAST FOR US TO BE EDUCATED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU'RE TELLING US.
YOU'RE GIVING US A A TWO MINUTE, RIGHT.
SO, BUT I WOULD LOVE FOR THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE DEALT WITH WITH CASA WAS THESE KIDS WOULD AGE OUT OF THE PROGRAM AND THE NEXT DAY THEY WERE HOMELESS BASICALLY.
AND SO HE HAD REALLY, UH, AND, AND, AND HE GAVE US SOME, AND MAYBE I CAN, I CAN SHARE, UM, ASSESSMENTS THAT HE DID AND, AND THERE, AND HE'S A GREAT GUY.
HE SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE, I CAN COME OVER HERE AT NO COST, BUT HE'S JUST GONNA TALK TO US.
AND SO, AS MUCH AS HE WANTS TO, TO ASSIST US, HIM COMING DOWN HERE AND TRAVELING FOR FREE AND JUST TALKING TO US ABOUT WHAT HE'S DONE IN OTHER PLACES, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY GONNA MOVE THE NEEDLE.
WE NEED, WE NEED, UM, DELIVERABLES SO THAT WAY WE CAN MOVE ON IT.
BUT I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA THAT MAYBE WE CAN, ON THE NEXT
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MEETING, I CAN, I CAN HAVE HIM DO THAT BEFORE HE STARTS THE WORK.WELL, AND DOESN'T HAVE JUST WAIT, LIKE, I JUST WANT AN OVERVIEW BECAUSE RIGHT.
IT'S THESE THINGS THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT ARE LIKE OVERWHELMING TO ME SOMETIMES.
HE TALKED ABOUT WHAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING IS, UM, YOU KNOW, HARLINGEN, I, I MEAN I GREW UP HERE, RIGHT? AND I REMEMBER WHEN LOAVES AND FISHES WAS, I THINK IT WAS ON FIRST STREET, AND I MEAN, I VOLUNTEERED THERE.
I THINK EVERYBODY KIND OF KNEW WHERE IT WAS.
AND, AND, AND, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT IN THE CITY OF HARLINGEN, IF YOU'RE HOMELESS, YOU'LL BE FED, RIGHT? LIKE LOAVES AND FISHES DOES AN AMAZING JOB IN FEEDING PEOPLE.
AND I THINK IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE FAITH-BASED AND, AND WE BELIEVE THAT NO ONE SHOULD GO HUNGRY, RIGHT? NO MATTER WHAT YOUR, YOUR SITUATION IS.
UM, SO THE PEOPLE THAT THEY FEED AREN'T NECESSARILY THE PEOPLE THAT THEY SERVE IN THE, IN THE SHELTER.
AND, AND, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN ENSURE THAT WE AREN'T BRINGING MORE PEOPLE INTO OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE ARE SO, YOU KNOW, LOVING AND GIVING MM-HMM.
AND SO THAT FOOD PLAN IS IMPORTANT, AND THERE'S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE THAT ARE TEMPORARILY DISPLACED AND THEN THE ONES THAT, UM, ARE LIKE YOU MENTIONED THAT THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO.
RIGHT? AND, AND, AND THOSE REALLY NEED, THEY NEED TO BE IDENTIFIED.
AND WE, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION, I THINK, AS A COMMUNITY TO HELP THEM AND TO ENSURE THAT THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE FOLKS THAT ARE SOMEHOW, UM, YOU KNOW, COME INTO OUR, TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THEY TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE THAT ARE HOMELESS, GO NORTH AND SOUTH.
AND SO DEPENDING ON WHERE, WHERE WE ARE, AND THEY MAY BE TRAVELING AND THEN THEY JUST CAN'T GET ANYWHERE ELSE.
MAYBE THEY JUST NEED ASSISTANCE TO GET TO, TO WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF, A LOT OF, UH, TOOLS, BUT WE COULD BE HERE FOREVER TALKING ABOUT IT.
SO MAYBE THE NEXT MEETING, DO Y'ALL WANNA DO IT WITHIN A MEETING OR AN ACTUAL MEETING? JUST FOR THAT? NO, NO, NO.
AND SO NEXT ARE BOARD APPOINTMENTS.
BOARD SPECIFICALLY APPOINTMENT OR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION TO INCLUDE APPOINTMENT AND OR REMOVAL OF ANY POSITION SUBJECT TO APPOINTMENT OR REMOVAL BY STATUTE, ORDINANCE OR BYLAWS.
UM, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION, SIR? UH, I HAVE SOME INPUT.
ARE YOU THE ONE MESSAGING ME? NO, NO INPUT ON WHAT, UH, YOU TALKED ABOUT TRASH EARLIER.
CAN WE, CAN WE DO IT AFTER, UM, AFTER THE MEETING AND WE CAN TALK TO YOU? THAT WAS SOMEBODY TA MESSAGING ME ABOUT YOU CAN TAKE UP MIKE.
UM, COMMISSIONER, CAN YOU SEE? UH, NO, I, WE'VE GOT THAT ONE.
YOU AND I WERE BOARD APPOINTMENTS.
I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE GONNA, UH, ADD HER ON.
UM, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO TAKE OFF.
I, I, I HAVE TO GET THAT INFORMATION.
YEAH, YOU UM, I'LL BE TAKING, UH, SON AGAIN.
LET ME CAUGHT ME OFF GUARD HERE.
FOR THE, UH, VETERANS ADVISORY BOARD.
MELINDA, WHO WAS THE, THE KENTU, RIGHT? WASN'T THAT THE NAME? IT WAS
LET'S CIRCLE BACK TO THIS AFTER EXECUTIVE SESSION.
SO WE'LL KIND OF TABLE THIS FOR NCE EXECUTIVE SESSION.
COMMISSIONER YOU A NEW, A NEW APPLICANT, SIR.
YOU GUYS SENT ME THE APPLICATION FOR ZONING.
UM, JESSICA, BECAUSE I GOT ONE ON MY DESK FOR A JESSICA.
SHE LET THIS THREE BOARD MEMBERS FROM MISSAD, WHO'S STUDENT SERVING ON THE BOARD.
SO I'LL APPLY, UH, ADD MISSAD TO THE BOARD, ENSURE WE BE REPLACING, UH, JULIE ZEL PEREZ, WHO'S ON THE AIRPORT BOARD.
AND WHEN YOU'RE ON THE AIRPORT BOARD, CAN'T SERVE ON MANY OTHER BOARDS.
AND SO IN WHAT BOARD? ON THE BOARD AIRPORT? NO, I'M PUTTING MS. S COAD ON THIS, UH, COMMUNITY, UH, ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS.
AND MY ONLY COMMENT ON THAT WAS IS IF SOMEBODY'S NOT SHOWING UP AT THE MEETINGS, LET US KNOW.
WELL, TELL ME THAT WE WERE REPLACED.
WE JUST FOUND OUT FROM MR. EZ AND THAT'S FINE.
BUT, BUT THAT WAS TO, TO I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE, TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENT.
JULIE'S BEEN DOING THE RIGHT THING.
SO IT'S THE BOARD OF ADJUSTMENTS SECOND.
THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING JUST FOR
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CLARITY THAT OKAY.