The Arlington City Council convened on November 12, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chamber. Councilmember Piel was absent. After an invocation and pledges, the council recognized winners of the annual Value of Water poster contest for grades pre-K through 4. The council then approved routine items, conducted a public hearing on a reinvestment zone for Texas Trust Credit Union, approved a comprehensive plan update contract, and heard citizen comments.
Right, right. Well, good evening, everybody. Welcome to the Arlington City Council meeting. We're gonna go ahead and get this show on the road. We'll call the City Council to order. I'm gonna ask Pastor Roy Daniels from the Arlington Church of God and Christ. Please come forward and lead us in an invocation. Hello, Pastor. Please stand. Heavenly Father, we come before you today with grateful hearts, seeking your guidance and wisdom as we gather to discuss the needs of our community. We ask for clarity in our decisions and unity in our purpose. May our discussions be filled with respect and understanding, and may we listen to one another, recognizing the value of the diverse perspective. Grant us the courage to make the choices that promote the well-being of all of our citizens. Help us to work in unity for the betterment of our city, prioritizing compassion, integrity, and service. We ask that you let your light shine on our efforts, guiding us toward a prosperous and harmonious future. And we thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. Please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the Texas. One state under God. Thank you. You may be seated. So Arlington Water Utilities held its annual water mini poster contest September 3rd through October 9th. Arlington students in grades pre-K through fourth grade were asked to submit artwork showing how water is used and describe how the role of water plays in our lives. The contest is a collaboration of Arlington Water Utilities, Arlington Public Library, River Legacy Nature Center, and Tarrant Regional Water District. Each winner receives a prize pack with contributions from those organizations. This year, Arlington's Parks and Recreations Department also provided swim passes for next summer to winners and replenish an Arlington-based nonprofit is providing t-shirts and water bottles to them. Our winners and their families are here with us tonight, so as we call your names, please come up. So yep, go ahead. Troy drew himself drinking water and swimming. He said, drinking water, it makes me stronger. Oh, wait. We got to come up one more time. We got grandma here, right? Grandma. She drew a reindeer drinking water and a little girl and boy using water. And she said, if you do not drink water, you will die. Water is important. It helps plants grow and keeps animals healthy. Our third grade winner is Jameson Terry from St. Maria Garetti Catholic School. Jameson drew a water bottle, a water balloon fight and said, without water, there would be no fish, no water in our body, so we'd die. No cruises, no water slides, water balloon fights, you can't wash your hands, take showers, no gas, you can't water your plants or slip and slides. Fourth grade is Kavish Gowali from Butler Elementary. He drew water's many uses and said, water is important in my life because if we didn't have water, we wouldn't have our basic needs. And Vivian was actually our first grade winner last year. So she is she really loves water. She drew herself and other creatures that need water to survive and said, if we didn't have water, we wouldn't have trees. If we didn't have trees, we wouldn't have air. If we didn't have air, we couldn't survive.