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Smells good in Arlington.

Today's episode of What's Going There, Arlington, is all about food.

From Tex Mex and Tide to Coffee, these places will give you new excuses to eat out.

So I hope you brought your appetite.

They're moving into the former Shakerton spot off North Collins and aiming to open up before the FIFA World Cup.

And the perfect spot to watch a match, whichever version of football you prefer.

But like, I like to design the hands and I remember that.

I know.

I don't know if I think it's a good one.

So I can go to the other side.

Well, good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Arlington City City Council session.

I'll get it out here in just a minute.

I've only been doing this five years now.

Today is May the twelfth, and it is six thirty-one PM.

We're going to go ahead and call the city council meeting to order.

Um, I'm hoping this is going to be a very short night for all here.

I know y'all don't plan to camp out here all night, so uh I'm gonna invite the Reverend Jim Bergen from Mission Arlington to come forward and lead us in an invocation.

Please stand if you can.

Let's pray together.

Heavenly Father, how how much we have to be grateful for tonight.

Um we're in your presence, you're here, and you have such great love for each of us and for all of us.

And how uh I thank you for this group in front of me and for all the civil servants in this city who take care of your people and serve this city so well, and I pray for your blessings upon them.

Lord, I do pray for your blessings on our city.

Thank you for all that uh put their shoulders to the wheel to make a difference.

And Lord, may you be glorified in all of it.

In your name I pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Indivisiblease join us with the pleasure of allegiance.

Honor the Texas flag.

I pledge allegiance to the Texas.

One state under God.

One and indivisible.

Thank you all.

You can be seated.

Ms.

Garcia, speaker guidelines and general decorum, please.

Thank you, Mayor.

We ask that the citizens and other visitors and attendance assist in preserving the order and decorum of this meeting and to provide for attendance at and participation in the meeting without fear of intimidation, threats, or hostility.

Any person making personal, profane, hostile, slanderous or threatening remarks, who uses vulgar or obscene language, who engages in and other actions that disturb or are calculated to disturb the meeting, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor in the city council, or while attending the city council meeting may be removed from the council chambers.

All speakers shall address the city council and not the audience or city staff and shall not call out individually named members of city staff or the public.

For speakers tonight, when your name is called, please come to the microphone at the podium and state your name and city of residence for the record.

Speakers may not use music, videos, other forms of media, signs, or props.

During public hearings for zoning cases, the applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make a presentation.

Speakers in support or opposition of the item will be given three minutes each to make their statements.

The applicant will then be given three minutes for and for any rebuttal.

For all other items on the agenda, speakers will be given three minutes to speak.

If multiple speakers plan to provide the same or similar comments, those speakers may, if they so desire, designate one or more individuals to provide public comment on behalf of the group.

A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time.

In consideration of other speakers, please conclude your comments promptly when you hear the bell.

We ask that you address your comments to the mayor and city council.

Thank you, Miss Garcia.

We're going to move on down to 5.1.

Thank you, Mayor.

Item 5.1 is a resolution canvassing the election returns and declaring election results in the general election held in the city of Arlington, Texas on May 2nd, 2026, for the purpose of electing the mayor and the city council members for districts three, four, five, and eight.

At your place is a final version of the resolution as well as a printout of the final election results from Terran County Elections Administration for your consideration tonight.

Thank you, Miss Garcia.

Do we have any speakers on this item?

We do not, Mayor.

Thank you.

The election results will be included in the official meeting minutes.

I have a motion from Councilmember Gonzalez and a second from Councilmember Hunter.

Please cast your vote.

Mayor item 5.2 is a resolution canvassing the election returns and declaring election results in the special election held in the city of Arlington, Texas on May 2nd, 2026, for the purpose of submitting to the voters a proposition relating to the reauthorization of a municipal sales and use tax for street maintenance pursuant to chapter 327 of the Texas tax code.

Also at your place is the final version of the resolution as well as the printout of the final election results from Terran County Elections Administration for your consideration tonight.

Thank you, Miss Garcia.

Any speakers on this item, please?

We have no speakers, Mayor.

Thank you.

The election results will be included in the official meeting minutes.

I have a motion from Councilmember Bellante, a second from Councilmember Pham.

Please cast your vote.

And the motion passes the final canvas is complete.

Now before we move move on to administering the oath, we have a couple of council members who tonight would be their last night here on city council.

One of whom, Mr.

Andrew Peel, is not able to be with us tonight as he has taken ill, and he's also trying to tend to a family member that's very ill.

But I want to take a member a moment to express a sincere amount of gratitude for Councilmember Peel.

He's become quite a good friend over the last five years, and I can tell you that he has represented District 4 tremendously well, and we are in a deep amount of gratitude for his service to the city to this community.

We also have this young lady sitting to my left over here, Councilmember Boxhall, who tonight is going to be her last night on council, and we are so very proud of the work that she's done with uh council uh district five, almost called you district three, but I had to catch myself, district five, and appreciate the expertise that she's brought with her as an architect and an understanding of what it takes to do developments here in the city.

She's done a tremendously good job, she's become a dear friend.

You will be missed tremendously, but I've already talked to her, and I plan on putting her back to work on other things here in the city as much as possible until she tells me to leave her alone.

We'll continue to start putting her back to work.

So uh Rebecca, we love you.

We really do, and we appreciate everything you've done.

And would you mind saying a few words before we finish here?

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I just want to say it's been a privilege and an honor to serve you, the citizens of Arlington, and I just I'm gonna miss all of you guys up here, and I'll be watching and keeping track and paying attention because I love this city and I want everything good for this city.

God bless you, thank you so much.

Can y'all give it up for Rebecca Box?

We're gonna move on now to administering the oath, and I'll ask Judge Kenneth Sanders and Councilwoman Nikki Hunter to please join me at the mic, and council member Hunter, whatever family members you'd like to have join you, please have them come up as well, or friends or whoever you want, so I can make sure you're both close enough to the mic.

Y'all come back over on this side of her so when they take pictures, they get y'all here as a backdrop.

The same out first rodeo, you know, you stand here.

Get back over here like you were doing.

Come on.

So you go, stay right here.

All right.

So raise your right hand, the name, and by the authority of the state of Texas.

I state your name.

I, Nikki Hunter.

Do solemnly swear, solemnly swear.

Then I will faithfully execute, and I'll faithfully escape the duties of the office of the office of council member district three.

Council member district three.

In the city of Arlington, in the city of Arlington, of the state of Texas, the state of Texas, and will and will to the best of my ability to the best of my ability, preserve, preserve, protect, protect, and defend and defend the constitution, the constitution and laws and laws of the United States of the United States, and of this great state, and of this great state.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Y'all get up here congratulations well I'll keep it brief I just want to say a few words I want to first thank the people of district three without you guys I would not be able to finish my final term you showed up seventy four percent guys I am so thankful for the people of district three um also just have a few people to thank I want to thank the leaders of Southeast Arlington there's too many for me to remember to name but first off I want to thank state rep Chris Turner I want to thank Marvin Sutton I want to thank Sandra Lee I want to thank Roxanne Thalman I want to thank the great grandmother of Juneteenth for her and for for giving me the the strength to really do this election.

With that said I want to also thank my family this is a grassroot campaign we did everything from canvassing to block walking to marketing to everything my family I want to say thank you to everyone and last but not least I want to say thank you to my colleagues for putting up with me for the last five years.

God bless guys thank you okay Mr Ware come on up I'm gonna invite Judge Letty Evans the presiding judge over the Arlington municipal courts to come on up to administer the oath please bring whatever family friends get over I don't want to nail on it because I don't like it.

Now we try to be randomly man one more pair here in the name and by the authority of the state of Texas I state your name I Thomas Ware do solemnly swear or affirm to solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of council member district four of council member district four in the city of Arlington in the city of Arlington and the state of Texas and to the best of my ability and to the best of my ability preserve protect and defend the Constitution preserve protect and defend the constitution and laws of the United States and laws of the United States and of this so help me God I just want to I want to thank my family first my wife who let me do this much to her chagrin probably but I love her.

She lets me go off on these uh strange things every now and then and uh my daughter back here Wendy, my son can't be here.

Uh he's down in Austin.

But uh if he's watching, hi, Randall.

And my granddaughters.

Sydney and Annabelle.

Annabelle's now and Arkansas Razorback.

Um, and and my bodies and their wives back here, who I also love.

Um, this is going to be an advan adventure for me, and probably I'll make it an adventure for you.

But we're going to have some fun doing this.

We're going to do some great things.

Uh, I'm going to do anything that Sue Phillips allows me to do.

But uh, we'll we'll uh we'll do the very best that we can possibly do for Arlington and support everything we can.

Thank you.

Thank you for your votes and your help.

I'll get around here so I can get a good picture.

Okay, good.

Councilmember Ware, I need you to take your seat up there if you would, please.

Miss Brittany Garcia Duma, please come forward with your friends, family.

I got you.

That's the first time you've ever made that joke.

Yes.

In the name, right?

I just pay you to Texas.

Hi, state your name.

I, Brady Garcia Du Mont.

You saw me swearer for the song this way.

That I will faithfully execute the duties, that I will faithfully execute the duties of the Office of Council Member District Five, of the Office of Council Member District Five in the City of Arlington, in the city of Arlington, of the state of Texas, of the state of Texas, and will to the best of my ability and will to the best of my ability to preserve, protect, and defend.

Preserve, protect and defend the constitution and laws of the United States, the Constitution and Laws of the United States and of this state and of the state.

So help me God.

So help me God.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Um I am Brittany from Arlington, Texas.

I was born here, I was raised here.

I am the product of your public schools.

I am the product of your vision for the future.

The taxpayer dollars that you paid for the last 37 years has helped rear you a city council member.

That is a great responsibility and joy that I get to have.

I am so so thankful to the people of District Five.

I am so so thankful to Miss Boxel for carrying the torch as long as she has, and I am very, very excited for the future of Arlington.

Let's do it.

Okay.

You'll go up here and replace Miss Boxel in District Five, please.

Can we give it up one more time for Council Member Boxel?

Now, for those of y'all taking pictures and stuff, I want you to notice that with our high tech abilities here in Arlington, we've already changed Councilmember Ware's name down here on District Four.

So you may want to make sure you get pictures of that.

Okay.

And look at there, Councilmember Garcia Duma.

We're gonna have to that's too many syllables for a guy from Michigan to say.

So we'll just say uh Councilmember Brittany is at District Five, and y'all can now take pictures of that as well.

I'm gonna I I feel like we saved the least for last, which is me.

And uh I'm gonna invite, I I want to invite everybody up here because about ninety-nine percent of y'all have really been instrumental in doing this, but I'm gonna invite my mother, my father, my youngest daughter Taylor, her husband Harrison, I almost called you Harry.

Uncle Harry is what he goes by by the niece and nephews, and then my two buddies over there, Bodie and Mark, if y'all can come on up here because they've been instrumental in working their tails off on this campaign as well.

So come on up here.

We look like the most dysfunctional family around, don't we?

I know.

Y'all can say it out loud, it's okay.

All right, in the name and by the authority of the state of Texas, I state your name.

I, Jim Ross.

You solemnly swear or affirm.

Do solemnly swear or firm.

That I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of mayor.

That I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of mayor.

In the city of Arlington.

And the city of Arlington.

And the state of Texas.

Of the state of Texas.

And will to the best of my ability.

And will to the best of my ability.

Preserve, protect and defend.

Preserve, protect and defend.

The Constitution.

The Constitution.

And laws of the United States.

And of this state.

And of this state.

So help me, God.

Thank you.

Well, this was one heck of a campaign, wasn't it?

It's my last one.

And thank goodness it's my last one.

It wasn't a whole lot of fun at first to be candid.

It was nasty.

But let me tell y'all something.

I have never felt more love from a community than I did from this community when the nastiness happened.

Y'all circled your wagons around us like there was no tomorrow.

And from the bottom of my heart, I appreciate all of what y'all did.

It reminded me why I wanted to serve the city in the first place.

My last three years.

And we will make some incredible things happen here in Arlington.

So, Jock, what do I always have to say?

I love you.

I love you too, brother.

So I love y'all so much.

Thank you so much.

Oh, I think I'll be out here.

Okay.

Thank you.

Man, it's probably wrong of me to say this, but do you think the city of Dallas City Council would be hugging each other like that?

Hey, no way.

Man, there's some love up here.

Before we uh close out tonight, I want to say one other thing.

Dr.

Barbara Odom Wesley, uh, she was hoping tonight would be her last night.

But we we have gone into extra innings, as the Rangers like to say, and she's gonna stick around a little bit longer as the runoff goes on and the voters decide who's gonna try to fill her shoes in her district.

But uh we'll talk more about her on her last day, but she comes from a family that has been committed to this community for decades.

From her mom and dad to her her daughters, her her everything about this family is incredible.

So uh we get 30 more days or so.

Y'all y'all see what we're dealing with here, right?

Forty-six, and I don't ask her how many hours, minutes, and seconds, because she'll have that down as well.

But uh, we love you, and we certainly appreciate everything you've done and your family has done.

This is Mayor Odom's daughter.

If y'all didn't know that, and uh, she comes from a legacy of service.

So thank you for that.

Miss Garcia, do what do we have for citizen participation today?

Citizen participation gives the public an opportunity to make comments or address concerns regarding matters related to city business or affairs that are in the scope of the authority of the city council and which are not posted on the evening agenda.

However, please understand that the mayor and council are not permitted by law to respond to, discuss or address the comment at this time, and these items are not included on the posted council agenda for this evening.

The mayor and council may only ask clarifying questions and or direct staff to take appropriate action.

Speakers who have pre-registered will be given two minutes to make their comments, except that if 26 or more speakers have pre-registered, each speaker will be given one minute to make their comments.

We have a total of three speakers, Mayor.

First one being uh Saida Saeed.

You really came all the way out today to update us on Tad when we're all just getting sworn in, and I went home, make the meals, pick up kids, and showed up here.

Well, we appreciate it.

I'm here to say uh, welcome again to the uh council.

Town County Taxpayer deserves answer from the tyrant appraisal district regarding its controversial reappraisal plan and the growing number of overvalued properties in the tax year 2025 and 2026.

During TAD's April 30th, 2026 entity meeting, Chief Appraiser reportedly stated that nearly 204,000 properties received valuation reduction in 2025 after the property owners filed protests.

This raises concern about the accuracy and fairness of the original appraisal.

If approximately four hundred uh three hundred two hundred and four thousand protested properties were reduced, and 190,000 additional residential properties remain overvalued.

It said suggests that close to 394,000 properties, more than half of the residential accounts have initially been overvalued in 2025 tax year.

190,000 properties, especially those with property value of 500,000 or less, still be paying taxes based on inflated values.

This effectively shifted the burden of proof from appraisal district to the taxpayer, forcing property owner to spend time and resources correcting valuation errors that should not have occurred in the first place.

TATS decision to freeze residential values while market conditions change has also created concern about unequal and non-uniform appraisal across the Trent County, especially um colored neighborhoods.

A frozen value does not automatically mean a fair value.

Taxing entities pays appraisal district with taxpayer dollars to perform accurate and equitable appraisals.

Taxpayer deserved transparency, accountability, and equal treatment under taxes property tax law.

The growing number of thank you, ma'am.

You had to read a lot faster than that.

Sorry.

No, ma'am.

Your time is up, thank you.

Thank you.

Next up is Jimmy Burke, Mr.

Burke.

I don't see Mr.

Burke in here tonight.

Vanessa Strength?

Miss Strength, and I don't see Miss Strength in here tonight either.

Any other Miss Garcia?

No, sir.

Thank you.

Council, do y'all have any announcements for tonight?

Seeing none, Miss Garcia, no announcements, please.

I'd like to remind our residents, Arlington City Council evening meetings are rebroadcast on Sundays at 6 p.m.

and on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 6 30 a.m.

The council's afternoon work sessions are rebroadcast on Sundays at 1 p.m.

Wednesdays at 1 30 p.m.

and on Saturdays at 6 p.m.

You can also watch the meetings online anytime at www.arlington tx.gov.

Folks, I appreciate everybody coming out tonight.

If you would like to gather and take pictures up here in front with your brand new council member, please feel free to do so.

God bless y'all.

City council is now adjourned.

So we said we need to get a brick and mortar.

So what we can do take out and curves that at the time.

We found this location.

So we weren't really looking at the dining type element too.

This took off.

God's blessed this business and this is becoming a staple.

Creating an addictive and consistent taste is a top priority.

Even allowing customers to test their homemade creations before going to the menu permanently, like catfishing grits.

Waffle tacos are just old fashioned buttermilk pancakes and French toast.

Like we came up with uh land chapena.

Chicken and waffles is is the go to.

Quick, simple.

And not only that, I actually have a rabbit of a red beverage waffle that I have on the menu too.

There's the two movie