Good afternoon and welcome to this meeting of the Denton City Council.

Today, today's date, Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

We do have a quorum, so I'll call the meeting to order.

Uh, I'm gonna take uh first if there's citizen comments on the consent agenda items anything.

Okay, great.

Uh then that takes us to request for clarification on the agenda items listed.

Uh, any questions uh on the either items for individual consent or public hearing?

Seeing none, and then I'm gonna take chairs privilege and turn it over to the city manager to make some announcements.

I'm actually gonna turn it over to Christine.

Good afternoon, Mayor and Council Christine Taylor Assistant City Manager.

Uh so we wanted to from time to time share some great news that's going on in the organization before we hop into work sessions.

So recently we launched a campaign that is recognition of the great work going on in our organization.

So we had a spring, we have a quarterly award, we had our spring into success awards and had over a hundred and thirty nominations.

Those nominations come from employees wanting to recognize their fellow employee.

Uh so if you'll notice the gallery is full of our award winners, and we wanted to take a minute to share uh what category they were selected for and who the winners were.

So our first award was the cultivator of creativity and Lonnie McWilliams from Solid Waste.

Well, was do you want to come up, Lonnie?

Was selected for this award.

Lonnie, Lonnie had came into the organization as a customer service rep one and has worked herself up into uh several higher positions and is now the senior representative.

And um, she was submitted for having just the exceptional ability to identify problems and then creative solutions.

So she made a big impact on diverting metal from the landfill, which helps our landfill and also increased revenue, and then she's improved coordination between dispatch and the commercial roll off uh division.

So creating smooth workflows is what she was nominated for and her overall wonderful attitude.

So congratulations, Lonnie.

All right, you can stay up there.

Uh the our next award was the green thumb award, which was Sariah Heskett from Environmental Services, and our green thumb award.

We we come up with really great category names, was for someone who nurtures the team, and so um Soraya has uh is a fantastic example of supporting others in the city.

She recently became the internal instructor for TCEQ credit hours.

So she is inspiring students and supporting the growth of our licensed individuals within the city of Denton.

Congratulations, our Sunny service award is uh Rachel Yuthegary, and uh she is at North Branch Library.

I don't see her here, uh, but she was nominated by the branch manager at North Branch, and as you know, North Branch is our high teen activity, so she has a big job getting all those teens what they need.

But um, she consistently has a positive attitude, and her her supervisor nominating her for multiple uh compliments from patrons who come into the library, and Rachel gives them that exceptional customer service.

So those were our three individual award winners for the spring, and then our team award is the building safety team, and uh Amber's coming up here for that one.

Congratulations, Amber.

And this was a team award, they actually get an armadillo that we're gonna pass around each quarter, and then the department gets to dress it up with flair.

So, Solid Waste won it and put a little vest on him.

I think you're gonna do a construction hat, and so as we pass them around, he's gonna gain more and more flair.

But the building safety team is the first team you see when you come into development services.

Not part of your nomination, but we did have a business owner downtown uh stop us at their restaurant and say what a positive experience they've had while undergoing renovation.

So great job to the building safety team.

So we'd like to share this stuff quarterly so you can see the good things going on in our organization.

Thank you very much.

Great job, congratulations.

Thank you for that.

That's great.

Okay, then that takes us to our first work session item 3A ID 260625, repeat receiver report, whole discussion, gift staff direction on pending city council request.

Did you want to do it?

Okay.

Good afternoon.

We have some staff changes this afternoon.

So I'll be presenting the two minute pitch item.

Uh, we have one item this week from council member Stevens on an EMS lieutenant position.

Uh, the work session processes uh we can have up to seven requests per meeting.

Staff will introduce the request and council members will have up to two minutes to describe and justify their request.

Uh remaining council members will have a maximum of one minute uh to provide feedback and indicate their level of support for the item.

Uh if the item is selected, the agenda committee will assist in scheduling the item.

Items receiving consensus based on priority will help us, and um, along with the availability and readiness of the item, we'll be looking for high, moderate, or low.

Uh so we will turn this item over to council member Stevens.

You have the floor.

Thank you, sir.

Uh, I'll read it and then just put some narration on it.

I'm requesting a work session during the budget discussions to discuss uh the feasibility and creation of one to two EMS lieutenant positions for our fire department during the upcoming budget cycle, including a discussion on the budgetary implications, the potential external funding opportunities, as well as the tangible benefits of adding these positions to the fire department.

It's something that the Denton Firefighters Association has wanted for the past few years, and uh I'd love for us to talk about it.

Uh the reason I listed it as uh a high priority is so that we can make sure that we have all the information in time for the budget discussion.

Uh what I don't want to do is have a discussion uh outside of the budget cycle, where I I don't feel like we can rationally or fairly have this conversation, particularly with all the hard work that the city manager's office does in uh that budget, and so because this is something that the firefighter association has requested, I think it would be great for us to be able to publicly have that conversation alongside of them.

Thank you, all right.

Um, supportive of this item, um, and I agree that doing it during within the budget discussion makes sense to me, so I'm high priority as well.

Uh representative from district four.

I'm happy to have the discussion.

Uh representative from district six and then one.

Um I'm in favor as well and appreciate the appropriate timing of that, so we're not doubling up while we're talking numbers, we're taking numbers, but thank you very much.

Thank you.

Representative district one.

I'm supportive at high priority.

Thank you.

Okay, very good.

You have what you need, yes.

Excellent.

Okay, thank you very much.

That takes us to um our closed session.

The city council will now at uh 410 p.m.

convene and close meeting to deliberate the closed meeting items set forth on the agenda, which include the following item A, ID 260939 consultation with attorneys under Texas Government Code Section 551.071, and then item B ID 260950, consultation with attorneys under Texas government code section 551.071.

And then we will not be taking up item C.

That was just a placeholder that was not is now not required.

Uh so we won't be taking up C.

So just A and B, bless you.

And uh with that, we'll set the room.

Someone can now at 5.10 p.m.

reconvene from the closed session, and the city council.

Uh wait, city council now at 5 10 p.m.

reconvene from closed session, and no official action was taken.

We are adjourned till 6 30 for our regularly scheduled meeting.

Thank you.

Good evening, welcome to this meeting of the Denton City Council.

Today, today's date, June 16th is Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

It's 6 30 p.m.

And we do have a quorum, so I'll call the meeting back to order.

First thing on our agenda are pledges to the United States and Texas flag.

Please stand with me if you're able.

Oops.

I thought we'd use the flag of the United States of America.

For which it stands, one nation, indivisible, liberty, and justice for all.

Honor the Texas flag.

One state under God, one and indivisible.

Okay.

And then we have three proclamations.

And so first is the Juneteenth day.

If you can meet me at the podium there, we'll start with that.

Thank you.

All right.

So I have this.

And so um, how about who's uh who's our spokesperson that's gonna uh help us recognize?

Yeah, for sure.

Okay, tell us what um what we're recognizing, and well, first let's introduce everybody and well tell us what we're recognizing, we'll introduce everybody, and then we'll go from there.

All right, we're recognizing the Juneteenth celebration and it starts on Thursday.

Okay, you can go.

There's a point reading, artwork right over here at the art center on Thursday night.

Friday night, we'll have gospel night at the park, and then after the park, all day Saturday, we will party, party, party, and R and B all night long.

Not all night, I'm serious.

10 o'clock, 10 o'clock.

Okay.

And here we have Miss Robbie, Miss Beatrice, Miss Maryella, Anthony, Meredith, Mr.

Cud, we're all members of the June 18th committee.

We have a couple people that are out, but we work throughout the year to make sure on Juneteenth, we get a great celebration.

We would love if everybody will come out and join us.

There'll be plenty of food, festivities, games, water slides.

Thank you.

Okay.

Yes, give me a so is there anything, yes.

I just would like to add that we have a lot of activities for the children, so it's for the communities, not just United, it's a celebration of freedom and integrity for all of us.

So come support our vendors and the children will have a great time.

Yes, excellent.

Excellent.

And they guarantee it'll be 60 degrees.

Um nice and cool.

Yeah, that's not true.

Uh so uh, and then parade, right?

The parade was the parade will line up at 8 30 over right here at the police parking lot here on Hickory Street.

We'll go through City Hall.

City Hall East.

Yes.

Don't know East.

Oh, right.

Y'all know which way East is.

Okay, good.

City Hall East at 8 30.

We will line up for the parade.

We have a route that's already on the internet that will go.

We'll go through Southeast Denton, end up passing through Fredmore Park, and end up coming out that way, and that's what we'll dispatch.

But the parade is welcoming anybody and everybody.

This celebration is for Denton, the city of Denton.

We're celebrating Juneteenth, but it's for all it's Juneteenth, City of Denton for the whole city.

Come out, bring the kids.

We got we're gonna have glords of vendors, food, entertainment.

Please come join us.

We've already talked to the Lord about the heat and the rain, so everything will be good.

All right.

Excellent, excellent.

So I have a uh have a proclamation.

First, we'll recognize my neighbor.

Uh hey, Reverend Logan, how are you, man?

Great to see you, sir.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, that's uh best neighbor going.

Uh okay.

Uh so I have a proclamation, and it reads uh a proclamation by the mayor of the city of Denton, Texas, to all whom these presents shall come, greetings.

Whereas June 19th, 1865 marks a pivotal moment in American history known as Juneteenth Independence Day, when General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced to the people of Texas that in accordance with the proclamation from the executive of the United States, all slaves are free.

More than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, and whereas Juneteenth serves as a profound reminder of the long journey for freedom, equality, and justice, celebrating the resilience, strength, and invaluable contributions of African Americans who have enriched society.

And whereas it is essential that we continue to educate ourselves and future generations about the history and significance of Juneteenth, fostering a deeper understanding of the ongoing fight for civil rights and committing ourselves to building a better future for all.

Now, therefore, our Gerard Hudson with Mayor of the City of Denton, Texas, do hereby declare and proclaim the 19th day of June 2026 as Juneteenth in the city of Denton and encourage all citizens to join in the spirit of celebration and friendship for the good of the citizens of our community.

If we give my hand again.

You good?

Okay.

There you go.

Thank you very much.

Hey, great to see you.

Great to see you for sure.

Hey man, appreciate all the hard work with social media master right there.

Man, he's doing great things.

Hey, how are you, man?

Sure.

Okay.

Our next thing that we're recognizing is complex neurocognitive tissue condition and awareness month.

Okay.

Excellent.

You sure?

Come on up.

You sure?

Okay.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

Well, thank you for being here.

Yeah.

Okay.

So you want to tell us what we're recognizing or that's.

Yeah, sure.

So I did like prepare very quick, like a web minute speech.

So hi everyone, my name's Amy Walkiller.

I'm actually a violatorist, a doctoral candidate at UNT.

And right now I'm 35 years old.

And five years ago, at this time, actually exactly June 16th.

That marks the day I started experiencing paralysis.

And a year and a four months later, I became a CYE company model completely quadruple.

Sorry, this topic is not as fun, you know, but I think it's very important for people to recognize that a luggage injury can really make a whole difference to a person.

And with I shared my story through a lot of social media, I realized how many people that are experiencing exactly similar things are being dismissed, gaslit, and they are not having a pathway to their care.

So August 25th last year, I funded Inclusive I Foundation, is try to really advance the diagnostic accuracy and try to give these people a care pathway.

Many of them are actually Delser musicians, just like me, and that they actually lost their function.

They are unable to play it at war.

So we really wanted to help this population and letting them to be able to go back hostage and be able to go back to do the things that they love.

And thank you so much for recognizing it.

And in your name.

Thank you very much.

And so yeah, and where do we go to learn?

I know you have a foundation.

Where do we go to learn more or figure out if how we can help?

Yes, uh, please go to the website, inclusive vibe.org.

So it's two words, may be inclusive, and we wanted this kind of vibe be embracing uh any kind of disability, invisible disabilities.

And so you guys can see more, and especially this month has the awareness buff.

We uh actually opened a page of that underneath, the awareness dash buff, all the details will be there.

Okay, great.

And and make sure I get this right because I'll read it but just so everyone has the spelling I N C L U S I V I B E.org.

Got it.

Okay, great.

Thank you.

And so this is a proclamation by the mayor of the city of Denton, Texas to all whom these presents shall come greetings.

Whereas June includes national observances for Alzheimer's and brain awareness month, migraine and headache awareness month and scoliosis awareness month yet that there remains a need to recognize neurological conditions where connective tissue disorders intersect with injuries to the brain stem and spinal cord uh and then it goes on to say and um can these these can lead to severe and irreversible neurological injury and have an average diet diagnostic delay of more than 14 years with patients often experiencing a misdiagnosis before receiving an accurate one and whereas the inclusive vibe foundation a Denton based 501c3 founded by Amy Wang Hiller advances diagnostic accuracy and humane care of those of these disorders through patient experience research clinical empathy programs rooted in music and health and provided provider education.

Now therefore our Gerard Hudson with mayor of the city of Denton Texas do hereby declare and proclaim June 2026 as complex neurocognitive tissue conditions awareness month in the city of Denton and encourage all residents to learn about the conditions support support those affected advocate for diagnostic accuracy and celebrate the resilience of individuals living with complex neurocognitive tissue conditions in the in our community local health care providers clinics and hospital systems are and further encourage support awareness and education about these conditions if we can give her a hand okay here we go slide all right thank you very much and we have there so we'll be both we thank you very much and we'll also recognize waste and recycling workers week if you're here for that if you can come on down.

Oh man yeah for sure for sure I know it that's great I love seeing right right that's great.

Okay well tell us what we're what we're recognizing.

All right thank you mayor uh my name is Brenda Haney I'm the director of the solid waste and recycling this is part of our team I'm so proud that they're all here this is an organization National Waste and Recycling Workers Week was founded about 10 years ago to recognize those in the waste industry um as first responders and so this is an opportunity for us to recognize each of them for the work that they do day in and day out to protect the public health and safety of our community, whether it's our landfill staff or our roll off crew or our coordination and education and outreach team, our residential collection, our landfill staff, it takes all of them to make all this happen.

HCC and Valet takes all of them to make um the services that we provide to the city function on a on a regular basis.

So I'm real proud of all of them, and it's great to have the opportunity to recognize them today.

Sure.

And so give us your best stat like if we if we're if we were going to be in like the just the volume you deal with, right?

Because I I don't think people really understand.

Annually we accept over 400,000 tons of waste at the landfill.

About half of that is from the city of Denton itself, and our recycling, uh curbside recycling rate is at about 25%.

So we got a long way to go.

Our goal is 40 by 40.

30 by 30.

I'm behind.

Yeah.

So we're a little behind.

We're gonna catch up.

Uh, we also function on it's not just getting the material in our recycling campaign, but it's also making sure that we don't have contamination.

So we continue to try to work and educate and um keep that contamination rate low because it costs us money if we have contamination in our materials.

Got it.

And then so one more thing I'm gonna have you talk about because I I like to brag on it.

Uh so the the and I'm gonna get it wrong, right?

Will you drive through and drop off all so here's what I normally do.

Uh uh once every blue moon I get a new TV, and and they always get bigger, right?

And then I figure the thieves are gonna see the box outside of my house and think I have a big TV.

So I take the big box and take it to my neighbor's house and put it by their house.

But now we have a place we can drop it off and it takes the foam, and so my neighbor doesn't have to worry about their house getting broken in in a few years when I get a new TV.

But tell us about that, that facility and and batteries.

I want to make sure people know that thank you for bringing up batteries.

So we have a home chemical collection program.

It's a little bit more than that.

It's all the difficult to get rid of items, you know, all that stuff that you've had hidden in the back of your garage for decades.

Um, we'll accept those materials.

Um, paint oils, towers, batteries.

Um please keep your lithium ion batteries out of your trash.

We will accept those from you at JJ's Home Chemical Collection Program.

Um the styrofoam will accept as long as it's clean and separated from other materials.

We have a densifier, so we make these larger bricks of that styrofoam.

Um, it's about 98% error when it comes out of your television package, and so we're trying to reduce that down, and we're looking for a recycling market for those materials.

Um, and we have a couple of options for recycling those boxes if you don't want to do what I do, which is get my box cutter out and break it up so it'll fit my recycling cart, but you can take it either to North Lakes or our facility.

Sorry, man.

It's just it's my my neighbors laugh at me when I'm standing out there stomping on it and cutting it all up to get it in.

You're like, yeah, I'm like just slicing and dice, man.

You gotta do what you gotta do.

It's inspirational.

I'm not doing it.

Okay, fair enough.

Uh so either the North Lakes or at our home chemical collection, which is located on the landfill property.

Excellent.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you very much.

Okay, and and uh I I do I want to brag on a little bit more.

Man, I go to a lot of um, I go to a lot of career day things, and man, the trash truck is a hit.

I don't know who you I mean, no, always, like always, man.

The kids, uh yeah, the kids will run straight to that.

I mean, you could have uh a truck full of gold or a trash truck, they're going trash truck every time.

It's it's amazing.

It's really great program though.

Thank y'all for all the work you do.

And uh if you if you've not taken the time to go through like Denton 360 or something and understand all the stuff they do, they I mean to keep us safe, they they alternate routes and times.

You know, if you've if you've been that person that, hey, I didn't know why they came at seven, it's so they can stay on top of things, stay alert, not get familiar in the routes.

I mean, just a lot of detail goes into everything y'all do.

Truly, truly grateful.

So thank you.

Uh, and so this is uh a proclamation by the mayor of the city of Denton, Texas, to all whom these presents shall come, greetings.

Whereas the dedicated individuals in the waste management management industry provide an essential public service that is fundamental to maintaining the health, hygiene, and aesthetic beauty of our neighborhoods, and whereas these frontline professionals consistently brave, demanding conditions to ensure our communities' discarded materials are managed safely and responsibly, and whereas their commitment to recovering resources and reducing environmental impacts is a cornerstone of our local sustainability efforts and protection of our natural ecosystem, natural ecosystem.

Now, therefore, I, Gerard Hudson with Mayor of the City of Denton, Texas, do hereby proclaim the week of June 15th through June 20th as waste and Recycle Workers week in the city of Denton, Texas, and call upon all residents to extend their sincere gratitude to these workers for their vital contribution to our quality of life.

If we can give them a hand, you got it, yeah, on the side maybe.

There we go.

There we go.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you very much, sir.

Oh, thank you.

Yes, this is great.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate y'all.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Appreciate it.

All right.

Hey, man.

Thank you.

Okay, if we can play the video for addressing council, please.

The Denton City Council has adopted rules of procedure, including a code of conduct that applies to the public as well as council members.

These rules were enacted to promote an orderly process and to preserve decorum.

Speakers will have four minutes to give a scheduled report and four minutes to give an open mic report.

A bell will ring when time has expired.

If the remarks are not concluded by that time, the speaker will be asked to stop speaking.

If the speaker does not cease and a second request is made, the mayor may request to have the speaker removed from the chamber.

Speakers should not approach the dais.

If a speaker has materials for the council, please notify the city secretary in advance.

For scheduled reports, the council may initiate discussion or ask questions.

For non-scheduled open mic reports, the council may listen.

However, because no notice of the subject of the open mic report has been provided to the public in advance, the Texas Open Meetings Act prohibits discussion or decision by the council on non-scheduled items.

As a result, the council may only proceed as follows on non-scheduled items.

Propose to place the item on a future agenda.

Make a statement of factual policy or a recitation of existing policy.

Speakers are asked to direct all remarks and questions to the council as a whole and not to any individual member.

Please refrain from making abusive, personal, impertinent, profane, or slanderous remarks.

Anyone who violates the council rules of procedure may be immediately removed from the chamber.

Thank you in advance.

Copies of the rules of procedure are available from the city secretary.

Okay.

First speaker that registered, Tracy Duckworth, if you can come down and give your name, you'll have four minutes.

Hello, my name is Tracy Duckworth.

Um everyone calls me Mama T.

Um.

Welcome, new council members.

Hello.

Glad y'all are here a lot.

Um I was homeless in total for five years.

Um my last like one and a half years was on the streets of Denton.

I got housed.

Sorry.

I got housed um through giving grace in um August, I mean April of 2022.

Um I voluntarily exited the permanent supportive housing program in um March of 2025 because I started coming here speaking out, um, exposing the truth or trying to.

Pardon me.

And um, for that, I was retaliated against.

I came here and told council I was being retaliated against, and they allowed it.

It continued.

So I was in fear for my safety.

And so I voluntarily exited the permanent supportive housing program.

And I have been struggling to not get evicted ever since.

Excuse me so much.

I turned my apartment into a storehouse of supplies.

I started to.

Full of supplies.

Because I came through the system here and um through the shelters through the programs, and um I saw what was being done, I saw the truth, I saw way too much.

I saw them not giving supplies that they had to people.

Um so I started collecting supplies and I turned my house into a supply house.

Um now I um I have founded a nonprofit organization called Mama T's Butterflies.

I am very boots on the ground, I'm very in touch with my people.

My house is full of supplies, that's where they come when they need anything, and um just like recently I put out a very nice backpack on the streets.

Word got out that Mama T was the one with the nice backpacks, all six that I got that I fought for, all six of them that I fought for two weeks to collect, um, were gone within two weeks.

Now in the work session two weeks ago, um Jesse Kent said that um, you know, the numbers are showing that homelessness is an all-time low.

It's not, they're everywhere.

Um, but I've been saying that.

Um it was also said that um when the changes to the community shelter were made, that there were meetings held with um community members, boots on the ground groups, um, and people with lived experience.

I want to know how I'm all three of those, but I missed that meeting.

Um, and the audit report that was done last April proves that the our daily bread um organization has broken the city contract.

Um no one has yet to talk to the homeless people about anything.

So what I did was I went to um I went to Facebook to the around towners, and I asked, do y'all think that homelessness has significantly decreased in the last year?

The city says it had.

So 163 comments, um, 45 people laughed at me.

Um absolutely not.

If anything, it's gotten worse.

71 people agreed with that, and I could go through like that's all of them.

That's the comments, you know, minus the people that um had side quests, you know, towards each other.

Um, but the general consensus consensus is no.

No, it's not.

So, um, I don't even know what to say anymore.

This is my 14th time here as well.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

And the next speaker is Prudent Sanchez.

If you can come down and give your name, you'll have four minutes.

Hello, my name is Prudence Sanchez.

I live at 71 Jackson Street here in Denton in Southeast Denton.

So today I signed up to speak about mowing liens and homelessness.

Um, we what I re would request from the city is when there are sheriff sales and property is being sold at a sheriff's sale that the city would come in and put their claim for these mowing liens that are out there.

Because uh just this year, my husband and I applied for a home equity loan on a house that we had bought at a sheriff's sale, and come to find out there was $4,000 worth of mowing liens dating back 10 years to a time when we did not own the property.

Um the city was um, they did help us to find all the mowing liens because the title company requested it, and the city really wanted to give that information only to the title company and then give us the amount that we needed to pay in order to, you know, clear title on the property.

So what I would request is that if the city files these mowing liens that they do their due diligence to collect on it within a reasonable amount of time.

So that's that's what I want to talk about about that.

It's not good and it's not best practice.

I don't believe, and it's not good to the citizens to have this blind side you when you're trying to, the only time that these mowing liens get triggered is when you're trying to do something with your property.

And a title search happens.

Um another thing I was gonna talk about is the homelessness.

We um have talked to the city before about um people camping on our property, and we have gotten response from the city.

We met with the uh a couple of police officers and the social worker on our property one morning that we had scheduled, and lo and behold, there were uh homeless people there, one woman needing medical attention, and EMS services had to be called.

Also, sometimes these people, like I said, there was feces on the property, toilet paper uh in different areas, and the fact that the landowner is the one that has to pay for that, I don't believe is proper.

I think this the county have something to I know that the county coffers has money, I don't know how much money the city has, but if these people are going to be on our property, there needs to be some kind of fund that the landowner can tap into to mitigate this type of cleaning.

It's biohazardous, um, and it's dangerous, so to put the burden on the property owner when as we've heard before, most people don't believe that enough action is being taken to um alleviate this homelessness problem.

Uh so that's another thing that I would like to say.

Um those are the only two things that I was going to talk about.

Uh I do live in Southeast Denton.

Uh I'm familiar with the overlay district, and um I appreciate that the city has come out and talked to us about the plans.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

And the next speaker is Alfredo Sanchez.

My name is Alfred Sanchez.

Um I'm a small investor here in uh here in Denton.

Some of a lot of properties that I've picked up have been through sheriff sales.

One of the concerns I have is when those properties go out for sale, uh, they usually start base based on the um how much is owed on them on taxes.

So, but a lot of times those properties sell for much more.

My concern is that money, the extra money, say a property sell is taxed for two thousand dollars and it sells for sixty thousand dollars.

A lot of the that problem that money is supposed to go to the owner, but they never but a lot of the owners don't even know about that.

And these people are poor, you know, they don't have a lot of money or a lot of knowledge of what's going on.

And the city ends up holding that money, and after two years they pocket that money, at least my that's my understanding.

So my concern is why doesn't the city educate our population, especially those people that are getting their house taken because of liens and tell them, okay, after that, after your property gets sold, if you can't pay the taxes, why don't you go to the tax office or I know you can and submit the paperwork so you can get the the overage on that property?

I don't think it's correct.

So I don't think it's right that the city does that.

I understand the city says, well, you have to know what you're doing to look kind of just throw that out and say, Well, tough luck.

Well, that's not that shouldn't be the case.

Those people that work in the city should be educated to to help their citizens rather than just say, Well, you know, you lost it, and that's that's your tough luck.

I mean, that's that's where I come from.

Okay, and I just wanted to bring that up.

I don't think it's right to take money from people that are already losing their home when there's 40, 50,000 that can go back to that family.

All right.

The other thing my wife talked about is mowing liens.

Again, that's a situation where the city does not talk to the sheriff when they're getting ready to tell these properties, even though the city has submitted the paperwork saying, okay, there's mowing liens.

Why don't they coordinate when that sale comes up?

It's not right that later on people find out that there's a mowing lien on that property, and so now they have to pay two, four or five years later, or even whenever they want uh they might have to pay four or five, six thousand dollars on a mowing line, especially if there was sixty thousand, say there was forty or sixty thousand dollars overage on that property.

The city gets that money.

Now they're gonna collect more taxes, more money on the mowing liens.

That's not right.

I think there's a little bit of honesty that has to be done here as far as the city.

We need to help people that are just making it, or people that, you know, if you buy something, don't tax them twice.

All right.

Thank you.

And we'll have someone follow up with you.

I don't I don't think we get that money.

I've never seen a line item that says that comes to us.

Uh but I I I I'll they'll research it and get back with me.

But I I don't think that's the case.

That's what I was told.

Yeah.

And that it was that it goes to it stays in a coffer for two years.

Uh, and then it goes this.

I don't know what agency, but the city takes that money because it's actually uh I don't know, it's uh it's over child.

So I'll have I'll have them confirm and then they'll follow up with you.

Okay, thank you.

Yes, thank you very much.

Uh oh.

Is it a statement of well it's it's posted, yeah.

Uh representative from district six.

Sorry.

I was just gonna say you might um check unclaimed funds.

Uh it is my understanding that it goes into the registry of the court.

There had to be something filed before our houses were closed on.

There is an ad lightum appointed that tries to find that person.

It's not a perfect process, but it goes to everyone gets paid.

The rest goes into the registry of court for the certain amount of time, then it's what's called as cheats to the state.

But you might Google, and I suggest actually everyone Google themselves and go into unclaimed funds.

You'd be very surprised at what you can find there.

Again, I I certainly don't have all the answers, and it's not a perfect process, but uh I'm also happy to answer questions if maybe afterwards you shoot me an email, I'd be happy to have coffee.

Excellent.

Thank you.

Uh that takes us to our next speaker, Sean Blackwood.

You can come now and give your name.

You have four minutes.

All right.

First of all, I want to start by saying thank you to all for serving this country or the state.

I know it's a thankless job, so thank you for your service.

I also want to apologize for my lack of sleep.

Uh my father died two days ago.

So uh good evening.

My name is Sean William Blackwood.

I'm a disabled, honorable discharged army veteran, a UNT student and a Denton resident.

I want to speak about public safety and a pattern in numbers that I believe deserves attention.

My father, William Russell Scott, passed away from lung cancer on June 12th, 2026 at 5.20 p.m.

He loved Denton, but before his cancer became too severe, he still enjoyed walking around the Denton Square.

Even as an older Army veteran with COPD, he enjoys being out in the community.

But eventually he told me he no longer felt safe doing that.

That really stayed with me.

The concern caused me to start looking into this data.

So also I tried forwarding a lot of this data to as many people as I could.

I didn't set this up properly, so I apologize.

But uh, but looking at Ditton's own numbers, there are three indicators that move in different directions.

Part one crime decreased by 15.5%.

Sexual assault reports increased by 13.3%.

Officer initiated activity decreased by 9.4%.

These numbers do not tell a simple story.

Major crime went down, sexual assault reports increased, and officer-initiated activity decreased.

I'm not saying not one number proves one cause.

I'm saying the pattern deserves review going forward.

When I looked at the statewide context, Texas rape rates declined from 2023 to 2024 while Ditton's sexual assault reports increased.

These are measured differently, and that direction matters, but the direction that distinction matters, but the direction still matters too.

Statewide the trend went down locally, Ditton went up.

That may have an explanation, but I believe it deserves a closer look.

And uh part of a board public safety.

All right, I'm stuck.

So uh slide four.

Uh the Fry Oak area is not imagined, sorry, the Fry and Oak area is unimagined concern.

The city's own review documented 1,266 calls for service, 274 crimes, 17 aggravated assaults, 54 simple assaults, and three sexual assaults.

Uh these are the city's numbers.

So when residents talk about safety around Fry Street downtown and the areas surrounding UNT, there's already documented reason to take those concerns very seriously.

Almost done, I promise.

Uh so I am not asking anyone to accept a conclusion before the data is checked.

I'm asking the city to review the pattern.

That means looking at officers' initiated activity, report only outcomes, citation versus arrest outcomes, classification changes, and case outcomes.

It also means looking at Fry Street late night activity for safety.

Ditton Square Public Safety, UNT adjacent activity, camp encampment response, and lower level public disorder.

Sometimes patterns patterns develop uh generally.

The purpose of the review is to see if the full picture of the problem can become worse is going to become worse.

And finally, the request review.

My request is simple.

I am asking Denton to conduct a forced public safety review of officers initiated activity, selected enforcement concern, campment response, and late night safety around Fry Street, UNT, and Denton Square.

Compassion and public safety are not opposites.

We can care about the people while still maintaining the standards that protect the residents, students, businesses, visitors, and families.

I'm here because my father loved this city.

I'm here because I still live in this city.

I am here because I believe Denton can address these concerns early before they become worse.

Thank you for your time.

I welcome questions, and I again I greatly thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Seeing no questions, but our condolences and then thank you for your services.

Appreciate you.

Uh okay, that concludes our speakers.

Takes us to our consent agenda.

Uh, I'll take a motion.

Uh, everything was nothing was pulled, so uh representative from district one.

Move approval.

Representative from district six.

I'll second that.

We have a motion and a second.

Any discussion?

Seeing none, let's vote on the screen.

That passes six to zero.

Takes us to our first public hearing, which is AZ 26005A.

Hold a public hearing, consider adoption of an ordinance of the city of Denton, Texas, regarding a change in zoning district use classification from residential two district to light industrial district on approximately two acres of land, generally located on the south side of FM 377, approximately 1,025 feet east of intersection 377 and Trinity Road in the city of Denton, Denton County.

And I'll open a public hearing.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor, members of council, Sean Jacobson, senior planner here to present Z265A, Winston Cox Waterworks rezoning.

So this is a request to rezone from the R2 zoning to the light industrial zoning district on a two-acre property on East University Drive.

The goal here is to bring an existing non-conforming office and outdoor storage land use into compliance.

So this was developed without proper authorization and permitting.

They're now pursuing a remedy to that, which begins by pursuing a zoning that would allow their use.

Currently, the site is surrounded by uh commercial and industrial to the east, south, and north, residential to the west.

We did consider this against all of our approval criteria, both for all development projects as well as specifically for zoning changes.

One of the main things we look at is our future land use and comprehensive plan.

So as y'all may remember, City Council approved a change to the future land use in this area last fall to light industrial.

This is intended for things like warehouse and distribution, supporting offices, and in areas that have adequate transportation infrastructure, so very much describing the uh 380 corridor there.

The LI zoning is intended to provide light industrial and employment uses and to ensure adequate land for future economic growth.

Zoning change to a light industrial zoning in a light industrial future land use is consistent with our future land use map and with our comprehensive plan.

In addition, uh we want to consider whether there have been significant changes to warrant a zoning change.

We have been seeing an increase in inquiries and submittals in this area, interest in development in this area, particularly in the realm of commercial and industrial.

So again, light industrial zoning makes sense given the development interest in the area, as well as tech stops plans for future freeway conversion in this area.

So we're seeing significant change.

We also want to make sure that we're minimizing adverse impacts.

The surrounding development already is primarily commercial and industrial, and in addition, an SUP will be required for any outdoor storage uses on this site.

So we'll have that additional level of review that will have to come to y'all to make sure that the site has been designed correctly.

In addition, our buffer requirements, which are standard in the code are in place.

We did do our standard public notification.

We did not receive any responses.

The applicant also held a neighborhood meeting.

There were no attendees.

With that, staff is recommending approval of the request rezoning because it does meet our criteria for approval.

The planning and zoning commission also recommended approval 6 to 1 at their May 27th meeting.

With that, I'm happy to stand for any questions.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh representative from District 2.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Um I have a few questions because I was reading the backup material, and I think a little confused just on how we got to where we are right now.

And so I think I'm just I'm gonna repeat some stuff to you to make sure I'm understanding the story correctly because I think it's a little confusing.

So there was an owner who first off, it's R2, and decided to put other things on their property without the city's approval.

Is that correct?

Essentially, there was there was a process uh that would need to be followed, and we determined that some operations had be done without that process being followed, at which point we reached out and indicated they would need to pursue a certificate of occupancy, at which point they did begin that process, before or after it was being built, or during.

So they did begin that process after they had begun operating.

I guess uh and so I just want to make sure I'm understanding though, but uh and again, unless I misread it, when they were building it, you had informed them they shouldn't be doing it, they continued anyways.

Is that right?

So we had had a meeting with them to kind of lay out the process.

Uh we hadn't heard anything, and we observed that it appeared they were now in operation.

And at that point, we then we did reach out and inform them that we would need a certificate of occupancy that they couldn't operate without that.

And do they have one right now?

So they came in and submitted that application within the time required, at which point we let them know that they needed the zoning change in the specific use permit.

So that is why they're pursuing the zoning change in order to get to the CO.

Okay, so they don't have a CO right now.

They don't have the CO2.

Okay, and I know that this property was sold back at 25.

Uh I believe it was 25.

This all started with the first or the previous owner in 24.

Um, is that correct?

We did have a number of inquiries on this site about various development opportunities.

I so I what I'm asking though is the the people that currently own the property, they they're not the ones that built what's currently there, correct?

The current owners are the ones who developed the business on the site, yes.

Okay.

Um I think those are all my questions for right now.

Okay.

Representative from district one.

Councilman Stevens asked my question.

Okay.

Um representative district four.

What is the business that's there currently?

So they essentially are a pipe uh supply company, so for folks doing infrastructure work, they'll order various size of pipes, and then they go there to pick up the pipes to take to a job site.

I see.

Thank you.

Okay.

Any other questions for staff?

Okay.

This is a public hearing, so anyone can speak and fill out a card after the fact if you'd like.

Seeing no sudden movements, I'll close the public hearing.

And representative from district six.

I'll move approval.

Okay.

Is there a second?

I'll second.

Uh so we have a motion and a second discussion.

Uh I'll I'll just say this.

Uh Sean, help me out.

I think the the always the goal is to gain compliance.

Is that right?

That is correct.

And there's a number of these instances that happen.

I serve on a number of boards in the county, it happens there pretty regularly.

In the city, it happens.

I just helped someone in another city navigate this exact same thing, a church uh that got started.

And and their comment to me was oh, I thought um it was uh I forget what their word was, but basically I thought it was thought this process made sense, is what they said in summary.

Uh, but we helped them get back on track, and so uh, but help me just can you speak a little bit to that?

What's staff's goal here?

Absolutely.

You you said it.

Our goal is to reach compliance.

Given that this is a use that has a path to operating acceptably here.

We just want to help folks get on that path and get down that path to where they're operating legally.

Okay.

And and spe help me track with you.

We we rezoned that area or the future zoning change.

Future land use was changed to light industrial.

The zoning request is to make the zoning also be light industrial.

Okay, that's what I okay.

I'm tracking with you.

Thank you.

Representative from district two.

I I think it's just fair to at least publicly state why I'm voting no rather than just saying no, which is I do feel like we're doing this backwards.

Uh I'm concerned about that precedent of uh staff working hard and everyone working hard to to have the rules that we have, and and then someone uh not following those guidelines and asking for forgiveness later.

Um I just don't love that precedent, so I at least wanted to explain why I'll be uh voting no tonight.

Thank you.

Okay, any other any other uh comments?

Seeing none, we have a motion and a second.

Let's vote on the screen.

I didn't see it.

There we go.

Uh and it passes 4-2.

That takes us to our next item, which is 5B, and that is DCA 26002B hold a public hearing and consider adoption of an ordinance of the city of Denton, Texas regarding proposal revisions to the Denton Development Code, specifically by amending subchapter 4 overlay of historic district and to establish 4.11 Southeast Denton area plan overlay district, including the Southeast Denton resident overlay subdistrict, the Southeast Denton Height Overlay Subdistrict, and the Southeast Denton Live Work Overlay Subdistrict, and providing an uh applicability dimensional standards, design standards, allowed uses, use specific standards for each district.

All right, good evening.

And I'll open the public hearing that we'll get that out of the way before I forget.

Thank you.

Um good evening, uh Mayor and Council.

I'm Julie Wyatt, and I am a principal planner with the city of Denton, and I'm here tonight with Mia Hines, and we're gonna be talking to you about the Southeast Denton um overlay districts.

So we'll get started.

Uh so the proposal before you is to amend sub chapter four of the Denton Development Code, um, to establish three new overlay districts.

The height overlay district is the area in blue on your screen.

Uh the live Work subdistrict is the um area in pink, and then the residential overlay is the area in yellow.

All of these are nested inside um the Southeast Denton core boundary, and that's that outline in orange.

This proposal tonight stems from the Southeast Denton area plan.

That was a project that kicked off in 2023.

It emphasized a community outreach in order to establish a vision and goals for the Southeast Denton community.

As part of that, it includes 53 action items, and tonight we're talking about three of them.

As I mentioned, public engagement was a huge part of the area plan.

So as part of the planning process, we had 40 engagement opportunities with the community over 18 months.

After adoption of that, and after when we started the overlay districts, we started with a block party in March of 2025 to start talking to the community about more specificity that they would like to see in the overlay districts.

From there, we worked with the community presenting the proposal, talking to folks about um what we're what is written in the proposal and what we heard from the community, how community workshops, and then also a community meeting for non-owner-occupied property owners.

It culminated in a community meeting on May 18th that the planning and zoning commission requested that we have, and the public hearing at the Planning and Zoning Commission.

So first we're going to talk about the residential overlay, and then we'll we'll get to the subsequent ones.

So the residential overlay is that area in yellow, and the purpose of it is to create regulations that will maintain the scale and character of the neighborhoods in Southeast Denton while fostering community investment.

As some of you may know, we have when you build a house in the city of Denton, there are regulations that you have to follow in terms of design to make sure that the house has dressed up at the front, that it meets our quality and design standards that we want to see in the city.

That includes the zoning, of course, but also the maximum height, the 40 feet.

Windows indoors are required a certain percentage, that 15%.

Windows have to have trim or be recessed, and then and then a property owner can choose three architectural features from a from a menu.

That's required citywide.

From the community engagement for the area plan as well as the um the block party, the overlay districts.

We heard over and over from residents that they wanted to maintain the scale and character of their neighborhood, that they wanted anything built there to kind of look like it it's been there and it goes there.

And so that is that purpose of this, and it starts with the height.

So there was a lot of discussion about scale.

We talked to the community, and they felt like one and two-story homes were appropriate for Southeast Denton, but something like three stories was not appropriate.

40 feet that is allowed in all of our residential districts could allow somebody to build a three-story home.

So we are proposing to limit that maximum height to 30 feet.

That would allow a nice two-story home, but it wouldn't allow either a three-story or an out-of-scale three or out-of-scale two-story.

And that's for the primary dwelling.

For the accessory dwelling, so for something like a detached garage, that maximum height would be 20 feet.

And as I mentioned, we're we're tailoring the regulations for kind of that existing character of Southeast Denton, and that comes to these architectural elements as well.

When you drive through Southeast Denton, you see a lot of architectural themes, things like bungalow homes, craftsman homes, and ranch style homes.

These regulations really pull out some of those features in those homes, and then encourage new structures to have those similar features.

So we're proposing that all new homes either have a porch or a stoop, that windows and doors would be oversized on the front facade so that instead of the 15%, they would have to comply with the 25%, as well as provide that trim.

Roofs shall be gabled hiped or a combination thereof, and then property owners can choose two items from the architectural detail menu, thing like dormers, projection windows, multi-pane or mission style windows.

So some of those, again, those themes from the from the standard kind of character that we see in Southeast Denton.

And these reflect what the community preferred.

And this these are kind of the results that we talked about and that we received from the block party and in May or in sorry in March of 2025.

Really talking to the community about what kinds of features they would like to encourage.

And then the other part of the residential overlay is applicability.

Again, we want to make sure that any new construction is consistent with the character, but we don't want to penalize existing property owners who have or existing homeowners or existing homes.

So any legally established lot structure or static feature would not be main non-conforming.

So if your house does not meet this, you're conforming.

What it would apply to is new construction.

So if you have a vacant lot or if you tear down your house, it would have to comply with these regulations.

It would apply to expansions in a limited capacity, and that it would have to comply with the maximum height or roof forms, and then maintenance not required.

So that's the that is the residential overlay.

The height overlay is very simple.

It is that area outlined in blue.

It is kind of a transition area between the DCTA train train station and and kind of those residential parts of Southeast Denton.

And the community members again were concerned about downtown style development encroaching into their neighborhood and scale that is out of character.

And so the height overlay is intended to address that concern.

So the proposal is to limit the maximum height in the area in blue to 40 feet.

So it's a it's a step up from the residential, so it allows a little additional height, but it doesn't go to the maximum that the existing zoning would allow, which could be up to 100 feet in the public facilities district and then 65 feet with a specific use permit in the MN district.

That would allow that gentle transition from the residential that 30 feet height to the um to areas to the west.

So that concludes those two overlays, and now Mia is going to come up for the final one.

Good evening, Mayor.

Members of the council, Mia Hines, senior planner, and yes, I will be presenting the live work overlay section of the Southeast Denton overlay.

So what our proposal, and I start with this slide to remind you guys, like Julie mentioned, this all comes from the Southeast Denton area plan, and one of the actions that came out of that was to create a live work overlay district.

Specifically, the purpose was to create a live work overlay district that focused on allowing small mom and pop retail, such as bookstores, toy shops, coffee shops, music stores, things like that, and a portion of a single family home with a portion being used as a residence simultaneously.

Part of that was also or part of what we heard from the community was also wanting the restoration of the sort of main street district within the Southeast Denton area that uh residents had lived there a long time and had grown accustomed to seeing small-scale businesses along East Prairie Street.

They wanted to kind of see that re-established.

So with that, we came up with the live work overlay district with that intent.

Um, and I remind you just of what that action says because what we are proposing is slightly different from what that action called for, but we have some reasons for it.

Um, so why is different?

When we initially started uh drafting this proposal for you all, um we looked at what the the current DDC requires for live work dwellings, and essentially found uh in so many words that um what the DDC requires is a little bit opposite of what the international building code requires in terms of what would be needed for fire suppression and things of that nature when mixing the uses so that live work dwelling as land use wasn't really being utilized across the city of Denton as an option and uh didn't really see that it would be sufficient for kind of trying to establish or trying to reach the intent of these goals that we were proposing.

So, with that, we kind of reassessed, we took a look at the area again for the live work overlay and decide and uh went back to the community with some more questions.

And taking a look at the live work overlay, we first looked at the future land use map, like we do with a lot of zoning cases or overlay district requests that we get.

Um, we looked at what the area plan uh called for as far as changing in the future land use map designation, as well as what our didn't 2040 comprehensive plan called for.

And what we see is that in certain areas, specifically along East Prairie Street, we have somewhat of a mix of future land use designations as well as a mix of existing land uses.

Um much of it is single family residence, but we also have some vacant properties out there.

I think there's a barber shop and a religious assembly facility in there as well.

Um, and then of course, to the north of this, uh like Julie called out, we have some some properties that are currently either developing as multifamily or kind of designated for a little bit of higher density development.

So within Section A, we have community mixed use as a future land use designation.

We also have low residential, and then we also have a moderate residential land use designation in that area.

So with section A, we kind of figured that that's a a uh excuse my technical term, hodgepodge, uh mix of of land uses that could be permitted there.

Um and with that, we went to the community and asked specifically what they would like to see different within this area.

Section B, as I'll get into here in a second, um, as you can see, is mostly moderate residential.

So we kind of grouped those parcels together for a moderate residential type of addition to the overlay.

And then for section C is low residential, so a lot of that is is the intent is that to stay largely low residential and single family residential.

So when we went back to the community, we asked them specifically what types of land uses, for instance, what they think would be.

Well, one, do they feel like land uses could stand alone as commercial land uses along East Prairie Street?

Um, and if they did, if what types of uses did they want to see?

And this chart here shows the results of some of the responses.

We asked the question specifically, for example, um, do you feel that general retail would be appropriate as a standalone use along this uh section?

And 85% of the people who responded uh said yes, that would be appropriate.

Of course, we asked them also what were some of your potential areas or topics of concern with regard to bringing commercial or non-residential development to a residential area.

Um, and some of the things that they mentioned were parking traffic hours of operation, noise, and lighting.

And so with our proposal, you'll see that we are proposing or um uh requesting that a little a little bit of additional operational and uh development standards be put into place.

As far as the existing zoning along section A of East Prairie Street, as I mentioned before, there's a mix of existing uses, but largely the zoning is R4 and R7, and there's one parcel here to the west that zone MN.

Um and the reason that I show you that is just to show you that compared to what we are proposing versus what is permitted, um, this is what we are proposing in this section here.

All those those Ps just stand for permitted.

The plus means it's permitted with a use specific standard that specifically would be specifically applicable to these uses in this overlay.

To all non-residential uses that would be proposed within this overlay, we would apply these operational standards, specifically hours of operations would be limited to Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.

through 8 p.m., and then Friday through Sunday, 8 a.m.

through 10 p.m.

Architecturally speaking, the buildings and the structures would have to comply, new structures would have to comply with the single-family residential overlay architectural standards that Julie mentioned.

Um, and then landscape and screening buffering-wise, um, all uh commercial properties would have to provide a double uh double-face fence or a 15 foot and a 15 foot wide uh landscape buffer when adjacent to residences.

Um in addition to that, we have a number of use-specific standards um that are intended to uh sort of limit the scale of the developments that would occur in this area or the non-residential developments that would occur in this area, and then one other kind of different uh approach to the hours of operation for daycare is that we are proposing to allow that they be open 6 a.m.

to 8 p.m.

daily, uh just to give parents and and people who work with children a little bit more time in beforehand uh to open and drop kids off.

Um, this slide is just showing more of those uh uh things that we are proposing for those uh uses, those non residential uses to sort of uh protect the scale, maximizing the the building size and ensuring that it does maintain the residential neighborhood scale.

And then for that live work dwelling use, the um proposed uh uh use-specific standards for that use would essentially be making it more uh into compliance with what the International Building Code requires so that um people have more of an option and hopefully um this allows for more of the or incentivizes more of a use of the live work land use for section B Skinner.

This one is much more uh simpler, of course.

The future land use, excuse me, future land use designation in this area um is moderate residential.

Um, of course, this is the the properties uh just west of Skinner, and so what we are proposing here is to allow for those missing middle housing types to be permitted within this area.

Um, same with um any commercial, because some of that property is zone and man and some of its own R4, uh, we are we would apply the same operational standards for any new commercial use um within that area, um architectural standards, landscape and screening standards, as well as um the the uh standards that we apply to keep the scale in operation um going.

And then finally in section C, um, of course, this area is single or low residential future land use designated.

Um so we are simply proposing in this area not many changes at all.

We are just proposing that that live work uh dwelling land use be more in compliance or more aligned with the international building code.

Again, this is kind of a launching pad to see um how useful that live work dwelling unit um land use actually is once we uh um uh once we sort of make it a little bit more in line with what that international building code requires.

Um okay, so with that, we did perform the uh public notification that we would typically require for uh regular zoning cases.

We sent the two people within the property um as well as 200 and 500 feet.

Courtesy notices 500 feet outside of the property.

Uh we got a couple of responses in favor and uh a few responses opposed.

Um I think for the live work uh section, uh some of the uh opposition was related to the hours of operation, um, but they were generally consistent or generally agreed to the um uh proposed uses as well as other standards, and then on the uh residential piece, some people were concerned about limiting um creativity of architectural standards, but of course, all this came uh comes from what we've heard from the residents.

With that, um we are recommending approval uh of what we propose.

We did present this case to planning and zoning commission, um, and they did recommend approval with a modification to the uh live work overlay hours of operation.

Um instead of the Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.

to 8 p.m.

and then Friday through Sunday 8 a.m.

to 10 p.m.

They are proposing Sunday through Thursday, 6 a.m.

to 10 p.m.

and then Friday through Saturday, 6 a.m.

to midnight.

And of course, that that wouldn't be for all any of any non-residential use that would be in that area.

Um and then, of course, you as the options or you as city council have the option to um approve this as proposed by us or as PNZ or with some other modification as you all discuss, and then postpone or deny um with this if you so choose.

With that, I will stand for any questions or comments.

And if you have any about the residential or height, I might have to ping Julie.

Thank you very much.

Questions for staff, representative from District 4.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good evening.

How are you?

Good.

Um, early early on in the presentation.

I don't think there's maybe these are numbered.

Um let me find it.

The phrase uh slide 11, maintenance not required.

Standard property maintenance would be required.

Um, what that's talking about is this um the overlay standards, the proposal would not be a property owner wouldn't have to come in into compliance with this if they're just maintaining their property.

Okay, okay.

So if you're like you're replacing your windows in the front, you wouldn't have to increase the size.

You could you could keep them the same size.

And and to use Mia's term, mom and pop stores, would they would they not have to provide parking off-street parking?

Yes, all non-residential uses would be required to ru uh to meet the minimum parking as required under the whatever that use is under the development code, and no use can provide less than four spaces.

So even if you have like a smaller structure, sometimes parking is based on the size of the structure.

You have to at least provide four on-space parking if you're proposing a non-residential use.

And we're talking off-street parking.

Off-street parking.

Okay, yes, okay, good.

Good, thank you.

Uh variances are are still are still allowed on a one-by-one basis.

It depends on, I guess, the an unusual size, shape, or slope uh property that's sure.

Yeah, if you have a hardship, you can of course appeal to the zoning board of adjustment if that's the case for the property, or um if it's not something that's expressly prohibited, um, then typically we can consider very important.

Yes.

And at at what point does remodeling an existing home have to come w when does it have to become conforming?

Um it only would come into uh it the only thing that would be apply applicable to it would be the building height and um roof form.

So if you had a single family home and you wanted to add a second story, you couldn't exceed that 30 feet in height.

You would have to maintain that um maximum height and then and then the the roof line, you'd have to either have a gabled or a hipped roof.

Suppose there was a fire and and after the fire, the homeowner wanted to improve the property.

It would so at that point, then it would have to come into compliance with the regulation.

So if you well, I guess I should say, um, if you scrape the lot, if you said it's complete.

I get that.

Yes.

Then it would have to comply with with the regulations.

Okay, there was a fire in the kitchen, severe fire in the kitchen.

Would you could you could you uh could you make make the make the footprint bigger?

Uh on on that without having to without having to comply otherwise.

Sure.

It's it um we were expressly, you know, we we bandied this about a lot to see what at what threshold um should uh compliance come into play.

And in this, we felt like you know, any existing home, it's considered conforming.

So if if there was a fire in the kitchen, they wouldn't have to excuse me, comply.

They'd still have to comply with the maximum height and building and and roofline.

So that would still be applicable, but the porch, the windows and doors, the you know, the trim, that would not be applicable.

Okay, so I'm hearing most of this is roof line and and overall height.

For existing homes.

Existing homes, yes, sir.

Yes, okay, okay.

Slide 17.

What is a mobile food court?

So that is that is just a lot.

Um that we what was it?

17.

This one, okay.

That is just a lot that uh where the the primary or the only use on the lot is mobile food truck sales.

That would require a what with what we are proposing that would require a specific use permit.

So that would become before planning and zoning commission and the city council.

I see.

Okay, okay.

Last one I promise.

Um the where am I extends hours of operation?

Saturday, Friday and Saturday, six to midnight.

Uh slide 20 uh 27.

The commission's recommendation.

Okay.

Uh was was that was that talked about at the neighborhood meetings?

Um, so we had the neighborhood meeting, we had a final uh community engagement event on May 18th.

Um we had a planning and zoning commission in uh April, and then the planning zoning commission directed us to go back to the community to have one final meeting.

We had that meeting.

There was discussion at that meeting about those hours.

Um and then at the planning and zoning commission meeting, um, there was additional discussion about those hours and wanting to uh the commission voted to extend the hours past what staff was proposing.

Okay.

Okay, okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Mayor Proteur.

Thank you.

And I just wanted to say I'm always excited when we have an award-winning plan, and then we actually are implementing it.

We're still making progress on that, so I appreciate staff's hard work on moving this forward.

Um I had uh questions relating to the hours.

I did watch the planning and zoning meeting, so I kind of saw the public comment and uh how it went down with the planning and zoning commissioners.

Um what concerns do staff have about planning and zonings hours amendments?

So, you know, clearly we don't want to do anything that's going to um bother neighbors.

And I and I understand that the logic behind it was that there is somebody wanting to open a business.

Um, they were hoping for more hours than what was um built in.

Um so the the goal is to help this uh business owner, but of course, other people can come in later, and we want to protect from uh nuisances.

So, in terms of what planning and zoning proposed, what challenges would staff anticipate based on those larger hours?

Maybe someone uh who's in charge of enforceability maybe speaking to that, but I will answer the question from why staff proposed the hours that we did and kind of how we got feedback from the community engagement standpoint.

So when we when we retooled the live work uh overlay piece, um we went back to the community, asked them about those additional uses.

Of course, they they recommended or said they had concerns about those things, the parking, the the noise and all those things.

Um, and then we went back and out where we posted an online survey and asked them specifically about those times that staff is proposing, and that there was kind of a general consensus that that was a good a reasonable time to to them.

Um, and then that got uh um yeah, amended by uh one one restaurant owner wanting to wanting to go a little longer.

Charlie, did you have more about I guess the enforceability and where that might be challenging with the hours proposed by planning and zoning?

Yeah, um Charlie Rosendahl, Director of Development Services.

Um I think, you know, definitely as we get later in the evening, um, you know, different activities taking place on the site can make it uh more challenging and become more of a nuisance on the property.

I think is one of the major concerns with extending the hours.

But in addition to that, um, you know, we we have to go out and enforce these.

We'll go out and take, you know, measurements of the sound levels of certain things.

Um oftentimes our our police um will get called out for enforcement, and so um I I just think those are all considerations that go into something like this.

So um there was a discussion at the planning and zoning commission meeting about you know if if we were to extend hours, what does that look like?

Um could we do it just indoors?

And so after PNC and discussing it further, um, if city council did want to extend the hours further, our staff recommendation would be to limit those activities to indoors, it would just help further with enforcements um so that if you know staff were to go out there or the police were needing to go out there to conduct some type of enforcement, at least they would have a mechanism then to say, you know, these activities are taking place outside of doors, you're only allowed to do this inside.

So it'd be more clear than coming out there uh measuring decibels and all that.

Correct, yeah.

Okay, all right.

Thank you.

Um and then actually, Charlie, I may not be done.

I don't know.

Um, so you you would say that the best way to mitigate the concerns while allowing longer operating hours could be the indoor option of limiting to indoors would be the clearest potentially.

Yeah, I think if council was considering extending the hours, um, I'm gonna bring up the options here.

Um so obviously making that indoors would help with enforcement.

Um, I additionally, I think um staff's proposal with the specific use permits.

Um, you know, it's an extra administrative step for this um for an SUP to be brought forward to this body.

Um, but on a case by case basis, there could be with this coming in um a commercial property with adjacency to a residential, um, you know, maybe that residential person's been living there a long time, and then a use comes in next to them with extended hours, and so it just adds in for additional consideration for this body rather than um just buy right.

Right, and I I know that's an added barrier, added cost.

So I'm I'm a little hesitant on that right now.

Um I'm interested in probably the first or second.

Um I'm looking for a way basically to allow the operating hours to be extended a little bit without you know future um uses and other areas creating an issue for the neighborhood.

Um so that's all I have right now.

Thank you, Charlie.

And Mia, thank you.

Okay, any other questions for staff?

This is a public hearing you can speak and fill out a card after the fact.

Anyone would like to?

May I mayor?

Yes, sir, please.

I came to tell you farewell and welcome to the board.

I didn't come, but I thought this was a done deal.

Pardon my walking and talking.

Reverend Logan, Reginald Thomas Logan.

I live on 705 park lane, the city did long time uh city a resident here, high school, the whole thing right here in the city.

Returned back in 1984.

First, I want to say to the st to the board and to the council and to the mayor, thank you for all the work that you've done.

I've been here a few times, you guys.

I tell you, you're a phenomenal.

I'm not trying to butter you up just a little bit.

But also, but the staff that have come to Southeast didn't.

Time and time again.

I don't know how they interact with other communities, but they've been there so many times talking to the community.

What do you want?

And they've been back again.

Matter of fact, I talked to their manager and said, don't send them back down there again.

They have got everything outlined.

You see the percentage of the people that are for it.

When I grew up as a child there, where they're talking about the business is going to be located.

They were, I'm 78 years old.

And I'm opening the mayor.

I don't believe you.

And that same place where they're talking about extending the hours.

We it was two o'clock when I was growing up.

I mean, we had time to get home from the football game out at the stadium at we've driven in from Polly Point and Dallas playing with the Fredmore Dragons.

We need to come down on that very corner and eat the barbecue and have sandwiches.

I love going to out back.

I love going to the I go to all the business.

I eat out a lot.

I'm telling you, I'm looking forward to going out and eat out in my own community.

And if I want to go down there and eat a sandwich at 11 o'clock at night, I want to go back and eat me a sandwich at 11 o'clock at night.

So I'm hoping that you will just understand that if they've come there to set up regulations that are germane to our neighborhood where I live.

I don't live far from this location.

My uncle actually had a restaurant up the street on Skinner and Robinson Street, the Logan Barbershop and the Logan Cafe.

And now this young man is gonna bring a business there.

And I'm hoping if I was just 10 years younger, Mayor, I tell you, I'd open up me a snow calm stand, I'd open up me something right across the street from him.

I would do that.

I'm too old to do it now.

And I'm hoping by him doing this, it will open up that community to commercialize and bring businesses back to the community on Prairie Street and Skinner and Robinson, like it was when I was growing up as a child.

And I'm gonna go down there and eat, and I'm gonna go down and make sure that things are conducted.

Not that I'm a police, but I do serve on the on the chief advisory committee just to drop that in.

I will and I'll be talking on that committee to make sure we're down there to make sure everything is in force.

Properly, regular, and it's honest, but let this happen and send these people home so they can get some rest.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Oh, we got a question for you, ref.

Yeah, he wants to ask you about how the sandwiches work, Tommy Crafts.

Oh man, Tommy Crap on the corner.

They don't know nothing about that.

Tommy Crab on the corner of Skinner and Prairie Street, they don't know anything about it.

You know the hotlings you used to get and have the skin still on it with that good barbecue sauce soaked into it.

That bun was toasted.

Get yourself an order of French fries, some onions.

Hey man, I'm telling you, just in a little place, and go to get you a good sandwich.

Look at I'll have them you'd have a meal, get it on a Saturday night, go to church on Sunday, come back after 11 o'clock hour, open up that candy, and come on home and eat barbecue sandwich.

You lost them at Skinner.

But go ahead, Ray.

Wow.

You know, Skinner Street is I'm gonna so regret this.

Um I know I am go ahead, Judge.

Go ahead.

I have eaten with you.

Yes, sir.

And you're relatively quiet when you chew.

Yeah, but I chew, yes, sir.

I'm not concerned about the food part.

I'm concerned about the music part.

Are you gonna be okay with music going on in your neighborhood until midnight?

And that's and that's when it's supposed to stop.

That's not necessarily when it stops.

That's supposed that's when it's supposed to stop.

Are you okay with that?

Sir, I'm gonna be there.

I can't dance.

I'm a preacher.

I only can dance in the church, but I tell you what I think about it.

I don't believe that either.

Okay.

But I will be there, and I'm going to encourage everyone there that comes and even the guy that owns the establishment.

We want to be good citizens.

And we it will be.

Yes, they can stay open to 12, they can play the music.

The houses that are located there.

Half the houses that were there are gone because Mars and Mills bought up the other side of the street and removed the homes.

Okay.

The homes are there.

But I just you're you're gonna be okay with music until midnight.

Until midnight.

Okay.

Because you have to understand I stay open, I stay up until three o'clock in the morning.

That's just what I do.

Okay.

Okay.

But midnight is not a problem.

Now tell me about the French fries again.

No, no, no, no.

No, please don't.

No, no.

No, anything else.

No, I think we're all good.

Thank you.

You've they'll they'll bring a card to you.

We'll need your autograph.

Okay, thank you.

All right, thank you.

Thank you, Council.

Um it's so it's a public hearing, anyone can come down and speak if you'd like.

Um seeing no other movement, I'll close the public hearing and open it up for discussion.

Or but uh representative from district one.

Uh first off, I want to thank staff for all the work they put into this over the last several years.

You know, I was went to one of the first community meetings y'all held when we were discussing the Southeast End area plan three years ago, and to have this come to fruition is is just fantastic.

And I just love the fact that y'all went multiple times back to Southeast End to you know explain the changes and discuss the overlay district.

So 100% supportive of this.

Um, and I'm gonna move to approve this with the extended hours of operation as recommended by PNZ, uh, with uh the specification that it must incur occur indoor uh for those extended hours.

Okay, representative from district six.

Uh thank you and uh ditto to the comments.

Thank you for everyone over the years that is put into this, and um I will second.

Okay, we have a motion and a second for the PNZ recommendation with the caveat that it's indoors added.

Uh any, and so we have a motion and a second, any other discussion.

Yes.

Yes, because I have to go back and amend the ordinance for y'all.

Um is that uh indoor only for the extended hours or indoor only in general as non-residential business?

Just for the extended hours.

Representative from District 4.

Councilmember Villarreal.

So you're you're suggesting that at 10 o'clock, everybody picks up all their stuff and takes it indoors.

I think that's unworkable, sir.

Representative District 1?

I'm willing to accept the friendly amendment and have this be for all activities in non-residential.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, so we have a friendly amendment and and that's accepted.

Uh yes, it's accepted by the second turn.

Yes, thank you.

Okay.

Uh okay.

So we have motion second, and again, the motion is the extended hours recommended by uh suggested by planning and zoning, the caveat that it's all indoors for the entirety of those hours.

Okay.

Uh that's what's before us discussion.

No, I thought that was a friendly amendment.

What did I miss?

A point of clarification.

Stage appointed questions.

Um, as I understood the motion, and please correct me if I'm wrong, um, he accepted the friendly amendment, which took away the caveat that all the activities have to take place indoors because of the potential unworkability of uh allowing the mobile food court, you know, the SUP uh restaurant, etc.

happening outside except for the extended hours.

My understanding when I second it was the amendment was to allow uh not to restrict anything to just indoors is that correct, sir.

No, that's wrong.

So it was it was the opposite.

It was the the motion initially was to restrict to allow outdoor till 10 and then extended hours be go indoors.

Councilmember Holland said I don't think that that transition works, which I agree, uh for consistency purposes.

And so then the friendly amendment was okay, everything's indoors the entirety of the time is is where uh the conversation landed.

So do you do you second that?

Um I don't think that's possible with something like a mobile food court.

Yeah, I don't think that's this well.

I think that's separate and apart, right?

We talked about this earlier.

Right.

That's gonna have a separate regulation.

There's state law now involved with the mobile food courts.

So that's gonna have a different regulation regime entirely under the state law.

So what we can control is those non-mobile food courts.

So anything else that's basically my understanding is all non-residential uses would be have to be indoor in this area.

Um if that's the is that the motion?

Then I second.

Thank you so much for the clarification.

Sorry for the delay.

Yep, no problem.

So we have motion second uh discussion, Mayor Pro Temp.

To be clear, we're saying during the day, a restaurant could not have an outdoor space.

Is that what this motion is saying?

No, it's not uh said said just to repeat what Max said, the mobile food court things are are not something the city can regulate.

The state's taking away that regulation ability.

So when you talk of mobile food court, we can't regulate those things.

That's not being considered here.

What's being considered is non-residential uses indoors.

So a re a restaurant could not have indoor and outdoor seating, it would only be indoor seating.

So if he wanted to have, you know, he had some indoor seating, but he also wanted to have outdoor seating during the day, he would not be allowed to under this current motion.

That's my understanding.

Yes, um, staff, correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the way it's it's been explained.

Yeah, I do feel like that limits his ability to operate potentially during the day.

Would you have any openness to I mean I I'm open to uh your original proposal of um indoors after a certain time um or just removing or just accepting planning and zoning's recommendation at face value?

And let me before you answer, go ahead, Charlie, add to the discussion.

Yeah, I was just gonna mention that that if city council chose to that we could allow for the indoor activity to occur only, we could write it in a way that the indoor activity could only occur after the hours of operation.

So if you wanted if city council wanted to, we could do the regular hours of operation as recommended by city staff, and then after hours uh after those hours, then that would have to occur indoors.

Uh representative from district one.

I guess my question for staff is do y'all believe that would be untenable to manage the transition from allowing outdoor use to only allowing indoor use after a certain hour.

Yeah, I think we would still we would still go on side and observe the activities that are occurring if if we kind of complain or if we proactively went out, um, and then at that point we would observe if somebody was out outside of the outside of the establishment.

Gotcha.

But you don't think it's untenable, but I don't think so.

Okay.

Um and accepting Mayor Pro Ten Rumer's amendment friendly amendment to go back to the original motion of only allowing the extended hours indoors, but allowing outdoor use during regular business hours.

Okay.

Uh so what's what's before us is this motion uh with planning and zoning's recommendation with the extended from that 10 to midnight time period indoors only 6 a.m.

to 10 8 10 p.m.

they can have outdoor components.

Uh yeah, that's that's what's before us.

That's the motion.

Councilman Jesse, do you second that?

Yes, got it.

Representative District 4.

Mayor, I'm looking for a way to support this.

I truly am, but you're talking about a business that's very likely next door to a house where a guy's gone to sleep, he's got his baby asleep finally, he's got to get up in the morning, and you're gonna have me believe that at 10 o'clock, somebody's gonna tell this guy that he needs to pick up his food and take it inside, and that's not gonna cause a con from confrontation.

I I think this is fraught with with problems.

So uh thank you, and and I and I'll just say this.

I I would in the discussion, I I would all I'd ask someone to show me where that works.

Like you would either have to take the tables that are outside inside, who who's picking up, and your business is still going inside.

So business is going inside, I have tables outside.

I gotta tell the people inside the business to move so I can bring these tables in at 10 so we can keep going till midnight.

The functionality of it just that that's where you lose me on who's bringing tables inside.

Are you saying there's tables left outside that somehow someone's not gonna sit at?

You know, I get it, you can chain the umbrella, but you can you can't duct tape a table to keep, you know, someone's sitting there.

That's going to happen.

If a table's outside, I'm hanging out, I'm sitting at the table.

Like that there's no that so I don't I don't understand that functionality of it, and the policing of it would be a nightmare.

It needs to be one or the other, uh, my estimation.

And yeah, that I have more to say about other stuff, but just this discussion, that's where you lose me.

It's not functional to have outdoor seating that's not permanently outside, and then without some sort of barrier to offset shut that off, uh, then people are going to sit there, and you're not gonna be able to police that because you're busy in the kitchen doing all the things.

So that it just doesn't function.

Um but maybe I'm missing something.

Representative from District 2.

Thank you, Mayor.

I just wanted to add a perspective to that.

I I mean, I I can I I hear that concern.

I would add I I do think that there are quite a few places that that have practice things like this.

I'm going to a place this week like that, Portland, Maine, that has regulations like this where it's reasonable to uh for ACUs or uh these types of overlays to expect if you you know you can't eat outside at 8, they stop uh seating people around 6 30.

Um I mean, that's common in Maine, it's common in Mexico City, it's common in France.

I think we're not those places, uh, and I take that point, but I I this is something I would support.

Okay.

Yeah, no, I I would I'm gonna say this.

Born and raised in a neighborhood.

I know every all the players involved, and some personalities, it's difficult to get without like street crib, like like if Rev showed up and said, Hey, do this, it'll get done.

But if it's one of your peers, you're you're asking for issues.

Matter of fact, just that corner.

Unfortunately, someone lost their life and it was real over nonsense, right?

Uh Skinner and Prairie, right at that corner, absolutely senseless.

And so it's just a different animal.

So lived experience, just different animal.

I I respect your uh your your take, but that was two months ago.

So uh representative from district four.

Thank you.

Again, I am looking for a way to support this.

Is there gonna is there any will alcohol possibly be served at these places?

Yeah, they would have to apply with TA TABC for their license and make sure they're respecting distances from schools and churches and things of that nature, but they this wouldn't prohibit them from because they want to be competitive with other businesses that sell alcohol.

I get that.

I get that, but that exacerbates this problem.

Now you've got a uh a patron who maybe have had one beer too much, it's 10 o'clock.

Hey, pal, you gotta take it inside.

Man, what a chuck a challenge.

What a challenge that's gonna be.

Okay, so uh thank you representative from district two.

You back?

Or is that just left?

No, thank you.

I I take your point and appreciate that.

I was wondering if you could share some perspective on what you think the best path forward would be for this.

No, I'm I'm with I'm with Judge Holland.

I I wanna say I again I know all the players it and and Reverend Logan's absolutely correct.

I I just think it needs to be based on our experience in the area, with similar situations, I think it needs to be easy to police.

I think and so to that end, it needs, and I don't, I'm not crazy about the outdoor seating just because of the parking component, right?

Because the way I see this flowing is the there's a bunch of people that hang out at the park every night, and the park closes at 10.

So they need somewhere to go.

So those same 20 people are gonna go from the park to hubs, whatever he calls it, Grubho.

Uh is that right?

Hub Grub, Hub Grow.

And they're gonna go there and hang out till midnight.

So it gives them an extended place to hang.

There's people out all the time, I get it.

Uh, and so I think you'll need that parking, and I think if someone wants to sit on their car or hang out or do all those things, they can do those things.

I just think that functions better, or I mean I guess to to uh upon more reflection.

Maybe it's temporary folding tables or something that we talk to the owner and say, hey, look, if you're gonna have outside seating, make it such that you can collapse it and put it in the back and then problem solve, right?

Like that's really the the that transition.

I'm thinking more wooden tables, but if it's something, hey, we can close it up, take it in the back, done done, great.

You know, so I think it's really about communicating now.

That doesn't have to be codified, but I just think we need to um express our our hopes, if you will.

That's helpful.

I don't want to overcomplicate this.

I guess what I'll add to that then is I do think this is something that is radically different for the city.

It is something we haven't done before.

I'd be open to easing into it because it's something that could always be changed.

And so if we want it to be a little bit more conservative to the mayor's point, I'm open to that because it is something if if a year down the road we see it's working great, we could adjust it, but I'm I'm open to whatever the motioner and secretary want to do.

But I I appreciate your input.

Yep, no, that's good.

Good discussion.

So uh I'll go.

Oh, representative for district six.

Uh thank you.

I just want to say thank you for all the comments and and I I appreciate what lane you're in right now, and I'm gonna follow that and make a friendly amendment.

Uh I uh what I don't want is to put off all of what is before us today because of the discussion over this um uh one part.

So what I would like to do is make a friendly amendment to the motion that we have the extended hours, we approve everything else as presented, and that it be indoors, knowing again that we can come back and change this any time, and if that's something the community wants, certainly we can do that.

Uh, would that be acceptable to the movement?

I accept the third friendly amendment.

Yes, all right.

Um, and that's just in the interest of moving this forward now, so we've got these things in place.

We can always I think debate that later.

Thank you so much.

Okay, got it.

Um, yes, sir.

State your point of view.

So now we're we're back to to to midnight.

Is that what I understand?

We've been at midnight and we're all indoors uh currently.

So midnight, all indoors, motioned and second, Friday and Saturday, yeah.

Indoors, yes, only.

Yes.

Thank you.

Yeah, you tracking with me, Matt.

Okay.

So the motion uh by commission uh council member Villarreal is that we take the uh planning zoning's recommendation Friday and Saturday, the extended hours.

Uh that it be um all indoors, and all the time.

Yeah, that's where we are.

Got it, got a motion and a second, any other discussion.

I'm gonna pivot from that to so that's good.

Thank y'all very much.

Appreciate the discussion.

Uh, I'm gonna pivot from that and and um, can you is there a slide that has Robertson Street on it?

Because this covers that, yeah.

If you can just that that you know where I'm going, that triangular piece that was rezoned.

Is there I don't know that there's a slide that shows it well, um it's here.

This is MN now, it was our seven or our four.

Well, how about this?

Go to the future map that lists it all as residential.

That works.

Uh let's see.

Yeah, that that works.

Uh so yeah, it's it so we're that section C.

Uh this this body didn't participate in those conversations.

I I just call out that I would ask this council to be very mindful of the property.

Uh Ed Robertson on the south side that um if you look at the answers to the questions in 2021, it was taken from residential, it's 418 Robertson Street.

It was taken from residential to MN.

And that was Councilmember Bird, Councilmember Beck, Councilmember Armitur, and Councilmember Meltzer that voted yay.

I mean A that voted aye for that.

I was against, and and if you look at so staff, ignore staff's numbers on the residents.

I asked for property land value, and they gave me the full total value, ignore that.

Look up the addresses, but I'll read it to you.

So this request was made in 2021.

And so at the bottom of the list is staff provided that's 332 what is um our 14 Robinson, right?

And so uh the value in when it was purchased originally was just and and I'm asking you to call your attention to this to make sure you don't do this to the rest of the neighborhood.

And and the importance of this overlay to those that are tracking along in 2021 when that land was purchased, it was the land, no improvements, was 17,000, so round numbers eighteen thousand dollars.

Then it got purchased, and they came and and lied, the original owners lied to the council and said they were gonna build something and they're gonna help and do all uh they used all the affordable housing language.

They they openly lied, and and then they turned around and sold it.

So they sold it in 23.

The property value goes from 18,000 to 71,000, or you round up if you round up 72,000 dollars in one year.

So it went up that and that puts pressure on all the residences, right?

When you talk about people can't afford to live, it's it's it's stuff like this, bad decisions like this where we make commercial property and residences.

So it goes up in 2022 to 71,000.

Then they sell it again.

Uh and so they bought it, got the zoning, sold it, flipped it, and then they flip it again.

So round numbers like uh, let's see, it says in 22 ultimately being conveyed to the Denton Affordable Housing Corporation in 24.

So if you look at 24 through 26, that same $18,000 piece of property with nothing on it, the land, goes to 143,000.

Just the land.

So let's look at the neighbors and let's see if that's comparable.

So then you go to the house right next door, 328 Robertson.

No, no, let's go 332.

46,000 is what it's worth today, 26.

In 21, it was 36,000.

So 10,000 over that time frame versus almost over 100,000 increase.

Go to the house to the further to the to the west.

One house over, 48,000 now, 38,000 in 2021.

And then the next house over 51,000 now, 40,000 in uh 21.

So all of those are in range, round numbers 10,000 increase.

This one, because they duped the council and they went for it, and it went up over 120,000 over that same time period versus 10,000 naturally.

So I say to say, I I appreciate staff doing this work because this body doesn't always understand neighborhoods as much as they try, and this is a great uh injustice to our neighborhood, and it's a great injustice to those neighbors that's land value is getting that's unimproved land that went up a hundred thousand dollars uh over the same period, and so it's very dangerous, and this overlay hopefully will discourage that type activity.

So I appreciate it, and and I watch this property like a hawk uh because uh whenever something comes there, it needs to be single family and it needs to be affordable, and this type shenanigans where they bought it and flipped it, uh, is our unacceptable and and it pained me that it passed.

And so that this is my passion project.

It's a corner, it's right around the corner from my house, and I watch it uh, I watch everything that happens there because uh I I don't think that's right.

That's it.

We have motion and a second for some great work.

Thank you for all you did in the community.

Um let's vote on the screen.

And that passes 60.

And I do need to note uh there that there was one card, didn't wish to speak, but it was in support of the that as well.

So that that's uh we received that.

That takes us to our next item.

Let me get there.

And that's item C, our last public hearing.

ID 260906, hold a public hearing inviting citizens to comment on the 2026 action plan for the 2023-2027 consolidated plan of housing and community development.

Good evening, Mayor and Council Jesse Kent, Director of Community Services.

Uh, we knew that was going to be a long one, so this one has no voting action for you.

Um, it's just a public hearing to talk about our action plan.

Every year, the city of Denton is a participating jurisdiction in the community development block grant program and the home partnership program.

The federal government issues funds.

The city puts together a consolidated plan for how we're going to spend those funds over five-year period, and every year within it, we put together an action plan that consists of community engagement, uh, resident boards and commissions, uh, and the city council to talk about how we're going to spend this money to invest it within our community.

It we also combine general funds with these uh the CDBG and home funds to help provide support for human services and uh other programs within our community.

Again, the community services advisory committee reviews applications and makes funding recommendations to the city council.

Uh the CSAC reviewed applications and finalized funding recommendations uh on May 8th.

They took all the applications that came in through the notice of funding opportunity, uh, and have put together an action plan for for you all to consider.

Um, I've got it here on the screen and it's in your backup as well.

I won't read through all of them.

Um, but they're here.

They they range between housing, public facilities, and also uh community programs.

Uh CSAC recommended 1.68 million dollars of funding to community groups and um government entities with 187,000 of home funds left unprogrammed at this time.

We're right now in our public comment period and it goes through June 23rd.

The purpose of this is to hold a public hearing where uh members of the public can come and speak about what their thoughts are on the action plan as we put it together.

This will all come back as part of the budget process.

When we get to the end of the year, we'll put together contracts and um council have final say on which programs we choose to fund.

Uh we also have someone here who can translate and and uh communicate in Spanish if there's anyone in the public who uh would prefer to communicate that way.

And with that, I'll stand for questions.

Okay, thank you.

Any questions for staff?

And I'll open a public hearing.

Anyone that wants to speak can come down and speak and uh fill out a card after the fact.

Seeing none, I'll close the public hearing and uh I'm looking at any questions for staff.

Seeing none, okay.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate that work.

Thank you all.

And that takes us to our individual consideration items.

First is 6A ID 26103, wait, pardon me, 2603 17.

Consider adoption of ordinance of the city of Denton, establishing a main street advisory board to advise city council on matters relating to the City of Denton Main Street program, including downtown revitalization, economic development, design improvements, promotion strategies, and preservation efforts.

All right, good evening, Mayor and Council, Brittany Sotello, Economic Development Director.

I'm here to present an overview of the Denton Main Street Advisory Board Creation.

Since 1990, the city of Denton has administered and maintain a downtown development program through a contract with the Texas Main Street program under the Texas Historical Commission.

The program focuses on downtown economic revitalization through preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings to provide the necessary image for the downtown area and serve as a unifying factor to encourage area merchants and building owners to reinvest in downtown.

The Main Street program, both national and state, focus on a four-point approach, which include economic vitality, design, organization, and promotion.

A brief history from 2019 to 2023, the City of Denton contracted with the Denton Main Street Association, also known as DMSA 501c6 to manage Main Street programming and employ a full-time Main Street manager through an annual $100,000 contract that the city provided.

In 2023, in anticipation of the design downtown plan and to better align program implementation with city-led downtown initiatives, the decision was made to transition the Main Street Program Manager position back under the city's administration by both the association board and city leadership.

So in November 2023, Chris and Polito, the Main Street Manager, she was employed by the association, and now she's still employed by the city.

She moved under the city's umbrella.

In 2023, the DMSA 501C6 was acquired by the Denton Downtown Denton Foundation, and programming duties were split amongst the Office of Economic Development and the Foundation.

Per the Texas Main Street contract, the Denton Main Street Board must operate underneath the city's oversight to ensure the Texas Main Street program requirements and city governance practices are achieved.

So every year we maintain a contract with the state of the Texas Historical Commission to maintain the Main Street program as well as maintain the Main Street accreditation.

We've held this accreditation since 1990.

We lost it two years ago because the state uh organization changed their reporting requirements, and Chris and Palito worked hard to get us reaccredited.

And so that's what the contract requires us to have a Main Street Board.

The Denton Main Street Advisory Board will meet quarterly and consists of seven voting members and two non-voting ex officio members who are appointed by City Council.

Members of the board will consist of a historic preservation or historic landmark commission representative, a greater Denton Arts Council, the Executive Director, and the Downtown Denton Foundation leadership staff or staff, I'm sorry, a Main Street District property owner, two Main Street District Business Owners, a hospitality and tourism representative, and two ex officio consisting of a Denton County representative and a university representative.

Board members will serve a term of two years and serve no more than three consecutive terms.

And the board will comply with all applicable policies and procedures outlined in the City of Denton handbook for boards, commissions, and council committees.

This is the Main Street service area depicted in the map to the right.

This is actually in the contract that we manage with the state, and each board member shall be comprised of all business and governmental entities and individuals that own or lease real property, maintain a place of business, or that reside within the geographical boundaries set forth in this map.

So the current Main Street boundary is outlined in orange on the map compared to the design downtown boundary, which is outlined in purple.

So they're a little bit similar, but they have different parcels.

The future of Main Street will consist of uh existing programs that we have within the Office of Economic Development and also growing those initiatives, including small business programming and outreach, historic preservation efforts, placemaking implementation, TURS-1 downtown reinvestment grant program, catalyst economic development initiatives, and increased collaboration with city departments to ensure transparent communication, coordinated planning, and unified execution of the design downtown's planned schools.

And so Kristen Polito, since coming on board the city, she has done an amazing job.

There's been an increased investment in downtown.

She's also increased the amount of downtown reinvestment grants that have been awarded to businesses, and we we continue to see uh interest uh peak from businesses as well.

So we only see an upward projection for downtown programming.

Today's recommendation is to consider adoption of an ordinance establishing a main street advisory board.

For questions, I'm available as well as Kristen Polito, our Main Street Manager and Kristen Kendrick Bigley are now the former Main Street Association board chair, now Denton Foundation Board Chair, and Christine Taylor, Assistant City Manager.

Okay, thank you very much.

Representative from District 6.

Um, hi, thank you for the presentation.

Um, I just wanted to know were there conversations regarding utilizing our downtown TURS 1 board or our downtown economic development board.

Um it just seems that some of the objectives are uh duplicating efforts as far as we have a historic landmark commission.

You know, we we have some items.

So if there is a specific makeup that is required by the state, is it possible to combine some of these?

I mean, we just have a it seems like we've got a lot of boards addressing a lot of the same things, and what I just I just want to be efficient as well as productive.

No, you are exactly correct.

Uh Christine Taylor, assistant city manager.

When we looked at all of the boards and we're looking at what duties overlap, Main Street and DEDEC do downtown economic development committee do have items that cross over.

So the with the Main Street Association dissolving and turning into the foundation, we are required for accreditation to have a standalone Main Street Advisory Board.

So we are recommending that this board be created via standalone.

And when we have the conversation in the fall about board consolidation, we would be recommending dissolving uh the downtown economic development committee, which is a subcommittee of the economic development partnership board.

Thank you for that answer.

Um, also uh one of the objectives included the TURS grant program.

So, what would be the difference between what this board would do and what the TURS board does?

Sure, so the TERS board is required by the state and they do approve all the TURS funds.

This board will approve specific programming that we plan to implement regarding these initiatives right here, future Main Street objectives.

So that that is the difference.

So this board would receive the TURS funds?

No, they would serve as an advisory to any type of uh updates that we provide to the downtown reinvestment grant program.

Okay.

Well, my my initial thoughts are let's try to utilize as many members of the downtown economic development board in this as possible.

Uh, so we can kind of save some of that institutional knowledge while we uh create something else and and thank you and and I appreciate the clarifications.

Thank you very much.

Okay, any other questions for staff?

If not, I'll take a motion.

Representative from District 4.

So move.

Mayor Pro Tim.

Second.

We have a motion and a second.

Any other discussion?

Seeing none of the screen.

That passes 6-0.

Takes us to item 6B, which is ID 260664, consider adoption of an ordinance of the city of Denton, Texas, a Home Rule Municipal Corporation authorizing a city manager to execute a professional services agreement with Corolo Corolo Engineers Inc.

for engineering services for Clear Creek water reclamation plant for the water utilities department as set forth in the contract.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

I'm Kyle Pedigo, Planning and Engineering Division Manager for Water Utilities.

I'm here tonight to request approval of a design contract for the Clear Creek Water Reclamation Plant.

This facility will allow water utilities to regionalize wastewater services within the Clear Creek Basin.

The Clear Creek Basin is located north of Loop 288, generally between I-35 and the Lake Ray Roberts Greenbelt.

And compared to previous studies, we've noticed an accelerated development trend in this area.

Currently, all of the wastewater collected in this area needs to be pumped down to the Pecan Creek Water Reclamation Plant.

By constructing a plant and treating the wastewater within the basin, we can alleviate strain on our existing conveyance infrastructure as well as open up capacity at the Pecan Creek plant.

To prevent degradation of our surface water, the City of Denton is also pursuing a regionalization strategy to limit the number of small independent plants constructed by developers within the outskirts of our service area.

In order to achieve this strategy, two projects are critical, which are the Clear Creek Interceptor, which is currently at 60% design, and the Clear Creek Water Reclamation Plant.

This facility would be constructed on city-owned property near the intersection of Hartley Field Road and Collins Road, as pictured.

For clarity, we also included the route of the Clear Creek Interceptor, which would collect wastewater from within the basin and convey it to the plant location.

The need for a separate water reclamation plant within this basin was first identified in the 1998 wastewater treatment planning report.

In 2000, this property was identified as an ideal candidate for construction of that facility and was purchased by the water utility for that purpose.

In 2002, the preliminary discharge permit was granted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for operating a plant at that site, and design was started on a conventional treatment plan.

By 2003, that design had reached 85% completion.

However, it was paused due to a slowdown of development in that area.

With the recent uptick in development pressure in that area, water utilities submitted for a full 10 million gallon per day discharge permit in 2025, which was subsequently approved by TCEQ.

This contract would be design and construction phase services for an advanced water treatment plant that includes high efficiency screening and grit removal, biological nutrient removal, membrane bioreactor technology, an odor control system, ultraviolet disinfection, and architectural components.

The estimated construction cost of the plant is right at 455 million dollars.

This, the timeline for this, we anticipate a two-year design timeline starting this year and finishing at the end of 2028, followed by a four-year construction services portion that would wrap up at the end of 2032.

Due to the location of the plant adjacent to the existing mountain bike trails, minimizing impact on those trails is a top priority in the planning and design.

This plant will utilize the lowest segment of the property, which will is ideal both ideal for drainage and would help to keep the majority of the property intact for alternate uses.

Impacted trails would be rerouted, and we are exploring adding educational components along the fencing surrounding the plant so that trail users could learn about the processes that go into wastewater treatment on a municipal level.

Six firms were evaluated from the 8213 pre-qualified list.

Out of those, Corello Engineering was selected both for the multi-functionality and efficiency of their proposed site plan as well as their proposed outreach efforts and mitigation of impact on the alternate uses on the property.

This design contract would amount to 45,528,839 dollars, which is at approximately 10% of the estimated construction cost, and would include four years of base contract services and two years of special services.

Alternate funding strategies are being pursued to lessen the immediate impact on ratepayers when compared to traditional debt funding.

And this project will utilize a construction manager at risk delivery method, and Corolo's pricing includes all of the necessary coordination for that process once a CMAR is added.

Staff recommends the adoption of a professional services contract between the City of Denton and Crolo Engineers for design and construction phase services for the Clear Creek Water Reclamation Plant and a not to exceed amount of 45,528,839.

And I'll stand for questions.

Thank you.

Questions for staff.

Seeing none representative from district six.

Uh I once again appreciate the forward thinking and the fact that the city of Denton has been a leader in our region ensuring the quality and um uh access to water in this area.

Um and so with that I I'm happy to make the motion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Mayor Pro Tem.

Oh, second, motion and a second.

Representative from District 4.

Mayor, when I took a tour of the Ray Roberts water treatment plant in the conference room there, I saw plaque after plaque after plaque of people whose kids I went to high school with back in the 50s that made the decisions in the 50s that that affect us today.

And I'm really really proud to be on the to be able to vote for this project to uh to join with those kind of uh visionaries to provide to provide water for our uh for our future generations.

Thank you.

Representative district six.

Sorry, this is a personal indulgence.

Um my father was one of those, and I got to see his name on those plans when I toured the facility, and so um I'm with you.

Thank you for the personal indulgence.

Yep.

Okay, we have a motion and a second.

Any other discussion?

Seeing none that's voted on the screen.

That passes 60 takes us to our last item.

Item C, ID 26074.

Consider adoption of an ordinance of the city of Denton, a Texas Home Rule Municipal Corporation authorizing the city manager to execute a contract with Rush Truck Centers of Texas LP through the byboard cooperative cooperative purchasing network contract number 723-23.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

My name is Nicole Brasher, administration manager for fleet services.

Today I'm seeking your approval for a contract with um Rush Truck Center as the mayor stated through the byboard cooperative network.

The City of Denton Fleet Services Department purchases repairs and maintains various types of heavy duty equipment utilized by departments like solid waste, streets, wastewater, and water, and supports city services such as street cleaning and maintenance, refuse pickup, debris removal, and waterline flushing.

The repair services provided by this contract ensure that assets requiring specialized diagnostic equipment and technical knowledge remain operational.

The vehicle and equipment acquisitions will be processed through the city's budgeting process, and the city will only pay for services rendered and is not obligated to pay the full contract amount unless needed.

The charts highlight the contract's estimated cost breakdown by fiscal year, the projected acquisition schedule based on addition and replacements of assets, and the utilization rate by fund for acquisitions and services, all of which are routed through the city's collaborative budgeting process.

Staff recommends approval of a one year with four additional one-year extension in a total of five year not to exceed amount with Rush Truck Center of Texas per 14 million, six hundred and seventy-nine thousand dollars.

Okay.

Uh any questions for staff.

Seeing none, Mayor Pro Tem.

I'll motion approval.

Representative from district one.

Second.

Okay, we have a motion and a second for approval.

Any other discussion?

Seeing none, um, before we vote on the screen.

Help me out because it all runs together.

Is it have you printed presented?

No, this is my first time.

Great, you did great.

Well, here I'm gonna come down and meet you there.

Oh, thank you.

Oh, is there like a uh extra thank you for the first time?

I'm pace.

Oh no, not prepared.

Oh, okay.

Oh, okay.

Yeah, it's a it's the elephant to remember us by.

Uh remember your first.

Oh, look at that.

Yeah, you can drill a hole in him.

And no.

So yeah, just to remember your your first time.

Thank you very much.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

And then we're gonna get a picture here.

Yes.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Appreciate your time.

Anything else?

We're good.

Okay.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right.

So we have a motion and a second.

Let's vote on the screen.

And that passes 6 0.

Thank you.

Takes us to concluding items.

Any concluding items.

Mayor Pro Tim.

Thank you, Mayor.

Just as a reminder again, Juneteenth is coming up this Thursday.

As speakers earlier said, that starts Thursday and it ends on Saturday.

Um the parade begins Saturday, 9 30 a.m.

from City Hall East by the police station, goes to Fredmore Park, and then there will be festivities all day long.

Um also Eric Tosco.

This is Eric's last council meeting.

I've been told before leaving us to go to another city.

Um congratulations, Eric.

Thank you so much for the work that you've done here in Denton.

Um I really appreciate that.

And uh best wishes to you and your next adventure.

That's good.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh representative from uh district two.

Yeah, thank you, Mayor.

Um I obviously I know we'll have swearing in ceremonies, and we congratulate our uh uh new council members at that time that I'm very excited to work with, but uh I wanted to acknowledge uh and thank you for uh your I think eleven years of of leadership.

Uh is that right?

Eleven.

So nine.

Uh let me get there.

Nine, nine, so three and six.

Okay.

Um you were my uh I've only lived in district one or two uh since I've lived in Denton.

So I had Kevin Roden, then I had you, and I don't think you'll remember it, but back when I lived on Bradshaw Street for a long time, I think you were the first council member to ever engage me.

We had a bunch of break-ins on the street, and uh you walked the neighborhood with my partner at the time and I uh and and came up with a plan to make it safer.

Um I appreciate that.

I appreciate that.

It it feels like I've only worked with you for a month.

Um, and uh that's because I have.

And uh, but you know, I I appreciate that you've always engaged me in good faith.

Even at times in the past where there have been controversial issues and we haven't agreed.

There were times where you'd ask or email me to so we could talk on the phone and find common ground, and I appreciate that and and thank you for the time that you've served the city.

Appreciate your kind words.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Um, yeah, so yeah.

You're you're awesome.

Okay.

Anyone else?

Any concluding items?

Anything else uh going on in community?

Yep, okay.

Well, uh, yes, no, this is it.

So we uh those that uh please mark it down in your palm pilot or play type it into your Blackberry.

Uh so 623, 3 p.m.

We'll swear in a new council members, the last two, then mayor and di district five representative, and uh off we go.

So please, and but we'll have a reception afterwards so uh those tracking along, please stop by for that Tuesday and then stay for the reception afterwards uh and visit with staff, visit with all the elected, all those things, meet families, that sort of thing.

So yeah, no, it's been an absolute pleasure to be the mayor of my hometown.

We'll still be that for another for another week, Rev.

A good friend of mine told me anything with two heads is a monster.

So we're gonna have one head at a time.

But uh anyway, with that at 6 41, we'll conclude tonight's meeting.

Thank you very much.