Germantown BMA Meeting – January 13, 2025
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Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen Meeting – January 13, 2025
The Germantown Board of Mayor and Aldermen held its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included an invocation led by Economic and Community Development Director Cameron Ross, the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of minutes from December 9 and December 17, 2024, and a brief recess to convene as the Beer Board. The board also recognized National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and considered one major agenda item: a resolution authorizing the Industrial Development Board (IDB) to review a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) application for The Standard development. The consent agenda was approved unanimously, and the TIF resolution passed 4-1.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda was approved as presented by a 5-0 vote (Alderman Salvaggio voted yes; no nays). Items included:
- Agreement Amendment No. 2 for Legal Services (City Attorney)
- Appointments: Angela Griffith to Historic Commission, Joe Skelly (Chair) to Natural Resources Commission, Michelle Morgan to Neighborhood Preservation Commission
- Contract for Wolf River Blvd/Houston High Traffic Signal (PIN 130008.00)
- Development Contract No. 1253 for Chipotle Mexican Grill at 2110 West St.
- Donations: $1,500 from Steve Chandler for Germantown Education Commission (Battle of the Brains)
- Professional Services Agreements for Cameron Brown Park & Bob Haley Athletic Complex, On-Call Engineering (Stormwater), and Amendment No.1 for Houston High Traffic Signal
- Purchase of Canon Wide Format Plotter
- Recognition of Criminal Forfeiture Funds (Police)
- During consent agenda discussion, Alderman Hicks requested additional detail on the Houston High Traffic Signal project. City staff explained that the project is 100% state and federally funded through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), has completed environmental and design phases, and the construction contract is set for completion within 1 year and 3 months. A pre-construction meeting will be held 2-4 weeks after approval, with considerations for school traffic and procurement lead times (approx. 52 weeks for signal mast arms).
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public came forward to speak; the Citizens to be Heard item closed with no participants.
Beer Board (Recess of BMA)
- The BMA recessed to convene as the Germantown Beer Board for two temporary beer permit applications. Both public hearings had no opposing speakers. The board approved both permits unanimously:
- Grand Krewe of Ptah (January 25, 2025, 6:00 PM – 11:30 PM at the Great Hall & Conference Center; proceeds benefit Carnival Memphis Children’s Charities). Alderman Sanders noted the state had already issued a liquor permit and the applicant will use certified servers. Vote: 5-0.
- Grand Krewe of Ramet (January 31, 2025, 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM at the same venue; proceeds benefit children’s charities). Similarly approved with comments about familiarity and use of licensed servers. Vote: 5-0.
Special Recognition – National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
- Alderman Sanders read a proclamation recognizing January 9, 2025, as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. The proclamation cited statistics: over 1.28 million U.S. officers, 139 line-of-duty deaths in 2024, 79,000 assaults on officers, and an average of 300 officer suicides per year. The board thanked Chief Fisher and all Germantown Police Department officers, dispatchers, and jailers.
Discussion Items – Resolution 25R02 – TIF Project Application for The Standard
- Director Ross presented an overview of the TIF process. The Standard is a mixed-use development in Germantown with an approved outline plan (2018, amended 2023). Phase 1 (former Phase 1A) is near completion; Phase 2 includes 320 multifamily units, ground-floor retail, and a parking garage. The TIF application requests the city and county pledge future property tax increments (estimated at $43 million total over 20 years, with the city’s share approximately one-third). The resolution before the board only authorized the IDB to begin its review; no TIF award was being made at this meeting.
- Board members expressed concerns and support:
- Vice Mayor Gibson supported the IDB’s thorough review, praising the IDB’s membership.
- Alderman Ullicki supported letting the IDB work but asked that the review include incremental impacts on city services (police, fire, EMS).
- Alderman Hicks voiced reservations about TIFs being originally intended for blighted areas, questioned the need for incentive in a wealthy zip code, and asked the IDB to justify any potential recommendation. He also noted the city had already invested in a $2 million sewer line serving the area.
- Alderman Sanders opposed the resolution, stating the TIF would divert essential public funds from education, public safety, and infrastructure for 20 years. He argued the developer would proceed without the incentive and cited the $43 million figure (city + county). He voted no.
- Alderman Salvaggio, after researching TIFs nationally, expressed confidence in the IDB but had reservations about using TIFs in a non-blighted, high-opportunity area. He voted yes to let the IDB study the issue.
- Director Ross clarified that the sewer line costs would be recouped through pro-rata shares from connecting developers, and that the TIF statute for industrial development boards allows use as an economic development tool, not solely for blight.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Beer Board Permits: Both approved unanimously (5-0 each).
- Resolution 25R02 (TIF Authorization): Passed 4-1. Voting yes: Vice Mayor Gibson, Aldermen Hicks, Ullicki, Salvaggio. Voting no: Alderman Sanders.
- Minutes Approval: December 9, 2024 minutes approved with Alderman Salvaggio abstaining; December 17, 2024 minutes approved unanimously.
- Next Steps: The IDB will now review the TIF application, conduct or review an economic impact study, and hold public hearings. The matter will return to the BMA for final consideration at a later date.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, welcome to the Board of Merit Alderman meeting, the regularly scheduled meeting for Monday, January 13th. We welcome all those that are here assembled with us this evening. We welcome those that are watching on GMTV and those that are streaming as well. Before a few quick highlights, just a couple of uh welcomes and and congratulations. I'd I'd point to my right, and we'd like to welcome David Goodman as our city attorney and a recently appointed and uh uh no stranger to the city, been serving the city for many years and uh but first meeting this evening as a city attorney. We look forward to working with you and continuing to work with you, David. Thank you. Welcome. Well, also we'd like to welcome to the Diaz uh the most newly elected Alderman, Alderman Tony Salvaggio. Uh welcome. Um you've already had a couple of meetings under your belt, but this is the first BMA meeting here in council chambers, so welcome and congratulations to Alderman Hicks and Ullicky for re-election. And as they say, it's time to get to work, right? Yeah. All right, a couple quick highlights on the evening or the meeting this evening. We have always at every meeting, we have citizens to be heard. If you'd like to speak to the board, uh to staff, the community, your neighbors. You can pick up a sheet out in People Street on the desk right next to the double doors, fill that out completely, sign it, bring it to one of the officers or clerk Betty, and we will recognize you as item seven on the agenda, which is citizens to be heard. Tonight we will take a very short recess as the board of Mayor and Alderman, and we will meet as German Towns Beer Board. We have uh two cases before us that involve a temporary beer permits and public hearings for a couple of events in Carnival. Also, this evening we've got um a special recognition uh on National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and we have uh one item on the regular agenda and application for the standard. Before in this evening, our our uh invocation will be led by Economic and Community Development Director Cameron Ross. Our pledge will be held or will be guided by Alderman Scott Sanders. Before I ask Director Ross to come forward, I'd like to just dedicate um this invocation this evening, this opening invocation to the late Dick Fossberg. Um Dick was a dear friend of so many in the community, uh great public servant as in voluntary capacity, also appointed. I know I saw many of the board members and retired staff and current staff at his funeral here recently. Um Dick served the community with a passion of service. He served for a long time as our chairman of our retirement planning commission. It was almost as if we had an unpaid consultant. His depth and knowledge in that particular arena was uh something to marvel. Uh he also served um on our IDB as well. Um he was co-founder of the group known as My Germantown Schools and and Vice Mayor Gibson. I know that you're passionate about starting schools like all of the people in our community ten plus years ago, and you were part of that effort as I was and many others, but he was uh the leader there and did all the organizational work, a lot of fundraising and getting all those beautiful yellow signs with the green lettering. Um, and I think about my friend Dick Visberg, um, I think of him as having um a very very sharp mind and a very tender heart. Director Ross, would you come forward for the invocation? Please rise. Let us bow our heads in prayer. Heavenly Father, as we gather this evening to conduct the business of our community in this season of winter, we acknowledge the challenges and blessings that come with this time of year. We humbly ask for your guidance and wisdom as we navigate the complexities of our city and make decisions that will impact the lives of our residents and businesses. Grant us a discernment to understand the needs of our community, the courage to act with integrity, and the wisdom to choose the path that best serves the common good. May the spirit of communic community and cooperation guide our deliberations, and may our actions reflect a commitment to building a healthy and thriving city for all. Amen. To the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Please be seated. Thank you, Director Ross, for leading us an invocation. Thank you, Alderman Sanders, for leading us in the pledge as well. That brings us to item four on the agenda this evening. Item four is setting the agenda. The agenda is presented to the board and to the community generally at noon on Wednesday prior to the regularly scheduled board meeting on Monday. At this time, a staff and administration make no adjustments to the agenda.
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