[0:03] Happ District B Mr Charles cord yeah District C Mr James

[0:09] Green District D Mr Darren Green District e Mr h

[0:30] father we give thanks to you for another opportunity to come and glorify your

[0:34] name we ask that you will bless our decisions that we will follow your

[0:39] guidance for the greater good of this community these blessings and others we

[0:44] ask in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ amen

[0:54] amen flag

[1:12] much as we are to

[1:20] get people in the community as well as police and fire we're going to work

[1:25] through this as pricious as we possibly can

[1:31] can't hear you can't hear me I'm sorry testing is that

[1:39] better okay public

[1:43] comments there any public

[1:57] comments my name is Jim Raymond

[2:01] live at 715 South Washington Street and I'd like to read a comments yes

[2:08] sir I was raised in bash graduated from bash High School in

[2:14] 1954 I left a me there after and off the career and came back about three years

[2:20] ago I now live in the same building that graduated from high school back high

[2:25] school and it's an excellent example of what to do

[2:30] they completely redid that building and turned it into very very nice apartment

[2:36] for seniors when I came back to B I was

[2:40] amazed and somewhat disappointed the amount the changes have taking place

[2:46] especially the loss of population master has really gone through a major

[2:54] reduction uh when you leave vacon proper is around

[3:01] they deteriorate they they get storm damages and they end up being bled tax

[3:10] TR collectors and that's what we today call bled

[3:15] compies if you drive around Bas you'll see it's not just houses but commercial

[3:20] buildings the same way I'm not aware of a actual survey

[3:26] that's been made or or count but if you d do the math B had a population in the

[3:33] 1980s around 15,500 it has a population now

[3:40] about 8700 so that's a reduction of about 1500

[3:46] houses will be unoccupied if you allow for some houses

[3:52] were maintained and still usable you can get that down around 1200 so right now

[3:59] I'm up the opinion we have about 1,200 houses that are in a

[4:05] dilapidated situation so it's a big problem to for

[4:13] us correct we're about five years behind but if you uh think of the problem is

[4:20] not just the houses it's actually a road block people come in here to to assess

[4:26] the situations and see all the deap housing they don't want to bring a

[4:33] part of their businesses here so it spends off in several directions so

[4:41] tonight what I'd like to do is to propose that the council

[4:49] consider uh a resolution and I'll read it I recommend

[4:54] the resolution be considered to specify the like elimination

[5:00] administrative capability be identified and established to support the code

[5:05] enforcement office we already have Provisions for a flight elimation team

[5:12] and this would be a complement to that it would provide the office type legwork

[5:17] to get the things organized and out to the operation's people so we can get

[5:23] this thing moving you know economic and time save ways to get this thing going

[5:29] so we don't have to there point of time if we package it and get contractors L

[5:35] to work with us I think there a lot of ways that we can reduce the cost and get

[5:39] this thing done so thank you very

[5:49] much all right that brings us to number one flight in our city

[5:58] propos action to be taken on this it let us

[6:13] reflect all right proposed action to be taken on this item resolution to form a

[6:20] blight committee to address the blight problem in the

[6:24] city we have before you a resolution Atty johnes you want

[6:32] to I'd like to make a motion that we pass a resolution that step in we

[6:38] already have a committee upon the chairperson tonight to head that

[6:44] committee and uh my person I recommend would be Mr Jim Rond person just spoke

[6:50] based on the information he has together volunteer work throughout this community

[6:54] I think it' be great to work with our current Cod enfor city government I

[7:01] think we can all work together Network on the you know working together one and

[7:06] make a good team with a committee I recommend

[7:10] Mr Jim Raymond motion I mean resolution as

[7:17] chairman of that committee okay this one would be the um

[7:23] B city council designate Mr Jones correct yes okay

[7:30] uh go ahead I want to make a motion since we we got to be consistent in what

[7:38] we do and how we apply things we just received this today

[7:42] yesterday just like when you Mar you bring us something at the last minute we

[7:47] got to be consistent we say we have to table it until we do our research on so

[7:52] I recommend that we table this until we have a chance to look at it and do our

[7:57] due diligence and to see what actually it is because we haven't had time to

[8:02] research it so you know we want to make it fair for everybody we don't want to

[8:06] look like just when the mayor present it that we table it we need to be

[8:10] consistent as whether it's myself or anybody on this board or there so I

[8:16] respectfully ask this board to table it until the next

[8:21] meeting we have two motions on the

[8:25] floor what I was get thank you okay we have a motion by Mr

[8:34] Bradford is there a

[8:38] second I need to ask a question for clarity because I'm just a little bit

[8:44] confused mad chair yes ma'am go ahead M so who is on the BL elimination

[8:53] team so your for for if I can provy it real quick your BL elimination teams in

[8:59] the code enforcement Reform Act it was a flight elimination team it was designed

[9:03] to be a multi- agency Task Force Team it was put together that would

[9:07] have would have regular meetings to bring community members in it is and

[9:13] I'll read it to you so there is a mayor's office designat a designated

[9:20] member from the mayor's office there is a bachor police department designated m

[9:24] per Sheriff's Office designate uh bachor city code

[9:27] enforcement designate Bor city council designate keep morous beautiful

[9:32] designate stor District commission designate planning zoning commission

[9:36] design city clerk designated person B fire department designated City Marshall

[9:41] designated person it would be the members this it's supposed to be a

[9:44] multiagency team so that you had questions about is this a fire hazard

[9:48] and if you look at 1064 it talks about the responsibilities of the black team

[9:52] members it talks about that uh code of Court enforcment design need is to

[9:58] perform inspections for the things the city police department responsible for

[10:02] the locations with that deal with crimes you know what would be considered your

[10:06] your disorderly places and abandoned vehicles the

[10:10] Sheriff's Office perform the code enforce they will talk with who has what

[10:16] they've done and that was to bring in at that time Mr McCain was doing it for the

[10:20] Sheriff's office there was some thing that he was getting some movement doing

[10:23] in different techniques the goal and concept behind all of it the fire

[10:26] department was there to inspect potential firehouses exist from some of

[10:31] these old houses where we've had fires before where they C on fire the concept

[10:35] was is to uh and keep morouse beautiful was the Civic organization to help align

[10:39] the civic interest with the city interest so we didn't have it come out

[10:42] at these announcements meetings like that that was the concept behind all

[10:46] this and have meetings so there was you know I've talked to every council member

[10:52] I've said it from the day before I was ever voted on to be confirmed uh every

[10:56] person came to me and said hey this is a problem we're having this is what it is

[11:00] this was to get people the stakeholders in a room to have that dialogue outside

[11:04] of a council meeting and what they have dialogue with council members and myself

[11:09] I can say from my experience I've had dialogue with multiple areas these

[11:13] groups to have that dialogue in a room where everybody's having it together

[11:16] instead of individually and you're trying to remember hey this is what they

[11:18] talked about this is their concerns that was the concept behind it was to put

[11:22] somebody in there so that there is an accountability team of what's going on

[11:27] what's occurring what these groups can bring so that team hadn't put been put

[11:31] together yet has not been put together but that team does exist in your

[11:34] ordinance it's 1060 through 1060

[11:39] 1067 that Mr J remember when I was asking about a board that was that was

[11:44] intill yeah and that's we kind of got off last last last time we got off on

[11:49] the that's board I was talking about because you know we talked about the

[11:51] sheriff department remember I told you I want to find the board you talking about

[11:55] yes well you just brought it to my attention that's the board we

[11:57] specifically referring to I help you find you found it you know I told you it

[12:02] was going to be there so you got different people in it you know all of

[12:06] us back so do understand sh department and different people you remember you

[12:11] don't R yes so understand this if we want to change membership of it if we're

[12:16] getting in the ground for tell me what the changes are I can bring it to the

[12:19] March meeting because we have to just amend the ordinance we can change the

[12:22] membership we can change whatever we need to change in it it just I will be

[12:26] sure to email it out as I've emailed out other things I emailed out that section

[12:30] of it for look at it for changes and Mr Green is correct Mr J green District C

[12:35] is correct when we talked about this initially it was realized we put it in

[12:39] talked with the May's office about it when we were doing the ordinance and

[12:43] that this would be a conceptual team to get in front of this there was a

[12:47] discussion between Mr Jer and I and the administration that we would probably be

[12:53] looking at some way to conform this this was more of a placeholder to put it in

[12:57] where would the membership come from what would happen how would it look uh

[13:01] so that we don't overlap things you know we W want to take Planning and Zoning

[13:05] spot we also want to take the historical spot but how could you keep this to the

[13:08] Forefront and have that dialogue that seemed like was

[13:12] lacking I know that both uh the administration and Council have you know

[13:17] wanted to have that dialogue between our outside Civic groups and the

[13:24] administration what can be done it's much like grants you know there's a lot

[13:27] of things that people have offered in the public how can they get to a point

[13:31] where we can vet all these things so we can be on the same page other than in a

[13:35] meeting till 10:00 at night has anybody else been appointed from any other

[13:39] department here no l the first appointment large largely since this has

[13:43] been enacted that would be the first appointment and we can always we do

[13:48] always have a right to amend and add yeah other people this is just a first

[13:52] step yes if you if you wanted to look at it and table it till you got time to

[13:57] decide what your membership want to be you can do

[14:00] that if I'm not mistaken the mayor had a spot the clerk had a spot and somebody

[14:05] else had a spot it was like three or four different spots with Administration

[14:09] and and the mayor's office has has a spot the Bor police spot the Sheriff's

[14:14] Office spot the city code enforcement has a spot city council has a spot keep

[14:18] house beautiful has a spot historic district commission has a spot Planning

[14:21] and Zoning has a spot City Clark has a spot the design behind City Clark is

[14:26] because you have somebody with records there it doesn't have to be the city

[14:28] Clark you can be somebody else who can answer those questions on their behalf

[14:31] and bring that to the discussion and then the bash fire

[14:35] department and the city Marshall's office as well as the councel have the

[14:38] right to appoint one person cor okay we all have a spot and I all have an

[14:43] obligation to move this project forward um we've been drag I interrupt you

[14:49] now we all have the right to move this project forward I mean we always go back

[14:56] and amend I mean each one of these here we need eliminate the council have

[15:01] a power to eliminate as uh being Council section 10 64 give us the operation to

[15:10] eliminate team eliminate the team as well but like I said but for us to keep

[15:15] kicking this can down the road our community we don't get anything done

[15:18] with be next year year after next was the same bright problem we have this was

[15:23] just point a we have a committee this is just a point a chairman that who have an

[15:30] authorization fr the chairman of my understanding would be there's no

[15:33] chairman in this committee it's it's more of an action committee AC and so

[15:38] there's no chairman spot in there particularly it's an action committee

[15:42] together that have that thing there is a state of purpose for it and the design

[15:46] behind it down in 65 if you here's here's the reality if you if you

[15:50] appointed somebody tonight there's no terms on these things it's just at the

[15:54] will of the council or the appointments so we need to create terms we need

[15:59] we need to look at some aspects of it it was just it was roughed in for the

[16:03] purpose of that the whole design behind code enforcement was Act was not really

[16:07] in that Avenue but it was to be a placeholder to give us somewhere to

[16:12] go okay well my motion understand you want to take a vote on it or not and I

[16:18] just want to let me amend my motion I'd like to make a motion we p a chairman a

[16:24] this Committee in action with the necessary Amendment you know that we

[16:29] move on and we make the necessary Amendment as we go we got to we got to

[16:34] initiate this somewhere it's been in the tri for for a while we hav initiated and

[16:39] we still have no problem we have citizen in this community willing volunteer

[16:43] their time I think we should take advantage of that you know to go ahead

[16:47] as councilman and leaders of the community the government body and we got

[16:52] mous in the community on voluntary time I think we should act on I think

[16:57] everybody know the condition for clity there was a motion was there a

[17:02] second so I would call for a second on on his motion see if there's a second

[17:08] all right Mr Bradford has restated his motion is there a second

[17:14] motion I'm sorry what was your motion again motion to go ahead

[17:20] and get to committed action and make a necessary mean that we go to point

[17:26] people to each position and just name the follow position that everyone can

[17:30] put some let's make one step let's give this community one step is it a motion

[17:35] to appoint Mr

[17:40] R Mr Been Working community help he wants

[17:47] to appoint him as the the designated FL team member for the city

[17:52] council I got a point of information is that correct yeah yes

[17:58] yeah yeah well let's let's let's see where we get

[18:02] with a

[18:06] second so keep quick all right okay well this is the board that I've been looking

[18:12] for that was we didn't this is the board we didn't really approve it was added in

[18:18] that's what I keep going back to it was in the original we just never took it

[18:22] out that's what I'm saying I kept saying we kept when we looked it over I said we

[18:26] didn't we probably didn't really want this it may be a good thing but you

[18:30] remember that and this is what I kept saying it's a board that you supposed to

[18:33] been went reconstructed because we really went on the same page as this so

[18:38] why would we vote on something and this is what I've been looking for for the

[18:41] last six months just and that's and that's correct it wasn't added in but

[18:46] what it was was when we originally did it we had gone through many versions and

[18:50] the version that came out that we voted on we had that you yourself and I had

[18:54] talked about taking it out and when it came time for the vote that night just

[18:58] of all the things we were doing still open for minut still

[19:04] open but I think at this point yes to your point of information yes we this is

[19:09] the one that we discussed about removing that night when we voted it just it

[19:12] slipped me slipped you and it SLI there so what we I just ask

[19:21] second is there a second well I'm his motion was the first to app

[19:27] Point his is is to activate the board is already it's

[19:31] ready activ just a motion to as the

[19:36] council we

[19:40] W so right now you appoint a spot for speaking for the

[19:46] council it's just the each the council has a designated member on the black

[19:50] team so it's gonna be designated for district B yeah I'm desate for the

[19:55] council as a whole not for a whole so so that's one

[19:59] thing that may need to be spelled out if we need to break out different districts

[20:02] and you have each district have a

[20:05] member so i' call I'd call for a second is there a

[20:10] second

[20:17] motion call for the prev motion by Mr Green uh I think I think are you

[20:24] resending anything you did Mr no sir

[20:29] so this that moves us on to the next hold up hold up we we still have to put

[20:33] in place where we're able to appoint somebody for E District I'm might have

[20:37] to bring that Amendment to the whole meeting I'm going to bring it to I'm G

[20:42] bring it to March meeting for because you can't amend an ordinance

[20:47] Two Step all right brings us to number two

[20:53] the track team proposed action to be taken on this item resolution to re

[20:58] reinstate the track program exception uh that all donations for

[21:04] track team placed in a separate account to

[21:09] used I thought we we never remove the

[21:22] track yeah I think that need to be as well because that resolution refer to

[21:29] here in this meeting tonight is the previous resolution resolution that we

[21:33] already we already said we didn't sign and we didn't approve member last month

[21:37] the signature was CB yeah the signatures are just the vote

[21:42] that was taken at that time I like have move the table and move forward short

[21:47] what time a second okay mov and second to table all in

[21:54] favor and I'll reproduce in the next in the next thing I'll reproduce

[22:01] this brings us to uh number three clarification on offer request to have

[22:08] Miss laa Hart appear propos action to be taken on this item our was as ability

[22:14] determin how was amount of payment determined his heart was unavailable I

[22:19] believe you have a letter in she gave the

[22:26] letter time that I guess I question I have S question who established the

[22:32] rules and eligibility for the requirement of the receiving of who that

[22:37] I think say counil coun municipality I thinked word

[22:44] municipality should U have something to do with the requirement that this never

[22:49] came municipality but I did speak at at the

[22:53] previous meeting with Mr was here about what do we do if this occurred that some

[22:58] employees would come forward and say they feel they're eligible and and they

[23:03] they Prov that they're eligible uh during that period of Time how would we

[23:09] handle that situation that situ how would it be

[23:12] handled I guess we never did established uh I think said this is the deadline we

[23:18] said well it wouldn't be fair what did these fund come from Mr P or someone

[23:23] will show up here at City Hall and say well I was El we we that we got to come

[23:29] with some typee of solution to uh compensate those people if they

[23:33] fallowing the eligibility term and again we not quite sure eligibility because

[23:39] the council had nothing to do establish this elil according to the ARP rule with

[23:45] with we're not having input on on the arp rle we had no input on the establish

[23:53] uh how I would go by the eligibility and I mean this was done PR

[23:58] Soo by by the mayor and Miss Hart and Miss har stated herself she received

[24:03] that information from the mayor well according to the rule the AR rule the

[24:08] municipality should had something the council should had something to help

[24:11] them do with the establishment I spoke of that briefly and she she replied yeah

[24:16] you may be right but this is a cut off day I said that wouldn't be fair to

[24:20] other people I'm do the time I ask we have have a current you

[24:25] make a current motion all C who was employed for the for the for

[24:32] less than 98 of the designated ARP time period between October

[24:41] 21st October 20 21st December 2022 be be conversated imately they if

[24:48] they was in part during that time and it have to come from the general Farm we

[24:54] can't leave Mr P who was Elder just threw him to the side of Miss Johnson

[24:58] Miss Smith whoever it may be that thr him to the side they was eligible that's

[25:03] something I make like make a motion if anyone approve eligibility they be paid

[25:08] a million from the J and I know Bop I asked last meeting

[25:13] that we receive a list um for those people that were like right at the cut

[25:19] off or were eliminated and did not get their

[25:24] benefits based on whatever reason and we as a Council still have not received

[25:29] that list if we have that list we definitely have something to go

[25:33] on we don't have anything we have to have something so we could see what

[25:40] people qualify and list was

[25:50] email email and and it had on the list those

[25:56] people that did not qualify

[26:00] was email that wasent out said everybody that received it and everybody that um

[26:06] that was working that time perod well there

[26:11] criteria who could get it and that's that's

[26:16] the why were these people not on the original

[26:22] list that's that's the question I need to ask that's why why were they not

[26:29] if they qualified just like every other officer City employee why were these

[26:34] people left off so so the list that you sing was

[26:38] people that was qualified that didn't Reed the paper M got a list I I see list

[26:43] that I received this the list she out is the list that everybody that was

[26:48] eligible Miss Hart got a list of everybody that was paid and excluded so

[26:53] I would recommend I would recommend that she suppli council with the with the

[26:59] list or she appeared person know why they were left off so uh

[27:08] to to to explain it AR had an eligibility pool that was wide that said

[27:13] you pay up to these people then it left each municipality with the ability to

[27:18] Define up to that limit of the people they wanted to get paid left to the was

[27:24] up

[27:26] to still not I need to see the criteria for the

[27:32] people that was on the list and why those people were left off here

[27:35] something and I think Miss there's a onepage letter from Miss har regarding

[27:50] that right she said she based on the person who submitt to her and I again as

[27:57] MP I feel we should have known when that money was dispersed we should have known

[28:03] the criteria the count say we have speak up the council we all should have known

[28:08] that and and like say haven't been fished to councilman ta I don't think I

[28:13] have received it either uh have you Mr Green Mr Green J green

[28:20] you I received two uh two one of them was the exclusion and one was the uh

[28:27] inclusion okay can we get a printting list not an email

[28:32] list ating list given to

[28:39] us okay we'll get that information for

[28:47] youest now I think I have

[28:52] [Music] where the agenda

[28:58] send the agenda to uh District D I mean

[29:04] d Corporation and also as well as seeing

[29:08] about purchasing some items for um softball and baseball I don't think you

[29:14] have to do that through I just want to see process in okay is there second

[29:20] second uh any public comments as it relates to wh spring time CA or the

[29:25] purchasing of baseball or softball equipment

[29:30] I don't hear any mayor I believe the comments period is closed at this point

[29:33] okay it' be a full vote of the

[29:37] council about other thing you didn't includ

[29:45] that what was you expanded the

[29:50] agenda for three to see what the process of

[29:56] purchasing uh items with my ARP fund for softball baseball as well as softball

[30:05] and baseball is coming up as well as basketball

[30:10] Lo corporate Endeavor yes that was for the Cooperative Endeavor the C the ca

[30:15] for Whispering P Cooperative Endeavor CA okay um Mr Green this is your District

[30:23] you want to talk about oh U whistling m r m rward

[30:28] the is the chairperson you come we got and and to

[30:36] bring the council to things we previously heard from Mr Edwards that

[30:39] they were requesting some funds to clear land at the cemetery and bring it into

[30:43] compliance with beautification ordinances and it was a sum of money

[30:47] that was sent to councilman uh G green which was forwarded to me that requested

[30:52] in total about $112,000 believe Mr deing agreed with him that he would be willing

[30:57] from his uh art funds to dedicate $2,000 of that money I placed that into a CA

[31:03] that would meet the B test and everything to try and fast track where

[31:07] we've been and where we are app okay go ahead state your name and

[31:13] address please my name is Ronnie Edwards 1609 ho Avenue in boun I just wanted to

[31:20] uh come up and thank the council for taking the time to uh review and

[31:24] consider our request as you know we are uh renovating the W pan cemeter at

[31:30] Martin South if you haven't been down there go by and take a look uh the last

[31:36] week or two weeks been remarkable Improvement remarkable progress in terms

[31:41] of sary and our goal is to finish cleaning the cemetery that way between

[31:47] now and uh the early part of spring to pull all of the grass and the weed start

[31:52] gr back so we really do support uh appreciate your support and uh look

[31:58] forward to continuing to help the city to get rid of the blood that's been

[32:03] talked about

[32:09] here sir this time I make that motion right and

[32:16] second any questions all in

[32:21] favor any oppos motion

[32:25] carries okay that con so we can make

[32:30] it chamber

[32:34] recogn

[32:43] as me say that when the meeting going on say it right

[32:47] now y'all don't want to fight the black in this community you putting up too

[32:51] many road block y'all if y'all knew about a committee that was already

[32:55] together what have that committee y'all still ain't doing nothing y don't

[33:00] want to do nothing just like y just kicking a can down the road when y going

[33:05] to get serious and do something about

Bastrop City Council MeetingTuesday, February 25, 2025

Transcript