Yeah, we buddy.
» Ready? >> Yes, sir.
Good evening, everyone. We're grateful to have you here for tonight's city
council meeting. Your presence and participation help shape our community.
For the record, today is December 4th, 2025, and the time is 6:30 p.m. I'll
begin with the roll call. So, council, when I call your name, please say here
or present. >> Mayor Maxton
» here. >> Council member Stroop
» here. >> Rhoden is not present.
Overa >> here,
» Pearson >> here,
» Parker >> here,
» and Suarek >> here.
» With six members of council present, a quorum is declared.
» Thank you, Christina. Would everybody please stand and join me in the pledge
of allegiance.
I pledge allegiance 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. Thank you. Just a reminder to everybody that's here
tonight, we do live broadcast our meetings and would like to welcome
everybody that's joining us here in the council chambers and all those that are
joining us by the live broadcast. Um, I ask during the meeting for those that
are here in the room. If you do get an opportunity to speak as part of the
meeting, that all comments be made from the podium up here where there is a
microphone. And the reason for that is the individuals that are watching by
live broadcast um cannot hear the comments if you make
them from your seats. So, we do need to make those from the microphone. And if
you do get an opportunity to speak, I'd ask that you introduce yourself. and if
you're a resident, whether you're a resident of Fair Oaks Ranch or not, or
if you're here with an agency uh to speak as part of the meeting, which
agency that you are from. And with that, we'll move on to our
uh citizens and guest forum tonight. And in accordance with the open meetings
act, uh council may not discuss or take action on any item which has not been
posted on the agenda. And I ask all speakers if you would please limit your
comments to five minutes. And we had one individual sign up, Miss Graham.
» Good evening everybody. Christine Graham, Center of Falls Estates, Fair
Oaks Ranch residents. Happy holidays to everybody.
» Thank you. >> Um, first I want to thank Scott for his
weekly weekly memo of uh November 21st regarding the Valero gas station and
convenience store that may be going in over on Deetsz. All I want to do is
simply ask council if you would revisit a reduction to limit the speed limit on
the narrow strip of road. Um TAC doesn't meet again for a couple months. There
already exists a threat to wildlife. Um there are no sidewalks. There are no
pullover lanes. Um it's not uncommon for golf carts, especially during the warmer
months full of kids. parents are on break running down to the HB.
It's an accident waiting to happen. Um if the you know with the uh commercial
entity going in while I realize that you all can't do anything about that um you
can do something about the actual street in our city. So I would ask that you
revisit that and look at reducing the speed limit, putting in sidewalks, um
something to keep people safe. Thank you,
» Mr. Graham. Thank you and thank you for your comments and being here tonight and
happy holidays to you also. Uh, M. Graham was the only one that signed up
to speak as part of citizens to be heard. Is there anybody else here
tonight uh that didn't get an opportunity to sign up that would like
to speak? Okay. Uh, we'll move on. We have one
presentation tonight and it's honoring the service to the
city for 10 years. >> Yes, sir. Thank you, mayor. Um, so
tonight we are um recognizing Roland Rios for 10 years of service. Um,
unfortunately, he had something come up and couldn't make it out tonight, but
we're going to honor and recognize him anyway. Um, so Roland has been with the
city of Fairs Ranch for 10 years and he joined back in 2015 as a utility
technician and just through his hard work and his dedication
um he moved up and earned two promotions within four years which is pretty fast
if you know how hard it is to get through some of those lensures. Um and
then in 2019 he actually advanced to operator 3 which is a lead position out
in the um utilities department. So over the past decade he has just really
become known in his area for being reliable and professional and just his
unwavering commitment not only to his job his team but also to the community.
Um Roland has also been nominated um for employee of the quarter and in 2023 he
was actually honored as um the city's employee of the year that year. So we we
want to recognize Roland for what he truly embodies, the city's core values.
Um and we just thank him for his outstanding service. Even though he
couldn't be here tonight, um we know he was here with us in heart and spirit. So
join me in congratulating Roland for 10 years of service.
And please pass on to Roland how much we appreciate what he's done for the city.
All right, with that, we'll move on to our consent agenda items. Uh we have
four items on the consent agenda. First, the approval of the November 20th, 2025
regular city council meeting minutes. Uh, second, approval of a resolution
casting votes for candidates for the boards of directors for the Bayer and
Kill appraisal districts for 2026. Third, approval of the second reading of
an ordinance of the city council of the city of Fair Oaks Ranch, Texas, amending
the Fair Oaks Ranch Code of Ordinances, Chapter 12, Traffic and Vehicles,
Article 12.01, General Provisions, section 12.01, 01
paragraph 003 by reducing the maximum speed limit on Silver Spur and Post Oak
Trail to 30 miles an hour. And last, approval of a resolution authorizing the
execution of an agreement with the Maya meando group for strategic planning,
facilitation, and plan development. Is there any council member that would like
to remove any of these items from consent to consideration?
And with that, can I get a motion to approve the consent agenda?
» So move. >> All right. Emily made the motion and
Scott. >> Yes.
» Seconded. >> All in favor of approval of the consent
agenda, please say I. >> I.
» I. Any opposed? Uh consent agenda is approved. Thank you.
And we have five consideration items up tonight. Uh the first one is a very
special one. Uh consideration and possible action accepting a private
monetary donation to the city of Fairs Ranch Police Department. And I'll turn
it over to Chief. >> Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Lari. Would you
stay with me?
Come on over. Don't be shy. We're all friends. Good evening, mayor.
» Thank y'all. Good evening, mayor, council members, everyone here tonight,
and those listening at home. Um, I'm Todd Smith, and I'm your chief of
police. Um, I'm here to share some good news about a generous $2,000 donation
from Mr. and Mrs. John Luli to the Pharaoh Trench Police Department. I want
to start by saying how grateful we are to the Latis, not just for this gift,
but for their consistent and continued support. This is now the fourth year in
a row that they've chosen to invest in our department in such a thoughtful way.
and your generosity says a lot about how deeply you care for our officers and our
community and we appreciate that. Now, last year's donation, you know, if
you'll remember, allowed us to brighten our halls with new professional
portraits and even refresh some of the interior paint. This year's contribution
will help us uh finish that project and that we started by extending those
improvements into our entrance lobby. Um, projects like this aren't simply
about making the building look nicer, but they also help build a sense of
pride and connection both within the department and with the community we
serve. Uh, with that in mind, we respectfully ask for your approval to
accept and use the donation as planned. And again, we offer our heartfelt thanks
to Mr. and Mrs. Lotti for their continued generosity. and we appreciate
the council's consideration because support like this truly helps us reflect
the spirit and values of Fair Oaks Ranch. So, thank you and I'm happy to
answer any questions. >> Any questions?
» Any questions from anyone here today? Think I get a motion to approve the
city's acceptance of a private monetary donation to the
city of Fair Oaks Ranch Police Department in the amount of $2,000.
So moved >> Jonathan
» was Jonathan, right? >> I couldn't tell from this side.
» And second from Emily and any further discussion from council.
» Thank you. >> Thank you very much. We appreciate it.
Thank you.
» We're going to take a photo real quick. uh for council while they're getting
organized with the motion on table. All in favor please say I.
» I post the motion is approved.
» Mr. Lotti, I I believe Chief probably said it all, but thank you very much.
Thank you for attending the council meeting and your association with the
city of Fair Oaks Ranch. >> Thank you so very much and we're so
happy to be here and all.
Uh the next item that we have on the agenda is the consideration and possible
action approving a resolution authorizing the execution of an
agreement with Tyler Technology Corporate for public safety software
solutions expenditure of the required funds and execution of all documents by
the city manager and summer. >> Yes. Good evening mayor and council.
Summer Fleming, director of finance. So for your consideration is a resolution
authorizing the execution of a software as a service agreement with Tyler
Technologies for public safety software. This item begins on page 51 of your
agenda packet and the supporting slides begin on page 141.
So as you know oaks Ranch participates in a longstanding interlocal agreement
with the city of Bernie and Kindle County to share a centralized public
safety and utilities communications center. We refer to that as dispatch.
And under that ILA, Bernie operates the dispatch center and manages the computer
aided dispatch system or CAD while each entity, including Fair Oaks Ranch,
maintains its own records management system or RMS. Chief Smith serves as the
city's representative on the board of directors that oversees that centralized
dispatch communications office. So currently the city uses Tyler's on
premises RMS platform and as part of this regional modernization effort. All
three jurisdictions are transitioning to Tyler's cloud-based enterprise public
safety suite. So this migration moves our RMS from an onremise server to a
secure hosted cloud environment. Now the agreement with Tyler
Technologies includes the CAD related upgrade and service costs but those
costs are build directly to the city of Bernie and subsequently cost shared by
the city under the ILA and then the city's RMS subscription and
implementation fees will be build directly to the city by Tyler
Technologies.
So the new software as a service model strengthens the city system in several
ways. It'll improve system reliability, cyber security protection, and disaster
recovery. It'll streamline the integration between CAD, RMS, and the
mobile field applications. It'll enable real time data sharing among
dispatchers, officers, and partner agencies. It'll provide the automatic
update and continuous improvements being cloud-based and it'll strengthen the
regional interoperability between the three jurisdictions.
So, this purchase is through a Sourcewell cooperative contract which
provides competitively bid pricing available to the city as a member. It's
a three-year agreement that representing a total investment to the city of
$213,392.
That includes the onetime implementation cost of almost $77,000
and then annual subscription fees of $45,465.
So this is an annual increase of $21,000 over our current on premises RMS
platform. Again, while that's a notable increase, that cloud-based model shifts
the responsibility for system updates, security patches, server maintenance to
Tyler Technologies, which means that we will have greater reliability and more
frequent improvements. Funding for the first year has been provided in the
fiscal year 2526 public safety NIT budgets.
This agreement has been reviewed and approved by legal counsel. So staff
recommends approval of this resolution authorizing the city manager to execute
this software as a service agreement for our RMS upgrade. And I'm happy to answer
any financial or contractual questions council may have. And Chief Smith is
here who can address any operational questions.
» Uh summer.
» Yes. >> Is this under operations now or
operating now or is there when it's going to start? if it isn't yet or
» it has not it has not started yet. Um the city of Bernie approved their
contract with Tyler on October 27th and yes and Kendall County is taking
their agreement to the commissioner's court next week on December 9th. Um if
ours is approved and theirs is next week each entity will begin the RMS
upgrade to the cloud-based from the server. Um Brian has a better idea of
how the implementation is going to work, but it's going to be multiple pieces.
We'll have our RMS on premise upgraded to the cloud. I think that probably take
a couple months. Meanwhile, the CAD is also going to be being upgraded at the
centralized dispatch center. Um it it's a couple months. I know Brian when I
talked to him, we're currently using the on premise. you know, it's housed on a
server on site. We'll continue doing that up until the transition. So, we'll
we'll pay the cost for the on premises uh platform up until we're actually
operational on the cloud-based platform.
» Jonathan, so question for Chief, I think. Um, and I I did ask this question
before, so I think I know the answer, but our system as it stands right now
won't communicate once they do the upgrades, right? like we have to upgrade
to match what everybody else has so that we can continue business as usual.
» That is correct. We're three of us all operating as one if you will.
» Yeah. >> Uh Chief,
» this everybody will go live at the same time.
» Yes. >> Okay. So that's
» Yeah, I'm sure the CAD implementation and upgrade has to probably be in place
first. Meanwhile, all the RMS upgrades are happening so that way they can all
talk to each other. >> I don't have the IT lingo, but
» yeah, they'll be tested together before we're turn loose.
» I'm sorry. >> Yes, I'm sorry. They'll be tested
together before we're turn loose effectively.
» Yeah, it would seem that would be the way that it should be.
» Yes. >> Okay. Thank you.
» Sure. >> Do we have any indication
of what's going to happen next week with Kendall County.
» I mean, are we optimistic that that's going to go through?
» I think we are. Yeah. Clayton, the our procurement manager, has actually been
in contact with the procurement person for the county and we actually
coordinated on on our agenda items and the discussion. Um, everybody's IT um
specialists have been coordinating on this project. Also, we've actually been
working on this since June during the budget process. So Kendall County said
that they are confident that theirs will be approved as well.
» What happens if it's not approved? What if Kendall County decides not to
approve? Does that stop the whole system for all
three entities or >> No, the city of Bernie has already
approved there. So they're getting the CAD upgrade. you know, I don't know how
not upgrading their RMS if they would continue to be able to use
uh the centralized dispatch location um >> which is run by Bernie.
» Yes. >> Okay.
» Now, there is the board of directors with representatives from each entity
that are on that that make the decisions for software updates and how the
platform is run. Sure. But yeah, I I am not sure how that would work if Kendall
County did not upgrade theirs. Um, we don't have any indication that that's
the case. Again, we've been working on this project um, coordinated with them
for since June. So, >> okay.
Anybody else? Any other questions? I know you're good. I was asking any
questions. >> I'll leave that there.
» Is there anybody here tonight that has any questions.
Okay. And can I get a motion to approve a resolution authorizing the execution
of a software as a service agreement with Tyler Technologies Incorporated for
public soft safety software expenditure of the required funds and execution of
all applicable documents by the city manager
» from Dale and a second >> from Ruben. And any other discussion
from council?
Motion on the table. All in favor, please say I.
» I. Any opposed? >> Uh motion is approved.
» Thank you. >> Thanks, Summer.
Our next item is the consideration and possible action approving a resolution
authorizing the execution of an interlocal agreement with Bear County
for the repair and maintenance of old Fredericksburg Road.
And Graham, I think you have a presentation as part of this.
» I do. Yes, sir.
» Uh, good evening, mayor and council. I'm Grant Watanabi, public works director,
and I'll be presenting an interlocal agreement with Bear County for the
repair and maintenance of Old Fredericksburg Road. For reference, this
agenda item starts on page 147, and this presentation starts on page 160.
So, starting off with a bit of history first. Back in January of 2024, Bear
County notified the city that it would cease maintenance as Old Fredericksburg
Road. Their stance was that it should have been annexed uh by the city back in
2017 in accordance with section 43.106 of the Texas government code
which I'll cover in more detail on the next slide.
The specific section of oversburg road that pertains to this ILA runs from the
I 10 frontage road to detail road and is highlighted in green on the uh map to
the left.
So, Texas Government Code section 43.106 requires municipalities to annex the
county road and the rightaway when annexing adjacent properties. The city
did annex adjacent property in 2017 to the I guess it's the east of Old
Frederick'sville Road. However, the city did not annex the county road and
runaway since it's located within the San Antonio ETJ or extr territorial
jurisdiction. Uh, this was confirmed by the city of
San Antonio and the Texas government code does not address roads that are
already within the jurisdiction of another municipality.
So, here's a few photos of the current road condition. Uh you can see there's
degragation of the paved shoulder which has progressed over time and is now
impacting the travel lane. Uh there's quite a few potholes due to base failure
in several locations and likely a reduction in service life
due to the saw's utility project which happened about two years ago.
So the proposed repair project includes about 1500 linear feet of full depth
reclamation. This is on the southern side of the project where the conditions
a little bit worse. And it also includes about 2400 linear feet of Milan overlay
with base repair and this is toward the northern end of this project. The total
cost of this project is 617,647.
And under the proposed interlocal agreement, the bear county will cover
twothirds of this cost and the city will cover one-third of this cost or about
$25,882.
Bear cult bear county will also manage the repair project under its existing
contracts and the city will assume long-term maintenance responsibility
upon completion of the repair project. And lastly, Bear County will assist the
city in its petitions to San Antonio to release the ETJ for annexation.
Now, there's several benefits to our citizens. First, it aligns with priority
3.4 of our strategic plan to enhance and ensure roadway uh reliable roadway
improvement initiatives. Second, it demonstrates regional
cooperation between the city and Bear County to address infrastructure
challenges. In this case, it provides a solution for a road that hasn't been
properly maintained for a while. And uh thirdly, it addresses long-term safety
and reliability concerns of old Frederick Street road, which is used by
Fair Oaks Ranch residents and motorists on a daily basis.
In summary, staff is seeking city council approval of the EIA and if
approved tonight, Bear County is expected to consider the same ILA on
February 17th uh at their commissioner's court meeting.
Um following that, construction is anticipated to start in the March or
April time frame of next year. And that concludes my presentation and I'm be
happy to take any questions. Brian, any time frame on the con the
start to finish of the construction then in the March when it's going to start
March April but what kind of time period?
» Um if the project starts in March or April time frame I estimate four to six
months this should this one should move fairly quickly.
» And so timing is good. So school probably be out too to reduce some of
the traffic. >> That would be a benefit. Correct.
the expectation that they'll approve it as well.
» That is our expectation. Yes, sir. >> It's fully supported by their public
works department. >> Yes, sir.
In fact, uh I believe the Bear County Public Works Department has already
invested $110,000 in this project uh for the design development
required. >> That's correct. Bear County fully funded
the design for this project.
» Any other questions?
» I think it's a good deal. um you know what we've been through and for Bear
County to to work with us and actually it's uh our Bear County Commissioner
Grant Moody has extended and and been able to work with us when the initial
stance uh was that they were done with any work
on that road. So they've really reached out to help us in
this process to transition the road over to Fair Oaks Ranch.
um concern for me. I think we identify it as a connector street as part of our
city. Uh but this is also a residential street for the seven homes that are on
that that seat street and this part of the city. I think we owe it to our
residents to provide quality essential services. one being roads uh
for our residents, those that utilize it to I don't know go to
HB or those that are going to the school, but also those that live on that
street that travel that every day. Grant, what one of the concerns that
came up is through this ILA, I mean, we're signing up to say that we have
full responsibility for for taking maintenance responsibilities for this
road. uh some risk in that that uh we do have to get the
ETJ released from the city of San Antonio. Scott, any idea on do you
anticipate any challenges with that or >> I do not anticipate any challenges. Um
this issue first came up. I I spoke directly with the city of San Antonio's
planning director and assistant planning director about if and when this came to
pass, would they be amendable to leasing the road portion only? And while of
course the city would have to go through its process, they indicated that um they
would be amendable to that road portion only. They don't maintain
it now. I think they'd be >> I don't foresee any challenges, although
they would have to take formal action to release that.
» So, minus this ILA, I mean, even if the ILA wasn't approved, San Antonio doesn't
maintain the road and the county has been pretty adamant in their position
that they're not going to do any further maintenance on the road.
» Correct. >> Unless it's covered under this ILA.
» Yes, that's correct. Any
other questions from anyone here tonight?
Then can I get a motion to approve a resolution authorizing the execution of
an interlocal agreement with Bear County for the repair and maintenance of Old
Fredericksburg Road, expenditure of the required funds, and execution of all
applicable documents by the city manager.
So move >> Ruben
» second. >> Jonathan and any further
any further comments from councel
with the motion on the table. All in favor please say I.
» I. Any opposed? Motion is approved. Thanks Grant.
» Thank you councel.
And our next item is a consideration and possible action approving the first
reading of an ordinance amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning
October 1st, 2025 and ending September 30th, 2026.
» Yes. Thank you, Mayor Summer Fleming again, director of finance. This item
starts on page 167 of the agenda packet. So, this amendment is largely procedural
in nature and ensures that the city's budget accurately reflects prior year
commitments, multi-year capital projects, and recently approved council
actions. First, the amendment reappropriates open purchase orders that
were still outstanding at the end of fiscal year 2425.
These incumbrances total $132,890 in the general fund and $124,422
in the utility fund. Second, the amendment includes rollovers
of appropriations for continuing capital projects that span multiple fiscal
years. This includes about $327,000 in the strategic and capital projects
fund, 2.66 million in the water capital fund, and $1 million in the wastewater
capital fund. So these amounts are carried forward into the new fiscal year
to ensure that the city can complete the projects, contracts, and obligations
that were initiated in the prior year but remain unfinished. And then lastly,
this amendment incorporates council's recent approvals, including the ILA with
Bear County for the repair and maintenance of old Frederickburg Road.
So, this amendment appropriates the city's cost share of $25,882
from available fund balance in the strategic and capital projects fund. And
then it also recognizes the $10,000 donation from the Fair Oaks Ranch
Homeowners Association that council accepted on November 6 to support the
city's Oakwilt program along with that corresponding uh program expenditure of
those funds. And all of these adjustments are detailed in exhibit A
which is attached to the ordinance and I can answer any questions you might
have. >> Any questions from council?
» Everybody good? Any questions from anyone here tonight?
Uh then can I get a motion to approve the first reading of an ordinance
amending the budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1st, 20125 and ending
on September 30th, 2026. >> So moved.
» Scott in a second. >> Second,
» Jonathan, any further discussion from council
that I feel like if Keith were here, he definitely would have beat us to some
moved.
Uh with motion on the table, all in favor, please say I. I.
» I. Any opposed? >> Uh the motion is approved. Thanks.
» Thank you.
» And our last consideration item tonight is the consideration and possible action
improvement resolution authorizing the execution of an
emergency interconnect agreement with San Antonio Water System. Steve.
» Yes, sir. Uh, good evening, mayor and council. I'm Steven Frerieded, assistant
director of public works, and tonight I'll be presenting to you the emergency
interconnect agreement with SAWS for your consideration and possible
approval.
As you may recall in November, I provided a project update on the SAWS
emergency interconnect project. Tonight, we are looking specifically at the
agreement itself, which is required before we can connect to the SAW system.
This agreement formalizes the terms under which saws may provide the city
with temporary potable water during qualifying emergency conditions such as
system pressure loss, mechanical failure, or an extended power outage.
The interconnect will be located on Lesley Feifer Drive with sawzone
metering at the point of delivery. Overall, this project enhances the city
system resiliency by establishing a controlled method for receiving
emergency water into pressure zone C, which is the area served by the
interconnect. Under the agreement, the city is
responsible for design, permitting, construction, and obtaining all required
approvals from both SAWs and TCQ prior to making the connection.
On this slide, I'd like to highlight the major terms included in the agreement
itself. To begin, SAWS retains priority to serve their existing customers first.
Next, activation can only be performed by SAWS personnel at the city's request.
Usage is restricted to essential indoor domestic use only.
Each activation is limited to 30 consecutive days unless SAWS approves an
extension. The city is responsible for installing
and maintaining certified backflow prevention assemblies, including annual
testing. The agreement includes a 10-year term,
which either party may terminate with notice. And finally, the document
includes standard protections found in typical utility contracts.
From a financial standpoint, the agreement is straightforward. SAS will
assess a $613 monthly meter availability fee based on the 8 in meter connection.
During an activation event, billing follows the highest residential rate
between SAWs and the city. Currently, our rate is the higher
Lastly, no impact fees are charged for an emergency interconnect.
Uh, additionally, all design, permitting, construction costs are
included in our existing water utility capital allocations.
Staff recommendations are the approval of the resolution authorizing the city
manager to execute the emergency interconnect agreement with SAS. This
agreement is an important step towards strengthening our emergency preparedness
and our ability to maintain water service during significant system
disruptions. And that concludes my presentation. I'll
be happy to answer any questions.
Everybody good?
» Steve, one of the comments you made as part of the ILA that it's uh we have to
agree to only indoor use during the time meaning that no landscape watering, no
filling pools, and really
my understanding would be this would be an emergency
condition that we would be under anyway. So, we'd be limiting water use at that
time. >> That's correct.
» And enforcing it. So, it's not like something that's going to happen, you
know, possibly tomorrow and we're switching over. Nobody knows about it.
This will be in tough times already. Yes, sir. Most likely with messaging
pushed out from the city to conserve and reduce outdoor consumption. Essential
use only. >> Okay. Hopefully, we don't need it.
» Correct. >> Right.
» If it is needed, how is the decision made to jump on and fire it up?
» Uh the decision would be >> or who makes that?
» The staff decision would be made. We'd uh be reaching out to SAWs,
essentially checking with them, making sure they would be able to provide us
water at that time, but their staff would turn the connection on.
» But you you'd have some type of triggers that you're looking at that we're not
filling up our water tanks at a capacity that we need to support water flow,
health and conservation water flow to our residents.
» Yes, sir. you know, if we need something additional, I believe y'all probably
have some triggers that y'all would be looking at.
And if getting close to those, you'll probably notify saws and say, "Hey,
we're looking at this. We're getting close."
» Right. We'd have a feeling where we would need the water and reach out to
them ahead of time. Yes. >> Which would also allow us time to start
notifying residents that this is possibly coming.
This would only serve really the south side and if
» so if that happens then southside off into this then it
alleviates use for everyone else. >> Correct. Yes sir. Everything south of
detail corn pretty much.
» All right. Any other questions?
» Any questions from anyone here tonight?
Uh, can I get a motion to approve a resolution authorizing the execution of
emergency interconnect agreement with San Antonio water system expenditure of
the required funds and execution of all applicable documents by the city
manager? Move Ruben and a second
from Emily. Any other further comments from council?
Motion on the table. All in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed?
Uh, the motion is approved. Thanks, Steve.
» Thank you. >> Good explanation.
» And the last item that we have on the agenda tonight is a report from staff,
but really from Carol's going to kick it off,
» an update on the >> 3351 traffic study.
» Yes, sir. Um, good evening all. Just a quick summary by way of background. On
March 21st, the city received a citizen request to reduce the speed limit on
Ralph Air Road um within the city limits to 45 miles per hour. The requesttor
cited safety concerns related to the increased merging and exiting activity
from the feeder roads. Ralphair Road is owned and maintained by
Texot, so the city alone does not have jurisdiction over setting its speed
limits. On May 7th, TESAC reviewed the request and voted to recommend that the
city council consider submitting a formal request to Texot for a track
study to evaluate lowering the speed limit within our city limits.
Following that, on June 5th, city council accepted TEAC's recommendation
and authorized the preparation of a resolution for their consideration
authorizing the city manager to submit a request to Tech Stop. Shortly after that
council meeting, staff met with Texot, who informed us that they had recently
received a similar request from Camp Stanley that they were going to be
performing. The study included the city limits of Fair Oaks Ranch. They
indicated they would share these results with us once the study was completed.
So, we are here tonight with Andreas Gonzalez, Tex DOT area engineer, who
will report on that recent traffic vehicle report and its findings. Thank
you.
» Thank you. Good evening, um, council. As Carol stated, I'm Andreas Gonzalez, work
with Texas Department of Transportation. My role with text is air engineer. So I
kind of look after uh four counties including Kendall, Kerr, Bander and
Ualda counties and really just um everything tech um state road related
maintenance construction. Um I you know dive a little bit into design and
provide input in planning kind of thing but uh just point of contact for
everything that you know relates to our state roads. So, as stated, I'll go
briefly over I'm going to go over a little bit of kind of how these studies
are done. I'm not a expert on traffic studies, but I know a little bit. Um,
the speed study was conducted in uh from IH10. It's basically the the north
limits of the city of Fair Oaks city limits.
Um, as you know, the current speed limit out there is uh begins at 45 mile an
hour from I 10 uh to about uh the northern end of uh Camp Stanley property
and then it turns into 55 and it goes all the way up uh to the to the north
end of the the city limits. The typical practice um follows a
manual. It's called procedures for establishing speed zones manual for
text. Um there are several criteria, but the the gist of it is there's typically
two locations picked within a within a certain stretch um for each bound. So in
this case, two locations northbound, two locations southbound.
Um and then it's done by radar. Uh so it's basically put a radar out there and
and the gist of the radar is to measure how fast the the population is driving
the road. It's a concept called 85th um percentile. You may have heard it
before. So basically means we determine the first step in kind of determining
the speed limit zones is determining um how comfortable 85% of the people feel
driving the road. That's just the starting point. Um there's a lot of
other criteria considered. There's crashes considered. Um driveway is
considered shoulder width uh considerations and then several other
criteria that you know u gets mentioned in the manual um along with any input
that our maintenance sections may have or our area office or myself may have or
uh really the public you know things like that. So um several things cons get
considered. Let's see here. Oh, uh, two hours per
location is the standard or it's either two hours per location or a certain
number of of vehicles counted. That's basically for lower ADT um, roads. In
this case, it's a 2h hour. A pre a preference on the date uh is
basically non- peak hour and preferably Tuesday through Thursday. The reason for
that is Fridays and Mondays are typically, you know, you can you can
find um um um different scenarios with drivers. It's not the average kind of
driver, if you will. So, that's basically the gist of it uh
of of how it gets done. It was done this year. There was one done in 24 actually
that I um talked to you guys about in the past. Uh the results were different.
So, um, diving into the results, uh, basically the results warrant a 5
mph reduction on the entire limits of where it's 55 mph currently. So, um,
that's a that's a change. Now, the process is,
you know, there's two different scenarios basically for the city and the
non- city limits. Since this area encompasses both uh outside and inside
city limits, we have to go through the basically non non city uh communication
side if you will. So if you're in the city, you can basically go uh to Texas
and Austin, make our case. If they agree, we go to the city and then
there's a city ordinance and we can change a speed limit. Um since we're
outside of the city limits, then we have to go basically first step is um text
dot um traffic division in Austin uh get agree uh u concurrence from them and
then go to Texas Transportation Commission, get it under on their agenda
and then they pass it and then that's when we go back and actually change the
signs. Um so speaking to my traffic team, we're
looking at a rough timeline of u April to actually change the signs. Um, we're
trying to get onto the January uh, transportation commission agenda and
then from there basically um, I would say a three-month turnaround is uh,
fairly conservative. So hopefully by uh, April is when we're looking at changing
the signs
questions at this point. >> Anything?
» Oh, just since you're up there. So, the 85th percentile thing, I'm I'm reading
some stuff that it's kind of being looked at as possibly outdated and
there's something new that might be better. Uh
are you guys working on anything other than basing these off of other than the
85th? >> I think I've heard uh traffic division
and obviously other ones that are in charge. U right now it's still kind of
the starting point, the official kind of uh tool we use. Uh that being said u you
know we do uh acknowledge that the 85th percentile is it's just a starting
point. There's a lot more you know factors to look at. You know I don't
have a I don't have an answer for you to be honest. I I I think they are looking
at something. This is traffic division up in Austin. U but right now this is
what we use. >> Sure.
» So for us we're looking at going from 55 down to 50
» based on the information you provided. Yes.
So really the the report to staff or to council. So we had requested as Carol
mentioned we had requested a traffic study and the information came back to
us that a traffic study had already been conducted.
Uh but at the time the information that was provided to us was
I don't think was the information that you just had. It was different
» the 24 one that I mentioned. >> Right. Right. And so, uh, really what
the one of the points for tonight was, uh, did we want to go back to staff and
say we wanted to continue and request a traffic study? And I believe based on
Andre's information, a traffic study has been conducted. This
first time we've received the information. Not sure if it may staff
may have received it earlier today, but um,
» I mentioned it, but I haven't sent the reporter.
» Right. So, one of the concerns or considerations
tonight was do we want to pursue a traffic study? And I think the answer to
that is no. I think the the information is there.
And finally, when the report on this one's put together, we will have that
information. And then really from Andre's
information, I think he's just providing it as a courtesy tonight is attending
our council meeting, letting us know the preliminary information of what he
received off that they still have some work to do uh to finalize what the speed
limit is going to be on the road. Is that fair?
» Yes, sir.
» Carol, anything else you need from us on this?
» No. And I'm going to be working with legal because I I do believe that we
will need a city ordinance so that they can enforce the section that's in our
city. But I I will double check with our legal team to and if so, you will see an
ordinance in the future as soon as text lets us know that the 50 is a definite
go and when it will happen so we can have an ordinance in place.
» Any questions from anyone here tonight? Hey, Andre, I'd like to just say thank
you for being here tonight and providing the information. Um, he mentioned all
the counties that he works with. Um he also has spent a lot of time with us
with the design for Ralphair Road for its expansion and has always been
available for any issues that we've had uh just recently with the
um access road on I 10 and the light that had some complications with it for
a time period. Um Andre is the individual that we contact and we have
gotten almost immediate response in anything that we've brought to him. So,
thank you very much. >> Thank you. Yeah, we're still working on
that. It's it's working, but uh we don't really have the uh permanent fix u out
there yet. So, that was unfortunate situation that um that line got hit out
there, but working on it. We're also working on the 3351 project, the bridge
project. Uh we're actually still on time on that. Just so you all know, next week
we're going to have a um the final traffic switch. It should only be a 15
minute or so disruption. Uh, I believe you guys will receive an email about it
tomorrow. U, but it's the last traffic switch to finish out the the um the
concrete rails and then we're looking at u March, end of March time frame to wrap
it up uh completely. So, just thought I'd give you
» Oh, when you say that, so they're going to
so right now all the traffic is on the northbound side,
» right? And so they're going to switch it to the southbound side so that they can
put the concrete rails up on >> on the other side. Yes. Correct. And
finish it up, sir. >> That's good information to know.
» Great information. >> Well, thank you, sir. I do appreciate
it. >> Thank you.
» And I know you're a busy man and uh you probably come out here and spend a
council meeting with us. I just want to say how much I appreciate it.
That's all the items that we have on the agenda tonight. Um,
does any council member have any announcements that they would like to
make? >> True.
» All right. >> All right. Dale's birthday is Saturday.
» I think it's it's 50, right, Dale? >> Yeah, that's close enough.
» Thank you, John. >> I believe he'll be turning 70.
» Yes. your 20th anniversary of 50.
» That's a lot of math. >> Well, everybody, please reach out to
Dale on Saturday and wish him happy birthday. Wish you all the best.
» Thank you. >> Anybody else? It's a good one. Thanks,
John. >> There's good news on Councilman Ruden's
wife, Nancy. All the prayers that have gone out for
that uh are working wonders. So, uh, Keith, if you're listening, tell
Nancy we're still thinking about her. >> That's why, uh, Council Member Roden was
not able to join us tonight, but everything is going well in Ontario.
» Going well. Yes. Anybody else? Two good announcements.
Thank you. >> We have some boring announcements
compared to those. Uh, city council normally conducts our
meetings on the first third Thursday of every month. Uh, for the upcoming
holiday period, the meeting that was scheduled for December 18th and the
meeting scheduled for January 1st have been cancelled. Uh, our next city
council meeting after tonight will be held on January 15, uh, 2026.
And for everybody's information, city hall will be closed the 24th and 25th of
December for the Christmas holiday and will also be closed on January 1st in
observance of the New Year's holiday.
And the city of Fair Oaks Ranch along with the Fair Oaks Ranch Homeowners
Association is sponsoring the Santa at the Ranch holiday event. Uh that'll take
place this Sunday, September 7th, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm right here in the
parking lot of City Hall. Uh ask everybody to come join us. Bring family,
bring friends, uh for this Christmas uh or for this holiday event. It'll have a
Christmas market, live music. Uh there's going to be a band here, games, crafts,
and a visit from Santa himself. Should be a good time for all families. So
please come out and join us. And our police department is still
sponsoring the blue Santa event. There's drop off points all throughout the city.
And I believe we've uh also include silver Santa as part of it.
Um which is uh blankets and things needed for seniors uh can also be
dropped off. Uh you'll see at all the locations around the city. Uh there'll
be one box for blue Santa and one for silver Santa to drop off any items.
Um drop off locations are they're going to pick up all the they pick them up
every day, but they'll pick up the boxes on December 14th uh so that they can
start getting things ready for the Christmas distribution. So last day to
drop off items is December 14th. And then last, weather permitting, Camp
Bulis is scheduled to do some prescribed burns. Uh these are to be conducted
between the 8th and the 19th of December. Uh the burns will only take
place between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 pm during those days. And during these
periods, especially in Fairs Ranch, you may smell or see the smoke coming from
uh Camp Bullis. And the reason that they do the
prescribed burns is to remove the thick and dead vegetation this time of year,
which will reduce the risk of future catastrophic wildfires. So, they're
doing their part to protect us. And the last announcement I have is happy
holidays and wish everybody the best, family and friends, uh, during the
holiday period and a happy new year to you also.
Scott, anything else? Uh, excuse me, one announcement, Mr. Mayor. The the city
has Understandably been getting a few questions about the gateway feature. Um,
fortunately relative to the incident from a few weeks ago. Fortunately, the
feature was built to a very high standard. So, there was no permanent
damage done to that structure. Uh, we called out the contractor right away
when when it occurred uh to ascertain what the repairs would be for the the uh
cosmetic damage that was done. Uh, so that's already in progress. I I expect
that pro that repair to start next week, so it'll be very soon. I'll have this
update in the memo for you tomorrow as well. But just want to let you and rest
of the public know that that's has been under progress right away and will be
completed very soon. >> Thanks, guys. And good news in it, too.
Nobody was hurt. No one was hurt. >> Individual that hit it was not injured
and uh we did get insurance information, so it is covered as
» part of the repairs. All right. Anything I missed,
» council Christine, anything else we need?
» No, sir. >> Sure.
» Pretty sure >> Scott, anything else from
» Nothing further. >> I have time now is 7:26 and we are
adjourned.