[0:06] All right. The city council of the city of league c texas will now come to order in a regular
[0:10] meeting on september 16th at six oh one.
[0:15] uh, roll. Call of members. Uh,
[0:20] mayor pro. Tim sean saunders. Here. Courtney chadwell?
[0:24] here. Andy mann. Here. Tommy cos. Here. Tom cruise. Here.
[0:28] scott higginbotham. Here. Chad tressler. Here. Alright. We have a unanimous thing
[0:33] I would like to introduce pastor billy watson from the watershed watershed
[0:37] church. We'll be our invocation speaker this evening. Ask,
[0:48] let us pray. God
[0:52] of grace, love and mercy. We pray your blessings upon us as we gather this
[0:57] evening. Lord, for those whom you have placed in positions
[1:01] of authority, we pray that you would grant your wisdom, that
[1:05] they may discern what is good, what is right, and what is true.
[1:09] lord, grant them courage to do it. Lord, we pray
[1:14] that all of us would be mindful of every member of our
[1:18] community, especially those who feel that they
[1:22] are powerless or without voice,
[1:27] or that they might know that they are precious in your eyes
[1:32] and they are important to us and to who we are
[1:36] or may all that we say in all that we do, be a blessing to all of our neighbors. We prayed in jesus'
[1:40] name. Amen. The american flag,
[1:47] flag. Flag the united states of america to the republic for
[1:51] which it stands. One nation under god in invis
[1:55] liberty, the injustice for all justice pledge the united states flag
[1:59] or honor texas flag. P see the texas
[2:04] one state under god. One indivisible
[2:09] freaking head. Cole losing. Alright, approval of
[2:13] minutes november 18th, 2025 if there's
[2:17] no corrections, these minutes, stand approved, uh, proclamations and
[2:21] presentations. Presentation by the texas tourism office designating
[2:25] the city of league city as a tourism friendly certified community.
[2:36] I just have a couple of words to highlight the achievement this evening of league city
[2:40] joining the ranks of tourism friendly certified communities here in the state of texas.
[2:45] on behalf of the office of the governor, economic development and tourism travel, texas, thank
[2:49] you for joining, uh, me today in recognizing this accomplishment. It's
[2:53] an honor to be here in this community, uh, and especially a community that understands
[2:58] tourism is not just a visitor activity, but a powerful driver of
[3:02] economic development, small business success and quality of life. Today
[3:07] we are proud to officially designate league city as a tourism friendly texas community
[3:11] and to recognize visit league city, uh, stephanie polk and her team
[3:15] for completing the certification process with excellence. The program exists
[3:20] to recognize communities that are doing the work, communities that invest in partnerships
[3:24] take a strategic approach to destination marketing and management, and understand
[3:28] how tourism supports broader economic and community goals. League city
[3:33] exemplifies this vision. The impact of tourism here is real
[3:37] and measurable. Over about 140 million in
[3:41] direct travel spending in 2024, and almost 10 million of that
[3:45] going into local taxes that were generated from that spend those dollars support
[3:49] city services, infrastructure, public spaces, and community. Amen.
[3:53] amenities while fueling local businesses, creating jobs
[3:57] and strengthening the local economy. League city offers visitors
[4:02] a destination experience that is both diverse and authentic. From water recreation
[4:06] on clear lake, clear creek, and galveston bay to historic experiences at league
[4:10] park and the one room schoolhouse to nearby iconic attractions like
[4:14] space center, houston and akea. Boardwalk league city provides something for
[4:18] every type of traveler. It's a location. Also, its location
[4:23] also makes it ideal home base for exploring the greater houston and galveston regions.
[4:27] that experience is made possible by strong accommodation partners, including south
[4:32] shore harbor resort and conference center, along with local hotel and short term rentals
[4:36] that welcome visitors year round and support leisure meetings and group travel.
[4:40] equally as important are the restaurants, waterfront dining spots, local boutiques, attractions,
[4:45] and event venues that give league city its personality and the parks.
[4:50] cultural organizations and historic sites that help tell the city's story.
[4:54] signature events like white linen nights, sip and sail cruises, and a growing lineup of music
[4:58] festivals and live music events continue to bring people together and create
[5:03] reasons to visit and live. It is fitting that league city is also a music
[5:07] friendly certified community reflecting a commitment to arts culture
[5:11] and the creative economy as part of the visitor experience.
[5:15] visit league city also plays a key role beyond city limits leading
[5:20] regional marketing efforts for bay area houston, and representing the region through partnerships
[5:25] such as lone star coastal alliance around houston, texas travel
[5:29] alliance and the texas forest trail. That regional collaboration strengthens league
[5:33] city's visibility and competitiveness. Competitiveness in a crowded tourism marketplace.
[5:40] tourism success, however, is never the work of one office alone. Today,
[5:44] I also would love to recognize all the league city tourism stakeholders, the
[5:48] hoteliers, the accommodation partners, restaurateurs, chefs, attraction
[5:53] operators, event producers, artists, musicians, retailers, and small
[5:57] business owners who welcome visitors every day. We also recognize the frontline
[6:01] hospitality teams, the staff at hotels, restaurants, and visitor ies community
[6:05] members who create the first impression and lasting memories that turn visitors
[6:09] into repeat guests and ambassadors for league city. I wanna say a special thank
[6:13] you to mayor nick long, the league city, uh, council, and
[6:17] the cbb tourism advisory committee for their leadership guidance and
[6:21] advocacy in support of the visitor economy here in league city. Your support
[6:26] ensures tourism remains aligned with community priorities and position for long-term
[6:30] suce success. Also, a special acknowledgement goes out to john orag
[6:34] parks coordinator, whose collaboration with the league city cbb helps ensure
[6:38] parks and public spaces serve as both community assets and visitor
[6:43] destinations. Jose miranda of south shore harbor resorts and conference
[6:47] center for your partnership and hosting visitors and groups, and also providing lec
[6:51] letter recommendation on behalf of league city for completing the certification,
[6:56] as well as amber murphy, owner of butler's courtyard for representing local businesses
[7:00] that make league city so unique. Finally, I would like to
[7:04] particularly highlight stephanie polks leadership and dedication and the work of that,
[7:08] of her team through her service. Uh, she's pretty unique actually.
[7:12] we're pretty proud of her here at the state. Um, she's served on the texas
[7:16] association of convention and visitors bureaus destinations, texas, um,
[7:21] board of directors completed her texas destination management
[7:25] and certified tourism executive, and is an active involvement with organizations
[7:29] like destinations, texas, texas travel alliance, and other main industry stakeholders
[7:34] here in the state. As league city continues to grow, tourism,
[7:38] advocacy and sustainable development will remain essential conversations. Today's
[7:43] destination sends a clear message. Tourism is not separate from economic development.
[7:47] it is a key part of it. League city is tourism friendly because it understands
[7:51] that welcoming visitors strengthens the economy, supports local businesses, and
[7:55] enhances quality of life for all of its residents. Congratulations
[8:00] to league city, stephanie polk, her team, the cvb, and all the partners
[8:04] and stakeholders who make league city a truly special place to visit. It's an honor
[8:08] to officially recognize league city as a tourism friendly certified community. Congratulations.
[8:16] I'd love to be able to present this, um, and maybe grab a picture with you
[8:20] guys if that would be all
[8:50] squeeze in a little.
[9:25] all right. Public comments. Members of the public are invited to give comments at this
[9:29] time, lasting not longer than three minutes. Comments may be general nature or may address
[9:33] a specific agenda item. First person up is kevin berlin.
[9:51] is this ? Yes, sir. Thank you very much.
[10:01] do I hit the button or do y'all hit?
[10:05] do I hit this button? Do y'all do the timer? We, is it when I start talking,
[10:10] it's we'll give you, yeah. Okay, good. My name is kevin
[10:14] dwayne bull, and I am here for the community of marina del soul that
[10:18] was robbed by jm k five holdings in the last four and so years. They
[10:22] have dismantled the marina and the boating life out here. I have seen the death
[10:27] of sailors and honest men who love and honor and have a great opportunity
[10:31] to be on this water, but we're being stole the working man, the vets,
[10:36] the bill that's 87 years old as marina does. So
[10:40] the, the mike who's a veteran from vietnam that's out there with his little boat and alls
[10:44] he wants to do is have lights and be on his water and be happy.
[10:48] and we have this opportunity because y'all gave it to us because we can't afford it.
[10:53] but what we have done is we've respected y'all and we are being robbed right
[10:57] now by jk five holdings, by jerome, by the corrupt people
[11:01] that have came in here and brought the drugs where I've called the cops over and
[11:05] over again, I begged to plead. And as we speak right now, there are drug boats in that marina
[11:09] that have been brought in, not by us. We are the good residents and
[11:13] these who I speak for, I'm talking to the seegers. I'm talking about captain
[11:18] mikes. I'm talking about the good ones. Roger and I need your help, and I'm
[11:22] asking you to save the marina today. The, the, the specifications, the regulations
[11:26] that you're putting on us, these usc coast guards and the permits
[11:30] and the building codes, and the people I know that's involved with this, it's not
[11:34] gonna be pretty for us. We got people out there that have boats that are not running,
[11:38] but they keep 'em in good working order and their septic systems work. If you wanna find
[11:42] the guys that are destroying the arenas, take a walk out there, talk to us, the people that love this
[11:47] place. But what you're doing tonight in this vote is unfair to the people.
[11:51] and we're not prepared for it. I'm prepared for it, but the people that really
[11:55] need the help aren't, I'm asking you to table this vote.
[11:59] I'm asking you to look at the community like y'all ask.
[12:04] I'm asking you to hold jmk five jerome, the,
[12:08] the dirty management accountable. I'm asking you to get the drugs outta my
[12:12] marina. All right? But at the same time, I wanna let you know
[12:17] I am grateful to be here. I'm grateful to take my waters, my boats on the water.
[12:21] I'm grateful to catch big old fish, and I'm grateful for helping the guys out there
[12:25] that can't help theirselves. And we are a community out there, and alls
[12:29] you're gonna do is break us apart and then we're gonna be shattered and we're gonna be running around
[12:33] trying to find something else that we can't afford again.
[12:38] so I'm, I'm begging you today to think seriously and deeply about
[12:42] this vote and let me keep my boats and let the good sailors out there be good
[12:46] sailors and protect y'all just as well as y'all protect us. But this demolishing
[12:50] of boats and kicking us out is, it's not fair.
[12:55] we're gonna go by the rules, permits, permits, permits, fees, fees, fees.
[12:59] it's enough. We pay insurance. We, we pay registration. The marinas
[13:04] that we're supposed to take care of that take care of the slips. Take care. We take care
[13:08] of all the sewage. You, you hear where I'm coming from?
[13:15] michelle s michelle slaughter.
[13:26] well, good evening. Uh, I'm michelle slaughter, former judge and current partner
[13:30] at the law firm of johnson associates here in league city. I proudly
[13:35] represent david and carolyn reyes and, uh, they have a matter on your agenda.
[13:39] nine c uh, they seek a minor repl to build one single
[13:44] family home. And I trust that you will do the right thing and approve this
[13:48] minor repl, uh, and uphold private property rights.
[13:52] when we get to nine ci will be here to answer any questions you might have.
[13:56] so thank you very much. Thanks eve. Gammel.
[14:12] next up you can keep going, but next up after that would be cody and emily williams. So
[14:16] if you guys want to move up after that, guys, I'm coming in in hot. No, you're good
[14:22] citizens. Hello, city council. Nice to see you all.
[14:27] merry alis, happy holidays. Happy plaza, happy you. Whatever we celebrate.
[14:31] um, council and citizens. My name is y ml
[14:36] and I am the galveston county precinct chair, democratic precinct
[14:40] chair for district 3 54 where we all sit right now. I live
[14:44] in league city as a proud transgender veteran and a community
[14:48] volunteer. A year ago was the last time I spoke to this
[14:52] council. Uh, I spoke in opposition to senate bill eight,
[14:56] title. The women's privacy act are better known as a texas
[15:01] bathroom bill. Then this council voted resolution of
[15:05] support for that bill to, despite significant public protest. And
[15:09] this month more on constitutional anti-trans
[15:13] bigotry became texas law senate bill a
[15:17] restricts access to bathrooms, and I'm quoting the law here and locker rooms and
[15:21] governmental facilities, k through 12 schools, public
[15:25] libraries, parks, universities, locker rooms,
[15:30] anything that ties gender to biological
[15:34] sex or sex assigned at birth. Uh, for
[15:38] the first time, first violation. The facility where, where
[15:42] this occurs is fine. $25,000. The second time
[15:48] it's $125,000 for every subsequent violation.
[15:52] so-called violation counted daily. Uh,
[15:56] and, um, violations are reported to the's office. There is
[16:00] zero penalty for those accused of violating this law. Zero
[16:04] the boil. This boils down to state government finding
[16:09] local government if they don't show enough bathroom bigotry
[16:14] beyond this lobbying, ignorant, bigoted, unscientific,
[16:18] and to say the least cruel towards transgender people. It's an
[16:23] abomination to taxpayers. Why would you guys
[16:27] want to see me in the men's room? I don't belong there
[16:31] and you don't wanna see me there. It feels weird to me anyway, and I won't do it.
[16:36] I'm a trans woman. I I saw a trans woman in the lobby ladies room tonight, right here in
[16:40] this building. This has a governmental facility, isn't it?
[16:45] um, I didn't see any bathroom police to report it to. Uh,
[16:49] who should I complain to? Does lee said he have the cash handy to
[16:53] pay $25,000 for a person like me to relieve themselves?
[16:58] is he? Or just to pay off the attorney general for a citizen
[17:02] complaint? It could happen, but $25,000 seems a lot
[17:06] of money for me to relieve myself. Next time it's $125,000.
[17:11] I am, but what of about a hundred thousand trans texas women who
[17:15] will not follow this law because it's bigoted
[17:20] and out of our personal safety and concern for my constitutional
[17:24] and civil rights. You see where this is going?
[17:28] uh, I'm almost done. All right. See where this going. Middleton's bill was never about
[17:32] protecting women. It was more about creepy cis men controlling
[17:37] where women p and persecuting trans women.
[17:41] this terminally flawed law will fail because it's ridiculous. And unenforceable
[17:47] texas is for all love us and trans people will not be erased.
[17:51] the mere existence of transgender people hurts no one. And
[17:55] I reject that. You are all really sort of small minded as to
[18:00] tolerate this kind of thing. I reject it. Instead of focusing on
[18:04] the gender identities of 1%, maybe you could focus on our
[18:08] common humanity. All right. Trans people will not be erased.
[18:13] we will not be sidelined. I will not be sidelined. And
[18:18] if you'll excuse me, I need to use the ladies room and if anyone
[18:22] wants to file charges, this is a good time to do it.
[18:26] thank you. Alright. Uh, cody and emily williams.
[18:35] okay, that'd be great.
[18:49] do I have to hit the button up here? No, they'll turn it on. Okay. My name
[18:53] is emily and I'm speaking on my concerns on subject 10 a regarding
[18:58] the liverboards and anchored outs. I'm 24 years old and have been married for
[19:02] four years. I served in the army as a forward observer in the artillery field, classified
[19:06] as a 13 fox trot. My husband and I have had our taiwanese
[19:10] sailboat and have been restoring her to perfection for a little over the entirety of our marriage,
[19:15] working towards building a life together. I'm a waitress.
[19:19] in fact, some of you here may recognize me because I've worked at many of the businesses in this wonderful
[19:23] area, and I've served you. I've loved serving you.
[19:28] the keah lake city area is my home away from home because I was
[19:32] not born here. But this again, is my home. Away from home, I have deeply
[19:36] grown to love the people, the food, the lifestyle, and the culture. But I
[19:40] suppose such feeling was never mutual. My
[19:44] husband, cody williams, has worked on private jets, cirrus planes, motorcycles,
[19:48] the boats of this area for four years, jet skis and many other land,
[19:53] air, and sea crafts. He has probably even worked on your boat.
[19:57] now. We cannot afford a house or an apartment, but we have poured our hearts into our home, the
[20:01] boat for four and a half years now. And now right as she's
[20:06] ready for sale. All right, to the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness
[20:10] is going to be stripped away. If this is passed, the golden age
[20:14] of sale is dying. The rich are eating the poor into deeper levels of
[20:18] poverty without any remorse. The dehumanizing us with labels
[20:22] such as homelessness on the water, derelicts and
[20:27] criminals. As someone who moved here, we were not met with friendliness
[20:31] out on the water as the original woman said that this city was labeled
[20:35] as a friendly place for tourists. I being one that decided to live here
[20:39] did not feel the same personally. When we were anchored out
[20:45] in beautiful, clear lake years ago, large speedboats waked us as forcefully
[20:49] as they could. Knocking me over whenever I hit my head, while I was folding laundry, they didn't know I
[20:53] was home. There was online banter
[20:58] about attacking us with punt guns, sinking the ugly boats,
[21:02] blocking their view and cutting anchor lines with their props. All of this can be
[21:06] proven with the screenshots and videos I have collected over the years as a silent
[21:10] spectator. We are people created
[21:15] by jesus christ, our lord and savior as you are. We bleed red as you
[21:19] do. We are not criminals. We are not animals or filthy. We are civilized.
[21:23] we are americans trying to pursue the american dream.
[21:28] many families, possibly including ourselves, will be displaced
[21:33] veterans, women, children, honest,
[21:38] hardworking, blue collar men that create this country, the
[21:42] american people. All I ask is that you show us the mercy god has
[21:46] shown you in your pursuit and your long happy life to
[21:50] build a life with your family.
[21:56] thank you.
[22:08] I am cody williams. Uh, sorry. I have a very sore throat.
[22:12] um, I've lived aboard sailboats for six over six years now.
[22:16] uh, I've worked as a mechanic and painter on hundreds of boats here locally. Um,
[22:22] my great-grandfather developed the tower life building in san antonio. Fa
[22:26] smith, the smith young tower. My grandmother was in
[22:30] daughter of the amer daughters of the american rev revolution
[22:34] and traced our blood all the way back to the mayflower and the original pilgrims.
[22:41] my blood has been in america since the mayflower,
[22:46] the privacy invasion and the regulatory requirements
[22:51] that are entirely detached from reality. In this, in
[22:55] bill 10 a or, uh, the liverboard one, uh,
[22:59] are what the original pilgrims came to america to escape from.
[23:06] I've worked on a lot of boats.
[23:17] the time limits set on correcting unseaworthy conditions
[23:23] and on demonstrating seaworthiness are completely detached
[23:27] from reality. I took two and a half years
[23:32] to rebuild the engine in my boat. It was unseaworthy
[23:37] for two and a half years with a inoperable engine. When I
[23:41] crane the engine out into the cockpit, put it on a harbor freight stand
[23:45] in the cockpit, rebuilt it there between there and the place that I worked at
[23:49] the time, uh, as a mechanic on corporate aircraft.
[23:54] and
[24:02] I know so many boats around here, uh,
[24:06] with similar stories. Even the big fancy rich people's
[24:10] boats. You can't even get parts in 10 days or
[24:14] whatever. A lot of
[24:18] the people that live aboard are mechanics. The people that live aboard
[24:23] treat, uh, sailing and marine activities
[24:27] as a lifestyle that tends to attract people with expertise
[24:33] in, uh, boat repair. Those people
[24:37] are the kinds that are being pushed out. People like me and my friend. Um,
[24:41] I particularly, I can, I can meet the requirements
[24:46] of this bill with my vote, but it is a slippery slope
[24:50] and, uh, this is going to end up pushing out
[24:54] a lot of people like I've already seen that it has. You're
[24:58] gonna lose the expertise for marine repair
[25:03] that you find in liverboards and your
[25:07] boats are gonna end up not able to be repaired.
[25:11] alright, uh, michael sample
[25:15] or michelle sample.
[25:24] good evening. Thank you very much for having me today. I wanted to
[25:29] touch base regarding the proposals for the liverboards
[25:33] and the requirements that you've, uh, set forth with those that are liverboards.
[25:38] my wife and I, lemme correct that 'cause she will say I'm wrong. I've been a liverboard
[25:42] now for a little over five years. This has been by choice. I just
[25:46] left a recent very well paying career in the people are gonna think this is wonky
[25:50] in the parking industry, the parking technology industry. I've had a great career. I
[25:54] gave that up last december. I'm now a small business owner in league city. Don't
[25:58] make anywhere near the money that I used to, but that's because I do it because it's my passion.
[26:03] I'm gonna live aboard on a boat because that's my passion. My wife was a former
[26:08] manager at marina del. So, which I know is one of the targets
[26:12] that, that y'all are, are having trouble with and rightfully so.
[26:16] it was touched upon that jerome, the owner of that marina, he is just what he
[26:20] was described. My wife did everything she could to improve that place. And I think if you
[26:24] talk to everybody that lived there and all the surrounding residents, they will tell
[26:28] you that she did the best that she could with what she had to work with. She hired
[26:33] armed security to be over there. She pursued those that were not paying their
[26:37] bills and had dilapidated votes. She did everything that she
[26:41] could. It does not stem stem from the people that live there. It does not
[26:45] stem from the boaters. It stems from the owners of these marinas that choose not
[26:49] to enforce the rules that they already have in place. That's where your ir needs to
[26:53] sit, is with the people that own these marinas. Jerome is
[26:57] a prime example of somebody that is not following the very rules that
[27:02] he put in place are what were in place with marina del soul.
[27:06] as far as some of these guidelines that you are setting forth for an example,
[27:10] the transportation code I've read on that. I don't see how you can reach to
[27:14] the transportation code and try to apply that to boats that are moored inside
[27:18] of marinas. The transportation code, as far as boats go,
[27:23] applies to boats that are being towed. Those are on public roadways. We
[27:27] live in public waterways and when our boat is moored in a marina,
[27:32] we are granted rights to inhabit
[27:36] that small amount of water. We have permission to do that.
[27:40] that's granted by the state. The marinas have permission to have their marinas
[27:44] and have their property in the marina based on permits that are granted by the state.
[27:49] I'm trying to figure out how you guys are reaching that. You can somehow regulate that and come over
[27:53] and try to tell us how we need to keep our boats. What condition are boats
[27:57] need to be kept that you wanna be able to come on and inspect our boats? I see a lot of
[28:01] constitutional issues here. The fourth amendment right? I mean, y'all wanna be
[28:06] able to come on to our boat. You also read in there, you want us to be able to pre-sign a document
[28:10] that says that you can come and, uh, take our boat. You want us to give you pre-authorization
[28:14] to come take our boat. Think about the overreach that you guys are embarking
[28:19] on. People that that choose to be a liverboard. My wife and I, we
[28:23] could go buy a house, we could go live in an apartment, but we choose to
[28:27] be liverboards 'cause we live on the water. And that is our passion. And if you do
[28:31] this, you're, you're infringing on our passion to be liverboards on the water. Thank you.
[28:36] alright, uh, josh
[28:41] middleman.
[28:54] good evening. Uh, thank you for, uh, allowing us the opportunity. I'm captain
[28:59] josh. Uh, I am a coast guard certified captain of a boat.
[29:03] uh, and I'm here to talk about 10 a um, eight years
[29:07] ago when I bought my boat, it was what you would consider derelict. It was abandoned over
[29:11] in waterford marina by its, uh, owner when I bought it. And it has taken
[29:15] me about eight years to rescue that boat. That boat would've been
[29:20] in the lake, uh, causing an eyesore all those years ago if
[29:24] it wasn't rescued. But it takes time to rescue
[29:28] a boat. That's not something that can be done in 10 days. Like what's being proposed here?
[29:33] it takes time. It's already been mentioned that parts can't even get here in
[29:37] 10 days. It takes weeks to get parts. It takes months
[29:41] to get labor done. Our boat was in the yard getting painted for two
[29:45] months. How is somebody supposed to fix a boat in 10 days if it takes months
[29:49] just to get something fixed?
[29:53] or any of you? Marine surveyors is anyone that is working for
[29:57] the city, a marine surveyor. Do you know how to judge a boat's
[30:02] seaworthiness? Does the city employ anyone who knows how
[30:06] to judge a boat's seaworthiness? I doubt it.
[30:11] the other point that I wanna touch on is one day notice to evict
[30:15] if somebody is selling drugs out of their apartment, do they have one day to
[30:20] get out their apartment? If somebody is abusing their child in their home,
[30:24] do they have one day to get outta their house? It's absolutely ridiculous.
[30:30] the last point I want to touch on is that an empty marina will go bankrupt.
[30:35] what do you think a bankrupt marina is going to do to the derelict boat
[30:39] situation in the lake? All those boats that are in that marina are gonna go
[30:43] somewhere. They're gonna go right into the lake. All right. If you want to solve the derelict
[30:47] boat problem in the lake, you need to make the marinas accessible to everyone.
[30:52] that's all I have to say. Alright, courtney tucker.
[31:28] sorry. , my husband signed me up. I didn't, I was gonna talk today.
[31:33] all right. Um, my name is courtney tucker. I'm also a liverboard and
[31:37] I want to just say a few things about 10
[31:41] a over the actions they're taking on liverboards.
[31:46] um, people become a liverboard
[31:50] for different reasons. It's a passion. It's a is, uh,
[31:54] can you hear me better now? Okay, cool. Um, it's a passion for some people.
[31:59] it's a dream for some people. Uh, we all have different
[32:03] incomes, right? My husband and I, we can't afford to buy a house. If we wanted
[32:07] to, we could, but it's something that we really are passionate about, right? We're members of two different yacht
[32:11] clubs. We, we have multiple degrees between the two of us. We're
[32:15] very educated. That being said,
[32:20] there's many people who have their concerns, who are pouring their heart onto
[32:24] this issue. And for whatever reason, it's just as valid, right?
[32:31] I think you should take a walk in the marinas. Look at the boats, right? Talk to
[32:35] the people. Come meet the liverboards, right? I don't know what your perception is of
[32:39] a liverboard, but I feel like,
[32:43] I feel like a lot of people have a negative, negative, uh, view on what it means
[32:47] to be a liverboard. What it's like to be liverboard, who the liverboards really are. Okay? And I don't
[32:52] think you understand our community as liverboards. We are kind of like the watchdogs
[32:56] in the neighborhoods, right? Like we see who comes in and out. We watch people, we help people. We,
[33:00] we tend to people who if they need something for hurricane season, people who have boat, who
[33:04] just kind of leave them and they're not necessarily derelict, but they might be outta town or they might be outta state and they might
[33:08] have a boat in the marina and they don't ever come down and maintain it. And we like jump on and help, right?
[33:13] we help a lot of people and that's just a little bit more community. Just who we are as, as
[33:17] people. Okay? Um, what my husband was mentioning
[33:21] about the permitting situation and the limited amount of time we had our
[33:25] boat in the yard, or we have two boats. We have one of the boats in the yard. Uh, and it took a couple months for
[33:29] repairs, right? And that's what the crew, an entire team that we are paying professional have repainted
[33:33] a bottom job. Everything else done right? Just like you're redoing a house. How long does it
[33:37] take to get your roof done? How long does it take to get your flooring done? Right? Um,
[33:44] I also maybe
[33:49] pass the control more into the marinas itself. Like in order to
[33:53] have a boat in a marina, you have to have insurance. And in order to, to
[33:57] have a boat in marina, you have to have meet certain requirements. Right? Now, there's a lot of people who
[34:01] don't go to their boat. There's a lot of people who just leave it there. They get dirty, they look delic, but they're not necessarily
[34:06] maybe the engine run, maybe it doesn't, right? And they might, like I said earlier, they might be from outta state. They might not be
[34:10] in town all the time. They might have just busy life, right?
[34:14] um, there's also a lot of boats that get dumped
[34:18] that are the derelict boats that get kind of like towed out and dumped in the water. And
[34:23] to pass an ordinance like this would possibly add more
[34:28] boats to that issue, right? And that, that is an issue.
[34:32] sorry, one second. Um, that does become another issue that's,
[34:36] that's bad for the environment, the water life, the marina life around there, right? So
[34:41] just something to consider. Meet the people, come out, watch, walk the marinas. Look at the boats. I don't, if you don't
[34:45] own a boat, you don't actually understand the concept of it, right? So, thank you
[34:50] scott hyman.
[34:56] scott hyman. Alright,
[35:01] mary y oh, you come.
[35:13] good evening. Uh, mayor, long
[35:17] city council members, city manager is here now.
[35:22] yes. Um, my name is scott hyman and I have been a resident
[35:26] of league city since 2008. I'm a retired
[35:30] navy ship builder, uh, residing here.
[35:35] uh, but it's not related to these issues that have come up. I
[35:39] live in an older section of league city. It's was known as
[35:43] marshall edition, one pecan grove merchant edition.
[35:48] that that neighborhood has been in existence since the galveston county poor farms
[35:52] established the first building. There was 1899.
[35:57] we have had struggles with trying to maintain, uh, preserve,
[36:01] improve our neighborhood, and we have asked the city for assistance
[36:06] in that. And they have come through in the spectacular way.
[36:11] uh,
[36:17] as 2025 comes to a close, I'd like to bring to your attention
[36:21] act of conscious decision as several property owners to reverse the savages of
[36:25] time neglect. And we have
[36:30] reconstructed over 12 homes in that neighborhood. In,
[36:34] in this last two years. It took the assistance
[36:39] and cooperation of the four b's disaster response network.
[36:43] fema, texas general land office, galveston central appraisal district, city
[36:47] of league city public works department. Jody hooks league city arborist,
[36:52] heather mcknight league city code enforcement department, headed by joe gonzalez
[36:57] and mr. Diplomacy himself, philip meadows,
[37:01] uh, league city building department was instrumental in
[37:05] assisting us. Chief building official ralph blanco, whose accessible
[37:10] leadership and staff development and cultural empowerment has, is clearly
[37:14] evident in the form of his timeliness, accuracy, thoroughness, attention to detail.
[37:19] he helped us accomplish the goals that we are achieving.
[37:23] with that said, what I would like to do is convey on behalf of
[37:27] the people that have come together to improve that neighborhood,
[37:32] to thank the chief of police, chief ana, assistant
[37:36] chief steven antley for getting rid of the drug dealers,
[37:40] the drug houses, and helping us accomplish the goals ralph blanco, especially
[37:45] in helping us rebuild these houses in accordance with the strong code.
[37:49] thank you. Thank you. Uh, maryanne
[37:53] delgado.
[38:06] I maryanne delgado. Uh, I live in 6 0 1 enterprise avenue
[38:10] league city. I'm here, um, council members
[38:15] and others, um, to talk about the texas senate
[38:20] bill sb eight, known as the texas privacy act,
[38:24] or the bathroom bill, which is now a state law. And
[38:28] it requires people to use bathrooms and other six
[38:32] segregated facilities like changing rooms, shelters,
[38:37] prisons matching the sex on their birth certificate, not their
[38:41] gender identity. This is in public schools,
[38:45] universities, and government buildings. However, it does not provide
[38:50] specific guidelines on how to verify a person's biological
[38:55] sex. How do you council members plan
[38:59] on instructing the city staff to enforce this without violating
[39:03] the privacy and dignity of residents? Some cities like
[39:07] austin have passed resolutions to replace multi
[39:11] occupancy restrooms with single person gender neutral
[39:16] facilities in order to circumvent the laws
[39:20] restrictions. Perhaps since this council supported
[39:24] this awful bill that is all but one of you, you could invest
[39:28] in similar renovations for city owned buildings to ensure inclusivity,
[39:34] noncompliance, we know, um, can real
[39:39] noncompliance we know can result in massive fines for
[39:43] the city. $25,000 for a first defense and $125,000
[39:48] per day for subsequent violations. Can
[39:52] you present a us a clear report
[39:57] on the expected costs of compliance, including
[40:01] new signage and security personnel? We all know how this
[40:06] law might lead to the harassment of any individual who does not fit
[40:11] certain stereotypes regardless of their gender identity.
[40:15] since all but one of you voted in favor of this bill, now let's
[40:19] see what the monetary costs of it will be
[40:24] for the citizens of league city. Thank you for your, the
[40:28] attention to this matter. Okay. Uh, bj
[40:32] buchanan.
[40:54] good evening, mayor. Council miners. Uh, my name is bj buchanan
[40:58] and my wife susan and I are here representing concerned residents of our
[41:02] waterfront community. Before I start, I want to acknowledge, uh,
[41:06] some of the homeowners are here tonight who have come out to show support
[41:10] for the initiative and we're currently living with the consequences of these unregulated
[41:15] conditions. If you'd like to stand up, please feel free.
[41:21] thank you. We are not here to oppose boating
[41:25] or marinas. We are here because unregulated liv a boards have
[41:29] created serious public health, safety, environmental issues in league city neighborhoods.
[41:34] we with clear city regulations,
[41:38] marinas are allowed, or I'm sorry, without clear city regulations,
[41:42] marinas are allowed to prioritize slip revenue over
[41:47] basic standards. There is little accountability for the condition
[41:51] of vessels where their waste is managed
[41:55] or who is living full time on these vessels. In marinas, my
[41:59] wife and I have lived in this community for over seven years, and many of our neighbors far longer.
[42:05] we have personally witnessed and documented repeated problems, things you simply
[42:09] can't make up, and events that you see from our own homes leaving
[42:13] us utterly speechless. Illegal dumping of sewage directly into the
[42:17] water, drug activity and criminal behavior occurring in the marinas and its parking
[42:22] lots. Domestic disturbances requiring police response and interference intervention,
[42:28] unsafe living conditions, including people living in vehicles because lack of heat,
[42:32] air conditioning, operable bathrooms, and basic running water
[42:36] boats that sink in the marinas are reloaded and quickly
[42:41] reoccupied repeated instances of guests
[42:45] and tenants using marina parking lots in place of proper bathroom facilities,
[42:50] furniture engines, appliances and boat debris being discarded
[42:55] directly into the water and abandoned vessels in the all over in the area.
[43:02] these are not isolated incidents. They are reoccurring issues
[43:07] that impact water quality, public safety, property values,
[43:11] and quality of life. We are asking the city to implement reasonable
[43:15] enforceable regulations, health and safety standards for
[43:20] vessels, proof of functional waste systems oversight
[43:24] or registration of liverboard occupants. Clear
[43:28] accountability requirements for marina
[43:32] operators. This is not about removing people
[43:36] unfairly. It's about establishing basic standards, accountability
[43:41] and safety for everyone who lives works. Recreates along
[43:45] the waterfronts, we love league city and we want to protect
[43:49] what makes it so special. We respectfully ask the council
[43:53] to take action. Thank you. Thank you brad.
[43:58] scott.
[44:12] hello. I'm a 15 year liv aboard at
[44:17] waterford harbor marina. Uh, at waterford,
[44:22] we do it right. I've got insurance on my boat. I've got
[44:26] receipts for 15 years of
[44:30] pump out, um, sewage, um, removal.
[44:35] um, we do things right in a lot of marinas. You
[44:39] have one or two marinas around here that have given us given level boards a
[44:43] really black eye. Now I understand these people with boats in their
[44:47] backyards and they, that might not be a great thing. But
[44:51] the bigger deal is, is when they cleaned out those marinas, all those boats
[44:56] ended up as junk in the middle of the lake. Um,
[45:00] one thing I need to say is I've gotta thank you for the 30 minutes I
[45:04] spent on the phone with you and the fire chief, uh,
[45:09] talking about the fact that when it comes to
[45:13] the, uh, cleaning up the waste, uh, and derelict
[45:17] boats and whatnot, there's a marine debris program from noah
[45:22] that talks about the general land
[45:26] office that has a program for derelict vessels
[45:30] and structures. Section 40.108 of the
[45:34] national resources code, the state of texas. Um,
[45:40] the state should be taking care of the junk in the lake.
[45:45] um, I was told that the city reached out to the, reached
[45:49] out to the state and the state basically told y'all to go pound salt,
[45:54] that they were too busy and had two big, bigger fish to fry and to deal with
[45:58] it yourself. Well, that's not
[46:02] the way this works. I mean, people are elected or given a job to do their
[46:06] job and they don't get to pick what rules they're going to enforce and what
[46:10] they don't. Um, some things
[46:14] up. I, I feel that we're being unfairly targeted.
[46:18] um, I've got more insurance than what
[46:22] I need on my boat. I'm doing stuff the right way. Uh,
[46:28] and I think I'm getting ready to end up having to pay for people that don't. And there's
[46:32] already enough welfare in the world. I don't think we need any more of it. That's
[46:36] my piece. Uh, jay thatcher,
[46:53] my name is jay thatcher. I served in the army for 13
[46:57] years. 13 years of my life for this country.
[47:01] I'm also from texas and I'm very shocked that
[47:05] we're coming back to this kind of stuff. Uh, it's,
[47:10] it ain't right. Um, I own three boats.
[47:16] I have two of them in waterford harbor. Both fully insured
[47:20] have half a million dollar liability on both of them fully
[47:24] covered. I have a third one over at legends point. Fully covered
[47:29] half a million dollars, you know, so they float,
[47:33] they don't, you know, they don't take one any water. Um,
[47:38] if this rule passes, you're going to, you're gonna destroy
[47:43] a very famous boat. One that was in a movie captain
[47:47] ryan boat. That's my boat. Okay? I bought
[47:52] that boat. It sat there for 13 years doing nothing.
[47:57] I bought it. I put the mass back on it, fully
[48:01] rigged it, put the engine back on it, put the transmission back on it.
[48:05] I mean, right now I can't go anywhere 'cause the previous owner ripped
[48:09] out all the fuel tanks, water tanks. I mean it's a clean build, you know,
[48:13] uh, I mean, I've been accused of dumping fuel, but I ain't even got fuel on the boat.
[48:19] got no possibility. I have a 65 gallon black water tank
[48:23] that, you know, once every three weeks I have a pump out. Come
[48:28] over there and pump it out, you know, so yeah,
[48:32] you guys are gonna destroy that boat. Y'all passed this 'cause right now can't
[48:36] go anywhere. That ain't right. You know, like this one
[48:40] dude said that's uh, that's some serious constitutional
[48:45] violations. You know, I'm living my dream. I sold my house
[48:49] so that I could do this. You know, I didn't have to. I did it 'cause I wanted
[48:53] to. This is what I want to do. You know, nobody
[48:58] told any of y'all that y'all gotta live, you know, x, y, and
[49:02] z. Y'all followed your dreams and you're right here where you're
[49:06] at. 'cause this is where you want to be. Well, this is where I want to be. This
[49:11] is where all these people want to be. They're living their dream. Each and
[49:15] every one of them might not be pretty, but it's their choice, you know, that's
[49:19] what we all entitled to. This is a choice to follow our dreams.
[49:23] that's all I got. Alright.
[49:29] consent agenda six a through l.
[49:37] move to approve second.
[49:43] all right, please vote.
[49:53] motion passes. Eight four. None against
[50:01] public hearings. Hold a public hearing on ordinance chapter 1 25
[50:05] of the code of ordinance of the city of league city entitled unified development code related
[50:10] to signs adjacent to overpass. Public hearing starts at 6 51.
[50:16] there's nobody signed up, so it closes at 6 51.
[50:22] seven b. Consider and take action on ordinance amending chapter 1 25 of
[50:26] the code of ordinances of the city of lake city, entitled unified development
[50:30] code related to signs adjacents to overpass, uh, planning and zoning commission
[50:34] recommended approval of 5 0 0 on december 1st, 2025.
[50:42] move to approve. Second.
[50:47] all right, we got a motion a second. Anybody. Alright,
[50:52] please vote.
[51:00] motion passes. Eight four. None against seven c.
[51:05] hold a public hearing on ordinance amending chapter 1 25 of the code of
[51:09] ordinances of the city of league city entitled unified development code related to
[51:13] golf cart parking on grass surfaces. Move to a proof second.
[51:17] oh, this is the public public hearing. I'm sorry nobody signed up. It
[51:21] starts at 6 52. Jump right, it closes at 6 52.
[51:30] consider and take action. Our ordinance amending chapter 1 25 of the code of ordinances of the city of league
[51:34] city entitled, unified development code related to golf carts, parking on
[51:38] grass surfaces, move to approve planning and zoning. Commission recommended
[51:42] approval for one zero on december 1st, 2025.
[51:47] I'll second it I guess. . Okay.
[51:52] anybody? Alright, please vote.
[52:03] motion passes. Eight four. None against seven e hold
[52:07] a public hearing on a special use permit application sup dash 25 dash
[52:11] 0 0 6 I 45 u-haul self storage
[52:16] or request to allow expansion of existing self storage facility on property
[52:20] zoned cg general commercial generally located along the west side of south
[52:24] gulf freeway I 45 with the address of 3 5 1 south gulf freeway.
[52:29] public hearing starts at 6 54.
[52:34] there's nobody it closes at 6 54 7
[52:38] f consider and take action on ordinance approving a special use permit app application
[52:42] sup dash 25 dash zero six I 45 u-haul
[52:47] self storage request to allow the expansion of existing self storage facility on
[52:51] properties zoned cg general commercial generally located along the west side
[52:55] of self gulf freeway I 45 with an address of
[52:59] 3 5 1 south gulf freeway planning and zoning commission recommended approval 5 0 0
[53:04] on december 1st, move to approve. Second.
[53:10] alright, please vote.
[53:20] motion passes eight four none against old
[53:24] business eight a consider and take action on ordinance 2025 dash four
[53:29] nine amending chapter 1 25, article seven of the unified development
[53:33] code entitled tree preservation, mitigation and maintenance. Second reading counsel
[53:37] approved first reading five three on november 18th, 2025.
[53:45] mr. Mayor, I move to approve ordinance 2025
[53:49] dash 49 amending chapter 1 25, article seven, the unified development
[53:54] code entitled tree preservation, mitigation and maintenance with amendments to section
[53:58] with 25 dash 7.7 entitled offenses and restitution
[54:04] to cap total in lieu fees and restitution at 100%
[54:08] on the unimproved land value when a site is cleared in whole or
[54:12] in some substantial part without authorization and cap total
[54:16] in lieu fees and restitution at 50% on unimproved land value in
[54:20] all other cases. Second,
[54:27] I just, I noticed that the amendment came out today and I, I
[54:32] know sometimes we do that, but it's kind of hard when, when you're, uh, going through
[54:36] all of this and trying to get ready for a council. But can you explain
[54:40] a little bit to me in in the reasoning for it?
[54:44] yes, sir. Um, my considerate my issue with this is
[54:48] developers, and it's happened already once on calder, where the developer
[54:53] just basically told the city, I don't need your permission. I got the relevant permission and clear cut
[54:57] the whole thing. That's not right. That that's, that's
[55:01] not right at all. And this is not to go after the people who are doing it the right
[55:06] way. This is meant to go after the people who are doing it the wrong way, like
[55:10] that developer did there and making the penalty stiff on them so
[55:14] that hopefully they, they don't look at it and go, well, it's only gonna cost me a hundred, a couple hundred thousand
[55:18] here, so I'll just pay the penalty. Is it, uh, maybe chris
[55:22] can or you can answer, I guess. So is it a hundred percent of the
[55:26] appraised value of the property, of the unapproved value? That's the maximum the penalty can go
[55:30] to. It was either 50% or a hundred percent. I felt like I wanted
[55:34] to make this as stiff as possible to just weed out the ones that do wrong.
[55:39] yeah. And my only concern is I'll probably vote for it because it sounds
[55:43] good. I mean, we don't want developers out there just not doing their right,
[55:47] their due diligence when it comes to getting permits and so forth. But my problem
[55:51] is what happens to the single family or the single
[55:55] person that does something without intent
[55:59] and we're gonna charge 'em. I mean, if you're talking about a hundred percent of the appraised
[56:04] value of their vacant lot, could be 500,000,
[56:08] could be much more, could be a lot. 50,000. Yeah,
[56:13] I I think 50% is quite a bit. Um,
[56:17] I mean I just, that's the only thing I'm having struggles with on,
[56:21] on that. And I understand. My main thing here is the developers who
[56:25] come in and don't wanna abide by the rules. No, I agree. And, and
[56:29] I'm not anti developer, but I'm anti developer using and abusing our city. Well,
[56:33] I agree with you, but I'm looking at the other avenue where people I understand come in without the intent
[56:37] of cutting trees down and, and getting
[56:42] fined a hundred percent of their appraised value of the vacant land is the only thing. And
[56:46] that's, I didn't have much time to look at this or even call you on it, but that's,
[56:50] that's the only thing I had. Thank you. Go ahead. Yeah, I had it. It's,
[56:54] it's, if you don't mind just one second, councilman. So prior to doing
[56:58] this, this isn't something that I just threw wording or asked michelle to, to write up
[57:03] prior to this. I actually reached out to, uh, assistant a manager, rick davis, talked
[57:07] to him, discussed the terms with it, also talked to michelle about it.
[57:11] this wasn't just something I threw up here and the, like I said, the biggest concern I had
[57:15] was just the developer who's gonna come in here and
[57:20] thumb their nose at the city and say, I don't care what the city says, I'm gonna do it anyways.
[57:24] I wanted to make the penalty as stiff as possible for 'em. And I understand where you're coming from on a single resident home,
[57:28] but where do we go? I mean, I wanna make it as
[57:33] punitive as possible for these developers not to break our rules. Does that make sense?
[57:38] yeah. Thank you mr. Ba.
[57:43] we had a situation like this on calder about yes, sir. Seven
[57:47] or eight months ago. Can how much did that developer end up
[57:51] paying? I, I remember us going round and round on this and uh,
[57:56] and then primarily can you refresh my memory on that incident?
[58:00] but secondarily, is there the, is there an appeal process in this,
[58:05] um,
[58:11] that's beyond, you know, the, if there ever is another one of these
[58:15] situations? Uh, so I can, I can speak, and michelle can correct me
[58:19] if I'm wrong. I can talk about the, the case history. Yeah. The, the calder
[58:23] road property. Um, it was a cleanup from texas road
[58:28] commission from some old sludge pits. And they just clear cut the whole property
[58:32] basically. And the fines that our current ordinance levied
[58:36] on them was two to three times the amount, the value of the land
[58:40] itself. Um, so the outcome of that, I think it went to the courts.
[58:44] michelle can probably speak better to the outcome. Yes. That
[58:48] case, um, it had a couple of, I think the developer was under
[58:52] the impression that if he got one, okay, he didn't need to come and ask for the city's
[58:56] permission. We certainly had a disagreement. Um, there was some litigation
[59:01] involved. Certainly there was some, um, city attorney updates that kind of include some of that information.
[59:06] ultimately the case was settled. Um, we entered into the settlement agreement where the, the plaintiff
[59:10] in that case, um, agreed to replace the trees, pay the restitution or
[59:14] some combination of both where the city would be made whole ultimately. And that
[59:19] was made, um, as part of deed restrictions on his property. So he voluntarily
[59:23] agreed he was going to comply with the city's ordinance, um, in order for
[59:27] the property to continue on its path and development whenever that happened. But
[59:32] did you just say that actually it was two or three times
[59:36] what the value and improved value of the, the land was? 'cause it
[59:40] sounds like you're capping their, so there's,
[59:44] so the, instead of, so it's, it's it's 100%
[59:49] the opposite of what you're saying is in this situation,
[59:54] we stuck them for three times. All right. So and
[59:58] you're saying we don't wanna stick it for three times. We're, if we have the situation again,
[1:00:03] the max is 100% the original reading capped it at 50%. Yeah, and the thing is,
[1:00:07] I believe there's, so the existing ordinance as it is now
[1:00:11] has no cap. The first reading proposed a cap
[1:00:15] at 50% of the appraised value. Um, this amendment if approved,
[1:00:19] would raise that cap to a hundred percent. Well, why would we con,
[1:00:24] if you want to maximize it, why would you cap it at all? All right.
[1:00:30] I mean it sounds great until you
[1:00:34] actually lay it against actual experience. I
[1:00:38] mean, and which at the time I
[1:00:42] remember thinking that's a bit punitive, but it actually worked out in our favor.
[1:00:47] sorry. So dropped it. Um, I,
[1:00:51] hey, it was a great idea. And um, but
[1:00:56] I, I don't know, what do we do three times, cap it at three times? Or do we just say
[1:01:03] that anyway, I'm gonna vote against this. Sorry.
[1:01:07] suggesting an amendment. Well, but that's just it. So
[1:01:11] game this out in the future, the next time this comes up,
[1:01:15] you know, there are, there are other considerations.
[1:01:20] whenever we're taking a look at an ordinance, anytime there's any sort of penalty or
[1:01:24] restitution, we wanna make sure that we are staying within constitutional requirements.
[1:01:28] and certainly we wanna, we don't want to be so punitive that it becomes an issue.
[1:01:33] well, no, but it sounds like not having a cap
[1:01:38] actually worked out in our favor. Am I right? I mean,
[1:01:43] if I'm, if this is crazy talk, please correct it. No, I agree with you.
[1:01:48] the mayor agrees with me,
[1:01:53] but I don't wanna discourage sean 'cause he's, you
[1:01:57] know, he's in there with a, you know, so
[1:02:03] let's go around. I just, yeah, let's let someone else talk. I'm sorry. I'm sorry to ruin this for
[1:02:07] you dude. I'm sorry for me. Thank
[1:02:11] you ms. Mayor. So I had, I had not even thought that this could affect,
[1:02:16] uh, individual homeowners. So are there any protections that, let's just say the average citizen
[1:02:20] goes out and has trees cut down from his yard.
[1:02:24] does does this come in and affect him? Do we have, um,
[1:02:28] is this something that the tree cutters the businesses that they should have,
[1:02:33] um, be aware of or how does that work? Sure. So the,
[1:02:37] the tree ordinance, um, as presented and as it currently reads, um,
[1:02:41] does, is not, it does not require a residence of
[1:02:46] a single family home to get a permit to remove a tree. They're exempt from
[1:02:50] the ordinance if they have a home on the property. Now, if they clear cut the property to build a
[1:02:54] home, they are subject to this. But an existing single family home that takes
[1:02:58] down a tree on their property's not subject to this ordinance.
[1:03:04] um, mr. Mann, I'd like to remind
[1:03:08] you that that what was approved on the first reading lowered
[1:03:12] it to 30%. 50 50. Yeah.
[1:03:17] and, and councilman saunders's amendment that you said you're gonna vote against
[1:03:21] takes it back up to a hundred percent. So,
[1:03:25] so my suggestion would be if, if you wanna keep it as high
[1:03:29] as possible, is vote yes on the amendment. No, on the main, when we come back to it.
[1:03:33] just a suggestion. Um, as, as to,
[1:03:38] um, councilman cohen's point and, and how
[1:03:42] it affects an individual homeowner, if they're gonna clear,
[1:03:46] cut the property and put up a house where they don't have one. If
[1:03:51] that process, at what point would they come in
[1:03:55] for some request with the city,
[1:04:00] um, along the way? Is it fairly standard they're
[1:04:04] going to come in for some sort of platting or permit
[1:04:08] or something before they would consider clear cutting? It really
[1:04:13] varies, um, pretty greatly on the situation. Um, you know, if
[1:04:17] you're coming into an existing neighborhood, you don't have to pla um, so you're just pulling a permit.
[1:04:21] most of the time the developers handle the clear cutting at that point. If you're coming into
[1:04:25] an older area of town like moore's addition, shell side somewhere over there
[1:04:29] or there may be some trees you don't necessarily have to plat 'cause it's already a subdivision.
[1:04:34] um, so you can potentially pull a permit without platting. And so the first
[1:04:38] time we see a lot of those people is either when they come for a pre-development meeting
[1:04:42] asking us questions of what do I need to do to get a permit here, just a cold call or
[1:04:47] they're pulling a permit, um, to build a home. And then one of the comments
[1:04:51] on that permit, if they don't have a tree removal request, is tell
[1:04:55] us what trees you're gonna remove with this house. But, but what if they've already done it?
[1:05:00] um, then they would be in violation of the ordinance. Okay. And if you owned
[1:05:05] property, you were, you were land banking, um,
[1:05:09] and it got overgrown, um, and you, you
[1:05:13] cleared it, are you subject to this potentially? Um, yes. You would
[1:05:17] be and, and are, are the,
[1:05:22] the commercial outfits that handle clear cutting, are they familiar with this ordinance?
[1:05:26] I would say most of them are. And all of them should be? Yes, sir. Okay.
[1:05:31] all right. Thank you. So
[1:05:35] I will probably let people just clear cut their lot if they wanted to because they
[1:05:39] own the lot. But I understand that's not a very popular, uh,
[1:05:44] opinion in league city. So I think that, you know, at least
[1:05:48] having some kind of, I mean a hundred percent of the land value is still a very significant
[1:05:52] penalty. Yeah, I mean that is a, that is an insane penalty. I'm surprised
[1:05:56] that we were ever went up to 300 or, or higher than that of the percent of the land.
[1:06:00] so, uh, recognizing that I will, I will vote with
[1:06:04] you on this because at least it lowers it to something. I mean, a hundred percent still unreasonable,
[1:06:09] but at least it lowers it from being completely punitive, limitless.
[1:06:13] right.
[1:06:18] my thought process was to make it as punitive as possible while not taking it in
[1:06:22] excessive, making a potential lawsuit against the city to where we would fail
[1:06:26] in the long run. That was my concern. If we took it too high and we got sued on it,
[1:06:30] could we potentially lose? And then the glands clear cut and we're
[1:06:35] out the money. That was my concern. And I thought maybe I
[1:06:39] misunderstood that there, that there has been some lawsuits or legislation that
[1:06:43] kind of made it to where we couldn't go too high on it.
[1:06:47] am I correct, michelle? Yes. There's always concerns. Anytime you have
[1:06:51] any sort of regulatory scheme where there's penalties or there's restitution
[1:06:55] involved, you have to make sure it's not so high that it's considered unfairly.
[1:06:59] and the courts, it's not a bright line rule. I can't tell you x amount is what's too far.
[1:07:04] it's generally you gotta consider things, you've gotta consider factors. I
[1:07:08] think staff has kind of put together some suggestions on that and they've come up with those,
[1:07:12] these percentage thresholds. And one other question, I have the
[1:07:17] land off calder. He's supposed to plant trees correct. To offset what he, to tore
[1:07:21] down plant trees or give payment in lieu or a combination thereof.
[1:07:25] okay. He's done nothing there. It's still a bare piece
[1:07:29] of ground out there. So we still got the money from
[1:07:33] him, but he hasn't done, if he was supposed to plant trees, he hasn't done anything. Uh, we haven't gotten any money
[1:07:37] or any trees yet. We haven't gotten any money. Correct me, correct me if I'm wrong. Wasn't
[1:07:41] it tied to a time of development of that track? Yes. He can't move forward with development until
[1:07:45] that particular issue is made, made whole. Okay.
[1:07:50] thank you, andy. All right. So last, I'm not gonna beat a dead horse on
[1:07:54] this. Obviously, when we okayed this at our last meeting,
[1:08:00] I don't gonna blame staff. Staff put this in as 50%.
[1:08:05] none of us did. Right? All right. So
[1:08:09] sean is correcting what he sees in as an error
[1:08:13] by doubling that, which is
[1:08:18] I 100% agree with. The question I have is,
[1:08:22] would it, would it provide, because we
[1:08:26] have situations, we've already documented situations like this in the past,
[1:08:30] would it be better? And then procedurally, I wanna know what I need to do, um,
[1:08:35] to just delete the cap. Like have it like it was
[1:08:39] before, no cap, so that it runs
[1:08:43] in much the same way as the last conflict that we had. So,
[1:08:48] um, and, and then b,
[1:08:52] procedurally, when do I make, when do I offer an amendment? Do
[1:08:56] I, do we have to vote on his? Then I can offer the amendment and then we vote on the main, make
[1:09:01] the amendment right now. Huh? All right. I then
[1:09:05] that's the amendment I'd like to make to remove the cap completely. Um,
[1:09:13] ah, look at that, courtney. That's
[1:09:18] very uncomfortable when you make an amendment and no one else second it. So, .
[1:09:26] all right. This is the motion to amend.
[1:09:42] the motion to amend dies. Jesus. Back to
[1:09:46] the original freaking resler. It's always tressler
[1:09:51] . Back to sean's. Back to sean's. Now to sean's motion,
[1:09:58] please vote.
[1:10:03] attempted to vote now on this one. No, I'm not gonna,
[1:10:07] I was about to vote. You should have voted against it. All right. Alright.
[1:10:11] motion passes. 8 4 0 against eight b. Consider and
[1:10:15] take action on ordinance 2025 dash five two abolishing the galveston county
[1:10:19] municipal utility district number 14. Second reading. Counsel
[1:10:24] approved first reading. Seven one on november 18th, 2025.
[1:10:28] so move. Second. Second.
[1:10:34] alright. It's always good day to get rid of the mud. So let's
[1:10:38] vote. Vote somebody on it. Yeah,
[1:10:43] sorry. I was too slow on the button. Go ahead. I just wanted to ask, uh,
[1:10:47] last time there was one vote against and I wanna make sure we're not missing
[1:10:51] something. So I believe it was mr. Cruz,
[1:10:55] can you explain why you were a no, I can. Absolutely.
[1:11:01] the buttons there are fairly close and I hit the wrong one.
[1:11:05] and, uh, that was what, that was correct.
[1:11:09] we're not missing anything. Democracy except the, the vote.
[1:11:14] we could have changed the, we could in the future. We could change the vote afterwards if that ever
[1:11:18] happens, but, alright. Please vote.
[1:11:26] motion passes. Eight four. None against, uh,
[1:11:31] eight c. Consider and take action on ordinance number 2025 dash
[1:11:35] five. An ordinance approving a special use permit, sup dash 25 dash
[1:11:40] 0 1 3. Home to suites hotel. A request to
[1:11:44] allow a residence hotel use on approximate 2.2 acres
[1:11:48] of property zone cm commercial mixed use. Generally located on the north side of
[1:11:52] pinnacle park. Drive approximately 250 feet east of brook port drive.
[1:11:56] second, reading, planning and zoning commission recommended approval six zero
[1:12:00] on october 20th. Counsel approved first reading six two on
[1:12:05] november 18th. Move to approve. Second.
[1:12:12] alright, please vote.
[1:12:24] saunders is absent. You wanna hang tight?
[1:12:29] alright, motion passes. Seven four. None against
[1:12:34] saunders' shirking his duties. Uh, eight d, consider and
[1:12:38] take action on a resolution authorizing change order five to the construction
[1:12:43] contract with gw phillips concrete construction, inc. For bay
[1:12:47] ridge flood reduction fa phase one dr 2 0 4
[1:12:52] in the amount not to exceed $86,779.
[1:12:57] move to approve. Second,
[1:13:02] mr. Coes. Mayor, just an explanation, I guess from the city manager on
[1:13:06] on what happened.
[1:13:12] if it pleases the council, I'd like ron to explain what happened. Thank you.
[1:13:17] the, excuse me. And the particular change order consists
[1:13:21] of three items. One is for, um,
[1:13:26] asphalt transition between concrete and existing asphalt.
[1:13:31] the second one is to fix a, um,
[1:13:37] less than desirable cover over storm sewer. So we have to do additional,
[1:13:43] um, asphalt towards highway 96. And
[1:13:47] then that one is around 53,000. The third
[1:13:51] one is a driveway that the, the, the slope is too steep
[1:13:56] and it also will have some negative drainage issues. So we need to fix
[1:14:00] that. And that's about 24,000. And we have discussed all of
[1:14:04] this. We did design engineer as late as this afternoon
[1:14:08] and they're trying to provide us some explanation for why some of these happened.
[1:14:13] okay, thank you. Sure.
[1:14:23] that's it. That's it. Okay. I'm sorry. Come in here.
[1:14:28] okay, ready? Both go.
[1:14:41] 7, 4, 0 hands.
[1:14:47] you got your speaker on, so I'm not sure. There we go.
[1:14:53] alright,
[1:14:57] new business. Consider and take action on appointments and reappointments
[1:15:01] to city boards and commissions. See list four appointments.
[1:15:07] have the list. Uh, yeah. Um, just a quick question for the
[1:15:11] city attorney here. Are any of these ones that we have to take individually or no?
[1:15:15] no, sir. Alright. They'll move to approve. Do I have a second? No,
[1:15:19] as a group. Second. Mr. , move to approve. Second.
[1:15:23] ms. Chad. Bill, any discussion? No discussion.
[1:15:28] ready to vote?
[1:15:43] motion passes. Eight four. None against.
[1:15:49] alright, consider and take action on the appointment
[1:15:53] to the civil service commission. City manager's nominee position number three.
[1:15:57] david madden term expires 12 31 20 28.
[1:16:01] object second.
[1:16:06] alright, please vote.
[1:16:16] motion passes. Eight four. None against
[1:16:22] nine c. Consider and take action on a resolution appealing the decision of the planning and
[1:16:26] zoning commission to affirm the denial of a plat reyes estates
[1:16:31] plat dash two five dash 0 0 9 1.
[1:16:35] due to the plat not meeting the minimum requirements of chapter 1 25 of the code of
[1:16:39] ordinance of the city of league city planning and zoning commission denied the request
[1:16:44] 1 5 2 on november 3rd, 2025. Move
[1:16:48] denial. I move to overturn the planning and zoning commission denial
[1:16:53] of the ra's estate plat, uh, application authorizing
[1:16:57] a waiver of the drainage easement requirement and authorizing final
[1:17:01] plat approval upon the application sat satisfaction
[1:17:06] of all remaining plaid application requirements. I'll second tommy's,
[1:17:13] I'll reread it if you need me to or give you a copy,
[1:17:20] mr. Tressler,
[1:17:26] you might as well go ahead and stand up. Um,
[1:17:32] so my first concern, I see p and z's boat
[1:17:36] was pretty strong in denial. My second concern,
[1:17:41] the amount of issues we identified
[1:17:46] with drainage in this city after harvey. Um, and that
[1:17:50] not being the first time we've had issues. Um,
[1:17:55] the thing holding this plat request up is that there is an
[1:18:00] existing drainage ditch running through
[1:18:04] the property that the, um, owner
[1:18:09] does not want to grant an easement to the city for. Is that
[1:18:13] a fair summary? That is correct, yes, sir. Okay. And
[1:18:18] when I look at our, um, master drainage
[1:18:22] map, it appears roughly everything
[1:18:26] from this property to the intersection
[1:18:31] of hewitt, and I believe that's dickinson, um, on
[1:18:35] south to the city's line repair facility and possibly
[1:18:39] crossing, uh, dickinson ave to the, uh,
[1:18:44] uh, rv park. There all have drainage that
[1:18:49] flows through that ditch towards this property
[1:18:53] to get to robinson's bayou. Is that a fair summary? I believe john,
[1:18:57] john, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it flows the opposite way. It flows south.
[1:19:05] so this somewhere up there on dickinson avenues, a drainage divide.
[1:19:10] certainly the property immediately south on dickinson avenue
[1:19:15] on hewitt street appears to drain to the north into robinson bayou
[1:19:19] in the ditches along hewitt street, maybe as far as texas avenue
[1:19:24] flow into this ditch. Okay. So is once you get to the
[1:19:29] city facility, I believe that flows under the railroad of benson's bayou. Okay. So
[1:19:34] everything down to lime repair, but not including lime
[1:19:38] repair. Mm-hmm . So there's roughly a dozen houses or so in
[1:19:42] that little triangle? Yeah, I can't, I can't be sure of that. Some
[1:19:46] of them. Okay. At, at least that's how our, our map showed it.
[1:19:50] um, I don't
[1:19:55] understand I why there
[1:19:59] would be an opposition to, um,
[1:20:03] continuing to convey drainage waer as it's always
[1:20:07] been. In fact, isn't that something you're, you're required to,
[1:20:11] to not modify? That is correct.
[1:20:15] yes, sir. Okay. Um, and I drove by the property,
[1:20:20] um, on my way to lunch on friday.
[1:20:25] um, and I noticed that there's already a blockage
[1:20:30] put in on this ditch, um, in that the,
[1:20:34] the wire fencing has been extended down all the way to
[1:20:38] the ground in the ditch, which already would
[1:20:43] cause a problem if say, in the fall we had a heavy rain
[1:20:47] event after all the leaves are down. Does that sound reasonable?
[1:20:51] could possibly, yes, sir. Okay. And all we're asking
[1:20:55] to grant the pla is the easement to be able to
[1:21:00] maintain this ditch to protect all those properties from flooding. Am
[1:21:04] I correct? Yes, sir. The easement will grant us the ability to access
[1:21:08] it if we need to make improvements to it in the case of an issue with it.
[1:21:13] okay. And if we don't have an easement, there's nothing
[1:21:17] that guarantees that will be maintained, is that correct?
[1:21:22] the easement is our guarantee to be able to access the property.
[1:21:26] okay. Alright. Um, then I see
[1:21:31] no reason to, um, allow the plat without that easement.
[1:21:38] yeah, so I think, uh, the, the ditch is needed. Um,
[1:21:43] and I, and I think the landowner agrees with that. Uh,
[1:21:47] and so from what I've seen, he has been maintaining it better than it had been maintained
[1:21:52] previously. And so the way I kind of look at this
[1:21:56] is we have no projects right now
[1:22:00] slated to improve that ditch or do anything to that ditch. And
[1:22:04] we would be better off not having the easement and doing anything with it.
[1:22:09] if in the future it becomes an issue and he fills it in or
[1:22:13] does something like that and then it is needed, then we'll have to eminent domain
[1:22:17] it, we'll have to go take it. And if that happens, I'm sure
[1:22:21] that would not be a great process for him, but then it would be very quite easy to see why we're
[1:22:26] doing it. So at this point, I mean, could we extract it
[1:22:30] from platte? Probably, probably have a legal right to do it, but that doesn't mean
[1:22:34] we should do it. And so as long as the ditch is maintained and it's also in
[1:22:38] his best interest to maintain that ditch 'cause it prevents his own house from flooding, uh,
[1:22:43] I see no reason that we need to control it or, or access the property. So I'll
[1:22:47] vote for it, uh, because of that. Thank
[1:22:52] you mayor. I just wanna clarify, uh, a little bit of confusion for mr.
[1:22:56] tressler. First of all, the map I have right here shows
[1:23:00] two watershed, uh, areas, drainage basins.
[1:23:05] one of them is benson's, the other one's robinson's, uh, where
[1:23:09] mr. Reyes's house is, is in the benson
[1:23:13] basin. Drainage, uh, consideration. The dish
[1:23:17] was put there in 1964 by a handshake from
[1:23:22] mayor arao, the very first mayor of this city and the woods
[1:23:26] family. And it was considered just as a, a,
[1:23:30] a small ditch to drain some areas around there when it was nothing but farmland.
[1:23:35] it has never been, uh, cleared. It has never
[1:23:39] had any improvements by the city. Uh, we've never
[1:23:43] done anything to this ditch until mr. Reyes bought the
[1:23:47] property after the wood sold it to him. And
[1:23:51] in fact, there is no easement on the property whatsoever. There's nothing that shows an
[1:23:56] easement. It was simply a handshake from mr. Arao
[1:24:00] and, and, uh, the woods family. The drainage is only
[1:24:04] draining mr. Reyes's property. If you listen to
[1:24:08] what mr. Baumgarten said on the north side
[1:24:12] of hewitt road, it is draining north a little bit
[1:24:17] on the south side. I would agree it's stopped up, but
[1:24:21] it's draining to the south. So there
[1:24:25] is no problem with this property draining to the south flooding anybody.
[1:24:29] so first of all, I, I've always valued myself
[1:24:33] on property rights of texas. And when you own a piece of property,
[1:24:38] you shouldn't be taking it from people just because the city government
[1:24:42] has that right to do so. In the eminent domain. We have no projects,
[1:24:46] we have no, um, intent of any projects
[1:24:50] for the last 60 years or, or plus.
[1:24:56] uh, we have never done anything to this ditch. In fact, mr. Reyes,
[1:25:01] if you look at the google earth, he's the one that cleaned the ditch, not the city.
[1:25:06] and he did it because he wants to build a single family home, one
[1:25:10] home on six acres. Now, if you're gonna tell me that six acres is not enough
[1:25:14] land to drain water, he could dig, dig a pond there and drain
[1:25:19] all that water in the six acres into the pond and problem solved. But
[1:25:23] mr. Mr. Reyes did in fact say that he was not going to
[1:25:27] mess with the ditch. He would maintain it, he would clean it, and
[1:25:31] he would keep it as it is. The city does not have a right to imminent
[1:25:36] domain. I think there's some legality issues. We could debate that issue later
[1:25:40] on if we decide to condemn it. But I don't even think mr. Reyes
[1:25:44] falls in the udc code, the unified development code because he is
[1:25:48] a single family home in the united or in the unified development
[1:25:53] code. It states very clearly you fall under that code if you're
[1:25:57] a subdivision. He is not a subdivision. It also says
[1:26:01] if he's a developer, he is not a developer. So I have some great concerns
[1:26:06] about the code itself, and I think we'll probably go back and try to clarify what
[1:26:10] a single family dwelling and a development intent
[1:26:15] is. Um, even if we got this
[1:26:19] easement right there, the property behind is dr.
[1:26:23] gorman's property, guess what? We don't have an easement either on dr. Gorman's
[1:26:27] property. So we're going to have to condemn that one too to get to
[1:26:32] the diversionary canal that's on the north side of it.
[1:26:36] um, you know, I, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time debating this.
[1:26:40] I, I've worked on this for a year. Uh, mr. Tru was going to come back
[1:26:44] and try to dispute all of this again, but he is a single family dwelling.
[1:26:48] he is a resident of this, uh, of this city for many, many years.
[1:26:52] he's a business owner. He's asked him to build one house on this piece of property.
[1:26:57] and we should allow him to do it. We should not extort
[1:27:01] a easement until he can get a, I mean, um,
[1:27:06] extort a building permit until he gives up an easement. That
[1:27:10] is wrong. And to me, that is taking of the property and I don't
[1:27:14] like it and I don't appreciate it. But I know staff is driven by other motives,
[1:27:19] um, and other things. But this man wants to build a house
[1:27:23] for him and his family, one house on six acres. And for us
[1:27:27] to sit here and take that drainage or that ditch, it's not
[1:27:31] even a drainage ditch 'cause it's flowing the opposite direction. And there is
[1:27:35] no, every, every plan that I looked at, um, I have
[1:27:40] maps after maps in front of me. It doesn't affect
[1:27:44] any other property around there. So, uh, I'll leave it with that and I'll
[1:27:48] probably rebuttal mr. Tressler here again,
[1:27:53] mr. Tressler call question. Yeah. Um, I agree we
[1:27:57] shouldn't take it, but the mayor's solution, if we ever need
[1:28:01] to have an issue with this ditch is to take
[1:28:05] it by eminent domain. But, but what I'm saying
[1:28:09] is we get an easement and all the easement gives us is a right to access
[1:28:14] it, to maintain it. It doesn't take it, and it still enables
[1:28:18] him to build a house. Um, so
[1:28:23] to, to keep throwing out the word taking, taking is the solution.
[1:28:27] if we have a problem down the road and to say we have his word,
[1:28:31] he'll, he'll maintain it. Well,
[1:28:35] that's not good in court. Sorry. Um,
[1:28:41] and, and I'm not doubting his work. Uh, this isn't personal.
[1:28:45] I don't know the guy. Um, what I do know is the amount
[1:28:49] we've invested in drainage solutions for everyone in this community
[1:28:55] to, to abandon
[1:29:00] a drainage canal on word of mouth
[1:29:05] is irresponsible for representing
[1:29:09] the good of all the citizens of this city in the interest of one
[1:29:13] person. And I have a problem with that.
[1:29:18] joe, if mr. Reyes decided to, uh, build
[1:29:23] other single family dwellings on that property in the future, would he have to repl?
[1:29:28] he would have to repl at that time. He could build up to two technically on one
[1:29:32] lot. One is an accessory dwelling unit. But if he wanted to build more than that, he would've to repl and
[1:29:36] we would have an opportunity to go through this again at that time. Yes, sir.
[1:29:42] just, just to be brief, mayor. Um, it is a taking, number
[1:29:47] one. Number two, you're splitting his property in two with this
[1:29:51] ditch. It's not a drainage ditch, it's a small ditch. I did walk it from front to back
[1:29:55] on a very pretty day and it was dry. Um,
[1:30:00] what mr. Reyes' concern with is if we give him an
[1:30:04] easement to the city, which I wouldn't do it as a, as a, as
[1:30:08] a citizen, then the city can come in thereafter. We're all gone from this diocese
[1:30:13] or the mayor's not here. The city manager's not here. And somebody can go
[1:30:17] in there and put a 30 foot culvert, uh, or uh, yeah, a
[1:30:21] 30 foot culvert all the way down the piece of property and, and pave over it.
[1:30:25] I mean, they could do anything. That's why you don't give easements to the city.
[1:30:29] just not knowing if there's a project or anything
[1:30:33] else. I do agree with the mayor, if we want go out and imminent domain this property
[1:30:38] later on and we see a need for it. But at the last resort, we should
[1:30:42] be, uh, uh, forcing this person to give us an easement. There's
[1:30:46] other ways around this. We could drain the water the other direction. I went out there and I'm not any
[1:30:50] engineer, but I'll tell you right now, there, uh, it's, it's very easy
[1:30:55] to correct without taking a man's property. And I'm, I'm totally against
[1:30:59] it. Thank you. Just real quickly,
[1:31:03] 'cause I I think we got the votes on this one. So I if you're on the bubble though,
[1:31:08] uh, to deny, to deny a man the right
[1:31:12] to build his house, um, and, and almost it, it,
[1:31:16] it feels almost like staff was trying to do something political in this
[1:31:21] situation. Like, hey, we're not gonna do this 'cause we want that,
[1:31:25] we want that ditch. All right? And to me,
[1:31:31] shouldn't go that route. You just shouldn't, you know, it's, uh,
[1:31:37] predecessors really sought political
[1:31:41] solutions to technical problems. And uh,
[1:31:46] um, I would discourage that personally,
[1:31:50] if you need that land, you should go through imminent domain,
[1:31:54] otherwise let the guy build a house and kind of
[1:31:59] short taking kind of a shortcut in the situation. And that's what it felt like to
[1:32:03] me. You know, uh, it's,
[1:32:08] that's why I'm gonna vote to grant. Grant. Thank you.
[1:32:15] so anytime that's worded, like affirm the
[1:32:20] denial. So what is a yes vote with
[1:32:24] the way the motion was made? Yes. Mayor, would you explain please? Yeah. Yes, yes. Vote would
[1:32:28] allow the permit. So I'll read it because it is long. Uh, the motion was
[1:32:32] I moved to overturn the planning and zoning commission's denial of the
[1:32:36] res estates plat application, authorize a waiver of the drainage
[1:32:40] easement requirement and authorize final plat approval upon the applicant's
[1:32:44] satisfaction of all remaining plat application requirements. And to that end, there was
[1:32:49] two or three yes. That that wasn't out there. Yes. And so we're saying that those have to get met.
[1:32:54] the only part that we're talking about is this ditch, essentially.
[1:32:59] alright, call the vote.
[1:33:12] motion passes seven four one against first
[1:33:16] reading of ordinances 10 a consider and take action on an ordinance amending
[1:33:20] chapter 70 of the code of ordinances of the city of league city, texas, by
[1:33:24] adopting article five entitled vessel residency and nuisance vessel abatement
[1:33:29] related to liv aboard vessels, abandoned vessels, and derelict vessels.
[1:33:34] and I'm requesting first and final on it, move to approve.
[1:33:38] second,
[1:33:43] I don't wanna punt this to the no , mr. Cruz.
[1:33:48] thank you, mayor. Um, I
[1:33:52] was always surprised when, uh,
[1:33:56] we get such a big crowd that comes out on this. So
[1:34:02] I'm just gonna kind of go briefly over. Um, I'll
[1:34:06] just get started. So there's a whole lot going on in, in this
[1:34:10] ordinance, and there's, um, and so just kind of fundamentally, it
[1:34:15] does three things. It creates a liverboard permit system. It imposes
[1:34:19] strict marina limits and responsibilities, and it expands the city's power over
[1:34:23] abandoned and derelict boats. When it creates a liverboard permit
[1:34:27] system, it does that by requiring annual permits, requires inspections
[1:34:31] by the us coast guard, and the mseo requires insurance
[1:34:36] plus towing assistance requires daily logs, gives the city power to revoke
[1:34:40] permits and remove vessels under certain conditions and requires consent to
[1:34:44] background checks in some cases, vessel removal.
[1:34:48] when we impose the strict marina limits and responsibilities, the
[1:34:52] liverboard occupation is capped at 15% per marina. And
[1:34:56] marinas must assist the city with identification and compliance. Unauthorized rentals
[1:35:01] will be prohibited when we're talking about the abandoned
[1:35:05] and derelict boats. Uh, we, it gives the definition
[1:35:09] and enforcement and allows the seizure, the towing disposal, the cost
[1:35:13] recovery and liens. It allows for emergency removal.
[1:35:25] I had, um, well, I actually gave to michelle and michelle
[1:35:29] had provided out to, to all of counsel here, uh,
[1:35:34] a a red line, um, for all the different changes here. But
[1:35:38] before I, I read that, I'd like to just kind of continue. So the changes that
[1:35:42] I'm asking for are, it's one to clarify who is actually a
[1:35:46] liv aboard, uh, I'm tightening. The definitions of the casual or
[1:35:50] temporary users don't accidentally trigger enforcement. This helps
[1:35:54] us to, um, focus on real cases and not gray areas.
[1:35:59] I wanna protect the existing residents and give a transition period. People already
[1:36:04] living aboard shouldn't be displaced overnight by a new rule. I'm adding a transition
[1:36:08] and a grandfather provision.
[1:36:12] I wanna focus inspections and logs on safety, not daily life.
[1:36:16] I'm limited inspections and logs to sanitation and safety. I'm not tracking people's
[1:36:21] daily lives. Fourth, replace
[1:36:25] it. Replace costly mandates with practical safety standards. Instead
[1:36:29] of requiring paid towing contracts, I'm proposing a simple standard. The vessel must
[1:36:33] be able to move in an emergency.
[1:36:38] and lastly, to make revocation and appeals proportional
[1:36:43] permits should be revoked only for real health and safety issues, not minor paperwork
[1:36:48] mistakes. And people shouldn't be displaced while appealing unless there's a real danger.
[1:36:54] so these are in summary, the five things that
[1:36:58] are in the red line. And so mayor and
[1:37:02] council, I have previously requested a list of ordinance edits, which have been
[1:37:07] provided to council in order to implement those changes. I have made the following,
[1:37:11] I make the following motion. I move to amend this ordinance to adopt
[1:37:15] the following changes to change the definition of liverboard to 20 days
[1:37:20] in a 30 day period. Uh, grandfather existing liverboard occupants
[1:37:24] create 180 day transition period, allow six month old
[1:37:28] inspections, ease the towing requirement to reasonable means
[1:37:33] remove the daily log requirements, require consent or warrant for
[1:37:37] administrative inspections, limit revocations to health and safety issues
[1:37:41] with a cure period for minor violations. Allow continued occupancy
[1:37:45] during appeals and cap minor fines at $50 with a notice to
[1:37:49] cure.
[1:37:54] that is a motion. I'll second for discussion.
[1:38:02] okay, we have a motion to amend. And a second,
[1:38:09] I just want to say, mayor, real quick. I, I believe that we do need some regulations for
[1:38:13] these marinas, um, especially the one on davis
[1:38:18] road. And, and, um, we, we've had some major issues out
[1:38:22] there. Um, I do have some concerns, like I called you
[1:38:26] today and talked, talked to you. I do have some concerns with some of the definitions.
[1:38:30] I do have concerns with central harbor, um,
[1:38:35] in some of the language. I do know that after our talk,
[1:38:39] you, you spoke about the urgency, which I I understand that too, because
[1:38:44] we do have a problem. Um,
[1:38:48] I I hope, and maybe if I could have your, your blessing on
[1:38:52] this, that, um, mr. Fulcher is here. If you don't mind, when
[1:38:57] every everybody gets through, let him just say a piece, uh, about,
[1:39:01] uh, south sho harbor. 'cause it affects a lot of people in this city
[1:39:05] and in, in the liverboards also. But I, I plan to support the regulations,
[1:39:10] but I would like to make some future amendments to it,
[1:39:14] uh, with you having a meeting with mr. Fulcher and, and maybe with
[1:39:18] tom and myself or any other council member that wants to, to sit and, and
[1:39:22] talk about it because I, I do think we have some issues with some of the definitions,
[1:39:26] just like I said, what marina, um, definition, I
[1:39:30] don't think that's a, that's a good definition, but that's all I got right now, ma'am.
[1:39:35] yes. And I'm certainly willing to, to meet, go over that. And, uh,
[1:39:39] in no way would I imagine that this is perfect right out the gate, right?
[1:39:43] we've worked on it since november of 23. That's
[1:39:48] the first time we got on the boats and went around and counted up the derelict
[1:39:52] boats in the lake. And I think that day there was 28 of 'em or something like that. There
[1:39:56] was, there was a significant amount of derelict boats floating around the lake at
[1:40:00] different stages of, uh, being sunk some all the way, sunk some,
[1:40:04] the mass sticking up, some on the way to being sunk. Uh,
[1:40:08] and those are obviously are incredible hazards for navigation in
[1:40:12] the lake. They're incredible hazards, uh, during a storm because
[1:40:17] if they get up and then blow into, uh, uh, bulkheads and such. And then
[1:40:21] there are also incredible environmental hazards. They were leaking oil, leaking,
[1:40:25] gas leaking, all kinds of things into the lake. And so it, it
[1:40:29] kind of started there. And then in the middle of just dealing with the derelict
[1:40:34] boats, we realized where they were coming from. They were being pushed out from some of the marinas. And it's
[1:40:38] definitely not all the marinas, but it's some of them in town. And we kind of got into this
[1:40:42] a little bit more. And then following on top of that, two murders
[1:40:46] in the maritas, two murders in under an 18 month period. And murders
[1:40:50] are not exactly commonplace in league city. And to have them concentrated in
[1:40:54] such a small area, it was eye-opening, put on
[1:40:58] top of that, a couple of overdoses, and then open drug
[1:41:02] dealing as well. And then quality of one of the larger marinas,
[1:41:07] marinas just falling down completely due to a lot of
[1:41:11] the things that, that everybody talked about today. Uh, and that was
[1:41:15] eye-opening in the fact that we had no
[1:41:19] real structure at all to prevent derelict boats. We had no real
[1:41:24] structure to enforce, uh, basic health and safety
[1:41:28] standards in the marinas. Uh, and we didn't have anything that
[1:41:32] would prevent us, or, or that would allow us to regulate any of this. If
[1:41:36] this was, uh, on land, we would not tolerate it at all. Right?
[1:41:41] our code enforcement people would be in there. They wouldn't allow you to
[1:41:45] rent a boat to somebody that, you know, that is an unsafe vessel for
[1:41:49] them to be on, or it doesn't have the sanitation, uh, systems on board.
[1:41:54] so it, we would never let somebody rent a house in some of these conditions.
[1:41:59] but, but because we didn't have any kind of regulations, we were
[1:42:03] allowing it on the water and it was impacting the people that were renting them.
[1:42:07] and then it's impacting the people around them as well. And we can see what's happening.
[1:42:12] and it actually got much, much worse at some of the marinas extremely
[1:42:16] quickly. I was actually surprised I had toured the marinas at the beginning of this.
[1:42:20] so in november of 23 had been to, uh, all of them seeing the condition
[1:42:25] and just coming back a year later. It had fallen completely
[1:42:29] downhill in, in a year. Uh, so
[1:42:34] I don't think, and we heard from a lot of people today talking about live aboard lifestyle, and I understand
[1:42:38] that I grew up here, grew up with people who lived on boats their entire life, and I've, you know, been
[1:42:42] on the lake my entire life. And I understand the appeal of it. And for
[1:42:46] the most part, it's not a problem. It's not a problem in waterford, it's not a problem in south shore.
[1:42:50] it used to not be a problem in some of these other marinas as well, but it became one.
[1:42:56] so I think what we need to do is we have to get control of it, and we have to do something to prevent
[1:43:01] open drug use, uh, open drug markets, uh, and
[1:43:05] murders and just general, uh, falling down of
[1:43:09] safety and health standards. So I don't think
[1:43:13] we can limit it to 20 days outta 30, because that would be almost impossible
[1:43:17] to enforce. I think 10 days outta 30 will allow people to use their
[1:43:21] boats and, and, uh, and, and live aboard them in the, in the harbor,
[1:43:26] in marina del soul and, and wherever it happens in, in south shore when they come down
[1:43:30] for the weekends and not really have too many, too many problems with it. So I
[1:43:34] do not think this is perfect today, and rarely things are, and
[1:43:38] it will need to get updated as we move through and, and, and learn
[1:43:42] more about these regulations, just like we updated regulations all the time. Uh,
[1:43:47] but I do think it's important to put our foot down and get on top of this immediately.
[1:43:53] and so we have a motion to amend,
[1:43:57] please vote.
[1:44:07] motion fails. 2 4 6 against,
[1:44:12] now we have the motion as presented.
[1:44:22] mayor could, I'm sorry. Oh, okay. Let's kill that. Yes.
[1:44:26] um, could, could we have mr. Folster just come up and say a a moment?
[1:44:31] uh, sure. Because we, we hadn't finished it yet. He just, uh, had a quick
[1:44:35] question. He came in late. I'm sorry. Thank you. Council mayor,
[1:44:39] city attorney. Uh, first of all, I represent, um, uh, south
[1:44:43] shore harbor marina and, uh, waterford harbor mar to the largest marinas in the city.
[1:44:48] I represent over a thousand, uh, slips. Um, and
[1:44:52] we appreciate the opportunity to be able to, to, to work with council in,
[1:44:56] in, in the city and come up with a viable ordinance.
[1:45:00] uh, quite frankly, we welcome it. Um, when we have problems with
[1:45:05] boat in our marinas, it can be a real pain for the, is to get
[1:45:09] the boats out. Um, so this ordinance, I think will be a positive impact
[1:45:13] on the city as a whole. Um, but that being said, and like you, you
[1:45:17] mentioned earlier, um, being able to, to tweak the language,
[1:45:21] we, we would have some minor suggestions, but they're important. And it really just kind
[1:45:25] of delineates the legal responsibilities of the parties involved. You have the
[1:45:29] vessel operator, you have the vessel owner, and you have the marina. Um, and
[1:45:33] so being able to clarify those legal responsibilities,
[1:45:37] to put the liability and responsibility on the parties at
[1:45:42] fault. So for instance, if there's illegal activity going on a vessel in the
[1:45:46] marina currently, the way it reads, theoretically the city could enforce
[1:45:50] fines and, you know, other things against the marina, even though the marina has no control
[1:45:54] over that. Um, I know in our, our, our client's perspective,
[1:45:58] we have, uh, marina rules can't, can't pump out illegally.
[1:46:03] if we catch you, you're out, or at least your slip agreement's gonna be terminated. And if they refuse
[1:46:07] to to leave, then we have to go through a very long civil legal process.
[1:46:11] that's why we, we we're in favor of this ordinance to a large degree because
[1:46:15] it gives the city some police authority. Y'all can go take it out. Um, so,
[1:46:20] you know, I would urge the city to, to, or the council to,
[1:46:25] um, consider allowing additional time for this language.
[1:46:29] but if it does pass this evening, you know, continue to work with the marinas, or
[1:46:33] at least my clients to, to, to tweak this further, to, to make sure that the
[1:46:37] legal responsibility's falling where it needs to. Understood. Thank you'all, glad to meet. Thank
[1:46:41] you. Any questions? No, thank you. No, but I'd be glad to meet with you. Thank
[1:46:45] you. Thank you. Alright, motion as
[1:46:49] presented.
[1:47:01] motion passes 7 4 1 against
[1:47:05] motion for first and final second,
[1:47:12] mr. Cruz. Thank you, mayor.
[1:47:19] this is these people's homes and we are making
[1:47:23] a big change. And if it, it sounds like,
[1:47:27] you know, there's a lot of bad out there, but it sounds like there's
[1:47:31] also a lot of good, and I don't think that
[1:47:36] if we pass this first and final where they don't have another chance to come back, or they don't
[1:47:40] have time to go back and talk to, to their friends, to their attorneys, whatever it is
[1:47:45] our, that we're, we're cheating them of this,
[1:47:50] this is, you know, this is gonna be christmas next week. And so
[1:47:54] I don't see a whole lot of, um, enforcement or anything happening.
[1:47:59] so I don't see why we can't let this come back at the
[1:48:03] next council meeting. It's in two weeks, maybe it's three. And
[1:48:07] let's give everyone time to
[1:48:12] take another look at it. We can take what mr. South, like the, uh, gentleman from south
[1:48:16] shore said, uh, gives us time to meet and go over it. I know that this has been going
[1:48:20] around for a while, but don't first send final this. Let's, let's give them
[1:48:24] a chance to come back and have a say in this. Thank you.
[1:48:32] you know, none of us are getting rich up here. I
[1:48:37] I make like 500 bucks a month doing this. And
[1:48:42] whenever, whenever something, whenever something like this comes up,
[1:48:46] uh, you always have to look at our motivation.
[1:48:51] I've listened to some of y'all tonight and I think that y'all see it
[1:48:55] as some sort of attack on your life or something like that. And,
[1:48:59] uh, that's not what this is at all. Uh,
[1:49:04] I got on council because, and I've told this a million
[1:49:08] times. I'm from port arthur, texas, and I got to watch a city
[1:49:13] devolve, okay, over about a 10 or 15 year period.
[1:49:18] um, I'm just not gonna let that happen here. And I know y'all don't see
[1:49:22] that as, you know, y'all might think, uh,
[1:49:28] you know, since you've never seen a city go from being a perfectly great
[1:49:32] place to live, to a place where you
[1:49:37] honestly can't even plan a, a city a, a function for your old friends.
[1:49:41] uh, you, you, you just aren't aware of how fast
[1:49:46] a really nice city can become something other than that. So
[1:49:51] tonight I'm gonna, I'll vote for this and I'll do it first and final, even though I'm really not feeling it
[1:49:55] either because the mayor is moving on
[1:49:59] a problem that is a real issue and that would be very easy
[1:50:04] for us to ignore. Having said that,
[1:50:10] we wanna work with you guys. Um, if you're
[1:50:14] law abiding and your goal is to have a safe place for
[1:50:18] league city where you can raise your kids, you aren't, at
[1:50:22] the end of the day, we'll get through this and there, and this, it will be a
[1:50:27] stronger city because of it. But if you aren't,
[1:50:31] if you're slinging drugs or if you're doing things
[1:50:35] that threaten the community,
[1:50:41] I'm sorry, you're gonna have to take that somewhere else or we're
[1:50:45] gonna have to introduce you to our, our police department. Thank you. And,
[1:50:49] uh, yeah, I think you said that pretty well. And, uh, in the,
[1:50:53] in the first conversation that we had about this in the, uh, in the workshop,
[1:50:58] code enforcement talked about it and the fire chief talked about it. We're not going to jam up
[1:51:02] people that are trying to do the right thing and need time to do it.
[1:51:06] we are going to jam up the people that are
[1:51:10] selling drugs and that are doing what they're not supposed to be doing on there.
[1:51:15] uh, it's much like mr. Heman at the beginning of the meeting said, and that was
[1:51:19] a a very good example. We had a portion of town, the older part of town
[1:51:24] where they had derelict homes that were being used as,
[1:51:28] as drug dens and with code enforcement, with the police department,
[1:51:33] with the building department, we worked with the neighbors, we got on top
[1:51:37] of all of those things. We rehabbed all those homes into nice new
[1:51:41] like livable spaces and turn that neighborhood around,
[1:51:45] uh, by flushing out the bad actors and not allowing,
[1:51:50] uh, and just, just not putting up with it anymore. Uh, so
[1:51:55] I think you have my, uh, you know, my guarantee and I, I know, uh, the chief
[1:51:59] over already said it in the open meeting that it's not here to jam people
[1:52:03] up over minor engine problems or, or, you know, backlog on
[1:52:07] parts or anything like that. It is to make sure that we are trying
[1:52:11] to go the right direction and getting these things livable and getting these things sanitary
[1:52:15] and getting them safe. So I'll alternative to this. Thank
[1:52:20] you mayor. And this will be the last comment from me. Um, I, I'm also, I think there
[1:52:24] was a gentleman out here earlier that said he was a, a marine, uh, captain.
[1:52:28] I'm, I'm one also. And, uh, I got the certification many years
[1:52:32] ago. Um, we understand your concerns. You may have
[1:52:36] a engine that needs to be repaired. We're not gonna go out there and
[1:52:40] say, I, we got you, you got 10 days to do something. But these
[1:52:44] boats that are just sitting there falling apart, you know, we have to take action
[1:52:49] on it. And it's just like a junk vehicle in a, in
[1:52:53] a, uh, driveway or at your house, behind your house of side
[1:52:57] of your house. We have regulations that enforce that. So we're not gonna, we're not gonna do that.
[1:53:01] I heard y'all's concerned tonight when we meet with the mayor, there may be some
[1:53:06] new language in reference to if you're working on a, a, a
[1:53:10] vessel as the other gentleman said about, uh, uh, the antique
[1:53:14] vessel or whatever, we're not gonna, we're not gonna tell you to move it out and, and go
[1:53:18] from there. So I, I think a lot of times when you see the city ordinance
[1:53:22] come about you, you, you look at the numbers and it says 10 days,
[1:53:26] we have to give you certification or certified mail by 10 days
[1:53:31] to, to comply with it. That doesn't mean that the fire marshal, fire chief
[1:53:35] or the code enforcement is not gonna say, okay, you got 60 days to
[1:53:39] complete your pumping system or something. So we're, we're gonna try to work with you.
[1:53:43] thank you. Alright, please vote first
[1:53:47] and final
[1:53:56] motion passes 7 4 1 against.
[1:54:00] alright, uh, number 12 reports
[1:54:05] from staff members. Oh, you have my time reports from council
[1:54:09] members. Mayor pro tam, sean saunders, you time,
[1:54:13] chad tressler. You have my time. Any man, do you have my time? Time cones? Yes. Real
[1:54:17] quick. I just wanna say merry christmas to everybody. I'd like to thank the staff
[1:54:21] for the nativity scene and the christmas display out front.
[1:54:26] um, it, it, I know they worked very hard and very fast trying to get that
[1:54:30] put up before christmas. Um, and we certainly do appreciate
[1:54:34] the staff working on that, but having the nativity scene back in front of city hall
[1:54:38] is a great thing. Again, thank you tom cruise.
[1:54:43] courtney chadwell yield my time. Scott higgin yield my time and uh, I'll
[1:54:47] say, hey, really great job with all the staff work that went into holiday in
[1:54:51] the park and of course the volunteers that went with it, but the staff, I mean it is just a
[1:54:55] ton of work that they put in with traffic control and all that and it was remarkable
[1:55:00] probably, I mean it seemed like 15 minutes after it was done, they had the road cleared and
[1:55:04] it was open, it was going again. So that takes a heck of a lot of work to do that. So,
[1:55:09] and also thank you to, uh, to everybody that worked, sarah, her staff, everybody that worked on the
[1:55:13] activity scene. It is, it is great and, and to tommy for spirit leading that as
[1:55:17] well. So, um, city council city
[1:55:21] league city will now go into executive sessions pursuant to sub chapter d, the open meetings
[1:55:25] act section 5 5 1 et all the texas government code. The 16th day of december, 2025
[1:55:31] at 7 57
[1:55:38] executive session on the 16th day of december, 2025 at 8 37
[1:55:44] city council will now reconvene an open session. There was no final action,
[1:55:49] decision or vote with regards to any matter considered an executive session just concluded.
[1:55:55] 15 a consider and take action on discussion concerning potential purchase or sale
[1:55:59] of real property interests. I move to authorize staff to proceed with
[1:56:03] the acquisition of parcel two 16,000 wire 21 square feet
[1:56:07] to support the hobbs road extension project, zip number st 2 1 0 1
[1:56:12] from the property owner as discussed in executive session. Second.
[1:56:18] alright, we got a motion and a second, please vote.
[1:56:27] motion passes. Eight four none against 15 b considering take action regarding
[1:56:31] pending litigation to witt city of league city, texas versus jrtm
[1:56:36] holdings, llc, allegiance, bank of vertex community bank cause number
[1:56:41] cv 0 0 9 2 8 1 1. I move
[1:56:45] that we proceed is discussing executive session. Second,
[1:56:51] please vote.
[1:56:59] motion passes eight four none against 15 c. Consider and take action
[1:57:03] regarding consultation with city attorney to witt unauthorized occupancy
[1:57:07] of public or private property. There is no action right,
[1:57:11] no action needed.
[1:57:16] uh, and at 8 38 there being no further,
[1:57:22] uh, action. This meeting is adjourned. Business business action.