[0:22] Well, by the God in heaven who is in the name of Jesus, that would have come before you would give you praise and glory and honor and thanksgiving this day that you have made. We do rejoice and we are glad in it. Thank you for giving care of us all day long bringing us to this present time to father pray that you will continue by your spirit to be in our midst, let all that be said and done here be to the glory and honor of your name and to the benefit of the citizens

[0:52] and we represent.

[0:53] Continue to bless us one and all,

[0:55] and we'll be mindful and careful to give you praise

[0:57] forever in the name of Jesus.

[0:58] Amen.

[1:02] That minutes of meeting 24 feet.

[1:05] Thank you.

[1:06] I'm going to go for a couple of minutes.

[1:08] I'm going to go for a couple of minutes.

[1:09] So, I have the motion in a second.

[1:12] I'll answer your say aye.

[1:14] Chair votes aye.

[1:16] Motion carried.

[1:19] All right, new business.

[1:21] Item number A, consider resolution to approve

[1:23] authorizing amended tax abatement agreement

[1:25] with OCI clean ammonia.

[1:28] Yes, please.

[1:30] Ms. Becky Aims.

[1:31] Hi.

[1:32] I'm Becky Aims.

[1:33] Good.

[1:34] I'm Ms. Becky Aims.

[1:38] I'm with Dr. Mosley Johnson and Associates

[1:40] and OCI clean ammonia is a client.

[1:43] You were notified earlier that OCI clean ammonia

[1:47] OCI sold to Woodside Energy.

[1:50] Woodside Energy will be taking over the project

[1:54] when the project is completed.

[1:56] So we're here to ask for an amendment to the pavement to change the name, but what I'll see actually among you will be operational early this year or early in 26 so the completion is set for the end of this year.

[2:21] and that's why we're here today. Originally, when we came before you for our

[2:26] South Carolina, we had pushed the finish day out, as we typically do to leave

[2:32] some room, but it looks like it's going to be finished in 2026, so we're going to ask

[2:36] you to change that start day from 2028 January to 2026 January. In addition to that,

[2:46] that there is been construction and progress throughout this term in 2025 and we were looking

[2:55] at, so taxes will be out on that and it looks like db7 in January will receive right at $1

[3:01] million or $934,000 to $119,000.

[3:06] If that's what we're going to do, we don't have it answering questions.

[3:11] If you

[3:15] have any questions, if not, we need to approve the resolution authorizing the amendment.

[3:25] We will, this million.

[3:28] We'll get it, um, it's so the project was being constructed this year in 2025 and last year.

[3:34] So you are due to tax, you have to tax the bill to affect until the, um, until the project commences operation.

[3:44] It will come in operation, we anticipate January, so for this texture that we're in right now, 2025, it's about 30,000,000 in the payment taxes, but the DB7 portion we figured to be 234,000 to $219,000 to $1,000,000 and you will be getting that in June.

[4:08] Just a million.

[4:12] But we are asking, like I said, that we amend the agreeable agreement to begin when

[4:18] they commence operations.

[4:21] And to change the name to go not new, not new, on bad old stuff.

[4:37] I have a motion and a second, all in favor say aye.

[4:46] Chair votes aye.

[4:47] Motion carried.

[4:48] Thank you very much.

[4:49] Any questions or items on his takes?

[4:52] Okay.

[4:54] All right, item number B. Consider resolution to approve the 2025 Certified Tax Rolls.

[5:00] So this is the next step in our, once we set a tax rate, and so forth, the approved

[5:05] tax roll is included, and the exact number.

[5:16] So our taxable value this year in 2025 is $15

[5:21] $1 billion, $44 million, $289,657.

[5:27] So we're just over $15 billion in our taxable value

[5:31] bill.

[5:36] I mean, it's a proof to prove this certified tax roll.

[5:45] No, no, Mrs. Jenner, I think you have a proof.

[5:50] Got a motion and a second.

[5:51] All right.

[5:52] If I were saying I care about that, I'm going to take care of you.

[5:56] All right.

[5:56] I don't see, consider pay request number three to epic engineering, also known as W

[6:01] Industries for Supervisory Control and Skata, Acquisitions, Skata System, for our

[6:06] conversations.

[6:08] Kirby,

[6:12] you have fully recording.

[6:13] Be better recording.

[6:16] Hello.

[6:17] Good afternoon, guys.

[6:19] So we received the pay request number three for the Skata System.

[6:23] We've been working on pay request number three is just a 75% milestone out alligator

[6:29] by there's still wrestling through their work on the rewire. All's going well. It's just

[6:34] a lot of work.

[6:37] As you guys are staying on top of it, they're pleased with the progress.

[6:41] I made a trip out there last week and it looks night and day better. So it's money, we'll

[7:02] pay for it. Request number three for the engineering of the new skater system.

[7:09] Seven.

[7:10] As I motion then a second, all in favor say aye.

[7:14] Chair votes aye.

[7:15] Motion carried.

[7:17] Item D, consider pay request number four to norm in how we constructors for improvements

[7:22] to blocks by a ditch phase two project.

[7:25] Yes, sirs.

[7:27] Okay, so this is for better question number four, primarily for the month of September, a few

[7:38] Pay request is the completion of the box install. So we've got the new section all the way across from the upstream ditch, which is William's ditch down to the phase one outfall, which is box by you that we did a few years ago in the first phase.

[7:56] It says that it's about 76% of the work, but that's a little bit more. It should be around north of 80%.

[8:04] It's looking like the project's going to come in pretty good, pretty well under budget.

[8:10] So right now all they have left to do is a couple hundred linear feet of a new concrete

[8:18] lining to get the grades right and then the time on the downstream end.

[8:22] So today was day 85 of working days, there was 100 days in the contract but given everything

[8:32] that we ran into on the project, the unknowns, basically, in an era that we want to fill.

[8:39] You know, there were some delays, but these guys have done a great job about being there

[8:44] every day and working when they can, and they've worked great with us.

[8:48] But this total pay request for $469,346.16 and we do recommend it for approval.

[9:03] as we pay on the basis of our hand to need us to plan.

[9:08] Second.

[9:10] Not a motion.

[9:10] Not a second.

[9:11] All in focus.

[9:12] I share about motion carried.

[9:17] All right.

[9:18] Item E, some in pass to get us some big project summary.

[9:21] Right now, things are going as I guess expected.

[9:26] Nothing major.

[9:27] Right now.

[9:28] Things are probably the biggest development over the last two

[9:33] weeks is Friday, not just Friday Friday before. We received an email from Division which

[9:42] is in Dallas stating that they want to have everything on the project in our area under

[9:48] construction by the end of 28. So we went from hopefully having everything in construction

[9:57] construction in 31 or 32 to now we've got a couple of years we're going to try to have everything under construction not finished, but that is good.

[10:13] Just going to give us a little bit of a smart aid system issues, but we'll take care of it.

[10:20] I'd rather have a problem with having to move it fast than not moving it off.

[10:25] So we are stepping up in that situation.

[10:30] They've asked what we need to do, what we need to make that happen.

[10:34] We've discussed it internally, we've discussed it with a number of other consultants, and

[10:40] the biggest thing is going to be what we call real estate waivers, which means that if

[10:45] they tell us to go get this piece of property, and we start the process, it's generally going

[10:51] to take about a year.

[10:52] Instead of them putting the projects on hold from the time they do that, go ahead and get everything to the point of ready to

[10:59] Essentially, they just can't start construction until we get it

[11:03] So they can go ahead and do the bidding process and stuff like that. We're trying to get them to do that on the project

[11:08] Before we finish the acquisition but with a guarantee that we'll have the acquisition complete before the construction starts.

[11:15] Those kind of waivers are not normally given, but if they're being pushed by headquarters,

[11:25] and those further up to get things in moving, we think they would be willing to consider

[11:30] and they've actually had this discussion with us about the possibility of the waiver so we can get the same move.

[11:40] Well, I'm not expected and we'll cause extra work. We're happy for it to happen.

[11:46] Okay. I look forward to the challenge. I'd like to get this thing all under construction

[11:52] as soon as possible. So that's pretty much all I have also being passed to Galveston,

[11:57] managers, miscellaneous reports, financials, believe you had financials in your packets.

[12:06] Everything that was the end of the year, financials, the end of the budget year, we ended up with

[12:13] I think four items, lines, specific lines over budget, but the categories themselves were

[12:20] not over budget.

[12:21] The lines were things, probably the biggest one of all of it was appraisals.

[12:29] So the appraisal district sends us a quarterly invoice for our tax collections.

[12:36] which looked back in the last two or three years was $65,000 for the last quarter.

[12:42] So we left $70,000 in there and it came in at $85,000.

[12:47] So it was not the same as the previous two years, so we missed it.

[12:53] And I have no explanation other than we missed it.

[12:58] So other than that, it was $100 a year and $100 there was nothing major.

[13:02] It was all, we're clean, everything's great.

[13:05] So financial security,

[13:14] yeah, there's financial security support.

[13:16] So a cloud security report, we have pledged by the bank $55.58 million.

[13:29] We have deposits of $28.1 million.

[13:33] So we're over pledged with security $27.6 million.

[13:38] So they've got as well secured at the bank right now.

[13:41] And what they've done is the 55.6 is a little more probably about 10 or 15% of our tax collections is about 40 million, so that'll cover the difference.

[13:55] You know, we'll use part of this 28 or 27 between now and January, and by the time we start getting our income in January, we'll be under that 55.

[14:05] So they've got it up in there to cover the whole year, which is what they've done.

[14:09] So that's good.

[14:14] Renae, you have anything, a quick

[14:21] introduction, Zach, stand up.

[14:24] Zach and a host is our new engineer with us.

[15:00] Next three years, at least, seven years. So, whenever the court started pushing everybody to, you know, like no longer remote work and they were pushing everybody come back to Galveston. Zach was one of the guys who didn't want to go back to Galveston or Houston. And there's probably three or four people at the court that I would have considered hiring. Zach was one of them. We had the opportunity.

[15:29] He's got experience and especially and after he comes on there about time he gets here

[15:35] So when we get hammered with this email that we're going to have to step up

[15:40] He's Ian baron will be the two main guys pushing getting all this stuff done for the Corps engineer so we get things

[15:46] worked out

[15:47] Zach is a

[15:49] wife and two kids three kids four kids. Oh, oh, oh, okay

[15:55] Zach is

[15:56] He needs his job.

[15:58] He needs his job, exactly.

[16:00] I'm going to be back.

[16:01] I'm going to be back.

[16:05] So, y'all get a chance to say hi.

[16:07] He's going to be a great addition to our staff.

[16:12] We appreciate it.

[16:13] Have an opportunity.

[16:14] Welcome.

[16:15] Yeah, welcome.

[16:16] You're with a good group of engineers here.

[16:20] Yeah.

[16:20] I mean, we're proud of you.

[16:23] Do have nothing for executive session.

[16:26] I see we have a guest now that we

[16:28] We want to go to permits and purchase orders, we want to give up comments at this point.

[16:33] Let's do the public comments, so I'm going to do that.

[16:37] Just lambs them.

[16:41] Most of the board knows.

[16:42] Not much.

[16:43] Actually, let me give a quick introduction, if you don't mind.

[16:46] Okay.

[16:47] So, we have the appraisal district has their elections for board members.

[16:52] We did one back in January because the laws changed last year.

[16:56] So, there are now, I believe, five board positions that are appointed by the state of these counties and districts, and then there's three or four that are elected at large.

[17:06] And so, remember we voted for Mr. Mark's last year in January to take the one position that they're staggering on, so they had, that was the group that took over and goes from 25 to 29.

[17:22] I believe the section that goes from now to 27, right?

[17:26] So they're staggering them and another one coming out of our board votes will be casting

[17:33] our votes.

[17:34] I got the voter thing actually yesterday announcing, you know, here's what we got to do.

[17:41] So at our next board meeting we'll have a discussion to cast our votes, but like we did with

[17:45] Mr. Marx and Ms. Wyckoff, I was asking if we would consider voting for Mr. Lamson.

[17:51] and I told him or sent the message back through Mr. Beaumont and others that we'd like for him to come speak to you guys.

[18:02] So then we can y'all can hear from him and then we can discuss it at the next board meeting where we cast our votes.

[18:08] So, my name is Bert Benson, I'm born and raised in Fort Arthur, Thomas Jefferson graduate,

[18:15] and my morning university graduate, as soon as I graduated, I started work with Fort

[18:19] Arthur School District, taught engineering design for 35 years, retired two years ago.

[18:26] I recited the growth, I've written the growth for most of that time.

[18:32] Three or four years ago, I applied, so my dad, I was asked to try for the same position, and

[18:38] and I started the campaign to do it.

[18:40] And then found out that if you're employed by one of the taxing agencies,

[18:45] that you can create this represent, you cannot have that position.

[18:49] So I'm back down.

[18:50] Now that I'm retired, I'm excited to try to do it again.

[18:53] So, uh, wife to children, more graduate,

[18:57] once I get into graduate.

[18:59] And so, I think the North was from a whole life, actually.

[19:05] So that's good, I'm glad.

[19:06] I think it's great.

[19:23] And I think just due to also having architectural design business, design homes and buildings and I think that is also a few little bit of experience going on valuation of property and

[19:34] and things like that.

[19:39] questions. Any questions for you? I think that adds to his resume to have that

[19:48] type of background. I mean, you understand construction and building. That's

[19:54] definitely a positive and that's what that board needs.

[20:00] General,

[20:09] just so you know, you know, my comment to those who ask, we were being asked

[20:14] So we go ahead and cast our votes, and I tell them that we didn't have it on this agenda,

[20:18] but I ask Mr. Lampson our simple message back because you guys probably heard this

[20:24] before.

[20:24] The answer is no until you ask.

[20:26] So I'd rather come in and ask, and then you guys can have information to consider to make

[20:31] a talk and explain that on the next meeting, and we'll discuss it at that meeting.

[20:35] But I appreciate you coming in.

[20:38] It's much better to have a face and some information behind you.

[20:51] All right, we have one permit, Texas gas service proposed eight-inch pipeline cost

[20:59] the mainstay at $9.

[21:02] Yes, this is for Texas gas service that got quite a bit of work going on throughout the

[21:09] district this is one that they are actually got piped out on the ground now but they were

[21:17] having to clean up some things for our some metal. They met all of our requirements. It's

[21:40] So, they meet all the requirements there like more than 10 feet under which is our minimum

[21:45] depth, so we recommend for approval.

[21:47] There was a per main fee of $600 and $60 they paid part of that.

[21:53] That was part of the things that they had to work out, so they're sending us another check,

[21:57] but we'll get that soon, but we recommend it for approval to make a motion that we approve

[22:05] Texas Gas Service of installation of an eight-inch natural gas pipeline underground on the recommendation

[22:12] of engineering.

[22:14] Is that a motion?

[22:16] And a second.

[22:17] All in favor, say aye.

[22:19] Aye.

[22:20] Chair votes aye.

[22:20] Motion carried.

[22:22] And we have checks and purchase orders, so I have a motion to approve.

[22:26] So move.

[22:29] And I have a motion to have a second.

[22:31] I'll be right back.

[22:33] Here we go.

Oct 21, 2025 Regular Commissioner Meeting - Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7

Transcript