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08-26-2024MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS August 26, 2024 The City Council of the City of Paris met for a regular session at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, August 26, 2024, at the City Council Chamber, 107 E. Kaufinan, Paris, Texas. Present: Mayor: Mihir Pankaj Mayor Pro -Tem: Gary Savage Council Members: Shatara Moore, Rebecca Norment, Alix Putnam and Rudy Kessel City Staff: Rob Vine, Interim City Manager; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; Gene Anderson, Finance Director; Rich Salter, Police Chief; M.A. Smith, Public Works Director; Osei . Amo-Mensah, City Planner; Thomas McMonigle, Tom Hunt, Municipal Judge; Fire Chief; Todd Mittge, City Engineer; Danny Rowell, Interim Utilities Director; and Clyde Crews, Fire Marshal Absent: Council Member: Mickey Ellis Opening Agenda 1. Call meeting to order. Mayor Pankaj called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. 2. Invocation. Finance Director Gene Anderson gave the invocation. 3. United States Pledge of Allegiance & Texas Pledge of Allegiance. City Council led the United States Pledge of Allegiance and the Texas Pledge of Allegiance. 4. Citizens' Forum. Alvin Atwood, 2419 Bonham — expressed that he was glad about the Council's dialogue with each other. He also said a lot of people from out of town were buying property and letting it grow up. Zion Tarrones, 1095 Culbertson — he said a new skate park needed to be built and he had a petition of over 300 signatures who were in favor of this. Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 2 Tommy Haynes, 3095 Abbott Lane — he spoke in support of a COLA for retirees and said there were a narrow window for the updated service credit. Danny Huff, 625 Beaver Creek Road — he spoke in support of the increase of police pay and said it would help with recruitment and retention. Consent Agenda Mayor Pankaj inquired of Council Members if they wished to pull any items from the consent agenda for discussion. There being none, a Motion to approve the consent agenda was made by Council Member Kessel and seconded by Council Member Moore. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. Approve minutes from the meeting of August 12, 2024. 6. Receive reports and/or minutes from the following boards and commissions: a. Historic Preservation Commission (4-11-2024 & 5-8-2024) b. Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone "TIRZ" Board (7-11-2024) c. Main Street Advisory Board (7-9-2024) d. Airport Advisory Board (5-16-2024) e. Paris Public Library Advisory Board (6-12-2024 & 7-17-2024) f. Building & Standards Commission (7-15-2024) 7. Receive June monthly financial report. 8. Approve RESOLUTION NO. 2024-037: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF AN ADVANCE FUNDING AGREEMENT (AFA) WITH THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR A TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES SET- ASIDE (TASA) PROJECT; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. 9. Approve the Final Plat of the Jose Hernandez Addition CB 133, Lots 1 and 2, Block A, LCAD 16170 and 16172, located in the 900 Block of W. Sherman. 10. Approve the Final Plat of the Martinez Addition CB 53, Lot 1, LCAD 14244, located at 373 N.W. 51h 11. Close out the contract with Pro Tech Track & Tennis, Inc. for the Pickleball Court Construction Project, accept the completed project, and authorize final payment in the amount of $189,979.99. Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 3 Regular Ag enda 12. Discuss and act on ORDINANCE NO. 2024-026: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 1710 OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AS HERETOFORE AMENDED, SO AS TO ALLOW A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT (SUP) FOR MIXED USE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE DISTRICT (NS), IN THE SIMPSON PLACE ADDITION, LOT 1, LCAD #17543, LOCATED AT 2031 CLARKSVILLE STREET; PROVIDING A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, A SAVINGS CLAUSE, A PENALTY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. City Planner Osei Amo-Mensah explained the applicant was requesting a SUP to allow for a new business "Sage Aesthetics," and that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval subject to approval of interior fire wall separations and/or fire sprinkler system improvements by the Building Official and Fire Marshal, prior to issuance of Certificate of Occupancy. Mr. Amo-Mensah said City Staff also recommended approval of this amendment. Mayor Pankaj opened the public hearing and asked for anyone wishing to speak about this item, to please come forward. With no one speaking, Mayor Pankaj closed the public hearing. A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Shatara Moore and seconded by Council Member Kessel. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 13. Discuss, conduct a public hearing and act on ORDINANCE NO. 2024-027: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING ZONING ORDINANCE NO. 1710 OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AS HERETOFORE AMENDED, SO AS TO REZONE PROPERTIES LOCATED WITHIN HISTORIC OVERLAY DISTRICT NO. 2 (HD -2), OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE CHURCH STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT TO SINGLE-FAMILY DWELLING DISTRICT NO. 1 (SF -1); DIRECTING CHANGES ACCORDINGLY IN THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP OF THE CITY; PROVIDING A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, A SAVINGS CLAUSE, A PENALTY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Amo-Mensah said Staff was directed to send this to the Planning and Zoning Commission for consideration, and the Commission unanimously voted to recommended approval of the amendment. He said Staff also recommended approval. Mayor Pankaj opened the public hearing and asked for anyone wishing to speak about this item, to please come forward. Linda Knox, 655 S.Church, said this was her third time before Council. She said it cost those living in the Historic District a lot of money anytime they made changes to their homes, and the change to Single Family would help their neighborhood. Robert Spain, 655 S. Church — spoke in favor of Single Family and said they had been trying for several years to get this done. He also said they were very interested in protecting the Historic District. Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 4 Sims Norment, 606 S. Church, he spoke in support of Single Family Dwellings. With no one else speaking, Mayor Pankaj closed the public hearing. A Motion to approve this item was made by Mayor Pro -Tem Savage and seconded by Council Member Norment. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 14. Receive quarterly report on demolition projects. Code Enforcement Supervisor Robert Talley said this was to have been a quarterly report however, the report would cover January through August. Mr. Talley's presentation including identification of substandard structures, identifying the owner and/or lienholder, notify the owners and/or lienholder, place an orange sticker on the structure and publish the violation notice in the Paris News. He explained that once the steps were taken, Staff would present photos and commentary to the Building and Standards Commission, the Commission asks questions and if the owner or lienholder was present at the meeting they were given the opportunity to speak with the Commission, then the Commission would deliberate and place Orders upon the structure. Mr. Talley said after the Orders were issued, they would be sent to the owner and/or lienholder and filed with he County Clerk and once the allotted time required by law had passed, and if there was no appeal to District Court, a request to remove utility services was given, a final non- compliance notice was sent to the owner and/or lienholder, once the utility services were removed the structure would be placed on the demolition list and after the structure was demolished, a bill would be sent to the property owner and/or lienholder. He also said if the bill was not paid, a lien would be filed with the County Clerk against the property. Mr. Talley reported that from 2020 to the present, approximately 255 structures had been presented to BSC for demolition and of those, 162 structures had been demolished. He said currently there were 55 structures remaining on the demolition list. Mr. Talley said the City demolished 45 structures during the 2023-24 budget year and since January, were responsible for demolishing 29 structures. Council Member Norment said the cost of publishing notices was expensive and asked if that was required. Mr. Talley said it was required by State Law. Council Member Putnam asked about the cost of one demolition and Mr. Talley said on an average it was $2,500 to $3,000. Council Member Norment asked if they could take down more if that had more staff. Mr. Talley said they could. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said with current staff, they had one crew but with more staff they could add another crew. Mr. Talley said during wet months, they were not able to take down as many houses. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said that meant there was approximately $40,000 worth of work they were not able to get done so in the summer months, and they should be taking down more structures. Mr. Talley said he would go back and look at numbers to determine if they were leaving money on the table, because he did not think it was that much. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said Council gets a lot of phone calls on these dilapidated structures and asked Mr. Tally if they needed more money. Mr. Talley said with more money, they could take down more structures. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage asked staff to look at other legal ways to notify property owners instead of the newspaper. Mr. Talley said staff would do that, and would reach out to other cities. Council Member Norment inquired if they could use both the abatement and demo team at the same time with no additional costs to the City, and Mr. Talley answered in the Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 5 affirmative. Mayor Pankaj asked about specific challenges and Mr. Talley said more education was needed for people to understand which houses and do and do not meet the standards for demolition. 15. Discuss and act on RESOLUTION NO. 2024-038: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, AMENDING THE GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA ON THE 5 IN 5 HOUSING INFILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND DECLARING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Amo-Mensah explained that on March 11, 2024, the City imposed a moratorium on the Housing 5 -In -5 Program to review the efficiency and effectiveness of the program. He said the following major changes/amendments were made: 1) lower limit to a single structure which would allow a smaller contractor or investor to participate in the program; 2) setting a cap of 10 dwelling units per contract -limits conflicts with building and fire codes; 3) reducing incentives for multi -dwelling units on same lot -encourages and promotes more single-family infill projects; 4) restructured reduced permit/plan review/tap fees -reductions better correlate to staff workload; 5) clarified and state zoning policy to reduce confusion and align with the City's comprehensive plan. No zoning change unless there is a substantial change in neighborhood or compatible with he future land use map, as determined by the Director of Planning & Community; 6) included matrix to simplify and increase consumer understanding; and 7) developer must be 80% complete, as determined by the Building Official, with any awarded in -fill agreement/development prior to the submission of a new application. Following a brief discussion. a Motion to approve this item was made by Mayor Pro - Tem Savage and seconded by Council Member Putnam. Motion carried, 6 ayes 0 nays. 16. Discuss and act on ORDINANCE NO. 2024-028: AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, ADOPTING A REVISED AND CONSOLIDATED WATER CONSERVATION/DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF SECTIONS 11.1271 AND 11.272 OF THE TEXAS WATER CODE AND APPLICABLE RULES OF THE TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; REPEALING ALL PRIOR DROUGHT CONTINGENCY AND WATER CONSERVATION PLANS IN CONFLICT HEREWITH; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; PROVIDING A REPEALER CLAUSE, A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE, A SAVINGS CLAUSE, A PENALTY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Interim Director of Utilities Danny Rowell said updates to the Drought Contingency/Water were required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality every five years. A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Putnam and seconded by Council Member Kessel. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 6 17. Discuss and act on any necessary edits to the proposed budget for FY 2024-2025. Interim City Manager Rob Vine reviewed the budget timeline beginning with the August 12 meeting wherein City Council heard a presentation regarding the proposed FY24/25 budget. Mr. Vine said City Council conducted two budget workshops on August 19 and August 22. Mr. Vine said edits made included an increase in police salaries, updated service credits and a COLA for retirees. He also said there was a decrease in the City Attorney's budget, property tax was adjusted to the di-minimis rate, a couple of revenue items were adjusted because they were low. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said he recently met with Mr. Vine and Mr. Anderson and said most of the Council had expressed they wanted the community development coordinator re- classified because the salary did not reflect the job responsibilities this person was doing. He also said this employee had been overlooked several times, and this had been mentioned for at least three years. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said he did not want to wait until the next budget year. Mr. Anderson said it was his understanding that a job description for this position was being re- written and once they had that, they could come back with a budget amendment. A Motion to approve the edits as discussed was approved by Mayor Pro -Tem Savage and seconded by Council Member Moore. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 18. Discuss and act on RESOLUTION NO. 2024-039: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, CALLING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR SEPTEMBER 9, 2024, ON THE CITY MANAGER'S PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Anderson said a public hearing on the proposed budget was required by Section 48 of the City Charter and Section 102.006 of the Local Government Code. He said the City Council needed to pass a resolution calling for a public hearing on the 2024-25 budget on September 9, 2024. A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Kessel and seconded by Council Member Norment. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 19. Discuss and act on RESOLUTION NO. 2024-040: A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS, CALLING A PUBLIC HEARING TO RECEIVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE CITY'S PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX RATE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025; MAKING OTHER FINDINGS AND PROVISIONS RELATED TO THE SUBJECT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Mr. Anderson said a public hearing on the proposed City tax rate was required by Chapter 26 of the Texas Tax Code, and a resolution calling for the public hearing on September 9 needed to be approved. Regular Council Meeting August 26, 2024 Page 7 A Motion to approve this item was made by Council Member Moore and seconded by Council Member Putnam. Motion carried, 6 ayes — 0 nays. 20. Consider and approve future events for City Council and/or City Staff pursuant to Resolution No. 2004-081. No future events were referenced. 21. Adjournment. There being no further business, a Motion to adjourn was made by Mayor Pro -Tem Savage and seconded by Council Member Norment. Motion carried, 6 ayes - 0 nays. Mayor Pankaj adjourned the meeting at 6:58 p.m. ��xjjj11111rrr,/,,�. CE ELLIS,"C� pgRIS �� TEy'0 •��• rrniii�►��� MIHIR PANKAJ, MAYOR