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11-04-2025MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING OF THE CITY OF PARIS, TEXAS November 4, 2025 The City Council of the City of Paris met for a special meeting at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at the City Council Chamber, 107 Kaufman Street, Paris, Texas. Present: Mayor: Mihir Pankaj Mayor Pro -Tem: Gary Savage Council Members: Shatara Moore, Rebecca Norment, Alix Putnam, Mickey Ellis, and Tracy Attebury City Staff: Rose Beverly, City Manager; Janice Ellis, City Clerk; Stephanie Harris, City Attorney; Steve Marriott, Finance Director; Michel Sorrell, Interim Finance Director; Thomas McMonagle, Fire Chief, and Jason Dyess, EMS Captain O penin g, Agenda 1. Call meeting to order. Mayor Pankaj called the meeting to order at 12:07 p.m. 2. Discuss Forestbrook TIRZ. City Manager Rose Beverly said Nathan Spaulding called and said he had more information and wanted to explore getting a TIRZ for the Forestbrook Project. She said they were planning to create a road that would go through the middle of the property but that his advisors would need to send the information to the City. Ms. Beverly said she asked him to give a presentation to the City Council at the next regular meeting. City Attorney Stephanie Harris said it was necessary for them to get the information to the City before November 8th to get the TIRZ done by the deadline. Discuss Belle Vue Estates. Ms. Beverly conferenced Mark McLiney and Chris Settle into the meeting. Ms. Beverly reported that Belle Vue Estates approached the City with a development project but prior to moving forward with purchase of the property, wanted to know if the Council would be open to another PID. Ms. Harris said they had forwarded a PID petition to her and inquired if the City was obligated to take it up. Mr. Settle said there was not a Statute that required the City to do so. Mayor Pankaj inquired if there would be an issue with bonding if the City did another PID. Mr. McLiney said it would not affect the City's bond rating because they were not giving up ad valorem taxes. City Council discussed foreclosures on the property and whether there would be a potential liability to the City should that happen. Mr. McLiney explained that the bank would more than likely put the property on the market and/or a tax sale. Mr. McLiney said it was a straight business decision if the City Council wanted to do another PID. Ms. Harris said it was too late for Belle Vue to get something on this agenda and the next meeting would be in December. Mr. McLiney said they would not be able to complete a PID in December with the deadlines. 4. Discuss EMS transports/staffing. Ms. Beverly said she had been meeting with Chief McMonigle and Captain Dyess to determine what could be done to retain paramedics. Fire Chief McMonigle said as paramedics were leaving, the City was not getting applicants to fill those positions. He said this was because of pay and many places were paying $15,000.00 to $30,000.00 more than Paris. He also said the paramedics on staff were being run to death. He also mentioned that one paramedic making $55,000.00 went to Life Net making $80,000.00 and Paris could not compete. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage inquired of any suggestions. Mr. McMonigle said higher pay and that there were three agencies in Paris taking calls. Council Member Norment asked who was taking the Dallas transfers and Chief McMonigle said one of the agencies in Paris. He also said last year Paris made over $800,000.00 on transfers. Mayor Pankaj said they needed to figure out how to compensate paramedics and firefighters sooner and not later. Chief McMonigle said this was not an overnight fix and was a nationwide problem. Council Member Norment said they needed to do something drastic. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage inquired about the nursing facilities and whether patients were getting to where they needed to go. Captain Dyess said dispatch was giving out the numbers of the other companies to the nursing facilities and explained the City EMS was temporarily out of service. Council Member Norment said City Council should have known about this sooner. Ms. Beverly said it would cost approximately $15,000.00 per person for Fire and EMS to help retain and attract employees, which would cost the City about 1.2 million dollars. Council Member Moore inquired if Life Net and other companies always paid that much more. Chief McMonigle said not until this year. Mayor Pankaj said they needed to consider raising taxes to be able to fund emergency services. Ms. Beverly said they could do the first year with a stipend and then a tax increase. Ms. Beverly expressed concern about dipping into reserves for the next two years and then having to go into the emergency fund. She also said Gene Anderson said doing so would affect the City's bond rating. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said this would be hard for taxpayers because of the increases in everyday life. He asked if the cost of services would be increased. Captain Dyess said yes, but that Medicare would not pay, and most patients were on Medicare. Council Member Norment said they had to raise taxes, as did Council Member Putnam. Mayor Pro -Tem Savage said if that was the route they went that they needed to raise them to enough to fund the other needed items. Council Member Norment inquired if the County was Special Meeting November 4 202 paying their part and Chief McMonigle said they were not. Council Member Nonnent said the City needed to go up on them because EMS served the County too. It was a consensus of City Council to discuss a stipend for Fire, EMS, and other departments at their December meeting. There being no further business, Mayor Pankaj adjourned the meeting at 1:31 p.m. 0�j I 11111111, -\"E C17-"'111' -T NICE ELLIS, CITY ........ . . . . . ...... M JIR PAN.. J, MAYOR