CITY OF SANTA FE SPECIAL MEETING SANTA FE CITY COUNCIL MAY 29, 2024 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS 12002 HWY. 6, SANTA FE, TEXAS MINUTES  The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Brandon Noto.  Roll Call:  Present:  Mayor Brandon Noto Mayor Pro Tem Ronald "Bubba" Jannett Councimember Rusty Schroeder Councilmember Ryan McCamy Councilmember John! Dickerson Councilmember Dana Marks  Absent:  None.  Pastor Brad Drake from Dayspring Church gavei ini invocation, andi then Mayor Noto led those present in thel Pledge  of Allegiance tot the U.S. flag and tot the Texas flag.  Business:  1.Consideration and possible action: Adoption of a resolution of the City Council of the City of Santa Fe, Texas approving and authorizing the First Amendment to the Development Agreement between the City of City Manager Alun Thomas introduced the item and said that the proposed amendment to the agreement has not been finalized yet - there are a few details left to iron out. He encouraged members of the public to discuss their Many members of the public were present at the meeting and spoke passionately and at great length ont the topic, including Donna Vaughn (2510 Jack Beaver Road), Dean Butler (2532 Jack Beaver Road), Sheryl Jefferson (no address given), Frank Trochesset (3605 Avenue F), Rachel Spinks (Jack Beaver Road), Dwayne Vaughn (no address given), and Eli Polinard (2317 Jack Beaver Road). Some people who spoke did not provide their full name Although different members of the public spoke about different topics, the topics were overwhelmingly regarding - Santa Fe is currently a rural city with a very rural feel. Many residents of the city - and especially the residents oft the unincorporated areas near the city- - chose to move to a more rural place specifically for the rural feel. Similarly, many residents are descended from people who, generations ago, settled in Santa Fe for the rural environment that it afforded. Allowing such a massive development to proceed in the area would completely change the feel of Santa Fe and would make it a place in which many current residents The area in which Tres Rios Laguna Azure, LLC proposes to build includes areas in the floodplain of Dickinson Bayou. Developing anything on this property would exacerbate flooding issues in the region. The street infrastructure in the area is woefully inadequate to accommodate the influx of traffic that the  Santa Fe and' Tres Rios Laguna Azure, LLC, and providing an effective date comments and concerns with Council, andi for Council to ask any questions thati it see fit.  ort their addresses.  the following same concerns, beliefs, and assertions:  would prefer not to reside.  development would! bring.    Minutes (cont.) 5/29/2024 Page 2of3  Some, but fewer, members of the public also expressed the following concerns, beliefs, and assertions:  The small lots that have come to be SO common in modern developments, and which are proposed fort this development, are too small, and force people to live lower-quality lives. Such small lots should either be prohibited byt the City or highly restricted to preserve the existence of large properties. Increased crime would result from the development, due to improved connectivity with more populous communities nearby, which would allow for criminals to more easily come to Santa Fe to victimize its residents. The planned extension of Bay Areal Boulevard into Santal Fe was ap point ofc considerable concern Future forced annexation byt the City of Santa Fe of properties adjacent to the proposed development, future forced widening of rights-of-way in the area to accommodate wider streets, or possible future use by the Finally, one citizen implored Council to have the developer be cognizant of the ramifications of having streets intersect with other streets in such a manner ast tol have vehicles' headlights shine into the windows of homes while the vehicles wait at intersections, and to mitigate such unwelcome illumination through careful subdivision design. Mayor Noto noted that the developer has said that the development would be built with or without a Development Agreement with the City, sO many of the concerns regarding drainage, traffic, lot sizes, and criminal activity would only be addressable by the City should al Development. Agreement be approved, because that would result in the Citya annexing thel land. Otherwise, Galveston County would ber responsible for all but approximately 800 oft the 1000+ Council and staff reassured the public that the City has no plans to forcibly annex any property in the area, andi that such forced annexation is nol longer even allowed by the State of Texas. City Manager Alun Thomas assured those present that the developer's plans for managing stormwater runoff from the property would be thoroughly double- checked by the City's own, independent, engineer. Mayor Noto lamented the increasing urbanization of Santa Fe, Motion by Councimember Jannett, seconded by Councilmember McCamy, to postpone the adoption of the amendment to the Development Agreement. The motion passed the roll call vote unanimously. 2.Consideration: and possible action: Repair of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment Community Services Director Georgia Carmack introduced thei item. Shei informed Council that on Sunday morning, two air conditioning units at the Justice Center failed. Those two units were different units than the one that was recently authorized for repair by Council, and they have both blown their refrigerant lines. The server room (also known as the "IT room") reached an approximate maximum temperature of 91°F over the weekend. Galveston County Emergency Communication District and Santal Fe Fire & Rescue have each generously allowed the Cityt to borrow! high-volume fans that are currently supplementing the five portable air conditioning units that City staff have Ms. Carmack said that the total estimated cost to repair the two units is $14,628.20, with the earliest available service date of June 6. The City has little to no choice on which contractor to use to perform the work due to the proprietary nature oft the! Daikin brand units. Mayor Noto remarked that HTS, the provider of the repair estimates to which Ms. Carmack referred, is thel local Daikin distributor, and they essentially have ar monopoly ont the parts, which  for these citizens.  City of eminent domain powers to allow! Bay Area Boulevard to reach Highway 6.  total acres int the development.  with several members of Council expressing their concurrence with his sentiment.  att the Santa Fe Justice Center  purchased and installed in the ITI room and the dispatch center.    Minutes (cont) 5/29/2024 Page 30f3  int turn givest them leverage over other providers' accesst tot those parts. City Manager Alun Thomas informed Council that duet to the heat, the City'sj jail is now closed, and will remain closed until the air conditioning has been restored. Mayor Noto said that the City has little choice but to approve repairs to the units for now, but that a local air conditioning technician has told him that repeated and expensive failures in the current units are to be expected every 3-4 months until they are replaced. That technician estimatedi that an approximate range fort the starting cost off full unit replacements is around $150,000 to $200,000. Mayor Noto said thatt there are two $200,000 allocations int the proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget for the Street Department, and if needed, Council could reallocate one of Police Chief Walter Braun expressed his frustration that the emergency spending authority of staff, including the City Manager, is very limited, tot the point of being inadequate ins situations such as this. He requested that Council empower the City Manager to have spending authority beyond the current $2,0001 that he is afforded. The longer we wait for the repairs, he said, the more opportunity there is for the warm temperatures to damage the City's vital computers; at the time of his leaving for this meeting, the IT room was at 82°F, but it should be cooler than 70°F. Council discussed the possibility of adding very a large temporary air conditioning system with ductwork to the building, with the cost estimate for such a system being around $10,000. Finance Director Rudy Zepeda said that itw would likely be closer to $20,000, with multiple members of Council expressing their doubts that the cost would Motion by Councimember McCamy, seconded by Councimember Jannett, to authorize $14,628.20 in emergency repairs to the air conditioning system att the Justice Center, and the authorize the City Manager to seek a price for the installation of at temporary air conditioning system at the Justice Center until the malfunctioning units can be Council directed staff to begin pricing entirely new air conditioning units for the Justice Center, SO as to minimize Mayor Notos said that Santal Fel High Schoo'sgraduation ceremonyis on Friday, andl he congratulated the graduates Motion by Councimember Jannett to adjourn. The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 8:50p.m.  those allocations to fund the replacement of the units.  The cost of replacing the computer equipment in the IT room alone would exceed $300,000.  be anywhere near that figure.  repaired. The motion passed the roll call vote unanimously,  the City's long-term risk for expensive air conditioning failures at the facility.  on their achievements.  ATTEST:  B2  Lsut