Notice is hereby given that a REGULAR MEETING OFTHE MARLIN CITY COUNCIL  will bel held on Tuesday the 15th day of October 2024, at 6:001 P.M., in the City Council Chambers, 101 Fortune Street, Marlin, Texas at which the following subjects will be discussed:  1. Call to Order. 2. Roll Call. 3. Certify Posting. 4. Pledge & Invocation.  5. Approval of the Council Meeting Minutes from September 3, 2024, September 10, 2024, September 24, 6. UPDATES/STATUS: City Business Not needing immediate discussion or action from City Council.  2024, and September 26, 2024 City Council Meetings. City Manager Updates (City Manager) Court - Update (Court Clerk Supervisor) Police- - Update (ChiefHommel) Fire Department- - Update (Chief] Parker) Emergency Management - Update (ChiefP Parker) Public' Works - Update (Public Works) Water Plant - Update (Water. Plant Supervisor) Marketing /EDC - Update (Tourism Dir.)  (2-3 mins.).  Finance! Department Water Department- Update (Finance Director)  7. Update on TWDB, CWSRF, & DWSRF Projects and City road projects including but not limited to Robert E. Lee from thel MRB Group with as summary of the differences oft the project.  8.  a. Take action to approve a 15% contingent fee contract with Perdue Brandon Fielder Collins and Mott, LLP, pursuant to Section 6.30 ofthe Texas Property Tax Code, said contract being for the collection of delinquent property taxes owed to the City of] Marlin, and notice ofsaid contingent fee contract is posted with the agenda in accordance with Section 2254 ofthe Texas Government b. Take action to authorize the Mayor to send a Notice of Termination of Attorney-Client 9. Discussion regarding the Hobby Tower, Hobby Lift Station, and Vernel Lift Station and the Tex. Dept. of Corrections and take action authorizing city attorney prepare paperwork for the transfer of facilities and/or contract for repair items and related expenses for thel Hobby Tower, Hobby Lift Station, and Vernel 10. Conduct a public hearing regarding the proposed adoption, amendment, repeal, or reauthorization oft the City's tax abatement policy or policies establishing guidelines and criteria governing tax abatement  Code.  Relationship to existing tax collections firm.  Lift Station.  agreements by the City ofl Marlin. a. Open Public Hearing Receive Public Comments Close Public Hearing  11. Discuss and consider of adopting a resolution proposed tax abatement policy which will establish  guidelines and criteria governing tax abatement agreements by the City ofMarlin.    12. Discuss, consider, and adopt a resolution authorizing the submission of a Texas Community Development Block Grant program application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for the 2025- 13. a. Discuss proposals received in response to thej published! RFQ for city engineering services; b. Consider and or approve the selection ofap provider for city engineering services; and  2026 Community Development Fund  Consider and or approve ofaj proposed professional services contract for city engineering services 14. Discuss and consider the approval and adoption ofai resolution authorizing and approving an Interlocal Contract Between thel Department of Information Resources and City of Marlin for participation in the Department ofInformation Resources Shared Services Program for City access to andi use ofinformation  with Scott Murrah of 5M Associates, LLC.  technology services. Scott Schmidt as future ITI Director.  15. Consider and or approve. Kologik Software Agreement for thel Marlin! Police Department. 16. Consider and or approve an interlocal agreement with Heart ofTexas Behavioral Heath network and" The 17. Consider and or approve the Quote from Jurgensen Pump, LLC. for work on the Rockdam and Hobby 18. Consider and or approve quote for repairs to the Water Treatment Plant Sludge Pump from Jerguson 19. Presentation and discussion from City Parks Committee relating to upkeep, the closing, the signs, leasing 20. Consider and or approve a one-year lease with William Walker to extend his 25-acre lease (behind 21. Consider and approve a resolution to nominate candidates to the Falls County Appraisal District Board 22. a. Convene into executive session pursuant to Tex. Gov't. Code 551.074 (Personnel Matters) to b. Reconvene into public session and discuss and take action as appropriate in the City Council's 23. Future agenda items: Discuss and Consider items for placement on a future City Council Agenda. 24. Citizens Comments (3 mins.) on Agenda items. Speaker shall address the presiding officer and not any individual council member; or staff member: Texas Open Meetings. Act sec. 551.041, the council cannot discuss, deliberate, or take action on matters not listed on the agenda. City Council may refer. speaker to City staff for research, resolution, or referral forj future agenda. Tèx. Penal Code 42.05A Any disruptive behavior by thes speaker or audience member wills subject the individual to removal from the meeting/city property and charge with the crime of Disruption of a lawful meeting. Comments can be e-mailed to  Marlin! Police Department. Lift Stations. Pump.  and reservation, and consistent instructions. Hillcrest Cemetery) for one year. ofDirectors 2024-2025 Term Election  deliberate upon and conduct an evaluation ofthe ChiefofPolice. discretion with regard to the evaluation oft the Chief of Police.  hsertenemarnng by 4:00 pm on September. 15, 2024.  25. Adjourn.  We, the undersigned authority, doi hereby certify that the above. Notice of Meeting oft the governing body oft the City of Marlin is a true and correct copy ofs said Notice and that what is posted is ai true and correct copy of said Notice in City Bulletin. Board of City Hall in Marlin, Texas, aj place convenient and readily accessible to the general public at all times, and said. Notice was posted on IIth day of October, 2024 at  and remained!  51Spr  posted continuously for at least 72 hours preceding the scheduled time ofsaid Meeting.  MARLIN % 1866  Dated this the 11th day of October 2024.  2    Maryann Waddle,City Secretary  This meeting. shall be conducted pursuant toi the Texas Government Code Section 551.001 et seq. At any time during the meeting the City Council reserves the right to adjourn into executive session on any oft the above posted agenda items in accordance with the sections. 551.071, ands Section 1.05, Texas Disciplinary Rules of! Professional Conduct (Consultation with. Attorney), $551.072 (Deliberations about Real Property), $551.073 (Deliberations about Gifis and Donations), $551.074 (Personnel. Matters), andlor $551.087 (Economic Development). Alli items listedabove are eligible for Council  discussion and/or action.  3    MANDATORY NOTICE PURSUANTTOTEXASCOVERMMENTA CODE SEC. 2254.1036 WHEREAS, the City ofl Marlin, 101 Fortune Street, Marlin, Texas ("City ofMarlin"), will consider entering into a contingent fee contract with the law firm of Perdue, Brandon, Fielder, Collins & Mott, L.L.P. ("Firm") and hereby posts this notice pursuant to Sec. 2254.1036 of the  Government Code.  WHEREAS, this notice shall be posted before or at the time of giving the written notice required by Government Code Sec. 551.041 for a meeting described by Sec. 2254.1036(a)(2) of A. The CITY OF MARLIN is pursuing a contract with the Firm for the collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes owed to the taxing entities whose ad valorem taxes are collected through the CITY OF MARLINand through this contract the CITY OFI MARLIN seeks toi increase recovery of delinquent debts in as expeditious a manner as possible. GOVT. CODE S B. The CITY OF MARLIN believes the Firm has the competency, qualifications, and experience necessary to fulfill this contract. GOVT. CODE $ 2254.1036(a)d)B). The Firm has collected delinquent government receivables for over 50 years, including the collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes. The Firm currently has 14 primary offices and multiple satellite offices throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Florida. It employs more than 350 individuals, including more than 50 attorneys. It uses a multi-office, fully integrated team approach allowing the CITY OF MARLIN access to all its offices and resources. Its collection team consists ofl long-term Firm employees, including attorneys, call center associates, paralegals, law clerks, legal secretaries, collection support personnel and information technology experts. The Firm utilizes proprietary collection software that can be tailored to meet any special needt the CITYOFI MARLIN: mayl have. This proprietary software also automates many aspects of the collection process, such as: account/debtor research, mailings and phone calls, return mail and address updates, payment C. The nature ofany relationship between the CITY OFI MARLIN: and the Firm is as follows.  the Government Code and shall announce the following:  2254.10360)d)CA).  notification and processing and workflow. GOVT. CODE $ 2254.10368)0C).  The Firm has represented taxing entities in Falls County since 2014. The firm currently represents all taxing entities that have overlapping boundaries with the CITY OF D. The CITY OF MARLIN does not have adequate support staff, computer soflwareprogramming, or experience to internally conduct delinquent ad valorem tax collection services and acquiring these will result in substantial expense to the CITY OF MARLIN and the E. Delinquent ad valorem tax collection services cannot be provided for an hourly fee. GOVT. CODE $ 2254.10360a)d)CE). The Tax Code allows the assessment of a percentage-based fee to recover the costs of collecting delinquent ad valorem taxes. This percentage-based feei is assessed only against the delinquent taxpayer and not the CITY OF MARLIN or those taxpayers who pay  MARLIN.  entities for which it collects. GOVT. CODE $ 2254.10368)0)0D).    their taxes in timely fashion. The collection of delinquent ad valorem taxes is a high-volume practice, requiring a significant amount of research, mailing, and handling of outbound/inbound calls. An hourly fee for such work will likely exceed the amount of delinquent ad valorem taxes due. Moreover, the CITY OF MARLIN and the taxing entities for which it collects would have to bear the cost of the hourly fees and not the delinquent taxpayer, because the Tax Code does not expressly authorize the CITY OF MARLIN toj pay for collection services based on an hourly fee. F. The CITY OF MARLIN believes this contingent fee contract is in the best interest ofi itself and the taxing entities for which it collects. GOVT. CODE $ 2254.1036(a)d)CP). Under the contingent fee contract, the Firm will be paid the amount oft the percentage-based collection fee, regardless of the number of hours the Firm spends researching, contacting, and mailing to collect the delinquent debt. Additionally, the percentage-based collection penalty is a pass-through expense to the delinquent taxpayer and not an expense to the CITY OF MARLIN nor the taxing  entities for which it collects.  Executed and posted this the. PHayd of October2 2024  City of Marlin By.  Maryann Waddie, City Secretary