- CITY COUNCIL REGULARMEETING MINUTES - Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 6 PM Municipal Court Room/Counci Chamber 2801 Ranch Road 1869 Liberty Hill, Texas 78642 PowN N BIO 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Mancilla called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. Liberty Hill Police Chaplin David Joiner led the invocation. Mayor Mancilla led the Pledges of allegiance to the flags. City Council Members Present: Mayor Crystal Mancilla Council Member Diane Williams Council Member Wade Ashley Council Member Jacquetta Thayer Council Member Michael Helbing Council Members absent: Mayor Pro Tem Amanda Young City Staff Members Present: Paul Brandenburg, City Manager Mike Etienne, Deputy City Manager Jeff Ringstaff, Police Chief Elaine Simpson, City Secretary James Herrera, Interim Public Works Director McKenzi Hicks, Interim Director of Planning and Development Josh Armstrong, Director of Finance Marianne Banks, City Attorney Katie Amsler, Director of Communications and Community Engagement Jennifer Glaess, Pape-Dawson Engineering Trey Evans, Water Superintendent David Joiner, Chaplain ofthe Liberty Hill Police Department J.R. Pierce, SCADA Specialist - Public Works/Utilities 2) PROCLAMATIONS, RECOGNITIONS OR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FROM MAYOR MANCILLA Page 118 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 Mayor Mancilla announced that she would not have any items on agenda item #2 tonight, and those listed on tonight' s agenda will be postponed to a future meeting. a) Mayor Crystal Mancilla : Not On Our Watch' b) Mayor Crystal Mancilla : Efforts to obtain water funding from State ofTexas sources. 3) REPORTS City Departments, Committees or other groups may submit reports to City Council. There is no official action required by City Council to accept these reports. a) May 3, 2025, City General Election update. City Secretary Elaine Simpson. Current information regarding the May 3, 2025, City of] Liberty Hill General Officers election can be found here htps/owalberphilla.gov07Flections The Notice of Election will be finalized and posted in early April. There were no questions regarding the Election update. 4) HOME RULE CHARTER IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE a) Report on progress ofl Home Rule Charter Transition Team. (P. Brandenburg) City Manager Brandenburg gave some brief remarks about the progress ofthe Home Rule Charter Transition Team. 1.) Ethics Review Board Ordinance Mr. Brandenburg will clarify with Alan Bojorquez regarding needed information for City Council before the April 9th Workshop Meeting to be held on this topic. When Alan B. has his information ready (e.g.: his proposed Ordinance draft or PowerPoint) he will send to Elaine for dissemination to Council at least 7 days before the Workshop meeting. Council will agree to get back with Alan B. regarding any questions within 3 days of receiving this information. a) City Staff will investigate how these Ethics Board ordinances have been done at other cities to get best practices. b) There may need to be an update of the Ethics Ordinance itself which has some typos and is from 2018. C) Scope of the Board will mirror that of the charter, but questions still remain about requirements for residency for the members, and number of members and length of term (assumably 2 years, like all other Committees). Hopefully, Alan B. will make suggestions. Page 218 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 2.) ZBA - Teams Meeting (Simpson, Hicks with representatives from Marianne's office Cynthia Trevino) will be held on this topic on March 17, 2025, at 2 PM. a. Mike E. will check with M. Hicks to assure that sign variance cases can wait until after second meeting in April, SO that the ZBA Ordinance and Ethics Ordinance can be approved together. (hopefully second meeting in April) b. Katie will do promotion oft the two Ordinances to get volunteers to apply. C. Cynthia Trevino has draft ordinance almost ready to go, with the suggestions from Council Member Williams addressed. 3.) Place #6 Council. a. City Attorney is asked to provide clear guidance on quorum requirements at this time, and after new Place #6 Council member is seated. 4.) Public Outreach and Engagement: Katie will work on the campaign, with talking points' provided by Elaine. a. Also suggested having promotion of Home Rule Charter Transition information made available at Chamber events. b. Suggested having HRC Transition information promoted by City Manager Brandenburg at events such as 'Coffee with the City Manager. C. Suggested having a Special HRC Transition information meeting for the citizens from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM on a City Council night, in place ofa Workshop(?).. d. Possible special videos, done by Katie, as part of Social Media campaign. 5) PUBLIC COMMENTS Regarding items not on this agenda/Public Comments: Those desiring to. speak on a topic not listed on the agenda, please complete a speaker) form and) present to the CitySecretary before the meeting. Speakers will have three minutes each to speak; this time cannot be transferred or shared. Council members may not take action during this item and any responses will be limited toj factual statements, recitation ofe existing policy, or request for the topic to be placed on a future agenda. Regarding topics listed as an agenda item/ During specific agenda item: Council requests that speakers complete a speaker form, indicate which agenda item they are interested in speaking about, and submit form to the City Secretary before the agenda item is addressed. Speaker) forms may be emailed to the City Secretary before the meeting at simponglhrphilagors Mr. Mike Farr, his sons Bradley and Dylan: Introduced themselves and explained that they are bringing a new restaurant to downtown Liberty Hill, in the building where the 'Whiskey Barrel' restaurant used to be. He explained that they have experience in the restaurant business and look forward to being here in Liberty Hill. Mr. Farr noted that one thing that he will request for the new restaurant 'Wish Restaurant and Bar, is for there to be a Loading Zone created on Main Street where there is now no parking. This request will come to City Council on a future agenda. 6) CONSENT AGENDA Consent Agenda items are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no. separate discussion ofthose items unless requested by Council, in which event the item(s) will be removedfrom Consent Agenda and considered under Regular Agenda. Page.3 318 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 a) Approval of City Council Workshop Meeting February 26, 2025, meeting minutes. (E. Simpson) b) Approval of City Council Regular Called Meeting February 26, 2025, meeting minutes. (E. Simpson) Motion: Motion by Council Member Helbing, seconded by Council Member Ashley, to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented. Vote on the Motion: Motion carried unanimously by a vote of5 5-0. Ayes: Helbing, Ashley, Mancilla, Thayer and Williams. Nays: 0. Mayor Pro Tem Young was absent. 7) REGULAR AGENDA a) Discussion, and consideration regarding Water Conservation Initiative and related education campaign. (M. Etienne, K. Amsler) Deputy City Manager Mike Etienne introduced the item and provided the staff report. He noted that the Initiatives were all listed on a handy infographic prepared by Director of Communications and Community Engagement Katie Amsler. The city took the lead with 'Leak Detection' by finding the leaks first in the city's lines. Approximately 25 leaks were identified in the city's lines. The repair of these leaks saves millions of gallons of drinking water. Director Amsler also noted that the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) already has a Rebate' Program available, SO one initiative that the City will try is to help our water customers qualify for the program. There was a discussion of the city's Smart Meters." At this time, customers are able to go online and set up a profile and get all of the data from their water meter. A big benefit to this is also that you can set up notifications to let you know if your Smart Meter identifies a possible leak at your property. This can save a great deal of money by fixing the problem before serious flooding occurs. There was a short description of the "Spring Rainwater Barrel' project that was just held. Annually, customers have the ability to purchase these rain harvesting barrels if they desire. Lastly there was a discussion of the importance of conserving water related to irrigation. There is an 'Ugly Yard' contest planned, to use good humor to promote the importance of conservation. This contest could lead to further projects related to promoting xeriscape efforts and possibly working with Homeowners Associations (HOAs) to promote xeriscape landscaping or use of native and/or drought resistant landscaping. There was no formal action on this item. Page 418 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 b) Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding Resolution No. 2025-R- 016 to approve the professional services agreement (PSA) between the City of Liberty Hill, Texas, and Freese and Nichols, Inc. for Unified Development Code (UDC) revisions. (M. Etienne, M. Hicks) Deputy City Manager Etienne introduced the agenda item and provided the staff report. He introduced Mr. Chance Sparks, AICP, CNU-A Associate with Freese and Nichols, to discuss the plans for the UDC re-write. Mr. Sparks noted that when the UDC was last composed, the population of the City of Liberty Hill was fewer than 2000 inhabitants, the city is now close to 11,000. There have been lots of changes and the city is experiencing rapid growth. Mr. Sparks went page by page through his PowerPoint presentation. He discussed special service options that the City Council could add on as extra tasks for Freese and Nichols to perform which includes preparing GIS maps. Motion: Council Member Williams moved and Council Member Helbing, seconded to approve Resolution No. 2025-R-016, approving the PSA between the City ofLiberty Hill, Texas, and Freese and Nichols, Inc., for services related to the review and revisions oft the City's UDC, authorizing the City Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the City for a total fee of$314,475.00, with basic services as a lump sum fee of $295,251.00 invoiced monthly based on percentage complete, and special services as a not to exceed fee of $19,224.00, invoiced monthly by time and materials. Vote on the Motion: Motion carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0. Ayes: Helbing, Ashley, Mancilla, Thayer and Williams. Nays: 0. Mayor Pro Tem Young was absent. c) Discussion, consideration, and possible action regarding award of Community Service Grants, as per applicant presentations February 26, 2025. (P. Brandenburg) The City Council members discussed the difficulty in making the decisions on which projects to fund. The presentations seen at the last meeting were all moving and the projects are important. Even evaluating the programs using the criteria that the grant is supposed to support, there is greater need than there is money for these grants. In all, the need as shown this year by the numerous applications for grants indicates that next year the City Council may want to budget funds in addition to the $45,000 budgeted this year. The Council members discussed a desire to help fund the programs providing the most vital care such as food and shelter for our citizens. City Council by consensus determined to allot the $45,000 grant money as follows: Casa Esperanza/ Hope House = 10K$, Foundation XXL Hope / Mustard Seed Project = 5K$, L4 Page 518 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 Cares /1 Hero Camp = 10K$, Williamson County Crisis Center / Hope Alliance - 10K$, and Operation Liberty Hill 10K$. There was no formal motion. Resolutions to finalize the award of these grants will be on March 26, 2025, agenda, along with grant agreement documents. Council discussed the possibility ofpassing a budget amendment to add a line into the budget annually. for. support ofMeals on Wheels, outside ofthe Community Service Grant framework. Finance Director Armstrong will bring this proposed amendment, forward on a future agenda. d) Discussion, consideration, and possible action on a proposed letter of opposition to Senate Bill 19 relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying and certain other activities. (P. Brandenburg) City Manager Brandenburg explained that he is drafting a letter (an early draft was presented in the agenda packet) to oppose the passage of a bill through the Texas Legislature that would prohibit cities from paying dues to belong to associations such as Texas Municipal League. Motion: Council Member Williams moved, seconded by Council Member Ashley to approve the City Managers letter, with updates as appropriate. Vote on the Motion: Motion carried unanimously by a vote of5-0. Ayes: Helbing, Ashley, Mancilla, Thayer and Williams. Nays: 0. Mayor Pro Tem Young was absent. 8) CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS There were no City Manager's Comments. City Secretary Simpson read the Open Meetings Act exceptions into the record at 7:07 PM. Mayor Mancilla recessed the Regular / Open Meeting at 7:08 PM. Mayor Mancilla convened the Executive / Closed Session Meeting at 7:11 PM. Mayor Mancilla adjourned the Executive / Closed Session at 7:43 PM. Page6 618 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 Mayor Mancilla reconvened the Regular / Open Meeting at 7:43 PM. 9) CONVENE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION City Council will convene into Executive Sessionf for discussion ofthe following items pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 (Consultation with Attorney), Section 55107(Deliberations about Real Property), Section 551.073 (Deliberations about Gifis and Donations), Section 551.074 (Personnel Matters), Section 551.076 (Deliberations about Security Devices), and. Section 551.087 (Economic Development). a) Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 (consultation with attorney) to receive information regarding legal issues related to wastewater discharge. (M. Banks, Natasha Martin) This agenda item was pulled from the agenda in order that the verbiage be updated/corrected for this Executive Session discussion. It will be on the next Regular City Council agenda. b) Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.071 (consultation with attorney) to receive information and legal guidance related to (both current and proposed) Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) franchise agreements with the City ofLiberty Hill. (M. Banks) Motion: Council Member Williams moved, and Council Member Helbing seconded, to direct staff to come back with a resolution approving the franchise agreement with PEC, as discussed, at the next Council meeting. Vote on the Motion: Motion carried unanimously by a vote of 5-0. Ayes: Helbing, Ashley, Mancilla, Thayer and Williams. Nays: 0. Mayor Pro Tem Young was absent. c) Pursuant to Texas Government Code Section 551.074 (Discussions of Personnel), and Texas Government Code Section 551.071 (Consultation with City Attorney) and Pursuant to Section 2.02.071(b) and (c) ofthe Investigation Ordinance, City Council will determine if and what form of an investigation is appropriate for Complaint No. 2025-C-001 and provide directions to staff, as needed. (M. Banks, P. Brandenburg) Motion: Motion by Council Member Ashley, seconded by Council Member Thayer, to postpone this item to March 26, 2025, City Council Regular Meeting. Vote on the Motion: Motion carried unanimously by a vote of: 5-0. Ayes: Helbing, Ashley, Mancilla, Thayer and Williams. Nays: 0. Mayor Pro Tem Young was absent. 10) RECONVENE TO REGULAR SESSION Page 718 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025 City Council will reconvene into Regular Session/Open Session and may take action on any items resultingfrom Executive Session discussions held under previous agenda item. 11) ADJOURNMENT With no further items on the agenda, and no objections from the Council, Mayor Mancilla adjourned the meeting at 7:45 PM. PASSED AND APPROVED BY THE City Council of the City of Liberty Hill, Texas on the 26th of March 2025, on vote of h ayes, nays, and abstentions. &uy ota ncee CrystalMancilla, Mayort 2 - ue mpa Elaine Simpson, City Secretary ) % * * * Pop A 1 Page8 818 Liberty Hill City Council Regular Called Meeting minutes March 12, 2025