I now launch call the oriented city council to order and I'd call upon our deputy mayor pro Tim Mr. Michael Glespie to open us in prayer and then we'll do the pledge allegiance please stand. Father we pose once again to thank you that you are God all by yourself. Father we thank you for this privilege we have to live in, work in and play in this wonderful community. As we go through the process of making decisions, we pray that those will be guided by your wisdom, the only you can provide. And in turn, you would be involved in the process of implementing the decisions that are made, such that we can live in a community in which we care for one another, we reach out embrace one another and we have harmony in the process. Thank you Father for these you've chosen to lead our city, guide them and protect them. And then thank you for the wonderful people who are citizens of our city. Thank you Father. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. The individual liberty and justice for all. Honor the Texas flag. I pledge allegiance to the Texas one state under God, one in indivisible. The City Council will now go into closed session at 6.32 p.m. on August 20, 2018, and accordance with the following sections of VTCA Government Code Chapter 551.071 consultation with attorney relative to legal discussion on ordering a November 6, 2018 special election for charter amendments. November 6, 2018 Special Election for Charter Amendments. Is now 6.59 p.m. on August 20, 2018 and we are ending the closed meeting. and we are ending the closed meeting. Mr. Buskin, I'd like to turn to you to go over our speaker guidelines in general decor. Thank you, Mayor. We ask that the citizens and other visitors and attendants assist in preserving the order and decorum of this meeting. Any person making personal, profane, slanderous or threatening remarks, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor and the city council or while attending the city council meeting may be removed from the council chambers. For speakers tonight, when your name is called, please come to the microphone at the podium and state your name and address for the record. During public hearings, the applicant will be asked to speak first and will be given five minutes to make their presentation and will be allowed three minutes for any rebuttal. Speakers and supporter opposition of an item will be given three minutes to make their statements. To the extent possible, please refrain from repeating testimony which has already been given. A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time. In consideration of other speakers, please wrap up your comments promptly when you hear the bell. We ask that you address your comments to the Mayor and Council. Okay, we're going to move to item 3-2 and that is ordering a November 6, 2018 special election for the citizen-based term limit charter amendment and I'll turn to Mr. Jim Paragion or Deputy City Manager. Four items that did not receive a first reading at the council meeting last night. So no action is required of item 3.1, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5. 3.4 and 3.5. For item 3.2, that proposal is to provide a charter amendment to provide that no person shall serve as mayor for more than two months. No person shall serve as council member for more than three elected terms. No person shall serve for more than 12 years in combination as a council member and mayor The term that each person as mayor or as council member is currently feeling and all terms serve prior to that current Terms shall be counted for purposes of determining whether three terms have been served Mayor that is a required action that was due to the court Direction recently so required action that was due to the court direction recently. So following the hearing, you can take action on that. Okay. I'll now turn to our city secretary, Mr. Alex Buskin, and ask if there are any speakers on this side. Thank you mayor. We have two speakers in support. When I call your name, please come to the microphone at the podium. The first speaker is Zach Maxwell. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 2449 South Graham Drive. I just want to thank you for allowing this proposition to go onto the ballot alone. That's all we ever really wanted at the end of the day. I thought I would use my time today to talk about my personal belief and why we pursued the term limits that we did. I know it's probably easy to think that I just cobbled these together very quickly, but I did actually put a lot of research into the language that we did ultimately put in front of the voters. There were a few things in those term limits that were specific to legal challenges that I have been to found in other states. And the position of the permanency, which I know is a very big thing. Obviously, we are set in the bar, in my opinion, very high. And the reason for that is because I think we recently saw here in Dallas, there was an issue with a council person who came back after being termed out and that person was hit found to have basically been involved with some fraud. I don't want to get into details but I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about. That was an example of one where I found okay well here's where they're able to come back and I don't necessarily think that that is good and here's why. By the way I don't necessarily think that that is good. And here's why. By the way, I don't believe that my term limits that we have put four or two y'all would work in every city. I wouldn't put permanent term limits in front of DWG or in front of even a city of say 25 or 50,000 because obviously you never want to run out of quality people. But with almost 400,000 people and definitely being on the incline, you know, I do agree that we are definitely on the economic incline here. There's no doubt we have leaders. We have people that are ready to stand up, they're ready to serve. It's not going to be me. I want to be clear. I have no ulterior motives with these term limits. I don't have candidates that I'm trying to run for office. I don't have any ordinances or anything that I'm trying to overturn. I really genuinely saw this as an opportunity to bring people together across a spectrum. I mean, anybody in those me knows I'm a Republican pretty conservative guy. And I saw this as an opportunity. We have so much division in this country right now that we could actually bring people together around this idea and to be able to mobilize just 80 somewhat volunteers across the spectrum. To me was an impressive opportunity. And so obviously the last few weeks have been tough. I do want it for the record to say that I was not familiar with the restaurant incident that was brought up yesterday. And I apologize for that if that came from somebody from our campaign. I did not authorize it. I believe in education. I believe that it's really about getting information to people. Now, whether you agree with the vehicles or the methods that I do, thank you. That I just want to say that I appreciate that the proposition is going to the ballot alone. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to say that I appreciate that the proposition is going to the ballot alone. So thank you. Thank you. Next speaker is Clay Kelly. That's an opposition. Opposition. We have two non-speakers in support. Please raise your hand when I call your name. Alisa Simmons. Roy Milliner. Correction. We have four speakers in opposition. Clay Kelly. I'm going to go ahead and ask you to vote. I'm going to go ahead and ask you to vote. Clay Kelly, 1300, Cantibary Court, Arlington, Texas, 76013. I don't know that I've ever been more proud of this council and this mayor of how you have dealt with the last couple of weeks the attacks. I will say this. As I mentioned in the comments a couple of weeks ago, we have a long history of winning this city that started with Mayor Van Griff. And has continued on. And you have taken that tradition of winning, and you've taken it to a whole new level. All you have to do is look around and look at the redevelopment that's going on in this city. You look at the great things that are going on in this city. You look at the economic development that's going on in this city. I am strongly opposed of any term limits. This is just a terrible deal. It's the worst possible deal. It's been said time and time and time again and you've heard it. But I wanted it to be on the record again tonight. It's just it's amazing to me that we're even having this conversation. So with that, I want to say I'm proud. My wife and I have prayed for each and every one of you. And what you've been through, we thank you for your countless hours of service. And we hope that this proposition will be defeated ultimately at the polls. Thank you very much. Thank you. John Hips. Mayor City Council, John Hips, 4,000, 6, Falcon Lake, Arlington, Texas. I have come before you for three weeks and basically told you that I have been adamantly opposed to term limits. It's not good for our city. It's not good for a democratic process. Taking the will and the rights of individuals and saying that those people should be limited out is not the way that our structure was created. We have that opportunity at the voters, at the polls themselves. This council has already started an economic boom for our city. Two speakers, both opposed and in support, have both come to you tonight and already said they recognize that you're doing a great job in having economic growth come to our city. It's not the time to dampen that. Now's the time for us to be able to rise up and defeat this measure at the polls. Even the people that are in support of terminates. If they read this and see the actual terminology that's used in this realizes that this is not what they actually signed up for, a good majority of those people. And remember, a larger majority of people walked past signing up for that petition and said, I don't want any part of it. That's not what I believe in. So it's your responsibility. Your responsibility as a council now to lead out. We had two speakers last night that said that they're opposed to term limits. Right now I expect for you guys to be the people that stand up and say we're going to lead out in opposition to this. Be there at the polls with you. Be there at the debates with me. Be there in the forefront. Let me remind each one of you that you have been elected by large margins. Only one person on this that sets at that dais just went through a tight race. Everybody else has been elected. Pastor Glassfield, 79% in your last election. Ms. Myers, 100%. Mayor 70%. Katherine, Sherry, Lana, you guys have won by huge margins. Robert, huge margins. You guys know that you have the support in this city by the vast majority. You can lead out and we can defeat this at the polls. I look forward to working with you. Thank you for all your support. Thank you. Voice, Megasin. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. My personal name is voice. My last name is Megasin. I think I'm well known in the city. I raised my family here. And I felt compelled to come here tonight. Because I was a child, I was a child. I was a child. I was a child. I was a child. I think I'm well known in this city. I raised my family here and I felt compelled to come here tonight because after I sit through the I don't know what to call it last night what to call it but after I sit through people coming up to this podium last night and accusing you guys of this that another unfounded untruths and things of that nature. I told my wife I said I am compelled to go to the City Council tonight and tell you guys I have thousands of citizens that I know me and my family. We will be out, not all of their last names or make us simple because some of them are married and their names have changed, but we will be out, unequillantly opposing term limit. You guys have done an awesome job over the years and I think I have told everyone of you, we actually love you guys. We love you for what you're doing. So do not be deterred, but what you heard last night. A lot of people came down here and made speeches and some of those people were just out like wrong. They were wrong and some of the things that they said to you, I remember one person saying, all of your crooks, that offended me. If I could fight back like I know how to fight back, it wouldn't have been that easy for that person just to come up here and tell you the people that I love and the leaders in this city. It would not have been that easy for them to come up here and say that. Because I'll tell you, and I would like for this to be on the record. I have been on the front lines for more than 45 years. I served 30 years here in this city in law enforcement. I served 14 years with the United States Marshall Service. I worked undercover narcotics for three and a half years. Believe me, I know how to protect me and believe me, I know how to protect you. the United States Marshall Service. I worked undercover narcotics for three and a half years. Believe me, I know how to protect me and believe me, I know how to protect you. For somebody to come down here unequivolently, thinking they can say things to you that's not true under the First Amendment of the Constitution, they can't do that. The Constitution does not permit someone to tell an untruth, and there's case laws all the way through the Supreme Court in reference to that. They cannot come up here under the First Amendment and tell you a lie or misrepresent something. That's just wrong and you don't have to take it. So anyway, I want to tell you that I will be out here opposing term limit. No one on this council knows that, but I will. My family and I will be opposing term limit and believe me, we do know thousands of citizens that we will be contacting. Thank you. Thank you. Michael Jacobson. Michael Jacobson. Michael Jacobson 703 Finley Drive 76012, Arlington, Texas. I'm pleased to be up here just to share something that I know everybody here believes in those. Arlington is a great city. And as the mayor says regularly, it is a great day in Arlington. Our economy is booming for the third year and our tax rates are going lower. The level of leadership that we have is outstanding and we appreciate it. And last night's conversation, it wasn't lost on me as they came up time after time to podium and said you're making a decision tonight that could impact your political future, right? We heard that several times. Well, here's the thing. You were elected to represent the citizens of Arlington, either in your district or at large. It's a representative form of government. Every week you sit up here and you make decisions. And those decisions could impact your political future. It's called leadership. You're here to make decisions that you think position Arlington to be successful. And by any measure, you've done an amazing job. And we appreciate that. This economic momentum that we have, we need to continue. The economies are strange things. You never know when you're going to be on a national or international up swing and when you're going to be on a national or international downswing. We have an opportunity to continue to make significant, positive change in Arlington. What's happened here in the last three years, I think, is unprecedented. That level of growth that we have and the jobs they're created and the revitalization of downtown, it's from small businesses to a tipsy oak restaurant to urban, you know, urban union to legal draft to new housing in downtown to GM to the GM logistics plants to Viridian and the two and a half billion dollars as being invested there to Arlington commons and that development everything that's going on in South Arlington to GM financial expansions to close to 4,000 people to summit racing. I can go on and on and on. All this is happening because we have sound leadership. You guys have done a great job. You've all been elected to be here. Now unfortunately in democracies, there are winners and there are losers. And it's hard when you lose. Unfortunately, we have some that now have decided we need to change the rules because democracy has not worked for them. So they're trying to change the rules and that's what's happening. Last night it was very clear, it's not about term limits. It's about termination it's about attacking the people on this body and what I'm here to say is we're going to be here to fight for what's right for Arlington and I look forward to continuing down this path with you thank you thank you we have ten non- speakers in opposition. Please raise your hand when I call your name. Martha Dent, Larry Johnson, Carolyn McNabb, Gina Woodley, Tim Woodley, Gary Hennessy, Rod McDonald, Terry Woodson, David Sargent, and Roy Milliner. Okay, so that's all the speakers and all the cards filled out. Yes, sir. All right. With that, I'll ask for any comments from council members. Council member Shepard. Council members. Council members shepard and mayor I'm prepared to make a motion to send us the public hearing. Well then before we do that one is we are moving forward and we have been listening to our citizens including the 2% that signed this petition. But we also are listening to the other 370,000 people here in our community. We also are charged as council members and mayor to protect and defend this city. And this is a direct attempt to shut down our community. To shut us down from the opportunity for us to move ahead, for us to create the jobs that we need to create the tourism, which is what Mayor Van der Griff started some 50 years ago plus in which we are able to create jobs and tourism and to be able to provide to take care of our citizens with police and fire and streets. We are setting records in the amount of streets that we've had repaired. We are setting records in being able to take care of our utilities and move forward in our city because of the money that we make from that. And in the midst of that, we have the lowest property taxes of any city around us, lower than Grand Prairie, Mansfield, or Fort Worth. It's a winning formula. And right now, it is on steroids. And it's because people are pulling together to make a difference. Well, we are being threatened right now by this proposal that's there. And we need to make sure that we rise up. And we need to pull together to protect our city, to take care of not only our generation, but our kids and our grandkids. And that's what Arlington is all about. We're the can-do city. We're not the shut down city. We have an opportunity here to continue on with some tremendous momentum and as we saw too we have been stated that we are the number one best run city in Texas. Things are happening that are record setting. And of course, I am so proud of this council for standing up in front of intimidation, insults, libel. It is hard. It is really hard. But when you look out in our city, we have so many great people that are willing to make a difference. And we had great people that worked on that petition. And I'm looking forward to trying to work together to unite everyone here so that we can move forward together and continue this great momentum so that we can take care of our kids and grandkids as we move forward. I want to thank each and every one of you for the time that you've taken here and the concern that you have for our city. And then I'm calling upon our citizens who do care about our city to come and see me. Let's talk. Let's try to work out the issues, but let's don't destroy the opportunities that we're having right now and stop the momentum that we have in moving our city ahead. I just want to reiterate again, I'm very proud to be up here with the people that are here and we don't have corruption. That has not been taking place here in our community. With that, I'd like to call upon Council Member Waman. Thank you, Mayor. I just heard Mr. Hibb's state that we had some that had declared where they stood on this issue. And right now I would like to publicly acknowledge that I stand against this issue, against term limits. And I will be there and I want it on the record. And for all of the reasons, Mayor, that you just spoke about, because we do have a great city and we plan to continue to build an even greater city. Thank you. Councilmember K. Partt. Thank you, Mayor. And kind of following along with what Councilmember Wouman has said, Mayor, if I may take a moment of personal privilege for all of the Councilmembers who are going to be at the polls helping John. I raised my hand. Any other council member going to be at the polls and working? I think you have your answer. Thank you. I have now like to turn to the city attorney so that she can outline what we have to do right now. Good evening Mr. Mayor and Council. As you'll recall from some of our previous discussions, whenever a citizen petition is presented and verified by the city secretary, it then becomes a ministerial duty on behalf of the city council to pass the ordinance and accordance with their rules. You have two readings on the ordinance. You had the first one on August 7th, and tonight will be your second reading. It is a ministerial and not a discretionary duty to pass the ordinance. What does that mean? Means you do not have an independent choice. We have to do this. You have to do it. Okay. I wanted that for the record that we have to move forward and do this. Okay. With that, Mr. Shepherd, you were wanting to make a motion. Yes, Mayor, we close public hearing. Yes, we'll close. It's not a public hearing. It's just public comments, so it's not an official public hearing. Okay, I do want to point out because we've had so many iterations of potential propositions on the ballot. I think this one was entitled Proposition F at one point. And we may or may not have a proposition E. So for that reason, I'd like to make a motion to approve ordinance 3.2 with an amendment to say that the proposition will be presented to the voters as proposition F or such other sequential letter as appropriate. We don't have to come back and do anything else. That's my motion. Okay, we have a motion. Do we have a second? Okay, we have a second from Councilmember K Part. And then I want to be sure and clear that it is our duty that we have to vote for this. Okay, please cast your votes. Surprise, surprise. It passed. Okay. Surprise, surprise. It passed. Okay, from here, because there's no other business here. Miss Aless, there's no other business that we have. That is correct. Okay, with that, this meeting stands adjourned and I'm looking forward to having some great days in Arlington.