I'm just glad now that the interest in how it really got started is coming about. Time passed so fast. I couldn't even borrow them less than others going before the school district to get it as a school holiday. Young lady named Beverly Lockhog and she asked me if I knew that they were taking Martin Luther King holiday off the school calendar. Their ways to make things move and if you think about the bus boycott that they had in Alabama, the reason it was so successful is because all those I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. Test test. Just. I'm going to do one more. the I'm going to go to the some money. I'm sorry. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'll get a second. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm going to go to the next floor. I'm sorry. We, with our heads of check, say, as you do this, we're not getting hard on any time I do social act, so we're not getting that sort of thing. Anything you can do, we're not getting that sort of thing. We're not getting access to our community. Nothing is worth it, we've been considering. We're not getting access to that, but we're not getting access to that. We're not getting access to that, I'm going to go to the next slide. Thank you. you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you you I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. I'm going to have to go. Thank you. you you you you you I'm going to do a the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm sorry. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the City Council meeting. Today is September the 10th, 2024. I'm going to invite Pastor Kate McGee from the Westminster Presbyterian Church to please join us at the podium and lead us in an invocation. Please rise. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Let us pray. God of all life, you call us to live in community and teach us to care for one another after the pattern of Jesus Christ. We pray tonight for our city council, whose position and authority affect the lives of others. Inspire them with a vision of community as it might be, where love of neighbor and concern for one another drive out discontent and strife, anxiety, and fear. May their decisions be made with integrity and compassion, reflecting your abounding love for all people. May the budget reflect the moral priorities of our city to keep it safe and flourishing. Help us to all work together with one heart and will, with sympathy and understanding, to serve the common good, to tend to people in trouble and despair, and to multiply true happiness among us, that this can be the American Dream City for each and every person. We pray all this in the name of Jesus, Amen. Amen. Please join us in the pleasure of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and with the little liberty and the justice for all. Honourable the Texas flag, I pledge allegiance to the Texas one state under God, one in indivisible. Thank you, you may be seated. Miss Garcia, speaker guidelines in general decorum, please. Thank you, Mayor. The City of Auditon fully embraces the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Where people, of all identities and experiences are understood, appreciated, and fully included in the community, and were equitable treatment and outcomes prevail. We asked the citizens and other visitors in attendance, the system preserving the order and decorum of the meeting, and to provide for attendance, add in participation in the meeting without fear of intimidation, threats or hostility. Any person making personal profane, hostels, landwrest or threatening remarks, who uses vulgar or obscene language who engages in and other actions that disturb or are calculated to disturb the meeting, or who becomes disruptive while addressing the mayor and the city council or while attending the city council meeting, maybe removed from the council chambers. All speakers shall address the city council and not the audience or city staff. On show not call out individually named members of city staff or the public. For speakers tonight, when your name is called, please come to the microphone at the podium and state your name and city of residence for the record. Speakers may not use music, videos, other forms of media, signs, or props. Speakers will be given three minutes to speak. If multiple speakers plan to provide the same or similar comments, those speakers may or they so desire designate one or more individuals to provide public comment on behalf of the group. A bell will signal the end of each speaker's time. In consideration of other speakers, please conclude your comments promptly. When you hear the bill, we ask that you address your comments to the Mayor and Council. Thank you, Ms. Garcia. Do we have any appointments to the Board's or commissions? Mayor, we have two appointments to Board's and commissions to the 2025 Citizens Bond Committee. We have for consideration, termination of the appointment of current members, Brian Kelsey and Daniel Graal. And the appointments of Cheryl Knight and Gabriel Rivers. Thank you. I have a motion from Council Member Gonzalez and a second from Council Member FAM. Please cast your votes. Mr. Hogg? Yes. Thank you. And the motion passes. We're going to move on down to our public hearing. 5.1 aerial brigs. Good evening, Mayor and Council, Ariel Briggs, Acting Director of Convention of Met Services. Today I bring forward for your consideration a resolution amending the boundaries of the Arlington tourism public improvement district to include resolutions Arlington. Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Garcia, do we have any speakers on this item? We do not have any speaker cards, Mayor, for this item. Thank you. I'm going to close the public hearing. I have a motion from Council Member Boxel, a second from Council Member Galante. Please cast your votes. Mr. Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. Thank you, Miss Breaks. Next one is 5.2. Go ahead. This one is an ordinance accepting and approving an updated service and assessment plan and accepting and adopting the fiscal year 2025 assessment role for the Arlington tourism public improvement district of the city of Arlington. Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Garcia, any speakers on this item? We have no speaker cards for this item, Mayor. Thank you. I'll close the public hearing. I have a motion from Council Member Odom Wesley. A second from Council Member Fam. Please cast your votes. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. Moving on down to 5.3, Aaron Clark. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Aaron Clark, Public Funds Administrator in the Finance Department. Before he denied as an item for the statutory required annual renewal of the Lamar Mayor and Council, Aaron Clark, Public Funds Administrator and the Finance Department. Before he denied, as an item for the statutorily required annual renewal of the Lamar Boulevard Public Improvement District, this is the second year of the 10 year PID. On August 25th, 2024, I notice a public hearing regarding the annual renewal that the PID was published in the Fort Worth Start Telegram and letters were sent to the property owners The estimated average annual cost of improvements and services provided by the PID is about $73,000 I'm happy to answer any questions. Thank you, ma'am. Miss Garcia. Do we have any speakers on this item? We do mayor. We have one speaker in opposition and one Speaker that's unsure. The first speaker is Karina Kacel. Mr. Kacel. Good evening Mr. Mayor and Council Karina Kacel for 22 East Lamar. I guess I was just a little bit concerned. I was looking at the agenda and this popped up and I just had questions about it. One of the questions I have is the name of the median says Arlington Commons. I'm wondering is that for change, name change since everyone is pitching in on the maintenance of this pit now? Or is it going to remain the Arlington Commons? And then the other concern is there's still a few homeless people that are there. I didn't know that's being overseen better or if the police is taking a better position on that. I don't, those were my questions. Thank you, ma'am. We'll see if we can get those answered for you. Thank you. Next speaker, Ms. Garcia. Jeff Kassel. Good evening, Mayor and Council. The question I was going to ask is it a 10-year pid? Is it this is a second year of a 10-year pid? It's clear. You want to come up and see if you can respond to some of these questions. It's a 10-year pid so at the end of 10 years this is over and we revote on whether it goes forward again It would come back to council for renewal if that is the will of Council okay, and the only question I was really trying to get clarification on was Is there a ceiling for the amount for per owner and The reason why I asked that is because in the staff notes I read, there's, you know, artwork and other things that could be put into this. And the original mindset behind it was just to a moe clean fix what's there, put mulch back in the thing where, you know, flowers that are dead, all that stuff get repaired. That's what I thought the original emphasis was, but the way it's read in the staff notes, it's more than that. It can include that, but I think the median maintenance is the main concern right now. I think that's where the focus will be. And that's what the amount of what whoever's in that pit will be paying for. Correct. the amount of what whoever's in that pit will be paying for. Correct. Okay, I'm just trying to make sure that if we do get, you know, hyperluper whatever happened on I-30, this could affect the folks on 30, tremendously different. And I want to know if there's a ceiling. A ceiling as far as the rate is concerned, the rate will stay flat, the rate will stay the same, the full 10 years. The thing that can change are the values of the properties and that's what we base. So that's a factor as well. The rate will stay at 1.8 cents per 100. Right. That was really my only question. So I just want to make sure it was a 10 year deal. And, you know, Lord be willing, we willing we get a hyperloop or whatever come through. It would be great. That's one of my questions. Thank you. Thank you, miss Clark. Any other speakers? Miss Garcia? We have just one non-speaker in support. Those are all the speaker cards, Mayor, for this item. Thank you, ma'am. I'm going to close the public hearing. I have a motion from Council Member Gonzalez, a second from Council Member Galante. Please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. The motion passes. Move on down to 5.4, Mr. Gus Garcia. Good evening, Mayor, Council. Gus Garcia, economic development director. Before you deny it is an item for the statutory required annual renewal for the downtown Arlington Business Improvement District, DeBid. This is the final year of the 10 year of DeBid. On August 25th, 2024, I notice the public hearing regarding the annual renewal of the DeBid was published in the Fort Worth Start Telegram and letters were sent to DBID property owners. The estimated average annual cost improvements and services provided by the DBID is $621,243 as identified in your packet. Here to answer any questions. Thank you, sir. Ms. Garcia, do we have any speakers on this item? We do not have any speaker cards except for the non-speaker in support. Those are all. Thank you, ma'am. I'm going to close the public hearing. I have a motion from Council Member Boxel. A second from Council Member Odom. Wesley, please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. We'll move down to 5.5, Miss April Nixon. April Nixon, Chief Financial Officer. We have three items in a row here that involve public hearings. So following the public hearing for 5.5, you will be asked to consider on first reading and ordinance adopting the operating budget for the city of Arlington for fiscal year 2025. Beginning October 1, 2024, and ending September 30th, 2025, and accordance with chapter 102 of the Texas local government code and becoming effective from and after its passage. The second and final reading is scheduled for September 17th, 2024. The city manager's proposed fiscal year 2025 operating budget was presented to council on August 6th, 2024. The accompanying ordinance includes no revisions to the operating budget for 2025 as proposed by the city manager to the council on that day. Thank you, Ms. Nixon. Ms. Garcia, do we have any speakers on this item? We have one speaker in opposition, Larry McFarland. Mr. McFarland. Thank you very much for letting me address you guys tonight about the budget next year's budget because last time I tried this I got cut off by the city council I guess police. So I feel like it's a real victory just to be here. Now on the budget let me say thank you for assigning the city manager to handle the field discussions, the town halls, what do you recall it because every single time even though we may not agree, he's always been cordial, accessible, calm and insightful. So thank you for assigning him to do that. Let me talk briefly about the budget. I'm here today to volunteer to help. I'm throwing a hand up. I'd like to help with next year's budget, the 26th budget, so that, I mean, just like I have for the last decade or so, I want to volunteer to help. So for the budget now under consideration, let me talk about that. I urge you to demand a FY25 budget that flex the cost of inflation and not an overpriced example of what we have right now. I mean, in the email I sent you, there's a note to the federal government that gives you just some definition of what the inflation is. So that should give you a pretty good benchmark as to what our budget should be. Now a budget that's three times the inflation factor, well General Patton might just say nuts. It's crazy to think that's a reasonable choice. I'm certain each of you spend a lot of time looking at the budget, looking at 25, looking at 24, looking at 23. I mean, I spent about 20 hours on it, and I'm sure you guys did the same. Because anything less would be sure to your responsibility as an elected official. Now, the inability of the city to manage expenses down to this inflation level, given its massive purchasing power, a stagnant population, ever increasing property values, as we all know. And well, a bazillion dollars worth of entertainment stuff, I just can't understand why they can't handle that. At some point, the fiscal irresponsibility has to end. Now, urging all to read that email, if you all received it on Tuesday the 3rd, at 7.58 pm. I got no bounces, so it's all in your inbox. Now, I tried to limit it down to about 6,000 words. So if you have any questions on any of that, throw your hand up. I'm willing to help. Say, hey, Larry, I need some help with this. I'm willing to help you anytime. You've got my number at the bottom of my email and my address so you can come seeming anytime. Don't be scared to make any of those pragmatic and reasonable changes I recommended because rather than sacrifice your own political career just blame it on me. It's those pesky voters they get in the way of everything. So if you have a problem tell me it's that Larry guy that's why we cut the budget. Because as we know, the problem is not the city. It's the voters. Thank you, sir. My pleasure. Any other speakers, Ms. Garcia? I have no other speaker cards on this item. Thank you. I'm going to close the public hearing, call for a motion and a second, please. I have a motion from Council Member Galante, a second from Council Member Odom, Wesley, please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. We're gonna move down to 5.6, Ms. Nixon. Mayor and Council, following this public hearing, you'll be asked to consider on first reading and ordinance levying the ad valorem taxes for the City of Arlington for the fiscal year of 2025. Beginning October 1st, 2024 and ending September 30th, 2025. And accordance with the Texas Local Government Code Chapter 102, and the Texas Tax Code Chapter 26, becoming effective from and after its passage. The Adelaun Tax Rate requires, required to support the FY 2025 budget that you just approved, is .598 cents per $100 evaluation. State law requires that the rate be adopted in two parts, one for debt and one for operations. The rate necessary for the interest in seeking funds is .1852 cents, and the rate for the general fund is .4146 cents. Texas Tax Code Section 2608 requires at least 60 percent of the city's governing body to vote in favor of an ordinance setting a property tax rate that exceeds the no new revenue tax rate. The second and final reading of the ordinance, leavening the avalorum for 2025 is scheduled for September 17th, 2024. Thank you, Ms. Nixon. Ms. Garcia, do we have any speakers on this item? I have no speaker cards on this item, Mayor. Thank you, ma'am. The Arlington City Council will vote on the proposed tax rate tonight upon closing this public hearing. And at the September 17th, 2024 City Council meeting, the September 17th, 2024 meeting will begin at 6.30 p.m. and will'll be held in the Arlington City Council chambers located in the Arlington Municipal Court 101 West Aperum Street, Arlington, Texas, 76010. I'm going to close the public hearing call for a motion and a second. Council member Odom Wesley, do you have a motion on this? I do, Mayor. I move that the property tax rate be increased by the adoption of a tax rate of 59 and 9800 of a cent. Per $100 evaluation, which is effectively a 4.2% increase in the tax rate. Thank you. I have a motion. Can I have a second, please? I have a second from Council Member Boxel. Please cast your votes. Council Member Hogg? Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. We'll move down to 6.1, Ms. Nixon. Sorry, that's a lot. Mayor and Council following this public hearing, you are being asked to consider on first reading and ordinance ratifying the property tax increase reflected in the operating budget for the city of Arlington for fiscal year 2025. Beginning October 1st, 2024 and ending September 30th, 2025 in accordance with Texas local government code Chapter 102. Texas Local Government Code requires a separate vote of the governing body to ratify the property tax increase reflected in the budget, when the governing body adopts a budget that will require raising more revenue from property taxes than in the previous year. The current rate being considered by the council will raise more revenue from property taxes than in the previous year. Thank you, Ms. Dixon. Ms. Garcia, any speakers on this side, please? I have no speaker cards, Mayor. Thank you. Can I have a motion in a second? I have a motion from Council Member Odom Westley. A second from Council Member Fam. Please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. from council member fam please cast your vote. Council member hog. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes 6.2 Mr. Alex Whiteway. Good evening mayor and council Alex Whiteway, Director of Water Utilities. 6.2 is the Water and Waste Water Rate Adjustment. First reading of an ordinance amending the Water and Sewer Chapter Code of the City of Arlington, Texas, through the amendment of Article 3, charges for water and sewer services section 3.02, water and sewer rates, subsection A1 relative to water rates, subsection 3.02, Water and Suer Rate Subsection A1 relative to Water Rates. Subsection 3.02, relative to Suer Rates and Subsection 3.02, relative to Fire Protection System fees. Providing this ordinance be cumulative, providing for severability, governmental immunity, injunctions, publication, and become an effective October 1st, 2024. Thank you, sir. Ms. Garcia, any speakers on 6.2? I have no speaker, cards, Mayor. Thank you. Can I have a motion and a second? I have a motion from Council Member Gonzales, a second from Council Member Odom Westley. Please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg? Yes. Thank you, sir. One second, Mayor. Norricornado. Good evening, Mayor and Councilor Norricornado, Director of Asset Management, 7.1 is a real solution for your consideration for first amendment to the residential and commercial trash and recycling collection contract with the public waste services of Texas. This resolution manifests provides the city the option for additional supplemental trash collection routes during the fall season. It's something that we piloted last year. So this amendment and effect just provides that option moving forward. Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Garcia, do we have any speakers on this item? I have no speaker cards on this item, Mayor. Thank you. I have a motion from Council Member Galante, a second from Council Member Boxel. Please cast your vote. Council Member Hogg. Yes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. Thank you, sir. And the motion passes. Thank you, Ms. Coronado. Ms. Garcia, a citizen participation, please. Citizen participation gives the public an opportunity to make comments or address concerns regarding matters related to city business or affairs that are in the scope of the authority of the City Council, in which are not posted on the Union agenda. However, please understand that the Mayor and Council are not permitted by law to respond to discuss or address the comment at this time, as these items are not included on the posted council agenda for this evening. The Mayor and Council may only ask clarifying questions and or direct staff to take appropriate action. Speakers who have pre-registered will be given two minutes to make their comments, except that if 26 or more speakers have pre-registered, each speaker will be given one minute to make their comments. Thank you for speaker, Ms. Garcia. I have Chris Savias. the Christ of us president of the Archimus Ultroman Association. Our members are all aware of the recent conversations over citation revenue decrease. It seems the decrease in revenue is being blamed solely on the police department. The city manager has yet to provide and nor has this council requested the total number of citations that have been dismissed by the court the total number of citations that have received reduced fines Deferred adjudication or how many citations went to warrant and the violator chose to set them out in jail rather than pay the fine All these are factors that play a large part in the Decreasing citation revenue We should also caution the council that all these public discussions about decreased revenue could cause unintended consequences, namely, citizens setting their citations for jury trial, hiring an attorney and making the argument, although they made a traffic violation that the city's public comments, recordings, news articles, regarding citation revenue may provide enough reasonable doubt in just one jurors' mind as to why the citation was issued. All these discussion had also included traffic issues as well as crash and fatality concerns. We are providing you with the Orange and Police Department budget proposal detail sheet which requested that our outdated 2011 crash data retrieval equipment be updated however it was denied. The fact that the department is using a CDR that is 13 years old and has not been updated could call into question the validity of the current crash data. It's been said that this is all about safety, but we find it interesting that all the decisions, all the discussions on citation revenue come on the heels of our city manager, our city attorney, our city auditor, and the presiding court judge receiving a pay raise this past May that was retroactive to October of 2023. Lastly, to have a city manager during a recorded public meeting, voice his negative opinion about the traffic unit is insulting to the men and women who risk their lives every day and making these stops to protect the city. And it's totally inappropriate and by no means a way to motivate anyone. Thank you. Next speaker, Ms. Garcia. Vickram Pandy. Vickram Pandy. Mr. Pandy. Next speaker, Ms. Garcia. Larry McFarland. Mr. McFarlane. Mr. McFarlane. Thank you, Mayor and Council. Let me just summarize real quickly. All of the agenda items that I heard tonight were about increases and increases that were all above the inflation factor that we have right now. Plus, it's above what the Fed is going to show us in about what a few months is going to be at 2%. 4% increase, a 5%, a 7.5% increase on any of these expenditure items is significantly above the inflation factors. Now, I'm not sure who picked the top number. I mean, typically in budgets, somebody not sure who picked the top number. I mean, typically in budgets, somebody used to pick what the top number is. And then everything filters down from there. So that top number is dispersed to all the departments and then they have fight over how much they're gonna do for each piece of it. But at some point, we're gonna have to say, the city budget is gonna have to match inflation. Anything else is just nuts. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Next speaker. Mary Owen. It's Owen. Thank you for hearing us. I was wanting to ask you, doesn't everyone have to be somewhere? We have a terrible problem with homeless people here and no one even seems to acknowledge especially the police department. They're so hateful in the homeless. I mean believe me, I hear so many stories, breaks my heart. And then I'm wanting to ask if y'all could push up like a homeless camp so that people could have a place to be because not everybody wants to be homeless, but sometimes people don't have enough money to do that, you know, even if they both get their check, you know, it's hard because they're trying to rent a place if you never tried to do that. It's just insanity because you have to have person, last month's rent and deposit and everything. And then you gotta have a squeaky clean resume and record and everything and part including ID. And some of y'all don't realize how hard that is to get. A-ha, identification. Now one thing I can say, y'all have helped on a lot of that identification because it was really bad. and without identification, people can't get a job. They can't even pick up their prescriptions. A lot of things. Can't get real police. So I asked that maybe they'd be a little more like a civil place that the homeless people can be. I'll run it for you if you want. Because I think I am already people keep and that will help keep officers from wanting to have to run around chasing the homeless of where residents is placed. That's another thing why you need a homeless camp somewhere where it could be right and clean. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you Next speaker please. Benefa strength miss strengths I've seen PTSD and unsurpassed Antipotentic classes undist, and a massive viral multiple violent crimes, including the not-lens you've been track-edged in this town by my mother and an APD officer looking to make a name for himself. My story's online, Vanessa String, sex trafficking survivor, hashtag correct and hashtag, aren't in sight of it. They're trying to kill me out there. They're derelict to do the abuse of power, they're hands on me. Me having were a big prince in my chest. In the name of no health wants that are not you too. When I'm waiting on an ambulance, when they held me down, I can't breathe. And I relive, he says, my mother, please, somebody, please, I am not a problem. I'm a child of God. God, how does it love me? And I'm on, I'm sorry. Please, somebody, you're done. Not me. Oh, you said you're will be done. Thank you. Thank you, ma'am. Next speaker, please. Larry Woods. Mr. Woods. Larry Woods. Okay. Ms. Garcia, you have any announcements? Yes, Mayor. I'd like to remind our residents, Arlington City Council evening meetings are rebroadcast on Sundays at 6 p.m. and on Wednesday and Saturday mornings at 6.30 a.m. The Council's afternoon work sessions are rebroadcast on Sundays at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at 1.30 p.m. and on Saturdays at 6.00 p.m. You can also watch the meetings online anytime at www.arlingtontx.gov. Thank you, ma'am. Council, do y'all have any announcements? Seeing none, this meeting's adjourned. you We wanted to bring their love, food and beverage from around the world to the community. We all have different backgrounds and we all have different strengths and disciplines and we all got together and created this whole thing. So my chef de cuisine is of the Dominican Republic. Greg who is in charge of all the bar programs from Jamaica. We have somebody from Barbados that helps us with this one. A lot of people from Venezuela. Cafe Medicana has influences from countries around the world with Spanish traditions with a unique, exotic, exotic, exotic, exotic, exotic world.