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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes City Council - 02/21/2023I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Corpus Christi City Council of February 21, 2023 which were approved by the City Council on February 28, 2023. WITNESSETH MY HAND AND SEAL, on this the 28th day of February 2023. (SEAL) Rebecca Huerta City Secretary Corpus Christi, Texas City of Corpus Christi Rebecca Huerta, City Secretary P.O. Box 9277 Corpus Christi, Texas 78469-9277 (361) 826-3105 rebeccah@cctexas.com SCANNED Cityof CorpusChristi 1201 Leopard Street Corpus Christi,TX 78401 ‘4.41 \'1 cctexas.com Meeting Minutes City Council Tuesday,February 21,2023 11:30 AM Council Chambers Addendums may be added on Friday. A. Mayor Paulette Guajardo to call the meeting to order. Mayor Guajardo called the meeting to order at 11:34 a.m. B. Invocation to be given by Rabbi, Naftoli Schmulker, Chabad Coastal Bend. Rabbi Naftoli Schmulker, Chabad Coastal Bend, gave the invocation. C. Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States and to the Texas Flag to be led by Gianna Palacios, Senior at Richard King High School. Gianna Palacios, Senior at Richard King High School, led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Texas Flag. D. City Secretary Rebecca L. Huerta to call the roll of the required Charter Officers. City Secretary Rebecca Huerta called the roll and verified that a quorum of the City Council and the required Charter Officers were present to conduct the meeting. Charter Officers: City Manager Peter Zanoni, City Attorney Miles Risley and City Secretary Rebecca Huerta Present: 9- Mayor Paulette Guajardo,Council Member Roland Barrera,Council Member Gil Hernandez,Council Member Michael Hunter,Council Member Mike Pusley,Council Member Dan Suckley,Council Member Everett Roy,Council Member Jim Klein, and Council Member Sylvia Campos E. CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS/ UPDATE ON CITY OPERATIONS: 1. 23-0389 Owner's Removal of Barge at Packery Channel Update- Neiman Young, Ph.D.,Assistant City Manager Assistant City Manager Neiman Young presented information on the Barge Removal at Packery Channel. City Manager Peter Zanoni stated that this project is on schedule and within budget. 2. 23-0390 Effluent Water Commercial Reuse Program Update- Michael Murphy, COO of Corpus Christi Water City of Corpus Christi Page 1 Printed on 3/2/2023 City Council Meeting Minutes February 21,2023 Chief Operations Officer Michael Murphy presented information on the following topics: Oso Wastewater Treatment Facility; and communication plan. Council Members, City Manager Peter Zanoni, Chief Operations Officer Murphy, and Director of Water System Infrastructure Wesley Nebgen discussed the following topics: the program start date is March 1st; a Council Member's request for a 90 day status update; a Council Member's concern about the Pharaoh Valley subdivision traffic on Nile Drive; the goal of the program is to minimize the amount of freshwater used; the effluent water will be chlorinated, although not required by TCEQ; industrial and commercial users can use this effluent water; and industry is willing to invest their own money to build infrastructure to use this water. 3. 23-0391 Bayside Area Development Plan Public Input Meeting on February 23, 2023 City Manager Zanoni announced that the Bayside Area Development Plan Community Open House will be held on Thursday, February 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Hamlin Middle School Cafeteria. The Sherrill Park Master Plan will be held at the Art Center on Thursday, February 23 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. A special meeting with Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will be held on Wednesday, March 1. The Master Plan will be brought to Council on March 7. The TCEQ public meeting regarding the renewal of wastewater discharge permits for CC Polymers will be held at the Holiday Inn Airport on Thursday, February 23 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. F. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Guajardo opened public comment. Eli McKay, 1008 Marguerite St., spoke about prioritizing a low barrier shelter for homeless persons. Maggie Peacock, 7037 Islander Way, spoke in favor of creating a city environment and sustainability program and committee. Armon Alex, 1610 La Joya St., spoke about the La Quinta oil spill. Theresa Mader, 333 Katherine Dr., spoke in favor of Item 11, the rezoning request for Bien Write Cafe, Bakery, and Restaurant. Garrett Dorsey, 2037 Sunnycrest, spoke about Development Services working well with the Builders Association and open communication is important. John Weber, 609 Naples St., spoke regarding health and safety concerns with natural y*s. City of Corpus Christi Page 2 Printed on 3/2/2023 City Council Meeting Minutes February 21,2023 Julie Rogers, 710 Furman Ave., spoke in favor of tourism and diversifying the economy. The following citizen submitted written public comments which are attached to the minutes: John Weber, 609 Naples St. G. BOARD &COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS: 4. 23-0322 Planning Commission /Airport Zoning Commission (2 vacancies) Mayor Guajardo referred to Item 4. Planning Commission /Airport Zoning Commission: Appointed: Billy Lerma and Justin Hedrick H. EXPLANATION OF COUNCIL ACTION: CONSENT AGENDA: (ITEMS 5 - 10) Approval of the Consent Agenda Mayor Guajardo referred to the Consent Agenda. Council Members pulled Items 8 and 9 for individual consideration. A motion was made by Council Member Barrera, seconded by Council Member Campos to approve the Consent Agenda with the exception of Items 8 and 9. The motion carried by the following vote: Aye: 9- Mayor Guajardo, Council Member Barrera, Council Member Hernandez, Council Member Hunter, Council Member Pusley, Council Member Suckley, Council Member Roy, Council Member Klein and Council Member Campos Abstained: 0 5. 23-0323 Approval of the February 14, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes. The Minutes were approved on the consent agenda. Consent-Second Reading Ordinances 6. 23-0086 Ordinance appropriating $937,072.64 from an increase in the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit-COVID (IDCU-COVID) Grant Program administered by the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for the period September 1, 2022, through July 31, 2024, for activities to provide COVID-19 epidemiologic and surveillance response activities and laboratory response network activities. This Ordinance was passed on second reading on the consent agenda. City of Corpus Christi Page 3 Printed on 3/2/2023 City Council Meeting Minutes February 21,2023 Enactment No: 032989 Consent-Contracts and Procurement 7. 22-1968 Motion authorizing a one-year service agreement with Leeds Precision Instruments, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minnesota, through Texas SmartBuy Cooperative, for the purchase of a firearms comparison microscope and training for the Corpus Christi Police Department for$77,429.70, with FY 2023 funding from the General Fund. This Motion was passed on the consent agenda. Enactment No: M2023-025 Consent-Capital Projects 8. 23-0164 Motion authorizing Amendment No. 2 for a professional services contract with Hanson Professional Services Inc. to provide additional design for water and wastewater improvements for design, bid, and construction phase services for the Residential Street Rebuild Program in an amount of$906,376.50 for a total amount not to exceed $6,158,879.89, located Citywide, with Fiscal Year 2023 funding available from the Water, and Wastewater Funds. Mayor Guajardo referred to Items 8 and 9. Council Members, City Manager Peter Zanoni, Director of Engineering Services Jeff Edmonds, Director of Public Works Ernesto De La Garza, and Assistant City Manager Neiman Young discussed the following topics: regarding Item 8, the amendment will ensure that utility work and street improvements are designed under one engineering firm, making the process more efficient; regarding Item 9, the change order will add the city is working on migrating the in-house program and the Infrastructure Management Plan's (IMP) work to pavement type work; staff is in the process of updating the IMP and should be prepared to present the updated plan in April; residential street repair should be the city's number one priority; a Council Member's request to provide the status of a residential street project to the city's website; a request for a list of hot mix versus cold mix streets; Haas-Anderson has the capacity to the 11 residential streets to their workload; the 11 streets are the last remaining projects from the FY 2021 program; the bond programs are listed on the city's IMP website; and a Council Member's request for more information on fund allocations for all street improvement programs. Council Member Hernandez made a motion to approve the motion, seconded by Council Member Barrera. This Motion was passed and approved with the following vote: Aye: 9- Mayor Guajardo, Council Member Barrera, Council Member Hernandez, Council Member Hunter, Council Member Pusley, Council Member Suckley, Council Member Roy, Council Member Klein and Council Member Campos City of Corpus Christi Page 4 Printed on 3/2/2023 City Council Meeting Minutes February 21,2023 • istained: 0 Enactment No: M2023-026 9. 23-0197 Motion authorizing the approval of Change Order No. 1 with Haas-Anderson Construction, LLC., Texas, for Infrastructure Management Program projects in an amount of$2,510,043.95 for a total amount of$12,550,219.75, located city-wide with funding available through the Street Preventative Maintenance Program (SPMP), Street, Storm Water, Water, Wastewater and Gas Funds. See Item 8. Aye: 9- Mayor Guajardo, Council Member Barrera, Council Member Hernandez, Council Member Hunter, Council Member Pusley, Council Member Suckley, Council Member Roy, Council Member Klein and Council Member Campos Abstained: 0 Enactment No: M2023-027 General Consent Items 10. 23-0327 Motion authorizing the Fourth Amended and Restated Management Services Agreement between the Corpus Christi Area Convention and Visitors' Bureau ("VCC") and the City of Corpus Christi, which includes amendments to the VCC bylaws. This Motion was passed on the consent agenda. Enactment No: M2023-028 J. RECESS FOR LUNCH: (NONE) K. PUBLIC HEARINGS: (ITEM 11) 11. 23-0241 Case No. 0123-01 Bella Holdings, LLC: (District 2): Ordinance rezoning property at or near 3104 South Alameda Street, located along the east side of South Alameda Street, north of Glazebrook Street and south of Mc Call Street, from the "ON" Neighborhood Office District to the "CN-1" Neighborhood Commercial District. (Planning Commission and Staff recommend approval of the rezoning request from the "ON" Neighborhood Office District to the "CN-1" Neighborhood Office District). Mayor Guajardo referred to Item 11. Mayor Guajardo opened the public hearing. There were no comments from the Council or the public. Mayor Guajardo closed the public hearing. City of Corpus Christi Page 5 Printed on 3/2/2023 City Council Meeting Minutes February 21,2023 Council Member Pusley made a motion to approve the ordinance, seconded by Council Member Hunter. This Ordinance was passed on first reading and approved with the following vote: Aye: 9- Mayor Guajardo, Council Member Barrera, Council Member Hernandez, Council Member Hunter, Council Member Pusley, Council Member Suckley, Council Member Roy, Council Member Klein and Council Member Campos Abstained: 0 Enactment No: 032990 L. INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION ITEMS: (NONE) M. RECESS TO CORPORATION MEETING: (ITEM 12) Mayor Guajardo recessed the Council meeting for the corporation meeting at 1:11 p.m. 12. 23-0276 Annual Board Meeting of the Corpus Christi Housing Finance Corporation (CCHFC)to elect officers, consider a resolution amending and reaffirming the Corpus Christi Housing Finance Corporation's Investment Policy and Investment Strategy, and consider an Inducement Resolution for$17,625,000 in Multifamily Housing Revenue Bonds for a new 152-unit affordable housing multi-family development at Greenwood Drive and Gollihar Road. This Board Meeting was held. N. RECONVENE CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Mayor Guajardo reconvened the Council meeting at 1:44 p.m O. BRIEFINGS: (NONE) P. EXECUTIVE SESSION: (NONE) Q. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Mayor Guajardo adjourned this meeting at 1:44 p.m. City of Corpus Christi Page 6 Printed on 3/2/2023 Sarah Brunkenhoefer From: Sent: To: Subject: Jotform <noreply@jotform.com> Friday, February 17, 2023 2:28 PM CitySecretary; Norma Duran [EXTERNAL]Public Input: 02-21-2023 - John Weber [ [ WARNING: External e-mail. Avoid clicking on links or attachments. We will NEVER ask for a password, username, payment or to take action from an email. When in doubt, please forward to SecurityAlert@cctexas.com. ] ] 111 I Public Comment & Input Form Date of Meeting Name Address 02-21-2023 John Weber Street Address: 609 Naples St City: Corpus Christi State / Province: Texas Postal / Zip Code: 78404 Topic email to City Manager Agenda Item Number NA Describe Feedback: The below was copied and pasted from an email sent to the City Manager on 1-31-23. No response has been received. I would like this and the attachment to be part of the public record. Thank you. Dear Mr Zanoni, My water taste has changed over the last few days. That is a fact. It may not be related to the city missing an additive but it is interesting that it happened about the same time as this press release. For full disclosure and transparency, why wasn't it mentioned that the chemical is also used to control biological growth in your comments to the Council by yourself and the water department employee? Thank you, John Weber Uploads: IMG 20230131 125608.png 1 Provide an email to receive a copy of your submission. js_weber@hotmail.com 2 MEMORANDUM 'Tn: Peter Zantnti, City Manager IrR()M: Michael Murphy, P.G., ChiefOpertations Officer, Corpus Chi isti Water COPY: Mayor & City Council SUBJECT: Corpus Christi Water Perntangattate Supply DATE: January 26, 2023 The City of Corpus Christi manages a diverse water supply system that includes river water front multiple basins, Corpus Christi Water (CCW) utilizes an oxidant called permanganate, which is used to control taste, odor, color, and biological growth, and to remove iron :ltd aua►ngnttese usually found in rivers before the distribution of treated water, Many utilities around the nation use permanganate to improve the taste of treated water. The use of permanganate is not a regulatory requirement by the Texas Commission on a rnvir+otttnental Quality (TCIQ), and its use in water treatment is generally aesthetic with no effect on the safety ofdrintking water. Canis Chemical Company is contracted to provide permanganate to CCW. The primary manufacturer of permanganate for the Western Hemisphere is Carus Chemical Company in La Salle, Illinois, Recently, Carus experienced a warehouse explosion followed by a lire that consumed its tnanuthcturing facility. City staff is working with industry leaders to identify and secure alternate sources of permanganate, '1'hc shortage of permanganate around the state and nation will be very significant. The Carus warehouse explosion undoubtedly will cruse a national shortage. 'lite safety ofCCW's treated drinking water supply is not affected. We are organizing to address this issue from a business production and communication standpoint. More information will be issued over the coming days mid weeks. A news article about the warehouse explosion of the treatment plant is attached as a PDF for your viewing. Sarah Brunkenhoefer From: Sent: To: Subject: CitySecretary Monday, February 20, 2023 8:32 AM Sarah Brunkenhoefer FW: [EXTERNAL]Public Input: 02-21-2023 - John Weber From: Jotform <noreply@jotform.com> Sent: Saturday, February 18, 2023 8:31 AM To: CitySecretary <CitySecretary@cctexas.com>; Norma Duran <NormaD2@cctexas.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Public Input: 02-21-2023 - John Weber [ [ WARNING: External e-mail. Avoid clicking on links or attachments. We will NEVER ask for a password, username, payment or to take action from an email. When in doubt, please forward to SecurityAlert@cctexas.com. ] ] Public Comment 4 Date of Meeting Name Address Topic Agenda Item Number Describe Feedback: Uploads: Provide an email to receive a copy of your submission. nput Form 02-21-2023 John Weber Street Address: 609 Naples St City: Corpus Christi State / Province: Texas Postal / Zip Code: 78404 Statements of fact public comment Please see attached document. City comments regarding MZ.docx js_weber@hotmail.com 1 City Council and City Staff are allowed to make statements of fact after hearing public comment. This is a statement of fact. This comment is in regards to comments from the Mayor and City Manager following public comment from Melissa Zamora. If the City Staff did audio recordings of the Drought Contingency Plan Listening Sessions, I would suggest at future meetings they let the meeting participants know the meeting is being recorded. If the City Staff did audio recordings of the Drought Contingency Plan Listening Sessions, please disregard the following and have a nice day. Since you are reading this, it is assumed the City Staff did not make audio recordings of the three listening sessions. After Melissa Zamora's comment at the City Council Meeting on February 14th, 2023 the Mayor made a statement of fact. She said, "Every comment was absolutely documented." Melissa responded by saying "It looks like they were only writing certain ones down." The City Manager said, "We documented everything." In my opinion these statements appeared to discredit Melissa's public comment. A public comment that appeared to be accurate and heartful from someone who actually attended a listening session. The facts from another person that attended a listening session. I attended a different meeting than Melissa did. I attended the first meeting on February 6th. The Mayor was not present at the meeting. The City Manager was present at the beginning of the meeting. He spoke briefly and then left with his assistant to pick up his son. It did not appear to me that any of the City Staff were audio recording the meeting, unless they were doing it in a non-visible way. I was sitting near the remaining City Staff and Mike Murphy was on my right when I was facing them. I noticed the same thing that Melissa stated. The City Staff that were taking notes, only took notes of certain comments, and by no means all comments. Some of the time it was understandable that they were not taking notes, because they were responding to comments from the meeting participants. I don't blame the City Staff for not documenting everything. How were they to know the Mayor and City Manager would make a statement of fact that they documented everything? How can the Mayor or the City Manager make statements of facts for what happened at a meeting they did not attend during the time the City Staff was supposedly documenting all the comments? I suggest if there are any statements of facts in the future, they will be really facts and the person making the statements can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt using evidence available to all. The only way to prove the Mayor's and City Manager's statements of fact is with an audio recording of all the listening sessions. Without those recordings it was very obvious to me that every comment was not recorded and the statements of facts were not actually statements of facts and were not allowed to be made according to official procedures. I am hopeful this will be my last comment regarding statements of fact. Sarah Brunkenhoefer From: CitySecretary Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 7:52 AM To: Sarah Brunkenhoefer Subject: FW: [EXTERNAL]Public Input: 02-21-2023 - John Weber From: Jotform <noreply@jotform.com> Sent: Monday, February 20, 2023 8:13 PM To: CitySecretary <CitySecretary@cctexas.com>; Norma Duran <NormaD2@cctexas.com> Subject: [EXTERNAL]Public Input: 02-21-2023 - John Weber [ [ WARNING: External e-mail. Avoid clicking on links or attachments. We will NEVER ask for a password, username, payment or to take action from an email. When in doubt, please forward to SecurityAlert@cctexas.com. ] ] Public Comment & Input Form Date of Meeting Name Address 02-21-2023 John Weber Street Address: 609 Naples St City: Corpus Christi State / Province: Texas Postal / Zip Code: 78404 Topic Gas concerns Agenda Item Number public comment Describe Feedback: Please see attachments. Uploads: 20230214 161350.ipg 20230214 161601.ipg Gas comments.docx Provide an email to receive a copy of your submission. js_weber@hotmail.com 1 Let's talk natural gas, which could be more appropriately called methane gas. After we say the pledge allegiance to the flags, maybe we should also read the City's mission statement. It states "meet the vital health, safety, and general welfare needs of the residents and which sustain and improve their quality of life." I don't see anywhere in the mission statement that it says to maximize the profit of the Gas Department at the expense of the health of the citizens. Why are rebates only given for gas appliances and not for electric appliances? What if a person prefers an electric appliance? We are all taxpayers, regardless of our fuel preference for our home appliances. Is gas safe? That depends on many different factors. How old or young are you? How much time do you spend in your house? How well is your house sealed? How well are your gas appliances are vented, if they are vented? Do any of the appliances have pilot lights that are burning all the time? There is no average house in Corpus. Every house is different along with the people inside of them. The only way to make sure it is safe to have the air tested in each house. It is the Gas Department's job to make sure people are safe and that their health is not negatively impacted by the burning of gas in their houses. I have failed to find any peer review studies showing that a house with gas appliances in it has better or equally clean air as one without gas appliances. When gas is burned it emits NOX, CO, CO2, CH4, N20, VOCs and trace amounts of S02 and PM. I have suggested before, that the gas department make nitrous oxide monitors available for the public to check out for a week's time to monitor their indoor air quality. I think libraries would be the perfect location for people to check them out because they are the experts at checking things out. The flyers from the gas department, besides being inaccurate and misleading (I have covered this before), don't educate people of the health dangers of gas and how to minimize those dangers. This could be part of a public safety outreach program to protect the health of the residents of the city. They have plenty of money in their budget. Also, the gas department can help educate the of best practices of how to use gas stoves for example. They would include, making sure you have a functioning range hood with a high CFM rating (600 CFM), run the range hood 10-15 minutes prior to cooking, understand range hoods will only cut pollution about 50%, make sure you don't have a pilot light that is always burning on your gas range, cook on the back burners (the ones furthest away from you), and open a window to bring fresh air in. (Note- in many older Corpus houses all the windows are painted shut and won't open). The current budget for gas marketing is $953,348. Why? The Gas Department has zero competitors. I imagine some of that money goes to the cash rebates that are offered to builders and home owners. To get the rebate for a gas stove, for example, you fill out the form and send it in. It sounds like the gas department will come out and make sure it is installed. Does the Gas Department inform the resident how best to use it? Do they ensure it doesn't have a pilot light? Do they check for leaks? Do they test the air quality, including nitrogen dioxide? Do they make sure the range hood has a high CFM flow rate and vents outside of the building envelope (many homes have range hoods that don't vent exhaust outside the building envelope)? At a minimum, to get the rebate you should be required to have a high flow range hood that vents outside the house. Isn't interesting that gas furnaces and gas hot water heaters are required to have a flue pipe for the burnt exhaust? I also find it interesting that looking at propane grills at Lowes that they state on one of the front pages "use outdoors only." It is debatable if propane or methane burn cleaner, both have their issues with the burnt combustion gases. It has been said by a researcher that a gas stove in a house is similar to being exposed to second hand smoking as far as the risk of childhood asthma. All packages of cigarettes have a warning label about the health consequences of using the product. The City is selling and promoting the sale of gas without a warning label. One of the largest lawsuits in the country was against the cigarette industry. What will be the City's liability for knowingly selling and promoting a substance that harms people's health? Other cities are being proactive to protect the health of their citizens and are banning gas in new housing. Maybe Corpus could at least stop promoting its use and educate the public how best to safeguard their health. It really shouldn't be my responsibility to prove the negative health consequences of using gas. It should be the Gas Department's responsibility to prove that it is safe and healthy for all the citizens in the City that have gas appliances in each of their individual homes. If it is proven to be unsafe or unhealthy it should be made safe or removed from the home. There should be rebates available to help with the cost of making each and every home safe and healthy for the residents. A few references are listed below. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/news/natural-gas-used-in-homes/ https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/documents/1.4 natural gas combustion.pdf https://www.ta ndfon line.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10473289.1992.10467018 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK138707/ https://www.lung.org/policy-advocacy/healthy-air-campaign/residential-combustion https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/gas-stoves-air-pollution-1.6394514 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3888569/ https://carbonswitch.com/how-bad-is-my-gas-stove-part-two/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWP44eKIVw https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/1/75 https://oregoncub.org/news/blog/busting-gas-myths-induction-stoves-vs-gas-stoves/2522/ https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/what-are-the-who-air-qua lits -guidelines https://academic.oup.com/iie/article/42/6/1724/737113?login=false not be stoi eti ot this (grill) or an appliance. USE 0 •LY A Vii READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING THE APPLIANCE (GRILL). NOTICETO INSTALLER: ese t must be left with the c' OT10E TO CONSUMER: Retain these !",ERTIFAED .•• IVIEMUIER PGA, ttiWW1 PFOPAP GAS Az&ociatioo