City Council - Live Blog!

Jun 23

June 23rd City Council Meeting

Posted on June 23, 2016 at 3:23 PM by Janae Pulliam

3:10 PM 
Meeting adjourned!

2:55 PM

Mayor James D. Yarbrough presented outgoing council members, District #1 Councilman Tarris Woods and District #3 Councilman Ralph McMorris, with a commemorative gift recognizing them for their service over the last two years.

Mayor James D. Yarbrough reminded citizens of the special meeting on Tuesday, June 28th, at 11 AM for canvassing of the special election results.

2:52 PM

14.B.
Consider For Action The Matter Of The Appeal From The Ethics Commission Of The City Of Galveston Related To The Ethics Complaint Of Benjamin Hannon. (D. Glywasky) - unanimously approved!

14.A.
Consideration Of Granting Authorization To The City Attorney To Effect Partial Settlement Of The Matter Of No. CV-007-4053 City Of Galveston V. John Maguire Et Al, In The County Court At Law #2 Of Galveston County. (D. Glywasky) - unanimously approved!
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2:32 PM to 2:52 PM

12.C.
Discuss And Consider For Approval Of The Appointment Of Douglas Godinich To The Wharves Board Submitted By The District 1 Council Member. (McMorris/Woods) - Motion Failed.


12.B.
Discuss And Consider For Approval Of The Appointment Of Susan Fennewald To The Park Board Submitted By The District 3 Council Member. (McMorris/Woods) - motion failed.


12.A.
Discuss And Consider For Action Ex Officio Appointments Of Council Members To City Boards, Commissions, And Committees Of The City Of Galveston, And Receive A Report From The City Attorney On Term Limits As To The Effect On Council Members On Boards. (McMorris/Woods): unanimously approved!

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Consent Items

11.F. was pulled for separate consideration - Councilwoman Sunseri stepped out and will not vote as she declared a conflict of interest on this item: unanimously approved!

11.A. through 11.E., 11.G. through 11.N., and 11.P. through 11.U.: unanimously approved!

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Items 10.A. through 10.D. were approved!  

Item 10.E. was pulled.
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1:40 PM to 2:03 PM

Items 8.A. through 8.D.

8.D.
Consider For Approval An Ordinance Of The City Of Galveston, Texas, Abandoning Approximately 6,000 Square Feet Of Alley Right-Of –Way Adjacent To 1102 Market; Adjacent Property Is Legally Described As “Lots 1 Through 10 And The East Half Of Lot 11, Unit 1 Campus View Condo And 6.291% Interest Common Elements, Part Of 11 And 13 And All Of 12, South 84 Feet Of Lot 14 And The Southwest Part Of Lot 13 (14-1) And The North 36 Feet Of Lot 14 And The Northwest Part Of Lot 13 (14-2), Block 551, In The City And County Of Galveston, Texas”; Planning Case Number 16P-028; Making Various Findings And Provisions Related To The Subject.
Approved!


8.C.
Consider For Approval An Ordinance Of The City Of Galveston, Texas, Abandoning Approximately 310 Square Feet Of City Right-Of-Way, Consisting Of A 10-Foot Alley And Adjacent To Property Commonly Known As 1315 40th Street And Legally Described As “Part Of Lot A (1-1) A West Norris Subdivision, In The City And County Of Galveston, Texas”; Planning Case Number 16P-025; Making Various Findings And Provisions Related To The Subject.
This is a request for an abandonment of 310 sq.ft. of City right-of-way; pW verified there are no utilities in this right-of-way - Approved!


8.B.
Consider For Approval An Ordinance Of The City Of Galveston, Texas, Amending The 2015 Galveston Land Development Regulations, Article 11: “Noncomformities,” By Adding To The List Of Exemptions, “Places Of Public Assembly In Areas Zoned (R-1) To Include Church/Place Of Worship”; Planning Case Number 16ZA-004; Making Various Findings And Provisions Related To The Subject
no new church or place of worship would be permitted in r1 zones; this would allow existing churches to expand their footprint (i.e. relocating an a/c, etc.) - Approved!

8.A.
Consider For Approval An Ordinance Of The City Of Galveston, Texas, Designating The Property Located At 4714 Ave Q ½ As A “Galveston Landmark” - approved!


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1:35 PM

City Council took Consent Item 11.O. out of order!  City Council unanimously approved the contract to construct the first ever Galveston Community Swimming Pool at Lasker Park.

Better Parks for Galveston, a local 501(c)3, just donated $1 MILLION to move forward with this much anticipated project - a BIG thank you to Anne Brasier, Kathy Tiernan, B. J. Herz, Diana Davison, and Ellen Perry as well as Barbara Ekelund-Sanderson, the City's Director of Parks and Recreation. 

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1:23 PM

6.B.
Public Notice And Briefing On The Process For Relocation Of Retail Services And Obtaining Public Input For The US Postal Office Located At 601 25th Street, Galveston, TX—Presented By Joel Roitenberg, US Postal Service.

Below is the presentation:


The USPS is exploring options to find a new location for Galveston's Downtown post office.  
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1:15 PM

City Council just started.

After the invocation and pledges, there was a special presentation.  Ms. Ruby Florence was honored for her 36 years of service to the City of Galveston!  She began in the Finance Department and concluded her tenure in the Public Works Department.  Congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Ruby as she enters her new chapter of retirement!

Ms. Ruby Florence Retires after 36 Years


Jun 23

June 23rd Workshop Meeting

Posted on June 23, 2016 at 1:16 PM by Kala McCain

1:15 PM

Regular City Council has begun!



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10:23 AM


3.C.
Discussion Of Fiscal Year 2017-2021 Long Range Financial Forecast (Maxwell - 30 Minutes)

Below is the presentation Assistant City Manager of Finance, Mike Loftin, is presenting as a part of budget discussions:



This is the first budget discussion for FY17.  The City's FY (fiscal year) runs from October 1st through September 30th.  Each year City Manager Brian Maxwell requests that City Council members provide their top priorities.  As the City moves through the budget process, efforts are made to ensure these top priorities are addressed.

CIP - what is it?  This stands for Capital Improvement Plan which includes projects that improve City infrastructure like streets, drainage, water lines, etc.  On almost a weekly basis, CM Brian Maxwell and staff from Public Works discuss these projects.  

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10:10 AM

3.B.
Discussion Of The U.S. Department Of Justice COPS Hiring Program (CHP) For The Galveston Police Department (D. Smith/D. Torres - 10 Minutes)


City Manager Brian Maxwell shares information about the US Dept. of Justice COPS Hiring Program grant - it is anticipated the City will know by September 30th if we have been awarded approximately $1.6 million over the 3 year period for an additional 7 police officers.  This grant would cover 75% of each new officer's base salary and their fringe benefits for 3 years - as a stipulation of this funding, each new officer must remain on the force for at least one year in addition to the 3 years covered by the grant.  If awarded, the City will provide a 25% match for each officer.  The City will budget for these new officers in anticipation of receiving the grant.
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10:05 AM

Today's workshop meeting just started!

At each workshop, City Council has the opportunity to ask questions about items on the afternoon's agenda. This is done in an effort to clarify and address all questions prior to taking a vote during the regular session.

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Jun 22

June 23rd Workshop & City Council Meeting

Posted on June 22, 2016 at 3:58 PM by Kala McCain

Good afternoon!

Tomorrow is the next regularly scheduled Workshop and City Council meeting.  Below are the links to the day's agendas:

10 AM Workshop: click here for the agenda
1 PM City Council: click here for the agenda

Staff will be updating this blog throughout the meetings to provide updates on discussions held and votes that are made by the City Council.  

All presentations are uploaded to the City Council library (found here!) but staff will also provide those in this blog where you can click through them as well in real-time!

Until tomorrow!

Kala McCain
Public Information Officer