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Posted on: September 28, 2022

Shenandoah City Council Meeting September 28, 2022 Update

Supporting Documents for Agenda Items can be found HERE.

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Attendance: Present: Mayor John Escoto, Mayor Pro Tem Charlie Bradt (Position 4), Mike McLeod (Position 5), Jim Pollard (Position 3) Ted Fletcher (Position 2) and Ron Raymaker (Position 1)

ITEM 6: Introduction of New Employees - Two new employees were introduced to Council tonight. Jennifer Hess joins the Community Development department as a Development Coordinator. Fernando Castaneda was sworn in as a Shenandoah Police Department patrol officer. No Council action required.

ITEM 7: Promotion of Police Department Employees -Detective Sergeant Joel Gordon was promoted to Lieutenant and pinned by Chief Troye Dunlap. In addition, Maui was sworn in as our first K9 officer. No Council action required.

ITEM 8: Municipal Development District (MDD) Monthly Report - No action required.

ITEM 9: David Memorial Streetlight Project- Public Works Director Joseph Peart updated Council on the status of lighting David Memorial Drive. Due to rising costs with Entergy, the number of streetlights has been reduced and will be posted in the darkest area along the drive between the stadium and the roundabout. Peart explained that the rest of the areas did have residual lighting from adjacent parking lots but that the noted area did not. No action required; informational update.

ITEM 10: Municipal Development District Board Reappointments - Joanna Gonzalez and Byron Bevers were reappointed to the MDD Board. Both indicated that they wanted to continue serving. Council voted 5-0 to reappoint both directors to another term.

ITEM 11: Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) General Assembly Representative and Alternate- - H-GAC’s bylaws provide that each general law city member is entitled to designate one representative and one alternate to the H-GAC General Assembly. Those designees must be elected officials and are appointed by Council each year per the H-GAC bylaws. The current representative is Councilmember Charlie Bradt and the alternate is Councilmember Ron Raymaker Council voted 5-0 to approve the reappointment of Bradt and Raymaker to their respective positions.

ITEM 12: Equipment Replacement Fund Purchases and Budget Amendments - Councilmember Michael McLeod requested a discussion about the equipment replacement and budget amendments. Staff provided information and best practices during the discussion about the processes going forward. Discussion only.

ITEM 13: Montgomery County Appraisal District Board of Directors Nomination - In accordance with the provisions of Section 6.03 of the Texas Property Tax Code, each jurisdiction entitled to vote in the election of the MCAD Board of Directors may nominate a candidate for each of the five positions to be filled. Council voted 5-0 to nominate Councilmember Ron Raymaker.

ITEM 14: Cleaning, Grubbing of David Memorial Extension Project Award - Bids were received on September 8 for the clearing and grubbing of the David Memorial Dr project. Three bids were submitted with proposals ranging from $170,078.02 to $229,620.00. Petra submitted the lowest base bid at $170,078.02 including a $10,000 cash allowance. Council voted 5-0 to award the bid to Petra LLC, the first physical step in the David Memorial extension project.

ITEM 15: Investment Committee Appointment - The decision of M. Ritchey Wheeler to not run for re-election in May resulted in a vacancy on the Investment Policy Committee, composed of the City Administrator, the Finance Director and two council members. Councilmember Raymaker is currently a council representative on the committee. Council voted 5-0 to appoint Mayor Escoto to fill the vacancy.

ITEM 16: Civic Club Secretary Ratification - At the September 13 meeting, Charley Ballmer was unanimously elected to his first term as secretary. Per the Civic Club bylaws, the election of the Secretary of the Civic Club is brought to Council for approval before September 30. Council voted 5-0 to approve Charley Ballmer's election as Secretary.

ITEMS 17-19: Special Use Permit for For Mixed Beverage Retail (On-Premise) Permit with Late Hours - Gloria’s Latin Cuisine requested a Special Use Permit for a Mixed Beverage (On-Premise) with Late Hours Permit at 18484 IH 45, Shenandoah to allow the sale of mixed beverages between midnight and 2 a.m. A public hearing was held and one person commented. Council voted 5-0 to approve the special use permit for mixed beverage retail without the late hours.

ITEMS 20-22: Special Use Permit for Wine and Malt Beverage (On-Premises) - Black Bear Diner requested a Special Use Permit for a Wine and Malt Beverage (On-Premise) Permit at 8821 Metropark Drive, Suite 100, to allow for the sale of wine and malt beverages for on- and off-premises consumption. A public hearing was held with no comments. Council voted 5-0 to approve the special use permit for wine and malt beverages.

ITEM 23: Old Tamina Water Supply Corporation Contract - Mayor Escoto reported that we hoped to bring a contract to Council to provide water and sewer services to Tamina, but the details are not yet finalized. He said the item would be brought back to a later meeting. Discussion only.

ITEM 24: Approval of Minutes of August 10, 2022 Special and Regular Meetings - Council voted 5-0 to approve the minutes as presented.

ITEM 25: Ratification of August Accounts Payable - Council voted 5-0 to ratify the accounts payable.