[1. CALL TO ORDER ]
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TODAY IS MONDAY, APRIL 15TH, 2024.
WE'LL NOW CALL THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING TO ORDER AT 5:45 PM ITEM NUMBER TWO IS ROLL CALL.
WE DO HAVE A QUORUM OF COUNCIL.
[3. PUBLIC COMMENTS]
OF PUBLIC COMMENTS.CITY SECRETARY, WE HAD IN PUBLIC COMMENTS.
YES, MR. MAYOR, WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS.
MR. ZA BROSKI, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND PLEASE ADHERE TO THE THREE MINUTE TIME LIMIT.
BRUCE DABROWSKI, 7 9 1 5 CHANCE, HOUSTON, TEXAS.
I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THE ETHICS OF THIS.
SO-CALLED ETHICS COMMISSION OF MISSOURI CITY.
IT GOES BY THE STANDARDS OF WHAT YOU PEOPLE HAVE.
WHY DOES IT TAKE SO MANY MINUTES TO DETERMINE THAT SOMEBODY BROKE THE TEXAS OPENS MEETINGS ACT.
WHO SERVES ON THIS COUNCIL? IT'S BECOMING A GAME AND A SHOW SHOWMAN NONSENSE.
IT NEEDS TO BE AN INDEPENDENT COUNCIL THAT DOESN'T HAVE OVERSIGHT FROM CITY COUNCIL.
AND INDEPENDENT OF ANY CITY ATTORNEY BEING PRESENT.
A DETERMINATION SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE LONG AGO 'CAUSE IT WAS PUBLIC RECORD.
'CAUSE IT HAPPENED RIGHT IN THIS ROOM AND I EXPECT SOME ACTION ON IT.
THAT CONCLUDES PUBLIC COMMENT.
[4. DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION]
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION FOUR A TO RECEIVE A PRESENTATION AND HOLD A DISCUSSION.WE HAVE A PRESENTATION BY JENNIFER THOMAS GOMEZ, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
ANY EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL.
UM, I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A PRESENTATION ON TEMPORARY DISPLAY SIGNS.
UM, THE PURPOSE OF THIS PRESENTATION IS BECAUSE WE DID RECEIVE, UM, A, UH, REQUEST FROM A COUNCIL MEMBER, UH, SEEKING TO ALLOW FLEXIBILITY FOR, UH, NEW BUSINESSES TO BE ABLE TO DISPLAY A SIGNAGE FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME THAN OUR ORDINANCE CURRENTLY ALLOWS.
AND SO IN CONSIDERING THAT REQUEST, UM, WHAT WE LOOKED AT WERE WHAT WERE OUR PROVISIONS CURRENTLY IN PLACE, UM, THAT ASSOCIATED MOST CLOSELY WITH THAT.
UM, AND A LOT OF THAT HAS TO DO WITH BANNERS, UM, THAT BUSINESSES PLACE, UM, AND SOME OF THE SIGN TYPES THAT WE'LL DISCUSS IN, IN THIS, UH, PRESENTATION.
AND SO WE'RE BRINGING THIS TO THE FULL COUNCIL, UH, TO GET INPUT FROM THE FULL COUNCIL ON THIS ISSUE.
UM, AND, UH, YOUR INPUT ON, UH, MOVING FORWARD.
SO I JUST WANNA GO THROUGH AN OVERVIEW OF TEMPORARY DISPLAY SIGNS.
UM, SO THAT'S THE TERM THAT WE USE.
BASICALLY IT'S BANNERS, BANNER PERMITS, BANNER SIGNS.
UM, SO RIGHT NOW THE, WHAT'S ON THE SLIDE RIGHT NOW ARE OUR CURRENT ALLOWANCES.
UH, TEMPORARY DISPLAYS ALLOW BUSINESSES, UH, TO PROMOTE, UM, BY PLACING BANNERS, SMALL BALLOONS, PENS, STREAMERS, UM, ON THEIR BUILDINGS.
BUSINESSES PERMITS ARE REQUIRED, UM, FOR A BUSINESS TO INCORPORATE THIS TYPE OF SIGNAGE.
UM, CURRENTLY THEY'RE LIMITED, UH, TO NO MORE THAN 15 CONSECUTIVE CALENDAR DAYS.
UM, AND NO MORE THAN 60 TOTAL CALENDAR DAYS IN A SINGLE YEAR.
WHERE CAN THEY BE DISPLAYED CURRENTLY FOR BANNERS AND ALL OF THESE SIGN TYPES, THEY'RE LIMITED TO ONLY BEING PLACED ON A BUILDING.
SO I KNOW WE HAVE, UM, A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT WANT TO GET THEIR, THEIR MESSAGE CLOSER TO THE STREET, CLOSER TO TRAFFIC.
UM, THE CURRENT REGULATIONS, UH, RESTRICT THEM, UH, TO ONLY BEING PERMITTED TO PLACE IT ON A BUILDING WALL.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY'RE LIMITED TO ONLY ONE.
AND THEN, UH, THERE'S, UH, SIZE LIMITATIONS BASED ON THE AMOUNT OF THE BUILDING THAT THAT BUSINESS COVERS.
SO, POSSIBLE REGULATIONS THAT WE LOOKED AT WITH THE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION, UM, INCLUDE EXPANDING, UM, WHAT'S CONSIDERED TO BE A TEMPORARY DISPLAY.
SO IN WHAT'S PRESENTED TO YOU ON THE BOARD OR ON THE, UH, SLIDE, UM, WOULD CONTINUE TO, UH, ALLOW BANNERS AS TEMPORARY DISPLAYS, BUT EXPANDING THAT TO INCLUDE FEATHER FLAGS.
AND I HAVE A PICTURE, UM, IN THE SLIDE, UM, FOR ANYONE WHO'S NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE FEATHER FLAG, BUT I THINK WE ALL ARE.
UM, UM, THIS ALSO WOULD INCLUDE INFLATABLE, UM, DEVICES AND, UM, OTHER ADVERTISING MATERIAL.
THIS WOULD REQUIRE, UM, THE DISPLAY OF A PERMIT.
SO CURRENTLY IF A BUSINESS POOLS A BANNER PERMIT, UM, THEY RECEIVE A PERMIT.
UM, IT'S ALL ELECTRONIC, SO THEY CAN PRINT IT OUT AT THEIR DISCRETION.
UM, BUT THERE'S NOT A REQUIREMENT THAT THEY PRINT IT AND POST IT ANYWHERE.
AND THERE'S NOT A DECAL THAT'S PRINTED OR POSTED ON THE SIGN ITSELF.
UM, SO BASICALLY IT'S ALL INVISIBLE, UM, EXCEPT FOR THE BUSINESS KNOWING, YOU KNOW, WHETHER OR NOT THEY PULLED THAT PERMIT.
SO HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE REGULATIONS, WALL MOUNTED BANNER SIGNS TO CONTINUE TO PERMIT THAT.
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CONTINUE TO RESTRICT IT TO NO MORE THAN ONE PER BUSINESS ON A BUILDING.SO IN A SHOPPING CENTER, EACH BUSINESS WITHIN, UH, THAT SHOPPING CENTER, UM, WOULD STILL BE PERMITTED TO PLACE A BANNER, EXPANDING IT TO ALLOW FOR GROUND MOUNTED BANNERS.
SO PLACING THE BANNER CLOSER TO THE STREET, UM, OR PLACING IT FREESTANDING, UM, ON THE BUSINESS'S PROPERTY, GIVING PERMISSION FOR FEATHER FLAGS.
AND THE TOP PICTURE THERE SHOWS SOME EXAMPLE OF FEATHER FLAGS.
UM, SOME BUSINESSES THAT INCORPORATE, UH, FEATHER FLAGS TEND TO, UH, WANNA PUT THEM IN SEQUENCE, UM, SO THAT YOU GET THE GIST OF IT AS YOU'RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, SO REGULATIONS COULD BE FLEXIBLE TO ALLOW FOR FEATHER FLAGS, UM, BUT PUTTING SOME LIMITATIONS ON THE TOTAL NUMBER, THE TOTAL NUMBER ON A PROPERTY.
UM, SO YOU DON'T HAVE AN INFLUX, UM, WITHIN THAT VIEW.
INFLATABLE SIGNS, UH, WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN BUSINESSES, CERTAIN BUSINESS TYPES, AND, UM, I THINK THE INFLATABLE TUBES ARE SOME OF THE MORE COMMON ONES.
WE HAVE LITTLE HAND MOVEMENTS THAT WE DO TO KIND OF DESCRIBE THOSE.
UM, SOME ARE FANS, SOME ARE NOT FANS.
UM, WE HAVE ALL KINDS THAT BUSINESSES TRY TO DO, BUT CURRENTLY THEY ARE NOT PERMITTED, UM, PER OUR SIGN CODE.
UM, SO THIS WOULD BE CONSIDERATION FOR, UM, ALLOWING, UM, SOME LEVEL OF INFLATABLE SIGNS, UM, FOR BUSINESSES.
AND THEN, UM, WHAT YOU COULD DO AS WELL IS PROHIBIT CERTAIN COMBINATIONS OF SIGNAGE BECAUSE OUR SIGN ORDINANCE IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT CLUTTER, UM, TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW FOR CLEAR VISIBILITY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT WE HAVE A LOT OF BUSINESSES, UM, YOU KNOW, POST PANDEMIC THAT HAVE UTILIZED SIGNS A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, LENIENT THEN OUR ORDINANCE ALLOWS.
UM, BUT GENERALLY WHEN YOU GO TO OTHER COMMUNITIES, UM, YOU CAN TELL WHEN YOU'RE IN MISSOURI CITY AS OPPOSED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE SIGN REGULATIONS.
UM, SO YOUR SIGN REGULATIONS REALLY DO, UM, AFFECT THE CHARACTER OF THE COMMUNITY, THE PLACE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND SO PLACING THOSE KIND OF RESTRICTIONS, UM, ON THERE, UM, TO, UH, HELP ACHIEVE, UH, THAT, THAT DESIRE.
SO OTHER POSSIBLE REGULATIONS ARE ON THE TIMEFRAME, UM, EXTENDING THE AMOUNT OF TIME, AND YOU CAN DO IT BY ASSIGNED TYPE, YOU KNOW, OR YOU CAN DO IT COLLECTIVELY FOR ALL TEMPORARY DISPLAYS.
UM, BUT, UH, TO THE REQUEST THAT WE ORIGINALLY HAD, UH, TAKING A LOOK AT THAT 15 DAY, TWO WEEK, UH, PERIOD AND EXTENDING IT TO A 30 DAY, UM, PERIOD, THAT COULD BE APPLIED JUST TO BANNERS OR IT COULD BE APPLIED TO DIFFERENT, UH, TYPES OF SIGNS.
AND SO THEN I'LL OPEN IT UP FOR DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS.
UH, WE ARE GONNA GO AHEAD AND START WITH COUNCIL MEMBER RAMBO.
ACTUALLY, MAYOR, UM, I CAN I DEFER TO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER MARU? OH, YOU CAN GO, JOHN.
WELL, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU A QUESTION, SO OH, GO, GO, GO.
I ASSUMED THAT YOU WERE GONNA SPEAK TO WHY YOU WANTED TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THIS COUNCIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN PRO BUSINESS.
WE ALL SAY EAT LOCAL, SHOP LOCAL.
UM, AND WE ACTUALLY DO GO VISIT BUSINESSES.
UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST FEW YEARS, CERTAIN BUSINESSES HAVE STRUGGLED.
UM, WE HAVE A NEW BURGER JOINT ON HIGHWAY SIX THAT HIDES BEHIND A TREE LINE, AND NO ONE REALLY KNOWS IT'S THERE.
UM, THE GREAT PLACE CALLED, UM, WELL I'LL LEAVE THE NAME OUT, HAS, UH, DECIDED TO OPEN UP FOR BREAKFAST YET NO ONE REALLY KNOWS THAT HE SERVES BREAKFAST.
SO THE CONCEPT OF HAVING BREAKFAST NOW SERVED, UH, IS AN IDEA.
SO IT'S REALLY A WAY FOR THE, FOR THE BUSINESSES TO PROMOTE THEIR BRAND AND LET PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY'RE OPEN.
UM, THERE WAS A LIQUOR STORE AT ONE POINT AT CARTWRIGHT AND DULLES THAT USED BANNERS, UH, AND HE SAW A 15% INCREASE IN SALES BY JUST PUTTING BANNERS ON THE CORNER OF THE STREET.
SO I WAS JUST LOOKING FOR A TOOL TO HELP BUSINESSES, UH, DRIVE GROWTH, UH, AT LEAST AT THAT INITIAL STATE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, KIND OF PEEL IT AWAY.
UM, TO BE HONEST, I AM NOT A FAN OF THE INFLATABLES.
I THINK THOSE ARE A LITTLE BIT EXTREME.
UM, I THINK IT POSES, UH, ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHERE PEOPLE EXTEND, YOU KNOW, EXTENSION CORDS ACROSS PARKING LOTS.
UM, BUT I AM A FAN OF MOVING AWAY FROM JUST HAVING ON THE BUILDING AND HAVING FEATHERS AND OTHER STUFF.
UM, SO TWO QUESTIONS I HAVE AND THEN A COMMENT.
THE FIRST ONE IS, UM, THIS IS, THIS WOULD JUST BE FOR NEW BUSINESSES OR FOR ANY BUSINESS IN MISSOURI CITY.
SO THE REQUEST CAME IN FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON NEW BUSINESSES, BUT THE REALITY OF WHAT WE SEE AND RECEIVE AND EXPERIENCE ARE ALL BUSINESSES ON SOME LEVEL, UM, ARE ONE GONNA USE UTILIZE IT.
SO THE TEMPORARY DISPLAY TIME REGULATIONS
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ARE ALL BUSINESSES, UH, WITHIN THE CITY, NOT JUST LIMITED TO A NEW STARTUP.AND THEN, UM, AS FAR AS THE 60 DAY LIMIT, SO, UM, SO 15 DAYS, UM, FOR NO MORE THAN 60 DAYS, RIGHT.
WOULD THAT REQUIRE, WOULD, WOULD EACH OCCURRENCE REQUIRE A SEPARATE PERMIT? YES.
UM, MY, MY QUESTION WOULD BE KEEPING UP WITH THAT BECAUSE BUSINESS ONE SEES, OH, MY NEIGHBOR HAS A SIGN, LET ME GO GET MY SIGNS.
WHICH LEADS ME TO MY NEXT POINT.
HOW ARE WE GOING TO TRULY REGULATE THE SIGNAGE SO THAT WE DON'T LOOK LIKE OTHER NEIGHBORING CITIES, UM, WITH SIGNS EVERYWHERE.
AND THEN WE'RE PULLING RESOURCES FROM OUR, FROM THE CITY TO GO AND POLICE THAT PULL THOSE SIGNS DOWN OR GET THEM PULLED DOWN.
AND THEN JUST, WE ARE JUST CHASING SIGNS.
SO I WOULD LIKE, UM, I GUESS A BETTER PROCESS IN PLACE, OR A DEFINED PROCESS IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, UM, SOME REAL REGULATIONS AROUND THAT.
BUT I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF SUPPORTING OUR SMALL BUSINESSES.
WE JUST, WE GOTTA FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO THAT SO WE'RE NOT CLUTTERING THE CITY.
RECOGNIZING COUNCIL MEMBER RILEY.
YES, JENNIFER, THANK YOU FOR THE DETAILS, UM, OF THE PRESENTATION.
UH, MAYOR PRO TIM HAD A LOT OF MY SAME QUESTIONS, UM, AND CONCERNS THE ONE STATEMENT I WANNA MAKE.
I'M NOT A FAN OF THE INFLATABLES, UH, FOR MULTITUDE OF REASON.
UM, AND SO NOT TO DISRESPECT ANYBODY'S TASTE ON THEM, BUT I WOULD PREFER NOT TO ADD THAT AS A PART OF THE COMPONENT OF THE TEMPORARY SIGNS.
THE, UM, OTHER CONCERN THAT I HAVE IS ALSO THE SAME IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO REGULATE THIS? AND IS IT POSSIBLE TO SET A TIMELINE LIKE SOME BUSINESSES, SOME, UM, SOME COMPANIES DO LIKE A CERTAIN TIME PERIOD OF ADVERTISEMENT WHERE YOU HAVE LIKE THE BILLBOARDS YOU HAVE TO START ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY AND IT ENDS ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY.
UM, THAT COULD BE A POSSIBLE OPTION SO THAT OUR STAFF IS NOT, YOU KNOW, CHASING DOWN SIGNS, UM, EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK OR EVERY, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLE TIME OF THE MONTH.
AND MAYBE JUST SAY, IF YOU START ON THIS PARTICULAR, THE TIME PERIOD IS FROM THIS PARTICULAR, THE FIRST THROUGH THE FIFTH MM-HMM.
SO CAN YOU EXPLORE, UH, THAT AS AN OPTION, UM, AS WELL? AND THEN THE LAST, UH, QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS THE SIZE OF THE ACTUAL BANNERS.
ARE THEY GONNA BE RESTRICTED TO, BASED ON HOW MUCH, UH, YOU KNOW, FENCING THERE IS, HOW MUCH SIDEWALK AREA, HOW MUCH LAND IN THE EASEMENT? AND WHERE WOULD THESE BE POSTED AT IF THEY DON'T HAVE A FENCE OR, YOU KNOW, SO ON THE MAINTENANCE SIDE FOR, FOR BOTH.
UM, SO, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES DIRECTOR, WALTER GANT AND I HAVE BEEN, UH, DISCUSSING THAT AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UM, IN PREPARING AND PRESENTING, UH, TO THE COMMISSION AND THEN TO THE COUNCIL ON PROPOSED REGULATIONS.
UM, ONE THING I WILL SAY IS PART OF THE DISPLAYING THE PERMIT OR PUTTING A DECAL EITHER ON THE SIGN OR ON THE BUSINESS, IS PART OF RAISING THAT VISIBILITY.
UM, PART OF THE CHALLENGE THAT WE'VE HAD PREVIOUS IS, LIKE I SAID, THE PERMIT WAS REQUIRED, YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE THAT REQUIRED PERMITS.
UM, BUT THE PERMIT WAS INVISIBLE, YOU KNOW, TO THE BUSINESS AND TO THE PUBLIC AND EVEN, AND THEN FOR OUR STAFF THAT IS OUT THERE TRYING TO ENFORCE, UM, THE CHALLENGE IS, IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S LEGITIMATE AND WHAT'S NOT.
UM, AND THEN THE TIME IT TAKES TO TRY TO, TO INVESTIGATE THAT.
SO PART OF, YOU KNOW, THIS PLAN GOING FORWARD IS MAKE IT MORE VISIBLE, UM, IN TERMS OF THE PERMISSIONS, THE TIMEFRAMES, AND THEN THAT WAY, NOT JUST THE CODE ENFORCEMENT STAFF, BUT ANY STAFF, ANY PERSON YOU KNOW, THAT COMES ACROSS IT, YOU SEE VERY PLAIN THE TIMEFRAME, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS ESTABLISHED FORWARD.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE PART OF IT.
UM, TO YOUR POINT, YOUR, YOUR SECOND QUESTION REMIND ME, I DUNNO,
UM, SO WHAT, WHAT IS PROPOSED HERE IS TWOFOLD.
UM, BECAUSE THE CITY CAN REGULATE WHEN IT COMES TO SIGNS, UH, KEEP IN MIND, SO THE, THE SPEECH OF THE SIGN, WE CAN'T REGULATE.
THAT'S PROTECTED SPEECH, BUT THE CITY CAN REGULATE SIZE, LOCATION, DURATION AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
UM, AND SO WHAT YOU COULD DO IS THERE ARE OTHER TYPES OF TEMPORARY SIGNS THAT ARE PERMITTED AS FREESTANDING SIGNS.
SO I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE SEE, UM, KIND OF LIKE THE REAL ESTATE SIGNS THAT ARE OUT THERE ON COMMERCIAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE OF A CERTAIN SIZE OR LIKE ON CONSTRUCTION SITE.
SO THEY MAY POST, UM, A, UM, FREESTANDING SIGN.
UM, THIS COULD FOLLOW THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOME DISTANCE REQUIREMENTS IN TERMS OF, UM, A SIGN ON THAT ON A PROPERTY HAS TO BE A CERTAIN DISTANCE AWAY FROM EACH OTHER.
IT HAS TO BE A CERTAIN DISTANCE AWAY FROM PERMANENT SIGNS.
[00:15:01]
KNOW, YOU BASICALLY, UH, DO IT SO THAT BUSINESSES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, BUT YOU DON'T HAVE THE CLUTTER, YOU KNOW, ON THE, ALONG THE ROADWAY.UM, WHAT'S PRESENTED HERE, MODELS THAT, SO YOU HAVE A, A MAXIMUM SQUARE FOOTAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SIGN.
UM, HERE, I THINK WE PRESENTED 32 SQUARE FEET, UM, FOR THE MAXIMUM, UH, SQUARE FOOTAGE ASSOCIATED.
YOU CAN LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S SUFFICIENT, WHETHER THAT'S TOO LARGE, YOU KNOW, TOO SMALL.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT KIND OF THE SIZE PARAMETERS WITH IT, BUT YOU CAN'T ESTABLISH THAT WITH THIS, WITH THESE REGULATIONS.
AND WILL THERE BE A LIMITATION OF HOW MANY CAN BE IN ONE SECTION, ONE BLOCK? MM-HMM.
THEN MY OTHER QUESTION IS WHEN THEY'RE PUTTING THESE SIGNS OUT, SAY THEY'RE PUTTING THESE, UH, FEATHER FLAGS OR THEY'RE WANTING LIKE THE BIGGER, WHERE YOU PUT POSTS IN THERE, UM, HOW DO THEY ADDRESS WHEN THEY'RE PUTTING THAT IN THE EASEMENT? IF THERE'S AREAS IN IT THAT THEY SHOULDN'T BE DRIVING IN LARGE STAKES OR THINGS LIKE THAT? UM, SO YOU CAN DO IT TWO WAYS.
SO IF A PERMIT'S REQUIRED, THEN THAT MEANS THAT, UM, A PLAN REVIEW, UM, WOULD BE REQUIRED.
SO EITHER A SURVEY, UM, OR A SITE PLAN SHOWING THAT PART OF THOSE PARAMETERS IS THAT THEY CAN SHOW, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IF THEY'RE PLACING ONE OF THESE TYPES OF SIGNS AND THE PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN PLOTTED, YOU KNOW, THE PROPERTY HAS A BUSINESS OPERATING ON IT, SO THEY SHOULD HAVE AVAILABLE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT SOME OF THOSE EASEMENT DIMENSIONS ARE.
UM, AND AT LEAST FOR THAT PRESENTATION THAT WOULD KIND OF GIVE THEM, UM, KIND OF SOME DISTANCES THAT THEY HAVE TO BE AWAY FROM CERTAIN, UM, PHYSICAL FEATURES ON THE PROPERTY.
AND THEN WILL THIS ALSO APPLY TO LIKE YARD SIGNS FOR RESIDENTIAL OR FOR COMMERCIAL? FOR, FOR COMMERCIAL.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, WE SEE A LOT OF THOSE YARD SIGNS POSTED IN THE, THE EASEMENT.
AND SO WILL THEY HAVE TO DO A PERMIT FOR YARD SIGNS FOR A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY? IT HAS TO FALL INTO A CATEGORY THAT IS EITHER REQUIRES A PERMIT OR IS CONDITIONALLY EXEMPTED.
AND IF IT DOESN'T FALL INTO EITHER ONE OF THOSE CATEGORIES, THEN THEY SHOULD NOT BE POSTING IT ON A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY.
I JUST WANTED TO, TO KIND OF GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, 'CAUSE CURRENTLY WITH OUR TEMPORARY SIGN PERMIT, AND I THINK WE RELAXED IT SOME AFTER COVID WHERE WE ALLOWED LIKE FEATHER SIGNS AND STUFF LIKE THAT.
SO ARE WE LOOKING TO POTENTIALLY JUST MIMIC WHAT WE DID, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE WERE DEALING WITH COVID? 'CAUSE I MEAN, IF THAT'S THE CASE, I THINK THAT WE COULD PROBABLY STICK TO WHAT WE DID THEN 'CAUSE THAT SEEMED TO BE ACCEPTABLE FOR STAFF AND COUNCIL AT THAT TIME.
WHAT WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE DID, DID THEN? AND WHAT IS I GUESS WHAT YOU'RE SEEKING DIRECTION ON NOW? SO SOMEWHAT SO THAT THIS WOULD BE A PERMANENT, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THAT YOU, I'M, I'M JUST, I'M JUST TALKING ABOUT PROCESS WISE.
NOT, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND IT WOULD BE A YEAH, A PERMANENT, YOU'RE, YOU'RE PUTTING A LITTLE BIT MORE SHAPE TO IT 'CAUSE UM, AND, AND WE CAN PULL, UH, WHAT WE DID FOR THAT, UH, PANDEMIC PERIOD.
UM, BUT THIS WOULD, THIS WOULD GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE SHAPE.
SO IN TERMS OF LIKE THE SIZES, IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER, UM, IN TERMS OF THAT, THE, THE TIMEFRAME, IT PUTS A LITTLE BIT MORE SHAPE IN IT THAT WE HAD THERE.
UM, WHEN WE DID THAT, IT WAS JUST KIND OF A RELAXATION OF WHAT WAS EXISTING AS OPPOSED TO NEW ALLOWANCES, UM, THAT THEY WERE, THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO TAP INTO.
UM, WITH THAT, I, I THINK THAT, I MEAN, 'CAUSE WE CURRENTLY HAVE, UH, THE WALL MOUNTING BANNER SIGNS IN OUR CURRENT REGULATION, THE ONLY THING THAT I WOULD PROBABLY BE IN FAVOR OF, OR THE FEATHER FLAGS AS AN OPTION, UM, AND, AND LIMITING THE NUMBER OF HOW MANY PER, I GUESS, PROPERTY, UH, IS ALLOWED.
BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A STRIP CENTER AND YOU HAVE 7, 8, 12 BUSINESSES IN THAT STRIP CENTER AND ALL OF THEM APPLY TO UP TO THREE FEATHER SIGNS, THAT'S 36, YOU KNOW, IN FRONT OF THAT ONE FACILITY AND IT JUST WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE.
SO I, I MEAN I, I I'M OKAY WITH MAXIMUM OF THREE SIGNS.
UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHAT'S BEING RECOMMENDED HERE AS FAR AS THE NO MORE, 30 MORE, NO MORE THAN 32 SQUARE FEET IN THE AREA WITH A MAXIMUM OF 10 FEET IN HEIGHT.
I MEAN, NO, EXCUSE ME, UH, 12 FEET IN HEIGHT.
I'M LOOKING AT THE GROUND MOUNT, EXCUSE ME.
UH, NOT, NOT TO EXCEED 12 FEET IN HEIGHT ON THREE FEATHER SIGNS PER SINGLE PROPERTY.
UM, BUT THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY, YOU KNOW, UH, TEMPORARY SIGN, UH, THAT I WOULD BE OPEN TO.
NOW, I GUESS COUNCIL MEMBER RULE IS YES.
WAS THE TIMEFRAME SOMETHING THAT YOU WANTED TO CHANGE AS WELL, OR ARE YOU OKAY WITH THAT REMAINING THE SAME? I'M OKAY WITH REMAINING THE SAME, ESPECIALLY IF THEY CAN JUST THROUGHOUT THE YEAR IF THERE'S A, A, A LIMIT.
AND THAT CONCLUDES MY COMMENTS.
RECOGNIZING COUNCIL MEMBER EMERY.
UH, AS FAR AS, UH, THE, UH, THE PERMITTING, UH, AND, AND I'M GONNA SPEAK, UH, PRETTY MUCH TOWARDS THE, UH, THE FEATHERED SIGNS.
[00:20:01]
IF YOU HAVE A BUSINESS THAT ONLY REQUIRES THE, OR ONLY REQUEST THE, THE SIGNS TO BE ALLOWED ON THE WEEKENDS OR MAYBE JUST ON A, A SATURDAY, HOW, HOW WOULD YOU HANDLE THAT FROM A STANDPOINT OF PERMITTING AND THE NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES? HOW HAVE YOU CONSIDERED THAT? AND IF SO, WHAT KIND OF, UH, FEEDBACK DO YOU HAVE ON THAT? SO NOW I WOULD ACTUALLY ASK FOR YOUR INPUT ON THAT THOUGH TOO, BECAUSE FROM THE REGULATION STANDPOINT, THE WAY IT'S WRITTEN, IT'S A TOTAL OF 60 CALENDAR DAYS.SO BASICALLY THEY'D BE PULLING PERMITS FOR EACH THREE DAY, YOU KNOW, TIMEFRAME THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO LOCATE THEIR SIGNS, THEY'RE PAYING PERMIT FEES, YOU KNOW, FOR EACH, YOU KNOW, THREE DAY TIMELINE.
UM, SO FROM A BUSINESS STANDPOINT, FROM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S A WORKABLE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SOLUTION FOR THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, FROM A REGULATORY STANDPOINT, THEY WOULD BE ISSUING PERMITS FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE PERIODS UP TO 60 CALENDAR DAYS.
WELL, I GUESS THERE, IS THERE OPPORTUNITY TO MAYBE TO LOOK AT THAT PARTICULAR SITUATION WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE TO PULL A PERMIT, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE, THE, THE, THE DAYS ARE THAT ARE BEING REQUIRED OR REQUESTED TO, TO HAVE THE, UH, BANNER SIGNED.
SO, UH, IF YOU CAN PUT OUT IN A CALENDAR OF WHAT DAYS DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PERMIT OR COULD YOU WORK AROUND THAT AND SAY ONE PERMIT FOR THESE NUMBER OF DAYS ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY THROUGH THE YEAR? YOU, YOU MEAN ON THE, THE PERMIT ITSELF? YEAH.
YOU COULD, YOU COULD, THEY WOULD JUST BE PAYING FOR EACH, EACH INCREMENT THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE PULLING THAT PERMIT FOR.
SO IT WOULDN'T BE ONE PERMIT THAT ALLOWS FOR, YOU KNOW, THAT WHOLE 60 DAYS.
THEY WOULD BE PULLING PERMITS FOR EACH ONE OF THOSE, THOSE SEGMENTS.
BUT IT NOW PAPER-WISE, THEY COULD GO ON ONE PERMIT.
BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COST OF THE PERMIT.
IT'S NOT, IT'S, IT'S NOT A SIZE, IT'S NOT, IT'S A NOMINAL, BUT FOR 52 DAY.
UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE ADD FOR EVERY YEAH.
FOR EVERY WEEK, UH, THEN IT KIND OF MOUNTS UP AND DEFEATS THE, TO ME THE IDEA THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE, UH, OUR SMALL BUSINESSES SUCCESSFUL AND NOT, YOU KNOW, THROW ADDITIONAL COST BURDEN ON THEM FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO USE TO PROMOTE BUSINESS.
SO I'M NOT SURE, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF APPETITE THERE IS TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT FOR, UH, A DO I SAY, UH, A STANDARD PERMIT THAT WOULD ALLOW, UH, FOR, YOU KNOW, A, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DAYS? YES.
SO THANK YOU JENNIFER AND STAFF FOR WORKING THROUGH THIS.
IT'S NOT PERFECT, BUT THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE.
UM, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER EMERY.
IF SOMEBODY CAN COME IN AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, I WANT A SPRING BREAK BANNER, I WANT A SUMMER BANNER AND A BACK TO SCHOOL BANNER, HERE'S MY 25 BUCKS.
UM, WHAT YOU SAID EARLIER IS IMPORTANT, JENNIFER.
UM, TO SHAPE IT RIGHT NOW IT'S THE WILD WEST.
PEOPLE JUST PUT SIGNS EVERYWHERE.
THEY PUT THE FLYING GUYS AROUND AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A MESS.
WE'RE CONTROLLING, UH, THE TYPES OF SIGNS.
UM, WE'RE, WE'RE PERMITTING IT.
WE HAVE RECORD KEEPING OF IT AND I THINK IT'S JUST A LITTLE CLEANER.
AND SO THAT'S JUST A COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE AROUND SHAPING IT.
'CAUSE AGAIN, PEOPLE ARE JUST TOSSING SIGNS OUT EVERYWHERE TODAY.
AND THE MORE VISIBILITY WE HAVE, THE BETTER OUR CITY LOOKS AND COMPLIANCE WISE.
RECOGNIZED AND COUNCILMAN MEMBER BROWN MARSH.
COUNCIL MEMBER MARLIS, THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO US.
AND JENNIFER, THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
SO DO CENTER AROUND A LANGUAGE, USE OF LANGUAGE ON THE SIGNS.
UM, HERE'S MY PRIMARY CONCERN ABOUT THE LANGUAGE BECAUSE LIKE YOU STATED ON THE WEEKENDS IS WHEN WE PRIMARILY GET THE PHONE CALLS, WE'VE GOT THE PHONE CALLS AND PICTURES OF BANNERS THAT SAY CHEAP CIGARETTES.
HERE PEOPLE ARE UPSET BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IN TERMS OF A SEQUENCE OF SIGNS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE DRIVEN AROUND AND I'VE SEEN THE SEQUENCES, LIQUOR, UH, HARDWOOD FLOORS, E-CIGS, ALL IN THE SAME STRIP CENTER.
SO WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S PROTECTIVE SPEECH, MY QUESTION I GUESS IS TO LEGAL, CAN WE HELP SHAPE SOME OF WHAT THAT SPEECH SHOULD BE? I'M HAPPY TO PROVIDE, UH, LEGAL ADVICE AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN AN EXECUTIVE SESSION.
OR IF Y'ALL WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A VOTE TO AUTHORIZE ME TO PROVIDE ADVICE, ADVICE IN THIS OPEN FORUM, I'M ABLE
[00:25:01]
TO DO THAT AS WELL.MAYOR, IF WE COULD TAKE IT IN EXECUTIVE SESSION, I, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.
OH, WHAT? THAT WAS GONNA BE MY MOTION.
SO I JUST HAVE ONE QUICK QUESTION.
SO FOR THE EXISTING BUSINESSES THAT ARE HERE, RIGHT? SO I HEARD YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THIS IS FOR EVERYONE.
SO WILL THAT BE THE CASE? MM-HMM.
SO IF SOMEONE'S BEEN HERE FOR 20 YEARS RIGHT.
AND THEY WANT TO, THEY WANNA DO THIS, THEY CAN.
SO WE'RE NOT, I MEAN WE'RE NOT TAKING, WE'RE NOT ONLY ACCEPTING FOR NEW PEOPLE.
BUT IT WOULD BE, THE RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE TO APPLY IT TO ALL BUSINESSES.
AND WHAT DEPARTMENT WILL BE THE ONE THAT WAS LOOKING AT THE DATE? LIKE THE 30 OR 60 DEVELOPMENT SERVICES? IT'S A, IT'S A SIGNED PERMIT.
AND THEN IF SOMEONE HAS NOT PASSED, WOULD THAT BE YOUR DEPARTMENT OR WOULD THAT BE CODE ENFORCEMENT THAT GOES OUT THERE WORKING IN COMBINATION WITH CODE ENFORCEMENT.
UH, SO E JOYCE, I GUESS THERE'S NO, DO WE NEED TO GIVE ANY, JUST GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION? YOU WANNA GO TO EXECUTIVE SESSION ON THIS ITEM? YES.
AND SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM AS WELL.
SO, UH, IF THERE'S A MOTION AND A SECOND TO GO BACK TO THE CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION FOR THE ITEM FOUR A, THEN WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE EXECUTIVE SESSION, YOU CAN JUST SAY PURSUANT TO 5 51 0.071 AS WELL AS THE LISTED 5 51 0.074.
[5. CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION]
THEN GO TO NUMBER FIVE.SO THE TIME IS 6:11 PM AND THE CITY COUNCIL WILL NOT GO INTO A CLOSE EXECUTIVE SESSION PURSUANT TO SECTION 5 5 1 0.074 AND 5 5 1 0.071 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE.
IS 7:13 PM THE CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW RECONVENE BACK INTO THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND RECESS THIS MEETING AT 7:14 PM TO TAKE UP THE REGULAR MEETING.
WE'RE GOING TO REOPEN THE SPECIAL MEETING AT 10:32 PM AND ARE THERE ANY ACTIONS ITEMS FROM A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION? OKAY.
UH, MAYOR, DID WE ACTUALLY WALK AWAY WITH A ACTION FOR NUMBER FOUR? I KNOW THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION, BUT, UM, DO WE HAVE AN ACTION FROM THAT? WE DID.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE TALK ABOUT FEE STRUCTURE, THE LIMITATIONS, THE NON INFLATABLES AND A BASIC CATALOG SIGN SELECTION, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT WAS DISCUSSED.
IF, IF I COULD I'D ADD TO THAT ALSO THE, UH, PERMITTING WHAT, UH, WE CAN DO SOME CONSOLIDATION.
UM, AS FAR AS ITEMS COMING OUT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION, UH, I MOVE TO REFER THE SUBJECT OFFICIAL TO ATTEND ETHICS TRAINING AND FURTHER DIRECT STAFF TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL ETHICS TRAINING, UH, TO THE ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL AS A WHOLE.
SO, UH, THERE'S BEEN A MOTION BY CONS.
MOTION AND NO, UH, CAN YOU DO A VOTE CALL? ABSOLUTELY.
THE MOTION CARRIES SEVEN TO ZERO.
WITH, UH, SO WE'RE GOING TO REJOICE.
I, I I NEED TO COME BACK AND DO, UH, REGULAR MEETINGS.
END OR MS YOU ARE IN THE SPECIAL MEETING.
YOU JUST NEED TO ADJOURN AT THIS POINT UNLESS YOU ALL HAVE ADDITIONAL ALRIGHT.
THERE'S NO OTHER FURTHER BUSINESS.
4:00 PM SHOULD WE JUST, WHICH I JUST DID HER.
[00:30:01]
YOU SLEEPY? NO.THERE WAS NO ACTION ITEM ON MOVING THE PROPERTY FROM, THEY ALREADY DID IT MY TWO HOUR TIME.
SO THE TIME IS ALL OUR PROPERTY.