07-11-2023 MinutesMINUTES
REGULAR MEETING
July 11, 2023
A Regular Meeting was held by the Schertz City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas,
on July 11, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. in the Hal Baldwin Municipal Complex Council
Chambers, 1400 Schertz Parkway, Building #4, Schertz, Texas. The following members
present to -wit:
Present: Mayor Ralph Gutierrez; Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Brown; Councilmember Mark
Davis; Councilmember Michelle Watson; Councilmember Jill Whittaker;
Councilmember David Scagliola
Absent: Councilmember Michael Dahle; Councilmember Allison Heyward
Staff City Manager Steve Williams; Deputy City Manager Brian James; Assistant
present: City Manager Sarah Gonzalez; City Secretary Sheila Edmondson; Deputy City
Secretary Sheree Courney
Call to Order
Mayor Gutierrez called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Opening Prayer and Pledges of Allegiance to the Flags of the United States and
State of Texas. (Councilmember Davis)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized Councilmember Davis who provided the opening prayer
and the Pledges of Allegiance to the Flags of the United States and the State of Texas.
Employee Introductions
Mayor Gutierrez recognized City Department Heads who introduced new staff:
• I.T.: Andrew Conley -Senior Systems Administrator; Venny Nunez-I.T. Support
Specialist
• Utility Billing: Tommy Perez -Utility Billing Clerk
City Events and Announcements
• Announcements of upcoming City Events (B. James/S. Gonzalez)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized Assistant City Manager Sarah Gonzalez who
provided the following:
Thursday, July 13
Glow Party
8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Rhine Valley Park
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Saturday, July 15
Float & Flick in the Park - "Jungle Cruise"
7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Pickrell Park
Tuesday, July 18
Next Regular City Council Meeting
Council Chambers
6:00 p.m.
• Announcements and recognitions by the City Manager (S. Williams)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized City Manager Steve Williams who provided the
following:
Teen Police Academy - held June 19 - 23, 2023. Run by Officer Anna Kraft,
14 teens learned about driving safety, internet safety, crime scene investigation,
toured the fire department, and learned how to become a police officer.
July 4th Jubilee
Parade was a resounding success. 3,500 attendees lined the streets along
the parade route to watch City officials and 72 entrants, a total of 1,200
people, greet them. Entries were judged, and award winners are as follows:
Municipal Entries
1 st Place - Wreaths Across America
2nd Place - Schertz Historic Preservation Committee
3rd Place - Councilman Joel Hicks, City of Cibolo
Business Entries
1 st Place - Shops at the Mill
2nd Place - HEB
3rd Place - Joonbug Pest Control
Nonprofit/Individual Entries
1 st Place - Off the Pavement Adventures
2nd Place - BSC Cub Scouts Pack #51
3rd Place - Klassich VDubs
5K Freedom Run had 309 participants.
Fireworks in the Park - 16 local food trucks, activities, carnival, live
music provided by Groove Knight and fireworks were enjoyed by
approximately 8,000 attendees. Additionally, there were 300 people in
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attendance at the Float & Fireworks at Pickrell Park Pool.
City Manager Williams thanked the Jubilee Sponsors - HEB, Caterpillar, Slim
Chickens, and Schertz/Cibolo Emergency Clinic and conveyed kudos to the staff
for making it a successful event.
• Announcements and recognitions by the Mayor (R. Gutierrez)
Mayor Gutierrez conveyed kudos to the staff and vendors for the work in
creating such a successful event. He thanked the sponsors who made the event
possible. Mayor Gutierrez also expressed thanks to all the volunteers who
helped with PROJECT FLAGLINE.
Hearing of Residents
This time is set aside for any person who wishes to address the City Council. Each
person should fill out the speaker's register prior to the meeting. Presentations should
be limited to no more than 3 minutes.
All remarks shall be addressed to the Council as a body, and not to any
individual member thereof. Any person making personal, impertinent, or
slanderous remarks while addressing the Council may be requested to leave the
meeting.
Mayor Pro-Tem Brown recognized the following residents:
Wyatt Agee, 9375 Corporate Drive, Selma, spoke as a participant of The Chamber
CORE Leadership Program, thanking Council, City Manager Steve Williams, and
Assistant Manager Gonzalez for their support of the program.
Richard Maus, 3434 Wimbledon Dr., Schertz, who spoke about the City of Schertz
Unified Development Code. He referenced the book "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote
to Chaos." He stated that one of the first indications of chaos is frustration that leads
to anger. In his observation regarding the zoning change for the Villas at Bluebonnet
Ridge there has been very little order. As of July 7th, there were 67 responses to the
public notice for the Villas of which 66 opposed and one was in favor showing the
current PDD is less popular than the last one.
Lynn Yeamans, 3509 Charleston Ln., Cibolo, a resident of Northcliffe, spoke
regarding the annexation of the neighborhood into the City of Schertz. Promises to
improve sidewalks and streets did not come to fruition. Except for services provided
by the Fire and EMS Departments, who have provided excellent service, she feels like
a stepchild. The city's lack of follow through on previous promises and support for
maintaining the former golf course have added to her frustration and negative feelings
toward the City of Schertz. She requests Council re-evaluate the actions taken that
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affect their area and treat them like real homeowners and property owners of the City
of Schertz.
Consent Agenda Items
The Consent Agenda is considered self-explanatory and will be enacted by the
Council with one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless
they are removed from the Consent Agenda upon the request of the Mayor or a
Councilmember.
1. Minutes - Consideration and/or action regarding the approval of the regular
meeting minutes of June 20, 2023. (S.Edmondson/S.Courney)
2. Appointment, Reappointment and Resignations on Boards, Commissions
and Committees - The Interview Committee met on June 22, 2023, to
review applications for appointment and reappointment, and conduct
interviews for the Board of Adjustment, Planning and Zoning Commission,
Library Advisory Board, and Schertz Historical Preservation Committee.
(S.Edmondson)
3. Resolution 23-R-10 - Consideration and/or action approving a resolution by
the City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, authorizing a ninth amendment
to the interlocal agreement with the Alamo Area Council of Governments
(AACOG) to provide funding in the amount of $42,666.00 for transit services
in the City of Schertz. (S. Williams/B. James)
4. Resolution 23-R-56 — Consideration and/or action approving a Resolution by
the City Council of the City of Schertz, Texas, authorizing a Task Order
Agreement Modification to the Task Order with Halff Associates, adding
design tasks and increasing the not toexceed amount to $511,000.00 for the
Lookout Road Reconstruction Project. (B. James/J. Nowak)
Mayor Gutierrez asked for a motion to approve Consent Agenda Items #1 - 4.
Moved by Councilmember Jill Whittaker, seconded by Councilmember
Michelle Watson
AYE: Mayor Pro -Tern Tim Brown, Councilmember Mark Davis,
Councilmember Michelle Watson, Councilmember Jill Whittaker,
Councilmember David Scagliola
Passed
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Discussion and/or Action
5. Discussion and/or Action on Electronic Voting. (Mayor/Scagliola)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized Councilmember Scagliola who opened the
discussion on the electronic voting system. Councilmember Scagliola would
prefer a verbal vote or have the voting displayed on the screen as the vote is
occurring, not published after everyone has voted. Councilmember Scagliola
expressed concerns that changing the voting mechanism from verbal to
electronic might violate the City Charter and/or Council Rules and
Procedures. Councilmember Scagliola referenced section 9 of the Rules and
Procedures stating that'voting matters shall be by roll call and the Ayes and
Nays shall be recorded in the minutes.'
Mayor Gutierrez stated that the use of the electronic voting system does not
violate the process for voting as listed in the City Charter and Council Rules
and Procedures. Mayor Gutierrez reminded Council that the roll call
confirmation was not done at the time of the vote whereas the new system
allows individuals to freeze the vote screen to see how individuals have voted
when viewing on YouTube making it much more transparent.
Mayor Gutierrez then opened the floor to Council for discussion.
Councilmembers Brown and Whittaker conveyed support for the electronic
voting system as is.
Mayor Gutierrez asked for a motion.
A motion to use the current voting system and confirmation system as it is was
Moved by Councilmember Jill Whittaker, seconded by Councilmember
Michelle Watson
AYE: Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Brown, Councilmember Mark Davis,
Councilmember Michelle Watson, Councilmember Jill Whittaker
NAY: Councilmember David Scagliola
Passed
6. Resolution 23-R-55— Consideration and/or action by the City Council of the
City of Schertz, Texas, approving a Resolution calling for the November 7,
2023, City of Schertz Joint General Election with Comal County, Bexar
County and Guadalupe County and making a provision for the conduct of the
election; authorizing contracts with the County Clerk of Comal County and
the Election Administrators of Bexar and Guadalupe Counties to conduct this
election and authorizing these elections to be held as Joint Elections.
(Mayor/S.Edmondson)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized City Secretary Sheila Edmondson who presented
information regarding the Joint General Election to be held November 7,
2023. City Council Places 3, 4, and 5 will be on the ballot for this
election. She provided the estimated cost of $45,000 for the General Election
with the inclusion of costs for a possible run-off. Ms. Edmondson also
provided the status of contracts with the respective county election officials.
She advised Council that Guadalupe County Election Officials will be using
the City of Schertz Community Center as their home base for early voting as
well as election day voting due to renovations at the Guadalupe
County Offices on Elbel Drive.
Mayor Gutierrez opened the floor to Council for discussion. No discussion
occurred.
Mayor Gutierrez asked for a motion to approve Resolution 23-R-55.
Moved by Councilmember Mark Davis, seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Tim
Brown
AYE: Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Brown, Councilmember Mark Davis,
Councilmember Michelle Watson, Councilmember Jill Whittaker,
Councilmember David Scagliola
Passed
7. Special Announcement: Charter Review (Mayor/S.Edmondson)
Mayor Gutierrez advised Council and residents that a Charter Review will be
called for by Resolution at the August 15, 2023, Regular City Council
meeting. Council was asked to send recommendations for individuals to serve
on the Charter Review Committee to City Secretary Sheila Edmondson no
later than August 8, 2023. He asked residents interested in serving on the
committee to contact him or a member of the Council for consideration.
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Public Hearings
8. Ordinance 23-S-13 - Conduct a public hearing and/or action on amendments
to Part III of the Schertz Code of Ordinances, Unified Development Code
(UDC) to Article 5, Section 21.8.5 Permitted Use Table, and Article 16
Definitions. (First Reading B.James, L.Wood, S.Haas)
Mayor Gutierrez recognized Samuel Haas, Sr. City Planner. Mr. Haas
explained the reasoning behind the amendments to Part III of the Schertz
Code of Ordinances, Unified Development Code to Article 5, Section 21.8.5
Permitted Use Table, and Article 16 Definitions are based interest in the city
for energy -based land uses specifically solar and battery storage. Staff
found language in the Unified Development Codes of neighboring
municipalities and determined to maintain competitiveness in this field
amendments to the City of Schertz's UDC were needed. On May 24, 2023,
the Planning and Zoning Committee approved the amendments with some
adjustments. The addition of the amendments, necessitated definitions of
Solar Energy, Solar/Photovoltaic Facility, and Power Storage System in
Article 16. The recommended adjustments from Planning and Zoning
Commission were to allow such uses in the Public Use District (PUB) with a
Specific Use Permit because these areas are spread throughout the City and
need to be considered on a case -by -case basis.
Staff have determined that power storage and solar energy production have
less adverse impacts on surrounding properties as other forms of energy -based
land uses and believe that M1 and M2 zoning districts would be appropriate,
therefore Staff recommends approval of the amendments to the UDC as
proposed and discussed.
Mayor Gutierrez opened the Public Hearing. No Public spoke. Public
Hearing was closed.
Mayor Gutierrez opened the floor to Council for discussion.
Councilmember Scagliola asked if the City had been approached by anyone
about Wind energy. Mr. Haas responded with not at this time.
Mayor Pro-Tem asked if approval from JBSA Randolph had been received.
Deputy City Manager Brian James responded that Randolph would probably
have issues with wind turbines due to the height slope standard which the
City has a regulation in place. The only issue communicated to the City with
solar is reflectivity and there are regulations in place for that as well.
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Mayor Gutierrez expressed additional concerns with the placement near JBSA
Randolph.
Councilmember Davis stated he doesn't see an issue with military
installations. Lackland and McGuire (NJ) have solar panels.
Mayor Gutierrez asked for a motion to approve Ordinance 23-S-13.
Moved by Councilmember David Scagliola, seconded by Councilmember
Jill Whittaker
AYE: Mayor Pro-Tem Tim Brown, Councilmember Mark Davis,
Councilmember Michelle Watson, Councilmember Jill Whittaker,
Councilmember David Scagliola
Passed
Information available in City Council Packets - NO DISCUSSION TO OCCUR
9. Monthly Update - FY 2022-23 Approved Expanded Programs (S.
Williams/S. Gonzalez)
10. Monthly Update - Major Projects In Progress/CIP (B. James/K. Woodlee)
Requests and Announcements
• Requests by Mayor and Councilmembers for updates or information from Staff
No requests were made by the Mayor or Councilmembers for updates or
information from Staff.
• Requests by Mayor and Councilmembers that items or presentations be placed
on a future City Council agenda
No requests were made by the Mayor or Councilmembers to place items or
presentations on a future City Council agenda.
• Announcements by Mayor and Councilmembers
• City and Community Events attended and to be attended
• Mayor Pro-Tem Brown - attended the 4th of July Jubilee Parade. Kudos to
the staff and volunteers for a great job and recognition of the work and
effort that went into it.
• Councilmember Davis - attended the 4th of July Jubilee Parade. Expressed
his thanks to the staff for a great event with the Jubilee. Attempted the
TIRZ II meeting today which failed to make a quorum.
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• Councilmember Watson - attended the 4th of July Jubilee Parade.
Expressed thanks to all the volunteers for the work. It was a great festival.
• Councilmember Whittaker - attended the 4th of July Jubilee Parade.
• Councilmember Scagliola - attended the 4th of July Jubilee Parade and
event at Pickrell Park. Stated the event was wonderful.
• City Council Committee and Liaison Assignments (see assignments below)
• Continuing Education Events attended and to be attended
No Continuing Education Events attended or to be attended were announced.
• Recognition of actions by City Employees
No recognition of actions by City Employees was given.
• Recognition of actions by Community Volunteers
No recognition of actions by Community Volunteers was given.
Adjournment
Mayor Gutierrez adjourned the meeting at 6:49 p.m
ATTEST:
Shei mondson, City Secretary
ARalpofutierrez, Mayor
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