* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [ Call to Order] [00:00:06] OKAY, THE TIME IS NOW 5:00 PM OUR CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP FOR SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2025. IT'S NOW IN SESSION. I'D JUST LIKE TO, UH, AS A REMINDER, THERE IS A HARD STOP AT 5 45 SO THAT WE MAY PREPARE FOR OUR CITY COUNCIL MEETING. SO FIRST ON THE AGENDA IS THE HEARING THE RESIDENCE. THIS TIME IS SET ASIDE FOR ANY PERSON WHO WISHES TO ADDRESS THE CITY COUNCIL. EACH PERSON IS LIMITED TO THREE MINUTES, AND WE ASK, BEFORE ADDRESSING THE COUNCIL FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS. DID ANYONE SIGN UP FOR THE CITY, UH, HEARING THE RESIDENCE? NO. ALL RIGHT. THEN WE'LL [1. Join the American Flood Coalition (Councilmember Heyward)] MOVE ON, UH, TO OUR DISCUSSION ITEM. THE FIRST ONE IS THE, UH, AMERICAN FLOOD COALITION, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER HAYWARD. OH, YES. LEMME TURN THIS OFF. UH, I'M JUST BRINGING THIS FOR COUNCIL SO WE CAN DISCUSS WHETHER TO BE MEMBERS. IT'S A FREE MEMBERSHIP, AND THE AMERICAN FLOOD COALITION, THEIR BIGGEST, PRO BIGGEST THING THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO PUSH AND DO IS FOCUS ON PREVENTING FLOODING, NOT TRYING TO DO THE DISASTER, AND THEN GIVING YOU RESOURCES OF WAYS TO FIND GRANTS TO HELP WITH MITIGATING FLOOD. AND SO THEY ARE JUST TRYING TO COME OUT TO CITIES AND BE MORE INVOLVED. AND I KNOW WITH, WITH FEMA, THEY WERE VERY INVOLVED WITH FEMA BY CHANGING THE APPLICATION PROCESS WHEN YOU NEEDED TO DO FEMA FOR THOSE THAT WERE DOWN IN THE, THE COAST THAT TYPICALLY DEAL WITH HURRICANES WHEN YOU WERE TRYING TO GET DIFFERENT THINGS. AND IT'S JUST ALSO RESIDENTS AS WELL. WHEN THEY WERE DEALING WITH TRYING TO GET LIKE A FEMA TRAILER, A MONEY FROM FEMA, THEY HAD TO APPLY TO ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, KIND OF, OF FEMA TO GET WHAT THEY NEEDED. AND SO AMERICAN FLOOD COALITION WENT IN AND WORKED WITH THE LEGISLATORS TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS. THEY TYPICALLY SEND OUT A NEWSLETTER. THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS THAT THEY CAN COME OUT AND TEACH YOU HOW TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE FLOOD. I KNOW IN SOME OF THE, UM, UH, STATES LIKE, UH, IDAHO AND AREAS UP THERE THAT DO A LOT OF CROPS, THEY'VE TAUGHT THE FARMERS HOW TO GROW CERTAIN CROPS TO HELP THE SOIL REPLENISH TO HELP MITIGATE THE FLOODS GOING FORWARD. SO IT'S JUST MERELY SOMETHING THAT'S FREE. IT'S A FREE RESOURCE. UM, I CAN TELL YOU THAT WHEN THE, UH, HER, WHEN, UM, SORRY, THE FLOODS HAPPEN IN KERRVILLE IMMEDIATELY, DR. RUTH, WHO IS ONE OF THE LADIES THAT I DEAL WITH, SHE IMMEDIATELY SENT AN EMAIL TO ME AS A TML PRESIDENT TO SAY, HEY, HERE'S SOME INFORMATION THAT THE RESIDENTS AND ELECTED OFFICIALS COULD POSSIBLY USE. AND THEY HAD ALL TYPES OF WEBSITES AND LOCATIONS FOR THEM TO JUST GO AND LOOK AND SEE HOW THEY CAN GET, UH, FUNDING FOR THINGS THAT WERE DESTROYED. THEY ALSO WORKED WITH THE MAYOR OF PORTLAND, WHO IS ONE OF THEIR BIG PROPONENTS, PORTLAND, TEXAS, UH, TO HELP WORK A DELEGATION FROM THE FLOOD VICTIMS IN NORTH CAROLINA TO COME TO KERRVILLE SO THAT THEY COULD TALK AND, AND WORK THROUGH THINGS. SO THEY'RE REALLY AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS FUNDED. IT'S A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION. THEY'RE FUNDED THROUGH PHILANTHROPY, AND THEY DON'T ASK ANY MONEY TO JOIN. I'VE JOINED AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND IN COUNCIL MEMBERS CAN JOIN AS INDIVIDUALS AS WELL, BUT I WAS JUST LOOKING TO SEE IF COUNCIL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THE WHOLE CITY JOINING AS A MEMBERSHIP. AND THEN THEY CAN COME OUT AND, AND TALK TO US ABOUT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT WE MIGHT, WOULD NEED WHEN WE'RE LOOKING FOR FLOOD MITIGATION. COUNCIL QUESTIONS? YEAH, I GOT A QUESTION. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER GUERRERO? YES. UM, IF THEY DO COME OUT, IS IT, IS IT FOR LIKE A DAY, A WEEK OR HOW DOES THAT WORK? MS. HILL? UM, I, THEY WILL COME OUT FOR AS LONG AS THEY NEED IF WE NEEDED SOME HELP WITH THEM. OKAY, SO LIKE A, LIKE A BRIEFING CONFERENCE SITE, A BRIEFING, YES. GOTCHA. OKAY. AND THEN I, I SENT YOU, I THINK IN YOUR EMAIL LINK, THEY CREATED A LIST OF ALL THE FLOOD, IT'S LIKE A FLOOD FINDING TOOL. SO IF YOU NEED ACCESS OR INFORMATION, THERE'S A TOOL THAT YOU CAN USE TO RESOURCE. THEY'RE ALSO, UH, TRYING TO GET INTO THE GR GETTING ON THE GROUND WITH WORKING WITH SOME OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATORS IN THE STATE HOUSE, LOOKING AT WAYS TO HELP THEM AS THEY'RE TRYING TO GET MONEY FROM FEMA TO COME IN AND BRING IN FOR FLOODS. AND ALSO LOOKING AT WAYS TO WORK WITH THEM TO TRY TO DO SOME MONEY TO MITIGATE SOME OF THE FLOODS. SO THEY'RE WORKING NOT ONLY IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO WORKING NATIONALLY. AND ALSO THE, LIKE THE MONEY ACQUIRED, THAT'S ALL GRANTS, CORRECT? YES. THANK YOU. I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA ACTUALLY. AND SINCE THERE'S NO COST TO US, UH, IT'S A NO BRAINER ON THAT ONE. COUNCIL MEMBER. OH, MAYOR. MAYOR. PROTON [00:05:01] BROWN. YEAH. I THINK I WAS JUST GONNA ASK THE SAME THING. CONSTABLE WATSON, UH, THE FACT THAT THERE'S NO COST OR THERE'S NO OTHER OBLIGATIONS. NO, NOTHING, UH, NOTHING. AND USUALLY I THINK THEY HAVE A TWO YEAR CONFERENCE AND THEY INVITE PEOPLE AND THEY PAY FOR THAT. IF YOU GO, I, I JUST FOUND OUT ABOUT THAT. BUT THE MAYOR OF PORTLAND DID ATTEND IN D IN WASHINGTON, AND THEY TALKED TO ALL THE TEXAS DELEGATES AND WERE ABLE TO GET SOME THINGS GOING. IT'S NO COST FREE IS GOOD. . YEAH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COUNSEL? MAYOR? YES. I'LL TAKE THE, I'LL TAKE THAT AS A, A A, THE GREEN LIGHT TO MOVE FORWARD. AND IF, IF IT'S NOT OF YOUR OPINION OR IN THEIR LITERATURE THAT WE NEED A RESOLUTION, DO THIS STAFF CAN JUST MOVE FORWARD WITH JOINING. YES. I JUST ALL, I DID WHAT THEY DO. I KNOW WHEN I DID, THEY JUST WANTED INFORMATION ABOUT ME AND THE AREA, AND THEN THEY JUST KIND OF PUT YOUR NAME OUT THERE AS MEMBER, AS A MEMBER CITY. OKAY. WELL, WE CAN, STAFF WILL TAKE THE BALL AND RUN WITH IT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. OKAY. [2. Join Coalition Against Bigger Truck (Councilmember Heyward)] WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ONE. UH, ITEM NUMBER TWO IS A JOINT COALITION AGAINST BIGGER TRUCKS. COUNCIL MEMBER HAYWARD, I'M BRINGING THIS ONE FORWARD. THIS IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS A LOBBYING IN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THERE ARE DIFFERENT COMPANIES THAT KEEP GOING UP AND THEY'RE WANTING BIGGER TRUCKS. SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING BIGGER TRUCKS, WE'RE TALKING TRUCKS NORMALLY I THINK ARE LIKE 80 POUNDS IS WHAT THEY CAN CARRY. THEY'RE LOOKING TO TRY TO HAVE BIG TRUCKS CARRY 90 PLUS POUNDS, UH, DUE TWO TRAILERS WITH THAT TYPE OF WEIGHT. AND WITH THE STUDIES, IT'S SHOWN THAT IT IS DANGEROUS. IT'S NOT, IT'S UNSAFE FOR RESIDENTS AND PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. SO I'M THINKING ABOUT IT. IT'S ALSO A COST TO THE RESIDENTS WHEN YOU HAVE HEAVIER TRUCKS AND YOU HAVE TO FIX YOUR ROADS. AND THEN THE BRIDGES WOULD HAVE TO BE RETROFITTED. SO IT COULD BE VERY COSTLY FOR THIS. AND WITH THIS ORGANIZATION, IT IS NOT A MEMBERSHIP. THEY JUST ASK THAT WHEN THEY ARE GOING UP BEFORE THE, THE, THE CONGRESS AND TO TESTIFY AND WORKING WITH THEM THAT WE JUST SEND A LETTER OR DO A RESOLUTION SAYING THAT WE ARE AGAINST BIGGER TRUCKS ON THE ROAD. UM, I SENT YOU A LOT OF INFORMATION IN THERE THAT THEY TALKED ABOUT. THEY HAVE A WHITE PAPER. THEY TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE COST. I KNOW THAT TEXAS RIGHT NOW, AND I THINK IT'S JUST OUR SIZE, UM, TEXAS IS ONE OF THE LEADING, UH, STATES WITH TRUCK, BIG TRUCK ACCIDENTS AND TYPICALLY ON AVERAGE, AND THEY'RE JUST DOING AN AVERAGE WHERE TWO PEOPLE PER DAY ARE KILLED BY BIG TRUCK. AND SO I JUST LOOKED AT IT AS FAR AS ONE, A SAFETY ASPECT THAT WE WANT TO KEEP BIGGER TRUCKS OFF THE ROAD. AND NUMBER TWO, JUST THE COST OF THE CITY. WHEN WE HAVE TO REPAIR ROADS OR WE HAVE TO RETROFIT BRIDGES AND FOR THE COST OF TEXAS WITH ALL THE ROADS AND BRIDGES THAT WE HAVE, IT JUST WOULD BE AN ENORMOUS, UH, AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WOULD BE SPENT TO JUST TRY TO HAVE THESE BIGGER TRUCKS ON THE ROAD. AND I JUST FIGURED WE COULD DO, WHEN IT'S TIME, THEY TYPICALLY WILL SEND OUT A LETTER. I'VE DONE IT A COUPLE OF TIMES. THEY'LL WRITE A LETTER FOR YOU. YOU, YOU READ IT, YOU LIKE IT, YOU SIGN IT. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE CHANGES, YOU MAKE CHANGES. OR THE, THE CITY COULD JUST DO A RESOLUTION AND THEY, AND WE WOULD SEND THEM THE RESOLUTION AND THEY WOULD USE THAT TO SAY THAT THE CITY OF CHURCHS IS ON BOARD WITH NOT HAVING BIGGER TRUCKS ON THE ROAD. COUNCIL FLOOR'S OPEN FOR DISCUSSION ON THIS ONE. UH, PAUL HAS SOMETHING. COUNCIL MEMBER MACALUSO. UH, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S UNNECESSARY. I, I DON'T SEE US HAVING A, A REASON TO GET IN THERE. IT'S PRETTY STANDARD FOR WEIGHT LIMITS. THERE'S, IF YOU WANT OVER 80,000 POUNDS, YOU GOTTA GET A SPECIAL PERMIT. I KNOW THERE MIGHT BE LEGISLATION TO TRY TO INCREASE THAT IT'S, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE HARDLY ANY SUPPORT. AND, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT WHO FUNDS THIS ORGANIZATION, THEY'RE FUNDED BY THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY. AND SO THEY HAVE A, A REASON WHY THEY WANT TO KEEP THE TRUCKS OFF THE STREET BECAUSE IT TAKES FREIGHT AWAY FROM THEM. SO I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, WE WOULD PASS ON THIS ONE. COUNSEL, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? NO. MOST OF THE, UH, BIG TRUCKS THAT WE DO HAVE ARE ON, YOU KNOW, STATE ROADS. UH, VERY FEW OF 'EM ACTUALLY GO INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. UH, MAYBE THE PARKWAY. UM, AND THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE THE AMAZON AND THE INDUSTRIAL PARK IS UP THERE. BUT I I, I HAVEN'T HEARD TOO MANY COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE, THE BIGGER TRUCKS ON OUR, ON OUR CITY STREETS. UM, AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR STATE ROADS, UH, AGAIN, THAT'S [00:10:01] TDO. WE, WE DON'T CONTROL THOSE EITHER. UH, I, AND I AGREE WITH COUNCIL MEMBER MACALUSO. UM, THERE IS REGULATIONS ON, UH, WHO DRIVES THEM, HOW, HOW LONG THEY CAN DRIVE, AND ALSO, UH, THE WEIGHT LIMITATIONS ON SOME OF THEM. UM, I JUST THINK THAT IT'S, UH, AT THIS POINT NOT SOMETHING THAT I WOULD CONSIDER EITHER. UH, WHEN YOU SAY THAT, YES, THERE ARE REGULATIONS, BUT THEY'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THE REGULATIONS. EVERY LEGISLATIVE SESSION IN WASHINGTON DC THEY ARE PUSHING THAT TO CHANGE REG THE REGULATIONS. SO IT COULD COME, UH, BEFORE US AND THINGS CHANGE. AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT, YES, THERE ARE STATE REGULATIONS, BUT LOOK AT SOME OF THE ACCIDENTS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN THE PAST. AND THE, THE PEOPLE THAT ARE DRIVING THESE TRUCKS DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH. AND I'M NOT SAYING EVERY COMPANY IS NOT DOING THE RIGHT THING, BUT THERE ARE A LOT OUT THERE. AND THEN ONE BIG ONE THAT HIT THE NEWS WAS IN FLORIDA WHERE THE GUY DIDN'T SPEAK ANY ENGLISH AND HE TRIED TO MAKE A U-TURN ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED, TWO A A FAMILY. I JUST, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS, THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHY I AM SUPPORTING THIS, BUT IT'S FINE. WELL, YOU, YOU MADE A GOOD, UH, A GOOD POINT. BUT IF WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THESE REGULATIONS ARE, WE HAVE THE INDUSTRIAL PARK OVER THERE AND IF WE ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH, WE JUST SIGN, SIGN UP AND SAY WE SUPPORT THIS WITHOUT, WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN AUSTIN. IT COULD HURT OUR INDUSTRIAL PARK. IT CAN HURT OUR PARTNERS UP THERE, NOT IN AUSTIN ON THE, UH, THE MANUFACTURING. AND THAT'S WHY, UH, I THINK IT'S, WE NEED TO ACTUALLY HESITATE ON THIS ONE FOR THAT REASON. WE CAN'T JUST GO IN THERE BLINDLY AND SAY, WE SUPPORT THIS WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THEIR, WHAT THEIR ACTIONS ARE IN AUSTIN. THAT COULDN'T HURT OUR CITY. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER, WESTBROOK MAYOR. IS IT POSSIBLE, UM, SO TO YOUR POINT, TO EVERYBODY'S POINT, IS IT POSSIBLE TO SORT OF TABLE IT, MAYBE GET SOME TYPE OF, UM, REPORT, MAYBE EVEN FROM ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO, TO HOW THIS MAY OR MAY NOT HARM OUR FUTURE IN TERMS OF, UH, YOU KNOW, TRANSPORTATION AND WAREHOUSING? I DON'T, I, I, UH, SCOTT, IS IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU CAN OBTAIN SOMETHING LIKE THAT? I JUST DON'T KNOW WHETHER OR NOT YOU, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION. I MEAN, MAYBE ECONOMICALLY, BUT IN TERMS OF DAMAGE TO THE ROADS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE THAT WE'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR. I THINK THAT WOULD BE MORE OF AN ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS. YEAH. I'LL REACH OUT TO SEE IF, IF ANY OF OUR, IF ANY OF OUR LARGER MANUFACTURERS HAVE ANY STRONG FEELINGS TOWARDS IT THOUGH. OKAY. THAT WILL HELP. COUNCIL MEMBER MACALUSO. YEAH, JUST ONE LAST THING. AND I, AND I UNDERSTAND WHAT COUNCILWOMAN HAYWARD'S SAYING ABOUT DRIVERS, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT THIS IS ABOUT. IT'S MORE ABOUT THE WEIGHT LIMITS AND THE LENGTH OF THE EQUIPMENT, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME STATES, ESPECIALLY UP NORTH WHERE IT'S RURAL, WHERE THEY DO WHAT THEY CALL TRIPLES, WHERE IT'S THREE TRAILERS. UH, THEY DO NOT ALLOW THAT DOWN HERE AND THEY DON'T ALLOW IT IN MOST AREAS THAT, THAT HAS, UH, MORE URBAN AREA. SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW IT'S KIND OF LIMITED THE DOUBLES AND, UM, THERE THERE'S NOT ANYONE IN THE INDUSTRY THAT THINKS THAT THAT'S GONNA BE A POSSIBILITY AS WELL AS INCREASING THE WEIGHT LIMITS, WHICH IS 80,000 RIGHT NOW. BUT, UH, MAJORITY OF THE TRUCKS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH CITY STREETS AREN'T GONNA BE WEIGHING ANYWHERE CLOSE TO 80,000. MOST OF THOSE TRUCKS ARE GONNA BE STUCK ON THE HIGHWAYS AND THE, UM, INTERSTATES COUNCIL, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, QUESTIONS? I THINK IT'LL BE GOOD TO GET THE, UH, THE REPORTS SO WE CAN LOOK AT THAT. WHATEVER YOU CAN GET FOR US. YEAH, YOU APPRECIATE IT. I THINK THAT WILL HELP, UH, YOU KNOW, FIND OUT WHAT OUR, OUR PARTNERS, UH, THINK OF THIS. UH, BEFORE WE TAKE ANY, ANY, ANY ACTION OR, OR, OR BE PART OF THIS COALITION, I THINK IT WILL BE USEFUL INFORMATION. HEY, COUNCIL, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? JUST COUNCIL WILL, I'M NOT YET. YES. LET ME RETIRE SOMEDAY MAYBE, BUT , NO. SO JUST TO CLARIFY, WHEN WE SAY DO SOME RESEARCH AND LOOK INTO IT IN OUR PARTNERS, WE'LL LOOK AT OTHER CITIES THAT HAVE INDUSTRIAL PARK INDUSTRIAL PARKS SIMILAR TO THE WAY WE DO. IS THAT YES. WHAT I'M HEARING? OKAY. YES. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. AT THIS MOMENT, I'M, MY MINDSET IS IF NO ONE THINKS IT'S POSSIBLE, WE DON'T NEED STAFF TO DO RESEARCH. WE JUST DON'T. YOU JUST DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING WITH IT. YOU CAN JUST DIE. [00:15:02] AND I'M GOOD WITH THAT. COUNSEL, ANY OBJECTIONS TO THAT? I DON'T WANNA BURDEN THE STAFF ON SOMETHING THAT, THAT'S WHAT I DON'T WANNA BURDEN THE STAFF WITH. SO THAT'S WHY I'M LIKE, WE DON'T NEED THE RESEARCH, UH, LISTENING TO EVERYONE IN THEIR COMMENTS. IT'S FINE. IT CAN JUST GO AWAY. OKAY. I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO, UH, JUST KEEP IN MIND NOW WHEN SOMETHING, I MEAN, MAYBE LATER ON IN THE FUTURE WHEN THINGS, IF THINGS GET WORSEN, WHAT, UH, I DON'T WANNA SAY WORSE. . IF TRAFFIC INCREASES TO A POINT THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT IT, UH, DIFFERENTLY. UH, YEAH, IT'S STILL UP THERE. IT'S STILL SOMETHING TO CONSIDER, BUT I THINK AT THIS POINT, UH, WE JUST WANNA HOLD OFF ON IT. SO THAT'S GOOD. THAT'S NOT NECESSARY FOR, FOR STAFF TO LOOK INTO IT THEN? NO. OKAY. NO OTHER COMMENTS. QUICK AND EASY. ALL RIGHT. THE TIME IS NOW, UH, FIVE 16. WE STAND ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.