Council meeting 2026-06-01
Agenda · Packet · Minutes · YouTube · 56:34 long
0:00Thank you to this group of people who care about what is going on and we pray that you will allow
0:06us to do the best work under your guidance and we will be careful to praise them in the name of your son
0:09Jesus. We claim it all. Amen and amen. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United
0:20States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with
0:29liberty and justice for all. Okay, we're somewhere here. This is not a good sign. my
0:43glasses. Ok. Thank you very much for joining us today. At this time, we are ready to welcome visitors.
0:53And naturally , I left my glasses in the car , but we'll do our best. Public comments from the audience. At
1:00this time, members of the public will only be allowed to speak on matters related to the city. No
1:05personnel matters or litigation matters will be permitted. The time period cannot exceed three minutes. In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the City
1:15Council will not speak under this item. The Council may not deliberate or act on matters except as properly posted in accordance with law.
1:26Having said that, do we have any? Ok. At this time, we don't have anyone from the public.
1:36So, this takes us to item number one, approval of the minutes for the May 18, 2026, regular session.
1:43Mayor and Council, I want to tell you all that I'm trying to get this down here to
1:49where I can even show it on TV in a minute , but I want to bring it up.
1:53It was brought to our attention that under item number eight, Council Member [name] was
2:02mentioned and it was n't [name], it was actually Council Member [name]. Because it was
2:17in Brier Street Council Member [name]'s complex. Therefore, we would request that if any motion is made to approve these
2:20minutes, it should be done keeping that correction in mind. I move
2:31that we approve the minutes with those corrections. Proposal supported. Well, it was
2:40carried forward and supported. Is everyone in favor of this ? Oh, okay. Yes .
2:49Ok. i didn't know. Ok. The proposal was passed. Ok. The minutes were approved. Ok. Now we come to the report
2:59, the city's administrative report. Mayor and Council, I just wanted to take a minute because this is a
3:06slightly shorter meeting than usual. And I realize we have some guests here who are discussing some other
3:10issues. So hopefully they will benefit from this as well. Over the past few
3:20years since I’ve been city manager, it’s come in waves. As the conversation or discussion about something progresses,
3:29people become a little frustrated. We talk about it a bit , address those issues and then they calm down.
3:36Okay, but depending on different times and places in our water system , there are times when we have several good months depending on the lake
3:44turnover and the amount of lake water we have purchased. If everything is going well with them
3:56, then it's usually going well with us too, and I'll explain how things can be different. Tonight I do not want to spend my
4:05time blaming anyone , but rather presenting the current situation factually. As you
4:16know, we or you may not have known or you may be asking questions. Let me show and
4:22tell you a little here. I have a few pipes and I keep a small section of pipes in my office.
4:28I keep a small section of pipe in my office because it comes in regularly and I talk to
4:35people when they talk about water problems. I think someone might have picked it up. So I went there today.
4:43I said, " Hey, you did some repairs today or the day before yesterday. Give me some of those pipes.
4:50" I took out some pipes. These are small pipes , not the big pipes that I couldn't
4:55get here, but to give you an idea of where we are. So I wanted to talk to you a little bit.
5:12As you can see on the screen, here are my messages for tonight. Colorless water does not necessarily mean
5:21that the water is unsafe. TCAQ provides us with regulatory guidance. The steps we take every day.
5:32We have certified and licensed people who are trained to deal with old water systems like ours. Their goal is to
5:43balance everything they inherit and everything they are given and try to fix it with the tools we
5:46give them. There are always ways to do things better. There are always new technologies. These are things
5:53we always try to improve on to improve our situation. If there are any new chemicals or new
5:58types of testing equipment , we always try to purchase them within our budget. But budget is usually the
6:05biggest obstacle. If it does n't, we can spend money on it and it will all be over.
6:09We will replace all our water lines. The water quality is checked every day. Every day people go out
6:17and flush the system. We have certain places where they test , they test for lead , they
6:24test the water , they test for chlorine and chlorine residue. And then we send those samples to the lab.
6:33We regularly take lab samples. By law, we pay thousands of dollars to third-party labs. Public health and
6:42safe drinking water are our top priorities. I just want to talk a little bit and I'm going to
6:48and I thought about calling some of our licensed operators as well , but to be honest when
6:52they talk about water chemistry they're talking about things that I don't understand and I do n't want to talk about that tonight. So,
6:58I'm going to do that. I'm going to explain it in my own way and what I've learned from it over the last 10 years.
7:07About five or six years ago, we started using something called free chlorine. We treated our water with monochloramine from free chlorine.
7:17This is a different type of treatment that lasts longer in the water. It stays attached to water particles for a longer time
7:27and disinfectant residues remain in our water for a longer time. As you know, our city has a
7:35lot of sprawling areas. So when we treat it here in College Hill , which is north of Hilltop, by the time
7:45it gets to the school district or Nottingham Woods or Meadowoods, it's gone through miles of pipes, and the
7:57longer the water stays in the pipes, the less of these residues and disinfectants are removed from the
8:04water. It falls out of the water and it is no longer sterile. That's why we prefer heavy
8:09flushing and we always test it to make sure there's always chlorine in the water. And it's always
8:17treated as something that requires it. This creates a by- product. If you're not careful , this creates nitrification.
8:26Monochloramine disinfectants create nitrification. We have adopted, under the guidance of TCQ, a nitrification
8:35action plan that requires us to go in twice a year and convert it back to free chlorine.
8:42This is called chlorine burn or chlorine shock. Basically, sometimes you go out , it's on a small scale
8:50, but when your pool starts to change color and you do a shock treatment on it , that's
8:56where the disinfectant is. However, it cleans that system and removes all nitrification, which is what gives you the
9:03cloudiness you see. Things that are going through our system, we issue notice 30 days before it happens.
9:09If and when it's not healthy , but sometimes it's just bad- looking
9:19water. It's not the kind of water you want to just pour into a glass of water and drink,
9:23but it's not going to harm you. It's not going to harm you. This is treated water. If
9:28fact it has two different types of chlorination and it is even more treated than normal. So it
9:36certainly wo n't have bacteria, but it is removing sediment that's built up in the pipes. When we switch
9:41from lake water to groundwater, it's cleaning those pipes. And I'm telling you this council because I
9:50hope you can all be agents of the city because we're there because there are frustrated people. There's nothing
9:58more frustrating than the staff there trying their best and then you have to deal with either cloudy
10:03or rusty water. They take it personally. They want to fix it immediately. It's not something that anyone else
10:13is after. Well, let's go ahead and do it today. They're responding as quickly as possible to fix those things.
10:23But when we were making the transition , for example, last week, we made the transition from lake water.
10:27Lake called us and said, "We've got to go down for a while. We need you to turn on your wells." They could
10:33not do that. They treat their water and they also take samples to the lab. When their samples do
10:39n't pass, they call us and say, " We can't sell you water right now. We have to
10:43flush our system or we have to do something with their treatment process. " So what do we do?
10:48We turn on the well water. When we convert well water to lake water , as soon as
10:55we open the tap here and turn on the well water in our system , we still have
11:03lake water from the surface water in our system. Mixing lake and well water results in two different types of
11:08treatment processes. Water has two different structures. The pH balance of water is different. Therefore, the treatment process of well
11:16water and lake water is completely different. But until this is mixed in the system , water does not get drained out of the system.
11:23And as you can imagine, we have a lot of water in our system. So it takes a
11:31day, two days or sometimes three days to completely clean our system. Then the lake called us and said, "
11:35Hey, we're good again. We're ready to go back." So we had to make changes again. And those
11:40treatment processes change once again. When they change treatment procedures , that's especially, and I'm
11:51showing you this tonight, not to make you feel disgusted, but to show you what we're dealing with.
11:56These are pipes and these are small pipes. We have a variety of sizes of pipe, but a
12:01lot of our pipes are still from the late 19th century or early 19th century. Those that have been
12:09declared hazardous, such as lead piping, we remove. Whenever we come across a situation like this, if you
12:18know about lead , we do something called a lead service line inventory. We completed it a few years ago.
12:25Now, our goal is that wherever we come into contact with lead , you are not allowed to do lead repairs. You will need to
12:33remove it completely from the ground until there is no lead left in the ground. Go back over the joints until you're back to PVC or you know we can convert it back to safe.
12:41So we're not dealing with that. But we still have them and as you can tell if these
12:47pipes are 100 years old it was a really good investment. These pipes have been in the ground for a hundred years.
12:54You have it. They held on and we took advantage of it. As long as it's good , why change it
12:58? You know why reinvent the wheel ? Why do you want to put new pipes in the ground
13:04? These are fine. Until they get well and until they get well throughout the city. If you look at the one here
13:11, this is what we're dealing with the most. So, as the pipes rust and we have some, the
13:17pressure fluctuates. If there is a leak on one side of town, the pressure drops as we fix it and
13:23flush the system and get the pressure back up. There is pressure all over the city. If the
13:30fire department calls it water hammer. There will be two different levels of water pressure. And when you're
13:38moving around , if the pressure here is at 20 PSI and it's coming down to 80 here.
13:42When they meet, they cause water hammer and they blow out the line. They rip through half-inch steel pipe.
13:51That water hammer will completely balloon the system. These here, we have them all the time, where these little
13:59joints and systems, they rust , they break down , and they stay that way until there's a
14:05slight change in pressure, and they leak. So, while we're fixing this here , we're going to make another
14:10pressure change. And so, as you can see , these are what we deal with on a daily basis
14:15, this balance of maintaining water service. Rust, Scale and Sedimentation. The water we use is either well water
14:24or lake water. The lake water contains organic matter which is treated , filtered and then brought to us.
14:28So, it is a different treatment process. Well water contains a lot of minerals, a lot of minerals are deposited.
14:34Metal pipes tend to rust. So, the rust settles. So, as this pressure changes , this rust builds up
14:45and the skills fall out of the pipe. And then when the pressure charges back up , it's in the system.
14:51And so we deal with a lot of the complaints that you might hear. Today we do chlorine
15:03conversions twice a year. TCQ came to look at our system. He
15:12recommended that we do some chlorine conversion. We do daily monitoring. We do third party lab analysis. And
15:18as I mentioned earlier, every day we go out and collect residuals , meaning we take samples and test them to see
15:27how much chlorine is in the water, how much ammonia is in the water, and all the disinfectant
15:31levels. Well, I mentioned the water in this lake is low in minerals but high in organic matter. There are fish
15:39in that lake so we have to filter and treat it. The lake contains decaying organic matter such as
15:49seaweed and growing weeds that need to be treated. Well , if we talk about water and wells,
15:56we do n't have organic matter, but we have a high amount of minerals. We have iron, manganese,
16:01different pH levels, we have sulfur in our water that we have to burn off and specially treat.
16:07Sometimes when you smell that water, there's a well that's about 1300 feet below the ground. One of our wells.
16:15It passes through a layer of sulfur. We have a base of sulfur veins in our bedrock. When
16:27that water comes up through it , it brings sulfur gas. We burn it. Sulphur gas is burnt in air. The
16:34water is thrown up and mist is poured over it, which removes all the gas from the water.
16:41But sometimes you might smell eggs, like a rotten egg smell or just an
16:50unpleasant odor, especially when the water is heated in a water heater and you take a bath. You
16:59can smell it. The treatment between two treated waters causes the water to become discolored. I have to
17:13tell you one more thing here. The city of Crockett is the fifth oldest city in Texas and it's a point of pride.
17:21We always talk about the history that Crockett has with us. This is one of the histories of our city
17:29that we are not proud of and we are not happy with. We have a lot of infrastructure
17:36that has n't been replaced. And I'm not talking about the last 50 years. Much of this infrastructure dates back to the
17:42early 1900s. We are removing the hydrants and replacing them with hydrant stamps dated 19, 1889, 19, 1900, 1910.
17:51We have these old hydrants that have water systems. I understand how we're all
18:00bothered by this right now. But I just want to ask the public not to be bothered by those
18:07who are trying to fix this problem and the council has now invested millions and millions of dollars in our water
18:12system. It's disappointing that we waited until now and did n't replace these systematically and
18:21we put it off until deferred maintenance caught up with us. We have 455,000 feet of water
18:31lines in the ground. We have 86 miles of water lines throughout our city. We distribute approximately 1
18:40million gallons of water to the public every day. However, we only sell half a million gallons of
18:48water to the public. There is a loss of five lakh rupees. Losses of Rs 5 lakh occur due
18:54to small leakages everywhere. Any major leaks we see on the surface , we fix them immediately. But the small
19:01leakages that we cannot see keep seeping into the ground , about which we are not aware. We do
19:06n't fix them. We only sell half. We only sell half of what we actually pump. I believe
19:13that aging infrastructure is a major reason why we are facing the problems we are facing today. I'll
19:24put some pipes here on the screen and in front of you. These have rusted. It is deposited on this.
19:28This is calcification , this calcification is calcium. This is a mineral deposit. I'm not going to put it in my mouth
19:36, but it's not something that will kill. These are organic. This is not poison. This does n't look good.
19:45This is not something you want to see in a glass of water or at the bottom of the tub while taking a bath.
19:51I understand this. I like it. But these are pipes. These were installed when we installed them.
20:04These are horse-drawn carriage rings that were placed on the sidewalks around the city. This is from the
20:08same era. The horse-drawn carriages and horses and dirt roads are gone now, but we're still using the same infrastructure
20:16that was put in place at the same time as people rode horses into town and visited the shops of the dukes
20:25and heirs. So this is the era we are dealing with and all of this has now been
20:35accounted for us. Those sidewalk horse rings and hinges, uh, hitching post hinges, they're gone , but the pipes are
20:44still in the ground because they're easy to forget. It's easy to ignore them. And, you know , when you're
20:51walking down the sidewalk and you see these, why are they still there? Let's remove these. A new
20:56concrete pavement is built directly over these old lines. And this is what we are seeing. So ,
21:02these are pipes. This is 1910. This is a 1910 pipe. It is rusting. As long as the pressure remains constant
21:09and solid. If anything , it acts as additional filtration as the water flows through that pipe and more
21:18organic matter gets attached to the size of these pipes. But when this pressure changes , you get rusty
21:23colored water. The water may appear orange. It may look yellow. Um, depends on your taste of the day.
21:30Um, I wanted to talk to the council about this. And it's not it's moving from despair to a
21:38little hope. And that's what we've seen over the past few years. The council has invested heavily in our city.
21:47This has come with some opposition. This is paid for from water rates. It is paid for by property taxes.
21:58Hence, we hear people saying that we are in debt. This is a bad thing.
22:10I think we should borrow every dollar we can today to fix the infrastructure, even when we are already
22:20losing 50% of our water. And every year that we delay making these massive investments , the cost of replacing these water lines will increase by 10% each year.
22:32Materials, contractor costs, every year our dollar devalues due to inflation. Why wouldn't we do that ? Whatever
22:41our maximum borrowing capacity is today , and I'm saying this from an investment perspective , the maximum amount of money I can borrow
22:48at 0% interest rate , 0%. So, I'm investing dollar for dollar in replacing these lines even though they will
22:57never be cheap. These lines will never be cheaper than today's cost to fix them. There will be
23:01more next year and even more after that. We would be very unwise to miss any opportunity to bring in dollars today
23:12and pay for them tomorrow at the rate of depreciation and inflation. This alone will be a saving when we pay off that debt 20 years from now when that dollar will be worth only 80.
23:29And so last year alone, we invested $3 million. We laid 12,000 feet of new water lines. A
23:38lot of these old water lines, these 8 water lines, were collapsing when we were pulling them out of the ground.
23:43We replaced them all with 12,000 feet of new water lines. A few years before that, we put $4 million into storage tanks and our elevated water tanks located next to Walmart. We knocked
23:56them down , sanded them down, and repainted them all. We are already looking at one of our water tanks
24:03that needs to be demolished and rebuilt in time. Every time we think we're good and we think
24:10we can forget it , we can't. Maintenance should be given top priority. Next year, we have over $8 million in additional grant funding. These are all
24:20grant funds, as I said, these are grant funds that we brought in. The next year, we brought in over $8 million in grant funding to replace
24:26at least three miles of road in our city as well as build a new well. The
24:40projects we have funded are 4.7 million. They came in the form of grants. To get the $8 million I mentioned earlier, we had to
24:50show money in the form of goods and it was n't all free. So, we had to get some of it at low percentage interest rates or 0% interest rates.
24:57Whenever we get deals like this, I think we'd be really wrong not to take full advantage of them. Here's
25:07another thing. I told you we have 83 million or 83 miles of water lines.
25:23Going by the rate we set last year for replacing water lines, it would cost at least 100 million
25:26, but our target is probably 120 million if we replace them all at once. 12-20 million. Basic Mathematics.
25:37If I borrow just 100 million , we have 2500 customers , and if I look at it over 40 years,
25:44we're looking at about $83 a month that every citizen will have to spend for the next 40 years to replace their water lines.
25:52This is what we are facing. So we have to prioritize every grant we
26:02can apply for , every dollar we can get, especially if we can match it dollar for dollar or
26:09match our $1 with a few dollars. Any time we can maximize our borrowing or maximize our grant
26:14revenue by matching , that's the first thing we should do. And one day the council, whether it's the
26:23council sitting in this seat or someone else who will replace you, someone will have to answer for this.
26:33Yes, I have a question. I had a question once before and I think we talked about ARPA money,
26:41ARPA funds. So, how many Aqua Horns were given to the city ?
26:50I think it was 1.4 million. Exactly 1.4 million. I think it was about less than a half million.
26:57And that way, you can save about $120 million in fixing 83 miles of water lines. [name], I have a
27:13question. Ask. So, we fixed 12,000 feet of line last year , right? What is the total number? Do
27:21you have a total count of how many lines we've replaced in the last five or seven years
27:25? I did a report for the Texas Water Development Board last year and we replaced the last five miles of pipe. I
27:37think this report was three or four years old. Whenever we replace a water line, we replace the pipes whenever we get the chance. If there
27:49is a hole in one side of the pipeline, we do not put a clamp around it, as has been done for
27:53many years. We just put the clamp around that one hole and then switch it to the next section or the next hydrant.
28:01We change several sections at a time , especially if we go there two or three times, within a reasonable time. We change
28:10many of its sections according to the time. And so we gather that information and data and it has an impact. It has an
28:17effect. We chose certain roads, like last year’s road, because we had
28:26extra funds that we could use to build a new road over that road. So, we used half of that funding
28:36to replace the infrastructure underneath and the other half to put asphalt on top. We then also selected streets
28:44that had large water lines , conduits that ran through neighborhoods, and had high water pressure. We found roads
28:52that had more leakage than others and chose those roads as part of the selection process. My question after this would be
29:03what is the life of the thing you are replacing it with? I mean, we usually replace that with a C900.
29:09We are replacing all of our water pipes with C900 pipe. It's called 100 Red-eared Pipe. Ok. It is a thick-
29:15walled PVC pipe. Very strong and durable. Um, slip connection so that when the ground moves, we do
29:23n't break and have any problems with that pipe. So , it is said to be a pipe about a hundred
29:27years old. Apparently, it was made in the 1980s. So, we do n't know yet if it will last 100
29:34years, but yes, sir. Ok. It lasted 100 years here , but it also gets deposits on it
29:40, which PVC does not. Yes. I was just trying to make sure we did n't have to go back and change stuff we changed 10 years ago.
29:49It had to be changed again. It had to be changed again. I mean, we're making another note
29:52that I'm going to um and and I'll wrap it up and I thank the council for taking a
29:56little bit of time with me , but um I wanted to help empower the council with more information
30:06that will help with frustrating situations. What we're grappling with , as you know, is we have a
30:15lot of Victorian-era homes. There are many old houses in our city, some of which are even a hundred years old.
30:22If this pipeline was installed in the 1980s , it is likely made of copper and has reached its end.
30:29Pin holes are now forming in the copper. Why so ? Because it gets worn out due to friction and water abrasion. The
30:36water flows through the Grand Canyon itself. It cuts rocks. Therefore, it corrodes the pipe and causes the
30:42walls to become thinner and thinner over time. As the phases in our water systems change , alkaline water
30:51and acidic water, they begin to corrode and tiny pin holes form in the copper pipes. Anything past copper is going to be
31:00galvanized. These little pipes that you see here , galvanized or cast iron themselves. Uh, this is a
31:12big source that occurs inside homes and is a big source of rusty orange or red water. We have a lot of
31:20customers calling us worried and complaining about their water. We go out and open that hydrant and flush it
31:27and the water is flowing clear in the main pipe. But when we go inside that house, that's
31:32my problem. Rust has accumulated and built up in it and it has rusted. And especially near the water heater,
31:39if you remove those supply lines from the wall , I just had to replace one in my house. With the
31:46supply lines removed from the wall, you could n't fit a coffee straw or stir straw through that pipe.
31:51He was completely rusted. And that's, you know, the water pressure complaint. Complaints about water pressure and uh
31:58rust colored water or orange water. We received a complaint the other day and it was from a neighbor of one of our city
32:05employees and she said she went into her house and noticed that the water in her house was
32:09running clear while the water in her neighbor's house was rusty and cold and so a lot of
32:15people are trying to work with these customers and we do n't want to be put off because a lot of times
32:21it's due to our water maintenance and we flush it quickly. If it is in that area. And I have
32:28something to show you. If you could just give me one more minute. If there is corrosion , if there is rust, if there is
32:41pressure fluctuation somewhere in our system , then our system is nothing but a network of connections. So
32:50wherever the highest draw is at that time, that's where the water flows in our system. So if there's a big water leak in
32:58an industrial area of the city or, let's say, where the water pressure drops and water is flowing
33:05, the water will continue to flow from one part of the city to another and back and forth. That's why
33:10we are asking. We understand the need to vent frustration and put things on Facebook.
33:20This does not solve the problem. We'll be there as soon as you call us. We have 24/7 staff on duty 24 hours a day.
33:28Our Public Works office phone number can be transferred to your cell phone. You'll always find someone there who
33:34can answer. The quicker we get there and open the hydrant, the quicker we can get that rusty
33:39or discolored water out before it gets into the area. Or someone else, some unknown grandmother, is washing her clothes
33:47and rusty water comes into her house. Let's get that out of the system. And so I am
33:54requesting all of you to please educate the people around you and discuss them whenever you get the opportunity.
34:03[name], I want to ask you a question. So I think trying to reduce the temperature, the fluctuations, the community levels.
34:13I understand, but I know they want to know how we're going to solve this problem. From what I understand, the previous
34:23council has been talking about replacing the water main for some time. So that's what I want to know,
34:31as far as the infrastructure, the aging infrastructure, the project , how do we address that, what measures do we take
34:42because I mean, I do n't want to, and not only that , I talked to the fire department once
34:49when I went on my little tour and we talked about how rust and sediment builds up in those pipes
34:57and how if they catch fire, it prevents the pressure from supplying the fire to that house. So, we have to discuss this as
35:05a council to come up with a solution and you try and come up with some things to discuss.
35:15But, I know that's what they want. This is what I want because this is what comes out
35:20of my tap. Water infrastructure is being prioritized somewhat in our state legislature. They're actually
35:30prioritizing , I believe in the last constitutional amendment, everybody voted on a constitutional amendment last year and I believe
35:39it passed 80% or maybe over 90%, to allocate a billion dollars from the legislature by constitutional amendment.
35:46So legislators don't get a chance every year to say, "Okay, guys, here's a pot of money. Let's divide it up.
35:53Let's put our state budget here by constitutional amendment." $1 billion is automatically put into the pot, and they
36:03can't discuss it until there's another vote to remove that funding. So, $1 billion every year, and these projects are
36:12also divided into grants without any matching funds. We've already applied for that. Our next big project, the one
36:20we're trying to prepare our packet for, is for North Fourth. We've basically replaced South Fourth from the
36:27prison at Anson Jones. We've replaced that all the way up to the Loop. The rest of North Fourth
36:33needs to be replaced. Until we replace the water lines , the fabric wo n't even touch the road.
36:37So, that's the next source of funding we're trying to put in. But, as I mentioned, I'm missing billions of dollars.
36:45I want to say it's about $300 billion. Billions of dollars. According to one estimate, our state currently has an
36:53urgent need for water infrastructure of about $300 billion. If each city adds up all their expenses , if we're saying
36:58ours is $100-120 million, then each city adds that cost together, that's a drop in the bucket at $1 billion.
37:04So you said that and go on. So I was asking you about the Opera Fund. So tell me, would
37:12you tell us again how much funding there is, how much we have from the American Council Fund
37:21, American Rescue, as I said, it was about $1.5 million, and the Council has allocated that funding.
37:28I believe there is some, and I wanted to bring it back to the Council. Some of the Council's priorities remain
37:35unmet needs. And so we need to allocate the remaining ARPA funds , but there's about $ 200,000 left in the ARPA fund.
37:44But the Council purchased police vehicles from that. The Council allocated money for roof repairs and city infrastructure repairs. Purchased new buildings,
37:52put a new roof on them, you know, the library and civic buildings. The council has already prioritized those
37:59funds , right? So, with that said, things like water should be revisited. I think
38:10we had this problem back then too. I mean, I think it's too late now. Well, you're talking about previous councils
38:17that had priorities back then. If we have buildings with leaking roofs , that's a priority too. So, instead of every
38:26council getting frustrated with previous councils for deferring maintenance to this date, or you know, my only answer is council,
38:36we need to look for every possible source of funding that we can afford on a reasonable basis, like a
38:42loan. Uh, whatever we can afford. I do n't know. You know, there's no other source of money. There's
38:55no other source of money. Um, I want to tell you all this. Our city employees, they live and
39:04work in the city of Crockett. They work and raise their families. They drink the same water. They
39:09bathe in the same water. So, it's really frustrating to see it come down to us versus them.
39:18And we're missing the mark. Our city employees invest heavily. They're raising their kids on the same water.
39:25They want clean water too. And when you call them and say, "Hey, I have a water problem here,"
39:31they feel it. "" They feel that way because they've done their best to address it. And they
39:38will come there immediately. We'll come in there, clean the system , find the source of the problem
39:41and try to address it. This is the message I want to convey to the public and the council. We
39:50pay , we sell our water, this bottle of water from the grocery store, you buy it for a dollar and
40:02$2 for this half 500 ml. $2. We sell water for 63. We sell our water for this much.
40:08This is our water rate. That's how we're trying to make enough money to pay our bills and keep the
40:11water supply going. Um I'm committed to Crockett Water. I ask for Crockett Water. I go to a
40:20restaurant. I kind of make my point. It's funny, but people pay attention when you ask, "What do you
40:26want to drink? Water , sweets, tea, whatever." "I say, ' I want Crockett Water.' " I know
40:31what goes into this water. I know what we're doing. I go to the plant and see how they're treating it.
40:35And you know, if it's rusty, I'll take it out and I'll keep adding another one until it's
40:38clean. Another thing we're going to tell the public is, if you're having a problem with rusty water
40:45and it's taking you about 30 minutes to fix it, we'll go out there and open that hydrant,
40:50flush it, and clean the pipeline in that area, and you go to your water tap and flush it for 30 minutes.
40:56We'll waive your bill. We wo n't charge you for the water you had to pour into the ground
41:02until it's clean. So, that's our commitment to all of you. We, you know, um, okay, I'm only going to charge
41:09for the water you had to pull out of the ground. I just realistically He said, " Even in our city,
41:17even with the best drainage, if you live in an older house like the one here , these
41:21are my pipes. Every time I dig one up in New York, it looks the same. And I'm
41:25amazed by it. And right now, I'm waiting because I have an older house. It looks good from the outside
41:31, but I'm getting all my pipes redone because they're rusted. And so I know that when you flush it
41:37, it's good for a while, but when it comes through your pipes, you get it back up again.
41:42If you live in some of the older houses , and we have a lot of them here.
41:45But I see that, as he mentioned before, when the council comes in, they have a recommendation. They see what
41:54they need most at that time. Right now, we're in a situation of greatest need, and we just
42:00need to find a source. Money is tight. You don't have to tell anyone that. You can look at your
42:04checkbook." I can look in and see how tight it is. But prioritizing it is a good start
42:10because we needed to look at it holistically and we needed to look at these pipes to make sure
42:16they were real and that no one was making them up and they were somehow getting into your house.
42:21But the thing we really needed to hear was that it was safe. That's important to me. Can
42:27you drink it and not die? You know, I'm trying to understand that. As you get older , the more cautious you become.
42:33I need something real. Do I need to boil it? Like old people say, "I need to boil this water."
42:38"Man, do you remember when they used to boil your water before giving it to you ? I don't know if
42:41it worked , but it made them happy. I used to be happy too. I do n't know.
42:45But the reality is, we all have to find a source of income as a council. And then whatever we get in the next two or
42:53three years, if you can get a lower interest rate , that's all we need. I mean, not everything. You'd
43:01like it to be free, but nothing is free right now. And so, we want the most bang for our buck.
43:07And I think [name] can do that because he has a great vision. It's not that he's smart.
43:15I'll say that, but he's not the smartest in the world, but he knows what works for our community. That's why
43:22we chose him as city manager. But I think right now , I appreciate that he did it
43:28because we want people to say, 'Oh, my water is different colors, rainbows, I don't.'" Address. "But we know
43:36why. And if you look at the pipes near your house , if you're not sure , you do
43:42n't have to dig very deep to see because for some reason they have n't been dug that deep.
43:46You just have to kick one around. But we think we're in a good place right now. The
43:53money we had was more than enough for the work that needed to be done. And we do this
43:58because the last time we had other money, everyone was worried about the roads. I can't go down my street.
44:04Then they could n't access the street because they couldn't see what was underneath, and there was no point in putting the road down
44:09and putting it back up again the next day. So, we not only accomplished the goal of building a good
44:14road , but we also got the road repaired and we took care of the infrastructure. And so, now we're
44:23on the second part of the infrastructure. And it's a very long way. 83. It was 83 miles. It's a
44:29lot." It's a long way. Around us. And around the city and to the lake to make sure
44:34we get it. So, it's going to be tedious and hopefully it won't slow down , but we
44:40know the water is safe in the meantime. Everyone will be, I know the councilwoman will be looking for sources.
44:48When she hears something, she'll investigate, and I know the entire council will be looking for it, and that's what
44:53we're all about. We're here to work for the public good, and because we're part of that, we'll
45:00benefit from it too , because we want everyone to be healthy. And that's where we are. And we
45:05appreciate the summary. And I think it's given us an idea of where we are, where we need to work.
45:10We need to keep searching. You hear about a grant , you have to refer back to it.
45:14You don't have to understand it. You just have to hear about it, and we'll work on the details
45:19and see if it's some funding, because you hear about it all the time. Funding here, funding there. But
45:24we don't always digest it. We do , but now we're in it and trying to really listen and work on it and respond to it.
45:31So, thank you for that review. We needed to know why we have this pretty colored water. I have a question.
45:41Yes. So, what's the main starting point in this city for replacing these pipes? It depends on the funding source. A
45:51lot of funding comes with specific scope or criteria. We qualify for some of them.
46:01For example , we just received a CDBG program that we applied for, and we're in the second phase of the application for water lines,
46:11and it has to be in a low- to moderate-income area. So, we were n't able to replace it;
46:18for example, we have some areas like some hot spots along the North Fork. Let's replace a portion of it.
46:23It did n't qualify. It had to be in an area with low-income homes because that's the specific
46:29requirements of the grant. Otherwise, we did n't qualify. So, it just depends on your funding source. So, can
46:38we apply for it? Are we borrowing ? Are we doing this to complete the Texttop project to build new roads
46:42? If so, we'll find texttop roads that need replacing, and the water lines underneath them will need to be
46:49replaced. And ultimately, it's up to the council to decide which lines need replacing. Whichever lines the council
46:57approves , we'll put the water lines there. So, [name], I'm pretty sure we have water lines in Precinct 3,
47:05which is an underserved community. So how do we apply for a grant for that area ? So, we're
47:14applying for the last, as I just said, CDBG project. We actually engineered it six years ago , all the
47:21preliminary engineering was done, and we had this grant opportunity. It was a $3.25 million CDBG program. We used a pre-
47:31engineered project and applied that money to it. And it's there, for example, in Precinct 3. Okay. So,
47:39what are our Have we received that grant ? No, ma'am. We're in the process of receiving that grant.
47:49We've received preliminary approval. Okay. We qualify for it and we're well into the priority scoring process. So, it
47:58needs to be completed, and we're in that process. You'll actually hear about it in the next one or two meetings.
48:03Okay. But that being said, it's not going to interfere with the roads we're going to complete. So
48:08we don't have to put the roads down and then dig them up again. We're trying our best to prioritize them that way.
48:14Water lines first, then the water road. Okay. So we actually chose the dirt one that's in Precinct 3 because
48:24Text Dot is trying to get us to wait for the new road to be built before replacing that water
48:27line. Okay, thank you. Thank you Council for your patience. Okay, we appreciate it.
48:36And that brings us to item number three. A specific use from Lundra [name] A request for a permit
48:47, sorry , to build a manufactured home on property currently addressed as 609 South Cottonwood, which is identified by the Houston
48:57County Appraisal District as HCA Part 13631 and is a 0.258-acre parcel located between West Bell Avenue and
49:08Paint Painter Avenue. The legal description is Lot Number Two,
49:21Block 13 Depot Addition of the Crockett Council. Oh, I'm sorry. That's correct. This is a public hearing.
49:28Council and public, this is your opportunity to speak. If you are a member of the public and have received
49:33legal notice, we have sent legal notices to everyone within 300 feet of this property. If you would like to speak for or against the construction of a
49:42mobile home on this property , this is your opportunity. I'll make a note for the record. All legal
49:52notices, uh, legal notices in the newspaper and applications, all list this address as 605 South Cottonwood. That was a
50:05clerical error when we typed this. One of the property owners actually lives on 609, and 609 was written instead of 605. And
50:13I sought legal advice as to whether that could be used , provided it was corrected in the minutes.
50:22So, is everything else correct? The parcel number, the parcel number, the acres, the identifying
50:32factors of that parcel are all 605. The address is written 609. The legal notice. If someone came here because they received a legal notice,
50:41they would receive 605. This agenda item is the only thing that has 609 written on it. I think it needs to
50:47move forward. Okay. Thank you. So, all of you members of the public can speak for or against. Yes,
51:06that's fine. Yes, sir. Please introduce yourself. I don't want to be too long. I can't be too
51:18long. I just feel like I 'm at a financially mature stage in my life.
51:30I'm ready to buy my own home. Anyone else, and I'm grateful for all of your time. Is there
51:47anyone else? If anyone has... If there's none, we'll officially close this if no one else has one.
51:56Okay , consider it closed. So let's move on to the next item. Number five. Am
52:09I on number four ? Number four. I'm on number four. Guys, this glasses thing is bothering me.
52:19Consider Landre [name]'s approved request seeking a specific use permit for a manufactured home on property with the address 6095 605.
52:30As she's reading this, it's been corrected to 605. Mayor and Council, uh, this is the act application.
52:38It also went to our Planning and Zoning Commission, where another public hearing was also granted. This will bring a brand
52:46new 2026 manufactured home. No one spoke against bringing this manufactured home, and we voted on it
52:59okay. If a motion is made , I'll
53:09request that it be tabled with an explanation of 605. 605. I move that we approve Landre [name]'s request. I
53:29support the motion. Okay, it was moved and seconded. Is everyone in favor? The motion passed. Okay , now we turn
53:40to item number five. Public hearing on the request of Franco Perez Rodriguez for a specific use permit for a manufactured home to be built on the property with the address
53:46325 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, identified by the Houston
53:58County Appraisal District as parcel number 1195 and located north of [name] Avenue and south of West Goliad
54:06Avenue. We are now open. If you wish to speak , you
54:15are free to speak. If you are within 300 feet of or you are affected by this property,
54:19you may speak for or against the location of this property. Mr. Rodriguez is here, but he does
54:25not speak English. His family members are here. They can both come to the podium if needed.
54:48Hello, my name is Frank's daughter, and I hope That
54:58opportunity will arise. Thank you. Okay. Is there anything
55:11you read there? You can read it later. Okay. If nothing else , we officially close the hearing.
55:19And this brings us to item number six. Consider an approved request from Franco Perez Rodriguez for
55:33a specific use permit for a home built on property with the address 325 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
55:42Councilmembers, I move that we approve Mr. Franco Perez Rodriguez's request for a specific use permit for a home built on property with the address
55:47325 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Second.
55:57Okay, this has been proposed and approved. Everyone in favor? The motion is in favor. Congratulations. That's it.
56:07Oh, we have one more item. That's all besides the new business item , but there is no
56:13new business at this time. Can we make a motion to adjourn ? I'll make a motion that we
56:19adjourn. I'll support him. Second. We're out. Thank you very much. Did
56:29you give this to me ? Who gave it to me? No, Missy gave it to you. Huh?
56:34Missy gave it to you. I'm blessed.