Source: YouTube auto-captions via youtube-transcript-api
Meeting: Crockett City Council, 2025-10-20
Title: Crockett City Council Meeting - 10/20/2025 (Part 1)
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UvlT5PxT_4
Status: verbatim auto-captions. Names are often wrong. Not reviewed. Not for the public site.

[0:00] picked up somebody or I got somebody
[0:01] else
[0:02] >> that that I I was just trying to see cuz
[0:04] there was some chocolate in there
[0:06] >> that
[0:07] >> Did it melt?
[0:08] >> No, no, no, no. It I mean it was good.
[0:10] It was like a
[0:11] >> cranberry.
[0:13] >> Oh, I know. He had a had a creamy.
[0:15] >> Yes, ma'am.
[0:16] >> I ate all my candy. I was eating my
[0:18] candy.
[0:20] >> Oh, I'm sorry.
[0:21] >> It was It's at the
[0:24] >> Good evening, everyone. It's that time
[0:26] again. We're opening our meeting. here.
[0:28] In case you're not sure where you are,
[0:30] you're in the city council of Crockett,
[0:34] Texas. And at this time, we're opening
[0:36] our meeting. We will open it with
[0:39] invocation and a pledge.
[0:44] Will you do this? Okay.
[0:47] >> Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come
[0:49] before you this afternoon thanking you
[0:50] and praising you for this day. We thank
[0:54] you for all of your blessings, Lord. And
[0:55] we're asking you tonight, Lord, to just
[0:58] to be with us tonight as we gather here
[1:00] at city hall. We pray that you'd give us
[1:03] wisdom concerning all of the issues
[1:05] pertaining to our city and for our
[1:07] betterment and for welfare and for
[1:09] growth here in Crockett, Texas.
[1:12] We ask you for wisdom uh beyond uh our
[1:16] experience or our knowledge tonight in
[1:19] making decisions concerning these
[1:20] things. And we ask it all in the name of
[1:23] Jesus Christ. We give you praise. Amen.
[1:26] >> Amen.
[1:27] >> And pledge
[1:30] allegiance to the flag of the United
[1:32] States of America and to the republic
[1:36] for which it stands, one nation under
[1:39] God, indivisible, with liberty and
[1:42] justice for all.
[1:47] [Music]
[1:49] >> Thank you so much for the prayer. I like
[1:51] the fact they give us wisdom beyond what
[1:53] we're capable of ourselves. Like that.
[1:57] Uh with that being said, at the time
[1:58] we're recognizing all our visitors.
[2:00] Thank you so much for taking out of your
[2:02] busy day to join us and your concern for
[2:06] the city to join us. And at this time we
[2:09] have comments and we have one comment
[2:12] one commenter.
[2:15] Uh Joe um Martin will be speaking and we
[2:19] just remind you how it works. You get to
[2:22] say your three minutes. We don't respond
[2:24] but we do appreciate that.
[2:26] >> Okay. Uh I'm Joe Martin. And who is Joel
[2:30] Martin? I'm a recording artist,
[2:33] entertainer, singer, songwriter. Played
[2:35] in 48 states, Mexico, played in Tuli
[2:39] Greenland, played uh several years in
[2:42] Vegas. I lived in Vegas. I did recording
[2:46] at the Prominent Studio Sugar Hill in
[2:49] eastern Texas. I was affiliated with
[2:53] Cowboy Jack Clemens studio uh by way of
[2:56] the mayor Ken Ritter in Bulmont and also
[3:00] Northern Petty's Close New Mexico sought
[3:02] after. What does all this have in
[3:04] common? S O N Sound. I come here not to
[3:09] be seen. I've come here to hear what's
[3:12] going on because I'm interested in what
[3:14] each and every one of you guys have to
[3:15] say and the mics are not utilized in
[3:20] effect. Uh Mr. [name] [name], your sound
[3:23] man,
[3:25] [name] [name], you're also an entertainer.
[3:28] You can take a nap and preaching to the
[3:29] choir. Uh the rest need to speak into a
[3:33] microphone
[3:34] two three inches. That's it. So, and
[3:37] when you turn your head, we lose you.
[3:40] So, you know, either move with the
[3:42] microphone, especially miss, I can't
[3:45] understand nothing. You talk a lot, but
[3:49] I don't know what you're saying. And I
[3:51] have been given a set of digital hearing
[3:54] aids from the VA, the best there is. And
[3:57] I speak. So, I'm asking you guys speak
[4:01] in the mic. So all of us and especially
[4:04] you come up to the podium speak into
[4:06] this because we don't want to hear you.
[4:08] You can't hear nothing moving back.
[4:11] These are directional microphones. Your
[4:14] sound spectrum. The graphs on PA. They
[4:19] should be in the mid-range. Voice drops
[4:22] dead quick if the PA is not set. And
[4:26] it's in the administrative office up on
[4:28] the shelf behind Plexiglass. So, it's of
[4:32] no use to somebody adjusting in here.
[4:35] So, it should be out here. So, you guys
[4:37] can do a sound check before the meetings
[4:40] and make sure everybody's going to hear
[4:42] what you say cuz once again, I'm
[4:44] interested and I'm sure everybody else
[4:46] is. Thank you very much.
[4:48] >> Thank you.
[4:50] >> Mic check. Mic check.
[4:52] >> Oh, m
[4:54] >> Oh,
[4:55] to respond.
[4:57] At this time, um, it brings us to item
[5:02] number one,
[5:04] appro approval of the minutes for
[5:06] regular session, October the 6, 2025.
[5:10] >> Um,
[5:12] mayor,
[5:14] mayor, I I I just I'm going to um
[5:19] approve those. Uh,
[5:21] >> okay. Pull just pull your mic down. Your
[5:24] mic is up high here. Pull it down a
[5:26] little. I mean, even kind of like
[5:29] just
[5:30] >> Okay. Um,
[5:37] >> did she say she's going to approve it?
[5:39] >> I second it.
[5:40] >> That's over.
[5:41] >> I make a motion uh to accept uh the
[5:44] October the 6 minutes.
[5:47] >> I second it.
[5:48] >> Okay, it's been moved and second. All in
[5:50] favor?
[5:52] Motion carries. It brings us to item
[5:54] number two.
[5:56] Uh, it's been
[5:58] >> Yeah, but
[5:59] >> there's not another agenda item on that.
[6:00] That's all we can do with that. It's
[6:02] been approved and second. It's the
[6:03] agenda is covered.
[6:04] >> Yes, ma'am.
[6:05] >> The item is covered.
[6:06] >> But I I can make a motion on on I can
[6:08] make a motion. Okay.
[6:10] >> No, it's I mean it's not another thing
[6:11] on the agenda. You we for that same for
[6:14] the minutes
[6:14] >> about four minutes. Yes.
[6:16] >> Oh, no. They It's already been approved
[6:18] in second.
[6:18] >> Well, I mean I need to There are some
[6:21] things on the minutes
[6:23] >> but excuse me. We've heard the motion.
[6:26] The motion has passed and we're on to
[6:29] the next item.
[6:30] >> Okay. So, is there any corrections that
[6:32] need to be made?
[6:33] >> It has been approved
[6:35] and the motion is now addressed. We're
[6:39] on to the next item.
[6:40] >> How do we make the how do we make
[6:42] corrections to the minutes?
[6:43] >> Uh there are no correction being made.
[6:45] They should have been made in uh when we
[6:47] when it was over the motion before I
[6:50] made the motion. was it was a minute
[6:52] that you could have discussed it,
[6:54] >> but that was it.
[6:55] >> Okay. But you didn't ask for discussion.
[6:56] >> You approve.
[6:57] >> You don't have
[6:58] >> you approve the minutes.
[7:00] >> Well, she's facilitator.
[7:02] >> So, we're through with that one. Okay.
[7:04] Item number two, reports update on
[7:06] special projects and business
[7:08] development.
[7:09] >> Mayor, council, I have a few updates for
[7:13] you. I'll touch on a few of them. The
[7:14] rest of them are written down. We can
[7:17] ask questions on those as we go down.
[7:20] Um the storm sirens um they delayed the
[7:23] delivery of them about
[7:27] >> they they're projecting it to be mid
[7:29] November instead of mid October. They
[7:31] said they did receive a large influx of
[7:33] them and they're having problems getting
[7:34] all their deliveries out but they are
[7:37] finalizing that. Um we also received an
[7:40] opportunity to apply for a $50,000 grant
[7:43] which is what our match is for that
[7:45] project. Um it was a 10% a 10 90 split
[7:49] around $500,000 grant. So we were
[7:52] committing 50,000 of it. Uh we do have a
[7:55] grant opportunity that it looks like um
[7:58] we will receive we've been to verbally
[7:59] told that we received
[8:01] >> good
[8:01] >> and so that'll also help us $50,000 cost
[8:05] share. Um the engineering has been
[8:08] completed uh the preliminary engineering
[8:11] design has been completed for East Golad
[8:14] in East Houston. We did some markups on
[8:16] it last week, sent those off and then
[8:19] after those are completed and Texas
[8:21] development board signs off on it, then
[8:22] we'll go to bid and that's going to be
[8:24] for the large construction project for
[8:26] water lines on Goliath and Houston. Um,
[8:29] I wanted to touch a little bit about
[8:30] this. There was some conversation about
[8:32] this at our last meeting and um without
[8:36] getting too deep in it, I want to u tell
[8:39] council of some of the opportunities
[8:41] that's been presented us and at least
[8:45] some of our uh options
[8:48] in the Texas Water Development Board
[8:51] program that we applied for uh we
[8:53] applied for a water well and we applied
[8:55] for wastewater treatment plant rebuild.
[8:59] In that we asked for an asset management
[9:01] plan both on sewer and water where
[9:04] engineers come in and assess everything
[9:06] that we own all the infrastructure,
[9:08] motors, pumps, wells,
[9:12] pipes, and then doing an assessment
[9:14] about how long they believe it'll last
[9:17] and how much it will cost when that time
[9:19] comes to replace it. an asset management
[9:22] plan and depreciation plan to where we
[9:24] can start um
[9:28] planning for the future, knowing the
[9:30] things that are coming up instead of
[9:31] acting uh retroactively saying, "Hey,
[9:35] this broke, we got to go find the money
[9:36] to fix it." That being said, we knew
[9:39] that it was pretty critical that the
[9:40] water district do the same thing. We
[9:43] rely on the water district for
[9:46] for providing us water.
[9:49] If for us to say how much it's going to
[9:51] cost us to deliver water to our
[9:53] citizens, we also know need to know the
[9:57] water district that's providing us that
[9:58] water.
[10:00] Instead of them acting retroactively and
[10:03] as they if they go into a deficit one
[10:05] year, then they come and say, "Hey, we
[10:07] need to go up on prices." We need to
[10:08] know what that price outlay needs to
[10:10] look like for us as a city and for the
[10:12] district for them to be able to
[10:14] continue. There's been some talks um and
[10:17] I want to clarify this is not
[10:19] consolidated water. We're not discussing
[10:22] our our interactions with the district
[10:25] is the water control improvement
[10:26] district that owns that operates the
[10:28] lake that provides this water. There was
[10:30] some confusion saying talking about the
[10:32] consolidated water. Um we do have an
[10:35] interlocal agreement with them where we
[10:36] share water when they need it we can
[10:38] provide them and vice versa but it's the
[10:41] city of Crockett in the Houston County
[10:43] Water Control Improvement District
[10:45] number one. That being said, we spoke
[10:47] with them and they're they've told us
[10:50] that they would put it on their next
[10:52] agenda
[10:53] when the engineers are working on our
[10:55] project on our infrastructure.
[10:58] They're wanting our the engineers to
[11:00] also work on their infrastructure to
[11:02] give them an outlay of what they own,
[11:05] what shape it's in, and what it's going
[11:06] to cost to replace it, how much revenue
[11:08] they actually need where everything is
[11:10] based on facts and not um deficits or
[11:13] surpluses of a given year. Um,
[11:19] we want to we want council to commit to
[11:22] putting a steering committee together
[11:25] along with the water district, maybe a
[11:26] couple community members to look over
[11:28] these look over these findings from our
[11:32] engineers and based on facts us to make
[11:35] decisions moving forward as a city where
[11:38] we're going to get our water from. Are
[11:39] we going to drill more wells? Um, as as
[11:42] Councilman [name] me mentioned last um
[11:45] meeting, maybe that $4 million, we had
[11:47] roughly $4 million that was um brought
[11:50] in for a well. Do we need that well?
[11:54] Lots of arguments that we probably do.
[11:56] Or do we need to invest that money or a
[11:59] portion of that money in the water
[12:02] control improvement district to fix some
[12:04] of their issues as we move forward? We
[12:07] need to look at it as a as a partnership
[12:09] as an as a city when we are almost 100%
[12:14] of their customer serve base. We are
[12:16] their biggest customer. We use almost
[12:18] all their water. So they rely on us and
[12:20] we rely on them.
[12:23] Um a quick update a quick update on the
[12:27] water exportation. Um we have we've
[12:30] we've hired legal counsel for our water
[12:32] opposition. the Redtown branch drilling
[12:35] that has um that started this year.
[12:39] Um just a quick to touch on that. We
[12:43] have a law firm that represents us with
[12:45] 16 other members. There's 17 members
[12:47] total that they represent.
[12:51] Sanderson Farms also retained council
[12:54] and they went and filed a lawsuit
[12:57] against the groundwater conservation
[13:00] district.
[13:02] for having issued those applications in
[13:04] the first place and declared them as the
[13:07] applications as um administratively
[13:10] complete due to two of the board members
[13:12] that were on the board at that time.
[13:15] Their argument was that they were not
[13:17] properly seated and were not able to
[13:18] make those votes to accept those
[13:20] applications.
[13:22] As part of the agreement, the
[13:25] Groundwater Conservation District has
[13:27] agreed, as of Thursday, they had a
[13:29] meeting and agreed to um enter into an
[13:32] agreement with Sanderson Farm and
[13:36] um void their action due to the people
[13:41] that were on the board that were not
[13:42] allowed to vote. So they've agreed to
[13:45] void those applications and revisit
[13:47] them.
[13:49] Their motion and and the the the
[13:52] direction was to revisit them after a
[13:54] groundwater study is complete
[13:57] and then they can reapply and go through
[13:59] the process. But they want a groundwater
[14:02] uh study of our aquifer system to know
[14:04] whether they can support those wells or
[14:07] not or some fashion from there. Um so at
[14:11] this time those water not proceeding
[14:13] forward with and just to clarify that's
[14:18] they're not proceeding forward on
[14:21] Anderson County side in Houston County
[14:24] they're not required to apply for permit
[14:27] they can drill anyway we hope that due
[14:31] to the volume of water that they're
[14:33] needing if they are going to fix the
[14:34] exporting water they're relying on a
[14:38] total project where it can proceed
[14:39] forward and that they won't proceed
[14:41] forward with the the 11 wells that they
[14:43] had planned for
[14:45] they were applying for 32 wells total.
[14:50] >> Um
[14:50] >> so I have a question. So being clear so
[14:53] we're we're still with the law firm.
[14:56] >> Yes.
[14:56] >> Are we still
[14:57] >> okay engagement?
[14:58] >> Okay.
[14:59] >> They and they went um like I said they
[15:01] went and attended the meetings. They're
[15:03] representing us water supply suppliers
[15:06] at district meetings at any of the board
[15:09] meetings. They're also going through a
[15:10] GMA 11. going through a new uh
[15:15] desired future condition study and so
[15:20] guess what they're looking out on our
[15:21] behalf.
[15:23] >> Okay. Um
[15:26] it's my understanding they've already
[15:27] drilled some wells
[15:29] >> is that to our understanding they've
[15:31] only drilled two test wells.
[15:33] >> Okay. But what are their means of
[15:36] transporting? You talking about
[15:37] transporting the water?
[15:39] >> They haven't shown any of those yet.
[15:41] They said in their initial um in their
[15:44] initial uh presentation at the initial
[15:47] groundwater conservation district
[15:49] meeting they said they were going to do
[15:50] it in three phases. They were going to
[15:52] do drilling permits
[15:56] then they were going to address
[15:57] exportation permits or operate permit
[16:00] permits for pumping and then pump
[16:03] permits if the if the pumping was there
[16:07] was enough water.
[16:09] >> Yeah. Yeah,
[16:09] >> which we feel like there would be.
[16:11] They're not invest ahead of time and
[16:14] they already have test well so they do
[16:15] know how much water there is
[16:18] and so then the third phase would be
[16:21] exportation and then that's when those
[16:22] plans would be revealed but after the
[16:24] first two phases are complete.
[16:27] >> So it either have to be by truck or
[16:28] pipeline. Correct.
[16:31] >> Yeah. So they'd have to get easements
[16:36] all the way to their destination point.
[16:39] That will take
[16:41] some time.
[16:42] >> Our biggest concern um initially was
[16:45] there is no report or studies
[16:48] validating our fears or concerns or not.
[16:52] >> So maybe the reports will come back and
[16:54] say that there's sufficient water for
[16:56] all of us for a hundred years.
[16:58] We know that that's not the case. But
[17:00] I'm just saying
[17:02] We've got to have data to show us one
[17:04] way or another to know whether we should
[17:05] support exportation projects out east.
[17:09] >> Um,
[17:11] are there any other questions on the far
[17:13] side?
[17:15] We also completed our gateway signs.
[17:18] >> Good.
[17:18] >> We finished the landscaping, the
[17:20] lighting on those um a couple weeks ago.
[17:23] We also um two weeks ago finished the um
[17:26] the grounding of the stripes of the
[17:28] crosswalks on the square hired their
[17:31] contractor in to ground all those and
[17:33] repaint those. And if you notice every
[17:35] other crosswalk has been eliminated.
[17:38] They eliminated crosswalks from
[17:39] unmanaged stop signs um that were
[17:42] secondary to those stop signs and that's
[17:45] a big risk and concern that they that
[17:47] they were in agreement on.
[17:50] We also updated our internet um contract
[17:54] with a savings of a little over $12,000
[17:57] this past year for over the course of a
[18:00] year. Um and increased our services at
[18:03] all of our sites from three 200 and 300
[18:06] megabytes to 1 gigabyte.
[18:09] >> So what was our cost, ma'am?
[18:11] >> What was our our internet cost?
[18:12] >> I don't have the total, but it was
[18:14] roughly 12. It's roughly $12,000 less
[18:17] than what we were paying.
[18:19] with our new
[18:21] >> I'd like to know what we were paying. I
[18:23] appreciate that.
[18:24] >> Um, we're paying $122
[18:28] a month now for a lot of service per
[18:31] location. And we also have a large item
[18:34] drop off next on November the 8th. Our
[18:38] large drop off is scheduled for the 8th
[18:41] of November from 8 to noon. And then I
[18:44] also have some updates there on the
[18:46] business projects that are going on.
[18:49] >> Um [name], could you um kind of elaborate
[18:52] on uh some of the employment that's been
[18:55] seek for the city? I you know, I've
[18:57] shared that through social media and
[18:59] whatnot.
[19:00] >> Yes, sir. Um the city has the city.
[19:03] >> Yes.
[19:03] >> The city position. Yes, sir. We have two
[19:05] positions open. We have a part-time
[19:07] uh library staff member position that's
[19:10] open. Um the the The person that was in
[19:14] that position initially was doing our
[19:16] community outreach programs, social
[19:19] media, graphic design, put flyers
[19:21] together, and running our bookmobile
[19:24] program to the nursing home and the
[19:27] housing authority uh unit. And so we're
[19:30] trying to find some way that also
[19:35] can drive a bus, a small a large van,
[19:38] small bus and and also good graphic
[19:41] design or you know social media put the
[19:44] flyers together
[19:47] and then we also have a
[19:50] a
[19:54] >> I don't know who would be able to answer
[19:55] this one but uh I've been inquiring also
[19:59] about uh street projects um in my
[20:03] precinct. So, when are we going to be
[20:06] able to get that item placed on the
[20:08] agenda?
[20:09] >> As of now, as kind of we discussed, uh
[20:13] that looks like that's going to be a
[20:14] December agenda item for the priorit
[20:17] prioritization of streets by council
[20:19] members. That is a December agenda item
[20:22] is where we are.
[20:24] >> Okay. I also uh was uh what we discussed
[20:27] as well about the um giving of funds for
[20:33] the precincts.
[20:34] >> Yes, ma'am.
[20:35] >> How that how
[20:36] >> and and like I explained, every precinct
[20:39] gets an equal share. And if you can get
[20:41] and I and I said, if you can get council
[20:44] to say that you get a bigger percentage
[20:46] than they get, then that that's
[20:48] council's choice. That's not my choice.
[20:50] >> Well, before we go into details, we're
[20:52] here. The question was was it going to
[20:55] be an agenda and when it's agenda we
[20:57] will we will address it in detail and he
[21:00] said it'll be in but we but I I was want
[21:03] to make sure that it was placed on the
[21:05] agenda because here lately we're not
[21:07] able to place an I can I finish
[21:10] >> no ma'am because what I mean I think you
[21:12] >> everybody has a right to speak
[21:14] >> of course they do okay
[21:15] >> but at this point I said it's not an
[21:17] agenda item this wasn't it wasn't this
[21:19] is not the place to ask for it to be
[21:22] here because We're talking about
[21:23] >> it's a place to ask for it to be play.
[21:24] It's a project.
[21:25] >> Not at this time.
[21:26] >> But it's a project.
[21:27] >> Not at this time.
[21:28] >> It's my opportunity to have place on his
[21:30] mind.
[21:31] >> That's
[21:31] >> So put So how do we get an item on the
[21:33] agenda?
[21:35] >> No, ma'am.
[21:36] >> How do we get an item on the agenda?
[21:37] >> Ma'am,
[21:38] >> that is not what we're discussing. We're
[21:41] in the middle right.
[21:42] >> You do not have a constitutional right
[21:45] as the chair of this.
[21:46] >> No, ma'am.
[21:47] >> No, ma'am.
[21:49] >> No, ma'am. How can we get an item on the
[21:52] agenda?
[21:52] >> That is not where we are on this list.
[21:55] We're in the middle of a project and
[21:57] we're doing an agenda item and at this
[22:00] point that is not
[22:02] >> on this agenda.
[22:03] >> On this agenda item, this is the item
[22:05] we're on.
[22:06] >> Okay. Well, we're not trying not to I'm
[22:08] not discussing it asking for it to be
[22:10] discussed. I'm asking for it to be
[22:11] placed on the agenda.
[22:12] >> It is not at this time. We're in the
[22:15] middle of an item.
[22:16] >> We need to move on back to
[22:18] >> So, it would be on December
[22:20] agenda.
[22:21] >> Yes, ma'am.
[22:22] >> Okay, that's what I want to hear.
[22:24] >> Well, you heard that twice.
[22:25] >> I want to hear it's on the consumer's
[22:27] agenda.
[22:28] >> There we go. On with Were we through
[22:30] with that?
[22:31] >> Do you want me to read this, Mayor?
[22:33] >> Okay. at this time. Uh
[22:36] >> that's kind of under projects and I
[22:38] wanted to make sure the public I sent
[22:40] this email out to council
[22:43] but it's a letter from our attorneys
[22:46] regarding the civil action 924 civil CV
[22:50] 141 James Gentry versus city of Crockett
[22:54] Texas in the United States District
[22:55] Court for the Eastern District of Texas
[22:58] Lufkin Division. It says enclosed,
[23:00] please find the order granting defendant
[23:02] city of Crockett, [name] [name],
[23:04] Marquita Beasley, Jean Cwell, and [name]
[23:07] [name]'s motion for summary judgement.
[23:09] The order dismisses all plaintiffs
[23:11] claims against defendants, City of
[23:13] Crockett, [name] [name], Marquita
[23:16] Beasley, Jean Cwell, and [name] [name]. The
[23:18] retaliation claim against the CIDC,
[23:21] which has not been served and has not
[23:24] made an appearance, was not dismissed.
[23:26] Accordingly, the court has ordered the
[23:27] clerk to remove defendants city of
[23:29] Crockett, [name] [name], Marquita
[23:32] Beasley, Jean Cwell, and [name] [name] from
[23:34] the case, and no additional pre-trial or
[23:36] trial activities are necessary.
[23:40] Please note that the plaintiff has the
[23:41] option to appeal this order to the fifth
[23:43] cir fifth circuit court of appeals in
[23:46] New Orleans, Louisiana. Once the
[23:48] judgment becomes final, the judgment
[23:50] will not become final until the claims
[23:52] against the CIC are resolved. I in
[23:55] intend to call Mr. Robinson today to
[23:56] discuss remaining CIC claim.
[23:59] >> Okay.
[24:01] >> Was that an item that was on the agenda?
[24:04] >> It was an update
[24:06] agenda.
[24:07] >> And he's he's allowed to do an update.
[24:09] >> Oh, he can.
[24:10] >> Yes, he is. As the city manager, he can
[24:13] item.
[24:14] >> Okay. Item number three,
[24:18] uh, police department manpower and
[24:20] criminal incident report for September
[24:22] 2025.
[24:26] Good evening, Mayor Council.
[24:28] >> Good evening.
[24:29] >> Department of Criminal Activity Report
[24:31] for September of 2025.
[24:34] total of 16 employees, worked 2,46
[24:38] hours, responded to 454 calls for
[24:42] service, investigated 16 traffic
[24:44] accidents, made 53 arrests, issued 405
[24:49] traffic citations,
[24:51] completed 82 reports, and responded to
[24:54] 14 alarm calls. 11 of those were false
[24:57] alarms. Uh below, you'll see a
[24:59] breakdown, and I'll entertain any
[25:01] questions on our criminal incident
[25:02] report. Anyone
[25:07] have any questions?
[25:08] >> Thank you.
[25:10] >> Thank you.
[25:10] >> Thank you, Chief.
[25:11] >> Thank you. Thank you.
[25:13] >> Okay, that brings us to item number
[25:15] four, fire department monthly activity
[25:19] status report.
[25:21] >> Good evening, mayor, council members.
[25:23] For the month of September, we had a
[25:26] total call in 44. breaking that down.
[25:29] There was 35 calls within the city
[25:31] limits and there was nine calls in our
[25:34] county response area.
[25:44] >> Thank you, Chair.
[25:46] >> Thank you.
[25:46] >> Thank you, [name].
[25:48] >> Thank you.
[25:52] Item number five, consider and approve a
[25:55] contingency fee contract with Lionber
[25:59] Barger uh Gargan Blair and Samson LLP
[26:03] for the collection of the municipal
[26:05] courts debt and account receivables and
[26:08] no fee costs for delinquent city water
[26:11] utility collection.
[26:13] >> Mayor and council, um Mr. [name] Guest is
[26:17] here on behalf of Limebar to discuss u
[26:20] the possibility of us joining their firm
[26:23] for collections and fees and he's going
[26:25] to make a presentation to you.
[26:27] >> Uh thank you Mr. [name]. Mayor uh
[26:30] council members, thank you for having us
[26:32] tonight. Uh currently I am one of your
[26:36] attorneys. Our firm has represented the
[26:38] city of Crockett for over 30 years in
[26:40] your uh delinquent property tax
[26:44] collections. Um, with that being said, I
[26:46] want to first introduce uh, Miss Carrie
[26:49] Mentor, who you all know. She is um,
[26:52] chief appraiser and also the tax
[26:54] collector for the majority of the
[26:55] entities to include the city here. And
[26:57] we have a long history working with Miss
[27:00] Mentor's office and she's just been
[27:03] really great to work with. Uh, extremely
[27:06] knowledgeable and gives us a lot of
[27:07] great guidance. Uh, also have Miss
[27:11] Jantha Hurley here with me as well.
[27:13] She's one of our client liaison. Uh she
[27:16] worked for Navaro uh JP as a clerk for
[27:19] over 20 years and has been with our firm
[27:21] for a number of years. And so uh with
[27:26] that being said uh I've met with Judge
[27:28] [name]. Um I've also met with Miss
[27:31] Hart and we've gone through your files.
[27:34] Uh met with Mr. [name] and also Mr.
[27:36] family several times and we are going to
[27:39] be a huge upgrade to your current
[27:42] collection process. Uh I gave you two
[27:45] handouts. One is a professional
[27:47] qualifications. That's a nice spiral.
[27:50] I'm not going to go through that, but
[27:52] that's just information about our law
[27:55] firm if you care to have more
[27:56] information. Uh I also handed out this
[27:59] with Lion Barter. It's a quick fourpage
[28:03] presentation that I will be going
[28:04] through. just has features and benefits.
[28:08] Uh, one of the first things I want to
[28:10] discuss is that our program cost the
[28:12] city nothing. You will never be out any
[28:16] money for this project. Uh, one of the
[28:19] processes that uh, the city currently
[28:22] has is manually sending data to your
[28:26] current collector.
[28:28] you're using encode software, Tyler
[28:31] technology software, and our firm has a
[28:33] module that will automate that process
[28:36] and make it uh streamlined and more
[28:38] efficient, which means more collections.
[28:42] We're a very high techch law firm. Uh we
[28:45] are also one of our founding members. U
[28:48] Miss Samson was out of center, Texas. Uh
[28:51] we've risen to be the largest in in the
[28:54] United States for what we do. Um, we
[28:56] have a strong presence here. I live in
[28:58] the Lufkin area. I manage three offices
[29:01] here in Dece, Livingston, Jasper, and in
[29:03] Lufkin. And so, not only are we a a
[29:07] local regional law firm, but we're also
[29:09] again the largest in the nation. We
[29:11] represent uh almost every major city,
[29:15] um, Chicago, New York, Miami,
[29:17] Philadelphia,
[29:19] all of the big large cities here in this
[29:21] in the state of Texas, Houston, Dallas,
[29:23] San Antonio. Uh, I have some numbers on
[29:26] the very last page here just to show you
[29:28] kind of what our uh success stories are.
[29:32] But just to go over a few of these
[29:33] features. So um again over 30 years
[29:37] experience representing the city of
[29:39] Crockett. Um we've collected municipal
[29:43] fees and fines for over 25 years. Our
[29:48] law firm has copyright uh skip tracing
[29:51] technology
[29:52] and because of our size we buy volumes
[29:56] of data at a fraction of the price of
[29:59] what even our nearest competitor can. Uh
[30:02] skip tracing is searching for those
[30:04] defendants who owe the city money. And
[30:07] that's really at the end of the day
[30:08] that's our service. We are locating uh
[30:11] especially those who don't live here in
[30:13] the county who are out of the county out
[30:15] of you know throughout the United
[30:16] States. Those large trucks who come
[30:19] through here 287 1972 21 uh they are not
[30:23] out of our reach. We have call centers
[30:25] throughout the United States uh that we
[30:28] manage. Um every phone call is recorded
[30:32] um and those are our employees. These
[30:34] are not farmed out positions. So we have
[30:36] a very very uh methodical and uh
[30:40] ironclad process that's going to
[30:42] maximize your collection. But the
[30:44] technology is always working in the
[30:47] background. It's what once we receive a
[30:49] data file, we will be searching for
[30:50] those defendants. We will be sending
[30:52] them letters uh and then they will be
[30:54] contacting us or the court to make
[30:56] payments.
[30:58] Uh we also have a a a statewide scoff
[31:02] law program. We're the only firm in the
[31:04] state of Texas and we will help the city
[31:07] establish a productive and successful
[31:10] softball program. So those uh out of
[31:13] town drivers who come through here, I
[31:15] think they're not going to have to pay.
[31:18] uh we will help the city set up an
[31:20] interlocal agreement and a resolution
[31:22] with the state of Texas uh in order for
[31:25] those accounts to be turned over to the
[31:26] state and those individuals will not be
[31:29] able to register their vehicles uh cars,
[31:32] boats, motorcycles uh anywhere in the
[31:35] state where they uh uh where they may
[31:37] have a vehicle register. So this should
[31:39] actively increase your collections as
[31:42] well. We also have a text messaging
[31:45] program um that We can send text
[31:49] messages directly to the defendants's
[31:52] phones, give them an easy way to pay. Uh
[31:55] we had also talked about reestablishing
[31:57] an online payment program. Uh traffic
[31:59] payments.com is one of the companies
[32:02] that we had discussed. Um and again,
[32:04] these our services will cost you no
[32:07] money. Uh so that's just some of our
[32:09] features. As my mom says, features tell
[32:12] and benefit sell. So let's look at the
[32:15] benefits. Number one is increase
[32:17] collections of your out of county
[32:19] drivers. So, we will be able to uh I
[32:23] believe the city is already using a uh
[32:26] that just puts a hold on driver's
[32:27] license. That's a very passive way of of
[32:30] collecting, but it is it is a it's a
[32:32] good way, but you're waiting for
[32:33] driver's license to be renewed. Again,
[32:36] there is no cost ever. Uh the firm uh we
[32:40] what we had discussed with Mr. [name]
[32:43] uh about water delinquent utility water
[32:46] collections. Uh this is not one of the
[32:49] services that we're allowed to add. Uh
[32:51] we're allowed to add a fee to the to the
[32:53] defendants's bill.
[32:55] Uh that's why it cost you no money for
[32:57] the fees and fines collections because
[32:59] the the uh Texas Code of Criminal
[33:01] Procedure allows us to add 30% directly
[33:04] to their bill. So it's a contingency fee
[33:07] u contract and so we are adding it to
[33:12] their fee uh and then the defendants pay
[33:15] that. But when it comes to utility
[33:17] collections, there is no such statute.
[33:19] Our fees are typically 30%, but the firm
[33:23] um decided to wave our fee and we will
[33:26] send out those annual uh collection
[33:28] letters on your utility water accounts
[33:30] at no cost. So that's just another added
[33:32] benefit that we would like to offer to
[33:34] the city today. Uh we also have monthly
[33:37] personalized reports that will determine
[33:41] or it'll it will show you uh the
[33:43] activity, how many letters have been
[33:45] turned over, how many accounts have been
[33:46] submitted to us. Um it will also uh show
[33:51] you um uh how many phone calls have been
[33:54] made and your dollar resolutions and
[33:56] also dollars received. Uh our firm has
[34:00] also gone an extra step. So in cases of
[34:04] indigency, we have given the judge the
[34:07] full right to wave our fee um if there
[34:10] is a case of indigence. So and also
[34:13] there's if there's time served for
[34:15] community service, then our fee does not
[34:17] apply. It only applies when money has
[34:18] been received from the defendant. And
[34:20] again, the judge has that discretion to
[34:22] wave. Uh you're also getting five uh uh
[34:27] staff members assigned to your account.
[34:29] So I'm the partner. Uh Miss Hurley is a
[34:32] client liaison. Barbara Taylor is
[34:34] another client liaison and a settlement
[34:36] borrow. Uh we also have an account
[34:38] hander who's not been identified yet. If
[34:40] we are hired tonight, we will have one
[34:43] assigned uh within the next couple of
[34:46] days. Uh we expect that the uh project
[34:50] will take 30 to 90 days at the most.
[34:53] Probably more around 30 45 days I would
[34:56] I would expect to get this off to the
[34:58] ground. Uh but the efficiency part of
[35:01] this process is going to be very
[35:03] seamless for both the community and the
[35:05] court. Um the technology that the city
[35:09] is using at Tyler Technology product
[35:12] code is one of the largest software
[35:13] providers in the states is a uh it's not
[35:17] a cheap software either. Um but we have
[35:20] so many clients that use it. Again, they
[35:22] have what's called the minder module. Uh
[35:25] that fee costs usually 1,500. can go up
[35:29] to $3,000 for that module, which our
[35:32] firm will uh will pay for that module.
[35:35] Um if the city will give us an invoice,
[35:37] we will cover those costs. So again,
[35:39] this is a true um zero cost for the for
[35:42] the city. Um and again, the accounts
[35:46] that are submitted to us, they can be
[35:48] taken back or really just a tool for the
[35:51] city to use. and we will be working at
[35:54] the discretion of of course [name] the
[35:57] city um and Miss Hart as well. Um if you
[36:00] turn the page this is just a few of the
[36:03] cities that I represent on the left here
[36:05] at you know city of center huntington
[36:10] um most of these are all your deep east
[36:14] Texas I represent many more cities than
[36:16] just this but I just wanted to show you
[36:18] in the last seven years what our
[36:19] collection percentages are and just look
[36:22] at the staggering number of
[36:25] um collected annol. So your your
[36:28] resolution rate is all those accounts
[36:30] that have been submitted that have been
[36:32] adjudicated on some either dismissed
[36:35] time served. Uh your collection those
[36:38] are dollars in hand. That's actual money
[36:40] that our clients received. Um the city
[36:43] of Lin over a 7-year period almost $3
[36:46] million. You have very small cities like
[36:49] the city of Zabala uh Texas which has a
[36:52] 33% collection rate and we've collected
[36:56] um just over $428,000 for them in just a
[37:00] uh short amount of time. We've
[37:02] represented them in the last seven
[37:04] years. So, I can only I'm looking
[37:06] forward to uh the opportunity to collect
[37:09] big dollars on your behalf. Um and then
[37:12] again, the regional cities, usually some
[37:14] in our souththeast Texas. I I did
[37:16] include Dallas in there. Um but as you
[37:19] can see, there's some large cities and I
[37:22] mainly represent smaller deep east Texas
[37:25] cities.
[37:26] Uh, you know, one thing our competitors
[37:28] like to say is we're so big that we
[37:30] don't focus on our smaller clients.
[37:32] Well, that's all I have. Our rural
[37:35] cities here in East Texas. I live here.
[37:37] Um, and um, as Miss Spencer, she sees me
[37:41] and my staff on a weekly basis
[37:44] throughout the week. Um, and we just
[37:46] have a really good relationship with our
[37:48] clients. So, uh, with that, uh, are
[37:52] there any questions regarding kind of
[37:54] how the process works or
[38:01] >> No, maybe my questions are for our uh,
[38:04] city manager.
[38:05] >> Sure.
[38:06] >> Um, just basically I was asking um, how
[38:09] much is the debt for the municipal
[38:11] court? Well, that
[38:15] that number varies of course, but uh
[38:22] and how far back we go is the problem.
[38:25] And so that's um I can tell you that
[38:28] what we do is I pulled files from since
[38:33] September of 24 for collections. And I
[38:37] guess I looked at it from a different
[38:39] standpoint. and I looked to see what we
[38:40] had collected since September of 24 with
[38:43] our current um delinquency attorneys and
[38:48] that total was only $10,000 since
[38:51] September of 24.
[38:53] >> And so
[38:55] >> we've only collected $10,000, right?
[38:58] >> We
[38:59] can you give me the So we don't have the
[39:03] that amount?
[39:04] >> I do not have that amount with me right
[39:06] now. No, ma'am.
[39:07] >> But I can get it to
[39:08] >> Yes, you can get that amount. Okay.
[39:09] >> But it will be a staggering number. I
[39:11] can tell you.
[39:12] >> What about the utility, water utility?
[39:14] What about the
[39:15] >> um
[39:16] >> there
[39:18] >> that number has decreased significantly
[39:20] since the ordinance changed to where you
[39:22] have to own the property to get your own
[39:24] meter, but we're still in the 70 80
[39:28] $90,000 range.
[39:31] >> Yes, ma'am.
[39:34] >> I'd like to get a
[39:35] >> Sure. No problem.
[39:36] >> Number on tomorrow. Um
[39:40] um so that'll kind of pretty much tell
[39:42] us because they'll take there that will
[39:44] be um 30% of what the delinquent fees
[39:48] are. Is that what they will be
[39:50] recovering?
[39:51] >> Well, we will get our fees. They will
[39:53] add the 30% to those fees.
[39:57] So we will get our total amount of fees
[39:59] back. What they do cost us nothing.
[40:03] >> Right. But they're paid out of the the
[40:06] amount that you recover from.
[40:08] >> Yes, we recover including their 30% then
[40:11] we would pay them the 30%. Yes.
[40:13] >> Yes, that is correct.
[40:15] >> And this was the legislature enacted
[40:17] these laws in order to uh not put the
[40:21] burden on those defendants who pay
[40:22] timely. This the burden is put on those
[40:25] who try to evade, you know, or not pay.
[40:29] And so this has really been a great uh a
[40:33] source of I guess benefit to society in
[40:36] general that um that you know those who
[40:40] don't pay are the ones who actually are
[40:41] paying that bill. So
[40:44] >> y'all got in a system in place where
[40:46] people that might can't afford to pay
[40:48] >> and the judge can uh can can wave our
[40:52] fee 100%. If you cannot afford to pay
[40:55] your ticket, you know, there are there
[40:57] are several options. And I don't want to
[40:59] speak for judge warrants, but uh I, you
[41:02] know, time served
[41:05] a lot of times, you know, we're not
[41:06] putting people in jail for citations
[41:08] these days, but community service is
[41:10] another option. But if you just aren't
[41:13] going to pay your fee and you don't have
[41:15] the money to pay our fee, then the judge
[41:16] can wave our fee 100%.
[41:21] because we still in a small town and it
[41:23] ain't a lot of jobs and a lot of still
[41:25] people out here still struggling.
[41:27] >> Sure.
[41:28] >> And this will get a lot of those out of
[41:29] town travelers too that that we haven't
[41:33] been getting.
[41:33] >> We don't want to just just just
[41:36] look at one side of people and just try
[41:39] to get the money off of them, you know.
[41:41] >> Sure. Because I think what he's also
[41:44] saying because judge has talked to us
[41:45] about it and I don't know if you've had
[41:47] any you know observe
[41:49] >> the judge making money so he they they
[41:51] don't have to worry about I'm talking
[41:52] about people really out here struggling
[41:54] that can't pay that you know. No, I said
[41:56] my statement. It wasn't the judge was
[41:58] making money. What he does is he asks
[42:00] them what they're capable of, how they
[42:02] would if they said, "I don't have enough
[42:04] money." He can talk and negotiate with
[42:07] them and and we have had some that said,
[42:09] "I would like to make a payment. I would
[42:11] like to do this. I would like to do
[42:13] that." But it is the bottom line is if
[42:15] they're stopped, it is a violation. And
[42:18] and so legally, if it's a violation,
[42:22] it's a penalty that goes with it. But
[42:24] they do try to wake work it out, you
[42:26] know, and so I think I think it's been a
[42:28] real fair way in doing it. And what I
[42:30] like about what's being uh proposed
[42:35] the city the way that has been set up
[42:38] has been a full-time person that has
[42:40] been collecting and doing the paperwork
[42:42] and then that she actually has to make a
[42:44] form and then send it in and they
[42:48] collect I mean do another step in there.
[42:51] But what this a what they're proposing
[42:54] is that their software you just put the
[42:57] information in and it actually runs and
[43:00] they don't have to have it because we
[43:02] were trying to cut back on having a
[43:05] full-time person do it to a part-time
[43:09] and that would save the city money in
[43:10] that gr in that sense and also because
[43:15] it's similar to what the county is doing
[43:18] and we can see the results of what
[43:20] they've had doing this proc process by
[43:22] using that software. I think in the long
[43:25] run that it's a win situation for the
[43:28] city that they'll be able to uh more or
[43:30] less get more than they were getting
[43:34] anyway and like it's I think a
[43:36] significant number I don't have the
[43:38] number are from outside people that are
[43:42] coming through the city and once they're
[43:44] out of the city they said well they see
[43:46] you when I see you but they they did do
[43:49] a violation in the city so it would it
[43:51] would be appropriate for them to make a
[43:54] range ment rather than just ignore them.
[43:57] But there are, like I said, I've been
[43:58] comfortable with how when people have
[44:01] said, I need to do something
[44:04] differently. Can you give me a an
[44:07] alternative to cash or can you work it
[44:09] out so that I can do it that fits my
[44:12] budget? And they've been really
[44:14] complying with doing that. We have
[44:16] several state guards also mayor. Um we
[44:19] there are some federal and state
[44:21] agencies that are here at the bureau is
[44:23] another one that I think in the last 12
[44:26] years I've received maybe there's been
[44:28] six complaints. Uh the law firm has me
[44:31] reply to those within 48 hours. We take
[44:34] every every complaint that comes in very
[44:36] seriously. I'm proud to announce that
[44:39] we've only had six and most of those
[44:42] have been people who have jumped around
[44:43] the country moving from place to place
[44:46] and I received the file and I and I
[44:48] pinpoint where this person has been.
[44:51] We're not, you know, we are not trying
[44:53] to uh be ugly to people, but we say
[44:55] this, you've been here, you've been
[44:56] here, you this driver's license, this
[44:59] utility account um and so please contact
[45:03] the court. It's only been one time where
[45:04] the person had like a [name] [name] name
[45:06] and we, you know, apologize for, you
[45:09] know, him receiving the letter. Again,
[45:11] we're just we're we're we're notifying
[45:13] people. We're not taking it to court.
[45:16] Um, and they can come in and speak with
[45:17] Judge [name] and uh and make their
[45:19] arrangements. Okay. And then I know we I
[45:22] travel through Crockett quite a bit.
[45:24] that travel, you know, to other parts of
[45:25] the state coming from the Luck area and
[45:28] I just see how many trucks are
[45:31] >> are here and and I know they just feel
[45:32] like they can get a pass by leaving, you
[45:35] know, our jurisdiction and going
[45:37] elsewhere thinking that we won't find
[45:39] them. And um we just have such a great
[45:42] record of locating and bringing these
[45:44] people and then let the judge make the
[45:47] determination
[45:48] of what is fair and right in each of
[45:51] those cases. So that's what Judge will
[45:53] be us.
[45:55] >> So what kind of turnaround do you uh
[45:58] have on once you send out letters and uh
[46:02] to recover these fees? What kind of
[46:05] >> because there is such a backlog to
[46:07] counts. I' I've made the recommendation
[46:10] that we not mail out on all of them at
[46:12] once because it would just inundate the
[46:14] court. I've experienced this before. So
[46:17] my recommendation is to mail out on say
[46:19] A through G or you know maybe a c time
[46:23] period. You want to do the the newer
[46:24] ones first. And so, and we can, you
[46:27] know, again, that's going to be at uh
[46:29] the court's uh discretion on how they
[46:32] want to proceed, but of course, we can
[46:34] bail them all out at the same time. Um I
[46:37] would just caution against doing that
[46:39] because it can be a little overwhelming.
[46:41] But I believe uh the turnaround time if
[46:44] the hurricane works smoothly should be
[46:46] I'm going to say an average of 45 days
[46:48] to get this off the ground. So it could
[46:51] be less, maybe a little bit more just
[46:53] depending on Tyler Technologies
[46:54] installing the module and we have to
[46:57] have some information back to start our
[46:59] program but it should be a very quick
[47:01] turnar around especially given the
[47:03] software that you're using and how many
[47:05] clients of ours utilize that same
[47:07] software.
[47:12] >> We're ready for a motion
[47:14] >> and and council there's four action
[47:17] items that will need to take place. Um
[47:20] the first one you'll see is for
[47:24] the contingency fee contract. The second
[47:27] is for the resolution authorizing their
[47:29] 30% and the third one will be executing
[47:33] the contract. And then the fourth would
[47:36] be terminating the contract with Purdue.
[47:39] So we'll need to make motions on all
[47:41] four of those to to solidify this all at
[47:44] one minute. Make a motion on all of
[47:46] them.
[47:46] >> I think you probably need to do one at a
[47:48] time.
[47:49] Okay. So, we'll start with number six.
[47:52] Is it the res number?
[47:53] >> Number five.
[47:54] >> Number five.
[47:54] >> Okay. I'm sorry.
[47:55] >> Well, I I'll make a motion
[47:57] >> concerning item five that we approve a
[47:59] contingency fee contract with Lindbar.
[48:02] Is that Goen?
[48:03] >> Yeah. Lime Law Firm works sir.
[48:06] >> Larger law firm works fine.
[48:08] >> Okay. Okay. Linebar law firm for the
[48:11] collection of municipal court debts and
[48:13] account receivables
[48:15] and no fee cost for delinquent city
[48:17] water utility collection.
[48:19] >> I second a motion.
[48:21] >> Okay, it's been moved and second ready.
[48:23] All in favor?
[48:26] Opposed? None opposed. Okay. Item number
[48:30] six, consider and approve a res Oh, I
[48:33] forgot. That's the one that you need to
[48:35] make a motion on. Number six.
[48:37] >> You can go ahead and read that. Consider
[48:39] and approve a resolution authorizing the
[48:41] collection fee of 30% of debts and
[48:44] account receivable for the city of
[48:46] Crockett Municipal Court.
[48:48] Well, I'll make a motion that we cons
[48:51] concerning item six that we approve a
[48:54] resolution authorizing the collection
[48:56] fee of 30% of debts and account
[48:58] receivables for the city of Crockett
[49:00] Municipal Port Court.
[49:02] >> I second the motion.
[49:03] >> Okay, it's been moved and second. All in
[49:06] favor? Motion carries. Number seven,
[49:10] consider and approve authorizing the
[49:12] execution of the city contract with the
[49:14] Lineberger Law Firm for the collection
[49:16] of city practice municipal court account
[49:20] receivables.
[49:23] Motion. Well, I make a motion concerning
[49:26] item seven that we approve authorizing
[49:28] the execution of the city contract with
[49:32] Linebar Law Firm for the collection of
[49:34] City of Crockett's municipal court
[49:36] account receivables.
[49:38] >> Second the motion.
[49:39] >> Okay, it's been moved and second. All in
[49:40] favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Uh item
[49:45] number eight, consider and approve
[49:47] terminating a contract with Perurdue
[49:49] Brandon uh Fightfielder uh Collins and
[49:52] Malt LLP for the collection of the
[49:55] municipal courts debts and account
[49:58] receivables.
[50:01] >> I'll make guess
[50:05] I'll make a motion concerning item
[50:07] eight. We approve terminating the
[50:08] contract with the Perdue Brandon Fielder
[50:11] Collins and Mott LLP for the collection
[50:14] of the municipal court debts and account
[50:17] receivables.
[50:18] >> I can second the motion.
[50:20] >> Been moved and second. All in favor?
[50:22] >> Motion carried.
[50:23] >> I'm through.
[50:25] >> You got it going on, bro.
[50:26] >> You got it going on. Okay, that brings
[50:29] us to item number nine.
[50:32] Consider and approve a resolution by the
[50:34] city of Crockett City denying Encore
[50:37] Electric Delivery Company LLC
[50:40] application to increase rates related to
[50:43] Encore statement of intent to increase
[50:46] rates filed on or about June 26, 20,
[50:50] 2025 requiring the reimbursement of
[50:53] municipal rates case uh expenses finding
[50:57] that the meeting complies with the open
[51:01] D
[51:04] act making other findings and provision
[51:07] related to the subject and declaring an
[51:09] effective date.
[51:11] >> Mayor and council
[51:13] on June 26, 2025, Encore
[51:18] basically
[51:20] released an increase in its revenues of
[51:24] about 13% and we're a member of the
[51:27] Alliance of Encore Cities. and they're
[51:30] requesting that city council join in in
[51:34] opposing Encourse rate increases
[51:38] and the resolution's in your packet.
[51:42] >> Who made that request?
[51:44] >> Ma'am,
[51:45] >> who made the request again?
[51:46] >> The Alliance of Encore Cities, which
[51:49] we're a member of.
[51:54] >> I'll make a motion. We oppose the rate
[51:56] increase. I second.
[52:01] Okay. Is that
[52:02] >> it's moved to second?
[52:02] >> Okay. It's been moved and second. All in
[52:04] favor?
[52:06] >> Okay. We don't want to raise it pretty
[52:08] soon. We don't have to.
[52:13] Okay. Um
[52:16] that brings us to item number 10, the
[52:18] executive session. I think we're having
[52:20] it in here.
[52:20] >> Yes, ma'am.
[52:21] >> We'll be having it here. And thank you
[52:23] so much. You may wait us out, but we'll
[52:25] be in here and y'all will be out there.
[52:29] Thank you so much.
[52:34] You're welcome, buddy.
[52:37] >> Good to see you, sir.
[52:40] Arisy.
