By Colin Killian, Public Communications Director
Welcome to our live blog from the College Station City Council meeting on Thursday, June 13. It's not the official minutes.
The meeting starts after 6 p.m. and is streamed live on Optimum Channel 19 and cstx.gov/cstv19. You can participate online through Microsoft Teams by entering Meeting ID 223 427 023 174 and Passcode MvPmTr. You can also call 833-240-7855 and enter Conference 952 310 468#.
6:04 p.m.
The meeting has started. The council took no action after its executive session.
6:12 p.m.
College Station Arts Scholarships
Mayor John Nichols recognized three A&M Consolidated High School students for receiving College Station Arts Scholarships from The Arts Council of Brazos Valley: Madison Jackson received a $5,000 award to study architecture at Texas A&M; Abraham Guillen received a $5,000 award to study music composition at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee; and Kendall McKinney received a $3,000 scholarship to study art history at UT-Austin.
Through the generosity of local donors, the Arts Council honors young artists pursuing a college degree and career in the arts by awarding annual scholarships to graduating Brazos Valley high school seniors.
Pictured below (L-R) are Councilwoman Elizabeth Cunha, BVAC Operations Manager Megan Woytek, Mayor Nichols, BVAC Interim Executive Director Grover Vos, Kendall McKinney, and Madison Jackson. Guillen was unable to attend.
6:16 p.m.
Community Association Managers Day
Mayor Nichols proclaimed today as International Community Association Managers Day in appreciation of those professionals' hard work and unwavering commitment.
Community association managers are the backbone of residential communities. They work tirelessly to enhance the quality of life for homeowners and residents through financial management, maintenance coordination, enforcement of community rules, and fostering effective communication.
Pictured below with the mayor are representatives from The Arena Group, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Association Services BCS, Beal Properties, and Neighborhood Partners.
6:29 p.m.
Hear Visitors
The council is conducting Hear Visitors, when citizens may address the council on any item that does not appear on the posted agenda.
- Bill Stockton spoke against the pending expansion of the Amazon Prime Drone delivery program in his neighborhood.
- Sherry Frisk thanked the city for its support of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Never Forget Garden in Veterans Park and Athletic Complex. The memorial was dedicated in May.
- Kelly Vernon spoke against charging residents to park on public streets as part of the city's special event paid parking pilot program.
- Mary Parrish asked the city to add $5,000 to the economic development budget to support BCS Sister Cities.
6:39 p.m.
Consent Agenda
The council voted unanimously to approve these consent agenda items:
- Increased the available grant to $20,000 under Community Development Block Grant Minor Home Repair Program guidelines.
- Purchases not to exceed $240,056.39 from Techline for electric inventory items for the Rock Prairie Road Widening Project.
- A three-year contract not to exceed $2.17 million with Baylor Scott & White Health to operate and manage the city’s employee health clinic.
- The semi-annual report on system-wide water, wastewater, and roadway impact fees.
- Authorized the mayor and city manager to request a contested case hearing regarding the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District’s pending water transport and export permits and to negotiate an interlocal agreement for cost sharing and joint representation with similarly aligned entities.
- An extraterritorial jurisdiction release petition for nearly 16 acres at 11630 State Highway 30.
The following item was pulled and will be on a future agenda:
- The first reading of a franchise agreement with Organix Recycling for collecting recyclables from commercial businesses and multi-family locations.
7:25 p.m.
Impact Fee Waivers
The council discussed potential impact fee waivers.
7:55 p.m.
Capital Projects Update
The council heard an update on the city’s active capital projects, including items approved by voters in the 2022 bond election.
7:58 p.m.
Standards of Care
After a public hearing, the council unanimously approved annual standards of care for the Parks and Recreation Department’s youth recreation programs to meet state requirements.
8:02 p.m.
Easement Abandonment
After a public hearing, the council unanimously approved the abandonment of a 1,788-square-foot section of a public utility easement near Joe Will Drive and Williams Creek Drive in the Williams Creek Lake Estates.
8:03 p.m.
Lick Creek WWTP Change Order
The council unanimously approved a $802,227 deductive change order to the contract with CSA Construction for the recent Lick Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion. The change reconciles the contract’s final quantities and credits the city for additional engineering costs.
8:24 p.m.
Mayor Nichols adjourned the meeting after the council discussed its calendar, items of community interest, committee and board reports, and future agenda items.
The council meets again on Thursday, June 27.
About the Blogger
Colin Killian has been with the City of College Station since 2010 after serving 23 years as the associate media relations director for the Texas A&M Athletics Department. He has also worked as a reporter and editor for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and Lewisville News. A native of Hobbs, N.M., Killian graduated from Texas Tech with a bachelor's degree in journalism/political science.
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