Let's call the meeting to order. All stand for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Silence, please. Thank you. May be seated. >> Santa Laredo special council meeting 11 tank Houston Street, Laredo, Texas, Friday, December 20, 2024, 6 p.m. Roll call. >> Yes, Mayor. Honorable mayor, Dr. Victor D. Trainho >> present. >> Council member district 1, Gilbert Gonzalez. Council member District 2, Ricardo Ranel Jr. Council Member District 3, Melissa Saroa. Council member District 4, Albert Torres Jr. >> here. >> Council member District 5, Ruben Gutierrez Jr. >> present. >> Council member District 6, Dr. Tyler King >> here. >> Mayor for TAMP, Vanessa Perez. Council member District 8, Alisa Cigaroa. >> Mayor, you have a quorum. >> Thank you. For the record, council woman just walk. >> Mayor, I'd like to make a motion to excuse Mayor Prom Vanessa Pettis. >> Motion. >> Second. Second. >> All in favor? >> I post. Motion passes. >> All right. I'd like to make I'm sorry. >> Any citizens comments? >> Mayor motion to open public hearing number one. >> Second. Motion second. All in favor? >> I oppose. Motion passes. Hearing number one. Public hearing an introductory ordinance authorizing the city manager to ratify the execution of an amendment to lease agreement HSBP 1111 L IN0231 between US Customs and Border Protection as an entity of the United States of America and the city of Larur for additional 3590 square foot track of land as depicted incident A needed to construct operate and maintain a new integrated rail car inspection system. The amendment lease agreement is effective December 1, 2024 through August 31, 2031 under the same terms conditions of the original lease or any supplemental lease agreed upon by both parties and with no additional rental fee. >> Mayor, I have a question. >> Yes, go ahead. >> Where is this located exactly? >> Well, mayor, point of order against three times and then we can >> All right. Yes, sir. Four or against. Four are against. Four or against. Motion. No, we cannot go into questions. >> Okay, go ahead. >> Where is this plan located? >> Good question. >> Uh, so this is right off of where the uh the bridge comes across or the the tracks come across. Essentially, they've they've set the border patrols equipment for scanning the trains is right there. So, it's right on the edge of of our property where they come together. I was trying to think of exactly where it's located on it. >> Is this new equipment that they're doing for the uh >> It is. Yeah, this was all part of the uh of the essentially what you might call the fast lane crossing for the the railroad railroad. Okay. >> And uh they they needed the extra space in order to put that on there. We were hoping that we could do it through the lease agreement with Kansas Southern, but the problem is that they needed also some area that we did not already have under lease and the federal government would like to have the lease with the city. And so this is kind of our way of kind of wrapping around that. It takes two readings to put it under lease, >> right? Uh so this is property that will have no impact on any of our other purposes out there. This does help for that equipment for the uh the transportation of cargo back and forth across the >> mayor. Motion to close. >> If I may real quick >> it's right by the new railroad bridge close to uh uh Eagle Pass in West Loyal. >> All right. Sorry. Sorry. >> All in favor? >> Opposed? Motion passes. All right. Next item. >> Item number one, mayor consent agenda. >> All right. >> Motion open up consent agenda item number one. >> I do make a motion to accept resolution 2024 R349 of the returns and declaring the results of the general runoff election held on December the 14, 2024 for the purpose of electing a city of Laredo council member for district 4 and read into the record by city secretary. Mayor, let me uh go ahead. >> If I may, can I read the respects? >> Go ahead. >> Okay. For for the runoff election held on December 14, 2024 for council member selecting council member for district 4, the results are as follows. Tanya Benavides 843 47.41%. Rick GarcA 935 votes 52.59% with Rick GarcA having the most votes. Mayor. >> All right, >> mayor. May I comment? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Um, I do see that the results changed. Now, Mr. Gara won by two votes. I mean 92 votes, right? So, there's a change of three votes. >> Yes. Correct. There's a change of three. >> And of those three votes, one was for Benz and two for Gatsa. >> That's correct. I'll second your motion, Mayor. >> All right. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> I opposed. Motion passes. >> Next item. General counsel. Oh, do we have any citizens comment before we go on? >> No, ma'am. >> No citizens com. Okay. Let's go to general counsel discussions, presentations. >> You're okay. presentation on establishing uh designated testing sites of water testing and a 2025 plan for water infrastructure and and water quality projects. No action to be taken or matters related that >> Okay. Uh Mr. Mayor, um just wanted to bring uh council up to date. um city manager's office been working very closely with our uh interim utilities executive director slashconultant on on the future of the water department the utilities department and uh the uh Mr. Buzz will be presenting uh uh his first analysis report his first report to the council at the meeting in January and it will include many topics as to where we are what he has seen as he's uh been throughout the different facilities. Uh he's going to talk to us about his plan on putting forth uh some infrastructure uh replacement or different types of of uh infrastructure uh upgrades in addition to the uh water testing sites that we've been discussing. uh because a lot of the sites that the former director had identified and agreed upon with utilities are sites that are poorly kept uh in some cases and and uh we're trying to standardize the sites and have them dedicated sites uh where we can maintain them and keep them secured. uh and it increases the possibility of actually uh less of an opportunity for the the samples to have uh the common uh issues such as uh issues with backflows, issues with uh dog or cat waste uh that's on the property. Uh also we have some areas that have chicken waste uh as well. And so by doing all of these things, you're going to get to see a really nice presentation. I've been working with uh our office has been meeting with Mr. Buzz very very frequently and he has been doing a very uh good job at analyzing what we have in front of us. >> Mayor, may I? >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Uh Mr. Lendy, just to clarify, when you're talking about uh redoing the sites that for water sample collections and the emphasis on cleanliness, this is to avoid false positives. This is to avoid contamination of those water samples so that we can get a truer reading of what the actual water quality is of that water. >> That is correct. >> And mayor, probably just a little bit more on that. Um, our testing is supposed to be indicative of of the community that we are and we believe that we've been heavily um heavily testing areas that are older in nature and so we're not testing as many industrial areas and commercial areas as well. I would say based upon the age of our infrastructure of what we were learning only 20% of our test sites should be within our older areas and that that's what that's what Mr. Pisker has been working on to try to make sure that they're out there. We believe actually we should have some set sites that are controlled by the city as well too throughout the city where we can kind of pull these samples to make sure that of what they're doing as well too but it is supposed to be indicative of our system is what it is and we would say we believe that there is room for improvement within that just uh as a note council member is here >> and uh before we adjourn I wanted to make a motion to excuse council member Gonzalez Second from the meeting. Motion second. All in favor? >> I opposed. >> Motion passes. >> Motion to >> I'm sorry. I'll draw my motion. >> Really, really quick. >> Um the work standardized both you gentlemen used. Will the testing sites still be moved and scattered around the city or will they only be at these particular sites from now on? They will still be moved around throughout the city. >> Yeah. Yes, sir. Yeah. Mayor and council member, uh you have to they may be moved. We are required to give a list of where we're taking our tests from to the state for TCQ and so we are supposed to test those sites but we should be able to change the site um if necessary. So those will be our regulatory sites once of course we have a false positive or or concerned sample we do test on either side of it. So we may test other areas as well too at that point in time. So, we are not we're not strictly tied to just the sites we're provided, but those are the ones that we utilize for the regulatory purpose with TCQ. >> TCQ. >> All right. Thank you. >> Yes. Go ahead. >> Is there Mr. N? Is there is there going to be like different testing sites but within within the same area? Are there like multiple testing sites just or is it just going to be one site and then the other one or is just >> and of course our testing sites may mayor and council member uh our testing sites are not based up off of districts right so it'll be it'll be scattered throughout the entire city uh with sites uh in the different pressure zones uh out of the both plants uh and you know I I think the last uh last couple tests that we've had that were that we had to walk through were ones on the outside outskirts of the town. So, they're out on the outside edge. And so, we there'll be sites all the way through there. So, it's I would say that you're you may not have all of them in one neighborhood just because of the the number of neighborhoods we have. They'll be scattered throughout. And so, uh, they yeah, I I don't know exactly the breakdown based upon our water plants, but >> it's 150 tests a month that we have to do throughout our designated approved testing sites. And so, as part of the plan that Mr. Fisher will show you all. He will be uh identifying uh doing these dedicated sites in these different plan uh areas and sending them to TCQ for their approval. >> All right. >> For the record, >> go ahead. >> Yes. And for the purposes of of we submit to to TCQ, they approve and they become official testing sites. >> Very good. All right. Before we Journ. I'd like to make a comment. Monday, we'll be be having a press conference. Congressman Qua and myself uh announcing some good funding that'll be coming for our infra water infrastructure. >> Just an announcement. >> Motion to second. >> Motion second. All in favor? >> Opposed? Motion passes. Meeting adjourned.