City Council

AGENDA REGULAR MEETING HELOTES CITY COUNCIL July 27, 2023 7:00 p.m. The City of Helotes City Council will meet for a Regular Meeting on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 12951 Bandera Road, Helotes, Texas 78023. Council Members may participate remotely by videoconferencing; however, a physical quorum of the City Council shall be present at Helotes City Hall. This is an open meeting, subject to the open meeting laws of the State of Texas. 1. Call to order. • Invocation. • Pledge of Allegiance. OPEN SESSION: 2. Citizens to be Heard. The City Council shall not discuss any presented issue, nor may any action be taken on any issue at this time (Attorney General Opinion JC-0169). The Council will accept comments from citizens, business owners, business representative’s, property owners, and representatives of property owners of the City of Helotes and its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) only. Comments are limited to three (3) minutes and this time is not transferable. Each person may only speak once. No profanity or threats will be tolerated. CONSENT AGENDA (ITEM NO. 3): All Consent Agenda items listed below are considered routine by City Staff and are intended to be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items, unless a Councilmember requests it, in which event the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on the Agenda. 3. Approval of the minutes of the Regular Meeting dated July 13, 2023. (Staff) - Agenda Item NOTICE OF ASSISTANCE AT THE PUBLIC MEETING The City of Helotes City Hall is wheelchair accessible, and accessible parking spaces are available. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Helotes will provide reasonable accommodations for persons attending the meeting. To better serve you, requests should be received seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting. For assistance, contact the City Secretary at 210.695.5911. City Council Regular Meeting July 27, 2023 MAYOR’S REPORT: 4. Updates on the following: • Bid for public works storage building; and • Police department news and community safety information. ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION: 5. Discussion of and action on a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Helotes, Texas authorizing the execution of a Contingent Fee Contract between the City of Helotes and Linebarger, Goggan, Blair, & Sampson, L.L.P. for the collection of unpaid fines, fees and court costs as provided in Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 103.0031; approving Extension No. 2 for a period of five (5) years beginning on September 1, 2023, and expiring on August 31, 2028; and authorizing the Mayor to execute said extension. (Staff) - Agenda Item 6. Discussion of and action on a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Helotes, Texas extending an Animal Care Services Agreement between the City of Helotes and De Zavala – Shavano Veterinary Clinic for animal control, shelter and adoption services; approving Extension No. 2 for the last successive one (1) year period beginning on September 1, 2023, and expiring on August 31, 2024, pursuant to Resolution No. 21-016, Exhibit A, Section II Term; and authorizing the Mayor to execute said extension. (Staff) - Agenda Item PRESENTATION: 7. Proposed Development Presentation by MNO Partners on The Trailhead at Helotes, a mixed-use project pursuant to Municipal Code of Ordinances Chapter 98 Zoning, Article VI Planned Unit Development located on Bandera Road (S.H. 16) on land identified as BCAD Property ID Nos. 242100, 1097255, and 242130. (Developer) - Agenda Item Adjourn meeting. The City Council reserves the right to adjourn into Closed Session at any time during the course of this meeting to discuss any of the exceptions to the requirement that a meeting be open to the public, in accordance with Texas Government Code, Chapter 551 Open Meetings, Subchapter D Exceptions to Requirement that Meetings be Open. No action may be taken in I certify that this Agenda was posted on July 20, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. ________________________ Celina Perez, City Secretary Page 2 of 3 City Council Regular Meeting July 27, 2023 NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING Notice is hereby given that a meeting of the City Council of the City of Helotes, Texas hereinafter called (“City”) will be held on 27th day of July, 2023, at 7:00 PM, at the City Council Chambers, City Hall located at 12951 Bandera Road, Helotes, Texas 78023 for the purpose of considering and taking action on all matters on the agenda for the meeting, including approval of an agreement with the law firm of Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP as special counsel to perform all legal services necessary to collect unpaid fines, fees and court costs as provided in Tx Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 103.0031 and authorizing the execution of such agreement. The agreement to be considered is necessary for the unpaid fines, fees and court costs owed to the City of Helotes to be collected in the most effective manner. The City desires that such unpaid fines, fees and court costs be collected as provided in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP firm is fully qualified to provide this representation, being the largest law firm specializing in the collection of governmental receivables in the State of Texas, as well as the United States, and having been engaged in this specialized legal service for more than 40 years. In addition, the Linebarger Goggan Blair and Sampson, LLP firm possesses infrastructure and technology, such as call center technology, that the City does not currently possess. This law firm has represented the City of Helotes in the collection of court fees and fines since 2013. The specialized legal services required by this agreement cannot be adequately performed by the attorneys and supporting personnel of the City due to the high cost of implementing the appropriate infrastructure and technology and employing sufficient in- house attorneys and staff with the level of experience and competence necessary to perform these activities. Linebarger will be compensated on a contingent fee basis as provided in Tx Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 103.0031. This Article specifically provides for an additional collection fee in the amount of 30 percent in certain cases to compensate collection attorneys. A contract to pay inside or outside attorneys on an hourly basis would represent an additional cost to the City. Entering into the proposed agreement is in the best interests of the residents of the City because the unpaid fines, fees and court costs will be professionally and competently collected without the additional costs to the City of implementing infrastructure and technology, and employing in-house personnel or paying outside counsel on an hourly fee basis which would otherwise be required. Page 3 of 3