In the absence of Dr. Mark Towns, Shawn Morrison gave the Invocation.

Fire Chief Spears gave a brief overview on item 2A, he explained that the item on the agenda has 2 parts. The EMS Inter-Local Agreement and the Adoption of the EMS Ordinance. The EMS Inter-local is being presented tonight for action. The adoption of the EMS ordinance will be presented at the City Council Meeting on March 4, 2025 for action.

City Ordinance No. 2004-16 authorizes the city to contract with one towing company for police non-consent tows, for towing of City owned vehicles, or for the towing of any vehicle made necessary in the exercise of city's police and governmental functions.

The Police Department has contracted with AA Wrecker Service of Haltom City for many years. AA Wrecker Service has continuously maintained rapid response times, professional conduct and a commitment to the services required by the Saginaw Police Department. There have been no issues during our past years of service and the department wishes to renew the contract with AA wrecker Service.  There is no financial impact to the City. All fees for non-consent tows are passed to the vehicle owner, which is the common procedure across the state for non-consent tows. Staffs recommends approval.

The costs for the 2025 Independence Fireworks Show is $25,000. The Advisory Recreation and Parks Board voted to recommend approval with the funds to be paid out of the Parks Donation fund.  

Police Chief Ragsdale explained that the City entered into an agreement with the City of Lake Worth creating the Northwest Emergency Communications Center (NWECC), which answers emergency 9-1-1 and administrative calls for service and then dispatches those calls to officers in the field. The proposed By-Laws establish the  authority of the NWECC, as well as the partner agency responsibilities, roles, guidelines and financial budgeting of the NWECC. Councilmember Bighorse questioned Article 3.7 on page 4 of the By-Laws ,"Board Members" which states that one-third (1/3) of the three appointed board members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. Councilmember Bighorse expressed her concern that one person could make a decision for the board if two board members were absent. She recommends to have a majority vote and to have the By-laws reviewed and presented at a future council meeting for consideration and action.

Mr. Valentin Gutierrez addressed the Mayor & Council regarding issues on November 20, 2024 and on January 29, 2025 that he wanted to address. The first incident (November 20th) involved the Code Compliance Department, and the second incident (January 29th) involved Mr. Gutierrez contacting the Police Department in regards to a stolen vehicle. Mr. Gutierrez stated that a Police Officer came to his residence and beat on this door as if he had committed a crime. Mr. Gutierrez expressed that he had a problem with that and expressed the importance that the City have a code of conduct for all employees so that there are clear lines of how employees should should act. Mr. Gutierrez stressed the importance of a code of conduct as well as making sure citizens have the right to address the City Council with their concerns and grievances.

Mr. Gutierrez added that a strong code of conduct and an active exercise of the right to petition are not opposing factors. They are complimentary and work together to hold and ensure our government remains responsive, accountable, and truly serves the people in its community. He encouraged the Council to embrace both to build a better future for our city.

Mayor Flippo called for any questions or comments from the City Council. One question asked was regarding a code of conduct for employees, and is the policy currently posted on the website for citizens to view. City Manager Reaume confirmed that employees have a code of conduct. He stated the Personnel Policies Manual is a internal document but did not see an issue posting it on the City's website.

Assistant City Manager Howell explained that there is a chapter of conduct in the Personnel Policies Manual but not a code of conduct. However the manual does address employee standards of conduct and complaints by citizens. He added that it's the department head's discretion as to whether the complaints are violations of the policy or what type of outcome should be taken if any. He also added that there are also additional department polices that go into more detail on employee conduct in regards to how they interact with citizens.

Mr. Gutierrez expressed that he would like to see Police Officers be held to a higher standard. There was discussion regarding Mr. Gutierrez's concerns and standards regarding employee conduct. Mr. Gutierrez agreed to meet with Fire Chief Spears, Police Chief Ragsdale, and 2 to 3 Councilmembers to further discuss his concerns.

Ronnie Martinez, Water/Wastewater Superintendent, presented to Mayor and Council an update on the Valve Maintenance Program. The valve program started on Feb 21, 2024.

The city has 120.86 miles of water line in the ground in Saginaw. Attached to the water line are 2,519 valves. The city also has 1,190 hydrants that serve as fire protection and also flushing points for the system.

There are 26 grids on the map, the department has completed 6 of those grids. While completing those, they were able to operate a total of 496 valves, finding 11 broken, 24 offset. Out of the 1,190 hydrants in the system, the department has been able to maintenance 99.

Mr. Martinez discussed some of the benefits of having valve maintenance program and some of the benefits he explained are map accuracy, asset management, system efficiency, minimizing service interruption and help with water quality. The funds that were granted to this program have allowed the department to replace 8 out of the 11 broken valves in the city system.

Pedro Zambrano presented to Mayor & Council a brief summary of the votes cast for the recent City Branding/Logo Survey.

He stated that a total of 1,605 votes were cast with 58.2% for Choice A (current logo) and 41.8% for Choice B. Guidelines and a resolution adopting the logo will be presented to the Council at a future City Council Meeting for action.

David Garcia gave a presentation to the Mayor and Council that provided an update regarding the accreditation process for the Public Works Department. He also discussed the benefits of having the accreditation and the importance of having policies within the department, maximizing assets, reducing liability costs and establishing best practices to help reduce the overall costs within the department. In the state of Texas only 16 cities/towns hold this accreditation, and the City of Saginaw would be part of this exclusive list.

He stated that APWA will be meeting with the Public Works Department on February 24, 2025 to review the information that has been submitted. APWA will provide feedback to the Public Works Department if any changes are needed. The Public Works Department will have forty-five (45) days to submit final changes. it's estimated that by April 2025 the Public Works Department will receive their accreditation.

Councilmember Junkersfeld did not stay for this item due to a Conflict of Interest.