By AYLEEN CANIZALES
Special to the PRESS
The City of South Padre Island held a special City Council meeting at the municipal building on Wednesday, March 27, at 5:30 p.m.
The Council moved item 6.5 to the top of the regular agenda before proceeding with public comments. During the public comment open forum, a citizen complained about feeling unsafe as a resident during Spring Break, stating that the ordinances put in place by the city need to be better upheld.
During presentations and proclamations, Rey Carrillo, a representative from Republic Services, led a presentation on the annual price increase of 4% for water, sewer, and trash. He went on to discuss the city’s cap at 4% and addressed the fact that with costs going up, this was a fair price.
Under the regular agenda, the first item led by Jonathan Hall of Carr, Riggs & Ingram discussed the comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year 2022-2023.
When going through it, he stated that they concluded an unmodified opinion, meaning that the quality and reliability of the information were up to a good standard. Though this does not call to the standard of the condition of the city itself, he clarified. Continuing with the report, he went on to review the Management Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) portion of the report. The report showed a brief context of where the city stands compared to the prior fiscal year and projections for the following year. He concluded his presentation by stating the city had a slight positive change in fund balance.
Continuing with items under the regular agenda, the Council discussed approving Resolution No. 2024-09 denying A.E.P. Texas’ petition to increase rates within the city. A.E.P. wanted to raise rates to 13.1%. The Council motioned to deny.
The Council approved a budget amendment for geotechnical services related to the 2023 side street improvement phase II project in the amount of $28,805. Negotiations for the price had already been discussed, and all that was left was a motion of approval.
The Council approved the draft of Chapter 17 of the City of South Padre Island Code of Ordinances as the Ad Hoc Committee recommended. The Council was unanimous in its decision regarding changes and considerations. For Chapter 21 of the City of South Padre Island Code of Ordinances, the Ad Hoc Committee stated that they had no recommendations for changes and that the draft would stay as is.
The Council also approved the request for the Planning & Zoning Committee and the Development Standards Review Task Force to review current setback requirements in the Padre Boulevard & Entertainment District Codes. Kerry Schwartz, City Council Member, highlights the hazards that can come from these zones’ current state, stating that buildings with 0 setbacks won’t have room in case of fires and other emergencies.
The Council approved placing a 120-day moratorium on variance applications for signage, commercial art, etc. This also includes requesting the Planning & Zoning Committee and Development Standards Review Task Force review current ordinances and make recommendations to the Council. Kerry Schwartz addresses that to get a variance, you must prove hardships, and with this rule established, it needs to be fair for all applicants.
The Council approved Turtle Inc. to display 24 signs with nesting season information on or around beach accesses. C.E.O. Wendy Knight highlights the importance of beach visitors being well-informed on what to do in case they come across a turtle on the beach. The signs would include information on who to call and a Q.R. code to an emergency line. She continues to state that they expect a little more than 10,000 hatchlings this year.
The motion was approved and made to work with the shoreline to determine the best spots for the signs. The Council then adjourned the meeting after asking for closing comments.
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