CITY COUNCIL

Monday, March 23, 2020

Telephonic Meeting

Special Session

6:00 PM

TOLL-FREE DIAL-IN NUMBER:

1-888-475-4499

Meeting ID:  896 180 937

 Agenda

Mayor

Andrew S. Friedberg

Mayor Pro Tem

Gus E. Pappas

Council Member

Neil Verma

Council Member

Catherine Lewis

Council Member

Nathan Wesely

Council Member

Michael Fife

Council Member

Jim Hotze

SPECIAL SESSION - 6:00 P.M.

NOTICE OF TELEPHONIC MEETING

Pursuant to Section 418.016 of the Texas Government Code, on March 16, 2020, the Governor of the State of Texas granted the Office of the Attorney General’s request for the temporary suspension of certain provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Act to allow for telephonic or videoconference meetings of governmental bodies that are accessible to the public in an effort to reduce in-person meetings that assemble large groups of people, as a precautionary measure to contain the spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19.

Accordingly, this Special Session of the City Council of the City of Bellaire, Texas, will be conducted telephonically in furtherance of this important and necessary objective to protect the public health and welfare in our community.

Members of the public will be entitled to participate and address the City Council in the telephonic meeting, at the time for personal/audience comments.  Any person desiring to address the City Council must submit their request via e-mail to City Clerk Tracy L. Dutton at [email protected].  The request must be received prior to the start of the meeting and include the speaker's full name and phone number from which they will be calling in to participate in the meeting.

Speakers will be recognized during personal/audience comments in the order their requests are received.

Members of the public may view a live broadcast of the meeting by visiting the City's website:  /Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=1076, U-Verse Channel 99, Comcast Channel 16, and the City's Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/bellairetx.gov/.

The toll-free dial-in number to participate remotely in the telephonic meeting is 1-888-475-4499, Meeting ID:  896 180 937.  An electronic copy of the agenda packet for this Special Session is posted online at /document/19393.

A recording of the telephonic meeting will be made and will be posted online at /Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=1076.

A.

Call to Order - Andrew S. Friedberg, Mayor.

B.

Announcement of a Quorum - Andrew S. Friedberg, Mayor.

C.

Personal/Audience Comments.

Any person desiring to address the City Council must sign up, prior to the posted start time of the meeting, by e-mail to City Clerk Tracy L. Dutton, [email protected].  When signing up, all speakers shall provide their full name and the phone number from which they will be calling (for the call moderator to be able to identify them).

Each speaker shall have a time limit of up to five (5) minutes, with no extension, and with notice after four (4) minutes that one (1) minute is left.  In the event of pressing business before the City Council or matters requiring its immediate attention or action, the City Council may, prior to the opening of audience comments, set a different maximum time limit for each speaker by a vote of four (4) members of the City Council.

The purpose of this item is to allow the residents of Bellaire and other interested persons an opportunity to address the City Council on agenda issues and on non-agenda issues that are a matter of the jurisdiction of the City Council (i.e., City policy and legislative issues).  Non-agenda issues regarding daily operational or administrative matters should be first dealt with at the administrative level by calling City Hall at (713) 662-8222 during business hours.

[Note:  The Texas Open Meetings Act, Texas Government Code, Chapter 551, prohibits the City Council from fully discussing, debating, or considering subjects for which public notice has not been given on the agenda.  Issues that cannot be referred to the City Staff for action may be placed on the agenda of a future City Council Session.]

D.

New Business.

Adoption of Ordinances and Resolutions:

1.

Consideration of and possible action on the adoption of a resolution of the City Council of the City of Bellaire, Texas, continuing the disaster declaration issued by mayoral proclamation on March 20, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency - Submitted by Andrew S. Friedberg, Mayor.

Agenda Statement Report - Pdf

2.

Consideration of and possible action on the adoption of an ordinance of the City Council of the City of Bellaire, Texas, postponing the Special Election previously ordered to be held on May 2, 2020, for the purpose of submitting to the voters three (3) propositions to amend the Charter of the City of Bellaire, Texas, to the November 3, 2020, uniform election date - Submitted by Tracy L. Dutton, City Clerk.

Agenda Statement Report - Pdf

E.

Adjourn.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, for persons with disabilities needing special arrangements, contact the City of Bellaire’s ADA Coordinator, Lori Remington, at (713) 662-8271 or email [email protected] at least 48 hours prior to the meeting so that reasonable accommodations can be made to assist in your participation in the meeting.