The Brownfield City Council braved the cold and possible ice Thursday morning Feb. 2, 2023, to do the business of the city in a regularly scheduled meeting.
The first item of business was for the Council to accept the resignation letter from the Interim Parks & Recreation Director. Stephen Martinez turned his letter of resignation as Interim Parks and Recreation director to take a position in the private sector. After the acceptance, the Council moved to appoint a new Interim Parks & Rec Director which is Brad Wise.
Next, the Council heard from Interim Police Chief, Rene Siller, who presented the Police Department quarterly report for October to December 2022.
Here are the numbers:
| October | November | December | |
| Calls For Service | 1014 | 964 | 974 |
| Sexual Assault | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assaults | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Burglary | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Theft | 19 | 19 | 8 |
| Stolen Vehicle | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Domestics | 16 | 4 | 6 |
| Civil Matter/ Stand By | 14 | 24 | 20 |
| MHMR Transports | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Animal Control | 178 | 157 | 153 |
Incidents
| Citations | 74 | 78 | 54 |
| Arrest/Charges | 63 | 48 | 46 |
| City Warrants Served | 28 | 11 | 6 |
| County Warrants Served | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Other Dept. Warrants Served | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Total Warrants Served | 33 | 15 | 13 |
| Total Incidents Reported | 43 | 35 | 36 |
| Accidents City | 20 | 12 | 11 |
| Accidents DPS | 14 | 16 | 13 |
The next item was for Code Enforcement Officer, Andres Juarez to present the Code Enforcement Department quarterly report. On top of giving the number, he said, “The fourth quarter was a busy quarter. We received much-needed rain, however, that brought overgrown grass and weeds. This kept me busy, especially in the month of November. However, luckily it also brought a lot of compliance from most of our residents. There were 8 Lots Mowed in October. Two lots in November, One in December, the average pay per job was $309.09 December has lower numbers due to me taking vacation time before the holiday break.”
Here are the numbers
| CODE ENFORCEMENT | October | November | December | 4TH QUARTER TOTALS |
| Inspections | 162 | 229 | 64 | 455 |
| Certified Letters (Misc.) | 4 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Junk Vehicle | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Public Nuisance | 1 | 13 | 54 | 54 |
| Weeds and Grass | 57 | 41 | 38 | 136 |
| View Obstruction | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Substandard Structures | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Substandard Structures Abated | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Other Letters (Illegal Dumping and Parking) | 73 | 1 | 2 | 76 |
| Contact with Property Owners | 10 | 3 | 8 | 21 |
| Door Notices W&GPN & JV | 5 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| -Complaints to Municipal Court | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Complied | 40 | 149 | 30 | 219 |
| Administrative Search Warrants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking Violations | 0 | O | 0 | 0 |
| Cost of Contract Mowers | $2,425.00 | $625.00 | $350.00 | $3,400.00 |
Brownfield Chamber of Commerce Director Lorena Valencia gave the finacial report for the 1st quarter of the 2022-2023 fiscal year on the Visitor Information Center program that is funded by Hotel/Motel Tax Funds as directed in the agreement between the City of Brownfield and the Brownfield Chamber of Commerce. The Council accepted the report. Also, according to the Brownfield Chamber, it has operated the Visitors Information Center utilizing the Hotel Occupancy Tax Revenue for since the 2017-2018 FY in the annual amount of $54,900.00. Due to inflation and increased operating costs, Valencia management has requested that the City of Brownfield increase the annual contribution to $60,000.00 annually. The Council approved the increase.
Next, the Council spoke with SC Tracking Services for backflow protection. According to the code of ordinances, any source of contamination or possible contamination from any containment which originates from or is located at a residential or commercial establishment that is connected to any public water supply, or which provides water to the public shall be equipped with backflow protection. SC Tracking solutions will provide services to assist the city in permitting, control, testing, and recordkeeping. This agreement confirms that SCTracking (SCT) will provide TCEQ compliant Cross Connection Control / Backflow Prevention / CSI / FOG program assistance with electronic data gathering, tracking, registration, and notifications as outlined in the agreement. SCT has assisted many cities across the State of Texas with the review and development of Federal and State legislative compliance programs including Backflow Prevention / Cross-Connection Control management, which will seek to ensure the city’s continued compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) regulations pertaining to backflow protection. The Council unanimously approved SC Tracking.
The Council with much conversation in the past few months has decided to look at all utility rates, from electricity to water. The Council decided to have Chris Ekrut with NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC (NewGen) present a proposal for consulting services to assist the City of Brownfield in undertaking Electric, DER, Water and Wastewater, and Solid Waste Rate Studies. The goal of these studies will be to develop the City’s five-year financial plans for the electric, water and wastewater, and solid waste revenue utilities, and rates that support the City’s financial needs during this planning period. This study will also include solar rate solutions for citizens who have obtained solar energy. The cost for the combined studies of electric, water and wastewater, and solid waste rate studies will be $85,000.00. The Council voted 5-1 to retain NewGen for the study. Councilman Michael Tackitt was the descending vote.
The Council went into executive session and did not take action. The Council adjourned. Council member present were Mayor Tom Hesse, Kelli Mendez, Celso Duran, Mayor Pro-Tem Michelle Cooper, Michael Tackitt, and Isaiah Bautista. Councilmen Eric Horton and JC Tierina were absent. The next regular scheduled council meeting is slated for Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 7:30 am in the Council Chamber at City Hall.
