The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About2020-04-07 Agenda with Backup - Emergency MeetingCity Council City of Denton Meeting Agenda City Hall 215 E. McKinney St. Denton, Texas 76201 www.cityofdenton.com Work Session Room4:00 PMTuesday, April 7, 2020 EMERGENCY MEETING Pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 551, V.T.C.A., Government Code, notice is hereby given of an Emergency Special Meeting of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Denton, Texas to be held in the Council Work Session Room at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney Street, Denton, Texas on April 7, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. After determining that a quorum is present, the City Council of the City of Denton, Texas will convene in an Emergency Special Meeting on Tuesday, April 7, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. in the Council Work Session Room at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney Street, Denton, Texas at which the following item(s) will be considered: Note: Mayor Chris Watts, Mayor Pro Tem Gerard Hudspeth, and Council Members Keely Briggs, Jesse Davis, John Ryan, Deb Armintor and Paul Meltzer will be participating in the emergency special meeting via video/teleconference. REGISTRATION GUIDELINES FOR ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL Page 1 Printed on 4/23/2020 April 7, 2020City Council Meeting Agenda Due to COVID-19 precautions, members of the public will not be able to attend the Tuesday, April 7, City Council emergency meeting in -person. To accommodate and receive input on agenda items, citizens will be able to participate in one of the following ways (NOTE: Other than public hearings, citizens are only able to comment one time per agenda item; citizens cannot use both methods to comment on a single agenda item): • Virtual “White Card” – On Tuesday, April 7, at least one hour before the meeeting start time, the agenda was posted online at www.cityofdenton.com/publicmeetings . Once the agenda is posted, a link to the Virtual White Card, an online form, will be made available under the main heading on the webpage. Within this form, citizens may indicate support or opposition, and submit a brief comment about a specific agenda item. Similar to when a citizen submits a physical white card to indicate their position on the item, these comment forms will be sent directly to City Council members and recorded by the City Secretary. The Mayor will announce the number of Comment Cards submitted in support or opposition to an item during the public comment period. Comments may be submitted up until the start of the meeting, which begins at 4:00 p.m. Online comments received after 4:00 p.m. will not be delivered to the City Council nor entered into the public record. OR • BY PHONE – Citizens wishing to speak to the Council on an agenda item over the phone, may call (940) 349-7800 up to 30 minutes prior to the meeting, which begins at 4:00 p.m. When the call is initially received, a staff member will receive the caller’s information and either: 1) offer to call the citizen back when it is time for them to speak on their requested item, or 2) record the caller’s information, support or opposition, and comment. If the caller chooses to record their support or opposition, rather than speaking during the meeting, the Mayor will announce the number of comments submitted in support or opposition to the item. If the caller wishes to receive a call back, the voice of each caller will be broadcast into the meeting during the public commenting time of their desired agenda item. Individuals will be able to comment once per agenda item, no matter the method. NOTE: The City Council reserves the right to adjourn into a Closed Meeting on any item on its Open Meeting agenda consistent with Chapter 551 of the Texas Government Code, as amended, or as otherwise allowed by law. NOTE: Any item for which a formal action at the Special Called/Emergency Meeting has been taken by Council may be subject to a request for a motion for reconsideration at any time during the meeting, at the Concluding Items Section, or after the meeting. In order to comply with the Texas Open Meetings Act, a request for a motion for reconsideration made during, at the end of, or after a Council meeting will be placed on the agenda and considered at the next official meeting of the City Council. 1. ITEM(S) FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION Consider a resolution of the Council of the City of Denton expressing appreciation to Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Supreme Court for actions taken to protect and support the citizens of the State of Texas during the COVID -19 public health emergency; respectfully requesting additional measures to benefit citizens of the State of Texas; requesting the Governor call a special session of the Texas Legislature to consider suspending eviction proceedings and other remedies in certain conditions; urging landlords and lenders to identify solutions; and providing for an effective date. ID 20-833A. Page 2 Printed on 4/23/2020 April 7, 2020City Council Meeting Agenda Exhibit 1 - Agenda Information Sheet.pdf Exhibit 2 - Resolution Attachments: C E R T I F I C A T E I certify that the above notice of Emergency Meeting held under TOMA Section 551.045 was posted on the bulletin board at the City Hall of the City of Denton, Texas, as well as the City website and provided to the news media outlets on the 7th day of April, 2020 at 2:39 p.m. __________________________________________ CITY SECRETARY NOTE: THE CITY OF DENTON'S DESIGNATED PUBLIC MEETING FACILITIES ARE ACCESSIBLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT. THE CITY WILL PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION, SUCH AS SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETERS FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED, IF REQUESTED AT LEAST 48 HOURS IN ADVANCE OF THE SCHEDULED MEETING. PLEASE CALL THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE AT 940-349-8309 OR USE TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES FOR THE DEAF (TDD) BY CALLING 1-800-RELAY-TX SO THAT REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION CAN BE ARRANGED. Page 3 Printed on 4/23/2020 City of Denton Legislation Text City Hall 215 E. McKinney St. Denton, Texas 76201 www.cityofdenton.com File #:ID 20-833,Version:1 AGENDA CAPTION Consider a resolution of the Council of the City of Denton expressing appreciation to Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Supreme Court for actions taken to protect and support the citizens of the State of Texas during the COVID-19 public health emergency;respectfully requesting additional measures to benefit citizens of the State of Texas;requesting the Governor call a special session of the Texas Legislature to consider suspending eviction proceedings and other remedies in certain conditions;urging landlords and lenders to identify solutions; and providing for an effective date. City of Denton Printed on 4/7/2020Page 1 of 1 powered by Legistar™ City of Denton _____________________________________________________________________________________ AGENDA INFORMATION SHEET DEPARTMENT: City Manager’s Office CM/ DCM/ ACM: Todd Hileman DATE: April 7, 2020 SUBJECT Consider a resolution of the Council of the City of Denton expressing appreciation to Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Supreme Court for actions taken to protect and support the citizens of the State of Texas during the COVID-19 public health emergency; respectfully requesting additional measures to benefit citizens of the State of Texas; requesting the Governor call a special session of the Texas Legislature to consider suspending eviction proceedings and other remedies in certain conditions; urging landlords and lenders to identify solutions; and providing for an effective date. BACKGROUND At the April 6, 2020 Emergency Meeting of the Denton City Council, Council Member Meltzer requested that a resolution be brought forward for council consideration that requests additional measures to be provided to the citizens of Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic and to request the Governor call a special session of the state legislature to evaluate suspension of eviction proceedings, among other related matters. OPTIONS N/A RECOMMENDATION N/A ESTIMATED SCHEDULE OF PROJECT N/A PRIOR ACTION/REVIEW (Council, Boards, Commissions) N/A FISCAL INFORMATION N/A BID INFORMATION N/A EXHIBITS Exhibit 1 – Agenda Information Sheet Exhibit 2 – Resolution City Hall 215 E. McKinney Street Denton, Texas www.cityofdenton.com Respectfully submitted: Sarah Kuechler Chief of Staff Prepared by: Ryan Adams Deputy Director of Public Affairs/IGR Page 1 RESOLUTION NO. __________ A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT AND THE TEXAS SUPREME COURT FOR ACTIONS TAKEN TO PROTECT AND SUPPORT THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY; RESPECTFULLY REQUESTING ADDITIONAL MEASURES TO BENEFIT CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS; REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR CALL A SPECIAL SESSION OF THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE TO CONSIDER SUSPENDING EVICTION PROCEEDINGS AND OTHER REMEDIES IN CERTAIN CONDITIONS; URGING LANDLORDS AND LENDERS TO IDENTIFY SOLUTIONS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS, unemployment is widespread during the coronavirus pandemic; and WHEREAS, Governor Greg Abbott has issued seven executive orders to date to address the safety of the citizens of the State of Texas and to deter the spread of SARS-CoV2 which causes the disease COVID-19, most recently GA-14 issued March 31, 2020; and WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of Texas issued its Ninth Emergency Order Regarding the COVID-19 State of Disaster on April 6, 2020, providing that no trial, hearing, or other proceeding may be conducted until after April 30, 2020, in any action for eviction to recover possession of residential property under Chapter 24 of the Texas Property Code and Rule 510 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure; and WHEREAS, the Council of the City of Denton (the Council) expresses appreciation to Governor Abbott and to the Texas Supreme Court for their efforts to protect the health, safety, and security of the citizens of the State of Texas during this public health emergency; and WHEREAS, the Council has heard from its citizens that some Denton residents have lost, and more may soon lose, income or employment through no fault of their own due to the coronavirus response, and cannot reasonably be expected to pay their rent on time without first receiving unemployment benefits; and WHEREAS, unemployment benefit requests are overwhelming the State’s ability to take them at this time; and WHEREAS, landlords in Texas have the right not to accept late rent payments and will be able to use nonpayment of rent as grounds for eviction once the moratorium on evictions expires; and WHEREAS, the Council appreciates the efforts of landlords and lenders to accommodate and collaborate with one another, homeowners, and tenants during the duration of this public health emergency; and WHEREAS, the council of the City of Denton asserts that further action is necessary to protect the health, safety, and security of the citizens of Denton and the State of Texas; and NOW THEREFORE, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF DENTON HEREBY RESOLVES: SECTION 1. The findings and recitations contained in the preamble of this Resolution are incorporated herein by reference. SECTION 2. The Council respectfully requests Governor Abbott call a special session of the Texas Legislature, to be held electronically if necessary, to consider additional measures to address the public health emergency, including but not limited to the following: • allowing renters the opportunity to cure the default of required rent payment, if caused by delay of unemployment benefits, by making late rent payments. • disallowing any eviction or foreclosure proceedings against a person who is qualified for unemployment benefits but has not yet received them and had five business days to bring their account current after receipt. SECTION 3. The Council respectfully requests that the State of Texas and its agencies take whatever measures necessary and appropriate to increase the efficiency accepting and processing applications and remitting benefits for individuals experiencing job loss or other financial hardship due to the existing public health emergency. SECTION 4. The Council requests that landlords and lenders continue to collaborate with one another, homeowners, and tenants to identify and provide solutions for continued housing through the duration of the emergency. SECTION 5. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its passage and approval. The motion to approve this resolution was made by __________________________ and seconded by _________________________________, the resolution was passed and approved by the following vote [___ - ___]: Aye Nay Abstain Absent Mayor Chris Watts: ______ ______ ______ ______ Gerard Hudspeth, District 1: ______ ______ ______ ______ Keely G. Briggs, District 2: ______ ______ ______ ______ Jesse Davis, District 3: ______ ______ ______ ______ John Ryan, District 4: ______ ______ ______ ______ Deb Armintor, At Large Place 5: ______ ______ ______ ______ Paul Meltzer, At Large Place 6: ______ ______ ______ ______ Page 3 PASSED AND APPROVED this the _________ day of ___________________, 2020. __________________________________ CHRIS WATTS, MAYOR ATTEST: ROSA RIOS, CITY SECRETARY BY: __________________________________ APPROVED AS TO LEGAL FORM: AARON LEAL, CITY ATTORNEY BY: __________________________________