BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TO CONTINUE DISCUSSION ON MOBILE FOOD VENDOR ORDINANCE
The Brenham City Council will continue discussion Thursday on potential changes to the city’s policies on mobile food vendors.
The council will hold a workshop to hear an update from staff on the city’s ordinances pertaining to food trucks. A workshop was also held in February, where discussion was held on changing policies and procedures for applying for and receiving a permit, allowing food trucks to park in city right-of-way, and amending zoning ordinance to allow food truck parks.
Currently, there are six active permits for food trucks within the city. Since the February workshop, city staff have met with two local food vendors and allowed them to temporarily park overnight downtown on North Douglas Street for Country Sunshine and South Park Street for Home Sweet Farm. The vendors are currently permitted to park Wednesday-Sunday in city right-of-way on a trial basis while an ordinance is drafted. Since February, the city has seen an increase in the number of requests for parking food trucks or trailers in right-of-way, both in downtown and throughout Brenham.
Also at Thursday’s meeting, the council will take up several purchases for the fire department. The council will consider purchasing a replacement engine in the fire department’s Rescue 2 Unit, as well as replacing the department’s Self Contained Breathing Apparatuses (SCBA).
According to the agenda packet for Thursday’s meeting, the SCBA purchase was included in the adopted 2020-21 Fiscal Year budget through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG). However, the city was notified in October that it did not receive funding through the AFG.
According to interim Brenham Fire Chief Rhea Cooper, the department’s current SCBA cylinders come to the end of their life span in January 2022, and the current masks, which are approximately 14 years old, are experiencing wear and tear. Cooper said the upgrade will make the department compliant with Texas Commission on Fire Protection requirements, and will also comply with the current National Fire Protection Association standard.
The expected cost to replace the Rescue 2 Unit engine is $58,176, while the estimated cost for the SCBAs is $402,128. The city will look to finance the SCBA purchase with a 7-year note, with annual payments beginning in Fiscal Year 2021-22.
The council will also consider:
- A professional services agreement between the city and CDM Smith, Inc. for Engineering Services related to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Water System Capacity Evaluation Study.
- Renewal of the city’s Group Health Plan with TML Health Benefits Pool and establishment of funding rates for the plan year beginning October 1st through September 30, 2022.
- A resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with TxDOT for the temporary closure of state right-of-way in connection with the 2021 downtown summer concert series (Hot Nights, Cool Tunes) to be held July 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st.
- A recommendation from the Main Street Board for the appointment of Traci Pyle to Position 8 on the Main Street Board for an unexpired term to expire on December 31st.
The council will meet Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Brenham City Hall.
“…the city was notified in October that it did not receive funding through the AFG.”
Why?
Is this more former fire chief fallout?
Will this affect the shaved ice vendor that’s been at firemans park on the weekends making a profit while using electricity that the tax payers pay for?
Agh yes, let’s all hate the Karens and the wise ones who you call haters and racist. Being raised in a border town I’ve seen the changes that changed my life and my family. But I could not move back to be with family because you had to be bilingual for any job. As far as any job position you better be fluent and be able to write it also. And then you will still be lucky because opportunity won’t be knocking on your door unless you can do both. Not in Texas. Hispanics stick together and love big families. They will always get the grants that you won’t qualify for. And theirs always LULAC. I believe in being fair for everyone.
BISD had no right to allow this flag at the ceremony.The administration knew this would shake things up but just proves they are weak. I’d like to know who said this was ok. All it did was shake things up. And you know what? You ain’t seen nothing yet.
It seems that the city and it’s economic development organizations are always too happy when a new business opens, but over the last decade, many of those businesses close within a year or two. If the food truck owners can make a go of it, and do contribute to the downtown and local economy, then I can’t see that there is this much of an issue; however, this would not have been an issue years and years ago when there were small restaurants and cafes scattered all across the downtown area. Apparently the city let the one downtown restaurant usurp three parking spaces several years back. If parking is the problem, why not let them park on the city lot between Park and Baylor streets, or on the always-empty lot on the opposite side of downtown. Maybe the city should also look at the numerous 18 wheelers that are always parked on the county land between Armbrister and Independence streets across from the Expo on Bluebell Road. The Expo/county owns that piece of land, but I doubt that anyone is charged to let those 18 wheelers and the empty or loaded trailers sit there for days on end. Or IS someone being charged, and the money not making it to the proper account? Maybe the city needs to learn from the Expo… except where water and cold weather are concerned.
The City actually approached that downtown restaurant about building a “parklet” in those 3 parking spaces directly in front of their restaurant. The restaurant and the other property owners in that block all agreed it was a great idea and terrific way to add outdoor seating downtown. So they did it. Looks like it worked out well, and turned out to be an excellent use of space. I wouldn’t be surprised if at some point in the future a couple more parklets are added around downtown.
The parklet is a downtown park and anybody can use it. You do not have to be a customer for any particular restaurant. The parklet is on public property. Anybody at anytime can use it. You can even bring your own picnic meal or bring your McDonalds and eat it there. I would encourage everyone to use the parklet at your leisure. It is public property. It is your property to use as a US citizen.
I believe that is true outside of their business hours. When they are not open, anyone can enjoy the outdoor seating. That was one of the benefits of adding a parklet.
I’ve grown so bored with minorities shouting “racism” when someone objects to waving a foreign flag at a local event, especially when so many Latinos come over here illegally, enroll in public schools at U.S. citizen expense (yes they can do that), take advantage of the free lunch program (meaning paid for by U.S. citizens), and every other “free” program courtesy of U.S. taxpayers, and be given courtesies not extended to Anglo-Saxons, then want to wave the flag of the very country they messed up so bad they have to leave. Take your hipocritical behavior and thinking somewhere else. Yes we are a nation of immigrants, but there was a time when immigrants earned the right to citizenship, contributed their share and we’re proud to raise the U.S. flag, rather than coming here just to take advantage of the benefits and try to change the country into something it was never intended to be.
All residents who rent or own a home pay school taxes, look at your WCAD bill. Landlords get this bill too and they charge enough rent to cover this bill. Only the homeless get by without paying this tax. They pay sales tax and many other taxes. No one in America lives for free unless they are total wards of the state. In 1 generation they have paid back with interest any so called ‘free program’.
The immigrants here are fleeing countries that are in disarray due to pollical greed and authoritarian control that enriches the ruling class while make the poor fend for themselves. The people coming here are the smarter, braver, family-oriented in their country. It is not easy to emigrate. We have an immigration system that is broken. We need fix this.
We need and want immigrants! Look benefits of immigration. It keeps our country young and smart and brave. It keeps the economy vibrant. google ‘benefits of immigration’ Educate yourself. Speaking against a whole group of people without the facts does make you sound racist.
What was it (this country) intended to be? The so called “founding fathers” are dead as well as most of their descendants.
1st of all….ummm, ok??
and second… I’m a tax paying LEGAL Mexican that has no problem paying those taxes if it means helping those that need it.
Go see a therapist if you have so much hate.