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Regular Meeting October 16, 2007 Page 6 <br />appoint or volunteers are members of the Council. Mr. O'Leary stated Staff <br />will bring back in an Ordinance and the terms. Mayor Narvaiz stated she <br />believes the members of the committee should be the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem an <br />Deputy Mayor Pro Tem. The Council agreed by consensus for Staff to bring <br />back an Ordinance using the Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem <br />for the committee. <br />Mr. Thomaides moved to reconsider Item 22, and Mr. Guerrero seconded the <br />motion, which passed unanimously. Mayor Narvaiz introduced a discussion <br />regarding abandonment of +.25 acres of right -of -way located at the <br />intersection of Craddock and Ranch Road 12 and direction to Staff. Mr. <br />Thomaides stated there is a large group of trees on this right -of -way. He <br />stated his support for the abandonment is that the trees are maintained at <br />this location. <br />Mayor Narvaiz introduced a discussion regarding exemption for Over 65 and <br />Disabled Citizens and direction to Staff. Mayor Narvaiz stated different <br />Councils have discussed this over the years. She stated since this has to <br />do with the budget, it must be done at a certain time of year. Mr. O'Leary <br />provided Council with a spreadsheet of the number of disabled citizens and <br />number of over 65 citizens. Mayor Narvaiz stated these exemptions would <br />effect our budget in the amount of $96,000.00. Mr. Thomaides stated this <br />issue came up last year and he has some concerns with the loss of revenue. <br />He stated he feels the Council should make some cuts in the budget to off <br />set the reduction in taxes. Mayor Narvaiz provided the Council with a copy <br />of the exemption the County implemented a year ago. She stated there are <br />citizens in need of our help and this is one way we can help. Mr. Jones <br />stated he is interested in looking into exemptions, but he also has some <br />concerns. Mayor Narvaiz stated if the Council moves forward she would like <br />Mr. Cosentino to bring back options. Mr. Jones stated he would like to see <br />the options of different exemptions. Ms. Robertson inquired to whether the <br />exemptions could be done on a sliding scale. Ms. Vela, Director of <br />Finance, stated Council could establish any amount, in each year, and the <br />Council can also develop a criteria or residency rules. Mr. Cosentino <br />stated the requirements in Texas are it has to be equal and uniform. He <br />stated individuals must qualify, the State Statute does not allow for a <br />needed based. He also stated, as far as residency, once the council adopts <br />the qualifications, the residency has to be homesteaded as of January 1, <br />2007. The Council agreed by consensus to move forward with the exemption <br />at $20,000.00. <br />Mayor Narvaiz introduced a discussion and receive a Staff update on <br />Nuisance Task Force and direction to Staff. Mr. O'Leary stated Staff has <br />put together a group of staff members who have looked at Nuisance problems. <br />Lisa Dvorak, Assistant Chief of Police, provided Council with a memo <br />regarding the history of the workgroup. Mr. Jones inquired to the Alcohol <br />Task Force. Mr. O'Leary stated the Alcohol Task Force is a Multi - agency <br />Task Force, which was brainstorming ideas. Howard Williams, Chief of <br />Police, stated using the SARA model, you throw everything out on the table <br />