[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6644129,"mediaKeyId","2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc","parentId",2529864,"title","Votes at a glance: Crockett council approves minutes amendment, license-plate reader grant application, fireworks vendor and tax-abatement application","audioSeconds",7505,"startMs",419000,"endMs",7924000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc&start=419&end=7924","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc/thumbnail_419000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6644129/Crockett/Houston-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Crockett-council-approves-minutes-amendment-license-plate-reader-grant-application-fireworks-vendor-and-tax-abatement-application","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644129-a1e78f61bb76f31a03dfb5be2510a6b5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771074234&Signature=UtTFK7BGgMc2PkSW4FDhU7Go39AaNSbk~EXNZi0dt0wWJ0wrmieacizB8h3RgUavtT9wBknx0uH1L33qqqdkqyQFkwktN5CeNhpghGZb~rrG-pH1xMZjgxp12pTr8OE80v2qKF83mgOfM8PHaoxy2sCMuYNlxupXIhavuOpo3lbtZ9LM6UPCLVxNDI47-juj~sq5KIOBumZMzrT1biofM1i3xUUB76MRNPxqEkntCeogIX4wqZWqbrLstL1ANFyXGlZqdxyLnV-EW4jM8DGWzFScJ02ZNCibaLirzFFbfXmk~-T5cfcKQTUYXfCANCyzdrmYewvbJ1YXPeAiP39xog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-09T18:41:20.82Z","article","The Crockett City Council took several formal actions during its Feb. 3 meeting. Key votes and outcomes were:

- Minutes: Council approved the regular-session minutes from Feb. 3, 2025 (with an amendment to change wording that characterized retaining outside counsel as \"required\" to instead reflect the city was \"given the option\" to retain outside counsel). The motion to accept the minutes with that edit carried by voice vote.

- Solid waste franchise direction: Council voted to pursue negotiations on the existing exclusive franchise agreement with Pineywoods Sanitation rather than immediately open the contract to public bidding. Staff was directed to draft contract revisions and schedule a workshop; the motion carried by voice vote.

- License-plate reader grant resolution: Council approved a resolution authorizing submission of a grant application to the Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, to acquire additional license-plate readers. The resolution authorizes the city's designated official to apply for and manage the grant if awarded. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Fireworks contract: Council approved a proposal for the City of Crockett and the Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce to host the Freedom Over Crockett Independence Day fireworks show and selected Wilson Family Pyrotechnics as the vendor based on a $25,000 budget proposal. Motion carried by voice vote.

- Tax abatement application: After an executive session, council voted to begin application steps for a tax abatement for an economic-development prospect; a motion to initiate the application process passed by voice vote.

Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the public transcript; each listed motion carried after being moved, seconded and approved by voice vote where recorded. Council members asked staff to return with details and proposed contract language, project budgets or grant award notifications as appropriate.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Crockett City Council Meeting - 02/18/2025","oneSentenceSummary","At its Feb. 3 meeting the Crockett City Council approved an amended set of minutes, authorized a grant application for license-plate readers, approved a fireworks vendor and began a tax-abatement application process; council also directed staff to negotiate the Pineywoods sanitation franchise (see separate coverage).","taxTitle","Crockett, Houston County, Texas","taxId",69526,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6644132,"Crockett staff outline street, water and sewer projects; Provalis building and FTZ progress; pool grant shortfall",930,1618000,2548000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc&start=1618&end=2548","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc/thumbnail_1618000.jpg","/articles/6644132/Crockett/Houston-County/Texas/Crockett-staff-outline-street-water-and-sewer-projects-Provalis-building-and-FTZ-progress-pool-grant-shortfall","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644132-2cf349335dd4fda55e77f59216695a46/orig.mp4?Expires=1771074235&Signature=Z3ZTkdyQDjoHr3P7-XG4mUMoZaJQnOSr8TFGKo0CteonAHdJCb44JAIwLob~JI3UkULsJdKoNnxeKUmqOqPHWEreu6CjomLsr~2mP2f~uoWW-BzEr6eBXF68ln6KSMAsnZUizi7SJr9EAERV84~Meq0UgYYgZrnUtzU~W2OXIOEG8TcTitsgLw4SPQsgKVffuZktmmXCEx12xugTXJIOg5MoF5rEdw1IX~eDHiKkhhXkqvQR8-9vk8n~ktBtDSAj0B8j8IaiZh~YoF2BJL4jm31emZ6k0yttW9LAheJltEHKGQnyw~CiBOVqW-OTnHbjcQLzgPKfYloO8XrQAGHiKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff briefed Crockett council on multiple infrastructure and economic development items during the Feb. 3 meeting, including street and waterline work, sewer projects to address infiltration, a federal foreign-trade zone (FTZ) application and a denied state parks grant for a proposed swimming pool.

Alan Warshall, the staff presenter, described current construction: completed water-line installations on South Seventh and South Tenth Streets and ongoing work on South Grey Street and North Grace. He said the city has access to a new round of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) pre-applications with an early-April pre-application deadline and that the program can fund streets, water and sewer projects. Warshall reviewed the city's recent MLK Street project: the previous CDBG award and a State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loan covered a portion of MLK from the loop to Bell Street; the remaining portion of MLK requires additional funding sources.

Warshall said the city is under a sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) initiative and has prioritized sewer mains and failing manholes for replacement. The city has begun an inventory and inspection program for manholes and is inputting data into a GIS system to prioritize repairs. He reported the Texas Water Development Board approved a categorical environmental exclusion for certain water-line replacements — meaning the city can avoid a longer environmental-review process for projects that replace lines within existing disturbed ground — and said staff expects to advertise water-line bids in the late spring or early summer.

On economic development, Warshall reported a large industrial building in the industrial park is near completion and the city has submitted its FTZ application with concurrence letters from local taxing entities; staff expects further federal review. The building's first phase was described as supporting roughly 60 jobs in phase one and staff said job fairs and recruitment are planned for spring.

Parks and recreation: staff said a Texas Parks and Wildlife grant application for a municipal swimming pool finished ranked 32 of about 68 applicants and fell outside funding cutoffs (only 22 projects were funded). Warshall said council will have to decide whether to scale the pool project, borrow more, seek other funding or reprioritize.

Animal shelter: staff said they are finalizing a job description for a shelter attendant/technician and plan to partner with a local veterinarian who has offered support on a noncompetitive basis; staff will present partnership options to council in the coming days.

Council asked staff to return with CDBG pre-application priorities for council input and to continue work on sewer priority lists, manhole repairs and schedule updates for the MLK and East Houston/East Goliad sections that are moving toward bid.","City staff updated council on waterline and sewer projects, CDBG and SIB funding, an environmental exclusion from the Texas Water Development Board, a local industrial building nearing completion with FTZ application progress, and a Parks & Wildlife pool grant that ranked below funding cutoff.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6644137,"Crockett police report: January activity, block-party shooting prompts talk of block-party permitting; racial-profiling data published",384,991000,1375000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc&start=991&end=1375","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc/thumbnail_991000.jpg","/articles/6644137/Crockett/Houston-County/Texas/Crockett-police-report-January-activity-block-party-shooting-prompts-talk-of-block-party-permitting-racial-profiling-data-published","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644137-51447ac804f51052b546a9518c08b046/orig.mp4?Expires=1771074235&Signature=ccoRaoqhyfDfTDJc6H9UuRwVfM08uoMreQoZJqL4ZF57qD~Mv1NBg1UocRb~vpTafWGYRCMV6JLyjnpTyigYZLyWXXW7gbXpvNyQA2k~xuFXAEX6gRyWs7y5VLkfFcQgE5mzxdw8E579lZMm0nAUzANccPwa74TkAgbCC8txyUnjAOjjHotQ-E1S1ELrtlsP295-D4vAM~PPm6k9l0~HJmR0IFaQ454uSEJBVm3tQr~xwwL9qKjW-gpWL2bnFC-lCPh4Gby7Q4dsFgWPzUnHH0dL8zXRAGmpN8NmfIEyRuJTt8YkNQUzgMoYc4M7-007FQ1XhCJxhwppGtcMdOYxoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Crockett police on Feb. 3 presented the department's manpower and criminal activity report for January 2025 and the annual racial profiling report for 2024. Police also described a recent robbery at a large block-style party and said they will seek a local ordinance to regulate such events.

The police presenter reported the department had 16 officers who worked a total of 2,584 manpower hours in January, responded to 382 calls for service, investigated 16 traffic accidents and made 57 arrests. The presenter said officers stopped 396 motor vehicles during the month. The department invited questions after the summary.

Chief Smith (identified later in the meeting as the police chief) told council that during a recent large informal gathering a pair of armed suspects wearing ski masks entered the event and robbed attendees, taking about $8,000. No serious injuries were reported, and detectives continue an active investigation; suspects had not been apprehended at the time of the meeting.

\"They went in with guns and ski masks, and they robbed everybody at that party,\" Chief Smith said as he summarized the incident and then urged discussion of a possible block-party permitting ordinance to give the city a contact and control mechanism for very large outdoor gatherings.

On the racial profiling report, the department provided a breakdown by race and by stop location. The presentation listed race-known totals (as reported to council) as: African American 898; Asian/Pacific Islander 80; White 2,216; Hispanic 641; Native American 13. The report's overall total of stops was reported as 3,848 for the period. The department said many stops occurred on state highway corridors passing through the city, which explains a higher share of state-highway stops in the data.

Councilmembers praised the clearer layout of the profiling report and said they would follow up with questions about stop locations and patterns. The chief said officers receive training on identifying a driver's race prior to a stop in certain lawful circumstances and that the department documents those instances in the report.

Council asked staff to bring a proposed block-party permitting ordinance to a future agenda so members can weigh regulations that would allow contacts, capacity limits and permitting without unduly restricting private gatherings.","Police reported January workload figures and a nearby shooting at an unpermitted block-party site; the department presented its 2024 annual racial profiling report showing 3,848 traffic stops by recorded race.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6644142,"Crockett council opts to negotiate Pineywoods sanitation franchise instead of opening immediate bids",645,3084000,3729000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc&start=3084&end=3729","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2529864-dd1f7ee426eabf753a5e9f1e2c05afbc/thumbnail_3084000.jpg","/articles/6644142/Crockett/Houston-County/Texas/Crockett-council-opts-to-negotiate-Pineywoods-sanitation-franchise-instead-of-opening-immediate-bids","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6644142-04d1c5ad0a89de7d39967883e9fe4559/orig.mp4?Expires=1771074235&Signature=LpTHITIyP8jt0jRlFkBY7kEm0HbDhdyrB80tA9XgwraS~0oSVKfBEu-yw7sG7-xl5esHco3BCYcgK96NASL0VizqmMJDBg3dtg7r6jgJROnUTzl2bJlHflVoZc3iCtaXIesgFyrzjxeMtflkhzxTUWdMe8yhUKXJfbS2HPect373VX8J09F90V7W2U0QUOOFcZVVB~5th7iu3KF50rWebsj4xKizdGciPGj1mM4eEW8s0PSSnsYQHxKObioIBjBVwuIIRzyrZsUuFC8QsA72Ja0~cjazQ3pQh69xkjETA7vVGCXBM1AYvhxnKSQj9Cv40xdTdgG1lSvySpDTpCFCrg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Crockett city council on Feb. 3 directed city staff to negotiate revisions to the existing exclusive franchise agreement with Pineywoods Sanitation rather than go immediately to an open bidding process.

Councilmembers and city staff said they favored negotiating because Pineywoods has established local operations, invested in equipment and jobs, and because switching vendors could delay service and require new capital outlays by any replacement contractor.

City officials and Pineywoods representatives described investments made since the current contract began: Pineywoods’ local manager said the company purchased collection carts and containers, trucks and has invested in a local transfer station. \"We've spent over a hundred thousand dollars on these carts that were brought into the city. We spent over a quarter million dollars on containers that were brought into the city. We have over a million dollars worth of trucks here,\" said Tim Terry, identified in the meeting as Pineywoods’ local site manager.

Council members pressed for clearer communications and performance guarantees. City staff said many missed-pickup complaints and roll-off orders fell outside the city’s billing loop and were billed directly to Pineywoods for customers outside city limits, creating confusion. Staff recommended a dedicated local phone line and enforceable contract provisions for missed collections and after-hours pickups.

Pineywoods’ municipal manager, Sonny Hubbard, described the company’s local footprint and economic ties: employees hired locally, a mechanic shop moved to Crockett, and use of the city transfer station to contain bulky waste. Hubbard said the local operation had created additional jobs beyond earlier agreements and noted the practical costs of replacing that infrastructure: \"To get as cheap as what you have right now, I don't think it's gonna be possible simply because we're using equipment we're appreciating. We're not having to buy a lot of new equipment.\" His remarks were presented to the council during the public conversation.

Council members also asked that annual price adjustments be clarified. The contract includes a cap on increases tied to CPI; staff said prior negotiations capped annual increases at 3 percent. Councilmembers asked that the contract language be tightened to prevent retroactive or skipped-year adjustments that could exceed the cap.

After discussion, a motion instructing staff to pursue negotiations and to schedule a workshop for council review carried unanimously. City staff said they would set a date for a workshop, draft proposed contract changes (including communications and performance metrics) and return to council before the formal franchise deadline in May.

The council’s decision preserves the current service while giving members a pathway to tighten enforcement, require a local phone number for complaints and consider contract remedies for missed collections. City staff said the May timeline is tied to the franchise notice window in the existing contract.

What happens next: staff will draft a recommended set of contract amendments and a workshop agenda for council review. If negotiations fail or council later decides to go to bid, the council must issue formal notice within the timeline set in the existing franchise agreement.","After lengthy discussion about local service, equipment, communication and costs, Crockett city council voted to negotiate contract revisions with Pineywoods Sanitation and schedule a workshop rather than put the franchise out to bid.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Crockett council approves minutes amendment, license-plate reader grant application, fireworks vendor and tax-abatement application

Crockett staff outline street, water and sewer projects; Provalis building and FTZ progress; pool grant shortfall

Crockett police report: January activity, block-party shooting prompts talk of block-party permitting; racial-profiling data published

Crockett council opts to negotiate Pineywoods sanitation franchise instead of opening immediate bids