The Planning and Community Development Committee voted to send a package of revisions to Chapter 16 of the city code—targeted at metal recycling entities (MREs) and used auto parts recyclers (UAPRs)—to the full City Council. The recommended changes followed more than a dozen task force meetings and weeks of industry and community stakeholder negotiation.

City staff and task force members described the principal code changes: a requirement that most violations be corrected within two business days or face citation; the ability to use civil administrative citations (in addition to municipal criminal citations) for faster adjudication; a reduction of the ‘three‑strike’ licensing threshold to three citations within a 12‑month rolling period (down from 18 months) allowing license suspension or revocation; an explicit authority for the director to require temporary cessation of operations while enforcement is underway; and a new requirement that each facility submit a fire‑prevention plan as a licensing condition so the Fire Department can pre‑plan responses and require third‑party reviews after significant incidents.

Zoning and facility standards were among the most contested items. The proposed rules add a 1,000‑foot separation requirement for any new MRE or UAPR, to reduce clustering in certain neighborhoods, but allow the City Council to consider variances through the normal rezoning process. The draft also allows some nonconforming UAPRs the ability to expand within their existing lot lines similar to metal recyclers, and it defines acceptable fencing materials, paint/finish requirements to reduce reflectivity and heat, more frequent pest/vector control (monthly or quarterly depending on requirements), lower maximum pile heights for ASR/fluff versus metal stockpiles, and clarified hazardous‑material manifest and disposal documentation requirements.

Industry representatives at the meeting — including leaders from Monterey Metal Recycling Solutions and other family‑owned recyclers — testified that many operations already comply with state and federal regulations and asked for clarity in technical definitions. Community task force members pushed for stricter pile‑height limits for the fine “fluff” material and stronger enforcement. Task-force and community representatives repeatedly requested clearer, enforceable definitions for “metal shredder residue” and “fluff” (auto shredder residue, ASR); staff included a working definition in the draft but the committee asked for refinement and additional training for code officers so inspectors can distinguish waste streams consistently.

Committee members also discussed system‑level issues: whether the city should pursue emergency‑services cost‑recovery for industrial incidents and how air‑monitoring should be coordinated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), which is the state authority for air enforcement. Staff recommended consultation with TCEQ on potential monitoring strategies rather than a unilateral city program.

The committee voted to forward the updated Chapter 16 language to the full council for final adoption. Members commended the extensive task-force process and asked staff to refine definitions, provide additional guidance on pile heights and shredder residue, and continue coordination with TCEQ and fire officials.

(Reporting note: Quotations and attributions are taken from the committee meeting transcript and statements by task‑force participants.)