[Speaker 2] It's 4.02, we are going to call the meeting to order and speaking for Lee College, we have a quorum and so, Mayor? [Speaker 8] I now call to order the January 16, 2025 special joint meeting with Baytown City Council and Lee College and we do have a quorum also. [Speaker 2] Okay, next on our, okay, next on our agenda, we have the invocation and pledge to the United States flag and the Texas flag led by Regent Weston Cotton. [Speaker 6] Most gracious Heavenly Father, we want to thank you today for the opportunity to come together to do your will in our community. We ask you to bless us, give us wisdom, give us insight as we come together. God bless each and every one of us as we go away from here, keep us safe, bring us back safely. In your most holy name we pray, amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay, next up, we have public comment. [Speaker 2] Do we have anyone signed up for public comment? [Speaker 13] No one signed up to speak from a Lee College standpoint, Mr. Chairman. [Speaker 8] Okay, we have anyone signed up for public comment? [Speaker 2] That moves things right along. [Speaker 11] No one has signed up for the city, sir. [Speaker 8] Thank you. [Speaker 2] Okay, next we're going to change the agenda slightly, and where we have discussion and presentation as a separate item, it's going to be part of the agenda item like we normally do, so we'll move into that. So I will read the agenda item. Consideration of approval of an interlocal agreement with the city of Baytown to engage in a feasibility study. The administration recommends that the board authorize an interlocal agreement between the city of Baytown and Lee College to enter into a feasibility study. Do I have a motion? I have a motion by Regent Santana and a second by Regent Cotton, and I will now turn it over to the mayor to open the agenda item on his side. [Speaker 8] I need a motion. Consider an ordinance authorizing an interlocal agreement with Lee College to explore feasibility and partnership for the development of a multi-purpose public facility. Can I get a motion? Thank you. [Speaker 2] Okay, now we will open it up to presentation and discussion. [Speaker 1] Good evening, Mr. Chairman, Lee College, Board of Regents, Mayor, and City Council members. Tonight I am pleased to present an overview of the interlocal agreement between Lee College and the city of Baytown. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to enhancing community development, expanding recreational opportunities, and improving the quality of life for both residents as well as students. The primary purpose is to establish a collaborative framework for the planning process and feasibility analysis of potential development multi-purpose public facility in Baytown. By leveraging our shared resources, expertise, and mutual goals, Lee College and the city, we aim to advance educational opportunities and expand the community's resources. This collaboration aligns with the Texas Local Government Code, which facilitates and allows partnerships between local government agencies to deliver public services. Together, both entities are committed to achieving significant progress in these areas. As a feasibility process undergoes, we anticipate creating opportunities for Lee College to visit facilities and developments that share similar characteristics, qualities, and amenities to those envisioned for this project. These opportunities will provide valuable insights and inspiration to guide the overall process. This agreement is effective January 16th, 2025 through January 16th, 2026 with the option for renewals and amendments. It includes clear provisions for communication, assignment restrictions, as well as any other types of appropriate notice. This partnership underscores the value of cooperation and efforts in achieving shared goals. It strengthens the relationship between Lee College and the City of Baytown, while paving the way for impactful developments that benefit the community. The opportunity for the City Council and for the Board of Regents to engage with similar facilities and to add an exciting dimension as we explore this process together, ensuring that the final vision is both innovative and practical. Thank you, and with that I'm happy to answer any questions that you might have. [Speaker 2] Any questions? Yes, Regent Geralds. [Speaker 11] Are there any other communities that cities that have partnered with community colleges for this type of project? [Speaker 1] There are, kind of throughout the throughout the U.S. and in Texas. One of the facilities that comes into mind is located just off the road in Bryan, Texas, where they've taken a holistic approach at the type of multi-use facility where they've partnered not only between the city, county, but also with the school district as well. [Speaker 11] Can you, because our mission at Lee College is students, can you give me some examples possibly how that program or others have benefited students in particular? [Speaker 1] It depends on the specifics that are laid out in the agreements and the contracts that were created, but it could be anywhere from providing the opportunities for students to participate or to be able to utilize facility at no cost. There could be some type of discounted membership. It can be, you know, as a way for, you know, students as well as faculty to be able to utilize the facility during peak times. There also is an opportunity, you know, for for us to look at how can we better partner and collaborate with with events, whether it's educational, recreational, or sports-related. [Speaker 12] Can you refresh our memories about the funding source for this and and what the expectation, if there is any expectation of Lee College at this point? [Speaker 1] At this point, there is no expectation. We are going through feasibility to understand how best we can work with Lee College, but as for the city's funding mechanism, an economic development agreement was approved with Exxon Mobil in 2022, providing 75 million specifically for a multi-use, multi-purpose venue in Baytown. [Speaker 10] This feasibility study, so this agreement between us, it allows us the flexibility to be full partners of the event, the venue, or just the selling of our property? Does it give us the option of either or? [Speaker 1] It gives us the flexibility to figure out, you know, depending on what's best for both parties, so depending on, you know, where the facility is located, depending on, you know, what what you all as we go through this through this process, you know, what ultimately how can we incorporate those educational components and needs of the college? [Speaker 10] Let me ask it a different way. Does this does this allow us, if we vote on this tonight, does it allow us to just want to be a part of the selling of the land and not the full project itself? [Speaker 1] Yes. [Speaker 7] Is the city able to move forward with their plan if the college does not participate in the facilities portion of it? [Speaker 1] Yes. [Speaker 7] The 75 million, that was like a donation from Exxon for this particular project. [Speaker 1] Yes, that is correct. [Speaker 7] It's a donation. [Speaker 3] Not a donation. To be very clear, it's part of an economic development package, and part of that economic development package was this money was earmarked for a multi-event center facility and other pieces of that agreement, but it's not a donation. It's a different way to structure the industrial development agreements, and that 75 million is a payment for a 30-year contract to incentivize additional investment into the Exxon plant here in Baytown. It's not tax money then. It didn't come from our taxes. It came from it came from industrial development agreements, which is part of a development package, which is a payment almost in lieu of taxes. It's ways for industry partners to work with cities so that they aren't fully brought into the city and have to be provided all the services, but they have a, it's almost like a mutual agreement on services needed, services rendered, and here's what we feel is appropriate. We feel that it's also appropriate on what they should pay, and it's just a mutual agreement leading both parties to agree on this is where we stand. [Speaker 2] Anyone else from Lee College? Okay, so at this point, hearing no further discussion, all in favor of entering the interlocal agreement with the City of Baytown say aye. Any opposed? Motion carried. [Speaker 8] Council, do we have anyone wanting to make comments? [Speaker 9] Thank y'all so much for holding this meeting with us today. As a lifelong resident of Baytown and also I earned a degree from Lee College, I'm very excited about the prospects that come along with this venture that we can go on together. I appreciate all of you voting yes towards this interlocal agreement, and I look forward to see what comes about with the feasibility study. It feels really good as a resident and a councilwoman to see so many people in the Baytown area and two very large entities, the City and Lee College, collaborate to come together to possibly offer something to our citizens that they've been asking for for a long time. [Speaker 8] Anyone else? Since we have a motion and a second, all in favor? Aye. All opposed? Motion passes. [Speaker 2] Thank you. Okay, next on our agenda are matters of concern for future, matters of future concern. Anything? [Speaker 7] I would like to ask the City, when they meet to discuss this, do they do it as a full group of council, or do they have a subgroups of council that meets and talks about this project? [Speaker 3] From this point forward, as y'all move forward with this, to answer your question directly, we meet as a full council to discuss anything that's involved with the project. As we move forward, there will be every intent to have joint meetings like this, but this is a very large group. It would most likely behoove this entire group to have subcommittees that would work together so that you don't have to coordinate this many people getting together. But what I would ask as we move forward with this is, if council does have something that's separate and aside from the group working together, that there are proper minutes taken and passed on to Lee College so that you fully understand anything and everything that's been discussed. After everything is fully released in the coming weeks, everything will be done in the open anyways, and we will make sure that anything coming out is passed on to y'all, and we would ask the same from y'all's side. [Speaker 12] Yes, sir. [Speaker 3] As I talked to y'all before, when we pitched this idea to be a partner with y'all, we want y'all to feel like there is heavy communication all around, and you don't feel left in the dark with anything. [Speaker 7] Mr. Chair, will our group act in a similar way we'll meet as a group? [Speaker 5] Can I make a comment? Because these are good questions. So, one, I would propose, as in typical operations type things, that Jason, you and I would work together collaboratively with our teams to determine the best communication methods for deliberating and talking together, but also within the subgroups that you're talking about. So, I think we should establish that and bring it back to our respective council slash board, and that way we can make sure that the needs of both entities are representative in that collaboration. But also, I just wanted to add that all of the questions that you guys have already come up with are great things that we're going to discover with the feasibility study. So, Judy, I was thinking of some partnerships that I've heard about from the city with community colleges, but I wasn't just able to pull them up, research, but there's several out there. But I think it would be great to find out what those partnerships look like, how they do benefit the entities, and help us with our own understanding of what this might look like for us in terms of affecting students. But some of the questions you also had before were answered already in Brian's presentation, but I think this is going to be an ideal way of exploring together whether an office truly is feasible for both entities. [Speaker 7] My question for future items was, will our board operate the same as the council as far as the full board being involved with the discussions and presentations? [Speaker 5] I think it's twofold. One, again, I would want to work with the city manager to determine how we best communicate together and then have the board's input on whether that meets the schedule that you'd like to have in terms of communication, but I don't think we need to determine that tonight. We just want to say that we will definitely come up with a schedule that meets the needs of both council and board. [Speaker 7] I was talking about just Lee College only. [Speaker 5] Oh, Lee College only? Well, we can define parameters. [Speaker 2] Right, yeah, right. In the future we'll figure out the logistics of that. [Speaker 5] I thought we were talking about both entities, but either way, future agenda. [Speaker 7] We'll operate the same as them because they meet us, the entire board, for discussion and presentations on the project, and I would like to see us do the same, that's all. Instead of how we've handled it up to now. [Speaker 2] So we'll work that out at a future agenda. Okay, anybody else have matters of concern for future agenda? Okay, hearing none, before I adjourn, I just want to make note, as far as I know, this is a historic occasion, right? Have we ever in the history of Baytown had a joint meeting between two entities? Number one, that's historic, and the fact that we've just reached an agreement to work together on this feasibility study. So I think it's a wonderful day for Baytown. So having said that, the Lee College board will stand in adjournment. [Speaker 8] Well, I want to take a point of order and we have Mayor Brandon Capetillo who has joined us today, and I want to give him an opportunity to have some comments. [Speaker 4] I wasn't planning on being in front of council so soon, but you know, wheels are in motion, and and I'm very proud that we are in a community, not just a city, but a community with Lee College, having a junior college here in our city, certainly a council that is willing to go and progress our city and elevate our community, and it is a historic day. It took a long time getting here, so there's a lot of work to do. I think I do appreciate all the comments that everyone has made. There's a lot of questions still, a lot of fill-in-the-blanks, and there's no doubt, but in order to do this with both bodies, with these two institutions here, we do have to go and kind of codify this agreement, and that's what today was about, was basically day one of Project Vector with Lee College in the city of Baytown. So I look forward to the things and discussions that will occur here. I believe this project is going to benefit Lee College in many ways, certainly having new construction, if that's the case, but I think it's going to be to whatever level. My understanding, and this is just myself as a private citizen, would be you have, at whatever level you want to participate in, you have that ability from big or small, but I believe that this is something that would certainly benefit all the students, and certainly the community, and the footprint of Lee College, and for the city of Baytown, and really the entire region. I think with what this will bring in new sports, and education, and whatever other type of activities and uses will occur where this project will go, I believe that it will pay dividends to the community economically, and in ways that we probably could never imagine, and so with that, I'm glad that both bodies have started with day one, and I certainly appreciate your support. As I said, they will be, it was pointed out, a lot of communication. I want to make sure that everybody, everyone in here is a stakeholder, but I would agree having 16 elected officials try to go and move this along may be a little too much, but whatever you come up with, I'm certainly an opponent, or an advocate for the communication to be free-flowing, and all questions to be answered for each body, so I do appreciate that. So, have a good evening. Thank y'all. [Speaker 8] Well, this concludes today's meeting, and since all agenda items have been addressed, I adjourn this meeting. [Speaker 2] Okay, so housekeeping.