[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6080508,"mediaKeyId","2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa","parentId",2946495,"title","Votes at a glance: Seabrook council approves election and appointments, moves charter amendments to May ballot","audioSeconds",1109,"startMs",3886860,"endMs",4996280,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa&start=3886&end=4996","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa/thumbnail_3886860.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6080508/Seabrook/Harris-County/Texas/Votes-at-a-glance-Seabrook-council-approves-election-and-appointments-moves-charter-amendments-to-May-ballot","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080508-8a35837c81ab1877275b92a7c0b8b1a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199315&Signature=BlDob7mcVK1N1uEkMP90V1r6dx8G4p4-2vuGNu5I2uCzF5HTtU1VjkkyQfVexAVK3HCVMo1xUb0LQ1gHVekeVxuEhJmeayPhN~na7aFWxQw3vM3LbVsuFGCgsEYNKxCppMEzFwdQ-NRsGxB9hHN24EB2uGA1psS2cas7r7mk8Nhlk9v2akJz9thaYQjddQaG4YV7tMUvJX4s8dNCkKGKJSR9ashfjECaqzeSVs5uJWdzU~omPSEy28~ilaDtqfLYDUKP97yyxf3RWwlupgiYSnghsqNsFdRC9OsEjHxY18lWGzATgUfs-3ylA5MYvMXf~SZiD19hBWOPZjTzo-coDA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Seabrook, Texas","date","2025-02-04T00:00:00Z","article","The Seabrook City Council took several procedural and legislative votes at its Feb. 4 meeting. Below are the items the council voted to approve, as reflected in the meeting record.

- Consent agenda and minutes: Council approved the consent agenda and the Jan. 23, 2025 meeting minutes (motion and second recorded; voice vote in favor).

- Boards and stakeholder appointments: Council approved nominations and appointments to the Bayside Park Extension Stakeholder Group, including four resident/business-owner members (Christy Hatfield, Jennifer Pitts, Robert Hank Kidd, and Chris Coleman), Ann Wacker (nominated by EDC), Jesse Jones (Open Space & Trails nomination), and two subject-matter experts (Haley Leija, Galveston Bay Foundation; Matthew Abernethy, Galveston Estuary Program). Council appointed Councilmember Buddy Hammond as the council representative to the stakeholder group.

- Election ordinances: Council approved the first and final reading of ordinances calling for the May 3, 2025 general election for mayor and council positions (ordinance 2025-5.1), a special election to fill a vacated council seat (ordinance 2025-5.2), and an ordinance calling a May 3, 2025 special election on charter amendments recommended by the Seabrook Charter Review Commission (ordinance 2025-5.3). After discussion about recall language in charter amendments, council voted to place the charter amendment propositions on the May 3 ballot.

- Bond election: As noted in the separate story on the bond briefing, council voted to place special bond propositions (police facility and city pool) on the May 3, 2025 ballot (ordinance 2025-5.4).

Each ordinance and appointment passed by voice vote with \"all in favor\" recorded in the minutes; no opposing roll-call tallies were recorded in the public transcript for these items.

Ending: These approvals authorize the city to hold multiple ballot propositions on May 3, 2025; voters will decide on several charter changes and potential capital projects during that election.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Seabrook, Texas February 4, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At its Feb. 4 meeting the council approved election ordinances for May 3, 2025 ballots (general, special, and bond elections), confirmed several board and stakeholder appointments, and approved minutes and the consent agenda; council also approved forwarding charter amendments to the special election.","taxTitle","Seabrook, Harris County, Texas","taxId",69500,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6080513,"Volunteer fire department outlines ISO rating issues, training-field plan",1143,856570,1999990,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa&start=856&end=1999","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa/thumbnail_856570.jpg","/articles/6080513/Seabrook/Harris-County/Texas/Volunteer-fire-department-outlines-ISO-rating-issues-training-field-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080513-144f4d0474068dbaada96e5356132f5c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199316&Signature=iKMZU3uUHzrZKouipEf3adUaHsbd5BEb950N7ynTg6ILntwAfaNu~SPS78Wma7TShQJdKroegK7Rw5p5Th-23HNNoNLLfK9A345y95EPA6W4jXn-UhnD5uOpImixApY73bKYd2riZ4l-Z4Ks2jWiyEgonetkfSnXZgIetrp8cEbfzFqmkJcQ-ExvaULtFqY4BYZTqb6CyCziGCxSuVa2jwnrsSgP7Zt4elGDzaI6LIvnoKElhQEVwnS6CxquwZpYGYsefCzGRZmfKVNlmIwLPwqEY-3JyxJy1sU33NczGWrPphm8PGZtZwpGBmNSVy1dbWO5cRCUP9gXlRKy87adoQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department presented its 2024 activity report to the City Council and explained how a dedicated local training field ties to the city's Insurance Services Office (ISO) public-protection classification.

Mason, identified as a presenter for the Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department, told the council the department ran 1,047 calls in Seabrook in 2024 and a total of about 1,229 calls for service when mutual-aid and adjacent jurisdictions are included. He said roughly 66% of calls were first-responder medical calls; the department documented 26 occasions that a volunteer medic rode to the hospital and 16 times the department provided ambulance drivers to allow paramedics to remain with patients.

Mason explained the ISO rating system and said Seabrook is currently an ISO Class 3. \"We're an ISO class 3 if you didn't know that by the way,\" he told the council. He described ISO as a state-recognized, point-based evaluation (100-point scale) that reviews three main categories: emergency communications (10 points), water supply (40 points), and the fire department's performance and resources (50 points). Mason said Seabrook scored about 8.3 of 10 in emergency communications in the last survey and that the department earned limited credit in the training category because the city does not yet have a dedicated training field.

Mason told the council a parcel of land was donated decades ago by a chemical company described in the presentation as \"American Accrual\" with a deed restricting the use to fire service; those earlier bonds paid for infrastructure improvements including water looping to address past water-supply weaknesses. The department is proposing a three-story training facility to gain maximum ISO credit, which could influence insurance ratings over time. Mason and councilmembers discussed the large capital cost associated with water-system upgrades and the relative cost-effectiveness of acquiring ISO points through training facilities versus water-system improvements.

Why it matters: ISO ratings can affect how insurers price fire-risk coverage, and the department said small improvements in ISO points can, in theory, produce measurable savings on fire insurance premiums across the community. Councilmembers asked whether residents actually see premium reductions and how the city's debt and bond decisions intersect with capital needs tied to ISO improvements.

Ending: The presentation provided statistics for 2024 and contextualized why certain capital improvements, including a training field, remain part of the city's long-term planning.

","Seabrook Volunteer Fire Department reported 2024 response statistics and explained how an on-site three-story training field factors into improving the city's Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating; councilmembers asked clarifying questions about the rating and its effect on residents' insurance costs.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6080517,"Seabrook council hears debt analysis, votes to put police station and pool bond on May ballot",3021,1984590,5005760,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa&start=1984&end=5005","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2946495-dfe9ee15616d2ed7486302f3a6c603aa/thumbnail_1984590.jpg","/articles/6080517/Seabrook/Harris-County/Texas/Seabrook-council-hears-debt-analysis-votes-to-put-police-station-and-pool-bond-on-May-ballot","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6080517-477f31299c2b47de6e9af5d0414ab370/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199316&Signature=jMveAIpWttcvr2Td~Ek2ZWVDGq9FoiQbtwY~C9PJTduftDjZbugbJGUSzlrQE7xaoIoEyM8dUsoBD8aZfVWd7bhN9j9o~mEHkaZgyahZSf5DSM1DLUjiAqo8PGGx4cOxx16rOpP0cTHt13mZBUBXXm6FIqaTaU1wjE32uZ8B8mz2wZt6mmNT5PXbe8U5aukt5d1apAEykoDZb2YvJbObNNeVD4XoDLnB44ksIk4SaocKjmTtQHG8~FNVy31zC3TbAP4KO9~X~hPlI5wf0k6rBsin00wX--s6fKSQ4csgAJUwk~Ot~agIAR7UAFYO1TuD73GOnR9U6dOUkPj-svuPvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Seabrook council members heard a detailed briefing on the city's current debt position and the property-tax implications of a May 3, 2025 bond election, then voted to place bond propositions for a new police facility and a municipal pool before voters.

John Robuck, the city's financial adviser with BOK Financial Securities, told the council the city's general obligation debt is sold to investors and backed by ad valorem taxes and reviewed three scenarios: an $18 million police station alone, a $4 million pool alone, and a combined $22 million package. Robuck said general obligation bonds \"are backed by ad valorem taxes\" and noted the city currently structures debt conservatively to maintain favorable ratings from Moody's and S&P.

Robuck said the standalone police station scenario would raise the city's debt-service tax rate by about 4.7 cents (from a baseline debt-service rate of 10.391 cents to about 15.15 cents), the pool alone about 1.6 cents, and the combined proposition about 5.5 cents. Under the combined scenario he said the increase for an owner of a $100,000 home (no exemptions) would be approximately $55.10 annually; for a $300,000 home he gave an estimated annual impact of about $133, or roughly $11 per month.

Why it matters: the council must decide by Feb. 14 whether to call the election. If voters approve a proposition, staff would then sell the bonds (Robuck said sale would be targeted for July 2025) and proceeds would be delivered after closing. Robuck cautioned that interest-rate conditions and market volatility affect issuance costs and that the city maintains a target debt-service fund balance and conservative growth assumptions for taxable values when calculating tax-rate impacts.

Council discussion ranged from technical questions about taxable-assessed valuation assumptions and how enterprise fund balances are treated for tax-supported debt, to broader concerns about the quantity of city debt. One council member read a principal debt figure of $60,323,957 from the presentation materials and questioned whether the packet could be simplified for the public; Robuck and other council members explained different debt figures in the packet (Robuck referenced roughly $42.2 million of outstanding general-obligation debt with $15.5 million specifically supported by water/sewer or EDC revenues). The council's bond counsel, Dietz (Orec), was present and available to answer legal questions about the election order.

Formal action: the council voted to place the bond propositions on the May 3, 2025 ballot. Council members were repeatedly reminded by staff that authorizing the election does not obligate the city to issue bonds if later cost estimates or other information change; voter authorization simply permits the city to move forward with the sale if the measures pass.

Ending: If approved by voters, Robuck said the bonds would likely be sold in mid-2025 with proceeds used for the projects described in the ballot language. The council's next regular meeting is Feb. 18, 2025.

","Financial adviser reviewed the city's current debt and three bond scenarios for a May 3, 2025 special election; council voted to place the bond election on the ballot. The presentation showed an $18 million police station and a $4 million pool as options and estimated their effect on the city's debt-service tax rate.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Seabrook council approves election and appointments, moves charter amendments to May ballot

Volunteer fire department outlines ISO rating issues, training-field plan

Seabrook council hears debt analysis, votes to put police station and pool bond on May ballot