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San Benito commissioners approve two rezones, ratify payments and deny telecom rate increase
Summary
At its March 18 meeting the San Benito City Commission approved two commercial rezones, ratified payments for fitness equipment and a lift-station retainage, and voted to deny a routine consumer price index adjustment to municipal telecom access-line rates. A separate agenda item on document scanning was tabled to the next meeting.
The San Benito City Commission on March 18 approved final readings of two rezoning ordinances, ratified vendor payments related to a fitness-equipment grant and a sewer lift-station project, and voted to deny a consumer price-index adjustment to municipal telecommunication access-line rates.
The actions were taken during the regular meeting after routine public comment and consent-agenda votes. Commissioners approved rezoning requests to allow commercial uses at two properties, ratified a $34,500 payment for fitness-equipment installation, approved a $29,209.05 retainage release for a lift-station project, and denied a 2025 consumer price index (CPI) increase to telecom right-of-way access-line rates. A separate, larger agenda item on digitizing city records was tabled to the next meeting.
Planning staff presented the rezoning requests. Ordinance No. 2252-AF-O3-2025 rezones property owned by Juan Ruben Vela from AO (agriculture/open space) to C-2 (commercial, general retail) to allow a wood-molding and hardware business. Planning staff said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval; the commission approved the ordinance after a motion by Commissioner Goodman and a second by Commissioner Morales.
The commission also approved Ordinance No. 2252-AG-O3-2025, rezoning a parcel owned by Arturo Martinez from SF-1 (single-family 1) to C-2 for a proposed commercial plaza along South Sam Houston. Planning and Zoning recommended approval; the motion passed following a motion by Commissioner Morales and a second by Commissioner Goodman.
On a separate item, the commission voted to deny a routine CPI adjustment to municipal telecom right-of-way access-line rates for 2025. Staff explained the change was a small increase (1.4785 percent), and commissioners voiced a desire to avoid advancing new fees where possible. The motion to deny was moved by Commissioner Goodman and seconded by Commissioner Navarro; the transcript records the motion passed but does not list a roll-call tally.
The commission ratified final payments on two active projects. It authorized payment of $34,500 to Level Up Retail Services for installation of National Fitness Campaign studio-fitness equipment (the payment fulfills the vendor contract and warranty-installation requirement; a launch/ribbon-cutting is scheduled for April 17) and approved payment No. 10 to Ferguson Service Systems Inc. in the amount of $29,209.05, the 5% contract retainage for the John El Camino No. 1 lift-station improvements (project infrastructure was completed in 2023; the canopy and final documentation delayed closeout). Staff said the lift-station work remains under warranty through Aug. 1 and that the retainage is the standard 5% holdback in the contract.
Several routine consent-agenda items were approved together earlier in the meeting (items 1, 5 and 6). The commission then moved to individual consideration of remaining items.
After deliberations, commissioners directed that the separate proposal for citywide document scanning be brought back at the next meeting for further information and additional vendor quotes. That agenda item was tabled on a motion by Mayor Pro Tem Galvan, seconded by Commissioner Morales.
The commission also met in closed session and later made a motion "to proceed as discussed in executive session"; the motion passed. The transcript does not provide details of the executive-session subject or a roll-call vote count for that motion.
Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting transcript): - Ordinance No. 2252-AF-O3-2025 (rezone AO to C-2; applicant Juan Ruben Vela): motion passed (mover: Commissioner Goodman; second: Commissioner Morales). Roll-call tally not specified in transcript. - Ordinance No. 2252-AG-O3-2025 (rezone SF-1 to C-2; applicant Arturo Martinez): motion passed (mover: Commissioner Morales; second: Commissioner Goodman). Roll-call tally not specified in transcript. - 2025 CPI adjustment to municipal telecom right-of-way access-line rates: motion to deny passed (mover: Commissioner Goodman; second: Commissioner Navarro). Roll-call tally not specified in transcript. - Ratify payment to Level Up Retail Services for fitness-equipment installation: approved (mover: Commissioner [motion occurred]; second: Commissioner Navarro). Amount: $34,500. - Payment No. 10 to Ferguson Service Systems, Inc. (retainage for John El Camino No.1 lift-station improvements): approved. Amount: $29,209.05 (5% retainage of $584,000 total project).
