August 2023 Compass Rose Newsletter

C mpass Rose

A monthly publication from the City of Nassau Bay

NASSAUBAY,THETROPHYHASLANDED!

On Saturday, July 15th the City of Nassau Bay joined the Houston Astros World Series Trophy Tour! A wonderful effort brought to you by the City's Parks and Recreation Committee and amazing community involvement Autographs were signed by Astros alumni players Brandon Backe and Michael Bourn, pictures were made with Orbit, and snacks and goodies were enjoyed by all Thank you to all those who participated and supported this event A very special thank you to Lara Forde, Katy Frazier, Parks & Recreation's Chairman Michelle Weller, Mayor Phil Johnson, and City Staff who made it happen! Go s'tros!

Astros World Series Trophy

Splashed Down in Nassau Bay!

AnoutoftheparkdisplayofCommunityintheCityofNassauBay

The2022WorldSeriesTrophysplasheddownatNassauBayCityHallonJuly15,2023.LaraFordewiththeNassau Bay Parks and Recreation Committee, saw the trophy during a stop in Kemah and reached out to the Astros and MayorPhilJohnsontorequestastopintheoriginalHomeofAstronauts.

Mayor Johnson expressed gratitude for the added stop on the Official Astros World Series Trophy Tour stating, “We were beyond thrilled to host the trophy, Orbit, and Astros players in Nassau Bay. We’ve been focused on our space heritage this past year. Nassau Bay residents have made history landing on the Moon and now we made history with this World Series Trophy ” Mayor Johnson is preparing a proclamation adding ‘Astros Day’ in Nassau Bay next month.

A special “Nassau Bay, the Trophy has landed” logo was designed and featured on t-shirts, bags and displayed in the lobby of City Hall. “We ran out of t-shirts and are planning to print more,” said Lara Forde and Katy Frazier, the sub-committeechairsfortheevent.

Alumni Astros players Brandon Backe and Michael Bourn signed baseballs and other memorabilia for over 500 fans. The whole community came out to celebrate together especially the children who were ecstatic to see their favoritegreenmascotandtomeetAstrosplayers Watchingthechildren’sexcitement,AstrosalumniplayerMichael Bourncommented,“Thisiswhatitisallabout—thekids!”

The event also featured a DJ, the Astros Shuttle Crew, hand-painted Astros-themed rocks and a rock hunt activity by Nassau Bay Rocks, free gelato from Gelu, the Chick-fil-A cow, free giveaways from NASA Courtyard Marriott, swagfromB1Bank,andadrawingforfreeAstrosticketsandanovernightstayattheNassauBayHilton.

A special thank you to all who made this event a huge success including Michelle Weller, Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Committee, Lara Forde and Katy Frazier (Sub-Committee chairs), Mike Barrett, Chase Waterwall, Michelle Barecky, Jack Cronan, Nancee Lynn, April Schneider, and Josh Wenke of the Parks & Recreation Committee, many residents (and their children) who volunteered to work this event, Scouts BSA Troop 1966 volunteers, City Staff, Public Works, NB Police, Marriott Courtyard, DJ Chad Burleson, Nassau Bay Rocks, Nassau BayHilton,Gelu,Chick-fil-A,B1Bank,BrandonBacke,MichaelBourn,andtheAstrosOrganization!

A Message From Your Mayor On Short Term Rentals

Asmanyofyoumayknow,wehadaveryunfortunateoccurrencewherebytherentersofanunregisteredSTRsseriously vandalizedourSwanLagoonplaygroundequipment,surroundingsidewalks,thegazebo,aswellaswroteontheSAIC Building,andmorewithhorrendoushatespeech.WeasCouncilwereintheprocessoftighteningourordinancestoprovide moreoversight,butwestillhavemanySTR(bnb’s)thatoperatedunregistered.OneofthemostsignificantbenefitstoSTR’s beingregisteredintheCityisthefactthatwerequirea$1,000,000insurancepolicytobemaintainedonthepropertysothatifa renterchoosestobehavebadlyasweexperiencedinSwanLagoon,wehavefundsfrominsurancetorepairorreplacethe damagedonebytheseindividuals.Moreimportantly,itprotectsyouasCitizensfromhavingtofootthebill.Iwouldaskall citizenstoreporttothepoliceiftheybelieveaSTRisoperatingintheCity.Wehaveaskedthepolicedepartmenttostepup theireffortstolocatetheseunregisteredbusinesses,butyourhelpismuchappreciatedsowecanlocateandensuretheproper oversightoftheseSTRs.

Also,ifthisissueisimportanttoyou,thereisaproposalbytheNassauBayHomeownersAssociationtoeliminateSTRswithin theHOA’sjurisdictionrightnow.Iencourageeveryonetovoteonthisimportantissue.

Short-Termrentalsareone-ortwo-familydwellingsthatarerentedforovernightlodgingforlessthan30daysatatime.Hotels, BedandBreakfasts,apartmentunitrentals,ordwellingsthatarerentedforalongerperiodthan30daysarenotconsidered Short-TermRentals.

Anyone-ortwo-familydwellingadvertisedasaShort-TermRentalonhomesharingwebsitessuchasAirbnb,VRBO, HomeAway,etc.mustbepermittedbeforetheadvertisementisposted.

ThefollowingrequirementsapplytoallShort-TermRentalunitswithintheCityLimits:

· APermitmustbeobtainedonallShort-TermRentalsintheCity.

· HotelOccupancyTaxesarerequiredtobepaidonaquarterlybasis.

· AnnuallifesafetyinspectionsarerequiredfromtheFireMarshal’sOffice.

· Maximumoccupancyoftwo(2)adultspersleepingarea,plusanadditionalfour(4)adults.

· AdecalwithemergencycontactinformationmustbevisibleattheentryoftheShort-TermRental.

· $1,000,000InsuranceUmbrellaCoverageforactionsresultingfromTenants.

TherecentAmendedOrdinance2023-06-12oftheCityofNassauBay,Texas,AmendingMunicipalCodeArticleVS-ShortTermRentals,Section11-113-ENFORCEMENTtoupdateanadditionalviolation,Section11-105–SHORT-TERMRENTAL PERMITamendingSubsection6andSection11-117–PENALTY.

Section11-113.Enforcement.

Thebelowsection(a-1)isinadditiontothecurrenta-jsubsectionsofsection11-113. (a-1) ApersoncommitsanoffenseunderthisArticleifthatpersonmarketsand/oradvertisestothepublicashorttermrental propertywithintheCitythatthepersonknowslacksavalidpermitfromtheCitytooperateasashorttermrental.

Section11-105.Short-TermRentalPermit.

Thecurrentlanguageinsection11-105(6)isherebyamendedasfollows:

WrittenconfirmationfromtheCityfinancedepartmentshowingproofofhoteloccupancytaxcompliancewithV.T.C.A.,Tax CodeChapter351,andregistrationwiththeCityFinanceDepartmentforhoteloccupancytaxcollectionwillneedtobe providedbeforeanypermitisgranted.Aspersection156.001(b)oftheTexasTaxCode,thehoteloccupancytaxunder Chapter351TexasTaxCodedefineda“hotel”asincludingashort-termrental—therentalofallorpartofaresidentialproperty toapersonwhoisnotapermanentresidentundersection156.101TexasTaxCode.

Section11-117.Penalty.

Thecurrentlanguageinsection11-117isherebyreplacedwith:

AnypersonviolatingthetermsofthisArticleshall,uponconvictionintheMunicipalCourt,befinednottoexceed$2,000.00in thattheOrdinancegovernsandregulatesfire,safety,zoningorpublichealthandsanitation(otherthanvegetationandlitter violation)undersection1-6oftheCodeofOrdinancesandundersection54.001TexasLocalGovernmentCode.Eachday thatsuchfailureorrefusalasmentionedinthissectioncontinuesshallbedeemedaseparateoffense. TheremainderofsaidArticleVIShortTermRentalshallremaininfullforceandeffect. ManythanksgotoourPublicWorksfolksthatquicklyhelpedrepairorremovethegraffitifromthevandals.

CANBE CORNER

The CANBE Beautification Award for 2nd Quarter 2023 is presented to Brian and Brooke McNeal. Their home is located at the corner of Martinique Drive and Vinland across from Howard L. Ward Park, and is most famous for its spectacular Halloween and Christmas decorations. The property is meticulously cared for, and the McNeal’s take special pride in expansive seed-grown flowers along the two street-facing sides of their front yard. Congratulations Brian & Brooke!

NASSAUBAYGARDENCLUB

Now that August is here, it’s time to make your garden ready for hummingbirds that will be passing through our area this month The Nassau Bay Garden Club encourages the feeding of hummingbirds in our area Hummingbirds typically make their way through Houston for a short period in spring during their northern migration A majority of this population usually returns for a month, or a bit longer, in August or early September for their southern migration. Some will breed and stay through the summer but only a few stay through the winter Put out your feeders in early August, so you can be certain to attract them It is even more effective to plant a garden to attract hummingbirds. Buchanan’s Native Plants recommends a few of their favorite plants to attract and feed hummingbirds: Firebush, Butterfly weed, Esperanza, Turk's Cap, and Autumn sage The club meets on the second Tuesday of every month September through May at Nassau Bay City Hall located at 1800 Nasa Parkway, Nassau Bay 77058

For more information, contact Royce Walker at rwalkeus@yahoo com

SAVETHEDATE: FALLSWEEP

Mark your calendars for this year’s Fall Sweep Nov 4-5 The Keep Nassau Bay Beautiful / Parks & Recreation Committee will do a Peninsula Cleanup, painting curbs and planting flowers and other fun kid activities If you would like to sign up to volunteer or need more information please contact Chairman Michelle Weller at michelle weller@nassaubay com

GULFCOAST FILM&VIDEO FESTIVAL

The 25th Annual Gulf Coast Film & Video Festival will take place September 22 - 24 at the Nassau Bay Hilton, and the entire community is encouraged to attend! Tickets will be available via gulfcoastfilmfestival net

The City of Nassau Bay is a proud sponsor!

COUNCIL MEETING RECAP

The City of Nassau Bay is preparing the City's budget for the coming fiscal year Work on the budget began around April 2023, and City staff has worked intermittently throughout the year toward completing the document. This timeline included four City Council budget workshops heldduringthemonthsofJuneandJuly

ThefollowingcalendarliststheactivitiesstaffandCityCouncilwillfollow overthenexttwomonthsaswepreparethebudget

Congrats

Jaime VasquezPromotedtoFinance Director