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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2011-08-01 Special 08/01/11 3634 STATE OF TEXAS )( CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD )( COUNTIES OF GALVESTON/HARRIS )( AUGUST 01, 2011 )( MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD CITY COUNCIL 7HAT WAS HELD ON MONDAY, AUGUST 01, 2011, AT 6:00 PM AND A REGULAR MEETING AT 7:00 PM AT FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS,WITH THE FOLLOWING PRESENT CONSTITUTING A QUORUM: MAYOR DAVID SMITH MAYOR PRO-TEM JIM HILL COUNCILMEMBER MICHAEL BARKER COUNCILMEMBER BILLY ENOCHS COUNCILMEMBER PAT MCGINNIS COUNCILMEMBER JOHN SCOTT (Arrived at 632) COUNCILMEMBER DEIRDRE BROWN (Arrived at 6:11 PM) CITYATTORNEY ARNOLD POLANCO CITY MANAGER ROGER ROECKER CITY SECRETARY MELINDA WELSH SPECIAL SESSION Mayor Smith called the meeting to order and asked if anyone would like to speak regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2011-2012 General Operating Budget. No one spoke. Mayor Smith opened the discussion between Council and Staff regarding the proposed Fiscal Year 2011- , 2012 General Operating Budget for the City of Friendswood by yielding the floor to City Manager Roger I Roecker who gave an overview of the recognitions awarded to the City in 2010-2011 Fiscal Year such as ' being named number five in the top ten best towns for families by Family Circle magazine and the State Comptroller's Gold Leadership Circle Award for recognizing the City for implementing financial transparency, Business Week magazine's best affordable suburb and CNMs Money magazine best , places to live in 2007 and 2009. The City Staff is extremely pleased to present this budget and � appreciates the time Council has spent in the process, recognized that the last few years have been economically challenging to both public and private organizations and the City of Friendswood has not escaped these difficulties aithough it has not been as negatively impacted as most cities, this proposed budget does not reduce or eliminate any specific program or service and does not involve a tax increase, stated a large share of the heavy Iifting has been done and Staff feels they have presented a good budget plan with a few issues remaining for discussion, he then yieided the floor to Administrative Services Director Cindy Edge who stated she will do an overview since Councii has not had an opportunity to review the budget document. The introduction section has the transmittal letter and there is a lot of information that is just numbers but there will be narrative explanations of what the revenue means and what is included. Regarding property taxes, Cindy Edge stated the certified values for Galveston County have been received but not for Harris County, there is a decline in property values so the only increase in the property tax is due to new construction of$44 miliion, Staff if proposing an effective tax rate of.5913. There has not been an increase to the base budget since 2009, they are managing increases such as postage, tires, other working cost increases are being absorbed into the current budget. There have been changes in the Texas Municipai Retirement System (TMRS) rates, there will be no increase for employee health insurance, there is currently no merit salary increase in this proposed budget. She stated Forces at Work have to be added including fuel, so Staff is researching alternatives to the current process, services for new animai control facility such as electricity, janitorial and building supplies, Galveston County Radio Service Fee Increase, General Fund, decision packages, administrative services, warrant round up, teen court, municipal court prosecutors, community services, adult sports � programs (offset by fee increase), new Zumba program (offset by fee increase), concerts in the park, !, resurfacing of tennis and basketball courts from parkland dedication fees, Friendswood Volunteer Fire i I I 08/01/11 3635 Department, volunteer fireman's pension increase, Fire Marshal, Fire Marshal/Emergency Management operating expenses — phase in of Emergency Management Pertormance grant, Police Department, i extended maintenance agreement for digital in-car video, multi-function copier for animal control facility, Public Works, mowing tractor. Decision Packages not included in the proposed budget: IT strategic plan, ' Assistant City Manager, fun run event expenses, street maintenance. The decision packages that are not � funded for the Friendswood Volunteer Fire Department are medical supplies and drugs cost increase, Galveston County radio service fee increase, vehicle maintenance costs increase, cell service for Medtronic's cardiac monitors increase, replace fire bunker gear, training costs increase, Station No. 4 building maintenance costs increase, fuel increase, carpet replacement at Station No. 1, modular building for storage at Fire Station No. 1. Cindy Edge stated the water and sewer revenues are presented at current rates and methodology structure and modifications will be discussed at a future workshop, working capital will be used for rate stabilization and capital projects. She stated the following decision packages will be funded by the water and sewer fund: Forces at Work, City of Houston - cost sharing agreement, Blackhawk wastewater treatment plant operational cost increase, City of Houston -purchased surface water, water analysis which is Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) mandated, electricity, utility bill printing service, utility payment processing equipment and software, a portable sewer camera, an air compressor, and a heavy equipment backhoe. The next phase of the budget process is the review and adoption process where Council reviews the budget and submits questions and needs for clarification to Staff, Staff Responds to Council, allow for public comment, advertise the public hearing, make the proposed budget available online, place printed versions in the City Secretary's Office and Library. The highlights of the proposed budget: to maintain existing service Ievels, no new programs, maintain staffing Levels with no new staff positions, no increase for health insurance, effective tax rate, TMRS rate modification and stabilization, no funding for street maintenance, there is$84,729 available in the general fund. Future meetings: Monday, August 8, 2011, Monday, August 15, 2011, with other meetings to be determined by Council. City Manager Roger Roecker pointed out that there were some departments that submitted no decision packages because Staff was being very conservative, he expiained some areas of the budget in more detail and stated that there may need to be a bond election to pay for needed street repair. i Cindy Edge stated Staff has provided a timetable on how to address going fon,vard and they have made no assumptions on funding. Mayor Smith asked Council if they had any clarifying questions and Councilmember Hill stated there was graph explaining the projections on the deficit in last year's budget document and asked Roger Roecker if ', the graph is still in it and Roger Roecker stated it is in the Multi-Year Financial Plan and Staff will provide it to him. Councilmember Hill stated he would like StafPs opinion on how not to end up Iike Washington, DC and Roger Roecker stated Friendswood does not have exorbitant debt so we are not like them, Friendswood is in good shape, but Staff does have to kick every rock to look for efficiencies. Councilmember Hill stated he was looking at revenues versus expenses and not debt. Councilmember McGinnis stated his street has deteriorated because of the drought and Public Works Director Kaz Hamidian stated that it is due to the drought and it is happening especiaily to asphalt streets, the worst portion is the edge of the road, some is more toward the middle of the road but most of the damage is on the shoulder of the road. Roger Roecker stated the Street Department is working hard to keep the cracks sealed but drought conditions make the damage much worse than normal. Kaz � Hamidian stated the City rents a sealing machine and buys material to go to alI of the asphalt streets, i they did a Iot of the streets last year but drought conditions mean they will probably have to repair some of them again, he stated he has a list of�1.2 million in repair of the concrete streets, Baker Road is totally falling apart and will cost$400,000 alone. He explained how to repair asphalt streets, which is to first try cracked sealing and if that does not work the road must be resurfaced. II ; 08/01/11 3636 Councilmember Hiil stated he as noticed that FM 518 is getting some significant cracks and he noticed the Texas Department of Transportation has repaired FM 518 in League City from FM 270 to I 45, Maybe Friendswood 's Council could pass a resolution to ask to be placed on the list for repairs, stated Galveston County has traditionally provided Friendswood with streets in the past, perhaps the City could go to Harris County to help with Blackhawk Boulevard. Councilmember Brown stated that suggestion has been made to the County Commissioner's assistant but she is not sure if Staff has taken it any further; however, there is a Iack of funding. Roger Roecker stated Staff has followed up and they are waiting to hear back from him. Mayor Smith asked how much it would cost to fund merit increases for Staff and Cindy Edge stated the cost was $135,000 used to fund a low merit range with a different range for management that was Iess than the range for Staff. Mayor Smith asked what the range of savings is for the fuel altematives that have been discussed and City Edge stated the hope is to not have the Forces at Work increase of ', �100,000. The grant that historically funds the Fire MarshaPs office has not been awarded yet so the , budget reflects$18,000 to partially replace the anticipated $53,000 grant fund shouid it not be awarded to the City, either in part or in whole. Mayor Smith asked about the contested values with Galveston County and Cindy Edge stated those adjustments have already been figured into the budget. Mayor Smith asked about the effect of a tax rate increase of .5 cents or 1 cent and Cindy Edge stated it would be �117,000 for.5 cents and $235,000 for1 cent. Councilmember Enochs asked if there is a projected $475,000 available in the fund balance that has not been allocated and Cindy Edge stated yes. Mayor Smith asked if there are any capital acquisitions in the budget and Cindy Edge stated there is a $35,000 mowing tractor for Public Works that will repiace one bought in 1987, a backhoe for water and sewer, and camera equipment for water and sewer. ' Councilmember Brown stated she has the same concerns she had Iast year, she sees increases in some of the departments, particularly the Economic Development Department in the City Manager's office, stated the marketing funds have been substantially below budget amounts for the past two years, she has never understood where the funds go when projected fund amounts are not spent. She asked why is the City over budgeting each year and where do the funds go when they are not spent. Cindy Edge answered that they have done budget transfers and money has been moved around, there is increase in the base salaries because of inerit raises and there will also show the increased Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS) costs. Councilmember Brown referred to a base salary that is going up and Cindy Edge stated the budget is$96,000 then an increase will be added to that to get to the base for next year and Counciimember Brown asked how the base salary changed from year to year if there was no salary increase during the year and Cindy Edge stated the person's anniversary date for one year will increase the salary base for the next year. Councilmember Brown asked for a schedule of those empioyees who received merit increases and Cindy Edge agreed to provide. Councilmember Brown asked about the Contract Services amount of$43,000 in this years Economic Development budget and the projected �79,000 for Fiscal Year 2012-2013, stated there seems to be a consistent $30,000 difference each year. Cindy Edge stated any budgeted money that is not used goes to the fund balance and Councilmember Brown stated should be able to estimate expenses and Cindy Edge stated she would have to look into the Contract Services number get the information to Councilmember Brown. Community I Development Coordinator Karen Capps offered an expianation, stating that there is usually$30,000 worth of marketing and in Contract Services there are several contracts such as the Friendswood Chamber of ' Commerce for $20,000, Bay Area Economic Partnership for $14,000, Galveston County Economic Alliance for$5,000, and$3,600 for maintenance of an available buildings data base on the City's website. She stated the marketing ends up being used for plaques, the economic development newsletter, Griffin Marketing, and the annual broker event. She stated she did not spend all of the budgeted money Iast year because Griffin Marketing used to do it and she has not found another marketing firm to assist, I stated they moved those funds to the IT department to update the website instead, this year they are spending the money. Councilmember Brown stated the money is not being used to market the City and ! she sees similar issues in each department and problems will occur in the future, they need to cut. I 08/01/11 3637 Councilmember Enochs asked about Goal 2, Objective A of page 100; the rainy day cushion of 90 days, asked if there is �1.5 million above the required $5.2 million and Cindy Edge stated $1 million of the�1.5 million is money set aside for the Mud Gully project. Cindy Edge stated there are a lot of Iine items that have been moved around to realign so that the expenditures are truly reflective of the purchases, there has been a lot of shifting in any of the base budgets where there have been cost increases. Roger Roecker stated that Councilmembers are welcome to email questions to him so that Staff can provide the answers at the next meeting which he suggested to be Monday, August 15, 2011 at 6:30. Mayor Smith stated Monday, August 15, 2011, will set the stage to see what is needed to do next, he asked for a consensus on who can and cannot attend on that date. Gounciimember Brown stated she can make it but the later the better. Mayor Smith asked if 6:30 PM was okay and she confirmed. Counciimember Enochs asked about the order of the dates and Cindy Edge explained. The Speciai Session was adjourned at 6:56 PM. REGULAR SESSION Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. The invocation was given by Pastor David Bridges of Friendswood Friends Church. Mayor Smith led the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States and to the State of Texas. SPECIAL RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS City Manager Rocker Roecker presented the Five Star Citizen Award to recognize Rick and Tina James for their part in representing the citizens and help in the City of Frie�dswood earn Family Circle magazine's Top Ten Towns for Families in the Unites States award. They were presented with the Fives Star Citizens Award to thank them for representing the citizens of Friendswood. This presentation provides public recognition to the newest award the City of Friendswood has received, Family Circle magazine's Top Ten Towns for Families in the Unites States, where the Friendswood is number five. Mr. James thanked them for this unique opportunity to represent Friendswood, stated it is easy to represent a fine community like Friendswood, it did not require a lot of effort, just teliing the truth and the story that is out there, he stated he hopes Cou�cil will continue to support the key priorities like families and the community first, support the fine school system, keep God in His rightful place in the community and in lives, and to continue to provide the healthy and safe community environment that is it, all are blessed to have such a wonderful community and as he sees society progressing he realizes that such communities are few and far between. He thanked Council for the great job they do. COMMUNIGATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC There were no communications from the public. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT The City Manager stated he had no report. ACTION ITEMS � I "Councilmember Enochs moved to award the disposition of RFP No. 2011-15 to instail fiber optic cable i for the animal control facility to C. Link Corporation in the amount of$53,000. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved unanimously. j 08/01/11 3638 Counciimember Enochs stated a decision was made to move the City forward in the way animals are handled in an animal control facility, this is one step in making that City facility as efficient and beneficial to the City as it can be. Councilmember Hill stated this wiil give the animal control buiiding the same Ievel of communication as the other City buildings, it aiso gives new possibilities to increase adoption Ievels, he stated the funding is coming from the Public Education-Government (PEG) television franchise fee, Roger Roecker confirmed Councilmember Hills' statement. Friendswood Police Chief Bob Wieners stated that these funds can only be used for specific purposes and it takes care of the basic requirement for fiber optic cable in that building and there will be portable broadcasting equipment availabie. He stated there have been concerns on how to communicate to the public exactly what the animal control facility does and it wiil heip increase the compliance rate for registration and shots, they will broadcast safety videos, the portabie recording equipment can go to any City department that may want to broadcast from their location, it impossible to do live broadcasting or even have email or internet without fiber optic cable, will not be able to function without it. Councilmember Scott asked about the other uses of this money and Roger Roecker stated it can be used for anything that supports the PEG channel such as more or newer cameras in the Council Chambers, he stated if this item is not funded the City will have to come up with another funding source in order to pay for the needed fiber optic cable. Mayor Smith ciarified that Councilmember ScotPs point is that this $53,000 was not in the original bid process to bring fiber to the buiiding in the original construction bid and Counciimember Scott confirmed. Chief Wieners stated this was paid for in cash and the City will not be in debt as it is with the public safety building. Councilmember Scott asked if the funding for the animal controi facility was supposed to be turn-key and Mayor Smith stated no because they understood items Iike furniture were not funded. Community Development Director Morad Kabiri stated that this grant money is an opportunity to provide data to the facility using funds that have Iittle use elsewhere in the City rather than to increase the City's j monthly obiigations by$600 to $800 a month, stated the construction award was for construction on�y but ' would come from other sources within the City's budget. Chief Wieners stated the City received a $20,000 donation from Chevron for the furniture and the cost of the cages and other items will come from the Operating and Maintenance budget, the building will be very ciose to tum-key. , Councilmember Barker asked if anything is being done at this facility that are not being done other City facilities and Morad Kabiri stated yes and paying for the fiber optic cable with these funds will be a cost savings in the Iong run, they need an efficient process for data transfer, switching to voice over IP phones will be a monthly City-wide cost savings. Councilmember Barker asked if this project is one of the few I ways to use these funds and Morad Kabiri stated yes. Councilmember Brown asked if Council can get the regulations that govern the PEG Channel funding source because it sounds iike an IT strategic plan could be funded through the perimeters of this funding source. i Chief Wieners stated the option for PEG money is as recent as 2009, Staff has reviewed the restrictions and believe that the work has been done. Councilmember Brown wants to feel comfortable to independently review the regulations, she does not aiways get the backup information and she would like to get it, she wants to make sure the animal control facility is opened turn-key at the lowest cost to the citizens with the highest benefit to the citizens, the Friendswood Animal Advocates are doing a paver sale I to collect funds for equipment, this has been an issue because she believes there are a substantial amount of people in Friendswood who really care about animals and who want an animal control facility � and so she supports the concept of an animal control facility and funding it, she does not like how it got to this point and it is not the process she would have chosen, she wants to maximize what can be done, wants to know what kind of donations have been looked into, has the grant writer come up with any I funding sources because she has not seen any in the reports that were provided. I I � 08/01/11 3639 She stated the Friendswood Animal Advocates is doing a tremendous amount of work but the City is going to have to get to the point of raising funds, she states the City should use the City website and the � PEG channel to raise the funds rather than just spending the money gotten from the franchise fees for the PEG channel, she has reservations about going forward with this, she wiil support having fiber optic cable going to the building and she understands this is the funding source available today but she would like to see if the City can seli naming rights to the building or to different rooms in the building. Bob Wieners stated the Friendswood Animal Advocates are in a better position to solicit funds than City Staff because there is a City policy that restricts City Staff from soliciting funds, he applauds the Friendswood Animal Advocates and has had discussions with them about what they can do to help acquire specialized equipment and $17,000 for fencing around the facility and $13,000 for the outside runs, the Friendswood Animal Advocates can sell pavers, name cages on the inside or the outside, they are open to creativity but City Staff is limited as to how to go our an solicit donations. "`Councilmember Barker stated he would like to call the question. Mayor Smith stated with all due respect Counciimember Brown has the floor but he is asking for it back. Councilmember Brown stated Councilmember Barker has asked to call the question so according to Robert's Rules of Order the question has been called. Mayor Smith stated he will make the decision when the question has been called and he has heard the conversation and respectfully asked that if Councilmember Brown wants to place the item on the next available agenda to have further discussions of a global nature he certainly understands and that can be done. He stated at Ieast three other Councilmembers have not had the opportunity to say a word about this issue yet and asked Councilmember Barker if he still wants to call the question and Councilmember Barker stated yes. '*"*Mayor Smith asked for objections to calling the question and no one objected. Mayor Smith stated the ' question passes. � "Councilmember Hill moved to appoint/reappoint Kathryn Atkinson to the Investment Committee, Arthur � Lizza and Mona Palmer to the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee, and Deputy Chief Luke Loeser to the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee. Seconded by Councilmember Barker. The motion was approved unanimously. Mayor Smith explained that Bob Wieners recommends Depury Chief Luke Loeser to replace retired Captain Jimmy Holland on the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, Cindy Edge recommends Kathryn Atkinson to fill the vacancy left by the death of Jim Thomas on the Investment Committee. Councilmember Enochs explained his recommendations of Arthur Lizza and Mona Palmer to fill two vacancies on the Senior Citizens Advisory Committee due to the resignations of Sarah Matthews and Sharon Richardson. `*Councilmember Hill moved to approve scheduling a Town Hall meeting on August 31, 2011, to discuss Public/Private Partnerships such as foundations. Seconded by Councilmember Barker. The motion was approved unanimously. Councilmember McGinnis stated this is a follow up to the last discussion about the Town Hall meetings, the date will be Wednesday, August 31, 2011, he stated it will be held in Council chambers and suggested starting at 7:00 PM and will probably last no more than two or two and a half hours, named the list of speakers who will discuss what it will take to create a community-based foundation or endowment, he hopes to get a lot of communication from citizens over the next four weeks, suggested the newspapers , write an article about it to garner community excitement, there will be a question and answer time and perhaps light refreshments. Counciimember Barker stated it sounds good to him. � 08/01/11 3640 Mayor Smith asked if it should be posted as an agenda so that as many Councilmembers could attend as would like without a violation of the Open Meetings Act and Councilmember McGinnis stated it should be a posted meeting because he would like Councilmembers to attend. Councilmember Brown asked for the policy that prevents the City from soliciting funds on its website and how it pertains to this meeting and Councilmember McGinnis stated he did not know because he was thinking in terms of advertising the Town Hali Meeting as an event and not soliciting funds. City Manager Roger Roecker stated it is an internal policy to prevent City employees from soliciting funds from Iocal businesses, stated there is a policy to name City buildings in place he can provide to her. ' Councilmember Brown asked if there is a policy in place that prevents obtaining donations on behalf of the City. Roger Roecker stated City employees are not allowed to go out and solicit donations. Councilmember Brown stated that the City could accept donations via the website and Roger Roecker stated yes. Councilmember McGinnis stated there are points to rally for philanthropy and hopes it will take off in the Community, believes the animal shelter, the library and parks could benefit. Counciimember Enochs stated he is concerned that the date going into Labor Day weekend could affect participation levels and Councilmember McGinnis stated it is the only date that all three speakers could attend. RESOLUTIONS "Councilmember McGinnis moved to approve Resoiution R2011-22—A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Friendswood, Texas, approving the terms and conditions of an Interlocal Agreement by and between Harris County Department of Education and the City of Friendswood, Texas, which sponsors choice facility partners, providing for a cooperative purchasing program for goods and services; designating Roger C. Roecker, City Manager, as official representative of the City of Friendswood relating to the program. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved unanimously. "Councilmember Hill moved to approve Resolution R2011-23 — A Resolution of the City Councii of the I City of Friendswood, Texas, adopting a Joint Galveston County Cooperative Evacuation Plan; and repealing all other resolutions inconsistent or in conflict herewith. Seconded by Councilmember Barker. The motion was approved unanimously. `�Councilmember Barker moved to approve Resolution R2011-24—A Resolution approving and adoption updates/amendments to the "Design Criteria Manual" for the City of Friendswood, Texas; approving the standards contained therein for the design, construction, and installation of public infrastructure and related facilities and improvements within the City; and repealing alI prior Design Criteria Manuals and repealing other resolutions or parts of resolutions inconsistent or in conflict herewith. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved unanimousiy. ORDINANCE Counciimember Barker moved to approve the First and Final reading of Ordinance T2077-25 — An Ordinance amending City of Friendswood, Texas, Ordinance No. 2010-28, passed and approved October 4, 2010, same being an ordinance approving and adopting the City's General Budget for Fiscal Year 2010-2011, by approving "Budget Amendment XI" to the "Original General Budget of the City of Friendswood, Texas, for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011", providing for supplemental appropriation and/or transfer of certain funds; providing for severability; and providing other matters related to the subject. Seconded by Councilmember McGinnis. The motion was approved 5-1 with Councilmember Brown opposed and Councilmember Hill abstaining. i � 08/01/11 3641 COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS Councilmembers Barker, Hill, and Scott stated they have no report. i Councilmember Brown stated she attended the Keep Friendswood Beautiful meeting on behalf of Councilmember Enochs, it is a real working committee and is Friendswood at the core, the public needs to know that there are two women that go to Centennial Park to water trees. She stated the Homeowners Association Education Forum is August 20, 2011, the purpose of the meeting is to review the new Iegislative changes. Councilmember McGinnis stated he spent time last Friday with Friendswood Patrolman Jeremy Epp, who is knowledgeable, professional, courteous, and kind, good job to Chief Bob Wieners. Councilmember Enochs thanked Fire Marshai Terry Byrd and Chief Bob Wieners for taking the time to spend today with him. CONSENT AGENDA '*Councilmember Barker moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented: A. Ratify and confirm the Mayor's signature on a Community Development Block Grant(DCBG) Disaster Recovery Program Notice of Change in Contact Administration letter, B. Authorize Council to invoke Rule 1(A) of the Rules of Procedure to schedule the September regular City Council meetings for September 12, 2011, and September 19 or 26, 2011, due to the Labor Day Holiday, C. Accept June 2011, Property Tax Report, D. Approve the minutes of the June 20, 2011, July 20, 2011, and July 11, 2011, Councii Meetings. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. "'Councilmember Barker amended the motion to have the second meeting on September 26, 2011. Councilmember Hill seconded the amended motion. The amended motion was approved unanimously. ( The meeting was adjourned at 8:07 PM. ayor David J.H. Smith Attest: Melinda Welsh, TRMC City Secretary � I