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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2013-07-01 Regular 07/01/13 4161 ' STATE OF TEXAS )( CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD )( COUNTIES OF GALVESTON/HARRIS )( JULY 01, 2013 )( MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD CITY COUNCIL THAT WAS HELD ON MONDAY, JULY 01, 2013,AT 4:30 PM AT FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 910 S.I FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, WITH THE FOLLOWING PRESENTI CONSTITUTING A QUORUM: MAYOR KEVIN HOLLAND MAYOR PRO-TEM JIM HILL COUNCILMEMER STEVE ROCKEY COUNCILMEMBER BILLY ENOCHS COUNCILMEMBER PAT MCGINNIS COUNCILMEMBER CARLGUSTAFSON CITY ATTORNEY ARNOLD POLANCO CITY MANAGER ROGER ROECKER CITY SECRETARY MELINDA WELSH Councilmember Scott was absent from the meeting. REGULAR SESSION Mayor Holland called the meeting to order, and stated Councilmember Scotts grandmother had passed away and he would be absent from the meeting. tThe invocation was given by Pastor Ralph Hobratschk with Hope Lutheran Church. Mayor Holland led the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States and to the State of Texas. COMMUNICATION FROM THE PUBLIC Fred Krch, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and talked about the 4th of July and the history behind the celebration, discussed today's political climate. WORK SESSION Mayor Holland opened the discussion with the Citizens Bond Advisory Group regarding recommendation for a proposed Bond Election in November. City Manager Roger Roecker gave a brief history of the Bond Advisory Group and stated the group has worked long and hard, and presented their findings at the regular Council meeting in June. The bond ordinance would have to be acted on in August but Council will have to call a second meeting in August in order to do so. Mayor Holland thanked the members of the Bond Advisory Group that took the time to work together and formulate the group, the categories, and how the work was divided up to present to Council. Councilmember Rockey asked if the City Secretary had any information on the cost of doing a Bond Election in November. City Secretary Melinda Welsh stated she has approximate numbers, could vary once polling places are set, will need to contract with Galveston and Harris Counties, if decision is made to contract with Galveston County estimated cost is around $10,000, there are two options regarding Harris County, estimated costs will depend on polling locations being set and option chosen regarding ' contracting with Harris County, at this point in the process a definite cost cannot be determined. The City Manager introduced Ryan O'Hara with BOSE, the City's Financial Advisor. Mr. O'Hara stated the bond market has changed over the last few weeks, has gone up, recovered about 40 basis points, 07/01/13 4162 reran numbers and interest rate, are still good on numbers that were given to the Bond Advisory Group. ' Mayor Holland asked how long it would take to lock in the interest rate, and Mr. O' Hara answered 30 days after a successful election, sell bonds after the 30 days and then the interest rates are locked in, takes another month to get the Attorney General's approval. December would be the soonest to lock in the interest rates. Councilmember Hill asked what is the cost of issuing $20 Million in bonds, and does the cost come out of the bond proceeds. Mr. O'Hara answered $60,000 estimated in issuance cost of the bonds, can build into the premium, people buying the bonds actually pay the cost, is factored into the interest rate analysis. City Manager Roger Roecker stated there would not be any additional cost from the operating budget, asked Mr. O'Hara if$23.3 Million in bonds are not all sold at once does that affect locking in the interest rate. Mr. O'Hara stated one of the advantages for selling in smaller blocks is the bonds can be sold as bank qualified if less than $10 Million are sold in a calendar year, financial institutions can buy the bonds, can get lower interest rates, current market would be 3.85%versus 4% interest rate. Councilmember McGinnis asked about the City's current bond liability total. Mayor Holland asked about the City's debt to equity ratio. Mr. O'Hara stated currently $22.8 Million in principal outstanding and $6.5 Million in interest, roughly $29 Million in debt service that runs 2013 through 2035, is General Obligation debt. ' Councilmember McGinnis stated the City refinanced recently, asked if there will be another opportunity, and Mr. O'Hara answered soonest opportunity would be 2015. Friendswood is AA rated by Moody's, looked at as very good credit in the marketplace. Mayor Holland asked Mr. O'Hara what was the highest amount of outstanding bonds the City has had during his tenure. Mr. O'Hara stated that is a hard question to answer. City Manager Roger Roecker stated the City last issued bonds in 2010. Mr. O'Hara stated the City has done refinancing since then and 2010 was the peak. The City Manager asked if the City had a lot of debt, and Mr. O'Hara answered quite the contrary, Friendswood has a low debt burden, do not usually see that. Mr. O'Hara stated he represents the City of Pearland and they would love to have Friendswood's debt burden. Councilmember Enochs asked if there was a recommendation on an amount that the City should not go under for a bond,just based on the cost. Mr. O'Hara stated it is a local political decision, have had City clients that have had less than $4 Million in needs do Certificates of Obligation, have also worked on bond elections as small as$2 Million, and $23.3 Million certainly justifies an election in his mind. Councilmember McGinnis asked about Certificates of Obligation as compared to any other options. Mr. O'Hara answered that Certificates of Obligation do not require voters' approval, there is a petition ' process for the voters to be involved but the City would not require an election. Councilmember McGinnis stated the City's charter states differently, heard at Texas Municipal League 07/01/13 4163 ' (TML) if bonds are done with Certificates of Obligation it is cheaper for cities than a different type of revenue bond. City Manager Roger Roecker stated Certificates of Obligation can be secured by more than one form ofJ revenue stream, and General Obligation Bonds are only based on property tax. Councilmember Rockey asked if the bonds get approved would Assistant City Manager Morad Kabiri have resources to do all the projects, and Mr. Kabiri answered Staff would have to hire consultants to' help or stagger projects, do not currently have the Staff to do all projects at once. Councilmember Rockey asked if the cost of consultants could be rolled into the bonds, and Mr. Kabiri� stated yes. Councilmember Rockey asked why was the library and Fire Department done as two' separate bonds since both are part of infrastructure. Robin Hall, a member of the Bond Advisory Group, stated she was on the Finance Subgroup, split needs into three groups, facilities, parks, and streets. The Fire Department (FD) and the library were together but the library wanted to be separate, recommendation was a minimum of $4 Million, did not want everyone to have a take it or leave it approach and did not want to have 25 different bonds. Councilmember Rockey asked if the City's FD was comfortable with the recommendation. Ms. Hall stated FD was in on the discussion, was not their first option but are okay with it, wanted FM 518 and FM 528 but understands that location is prime real estate. Councilmember Rockey stated his concern is that he does not want to find out later that the FD was not okay with the bond proposal. Bond Advisory Group Chair David Desiere stated that FD initially wanted $20 Million, discussed needs versus wants, and what the citizens would be willing to take on as a burden. The FD was happy with the compromise, was essential to public safety and met all their needs. The Bond Group is looking to bring to the voters, propositions for the library, facilities in Public Safety, better Parks and Recreation facilities and the streets and drainage needs. The average homeowner would pay $10 a month, would enhance and increase the value of the City. The Bond Advisory Group was comprised of an array of Friendswood citizens, and vote was a unanimous yes for the proposal. Ms. Hall stated the FD just went through an audit that gives rates for insurance purposes, Bond Group looked at how close the City was to the next level, evaluated if all requested money by the FD was spent the next level would still not be reached, FD and Staff were involved in the discussions, FD stated they were happy with the compromise. Councilmember Enochs asked Ms. Hall about the Type 4B Sales Tax. Ms. Hall stated the Bond Advisory Group looked at four different types of funding, sales taxed seemed most logical but most contentious, heard from many citizens and group members not to touch the sales tax, estimated $1.3 Million, was not worth the fight, easier to explain bond money instead of sales tax money. Councilmember Rockey asked regarding parks, was there a particular reason the amount requested was not higher. Susan Steinberg, a member of the Bond Advisory Group, stated the sentiment of the group was not to go beyond a certain point, backed off of original amount of$30 Million, felt if amount went too high would be counterproductive, tried to stay in the middle ground. Councilmember McGinnis stated in his simplistic reasoning can do different things like on a home mortgage, 2035 is a long time to be in debt, asked what options the City had to pay off the debt faster, ' could the City do a shorter bond. Mr. O'Hara stated there is ultimate flexibility on how the bonds are sold, could go as long as 40 years and as short as 2 years, have been doing 22 year average life issues, look at what is useful life of the project, for computers do shorter, a building do longer. The more debt you pack closer in, the debt service tax rate will increase, can run multiple scenarios to show Council the 07/01/13 4164 impact. The City Manager stated the debt service tax rate is a small percentage of the total, exactly like a home ' mortgage. Ms. Hall stated the bond group pulled out any short term projects, did projects that were sustainable for 30 years, gave an example of the splash pad, funding was taken out of the General Budget. Councilmember McGinnis asked if Staff had looked at ongoing maintenance, and asked if the costs factored in. Assistant City Manager Morad Kabid stated streets and drainage would be a deferred cost, improving portions of the current infrastructure would not require as much maintenance to the areas as they are currently receiving. Building facilities and parks are a different type of project. By expanding current facilities there will be corresponding operations and maintenance (O&M) cost that would need to be factored in for future years. Councilmember McGinnis asked if there was an estimate as to what the future costs would be, and Mr. Kabiri answered there is an estimate, all depends on timing, can estimate on the costs of current facilities and expand it,when you are building a whole new fire station, building codes have changed, can estimate O&M costs for each depending on when the facility was built. Councilmember Enochs asked in regards to the fire station build out, was the$6.5 Million only to build out the fire station at the Public Safety Building, and Mr. Kabiri answered there are two components, expand Fire Station No. 4 to the headquarters facility, and build a smaller fire station behind the Public Safety Building (PSB). Councilmember Enochs asked what the breakdown of cost for each component was, and Mr. Kabid ' answered Fire Station No. 4 expansion was around $4 Million, and the fire station behind PSB is around $2 Million. Councilmember Rockey asked what would happen to the existing building, and Mr. Kabiri answered would be up to Council, the old PSB building was demolished and now the City owns the land. City Manager Roger Roecker stated an analysis of the building can be done to look at the structure of the building, should improvements be made or should the building be demolished. Councilmember Gustafson stated he heard a statement that additional costs to each homeowner would be$10 a month, and asked about calculation. Ms. Hall stated based on $217,000 which is the average home price in Friendswood, a tax increase to homes would average $95.48 per year. The average new home price is $346,000 so a tax increase on new homes would be$152.24 per year. Councilmember Gustafson stated the current tax rate is $.597. Ms. Hall stated increase would make it $.652. Councilmember Gustafson asked about dropping the homestead exemption. Ms. Hall answered that is up to Council, could drop from 20% to 10% and slowly move it back up, Bond Group discussed but felt it may not be worth the fight. The City Manager stated the increase will not be a one-time flat rate. Ms. Hall stated may only raise it up a cent, cannot take$23 Million in bonds at one time, tax rate will incrementally be increased. Councilmember Gustafson asked how long the City would be selling the bonds, and the City Manager , answered it took eight years for the last bonds approved of$20 Million. Mayor Holland stated could use bond money and not see a tax increase, revenue is going up on houses. i 07/01/13 4165 ' Councilmember Gustafson stated in 1969 or 1970 was the last time interest rates were this low, may not see rates this low for another 40 years. Ms. Hall stated home values went down last year. Mayor Holland stated the dollar value would be the second year projects are here. Ms. Hall stated the bond group also looked at the effective tax rate, has gone down, and if all bonds are sold at once would go a couple cents over the effective tax rate 10 years ago. Councilmember Gustafson stated the effective tax rate hit its low in 2008 and has increased since, and the City Manager replied is because values have decreased. Mr. O'Hara stated he is very confident in the analysis ran on December 2013 sale of bonds, do not see between now and the end of the year rates moving above the 4.5%. City Manager Roger Roecker asked about historical perspective on bond rates, and Mr. O'Hara stated the last three year cycle has been incredible, index goes back to 1990, can provide Council with a graph, there are spikes in the chart, are currently in a great environment even with the recent upticks, 2015 is the worry, quantity of easing will be taken away. Councilmember Gustafson asked how long the City could expect to be selling the bonds, and Mr. Kabiri answered depends on how Council wants to tackle the projects, if projects are spread out over several years the overall impact per unit would be less. Bond Advisory Group Chair David Desiere stated it is better to sell a bond when you need it as opposed ' to early, would be paying interest. Mayor Holland stated he has discovered the best time to borrow money is when you do not need it, is easier to get. Mayor Holland opened the discussion with Creative Consumer Research regarding the Citizen Survey. City Manager Roger Roecker gave a history of the citizen survey, service levels done last year were self-assessment, and found that an outside assessment was needed. Planning Manager Nick Haby stated the results of the survey are fascinating, introduced Joy Durham with Creative Consumer Research (CCR). Mr. Haby further stated Staff has worked closely with CCR over the last several months, last survey was done in 2004. Joy Durham with Creative Consumer Research (CCR) stated CCR has been in business for 37 years, primary objective of research was to determine residents' overall satisfaction with living in the City of Friendswood. Additional objectives were to determine what City services residents currently use, determine what services need to be offered, evaluate current methods of communication, determine satisfaction with how well City communicates, determine satisfaction with public safety, and develop a demographic profile of residents. The methodology that CCR chose to meet the objectives was 400 telephone interviews were conducted with Friendswood residents in April of 2013, based on the estimated population of Friendswood being 36,420 in 2011. In order to participate in the study, respondents were screened to live in the City of Friendswood and live in Galveston or Harris County. The survey lasted on average approximately 16 minutes, respondents were told the City of Friendswood sponsored the survey. In order to adequately represent the City of Friendswood, quotas were implemented for gender, age, and ethnic background. A total of 36,045 calls were made to complete the 400 interviews. It required 90 calls ' to complete one survey. Mayor Holland asked if it was normal for 36,045 calls to be made to get 400 interviews, and Ms. Durham answered yes it was normal. I 07/01/13 4166 Councilmember Rockey asked if only land lines were used, and Ms. Durham stated both cell and land ' lines were used. Ms. Durham continued with the results of the Citizen Survey, the quality of life in Friendswood overall was excellent. When citizens were asked what was the most important issue facing the City there was not one major issue that stood out. Respondents also rated Friendswood highly in regards to a place to settle down, to work, and to shop. Based on the time respondents have lived in Friendswood 52% stated the community has improved, 36% stated the community stayed the same. The top item that respondents reported that the City of Friendswood has improved on is more businesses. Favorable Bond Election items were street improvements, drainage improvements, parks improvements, Downtown District amenities, library improvements, and a new fire station. The most favorable items for a Bond Election were street and drainage improvements. Councilmember McGinnis asked if the answers to the favorable bond election items were spontaneous or were the respondents given items to choose from, and Ms. Durham stated items were given and respondent could choose as many items as desired. Councilmember Gustafson asked if the items listed were the only answer choices given, and Ms. Durham answered yes. Ms. Durham continued the presentation with the City parks and recreation, only 19% of respondents have never used a City park, remainder of respondents use the City parks anywhere from daily to several times throughout the year, 95% of respondents believe the parks and recreation facilities are well maintained, 72% believe the fees charged for recreation programs/special events are reasonable, 67% of respondents stated they had never visited the Sesquicentennial Swimming Pool. The City Library has been used by 66% of the respondents over the past year, 94% of the respondents that visited the library ' in the past year stated the Staff is helpful and courtesy, 85% percent were happy with the hours of operations. Councilmember Rockey asked if the results would be shown as a breakdown of gender, age, and other differences, and Mr. Durham stated info is in packet material given to Council. Mayor Holland asked in the Used City Public Library slide were respondents asked how many times they used the library in the past year, and Ms. Durham answered applicants were not asked that. Ms. Durham continued the presentation with enforcement and infrastructure, 73% of respondents are satisfied with the controls and regulations the City is doing regarding the infrastructure, respondents highly rated the Cities enforcement programs, 88% rated water/waste water services good or excellent, 80% believed the City is doing a good or excellent job on maintenance of major thoroughfares, 75% believed the City is doing a good or excellent job on maintenance of residential streets, 24% of respondents stated they have had contact with the Public Works Department, respondents that had contact with the Public Works Department gave the department high ratings. Safety and the Police Department, 97% of respondents stated they feel safe, 88% rating for visibility of police patrols, 81% rating for courtesy and professionalism, 72% rating for handling the situation, 67% rating for speed in responding to calls. Ms. Durham clarified speed in responding to calls, stated some respondents may have rated low because they have never had contact with the Police Department or their perception of time in an emergency is different. City Services, 24% of respondents have had contact with Animal Control and 84% of the respondents that have had contact with Animal Control rate their experience as good or excellent. Satisfaction with the quality of service for residential trash collection was 91% and a significant percentage of respondents stated they participate in the recycling program. The City Manager stated Staff has been told by IESI/Progressive that the City of Friendswood is green ' and recycles a lot, a large volume is picked up. Ms. Durham continued the presentation with commercial development, only 54% of respondents were 07/01/13 4167. aware that the City Friendswood sales tax is lower than surrounding communities, more of the younger residents were not aware. 88% of respondents believe it is important for Friendswood to attract businesses, the top preferred commercial development is restaurants followed by retail shopping, hotel and recreational facilities, small independent businesses, industrial, manufacturing, large franchise businesses, professional, office parks, discount stores, medical, and grocery stores. Ms. Durham further stated the answers were given randomly by the respondents. City communications, 67% have visited the City website, of the respondents that have used the website the rating was positive, 61% of respondentsi suggested no revisions to the website. Regarding the City's communications, 88% of respondents stated) they believe the City communicates very well or somewhat well, 65% of respondents stated they would support receiving the Focus on Friendswood newsletter via email, 32% are aware of access to public records through Laserfiche Weblink, 27% are aware of access to public records through Freedom of Information Act online service, 62% are aware of the City of Friendswood's 20% Homestead Exemption' Conclusions of the survey are residents are satisfied with life in Friendswood, they give high ratings for quality of life including feeling safe, also viewed it as a good place to settle down, high satisfaction reported for amenities such as parks and libraries, City departments, and City enforcement/regulation; feel life is improving due to the City's steady growth. Respondents support improving the Downtown District, suggested attracting restaurants, retail shopping, and hotels to support commercial development. The City communicates well, residents use the City's website and rate the site well, many support changing the Friendswood newsletter into an electronic form as a cost-saving measure. Going forward, the City should focus on maintaining the high standards that it has in the community by doing the following: continue to communicate with residents regarding services provided and any improvements such as renovating the Downtown District, reinforce the current image with communications about the lower sales tax, safety, and growing community, educate residents on how to gain more information about the community through public channels available via the website and other avenues such as a municipal channel and Laserfiche. Ms. Durham further stated she left all raw data with Planning Manager Nick Haby. ' Councilmember Gustafson stated the report was nice and well done, good information. Councilmember Rockey stated he wished his report cards in school were like this report, asked if the report was as good as you could get. Ms. Durham answered yes, the challenge is in maintaining it, can go up or down from the baseline. Mayor Holland asked if this was the first time an outside company performed the survey, and City Manager Roger Roecker answered an outside assessment was done in 2004. Mayor Holland asked if the current results were an improvement, and Mr. Roecker answered he does not see that it was much of degradation, should do more frequently and measure progress. I I Mayor Holland stated a good suggestion would be to do it a year before the Impact Fee analysis. Mr. Roecker stated is good to do for feedback. Ms. Durham stated The Woodlands is scheduled for every 18 months, good idea to set a schedule. Councilmember Enochs stated this report confirms all the awards the City has received, data points out how dedicated City Staff is, Council and citizens appreciate Staff for all their hard work. Mr. Roecker stated he thinks the survey results were higher than even Staff would have characterized the City would be. Councilmember Gustafson asked about comparison of other cities, is the City of Friendswood in the top 10% rating. Ms. Durham answered probably above average but would need to look at numbers, can see ' other cities'surveys data on their websites, info is posted. Mr. Roecker stated Staff will post survey on the website with Council's consensus. I 07/01/13 4168 Councilmember Enochs stated citizens paid for it so should be on the website. ' Mayor Holland stated the question of how citizens feel Council is doing should be added to the next survey. Mayor Holland opened the discussion regarding the City's Fiscal Year 2013-2014 General Fund Budget. City Manager Roger Roecker stated Staff wanted to give Council a high level update on the 2013-2014 budget, appreciates Staffs ability to execute the City's budget as well as they do. Administrative Services Director Cindy Edge stated the Budget Team consists of representatives from all departments, meet throughout the year, are productive in their process, no infighting, work well together, and thanked all who spent time on the process. City Manager Roger Roecker stated is a good process, done collaboratively and not competitively. Ms. Edge presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding an introduction to the City's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013-2014. General Fund Revenues are property tax, growth for new values only, sales tax, current collections are up about$200,000, franchise tax is static, and licenses and permits collections are currently up. Councilmember Hill asked the dollar amount of new growth value that had been brought in, and Ms. Edge answered $53 Million in Galveston County and $2 to 3 Million in Harris County, revenue for the City was increased by $279,900. The City Manager stated the increase in property values from last year to the current year are in new construction. Ms. Edge continued the PowerPoint presentation with the remaining General Fund revenues, charges for services are static, fines are trending downward, $300,000 early projections from non-property tax ' revenue, and projections from property tax using the effective tax rate will be $279,900. General Fund expenditures, Forces At Work are Municipal Code codification services in the amount of $19,800, codification is done every 10 years, health insurance increase in the amount of$63,850, dental insurance increase in the amount of $4,900, Worker's Compensation insurance increase in the amount of$2,000, an additional increase of$2,000 for Worker's Compensation insurance due to an increase from volunteer hours at Animal Control. Mayor Holland asked if Staff was setting aside $2,000 a year for the $19,800 for recodification, and the City Manager stated no, have too many other demands each year, there are some smaller amounts on the Decision Packages because the City is lean, each year the City does receive a refund on premiums. Ms. Edge stated there was a change in Worker's Compensation classifications this year but the modifier is very low, increase provides coverage for volunteers at Animal Control. Ms. Edge continued the PowerPoint presentation regarding the Forces at Work, Windstorm insurance increase in the amount of$9,145, fuel increase in the amount of$83,103, and vehicle lease payments in the amount of$23,907. City Manager Roger Roecker asked Ms. Edge to explain the Vehicle Replacement Plan. Ms. Edge explained history, plan has worked well, each department makes lease payments, purchase from Vehicle Replacement Fund. The last several years the Vehicle Replacement Fund has had extra money to assist with purchasing new vehicles instead of the General Fund. The vehicle has a five year life but if the department can make it seven years they do. City Manager Roecker stated basically departments lease vehicles from the City, is done internally, historically received complaints from citizens about how old some of the vehicles were because the ' departments would use them until they wore out, able to maintain the fleet better now. Councilmember McGinnis asked about the health insurance plan options, can individuals customize the 07/01/13 4169 ' coverage they receive, a way to keep the costs down, determined by the employee to pay more or pay less based on coverage. Ms. Edge stated in past the City has offered multiple options, benefit of being in pool is that the group can narrow it down where it is palatable for everybody. Human Resources Director Bill Bender stated the Interlocal group is not large enough to tailor various programs, currently the plan is blended for everyone. Ms. Edge stated she could get a representative from the group to speak to Council about medical insurance and upcoming changes. Ms. Edge continued the PowerPoint presentation regarding the Forces at Work, annual audit fee increase! in the amount of $2,500, League City GRID annual contract in the amount of $12,000, maintenancei contracts increase in the amount of$1,175, T-1 Line radio maintenance in the amount of$10,020, Breath Alcohol Testing (BAT) program services increase in the amount of $3,798, Animal Control contract cleaning services for five days a week in the amount of $29,304, Texas Municipal Retirement System' (TMRS) increase for one Library Associate position in the amount of $2,285, increase in Operating Supplies, Facility Supplies and Electricity for the Splash Pad in the amount of $5,500, increase in insurance for the Splash Pad in the amount of$5,000, and historically underfunded overtime for the July 41h event in the amount of$12,436. The total Forces at Work Decision Packages are$292,723. Councilmember Gustafson asked if the Animal Control contract for cleaning services is for Monday thru Friday, who will be handling the remaining two days a week, during his campaign he heard there was shortfall. Deputy Police Chief Luke Loeser stated have no additional Staff with the larger facility, opted to go five days a week with cleaning crew to keep costs down, other two days Staff will handle, will maintain current level of animal control service. Deputy Chief Loeser stated it takes four hours to clean and are required by law to do every day. ' Ms. Edge stated on the Water and Sewer fund, getting ready to do a rate study, doing a Request for Proposals (RFP)very soon. The City Manager stated rate changes do not necessarily mean a rate increase. Mayor Holland asked when Council considered building the new Animal Control building was operations and maintenance (O&M) costs neglected in the estimate. The City Manger stated if the Police Chief would state that the program was designed to be revenue neutral, are victims of our own success, a lot of animals go through it. Mayor Holland stated the Splash Pad was estimated to have O&M of $10,500, asked if the O&M costs were in the analysis given to Council. The City Manager stated the Splash Pad was part of the Phase One improvements. i Councilmember Rockey stated the City Council Parks Subcommittee did take O&M into consideration, Community Services Director James Toney assumed maintenance cost would be low the first couple of years. Councilmember Enochs stated the group looked at items that would have marginal impact, not no impact on the O&M. Ms. Edge stated there is a whole list of Decision Packages that will be shown in the future. SPECIAL RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS City Manager Roger Roecker reported that the City of Friendswood had received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. Mr. Roecker introduced Phyllis Rinehart, Controller for the City of La Porte, representing the Gulf Coast Government Finance ' Officers Association. Ms. Rinehart presented the award to Administrative Services Director Cindy Edge, Budget Manager Jennifer Walker, and Deputy Director of Administrative Services Katina Hampton. This is the tenth consecutive year for the City to earn the award. Ms. Edge stated the first year was the hardest and Staff has done a good job of maintaining standards, thanked Ms. Walker and Ms. Hampton 07/01/13 4170 who was out on vacation. Mayor Holland recessed the meeting at 6:31 PM and reconvened the meeting at 7:00 PM. ' COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Ken Shores, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he was at the meeting to address the park bridge item on the agenda, is a registered professional engineer, has lived in Friendswood for 35 years, City has not made any improvements to Cowards Creek in the last 20 years that he has lived at his current residence. During Tropical Storm Allison surrounding homes were flooded and some were bought out and destroyed, now are vacant land, further restrictions and changes to Cowards Creek are occurring, drainage is still an issue, this is not the first time consideration of a foot bridge has been brought to Council, voted down previously, please consider not doing this project. John Maziel, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he would like to thank Councilmember Rockey for his time, before any measures are approved for the park bridge Council should consider how the pathway will be kept open all year, much of the time it will be flooded, lost his home to Tropical Storm Allison and business to Hurricane Ike, City will be looking at a lot of maintenance, do not waste taxpayer dollars on project, need to make improvements to creek, far more important to protect taxpayers, need a feasibility study on how to build a ramp or walkway without being flooded, thanked Council for their attention. Rob Roy, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is requesting a small change to the noise ordinance in the City of Friendswood. The current ordinance states the decibel reading should not read over a certain amount, air conditioning system noise affects him, was in ecstasy because he finally got the City to come out and used his own decibel reading, is measured 15 feet from air-conditioning unit that is causing the problem. The City of Friendswood should consider going along with the City of ' Houston who measures at property line, if not measuring from property line could have to trespass into someone's property. Ken Michael, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he lives in the Chapel Hill subdivision, is on the board of the Homeowner's Association, referring to the agenda item regarding the park bridge, residents have signed a petition to halt any further work on the project, asked Council to look at plat map No. 1, gives a detailed view of the proposed project, habitat may be disturbed, must conform to floodway ordinances, proposal has the pathway going onto Chapel Hill Subdivision private property, thanked Councilmember Rockey for visiting with him, plan near his residency would most likely not be done, proposal is too costly, will create traffic, environmentally destructive, property owners never envisioned their property being a shortcut to Stevenson Park, halt any further activity. Edward Faith, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is a retired engineer, asked others in the audience to raise their hands to acknowledge that they were at the meeting because they were concerned about the proposed park bridge, explained points of Friendswood's floodway ordinance, a 24 inch sewer line could make it a no-rise certification. COMMUNICATIONS FROM COMMITTEES AND SPECIAL REPORTS Friendswood Public Library Board Chair Mike Czarowitz presented the annual report, and stated a library is a place where the public can go for education and research. The library has been able to change with the advances in technology and society. As Friendswood has grown so have the demands on the library. The City of Friendswood has had a population growth of 54% since 1994, during the same period the library's circulation has increased 70%. Attendance at the library in 2012 was 162,586 that averages to over 520 per day. The library has offered a number of programs during the year with attendance exceeding 25,000. Due to current space constraints total volumes available in the library are only 99,501, , an increase of 19% from 1994. In 1994 the library had one computer for library use on dial-up but no public computers, currently there are 20 computers for public use along with providing WiFi and plugs for laptops. With the proposed remodel there would be a training room added with an additional 15 07/01/13 4171 ' computers set aside for instruction and computer classes. In 1994 the library had a total of only 36 videos, in 2012 the library loaned out 107,016 movies, tapes, and audio books. The library meeting room) is currently designed for an occupancy of 68, remodel would expand occupancy to 144 in the main room' plus add an additional meeting room designed for 40, study rooms would be increased from six to eight l and provide a dedicated room for local history that would seat 15. With the library website patrons are able to access the library's catalog and reserve any item within the library or check for books that may be on order from bestselling authors and reserve them, an email is then sent to the requestor stating the material is ready for pickup, over 32,000 items were reserved in this manner. A number of services are also available through the web site, Tumblebooks, download videos and books, Atomictraining, provides online software training, Overdrive, has over 20,000 titles that can be downloaded to a computer or e; reader, Zinio, provides magazines to be downloaded to electronic devices, Mango, an online program to learn a foreign language, Morningstar, an investment research center. Additionally through participation in Texshare and the Galveston County Library System there is over an additional 60 databases and services available. Patrons that are unable to travel can even have materials delivered by book mobile or by mail to their place of residence. The City of Friendswood is known for its highly rated schools due to the accomplishments of its students. Equally important are the teachers and parents that set the priorities and expectations for those students by preparing them for the opportunity the schools offer. Friendswood's Library is pleased to assist in this preparation through preschool programs, summer reading programs, young adult programs, and the teen advisory group. The library also assists with programs for those that desire to do Home School. The library hosted 91 programs and classes for adults that included computer literacy classes, genealogy programs,job search seminars, music concerts, hurricane preparedness, movie night, and an adult summer reading challenge. The City of Friendswood is blessed throughout the City with outstanding personnel. This is particularly true of the nine part-time and ten full-time employees at the library and seven of the ten hold a masters degree. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT ' City Manager Roger Roecker reported that the Fourth of July Steering Committee and the City of Friendswood would like to invite all to participate in the 118th annual Friendswood Fourth of July Celebration. The daylong celebration is packed full of entertainment, food and fun for the entire family. The theme for this year's celebration is "You're a Grand Old Flag". The day will kick off with the Grand Parade that will travel down Friendswood Drive. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at the corner of FM 518 and Heritage Drive, and will feature over 100 entries from Friendswood and around the state of Texas. The parade will conclude at Stevenson Park where over 50 booth entries, rides, games, food, live entertainment and fun for the entire family will take place. This year's program should be one of the best family fun events for 2013. The David Weekly Homes Skydiving Team will kick off the event by dropping into the park during the National Anthem, and Musical Group "The Matchmaker Band" will headline the evening entertainment. High energy, exciting, versatile and entertaining is just a few words that describe this musical act. The evening will conclude with a fantastic fireworks extravaganza that will light up the sky beginning at approximately 9:20 p.m. The fireworks will be choreographed to patriotic music and is guaranteed to be one of the best fireworks displays in the Houston area. Public parking will not be available at Centennial Park for the Evening Program, but a free shuttle service will be provided to gain admittance into the park. The shuttle service will be available from Clear Brook High School, and from Friendswood High School, shuttle services will begin running at 6:30 p.m. Viewing is also available at the H.E.B. and 24 Hour Fitness parking lots. The City Manager reported that as part of their commitment to community involvement within the City of Friendswood, Progressive Waste Solutions provides scholarships to Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD) and Friendswood Independent School District (FISD) graduating seniors. $500 was contributed to Clear Brook High School, $500 to Clear Springs High School and $1,000 to Friendswood High School. Each school's scholarship committee selects the recipients and the scholarships are awarded according to financial need, academics, and community service. The scholarship recipient for ' Friendswood High School is Nicholas Strope, for Clear Brook High School, Michael Grant, and for Clear Springs High School, Cristina Barreras. The City appreciates Progressive's Waste Solutions support and assistance to our high school graduates in pursuing their college education. 07/01/13 4172 The City Manager reported that during the 2013 Texas Association of Public Safety Communications ' Officials/National Emergency Number Association (APCO/NENA) Awards Gala in Houston on May 21, 2013, Carol Hargis was the recipient of a Silent Hero Award and Stephanie Price-Taylor was a nominee for Communications Operator of the Year. The Silent Hero Award recognizes a Communications Operator who demonstrates a positive attitude toward all aspects of the job; willingness to be a team player; professionalism and pride in work; ability to earn and maintain the respect of co-workers; Flexibility in assignments and job performance above and beyond the call of duty. Ms. Hargis recently received her Communications Training Operator certificate. She imparts the knowledge of department policies, answers questions, and offers assistance to help new trainees succeed. Ms. Hargis has been a Communications Operator with the police department for eight years. Ms. Price-Taylor's nomination for Communications Operator of the Year was the result of her handling of a 9-1-1 call, a burglary in progress, in December 2012. While receiving multiple calls about the burglary, Ms. Price-Taylor and her partner reassured the frightened caller, gathered suspect information and updated officers with suspect information. In addition, surrounding agencies were also notified, a K-9 unit was deployed and the suspects were apprehended. Ms. Price-Taylor performs at this exceptional level every day. She is always empathetic with callers, reassures them in a calm manner and keeps the caller on the line until help arrives, offering assistance and providing them with pre-arrival instructions as needed. She actively listens to callers, asking the appropriate questions and following up with helpful information and instructions. Ms. Price-Taylor has been a Communications Operator with the police department for 17 years. The City is extremely fortunate to have exemplary employees such as these two fine members of the Police Department, serving the citizens and representing the City every day. The City Manager reported that a new amenity has recently been added to Friendswood's Stevenson Park. Just in time for summer, a new splash pad has recently opened adjacent to the Stevenson Park Swimming Pool. The new splash pad, a circular concrete pad where water shoots from various locations in random intervals, encompasses "Phase 1" of the planned Three Phase Pad. It includes a spraying "Bullfrog loop", an upright aqua dome feature, directional water jets, and a motion-activated controller. , The Splash Pad is designed for kids 12 and under. The other two Phases of the Splash Pad are planned for completion in the future as funding permits. ACTION ITEMS **Councilmember McGinnis moved to approve the reappointment of Mark McLean, Mark Tibbits, and David O'Farrell to the Planning and Zoning Commission with terms to expire July 2016; reappointment of regular members David O'Brien, Ronald Dyer, and Delvin Kendrick, and alternate members Linda Thornton, and Glen Grayban to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals with terms to expire July 2016; reappointment of Tony Annan, Mark Conrad, Jeremy Magnuson, and Pauline Moore to the Community and Economic Development Committee with terms to expire July 2016; and reappointment of Ruth Lay, Pamela Beeth, Bryan Corey, and Neeta Jambhekar to the Friendswood Public Library Advisory Board with terms to expire July 2016. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Hill moved to approve regarding disposition of Bid No. 2013-03 for the FM 2351 and Blackhawk Blvd Traffic Signal, award to Traffic System Construction, Inc., in addition to an appropriation of testing/contingency funds in the total amount of$170,012.90. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve disposition of RFP No. 2013-04 for Professional Services for Monitoring of Debris Removal and Related Services and award to Science Applications International Corporation. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 6-0. Mayor, Council, and Staff held a lengthy discussion regarding that Science Applications International ' Corporation (SAIC) has a representative in Houston that would be able to work with the City, did work for the City during Hurricane Ike. 07/01/13 4173 ' **Councilmember Rocket' moved to approve the City to work with the City Attorney to draft language for a set of bonds as per recommendations of the Bond Advisory Group. Seconded by Councilmember Gustafson. The motion was approve 5-1 with Councilmember Enochs opposed. Mayor, Council, City Attorney, Staff, and members of the Bond Advisory Group held a lengthy discussion regarding the proper verbiage to be used in an ordinance to call the bond election, should be 4 bonds as recommended by the bond group, ordinance brought back to Council would have to list out each proposition, various projects recommended by the bond group, should include major points from bond group presentation but provide suitable framework for flexibility, voters need to know what funds are being spent on. Cannot use City resources to promote bond issues, City can help relay facts, education of residents will be very important. A group is ready to go out into the City and educate citizens through private funding. Suggestion was made to reevaluate the 4B sales tax issue and look at bond issue again in two to three years. An explanation was given on the City's debt burden, majority of current debt will be gone in nine years. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve an instrument to amend the deed restrictions for Imperial Estates Section One. Seconded by Councilmember McGinnis. Mayor, Council, and Staff held a discussion regarding amendments to the deed restrictions for Imperial Estates Section One. The City has been maintaining 38 buyout lots in Section One since Tropical Storm Alison in 2001, proposed amendments are to ensure no confusion regarding the City's right to create parkland on the property. One change made on the deed restrictions was to strike out a restroom facility from the document due to concerns from the residents, suggested by Council to add a restroom facility away from existing residents to prevent any future problems. ' ***Councilmember Rockey amended the main motion to unstrike the strikeout of restroom facilities. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The amended main motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve to authorize the City to only pursue the one bridge option that goes over the pipeline connecting Stevenson Park and Old City Park, and the City be authorized to discuss with all adjacent homeowners any options necessary to make this project feasible. Seconded by Councilmember Enochs. The motion was approved 6-0. Mayor, Council, and Staff held a discussion regarding the layout of the pathway of the bridge, will need to be Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliant, bridge is part of the Parks Master Plan vision, important to work with homeowners. Staff would need to get a survey to evaluate and identify the finite data to determine a location to mitigate the bridge. **Councilmember Hill moved to nominate Councilmember Billy Enochs as Mayor Pro-Tem for 2013-2014. Seconded by Mayor Holland. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve the appointments of the City Council Liaisons to Committees, Boards, and Commissions. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 6-0. RESOLUTIONS **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve Resolution No. R2013-09 - A resolution of the City Council of the City of Friendswood authorizing the Mayor to enter into an agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation for the temporary closure of FM 518 for the purpose of the 118th Annual Fourth of July ' Parade. Seconded by Councilmember McGinnis. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Enochs moved to approve Resolution No. R2013-10 - A resolution of the City Council 07/01/13 4174 of the City of Friendswood, Texas, amending Rules of Procedure for the conduct of City Council meetings , by amending Rule 16 in order to include an Item 14. Adjournment; and repealing all other resolutions inconsistent or in conflict herewith. Seconded by Councilmember Gustafson. ***Councilmember Enochs amended the main motion to add that Rule 16, Item 14 reads the same as Item Rule 17, Item 7. Seconded by Councilmember Gustafson. The amended main motion was approved 6-0. ORDINANCES **Councilmember McGinnis moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2013-21 - An ordinance amending Chapter 58 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Friendswood, Texas, to provide for consistency with State laws governing the possession of firearms within City parks; and providing for severability. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember McGinnis moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2013-22 - An ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Friendswood, Texas, Appendix C — "Zoning," by amending the zoning classification for 112 W. Edgewood Drive, a 400 square foot area out of Restricted Reserve A of the Friendswood Square Subdivision plat, as recorded under Volume 2005A, Page 62 of the map records of Galveston County, located in the Perry and Austin Lower League, Galveston County, Texas; rezoning such property from "Community Shopping Center" (CSC) to "Community Shopping Center — Specific Use Permit" (CSC-SUP) to allow NAICS Use #454, Non-store retailers; providing for amendment of the Official Zoning Map; providing a penalty in an amount not to exceed $2,000 for each day of violation of any provision hereof; and providing for severability. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 5-1 with Councilmember Rockey opposed. ' **Councilmember McGinnis moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2013-23 - An ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Friendswood, Texas, Appendix C, "Zoning", Section 3, "provision for Official Zoning Map", by changing the zoning classification for property generally described as 2603 FM 528, a 2.672 acre tract out of Tract 2F, Abstract 793, August Whitlock Survey, Harris County, Friendswood, Texas, from Single Family Residential Dwelling District (SFR) to a Planned Unit Development(PUD); to allow NAICS Use#22112 Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution, to accommodate the existing electric station; to allow NAICS Use #513 Broadcasting and Telecommunications, to accommodate the existing tower and permit the construction of an additional tower, pursuant to the attached site plan; providing for an amendment of the City's Official Zoning Map; providing for a penalty in an amount not to exceed $2,000 for each day of violation of any provision hereof; and providing for severability. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 4-2 with Councilmembers Rockey and Gustafson opposed. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2013-24 - An ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Friendswood, Texas, Appendix C, "Zoning", Section 3, "provision for Official Zoning Map", by changing the zoning classification for property, generally described as 111 E. Willowick Avenue, a tract of land consisting of .1063 acres (4,632 sq. ft.), being a portion of Lot 9, Block 2, Friendswood Subdivision out of the Sarah McKissick Survey, Abstract 151, as recorded in Volume 2547A, Page 18, G.C.M.R., Galveston County, Texas, "Downtown District" (DD) to "Planned Unit Development" (PUD); to allow NAICS Use # 513 "Broadcasting and Telecommunications;"to accommodate the existing tower and to permit the addition of new antennas and associated equipment onto the existing tower and expansion of the site for such purposes pursuant to the attached site plan; providing for an amendment of the City's Official Zoning Map; providing for a penalty in an amount not to exceed $2,000 for each day of violation of any provision hereof; and providing for ' severability. Seconded by Councilmember Hill. The motion was approved 6-0. 07/01/13 4175 ' **Councilmember Rocket' moved to approve the First and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2013-25 - An ordinance amending City of Friendswood, Texas, Ordinance No. 2012-26, passed and approved October 1, 2012, same being an ordinance approving and adopting the City's General Budget for Fiscal Yeari 2012-2013 by approving "Budget Amendment XII" to the "Original General Budget of the City of, Friendswood, Texas, for the Fiscal Year 2012-2013"; providing for supplemental appropriation and/ori transfer of certain funds; providing for severability; and providing other matters related to the subject. Seconded by Councilmember McGinnis. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Hill moved to approve the First reading of Ordinance No. T2013-26 - An ordinance.' amending Ordinance No. 2012-04 in order to approve an annual rate adjustment as provided for in the' City of Friendswood—IESI Solid Waste franchise. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved 6-0. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS Councilmembers Gustafson and Rockey stated they had no report. Councilmember Enochs thanked the 41h of July Steering Committee for their hard work and getting everything ready for the upcoming event, thanked the Library Board for their annual update. Councilmember Hill thanked the Bond Advisory Group, looks forward to seeing everyone at parade, will be a big day for all. Mayor Holland wished everyone a happy 4'h of July, as the parade goes by remember why we are having it, thanked the Bond Advisory Group for their ideas, pray for comfort for the Scott family with the loss of his Grandmother. Councilmember McGinnis read from the Declaration of Independence, and read a letter from John Adam ' to Abigail Adams about the Declaration of Independence. Mayor Holland, Councilmembers Enochs, Rockey, Hill, McGinnis, and Gustafson went to the podium and each read a section of the Declaration of Independence. CONSENT AGENDA **Councilmember Enochs moved to approve all items on the Consent Agenda as presented: A. Accepting the May 2013 Property Tax Report. B. Approving the Minutes of the April 01, April 08, May 06, and May 20, 2013, Council Meetings. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved 6-0. **Councilmember Gustafson moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 PM. Mayor KevJE ; Iland Attest: .•R1 . •• F. S ° ti p • Melinda Welsh,TRMC O City Secretary Gj o •••;9TF OF �;�j