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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes 2018-10-01 Regular 10/01/18 4848 STATE OF TEXAS X ' CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD X COUNTIES OF GALVESTON/HARRIS X OCTOBER 01, 2018 X MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE FRIENDSWOOD CITY COUNCIL THAT WAS HELD ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 01, 2018, AT 4:30 PM AT FRIENDSWOOD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE, FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS, WITH THE FOLLOWING PRESENT CONSTITUTING A QUORUM: MAYOR MIKE FOREMAN MAYOR PRO-TEM JOHN SCOTT COUNCILMEMBER STEVE ROCKEY COUNCILMEMBER SALLY BRANSON COUNCILMEMBER TRISH HANKS COUNCILMEMBER ROBERT J. GRIFFON COUNCILMEMBER CARLGUSTAFSON CITY ATTORNEY MARY KAY FISCHER CITY MANAGER MORAD KABIRI CITY SECRETARY MELINDA WELSH REGULAR SESSION Mayor Foreman called the meeting to order. The invocation was given by Pastor Ralph Hobratschk with Hope Lutheran Church. ' Mayor Foreman led the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States and to the State of Texas. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Cheryl Johnson, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and expressed her objections to the Public Information Act ordinance. Galveston County considered invoking the section after its passage but the enormous scope of the burdens of implementation were determined to be onerous, and limitationsi established by the Texas Administrative Code are significant. Consideration for adoption of the ordinance, should be delayed, all parties should fully understand and weigh the benefit of moving forward, and l language in the ordinance should be changed. During the May election, there was discussion about � transparency committee being formed, hopes Council will move forward with the committee, and she would be happy to serve on the committee. Michael Rollins, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated his family is opposed to the carousel project, disappointed to see no one from Council attend the public meeting, and unlikely the carousel will have a positive effect on the City of Friendswood as proposed. Problems with the proposed project include parking, noise, increased crime, potential liability, negative impact on citizens using Stevenson Park for, other purposes, lack of a positive economic benefit, and the land could be used for better uses. He further stated he is opposed to the concept of making Friendswood a destination city, do not want or need to be like Kemah, do not spend future city time or resources on this concept, and citizens are demanding the' concept be put to a public vote. Council should focus more on restrooms at the city pool, there are large issues to focus on at Stevenson Park, and more importantly, Council should focus on drainage and flood mitigation for the city. Linda Richard, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated she agrees with Mr. Rollin's remarks: The City of Friendswood floods from multi-day storms due to water from the Clear Creek watershed, water that flooded homes during Hurricane Harvey came from elsewhere. The city must stop being the detention point for the watershed, must work with the counties and watershed to formulate a plan that will help carry water downstream during large multi-day rain events, and Friendswood Link should be replaced with a 10/01/18 4849 wider/higher bridge to assist with emergency services and evacuation routes during high water situations. Robert Marshall, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is a long-term resident of the City , of Friendswood. On August 29, 2017, the Houston Chronicle reported that one-third of the houses in the City of Friendswood flooded, two-thirds of those houses did not have flood insurance since they were not in the floodplain, reminded Council fixing Clear Creek is a city issue, encourages Council to remove the carousel project from discussions, work with the counties to force the United States Army Corps of Engineers to begin work on the issue, and need to fix the city's flooding issues. Gail Lovely, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated there is a lot on the agenda about flooding, Council has a lot to think about, what problems are trying to be resolved, do the numbers make sense,does the solution work towards solving the problem and not motivated by other means. She believes the flooding problem in the City of Friendswood is caused by water rising from Houston, city leadership's job is to fight for solutions, funding, and resources to solve the problem. She asked Council to listen carefully and ask a lot of questions. Ron Lovely, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he would like to make certain that the proposed detention ponds do not proceed until a legitimate analysis is done to show they will reduce flood levels. He discussed capacity of proposed inline detention ponds in contrast to capacity of a multi-day storm, 88%of the water that flooded Friendswood residents came from the Cities of Houston and Pearland, eventually all surrounding cities will need to collaborate to send the water to the ocean, and in the meantime Friendswood leadership needs to help Friendswood citizens move water from the City of Houston and Pearland out of the City of Friendswood. Don Johnson, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and thanked Council for considering participation in the WaterWise program, is a long-standing program, well-liked by kids and teachers, helps school children understand conservation, and provides water credits to the city. , Don Dickson, Friendswood resident, addressed Council and stated he is opposed to the carousel project, went on a recent trip to France in'June and brought back several pictures of carousels that no one was riding, views the carousel in Friendswood as a nonperforming asset, as a taxpayer does not want to see the city donating property, and believes if a carousel is built in the City of Friendswood, taxpayers and the city will wind up paying all the cost. WORK SESSION Mayor Foreman opened the discussion regarding the Drainage Subcommittee presentation. Drainage Subcommittee member Lee Coggins stated he is a Friendswood/Harris County resident, during Hurricane Harvey was awake and concerned about rain, had 28 inches of water in his house, is from Rochester, Minnesota which had a flooding problem, but was thankfully resolved through City Council acting. Drainage Subcommittee member James Stahl stated he has been a resident of Friendswood for six years, did not flood during Hurricane Harvey so helped out where needed, and has extensive experience working on committees and with people. He further stated that the Drainage Subcommittee is comprised of two Councilmembers, two members from city Staff, three representatives from the drainage districts, five community representatives, and four staff members from state and local federal officials. He has grown to realize the subcommittee is a great group of people, experts in their fields, brings a wealth of knowledge, and finds that he is often overwhelmed by the member's genuine concern and overall knowledge. The subcommittee has followed a Six Sigma process, have done the problem definition and official statement phase, currently finishing the measurement phase, and next phase will be the analysis phase. Tonight will only report data found through the measurement base and the subcommittee recommendation should be available January 2019. There are four key parts to the problem statement. The city has had multiple extreme precipitation storm events, during these events Clear Creek floods, life-altering problems are caused by the flooding, subcommittee would like to mitigate damage from these types of storms, and is a ' complex problem with a lot of moving parts. The subcommittee looked at multiple articles, reports, studies, current and historical maps, and listened to guest speakers and experts in the area. Mr. Coggins discussed current National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA)weather predictions for the Friendswood i i 10/01/18 4850 area. A 100-Year"flood means that each year there is a 1%chance of a storm of a certain rainfall amoun ' for a specific duration. NOAA uses different duration probabilities from 30 minutes to 10 days. Hurricane Harvey is classified as an "8,000-year" storm, and there is a 0.0125% chance of a similar storm in a given year. Historical rainfall events in Friendswood include four"100-year plus" probability storms in the last 39 years, three"extreme precipitation events" in the last 39 years and four storms that flooded homes. There is a 7.7% chance per year of an extreme event, something in the area's weather has changed, and it can no longer be ignored or thought of as an anomaly. Hourly rain gauges during Hurricane Harvey, a graph with inches per hour was shown and explained, overall average of whole watershed was 40 inches of rain through the entire storm, and the highest reading (Winding Road at Mary's Creek Lane) reported 51 inches total for the storm. There was an extensive pattern of flood loss during Hurricane Harvey along the whole Clear Creek watershed. Clear Creek watershed is ranked number 1 out of 22 watersheds in Harris County for the percentage of structures damaged from Hurricane Harvey. Mr. Stahl discussed the geography and hydrology of the Clear Creek Watershed, total acreage of Clear Creek Watershed is 160,000 acres Friendswood consists of 13,000 of those acres, and during Hurricane Harvey 306,000-acre feet of water passed through the City of Friendswood (100 Billion gallons of water). The volume of water that came to] Friendswood from Hurricane Harvey would fill a pond twice the area of the City of Friendswood and be ll , feet deep. Only 40% of the water that passes through the City of Friendswood comes from upstream. Of the water passing through the Bay Area Bridge, only 14% actually falls on Friendswood. There are six' major tributaries of Clear Creek that meet in Friendswood, and these tributaries contribute to 60% of the water passing through the city. Clear Creek is twice as curvy in Friendswood as it is upstream or downstream, as a result, a slug of water will take twice as long to travel through Friendswood if the width of the creek was the same. A comparison slide of Clear Creek aerial photos from 1940 was shown government agencies or groups began to straighten the creek, and people believed it could provide a better opportunity for agriculture and farming. A drone video over Clear Creek was shown, an unfinished snippet roughly 30 feet over the creek, hopes that the finished project will show the entire length of the creek throughout the city and give reference to the altitude and the GPS area. Mr. Coggins discussed the ' elevations and flooding patterns of Clear Creek in Friendswood from Dixie Farm bridge to Bay Area Boulevard, and the need to create more drains and velocity at the outlet. Water velocity and the factors that contribute play a big part in the. equation of how much flooding will occur. The subcommittee recommends hiring Rice University Professor Doctor Phil Bedient to create a hydrologic and hydraulic model of how Clear Creek reacts in high rain events for the Friendswood area, can demonstrate different flooding scenarios and determine if mitigation projects upstream and downstream will affect the City of Friendswood and how to implement solutions. In order to implement solutions, the city must know how much land is available around the creek, and showed a map of current land ownership and available land around Clear Creek. Mr. Stahl stated the subcommittee is keeping track of post Hurricane Harvey funding opportunities for the Friendswood area. City Manager Morad Kabiri has been diligently fighting for funding) an estimated $50 Million has been earmarked to date for the City of Friendswood, subcommittee felt optimistic regarding funding after meeting with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, have agreed to work with the city on other sources of funding within their control. A lot of undetermined funds would be in' the form of loans or require a matching program, and several funding options use a ratio of 51% of low to moderate income to determine criteria. The next steps for the subcommittee is to finish gathering data and then move to the analysis and recommendation phase. There will be at least one more update report to' Council before submitting a final recommendation report, and will try different situations in the Rice University Model by Dr. Bedient's drainage model. The subcommittee is looking forward to collaboration among local drainage districts and the Unites States Army Corps of Engineers. Discussion took place between Mayor and Council regarding that the United States Army Corps of Engineers are working closely with the subcommittee and have guaranteed to provide mitigation being planned upstream from Dixie Farm Road that will not harm the City of Friendswood. Mayor Foreman opened the discussion regarding the Capital Projects update. Director of Public Works/City Engineer Patrick Donart presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding the progress made on Capital ' Projects since the August meeting. He reported on Old City Park, Blackhawk Boulevard Phase II, Lift Station No. 23, current Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects, current Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District projects, 2018 street maintenance contract, de-silting project, sidewalks on Greenbriar Drive, city-wide traffic study, 15355 Blackhawk building, utility rate study, and utility impact rate 10101/18 4851 study. Discussion took place between Mayor, Council, and Staff regarding most projects were rained out for the ' month of September, traffic congestion at FM 518 and Dunbar Estates Drive, turn lanes are necessary with the development that is scheduled at FM 518 and FM 528, city-wide traffic study could expedite discussions with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) engineers, and Staff will request TxDOT inspect the traffic signal sensor at FM 518 and Clearview Avenue. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Foreman moved to Agenda Item 6B, Acknowledgement of Cline Elementary second grade students. SPECIAL RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Mayor Foreman introduced the Friendswood Student Education Outreach program and stated the program would be premiered at this meeting with Cline Elementary students. The outreach program was created to help students learn more about democracy, understand the value of community service. Council wishes to support the school district's Character Education Program, and foster leadership development in students. City Manager Morad Kabiri announced that similar presentations would be made in upcoming months for Wedgewood Elementary and Westwood Elementary. Mayor Foreman thanked the teachers from Cline Elementary and Friendswood Independent School District for participating in the program. The Mayor introduced the second graders that would take Council's place at the dais, Mayor Bristol Del Bello, City Secretary Tory Merritt, City Attorney Kade Ambeau, City Manager Beau Hanks, Council Position No. 1 Kingsley Lovell, Council Position No. 2 Aislee Rasmussen, Council Position No. 3 Zoha Sahib, Council Position No. 4 Gary Faltysek, Council Position No. 5 William Esbeck, and Council Position No. 6 Carter Kirkpatrick. Mayor Foreman turned the meeting over to the Cline ' Elementary students. City Manager Beau Hanks stated Mayor and Council you have before you Resolution R2018-21 declaring October 02, 2018, Cline Elementary Day in Friendswood, Texas. As you know, Cline Elementary is part of Friendswood Independent School District and is an exemplary campus and a source of pride for the community. Mayor Bristol Del Bello asked if the City Attorney approved the wording of the resolution, and City Attorney Kade Ambeau answered that the draft wording of the resolution is in line with the Vision Statement of the City of Friendswood. Mayor Bristol Del Bello asked City Secretary Tory Merritt to read the City of Friendswood's Vision Statement for the record. City Secretary Tory Merritt stated the City of Friendswood has the following statement as its vison;together we build our future in a friendly place to live, work, play, learn and worship. Mayor Bristol Del Bello read Resolution R2018-21 —A resolution of City of Friendswood, Texas, declaring October 02, 2018, as Cline Elementary School Day in the City of Friendswood, Texas. `*Councilmember Kingsley Lovell moved to approve Resolution R2018-21 — A resolution of City of Friendswood, Texas, declaring October 02, 2018, as Cline Elementary School Day in the City of Friendswood, Texas. Seconded by Councilmember Aislee Rasmussen. The motion was approved unanimously. Councilmember Kingsley Lovell stated at Cline Elementary the students show respect to everyone they ' meet. Councilmember Aislee Rasmussen stated Clinefest is just one of the many ways Cline Elementary shows 10/01/18 4852� citizenship in their community. Councilmember Zoha Sahib stated Cline Elementary is full of responsible students and staff. Councilmember Gary Faltysek stated everyone is treated fairly at Cline Elementary. Councilmember William Esbeck stated caring for students, staff, and families of the community is what really makes the school stand out. Councilmember Carter Kirkpatrick stated that at Cline Elementary you can trust the students to fill you bucket. Mayor Bristol Del Bello adjourned the Cline Elementary portion of the meeting. Mayor Foreman stated Council would formally consider Resolution R2018-21. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Foreman moved to Agenda Item 18B, Resolution R2018-21. RESOLUTION **Councilmember Scott moved to approve Resolution R2018-21 — A resolution of City of Friendswood, Texas, declaring October 02, 2018, as Cline Elementary School Day in the City of Friendswood, Texas. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved unanimously. Mayor Foreman stated cookies and punch would be served in the foyer. Mayor Foreman recessed the meeting at 6:03 PM, and reconvened the meeting at 6:30 PM. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Foreman moved to Agenda Item 6A, Presentation of the Five Sta Spirit Award for the second quarter of 2018 to James Ruthstrom, Peace Officer, Friendswood Police Department. SPECIAL RECOGNITION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (continued) City Manager Morad Kabiri presented the Five Star Spirit Award for the second quarter of 2018 to' Friendswood Police Department Peace Officer James Ruthstrom who has been with the city since December 2016. Officer Ruthstrom was nominated after responding to a call at Centennial Park for a 52 1 year-old male that was not responding. Officer Ruthstrom performed CPR for 15 minutes and assisted the Fire Chief until Emergency Medical Services (EMS) could arrive. Once EMS arrived Officer Ruthstrom assisted by cutting clothing, getting supplies from the ambulance, prepping the IV, and loading the patient into the ambulance. Officer Ruthstrom exemplifies the attributes of the Five Star Spirit Award being courteous, competent, reliable, professional and enthusiastic. The city congratulates Officer Ruthstrom on being the recipient of the Five Star Spirit Award for the second quarter of 2018. Officer Ruthstrom introduced his family. With concurrence of Council, Mayor Foreman moved to Agenda Item 7, Public Hearing. PUBLIC HEARING Mayor Foreman called a Public Hearing to order to receive comments from the public, both oral and written, to review Harris County's Method of Distribution (MOD) for the Community Development Block Grant ' Disaster Recovery(CDBG-DR) Round 1 funds for Hurricane Harvey and the allocation of$4,405,330 to the city. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated Harris County $1.115 Billion in CDBG-DR funding through the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and has developed a MOD to allocate funding to local cities. The city is seeking input on the community needs resulting from I 10/01/18 4853 Hurricane Harvey and the projects needed to assist with recovery within the city. Fire Marshal Office Deputy Director Brian Mansfield presented a PowerPoint presentation regarding that ' following Hurricane Harvey, Harris County received a direct Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) allocation of$1,115,386,830 for recovery purposes, and direct allocation was made due to Harris County being one of the most impacted counties. The City of Houston received its own allocation and cannot receive funds from the Harris County allocation. This meeting and use of funds refers only to the Harris County portion of Friendswood, and CDBG funds for the Galveston County side will be through the Texas General Land Office(GLO). The Harris County Supplemental Action Plan was approved by Commissioners Court on July 10, 2018, and submitted to the GLO on July 13, 2018. The action plan divided funding based on the Federal Register, housing 79%, non-housing infrastructure 21%, and planning up to 5% of overall allocation. Under infrastructure/non-housing, the Harris County Supplemental Action Plan identifies three funding activities that include commercial buyouts of$12,.5 Million combined with the residential buyout program to relocate vulnerable businesses to reduced flood risk areas, Harris County/small cities allocation of$120,000,000 Method of Distribution (MOD) of infrastructure/non-housing funding, and competitive pool of$76,688,492 for a Request for Proposal(RFP)process for cities not included in county or regional MODS, non-cities eligible entities that suffered damage. Harris County, under the guidance of the GLO, has developed a MOD used to distribute Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG- DR)infrastructure funding ($120,000,000)to the most impacted jurisdictions due to Hurricane Harvey. The City of Friendswood was calculated to receive$4.4 Million. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated the city will have to apply to GLO in Harris County in order to receive any funding, and the application will be reviewed to see if eligibility requirements are met. Fire Marshal Office Deputy Director Brian Mansfield continued the PowerPoint presentation regarding that cities with an MOD allocation will be required to perform citizen participation activities that include providing a letter of intent from the city to participate and provide eligible projects under the MOD allocation, publish ' a public notice of CDBG-DR funding allocation and advertise public meeting, hold one public meeting for citizens to provide input on CDBG-DR allocation and possible city projects under the funding, and submit an eligible non-housing/infrastructure application in the county's RFP for the amount allocated under the MOD. Eligible activities under CDBG-DR infrastructure/non-housing funding include flood control and drainage repair and improvements, including the construction or rehabilitation of storm water management systems, restoration of publically owned infrastructure (such as water and sewer facilities, streets/bridges, provision of generators, etc.), and demolition, rehabilitation/reconstruction of publicly-owned commercial, institutional, or industrial buildings and code enforcement. Ineligible activities under CDBG-DR infrastructure/non-housing funding include to enlarge a dam or levee beyond the original footprint of the structure, to assist privately-owned utility for any purpose, and to assist building/facilities used for the general conduct of government. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated based upon eligibility requirements, the city has approximately four projects that are being evaluated for potential application. The projects include acquisition and remodel of the Blackhawk property for use as a public shelter estimated at$1.5 Million, installation of detention pond at Forest Bend estimated at$10 Million, installation of detention pond at Dixie Farm Road estimated at$10 Million, elevation of Whispering Pines Bridge estimated at $10 Million, and application for local 10% cost share of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Projects estimated at $200,000. The list does not have to be limited to those four projects, can be added to and Staff evaluate/submit an application, and if more than one project is approved Staff will have Council prioritize. Councilmember Hanks asked if there was a penalty for requesting more than the$4 Million being allocated, City Manager Morad Kabiri answered no, and following Hurricane Ike the city applied for similar disaster recovery dollars and the public list was well in excess of the funding received. Councilmember Griffon asked if projects had to be defined before the city would receive allotted funds, and ' City Manager Morad Kabiri stated an application has to be made by the city,depending on the Harris County GLO's response on if the projects qualify the Council could prioritize. i 10/01/18 4854i Councilmember Rockey asked if the Blackhawk property has to be used exclusively as a shelter, or can the space be used for any purpose, and City Manager Morad Kabiri answered the property can be used for anything else providing it does not negatively negate the city's ability to provide an emergency shelter. Fire Marshal Office Deputy Director Brian Mansfield continued the PowerPoint presentation by discussing a tentative timeline, Low to Moderate Income (LMI) is a requirement, requires 70% of funds to be used on LMI projects, to qualify as an LMI project 51% or more of the project's service area must be LMIf Friendswood does not have any LMI neighborhoods or projects, and due to LMI requirements the city may, not receive all or any funds allocated to the city within the Harris County Method of Distribution (MOD). City of Friendswood projects will have to rely on Harris County having enough LMI projects to cover the 701/cl LMI requirements. Mayor Foreman asked if anyone from the public would like to speak. Robert Bertrand, Friendswood resident, stated he lives in Wedgewood Village Subdivision, is an important issue to him, always anxious on the Harris County side for the city to come forward with what is best fo their side of the creek, supports the city's use of the old Food Lion building, and suggested the facility be built with extra meeting rooms for community use. Wedgewood Village Subdivision was built in the 1970's� drainage pipes have not been cleaned or surveyed, need to get the drainage cleaned up, and some of the allotted funds could be applied to clean drainage pipes. He is a member of Wedgewood Village Homeowners Association (HOA), seeing vacant homes, sending letters asking homeowners what their], future plans are, some homes may not be picked up, money would be needed for buyouts. Wedgewood Village HOA does not include Section 8, and anything the city can do to help will be greatly appreciated j The park in Wedgewood Village Subdivision was flooded during Hurricane Harvey, essentially wiped out much of the equipment, and any assistance with the park would be appreciated. He is committed to bringing Wedgewood Park back to the way it was if not better. The HOA has begun repairs on the gazebo, currently ' working on repairs for Edendale Park (known as the dog park), and recently sent out a letter requesting volunteers. Some of the HOA members are struggling to rebuild their properties. The HOA had a moratorium on violations, and is now at the stage where it is critical to send out violations. Some homeowners are still living in trailers in their driveways, and it would be appreciated if the city can assist homeowners with rebuilding their homes. He would like to see funds put together for post event review and recommendations, Drainage Subcommittee is not sitting down and talking to people about their experience' during Hurricane Harvey, and go through day-to-day things that happened during the storm. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has a new feature on their maps that in real-time shows what streets are flooding, needed to see that picture 12 hours before Hurricane Harvey hit to decide whether to stay additional high clearance trucks are needed, look at what happened, what is important and where are the city's priorities, and encouraged other Harris County residents to speak. Need to supplement and enhance resources provided and not take away any resources. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated the proposed Forest Bend detention pond would not remove the fire station, will utilize land outside of that. A contract was awarded last month to desilt all storm sewers tha'i were underwater during Hurricane Harvey, and the project should get kicked off by the end of October. In regards to buyouts, the$4.4 Million is for non-housing infrastructure. Jaimlyn Sypniewski, Friendswood resident, stated she lives in Forest Bend Subdivision, lost her house J Hurricane Harvey, a master student at Texas A&M, doing research on building infrastructure and how it affects flooding, and looking at the soundwall on Highway 288 (she misspoke and meant to say FM 528$, as a possible reverse levy. She is one of the authors of the"Commission to Rebuild Texas", would like td bring some of her research home, knows there are many projects available, when picking need to make sure it is not an arbitrary decision, is a GIS modeler, and advocates for a risk assessment to evaluate the values of the projects. In the event of a Hurricane Harvey type storm would like to make sure the projects are having the greatest affect on the community as a whole, and asked if she could submit ideas in writing for public comment. Mayor Foreman stated yes written comments from the public can be submitted. 10/01/18 4855 City Manager Morad Kabiri stated public comments can be emailed to fwdcitv(o)friendswood.com, or provide your contact information to Fire Marshal Office Deputy Director Brian Mansfield, Deputy Fire ' Marshal Stephen Simmons, or Director of Public Works/City Engineer Patrick Donart. Ms. Sypniewski stated she is mainly advocating for a risk assessment and to inform Council that preliminary research shows the soundwall on Highway 288 (she misspoke and meant to say FM 528) may have caused up to two additional feet of flooding within the neighborhood upstream due to most of the water culverts being blocked. Councilmember Rockey stated the drainage subcommittee will do a risk assessment on all projects discussed during the drainage subcommittee work session, and the preliminary report will be available on the city's website after tonight's meeting. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated the city's Office of Emergency Management and engineering have done risk assessments on the identified projects, city will apply for all projects, if multiple projects are accepted Staff will bring back to Council for prioritization, and Staff would be happy to meet with anyone to discuss. Police Chief Bob Wieners stated Mr. Bertrand made some good suggestions. It is important for Council to know Staff met after Hurricane Harvey and identified gaps, have reconstituted damaged equipment, have four upgraded high water rescue vehicles, and procured from drug dealer seizures a second heavy rescue boat, and do not need public funds available from Harris County. City Manager Morad Kabiri requested anyone that spoke to sign in for a record of their attendance. Harold Benson, Friendswood resident, stated he lives at the confluence of Clear Creek and Mary's Creek on the Galveston County side of Friendswood. If it turns out that detention ponds are the best solution it might be easier to sell proposed projects if Harris and Galveston Counties worked together. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated Houston-Galveston Area Council is the agency that has been tasked ' with developing a Method of Distribution for non-Harris County and City of Houston jurisdictions. Preliminarily, the City of Friendswood has been identified to receive about$2.6 Million in non-housing and $2.7 Million for housing through the Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) program, not as far into the process as Harris County, not ready for applications yet, but a similar process will be done for Galveston County. Debra Durst, Friendswood resident, stated she lives in Forest Bend Subdivision, spoke with Staff at the town hall meeting at the police station after Hurricane Harvey, her property is on the edge of the new floodplain map, and asked if she would qualify for a potential grant to have her home lifted. City Manager Morad Kabiri informed Ms. Durst she could speak with Director of Public Works/City Engineer Patrick Donart regarding an ongoing Hazard Mitigation Grant application that the city applied for elevation assistance, and the consultant could see if she qualifies for elevation assistance. Ms. Durst thanked Staff for the great job they are doing, amazed at how well the city came together during Hurricane Harvey, has been through a couple of storms in her life, and glad she was living in Friendswood during Hurricane Harvey. Mayor Foreman adjourned the Public Hearing. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC Don Johnson,Friendswood resident,addressed Council and stated he was impressed with the study results from the subcommittee, reminded him of a couple of decades ago when the United States Army Corps of Engineers presented a dynamic concept, truisms he eventually grasped, all channelization projects ' engineers usually wind up going for flow by increasing the width of the channel, example of moving numerous cars on a two-lane road versus a six-lane road, straighten out and a lot more can be moved in conveyance, and he agrees with those not in favor of detention basins. I 10/01/18 4856, ' CITY MANAGER'S REPORT City Manager Morad Kabiri reported that in October of 2003, the city teamed up with the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce to conduct the first Annual Broker Event on the same day as the Chamber's Annual Golf Tournament. This year's 16th Annual Broker and Developer Day Event and 21s'Annual "Swing into Fall" Golf Tournament will be held on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at Timber Creek Golf Club. Each year there are about 40 attendees at the workshop, and many participate in the Chamber's afternoon golf tournament. The event is sponsored by CenterPoint Energy's Economic Development Department. The Mayor, City Manager, and Economic Development Coordinator will make presentations and interact witH the commercial brokers and developers interested in doing business in the City of Friendswood. The City Manager reported that in conjunction with America Recycles Day the city and Keep Friendswood Beautiful (KFB) are holding the Annual Fall Haul-A-Day community clean-up and garage sale event on' Saturday, November 10, 2018, at Centennial Park. This is not an area-wide event, but is presented for the benefit of the citizens of Friendswood. Residents will have to show proof of residency to participate. Free paper shredding is being sponsored by JSC Federal Credit Union from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM or until the truck is full. There is a 200-pound limit of paper per vehicle. Only non-hazardous items will be accepted! Electronic recycling will be added to this year's event, computers, monitors, and TV's up to 36 inches in size will be accepted. Residents can donate garage sale items to KFB. Garage sale items can be dropped off the morning of the event at Centennial Park. All proceeds from the garage sale will benefit the beautification of city facilities and parks. KFB would like to encourage residents to bring items that would benefit the wildlife rehabbers in Friendswood. They need aquariums (do not have to hold water), dog and cat kennel carriers, clean rags (towels/shirts), and shallow crock bowls. These volunteers take care of the many injured wild animals that make their homes in Friendswood's green space. The City Manager reported that recent rains have caused an increase in the mosquito population. Eve ' the smallest of puddles can breed thousands of mosquito larvae because they lay their eggs in standing water or slow moving water. Everyone can help reduce the number of new mosquitoes by not giving mosquitoes a place to breed. Galveston and Harris Counties are responsible for mosquito control! Galveston County routinely sprays aerially and supplements with trucks. Due to high tide and weather conditions, their aerial spraying activities were hampered much of September. Harris County only sprays following a confirmed West Nile case. In an effort to assist residents on the Harris County side of the city Friendswood trucks supplement the area when spraying city facilities/parks. The spray truck is currently, down and need repairs. Once repairs have been made, Staff will resume the spray schedule of twice a week spraying. Residents can also call their respective county to request spraying in a specific area. The City Manager reported that the city received $3.2 Million in reimbursement funds from Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) related to funds expended following Hurricane Harvey for debris removal activities. Staff continues to work with FEMA representatives and anticipates more reimbursements to come. Last week, members of Friendswood's Hazard Mitigation Plan Planning Committee met for an annual review of the city's plan. The committee is comprised of various Staff members in multiple departments as well as representatives from the Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District. In addition to the city having its own Hazard Mitigation Action Plan, the city is a party to Galveston County and Harris County's Local Mitigation Plan. Participation in and updates to the various plans are critical in order to qualify for any federal assistance on mitigation activities; similar to the buyout and elevation assistance application that was submitted earlier this summer. The City Manager reported that Staff is continuing to move forward with Emergency Medical Services (EMS) billing process. Contracts have been executed with the Fire Department and Emergicon, LLC, and a town hall meeting will be scheduled for November to explain to citizens. ' COMMUNICATIONS FROM COMMITTEES AND SPECIAL REPORT Friendswood Chamber of Commerce Chairman Derrick Brown gave the annual report and stated he would like to highlight a few items that relate to the role of the Chamber of Commerce serving the city. Each year 10/01/18 4857 the Chamber of Commerce hosts or sponsors events that include the annual State of the City luncheon for the Mayor, safety awareness seminar by the Friendswood Police Department, and a hurricane awareness ' and preparation meeting. Each year a guidebook is mailed to over 10,000 Friendswood residents and another 4,000 mailed to area businesses, newcomers, and interested parties. The Chamber of Commerce also works directly with map makers in editing, selling ads, and distributing current maps for the Friendswood area. The Chamber of Commerce is continually grateful for the partnership with the City of Friendswood. The Friendswood Chamber of Commerce is in charge of helping assure a positive and nurturing environment for area businesses. Creating such an environment is a joint effort. The Chamber is fortunate to have many partners with the same vision. As the Chamber of Commerce and the city grow, the Chamber remains ready and willing to work in partnership with the City of Friendswood, Friendswood Independent School District, Clear Creek Independent School District, and many organizations to make Friendswood a place where businesses and family can thrive in a safe community. On behalf of the board of directors and staff of the Chamber of Commerce,would like to thank Council fortheir time and continuous support. ACTION ITEMS **Councilmember Branson moved to approve a three-year contract with the Friendswood Chamber of Commerce in the amount of$20,000 per year for economic development services and authorize the Mayor to execute the contract. Seconded by Councilmember Griffon. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve the designation of Captain Shari Forward as the Local Rabies Control Authority and Director of Animal Control. Seconded by Councilmember Hanks. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve the designation of Captain Shari Forward as the city's Animal , Shelter Advisory Committee member. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve action regarding Friendswood city pool restrooms. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. Discussion took place between Mayor, Council, and Staff regarding that Stevenson Park pool restrooms do not currently meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements or facility capacity to stall ratio according to the International Building Code (IBC), and multiple broken items. Staff recommends demolishing the restrooms and ticket office, and replace with prefabricated buildings. The consensus of Council was a ticket office and Restroom Option B with a price of$582,171, and funding would be allocated from funds approved by the 2013 Bond Election. **Councilmember Branson moved to amend the main motion to include Restroom Option B. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The amended main motion was approved 4-3 with Councilmembers Griffon, Scott, and Gustafson opposed. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve an Interlocal Agreement with the Houston-Galveston Subsidence District to participate in the WaterWise Conservation Program and authorize the Mayor to execute the agreement. Seconded by Mayor Foreman. The motion was approved 6-1 with Councilmember Griffon opposed. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve the proposed Downtown Improvement Plan. Seconded by Councilmember Hanks. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Rockey moved to approve the disposition of Bid No. 2018-19 designating the Official City ' Newspaperfor publications for legal and official news forthe City of Friendswood and award to Friendswood Reporter News. Seconded by Councilmember Branson. The motion was approved unanimously. 10/01/18 4858 ' RESOLUTIONS **Councilmember Branson moved to approve Resolution R2018-20—A resolution of the City Council of the City of Friendswood, Texas, to certify local support of the Friendswood Downtown District Pedestrian Access and Safety Enhancements Project application for funding under the Houston-Galveston Area Council Fiscal Year 2019— Fiscal Year 2028 Transportation Improvement Program call for projects. Seconded by Councilmember Hanks. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve Resolution R2018-22—A resolution of the City Council of the City of Friendswood, Texas,to certify local support of the Friendswood Lakes Boulevard Project application for funding under the Houston-Galveston Area Council Fiscal Year 2019—Fiscal Year 2028 Transportation Improvement Program call for projects. Seconded by Councilmember Hanks. The motion was approved unanimously. ORDINANCES **Councilmember Scott moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2018-25—An ordinance amending Appendix D of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Friendswood,Texas, by providing for the addition or adjustment of administration fees, buildings and building regulations fees, utility service fees and parks and recreation facility rentals, network nodes, subdivisions and zoning. Seconded by Councilmember Griffon. The motion was approved unanimously. **Councilmember Branson moved to approve the Second and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2018-25 An ordinance providing for a reasonable limit on the amount of time to be spent without charge for repeat public information requestors; requiring payment for time and expenditures incurred beyond this limit; ' providing for exceptions; providing for an Open Meetings clause; and providing an effective date. Seconded by Councilmember Hanks. The motion was approved 5-2 with Councilmembers Rockey and Scott opposed. Mayor Foreman read the agenda item to approve the First and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2018-28 An ordinance approving and adopting the City of Friendswood, Texas, General Budget for the Fiscal Year, 2018—2019; making appropriations for the city for such Fiscal Year as reflected in said budget, and making certain findings and containing certain provisions relating to the subject. **Councilmember Scott moved that the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2018 — 2019 be adopted as presented including revenue projections totaling $58,628,153 and expenditure appropriations totalinE $58,265,943. Seconded by Councilmember Branson. The motion was approved 6-1 with Councilmember Rocke opposed. Mayor Foreman read the agenda item to ratify the property tax revenue reflected in the budget for Fisca Year 2018—2019 (Ordinance No. 2018-28), as required by Local Government Code Section 102.007(c). **Councilmember Scott moved to ratify the property tax revenue reflected in the budget for Fiscal Yea 2018—2019, as required by Local Government Code Section 102.007(c). Seconded by Councilmember Griffon. The motion was approved 5-2 with Councilmembers Rockey anc{ Gustafson opposed. 1 Mayor Foreman read the agenda item to approve the First and Final reading of Ordinance No. 2018-29 An ordinance providing for the levy and collection of ad valorem taxes of the City of Friendswood, Texas for the tax year commencing October 01, 2018, and ending September 30, 2019; providing the date on 1 which such taxes shall be due and payable; providing for penalty and interest on all taxes not timely paid; providing for severability; and repealing all ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent or in conflict herewith. 10/01/18 4859 **Councilmember Scott moved that the City of Friendswood's property tax rate be decreased by the adoption of a tax rate of$0.532391, which is approximately 0.96% more than the current tax rate. The ' proposed tax rate is composed of a maintenance and operations rate of$0.437173 and a debt service rate of$0.095218. Seconded by Councilmember Gustafson. The motion was approved 5-2 with Councilmember Rockey and Gustafson opposed. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE MAYOR AND COUNCILMEMBERS Councilmember Gustafson thanked Drainage Subcommittee members Lee Coggins and James Stahl for the effort they put into their presentation, thanked the subcommittee for all the work they have done, still a lot more to do, been an honor to serve on the subcommittee, has opened lines of communication with the Unites States Army Corps of Engineers and Harris County Flood Control District. Councilmember Scott stated he had nothing to report. Councilmember Griffon congratulated the Friendswood Mustang Varsity football team for beating Texas City High School, and Administrative Services Director Katina Hampton and Staff for earning the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Office Association. Councilmember Hanks stated she agreed with the congratulations to Administrative Services Director Katina Hampton. Councilmember Branson thanked Deputy Fire Marshal Steven Simmons for the great job with Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) funds reimbursement, and congratulations to Administrative Services Director Katina Hampton. Councilmember Rockey stated the Eighth Annual Historween event will be October 27, 2018, at 7:00 PM, ' looking for actors, contact him if you would like to have a small role or help be a guide. He thanked Mayor Foreman for the Student Education Outreach Program. The Friendswood Public Library is going to start a program called Read Your Fines Away, and kids who owe fines can read for a period to apply towards reducing their fines. Mayor Foreman thanked everyone involved in the Student Education Outreach Program with Cline Elementary, especially Councilmember Hanks, Wedgewood Elementary will be in December, and Westwood Elementary in February. City Manager Morad Kabiri stated this past week members of the city's Hazard Mitigation team met to review the city's Hazard Mitigation Action Plan, city has its own mitigation plan as well as a party to the counties local mitigation plans, is a risk assessment that identifies potential problems in the community, an annual review, and critical to receiving federal funds as they become available. Mayor Foreman stated he would like to point out that the Fire Marshal's Office does a lot more than check on restaurants to make sure they are up to code, is responsible for all the Federal Emergency Management Association(FEMA)work to get reimbursements recouped for the city and thanked the Fire Marshal's Office Staff. CONSENT AGENDA **Councilmember Scott moved to approve all items on the Consent Agenda as presented: A. Authorizing the final acceptance of the Sterling Creek, Section 3 Paving and Utilities Improvements Project, releasing the contractor's maintenance bond. B. Accepting the August 2018 Property Tax Report. Seconded by Councilmember Rockey. The motion was approved unanimously. ' The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 PM. 10/01/18 4860 Mayor a Forem n Attest: Melinda Welsh, TRMC City Secretary ' U i