HomeMy WebLinkAboutCRC Minutes 2021-11-18 RegularMINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING Or THE
CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
NOVEMBER 18, 2021
THE CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF FRIENDSWOOD MET IN A REGULAR
MEETING ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021, AT 5:36 P.M., IN THE SECOND FLOOR (CMO)
CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL, LOCATED AT 910 S. FRIENDSWOOD DRIVE,
FRIENDSWOOD, TEXAS,
Robin Hall
Chairperson
James H. Nye
Vice Chairperson
Bill Provenzano
Commissioner
Ron Cox
Commissioner
Judy Wiggins
Commissioner
Dave Smith
Commissioner
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chairperson Robin Hall called the meeting to order with a quorum present at 5:36 P.M.; all members were
present with the exception of Commissioner Kitten Brizendine who was absent. Staff in attendance were
City Manager Morad Kabiri, City Attorney Mary Kay Fischer, City Secretary Leticia Brysch and Deputy
City Secretary Renee Kress.
2. MINUTES
A. Consider approving the miuutes of the Charter Review Commission Meeting held on October
28, 202E
Chairperson Hall requested that this item be placed on the December 2"d Charter Review Commission
Meeting agenda to allow the members more time to review the information.
3. BUSINESS ITEM
A. Discuss and take possible action on possible charter amendments.
The Commission briefly discussed the sections placed in the "parking lots" as follows:
• Section 3.01, Number, selection, terra and term limitations. —the Commission agreed to amend
the section in order to allow a member of the council to serve more than 12 years in order to fnush
out an unexpired term and add language to limit the abuse of this section.
• Section 3.04, Compensation. —the Conunission agreed to amend this section to add compensation
in the amount of $1,000 per month for the Mayor, $500 per month for each councilmember that
shall be raised by CPI per year; this amendment would exclude those members currently on council
or will be set to begin 2030 with the CPI coming into play at the time of the amendment's passage.
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November 18, 2021
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The Commission also agreed to include language to allow for compensation except when
prohibited trader employer or other law.
• Section 3.11, Ordinances in general. — the Commission agreed to amend this section using the
proposed language provided by City Attorney Fischer, which is noted below:
The Council shall legislate by ordinance only, and the enacting clause of every
ordinance shall be: `Be it Ordained by the City Council of the City of Friendswood,
State of Texas." Each ordinance shall be introduced in written, electronic, or
printed form and, upon passage, shall take effect at the time indicated therein;
provided that any ordinance imposing a penalty, fine or forfeiture for a violation of
its provisions shall become effective not less than ten days from the date of its
passage. The City Secretary shall give notice of the passage of every ordinance
imposing a penalty, fine or forfeiture for a violation of the provisions thereof, by
causing the caption or title, including the penalty, of any such ordinance to be
published in the official newspaper in the City of Friendswood within ten days after
the passage of said ordinance.
Ordinances that require one reading are those ordinances that:
• require a public hearing or more notice than required by the Texas Open
Meetings Act;
• require an amendment to comply with state law;
• relate to the adoption or amendment to the budget;
• relate to the assessment, levy, or collection of taxes;
• relate to the calling of an election, or the canvassing of the returns and
declaration of results of an election;
• relate to the incurring of indebtedness, including, specifically, the issuance
or sale of bonds or certificates of obligation; or
• relate to the development or improvement of a street or an emergency if so
declared by Council.
For all other ordinances, including the fi•anchise for a public utility, the caption or
title shall be read at two council meetings on separate days. An ordinance requiring
two readings shall be deemed rejected if approval on final reading is not obtained
within 90 days of the date approval on first reading is obtained.
The City Secretary shall cote on every ordinance, the caption of which is hereby
required to be published. Each ordinance shall be authenticated by the signature of
the Mayor and City Secretary and shall be systematically recorded in an ordinance
book in a manner approved by the Council. It shall only be necessary to record the
caption or title of ordinances in the minutes or journal of Council meetings. The
City Council shall have power to cause the ordinances of the City to be corrected,
amended, revised, codified and printed in code form as often as the Council deems
advisable, and such printed code, when adopted by the Council, shall be in full force
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November 18, 2021
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and effect without the necessity of publishing the same or any part thereof in a
newspaper. Such printed code shall be admitted in evidence in all courts and places
without further proof.
Section 4.01, City Manager, 4.03, City Attorney, and 4.04, City Secretary. — the Commission
agreed to amend these sections to allow for the City Attorney and the City Secretary to fall under
to management control of the City Manager, the members requested the attorneys review the
sections to ensure cohesiveness and uniformity in the proposed language.
Sections 5.12, Failure of Council to call an election and Section 5.13, Failure of Council to call an
election on recall. — the Commission agreed to amend these sections by keeping Section 5.12 as
noted and eliminating 5.13 as it is umnecessaly.
As the Commission had completed the initial review of the Charter, they began to rank the sections
based on the following two items: (1) classification and (2) a number rating. The Commission
ranked Sections 1.00 - 4.06 as follows:
Sectioil
Section Title
ass Car Oil
Ratin
1,00
Glossary of terms.
Substantive Change
1
1.01
Incorporation,
Housekeeping
3
1,02
Form of government.
No Change
N/A
1,03
Boundaries.
No Change
N/A
1.04
Reserved.
No Change
N/A
2,01
General powers.
Substantive Change
I
2,02
Change of boundaries and annexation of lerritoi .
Housekeeping
3
2,03
Eminent domain.
No Change
N/A
2,04
Streets and public property,
No Change
N/A
2,05
Street development and improvements.
No Change
N/A
2,06
Limitation of liability for damn es.
Conform to Law
5
2.07
L,nnln .
No Change
5
3,01
Number, selection, teen, and term limitations.
Substantive Change
1
3.02
Qualifications.
Housekeeping
2
3,03
Judge of election qualifications recommend policy thane
No Change
N/A
3,04
Compensation.
Substantive Change
I
3.05
Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem.
Efficiency
2
3.06
Vacancies, forfeiture, filling of vacancies.
No Change
N/A
3.07
General powers and duties.
No Change
N/A
3,08
Prohibitions.
No Change
N/A
3,09
Meetings of the City Council.
Efficiency
2
3,10
Rules of procedure.
No Change
N/A
3,11
Ordinances in general.
Substantive Change
1
3,12
Emer ene y ordinances.
No Change
N/A
3,14
Authentication and recording, codification, printinp.
Efficiency
Pendin
3,15
Bonds for City Employees.
No Change
N/A
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3.16
Investigation ation by the City Council,
No Chan e
N/A
3.17
Officers and Employees piotected from financial loss.
No Change
N/A
4.01
City Manager,
Substantive
Change
1
4,02
Municipal Court.
Substantive
Change
1
4.03
City Attorney.
Substantive
Change
1
4,04
City Sect etar .
Substantive
Change
1
4.05
Administrative Departments, -
No Change
N/A
4.06
Personnel system,
No Chance
N/A
Overall, no formal action taken on all the sections coveted. The Commission will continue the ranking of
sections at the next meeting, beginning with Section 5.01, General authority.
4. CLOSING BUSINESS AND NEXT MEETING
A. Consider setting any tasks, andlor processes, for the next regularly scheduled Charter Review
Commission meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 2, 20219
Chairperson Hall dn•ected staff that (1) the updated spreadsheet be sent out to the Commission for those
that were not present to review, prior to the next meeting, and (2) that a list of the Charter sections with
their designated rankings be created to allow them to review the rankings at a glance versus multiple
pages.
ADJOURNMENT
With there being no fiuther
business
to
discuss, Chairperson Hall adjourned the November 18, 2021,
Charter Review Commission
Meeting
at
7:33 P.M.
Robin Hall, i hairperson
Leticia Brysch, City