HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-11-19 Regular City Council
MINUTES OF REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING
City of Stephenville - City Council
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2002– 5:30 P.M.
The City Council of the City of Stephenville, Texas, convened on November 19, 2002, at 5:30
p.m., in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 298 West Washington Street, for the purpose of a
Regular Business Meeting, with the meeting being open to the public and notice of said meeting,
giving the date, time, place and subject thereof, having been posted as prescribed by Chapter 551,
Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes Annotated, with the following members present, to wit:
Mayor : John Moser
Council members : Malcolm Cross
Joe E. Cude
Richard Petronis
Bill Corbin
Bea Marin
Perry Elliott
Absent : Ed Horton
Rusty Jergins
Others Attending : Mike Castro, City Administrator
Randy Thomas, City Attorney
Cindy L. Stafford, City Secretary
I.CALL TO ORDER
The meeting of the Stephenville City Council was called to order at 5:30 p.m. on
Tuesday, November 19, 2002 by Mayor John Moser. Mayor Moser declared a
quorum present.
II.CITIZENS’ GENERAL DISCUSSION
No one wished to address the council.
Mayor Moser introduced members and leaders from Boy Scout Troop 39, who were
attending the meeting in partial fulfillment of the Citizenship in the Community merit
badge. Those attending were scouts Zachary Murry, Brett Demetruk, Stephen
McCarty, and leaders Phil Murry and Nick McCarty.
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council
III.PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD
A.Consider Approval of City of Stephenville Parks, Recreation and Open
Space Master Plan (November 2002)
MOTION by Joe Cude, second by Bea Marin, to approve the Stephenville Parks,
Recreation and Open Space Master Plan as revised and on file with the minutes of the
City of Stephenville. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote.
B.Consider Adopting Resolution No. 2002-09 Requesting Support from the
th
78 Legislature for a Fair and Just Park Grant Program Referred to as
the Texas Recreation and Parks Account
MOTION by Bea Marin, second by Perry Elliott, to adopt Resolution No. 2002-09.
MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote.
IV.NOMINATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT
1.Consider Nomination to Erath County Appraisal District Board of Directors
MOTION by Malcolm Cross, second by Bea Marin, to reappoint Bill Bailey to the
Board of Directors. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote.
2.Consider Nomination to Erath County Appraisal District Review Board
th
This matter was tabled to the November 26 committee meeting.
V.WATER PLANNING COMMITTEE REPORT—Consider Approval of Pro-
Rata Fees for FM 914 Water Line
MOTION by Joe Cude, second by Richard Petronis, to approve the pro rata fees for
the FM 914 water line. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote.
VI.PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE REPORT—Consider
Approval of Policy on Sale of City Right of Way
MOTION by Bill Corbin, second by Richard Petronis, to approve the policy on sale of
city right of way as follows:
1.All requests to purchase right of way be in writing to the city via the director of
community development.
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council
2.Rights of way be sold only to adjacent property owners, with right of refusal by
either adjacent property owner.
3.Request to sell right of way will be reviewed by director of community services,
director of utilities, chief of police, fire chief, and utility companies. Purchaser
shall be responsible for all utility relocation.
4.Recommendation regarding vacating right of way will be forwarded to the
Planning and Zoning Commission following review by staff and utility companies.
5.Planning and Zoning Commission will review request to vacate right of way and
make a formal recommendation to the city council.
6.Unimproved right of way to be sold at the average tax roll value per square foot
of adjacent properties with purchaser paying all closing costs.
7.Improved right of way to be sold at appraised value with purchaser paying
appraisal fee and all associated closing costs.
VII.PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE REPORT—Consider
City/County Fire and Emergency Medical Services Contract
Committee chairperson, Bea Marin, gave the report regarding comtracts with the
county for providing fire protection and emergency medical services. She reported
that City Administrator, Mike Castro, presented the committee with various issues
pertaining to the fire department, including dual role responsibility, staffing levels,
multiple incidents, costs for providing services, revenue from the services and what
was felt as the shortfall from what the county is and has been paying for those
services. Castro suggested that the contract period be extended to five years. Castro
presented three options to the committee for its consideration. Marin called on Castro
for the most current update on the committee’s recommendation. Castro provided a
handout, which is attached to these minutes. Castro made the following comments
during his presentation:
Current contracts with the county for fire and EMS are set to expire
September 30, 2002.
City’s budget for fire and EMS is $1.62 million for this year.
Current reimbursements from the county are $147,372 on the fire side, and
EMS is dependent on how many transports are made ($219 to transport a
person; $169 if we do not transport a person).
A 10-year average is utilized to determine the data. In any given year, 51% of
fire calls are outside city limits. Twenty-five percent of the EMS calls are
outside the city limits. The EMS percentage has increased over the past ten
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council
years. One of the reasons is that the county is growing at a faster rate than the
city. Also, as traffic increases on US 281 and US 67/377, more EMS calls are
answered.
In an average year, there is a shortfall from the county of $145,848 for fire
service. The shortfall for EMS is $54,000. The total shortfall is about
$200,000. These numbers do NOT include equipment costs, vehicle costs, or
administration.
Principles for contract extension are:
Do not sacrifice level of service to the city residents.
o
Work towards fair payment.
o
Protect capital and personnel investment—longer contract.
o
Maintain existing efficiencies.
o
Keep it simple in the field and on paper.
o
Option 1A:
Five-year contract with cost and personnel up front and no equipment costs have been
included. Makes up the $200,000 shortfall in year one. Hire six additional personnel,
and paid for in year one. There is an inflationary adjustment each year dependent upon
the Consumer Price Index (estimated at 3% annually). Vehicle/equipment costs accrue
to the city. Combined payments for fire and EMS by the county:
FY 2003-2004 $700,000 $200,000 current payment
$200,000 shortfall
$300,000 personnel costs
FY 2004-2005 $721,000
FY 2005-2006 $742,630
FY 2006-2007 $764,909
FY 2007-2008 $787,856
Option 1B:
Five-year contract with cost and personnel up front, and equipment costs have been
included in years one and two. Essentially the same as Option 1B, except the
equipment and vehicle costs accrue to county in its proportionate share. Those costs
are split over years one and two.
FY 2003-2004 $739,494 $200,000 current payment
$200,000 shortfall
$300,000 personnel costs
$ 39,494 equipment cost
FY 2004-2005 $816,648
Year 1 + CPI + $54,970 in equipment cost
FY 2005-2006 $742,630
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council
FY 2006-2007 $764,909
FY 2007-2008 $787,856
Castro reported the breakdown by man hours. Sixty percent of our man hours for fire
calls in any given year are outside the city limits. Fifty-five percent of the man hours
for EMS calls are outside the city limits.
In support of the argument that there is a need to hire additional employees in the
First Department, Castro presented statistics from a recent situation involving
simultaneous fire and EMS calls.
At 4:11 p.m. on October 28, 2002, a call came in for a structure fire on US 67. State
law mandates when responding to a structure fire, two personnel are dispatched to
fight the fire on the inside and two personnel to fight the fire on the outside (2 in/2 out
rule). Therefore four of the eight firefighters on duty responded to this fire in two
trucks.
At 4:13 p.m., a call came in for an auto accident on US 281 south of town. Three
personnel responded—two in an ambulance and one in the rescue unit. That left one
firefighter in Station No. 2. State law requires that when responding to an EMS call,
there be two EMS certified personnel on the ambulance.
From 4:13 p.m. to 4:28 p.m., there was one EMS certified staff available. The call
went out to for off-duty personnel and volunteer firefighters.
At 4:41 p.m., an additional ambulance is requesting at the auto accident. Second
ambulance responds, and is on the scene at 5:01 p.m. It is determined that the second
unit is not required and returns to the fire station.
From 4:41 p.m. to 5:01 p.m., there was no ambulance available in the city.
Castro documented events from September 1, 2001 to October 31, 2002 that
substantiate the frequency of more than one incident at a time. There are multiple
incidents that occur, on average, about once a week.
MOTION by Bea Marin, second by Bill Corbin, to authorize the mayor to send the
attached letter and enclosures to the county. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous
vote.
VIII.CONSENT AGENDA
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council
MOTION by Bea Marin, second by Joe Cude, to approve the Consent Agenda as it
appears below:
A.Approve Minutes of Regular Business Meeting on November 5, 2002
B.Consider Agreement with TXU Electric for Street Lighting Maintenance
MOTION CARRIED by unanimous roll call vote.
IX.CITY ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT
Mike Castro reminded council and citizens that street sweeping began yesterday and
will continue for about two weeks when the job is completed.
X.COUNCILMEMBER’S PRESENTATION OF OTHER MATTERS
XI.ADJOURN
MOTION by Bill Corbin, second by Perry Elliott, to adjourn the meeting. MOTION
CARRIED by unanimous vote at 6:50 p.m.
____________________________________
John Moser, Mayor
ATTEST:
_________________________________
Cindy L. Stafford, City Secretary
Regular Council Meeting – November 19, 2002
Stephenville City Council