Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-07 - Regular City CouncilMINUTES OF REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING City of Stephenville - City Council Tuesday, February 7, 2017, 5:30 P.M. The City Council of the City of Stephenville, Texas, convened on February 7, 2017, 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 Jerry K. Weldon II Mayor Pro-Tem Alan Nix Council members Mark McClinton Carla Trussell Doug Svien Brady Pendleton Rhett Harrison Sherry Zachery Jerry Warren Others Attending Wayne McKethan, Interim City Administrator Randy Thomas, City Attorney Cindy L. Stafford, City Secretary Call to Order. The meeting of the Stephenville City Council was called to order at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, by Mayor Weldon. II. Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag III. Pledge of Allegiance to the Texas Flag —"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible." Mayor Weldon led the audience in the pledge to the United States Flag and to the Texas Flag. IV. Invocation was given by Pastor Jim DeGraw of Grace Fellowship Church Mayor Weldon recognized city secretary Cindy Stafford celebrating her 23`^ anniversary with the city today. Weldon also recognized the newly hired city administrator, Allen Barnes, who will start work on February 16. V. Citizens General Discussion. Mark Wallace, 1402 North Dale Avenue, gave a big thank you to Nick Williams and the street crew for installing the speed humps on Dale. Wallace said that vehicular speed has dropped dramatically in this area. He also thanked the city's engineer, Gene Calvert, and Chief of Police Jason King for their contributions to this effort. Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council Fredie Goble, 413 Bluebonnet Drive, also thanked everyone who were instrumental in addressing the speed situation on Dale Avenue. He also spoke concerning landscaping the highway medians. Goble said that there are many violations throughout town that egregiously affect the appearance of our city. Sean Brinson, 2251 West Tarleton, addressed the council concerning the poor quality of internet access in Stephenville. He requested this matter be forwarded to a committee for further discussion and research. VI. Presentation and Consideration of Chamber of Commerce Tourism Budget and Annual Report — July Danley, President, Stephenville Chamber of Commerce July Danley, President/CEO of the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce submitted the tourism budget, which is attached hereto. She introduced Greg Hubbard, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors who was present. Danley reported that hotel occupancy tax revenues increased 5%from 2010 to 2011, another 13% in 2012, held steady in 2013, increased 16% in 2014, increased 9% in 2015, and held steady in 2016. Last year, over 2,500 visitors came to the Chamber office, and over 5,000 telephone calls were received seeking more information about our town. The chamber staff uses these funds to promote tourism by devoting staff time, energy and resources to servicing the needs and requests of visitors, assisting current events in improving their success and impact, actively recruiting new events, and communicating with local businesses and hotels to ensure the visitors have a pleasant experience while they are spending time and money in our community. MOTION by Alan Nix, second by Mark McClinton, to accept the chamber report and approve the Tourism Budget for 2017. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. VII. STEPHENVILLE TYPE IV ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY REPORT —John Hubbard, Executive Director —Consider Approval of an Economic Development Grant of $25,000 for Infrastructure Improvements to Equibrand. This matter will be tabled to the March 71h council meeting. Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council Vill. POLICE DEPARTMENT Tier 1 Data A. Racial Profiling Report for 2016 Motor Vehicle -Related Contact Information (1/1/16-12/31/16) Race/Ethnicity* Contacts Searches Consensual Searches PC Searches Custody Arrests N % N % N % N % N % Caucasian 759 73 52 63 26 68 18 55 12 52 African 55 5 12 15 5 13 6 18 3 13 Hispanic 203 20 18 22 7 18 9 27 8 35 Asian 9 .9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Native American 1 .09 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Middle Eastern 5 .5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Other 6 .6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total 1,038 100 82 100 38 100 33 100 23 100 "N" represents "number" of traffic -related contacts * Race/Ethnicity is defined by Senate Bill 1074 as being of a "particular descent, including Caucasian, African, Hispanic, Asian, Native American or Middle Eastern". **Figure has been rounded (II) Motor Vehicle -Contacts and Fair Roads Standard Comparison Comparison of motor vehicle -related contacts with households in Stephenville that have vehicle access (in percentages). (1/1/16-12/31/16) Race/Ethnicity* Contacts (in percentages) Households with vehicle access (in percentages) Caucasian 73 86 African 5 3 Hispanic 20 10 Asian .9 N/A Native American .09 N/A Middle Eastern .5 N/A Other .6 N/A Total 100 99** * Race/Ethnicity are defined by Senate Bill 1074 as being of a "particular descent, including Caucasian, African, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Middle Eastern". **Represents rounded figure Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council Total Number of Instances where Officers Knew/did not Know Race/Ethnicity of Individuals Before Being Detained (1/1/16--12/31/16) Total Number of Instances where Officers Did Not Know the Race and Ethnicity of Individuals Before Being Detained 17 1,021 *1 Unknown/Not Specified Report on Complaints The following table contains data regarding officers that have been the subject of a complaint, during the time period of 1/1/16--- 12/31/16, based on allegations outlining possible violations related to the Texas Racial Profiling Law. The final disposition of the case is also included. 0 A check above indicates that the Stephenville Police Department has not received any complaints, on any members of its police force, for having violated the Texas Racial Profiling Law during the time period of 1/1/16 ---- 12/31/16. Complaints Filed for Possible Violations of The Texas Racial Profiling Law Complaint No. Alleged Violation Disposition of the Case Summary of Findings The comparison of motor vehicle contacts showed that the Stephenville Police Department came in contact (in motor vehicle -related incidents) with a smaller percentage of Caucasian drivers than the percentage that resided in Stephenville and had access to vehicles. Further, the data suggested that the percentage of African American and Hispanic drivers that came in contact with the police in 2016 was higher than the percentage of African American and Hispanic households in Stephenville with access to vehicles. In addition, the data showed that in a large number of instances, officers did not know the race or ethnicity of individuals before detaining them, when compared to instances where officers knew the race/ethnicity of individuals before they were detained. Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council While considering the findings made in this analysis, it is recommended that the Stephenville Police Department should continue to collect and evaluate additional information on motorvehicle contact data (i.e., reason for probable cause searches, contraband detected) which may prove to be useful when determining the nature of the contacts police officers are making with all individuals; particularly with African Americans and Hispanics. Although this additional data may not be required by state law, it is likely to provide insights regarding the nature and outcome of all motor vehicle contacts made with the public. As part of this effort, the Stephenville Police Department is also encouraged to: 1) Perform an independent search analysis on the search data collected in the first quarter of 2017. 2) Commission data audits in 2017 in order to assess data integrity; that is, to ensure that the data collected is consistent with the data being reported. The Stephenville Police Department complied with recommendations made last year, in a similar report, regarding data audits and training. In sum, the information and analysis provided in this report serves as evidence that the Stephenville Police Department has, once again, complied with the Texas Racial Profiling Law. MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Sherry Zachery, to accept the 2016 Racial Profiling Report. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. B. Consider Adopting Resolution No. 2017-R-05 Approving a Justice Assistance Grant l Application for Forensic and Accident Laser Reconstruction Technology MOTION by Mark McClinton, second by Alan Nix, to approve Resolution No. 2017-R-05. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. C. Consider Approving Ordinance No. 2017-0-01 Altering the Speed Limit on FM 914 MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Alan Nix, to approve Ordinance No.2017-0-01. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. IX. EASTSIDE SEWER PROJECT MOTION by Carla Trussell, second by Sherry Zachery, to table Items A, B, and C for this agenda item at this time in order to discuss it further in committee. MOTION CARRIED. A. Consider Approval of Contract with Public Management, Inc. for Project Management Services —Easement Acquisition and Environmental Assessment —Kenneth J. Coignet, Vice President and Business Development Director and Jake McAdams, Regional Project Manager B. Consider Approval of Contract with McCall Parkhurst & Horton LLP for Bond Counsel Services—Rodolfo Segura, Jr., Partner Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council C. Consider Approval of Contract with FirstSouthwest, a Division of Hilltop Securities, Inc. for Financial Advisory Services X. Consider Approval of Elk Ridge Phase III Subdivision Wayne McKethan gave an update on this matter. He reported that the developer and city staff have developed a list of issues that need to be resolved prior to council approving this subdivision. City staff and developer have executed an agreement giving the developer 90 days to resolve the issues raised by the city staff concerning the streets in the subdivision, and staff will recommend approval of the subdivision. No building permit will be issued for this subdivision until all matters of concern set out in said agreement have been addressed to the satisfaction of the Public Works Division of the city. MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Mark McClinton, to accept the Elk Ridge Phase III Subdivision improvements. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. XI. MONTHLY BUDGET REPORT —Monica Harris, Finance Director Monica Harris presented her report through December 31, 2016, stating that financial indicators are as expected or better than expected. She pointed out that first quarter property tax receipts resulted in a $339,000 increase over the funds collected in the same quarter for last year. Sales f tax receipts of $472,000 in December resulted in $120,000 over the target budget for the quarter. MOTION by Doug Svien, second by Mark McClinton, to accept the monthly budget report. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. XII. Consider Approval of Contract Amendment with Mary Saltarelli for Nomination to National Register of Historic Places Mary Saltarelli reported that, as a result of her research, she has found some fascinating items of history. The early development of the city grew to the north toward the railroad tracks as well as to the location where Tarleton was established. The city park was purchased in 1910 and was used for the Erath County Fair. The 200 block of East College Street was used for a community first Monday trades day. She reviewed the reasons for seeking nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. It preserves the town's special sense of place and provides another layer of protection for built resources. It can improve property values by as much as 20% and attracts visitors seeking authentic historic sites. It also attracts redevelopment and offers tangible financial opportunities for owners of the historic commercial buildings. She is seeking a two -month extension on her contract to complete her research and application requirements. MOTION by Carla Trussell, second by Sherry Zachery, to approve the revised amendments to the contract. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council XIII. CONSENTAGENDA MOTION by Mark McClinton, second by Doug Svien, to approve the Consent Agenda. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. A. Approve Minutes 1. Regular Council Meeting on January 3, 2017 2. Special Council Meeting on January 5, 2027 3. Special Council Meeting on January 25, 2017 4. Special Council Meeting on February 1, 2017 B. Accept Park Land Donation of Property at 902 Prairie Wind Boulevard from Gay and Sons Masonry C. Approve Ordinance No. 2017-0-02 Amending the Fee Schedule Providing for a Price Range in the Team Charge for Adult leagues D. Approve Resolution No. 2017-R-06 Accepting the Inglewood Drive Project E. Approve Election Order for May 6, 2017 F. Approve Bid Awards PI 1. Bid Award for 0.494 acres out of the south part of Lot 6, Block 12, Shapard and Collins Addition, situated on the northeast corner of North McCart Street and West Jones Street and authorize Mayor to execute deed 2. Bid Award for 1.904 acres out of Lots 3 and 4, Block 73, City Addition, situated in the 700 block of Alexander Road and authorize Mayor to execute deed 3. Medians XIV. Comments by City Administrator • February 17—Last day to file application to run for city council • February 20—City offices closed for President's Day • February 21—Council Work Session —Subdivision Ordinance Review • February 27—Finance Committee • Registration for baseball and softball —February 1 to March 17 • Registration for youth volleyball camps —February 6 to March 17 Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council XV. Comments by Council members Carla Trussell announced that Choices Clinic is collecting much -needed items for its new building and encouraged donations. Doug Svien thanked Wayne McKethan for his service to the city as Interim City Administrator. Rhett Harrison thanked Jeremy Allen for directing the refurbishing of the signs at Optimist Jaycee Park. He also congratulated Jimmy Chew upon receiving the Texas Fire Chief of the Year Award. He thanked Wayne McKethan for his service as Interim City Administrator and welcomed Allen Barnes as the city's new city administrator. Harrison also announced that he has filed to seek re-election to his council position. He paid tribute to his grandmother, Irene Easley, who died recently43 days before her 100ti birthday. He said she was raised in a dog -run cabin in East Texas where Sam Houston once stayed the night. Harrison recognized strong, moral women who make a difference in our lives, "who make us better people, who sacrifice and instill discipline and raise us in a spiritual environment that we might be able to have a better relationship with our Savior." Alan Nix said that he had the privilege of first serving on the council from 1991 to 1995; and that while there were many accomplishments made during that time, he is proud of serving as chairman of the Personnel Committee and being instrumental in hiring the city secretary in 1994. He congratulated Cindy Stafford on her 23rd anniversary as city secretary and thanked her for her time, service, and devotion to Stephenville. Sherry Zachery congratulated Chief Jimmy Chew on being named Texas Fire Chief of the Year. She thanked Wayne McKethan for his service and welcomed Allen Barnes to his new position. XVI. EXECUTIVE SESSION. At 7:22 p.m., Mayor Weldon recessed the open portion of the meeting, and council went into executive session in compliance with the provisions of the Texas Open Meetings Law, Subchapter D, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes, Annotated, in accordance with Sec. 551.074 Personnel Matters (a)(1) to deliberate the appointment, employment, evaluation, reassignment, duties, discipline, or dismissal of a public officer or employee —City Administrator Position Council reconvened in open session at 7:50 p.m. XVIL Action taken on items discussed in executive session (if necessary) MOTION by Mark McClinton, second by Sherry Zachery, to extend the contract with Wayne McKethan until March 15, 2017. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council { � XVIII. Adjourn I , MOTION by Doug Svien, second by Alan Nix, to adjourn the meeting. MOTION CARRIED at 7:50 p.m. Jefy K. V-Idon, Mayor ATTEST: Cindy L. S �forrdd, ity Se ary Regular Business Meeting —February 7, 2017 Stephenville City Council