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Home My WebLink About2013-08-06 - Regular City CouncilMINUTES OF REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING City of Stephenville - City Council Tuesday, August 6, 2013, 5:30 P.M. The City Council of the City of Stephenville, Texas, convened on August 6, 2013, 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 Council members Casey Hogan Malcolm Cross Doug Svien Russ McDanel Brady Pendleton Alan Nix Martha Taylor Scott Evans Others Attending Mark A. Kaiser, 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, August 6, 2013, by Mayor Weldon. "Happy Birthday" was sung to Mark Kaiser by those present. Citizens' General Discussion Wendell Hollingsworth spoke on behalf of the Stephenville Chamber of Commerce and the Stephenville Economic Development Corporation concerning the potential creation of a Tax Increment Financing zone. He stated that STEDCO will pledge $1,500 towards the first phase in this endeavor; the Chamber will pledge $500; and Texas Health Resources Hospital in Stephenville, $1,500. III. Consider Request for Relief from Requirement for Advanced Wireless Meter Scott Evans introduced this matter by saying that legislation to provide an "opt out" provision from the advanced wireless meter was not passed by the State Legislature as had been expected. Susan Gay Neblett Dorsett, 326 East Long Street, Stephenville, explained that she is seeking assistance with reverting back to her electric analog meter. She cited several health reasons and provided documentation from her oncologist as well as research data pertaining to this issue. Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council MOTION by Scott Evans, second by Russ McDanel, to officially request the Public Utility Commission to provide Susan Gay Neblett Dorsettwith the option to immediately opt out of the advanced wireless meter program. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. IV. Cross Timbers Fine Arts Council Annual Report and Budget Presentation —Julie Crouch, Executive Director Julie Crouch, on behalf of the CTFAC Board of Directors, thanked the City Council for its continued support. Crouch reported that CTFAC sponsors 15 to 30 art -related events throughout the year, which include ballet, concerts, theater productions, monthly art exhibits and receptions. CTFAC also sponsors summer art and theater camps for children, as well as youth art exhibits. Crouch list some of the highlights from last year: • "Oh What a Night" concert and musical tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons • Free classical concert through the Piatigorsky Foundation • Cross Timbers Area Community Theatre production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" • Ballet Austin's "Snow White" • Accessible Arts Clubhouse program partnering with Stephenville ISD music therapist, Cathy Knoll Crouch asked for the opportunity to return to the next city council meeting in order to present the CTFAC annual budget. She stated that further evaluations of the budget by the board of directors is necessary before presenting it to the council. MOTION by Russ McDanel, second by Scott Evans, to approve the annual CTFAC report. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. V. PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION A. PUBLIC HEARING to consider request to rezone from B-2 "Retail and Commercial Business District" to R-3 "Multiple -Family Residential District", Lots 18 and 19, Block4, Denman Addition, located at 110 North Dale Avenue Betty Chew reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval of this rezoning. Mayor Weldon opened a public hearing. Speaking in Favor of Rezoning: Liraluz Solano, 110 North Dale Avenue, Stephenville, is the applicant and explained that she is seeking rezoning so that she will be allowed to construct a storage building on the property with her residence. Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council Speaking in Opposition of Rezoning: No one. Mayor Weldon closed the public hearing. B. Consider Adopting Ordinance No. 2013-11 rezoning from B-2 "Retail and Commercial Business District" to R-3 "Multiple -Family Residential District", Lots 18 and 19, Block 4, Denman Addition, located at 110 North Dale Avenue MOTION by Casey Hogan, second by Martha Taylor, to approve Ordinance No. 2013-11. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. C. PUBLIC HEARING to consider request to rezone from R-2 "One- and Two -Family Residential District" to R-3 "Multiple -Family Residential District", Lots 11, 12, and 13, Block 7, Cage Addition, located at 385 East Elm Street Betty Chew reported that the Planning and Zoning Commission recommends approval of this rezoning. Mayor Weldon opened a public hearing. Speaking in Favor of Rezoning: Andy Hansen, 943 PR 807, Stephenville, applicant and owner, offered to answer any questions that council members might have. There were none. Speaking in Opposition of Rezoning: No one. Mayor Weldon closed the public hearing. D. Consider Adopting Ordinance No. 2013-12 rezoning from R-2 "One- and Two -Family Residential District" to R-3 "Multiple -Family Residential District", Lots 11, 12, and 13, Block 7, Cage Addition, located at 385 East Elm Street MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Alan Nix, to approve Ordinance No. 2013-12. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. VI. PUBLIC HEARING regarding an assessment of the cost for curb and gutter installation on Alexander Road from West Long Street to West South Loop City Administrator Mark Kaiser explained that the city is required to give notification priorto setting and establishing this assessment. As development occurs along this portion of Alexander Road, assessments will be charged to developers for their portion of these costs. Mayor Weldon opened a public hearing. Steve Peacock, 101 Hudson Drive, Stephenville, stated that he owns property on Alexander Road and had some questions about the process. Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council Mayor Weldon expressed concern about this procedure and pointed out provisions from Chapters 311 and 313 of Vernon's Transportation Code. Weldon proposed that council reconsider the process, specifically considering Chapters 311, 313, and 314 of the Transportation Code, Vernon's Texas Code Annotated.. Mayor closed the public hearing. VII. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT —Staffing and Compensation Study A. Consider Approval for Staff to Conduct the Salary Survey Chairperson Martha Taylor gave this report stating that proposals were received from four firms to conduct a salary survey, however, the committee recommends having city staff conduct the survey and present it to council by November 1, 2013. MOTION by Martha Taylor, second by Scott Evans, for the city staff to conduct a salary survey with a deadline for completion of November 1, 2013. Russ McDanel made the following comments: "On july 91h and 161h, the Personnel Committee met to discuss options for an employee "Staffing and Compensation Study". The objective was to "attract and retain quality, customer -friendly employees" by providing the council "accurate comparison information" regarding competitive wages and benefits through survey data by an objective, third party. The City of Stephenville, as a regular business practice, contracts with professionals that are experts in the field. Examples are 1) Kenneth D. Wethe, independent insurance consultant; 2) K&P Associates, Inc. for Specialized Billing Collections; 3) Schrickel Rollins & Associates, Inc. for streets, reconstruction of streets, Park Master Plan, sanitary sewer projects and easement acquisition, etc.; 4) Patillo Brown & Hill LLP, annual city audit; 5) Heart of Texas Inspection Services for water tower work; 6) Pipeline Analysis Wastewater and Collection Engineers for sewerline work; 7) Tank Industry Consultants; 8) CH2MHILL/OMI, wastewater treatment plant contractor; 9) KSA Engineers, through TxDOT contract the airport layout design; and 10) Schrader & Cline LLC, on our agenda today, for consideration of contracting with us for professional assistance with a TIF program. These examples clearly show that we —the City —as a normal prudent business practice, hire expert professional firms to assist us with important projects. So whydid the committee vote to have the city staff undertake this issue that is vital to our "Pay Plan"? The city's employee payroll is over $9 million a year counting part time employees. Don'twe want to be as thorough, fair and as accurate as possible with this information? Four expert personnel consulting firms submitted proposals for our consideration, their fees ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to complete our requests. All were highly qualified to assist us with our "Pay Plan" objectives, plus more. The least expensive proposal was from Public Sector Personnel Consultants. They provided 12 pages of information about their firm, including telling us that they "Specialize in these services, have implemented classification and compensation plans for more than 1,000 public employers nationwide, including 325 municipal employers." Their professional services Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council are customized to the "needs" of their clients, and they staff over a dozen regional offices nationwide! References were provided, and a 25-item list of available services was provided. To me, this seems to be perfect in all areas for our needs! The cost, the objectives, the comprehensiveness of their work; combined with "Prevailing Rates Calculations" and "Strategies for Implementation" tell me that this council will be getting much more relevant data than we could by overburdening our own staff with this endeavor. So, why don't we vote to hire this professional firm that are experts in the field of personnel? Our directors will be busy with implementation of a new budget in October; Tarleton fall semester will be underway with the local population increasing substantially, keeping our public safety staff busy; two other directors will be busy winding up many street projects including Alexander Road; as well as economic development work of a possible TIF program, annexation and hopefully "user friendly" building brochures will be being printed forgreater city growth. I cannot support putting more work on the city staff. This decision should be obvious and easy to make. I will vote "No" on any motion to assign this task "in house". One councilmember said "Hire the consultant, but be ready to see their results." I welcome quality, professional third -party information to assist us with a $9 million annual budget expense and at a cost of only about $10,000. 1 am willing to INVEST that to achieve our goal of a fair, competitive pay plan for all of our city employees. The chair of the Personnel Committee voted "NO" on doing this using our own Staff. I agree with that and I encourage each of you to join in by voting "Yes" for the experts in the field to tackle this important endeavor. Thank you for listening to this lengthy offering. I do believe our best course of action is hiring the Public Sector Personnel Consultants. MOTION CARRIED by roll call vote as follows: Ayes: Council members Hogan, Cross, Svien, Pendleton, Nix, Taylor, and Evans. Noes: Council member McDanel. B. Consider Approval of the Salary Survey Questions C. Consider Approval of the Salary Survey List of Cities MOTION by Martha Taylor, second by Alan Nix, to approve the 50 survey questions and the list of cities and local companies from the 2012 survey. MOTION CARRIED by a 7-1 vote. Vill. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE REPORT —Long -Range Water Supply Update Chairman Alan Nix gave this report stating that the committee received an update of the Long -Range Water Supply. Nix reported that Public Works Director Nick Williams presented an in-depth look at city's condition relevant to water supply and production and projections where we need to be by 2050. He provided information on the condition of the city's existing wells and well fields. Nix reported that 8-10 percent of the city's current water usage is surface water and pointed out that a key element to economic development is the ability to provide utilities such as water. Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council Nix noted that the meeting was informational in nature, and no action was taken by the committee. Nix commended Nick Williams and his staff for the good work they do in maintaining and operating the city's water/wastewater utilities. The committee will continue to monitor this issue. IX. TIF ALLIANCE REPORT; Doug Svien, Finance Committee Chairman A. Report of meeting held July 16, 2013 Present at the meeting were representatives from City of Stephenville, Erath County, Tarleton State University, Chamber of Commerce, Stephenville Economic Development Corporation, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville, Keep Stephenville Beautiful, and Stephenville Historical House Museum. Doug Svien explained that a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is a unique waythata city may use to creatively increase infrastructure. A TIF is a public financing method that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community -improvement projects. It may result in an increase in the value of surrounding real estate, which generates additional tax revenue. It has been suggested that the area of town to be identified is bound on the north by Texas Health Harris Hospital; on the south by City Park; on the east by Bosque River; and the west by Tarleton State University. B. Consider approval of Contract with Schrader & Cline, LLC for Phase I —Development of the TIF Program and TIF Feasibility Analysis Svien listed those entities who pledged support at the July 161h meeting for Phase I of the TIF Program (a $15,000 fee)—STEDCO, $1,500; TSU, $1,500; Texas Health Hospital, $1,500; and Chamber of Commerce, $500. Doug Svien stated that this matter will be considered by the Finance Committee, then action taken by the full council. X. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Alan Nix, second by Martha Taylor, to approve the consent agenda. MOTION CARRIED. A. Approve Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting on July 2, 2013 B. Approve Resolution No. 2013-06 Accepting the 2013 Utility Improvements for Alexander Road Project XI. Comments by City Administrator Mark Kaiser gave an update on certain projects as follows: • FM 988—Completion in September 2013 • Green Ribbon Intersections #1—Project complete. Twelve-month maintenance period begins September 2013. Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council • Green Ribbon Intersections #2—Construction will begin this month. • Washington Street (US 377 Business) —Paving is complete. • Traffic Signal at US 377 Business (Washington Street) and 011ie Drive —Work order to be issued to the contractor soon. • Gabions Project under US 67/US 377 Bridge at Bosque River —Project to let in November to address erosion concerns. • Mcllhaney Street —Completion this month. • Dale Street —Completion in September. • Alexander Road —Completion in November XII. Comments by Council Members XIII. 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. 551.071 Consultation with Attorney; Sec. 551.072 Deliberations about Real Property and Sec. 551.087 Deliberation Regarding Economic Development Negotiations-20.811 acres, William Motley Survey, Stephenville, Erath County, Texas A. Frank Reed and Mary Winona Casselman v. City of Stephenville, Cause No. CV-32352, 2661h Judicial District Court of Erath County, Texas B. 20.811 acres, William Motley Survey, Stephenville, Erath County, Texas C. Northwest corner of Blocks 1-35, College View Addition, City of Stephenville D. Acreage in John W. Bradley, Daniel Bell, Edward Bond, James Conger, and Ira Foster Surveys, Erath County, Texas E. Hunewell Ranch, Erath County, Texas XIV. Action taken on matters discussed in executive session (if necessary) XV. Adjourn MOTION by Russ McDanel, second by Alan Nix, to adjourn the meeting. MOTION CARRIED at 9:14 p.m. Jerry K. Weldon II, Mayor ATTEST: Cindy L. Stafford, City Secretary Regular Business Meeting August 6, 2013 Stephenville City Council