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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-07-07 - Regular City CouncilA TEAS City of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at 5:30 PM The City Council of the City of Stephenville, Texas, convened on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at 5:30 PM, via videoconference for the purpose of a Regular Business Meeting, with 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: COUNCIL PRESENT: Doug Svien Mark McClinton Justin Haschke Nick Robinson Brady Pendleton Ricky Thurman Alan Nix Gerald Cook Brandon Huckabee COUNCIL ABSENT: OTHERS ATTENDING: Allen L. Barnes, City Manager Staci L. King, City Secretary Randy Thomas, City Attorney I. Call to Order Mayor Svien called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. II. Regular Agenda 1. Citizens' General Discussion Savion Washington addressed the council to thank them for their hard work in trying times. He also wanted to encourage the citizens of Stephenville and Erath County to stay positive during this epidemic. 2. Citizen Budget Requests Cindy Stafford gave the following statement: "Honorable Mayor and Council Members, My name is Cindy Stafford, and I reside at 2969 FM 914, Stephenville, Texas. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you this evening on behalf of the City of Stephenville retirees. For the record, I am here to request the reinstatement of the retiree cost of living adjustment or COLA in the FY20/21 budget. The last time I addressed the council on this matter was in October 2017 after action was taken which indiscriminately stripped the cost of living adjustment from city retiree benefits. Not only were we not made aware of this action affecting our livelihoods; to my knowledge, no statement was ever made by a council member or by the council body offering any explanation why this action was taken. To this date I am still not aware of any explanation of a reason but I would certainly welcome one. The reason I am here tonight is to bring the matter to light and to request that it be placed for consideration during budget deliberations this year. Just a little history, Texas Municipal Retirement System is a state-wide organization, operating since 1947. TMRS represents over 70% of Texas cities, and is considered a premier financial establishment. They receive no state funds, and there are no fees charged to the cities represented. Of the 887 TMRS cities, 64% provide COLA's to its employees. Only four of the current council members were serving on the council in 2017, so I would like to take a moment to run through how COLA is calculated. It's based on a percentage of the Consumer Price Index. The City of Stephenville, like the majority of TMRS cities, used the 70% rate. Say, the CPI for 2019 being 2.3%, then the increase for city retirees 170% of 2.3%) would be a 1.6% increase on the retiree's benefit. Which, by the way, is the amount of increase of Social Security benefits this year. Reinstating the cost of living adjustment would honor the commitment that was made to the city's retirees and current employees as well as affirm their value of service. Some of my fellow city retirees gathered on the Downtown Plaza prior to your meeting. We did this to call attention to our request and to give a face or faces to our plea. And, if there is one adage that was proven true to me during the 23 years I was city secretary is that the squeaky wheel sometimes does get the grease! I ask each of you to seriously consider and consciously decide to reverse the action taken in 2017, and I thank you for allowing me this time." 3. Consider Extension of Splashville 2020 Season .— Jen Basham, Director of Parks and Leisure Services, requested that the 2020 Splashville season be extended through August 9. Ms. Basham explained that after many requests from the public and polling staff regarding their availability, this extension would be feasible. MOTION by Brandon Huckabee, second by Alan Nix, to extend the 2020 Splashville season until August 9. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. III. Planning and Zoning Commission Steve Killen, Director of Development Services 1. PUBLIC HEARING CASE NO. SV2020-006: Applicant is Requesting a Waiver from the City of Stephenville Subdivision Ordinance Section 155.6.11 - Sidewalk Requirements For 0 Forest Lane, Parcel R50763, Being A0515 Motley William To The City Of Stephenville, Erath County, Texas Steve Killen, Director of Development Services, gave council an overview of the request. The Planning and Zoning Commission met on June 17, 2020 and recommended council deny the request by a 4-3 vote. Mayor Svien opened the public hearing at 5:47 p.m. Michelle Stone, applicant, spoke in favor of the waiver from the sidewalk requirement. She stated that there were no other sidewalks in the area and that the sidewalk construction would be costly. City Of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting - 07 Jul 2020 Mayor Svien closed the public hearing at 5:52 p.m. 2. Consider Waiver from the City of Stephenville Subdivision Ordinance Section 155.6.11 - Sidewalk Requirements For 0 Forest Lane, Parcel R50763, Being A0515 Motley William To The City Of Stephenville, Erath County, Texas MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Justin Haschke, to approve the request for waiver for Case No. SV2020-006. DENIED by the following votes: Ayes: Justin Haschke and Brady Pendleton Noes: Mark McClinton, Nick Robinson, Ricky Thurman, Alan Nix, Gerald Cook, and Brandon Huckabee IV. Tourism and Visitors Bureau Committee Justin Haschke, Chair 1. Tourism and Visitors Bureau Committee Report Justin Haschke, chair, gave the committee report. 2. Consider Application of Hotel Occupancy Tax Fund Request from Xtreme Team Roping MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Gerald Cook, to deny the request from Xtreme Team Roping. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. V. Nominations Committee Report Gerald Cook, Chair 1. Nominations Committee Report Gerald Cook, chair, gave the committee report. 2. Consider Appointments for Vacancies on Citizen Boards and Commissions The Nominations Committee brought forth the following recommendations: Stephenville Type B Economic Development Authority Board of Directors Place 1— Wendell Hollingsworth Place 3 — Casey Hogan Board of Adjustment Place 5—Janette Sohm Alternate 2 — David Baskett Alternate 4 —Darrell Brown Tourism and Visitors Bureau Advisory Board TSU Rep —Charles Howard MOTION by Gerald Cook, second by Alan Nix, to approve the nominations for citizen boards and commissions. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. City Of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting - 071ul 2020 VI. Parks and Leisure Services Committee Report Nick Robinson, Chair 1. Committee Report Nick Robinson, chair, gave the committee report. 2. Consider Approval of Expenditure for Recreation Hall Window Replacement MOTION by Nick Robinson, second by Justin Haschke, to approve funding for replacing windows in the Rec Hall. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. 3. Consider Approval of Amendment to the Airport Runway Extension Grant MOTION by Nick Robinson, second by Ricky Thurman, to approve the amendment to the Airport Runway Extension Grant. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. VII. Public Health and Safety Committee Brady Pendleton, Chair 1. Public Health and Safety Committee Report Brady Pendleton, chair, gave the committee report. 2. Consider Approval of a Mutual Aid Agreement for Fire Protection Services MOTION by Brady Pendleton, second by Mark McClinton, to approve a multi -agency Mutual Aid Agreement with all Erath County fire protection agencies. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. Vill. Personnel Committee Ricky Thurman, Chair 1. Personnel Committee Ricky Thurman, chair, gave the committee report. IX. Finance Committee Mark McClinton, Chair 1. Finance Committee Report Mark McClinton, chair, gave the committee report. X. MONTHLY BUDGET REPORT Monica Harris, Director of Finance, gave the following report: In reviewing the financial statements ending May 31, 2020, the financial indicators are as expected. Property Tax - We received $117K in property taxes in the month of May, resulting in a $357K or 5.95% increase over funds collected through May last fiscal year. The $6.36 million collected through May is 98.91% of budget, which is .11% more than the prior year collections of 98.80%. .... Sales Tax - We received $520K in sales tax in May, resulting in $19K or 3.52% less than the funds collected last May. We typically collect 66% to 68% of sales tax through May, the $4.27 million collected through May is 65% of the $6.57 million annual budget. City Of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting - 07 Jul 2020 HOT Funds - We received $215K in revenue in the Hotel Occupancy Tax fund through May, as compared to $311K in revenue through last May. We spent $115K in Hotel Occupancy Tax funds through May as compared to $299K last year. Both are a direct reflection of the impact of COVID- 19. Revenue (Budgetary comparison) - The target budget for operating revenue is $19.3 million. We received $20.8 million in revenue through May, resulting in $1.5 million over the target budget. This is a result of property taxes, which are billed October 1st and due by January 31st, franchise taxes, and insurance proceeds. Expenditures (Budgetary comparison) - The target budget for operating expenditures is $13.9 million. We expended $12.6 million through May resulting in $1.3 million under the target budget. Revenue (Prior year comparison) - Operating revenue received last year was $19.5 million as compared to the current year's $20.8 million, resulting in a $1.24 million increase due to service charges, property taxes, grants, and insurance proceeds. Expenditures (Prior year comparison) - Operating expenditures last year were $12.2 million as compared to the current year's $12.6 million, resulting in a $415K increase due to wages and benefits, training, maintenance, utilities, outside professionals, and marketing and grants for SEDA. New Programs Harbin Drive engineering has started. XI. Stephenville Type B Economic Development Authority Update Jeff Sandford, Executive Director, gave an update on the Stephenville Type B Economic Development Authority. XII. CONSENT 1. Approval of City Council Minutes • Regular City Council Meeting - 02 Jun 2020 • Special City Council Meeting - 16 Jun 2020 • Emergency City Council Meeting - 26 Jun 2020 • Council Work Session and Special City Council Meeting - 02 Jul 2020 2. Approval of Sale of City Property 3. Approval of Expenditure for Production Well Repair - Huey 1 MOTION by Mark McClinton, second by Alan Nix, to approve the consent agenda as presented. MOTION CARRIED by unanimous vote. XIII. Comments by City Manager Allen Barnes, City Manager, updated the council on ongoing projects and COVID-19 numbers. Mr. Barnes also recognized that July 4th was the 122nd year of the Stephenville Fire Department. City Of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting - 07 Jul 2020 XIV. Comments by Council members Mark McClinton wanted to reiterate a quote from Savion Washington - "if we all do our part, no one has to live in fear." Justin Haschke asked that everyone focus on what they can do to help and support Stephenville's economy. Nick Robinson reminded everyone to fill our their census. Ricky Thurman thanked Savion Washington for his positive message. He also thanked city staff for the way they continue to work for the residents of Stephenville. Alan Nix expressed his appreciation to the people of Stephenville for stepping forward to do their part to keep the community safe and remaining positive throughout the current situation. Gerald Cook thanked those who have been wearing their masks in public and thanked SEDA and the City for supplying PPE to those in the community. He thanked everyone for trying to do the right thing and protect themselves and their neighbors. Brandon Huckabee expressed his thanks to those who stepped up to serve on the city's Citizen Boards and Commissions. He encouraged everyone to keep a positive attitude through these trying times. Doug Svien recognized Chief Jimmy Chew for his many years of service to the Stephenville Fire Department. XV. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 6:27 p.m. pV S TF ®oug Svien, Mayor ATTEST: Staci L. King, City Secretary City Of Stephenville Regular City Council Meeting - 07 Jul 2020