HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 09.13.2011 CC-RIT fe • Y: eerrill e lee
of of - e'
Tuesday,-• e-2011
The City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor
George Garver presiding.
Council Present:
Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Pat Berryman, Tommy
Gonzalez, Troy Hellmann, Rachael Jonrowe
Council Absent:
Patty Eason
Staff Present:
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Bridget Chapman, Acting City Attorney; Jessica Brettle, City
Secretary; Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer; Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager; Elizabeth Cook,
Director of Community Development, Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service,
Terry Jones, Support Services Director, Robert Fite, Fire Chief; Glenn Dishong, Utility Director; Paul
Elkins, Energy Services Manager; Bill Dryden, Transportation Engineer; Ed Polasek, Director of
Transportation; David Thomison, Water Services Manager; Carl Benton, Planner II; Jordan Maddox,
Principal Planner
Minutes
Regular Session - To begin no earlier than 06:11 P
(Council may, at any time, recess the Regular Session to convene an Executive Session at the request of
the Mayor, a Councilmember, or the City Manager for any purpose authorized by the Open Meetings Act,
Texas Government Code Chapter 551.)
A Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Comments from the Mayor
- Welcome and Meeting Procedures
- Presentation of Proclamation in honor of Constitution Week
Mayor presented representatives from the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) with
a Proclamation in honor of Constitution Week. DAR Representative Richmond thanked the Council for the
proclamation.
- VFVV Presentation
Allin Still, Director of the local VFW Post, presented a POW/MIA flag to the Mayor for the City Council and the
City. He said the VFW would like to remember those that have served out country and have never have been
accounted for. Still spoke about the local VFW Post. He said they were recently voted the number one post in
the State of Texas as well as the number one post in the nation in District 3. He said they have a membership
of 950 members and he spoke more about their activities throughout the year. He thanked the City Council for
their attention to this matter.
City Council Regional Board Reports
- CAPCOG
Berryman said CAPCOG will be having its regional meeting tomorrow and she will have an update for the
Council at the next meeting.
-CAMPO
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 1 of 13 Pages
Mayor described the meeting that occurred last night and the amount of applications for funding they have
recently received. He noted the demand for funds is high.
- Lone Star Rail District
Eason was not present to speak about the Rail District.
City Manager Comments
Georgetown Airfest
National Night Out
Urban Farming Public Workshop
Mandatory Irrigation Restrictions
Action from Executive Session
There is no action out of Executive Session.
Public Wishing to Address Council
On a subject that is posted on this agenda: Please fill out a speaker registration form which can be found on the
table at the entrance to the Council Chamber. Clearly print your name and the letter of the item on which you wish to
speak and present it to the City Secretary on the dais, preferably prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called
forward to speak when the Council considers that item.
On a subject not posted on the agenda: Persons may add an item to a future City Council agenda by contacting the
City Secretary no later than noon on the Wednesday prior to the Tuesday meeting, with the subject matter of the
topic they would like to address and their name. The City Secretary can be reached at 512/930-3651.
B - Doug Smith regarding an update from the Palace Theatre
Smith thanked the City for their $8,000 grant to the Palace Theatre. He said they used the money for five plays
from May through December. He said the first one was Dirty, Rotten, Scoundrels. He said it was well received
and they took it to Austin to the State Theatre and they played there for two weeks. He said the second play
was Cabaret and the third was the Wizard of Oz which closed about a week ago. He said, on September 23,
they will presenting the show Beehive to the community. He thanked the community for allowing them to use the
Old Library for the children's program in the past. He thanked the City for everything they have done for the
Palace Theatre
- Fred Nothomb regarding a medical matter
Nothomb said he would like for the City to consider billing Medicare for Virginia's use of the indoor swimming
pool. He said he had to quit work in January when she had a stroke and they are living on two government
pensions. He said, if the City would consider this, he would appreciate it because they can not pay for the use
of the pool. Mayor asked and Nothomb said someone down at the swimming pool told him everyone needs to
pay. Mayor said the City Manager will see to it that a staff member contacts him.
Statutory Consent Agenda
The Statutory Consent Agenda includes non -controversial and routine items that Council may act on with
one single vote. A councilmember may pull any item from the Consent Agenda in order that the council
discuss and act upon it individually as part of the Regular Agenda.
C Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes of the Workshop and Regular Council Meeting held
on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 -- Jessica Brettle, City Secretary
D Discussion and possible approval of a representation agreement, between the City of Georgetown and Ercel
Brashear, pertaining to acquisition of real property for construction of a Westside Service Center -- Jim Briggs,
Assistant City Manager
E Consideration and possible action to appoint Amanda Parr to the Main Street Advisory Board, to fill a
vacancy, as recommended by the Mayor -- Mayor George Garver
F Consideration and possible action to appoint Susanne Raguse to the Main Street Advisory Board, to fill a
vacancy, as recommended by the Mayor -- Mayor George Garver
G Consideration
and possible
action to renew
the existing
School Resource Officer
agreement between the
Georgetown
Independent
School
District
and
the
City
of
Georgetown, Texas to
include
an amendment
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 2 of 13 Pages
to Attachment A (annual cost for program) of the agreement and signatures of current officials -- Wayne Nero,
Police Chief
H Consideration and possible action to adopt a resolution authorizing the City of Georgetown to participate in
an interlocal agreement with Region VIII Education Service Center for the purpose of participating in their
Interlocal Purchasing Cooperative Program, The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS/TAPS) -- Trina Bickford,
Purchasing Manager and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Consideration and possible action to approve standard Master Service Agreements for Surveyors and
Right -of -Way Acquisition Services --Bridget Chapman, Acting City Attorney and Trina Bickford, Purchasing
Manager
J Consideration and possible action to appoint Kevin Russell, director of Human Resources as District 10
Representative on the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool (TMLIEBP)
Board of Trustees -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service
Pulled to the Regular Agenda by Berryman for discussion.
K Consideration and possible action to approve Amendment No. 1 to the Airport Project Participation
Agreement between the City of Georgetown and the Texas Department of Transportation dated August 11,
2011 -- Ed Polasek, Director of Transportation and Sarah Hinton, Airport Manager
Motion by Meigs, second Hellmann to approve the item with the exception of item J, which was pulled to the
regular agenda for discussion. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
Legislative Regular Agenda
Council will individually consider and possibly take action on any or all of the following items:
J Consideration and possible action to appoint Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources as District 10
Representative on the Texas Municipal League Intergovernmental Employee Benefits Pool (TMLIEBP)
Board of Trustees -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service
Russell said he is currently on the TML Board and noted this item is just to put him back on the Board. He
noted there is no guarantee that the City would stay with TML, but if the City stays with TML it would be a benefit
to have City representation on the TML Board. He said if the City goes with another vendor, he will not be
serving on the Board any longer. He said the timing is such that we take a vote now. He said his allegiance is to
the City of Georgetown in making sure that we get the best benefits for our employees. He said he has never
been aligned to TML first.
Berryman asked and Russell said he is very involved in the RFP process. He said the RFP is currently posted
and he will be one of the employees that reviews all of the RF responses that come in. He said he has a 15
member employee benefit committee that reviews the RFPs with him as well. He said the committee is made
up of a cross section of the City. He described the entire RFP process for the City. Berryman said she has a
problem with this and noted the RFP process should be overseen by somebody who has no affiliation with the
people that are bidding. She noted she does not doubt that Russell is a good member on the Board, but she just
can not approve this. She said to her, this is all public monies and the employees need to be sure that there is
total transparency. Russell said he understands her concerns. He said he can assure the Council that it is all
about the employers instead of TML. Berryman said her concern is the RFP process internally within the City
that he oversees. Gonzalez said the concern he has is the conflict of interest and the impression that TML has
an unfair advantage because the City's Human Resources Director is on the Board.
Motion by Berryman, second Gonzalez to not proceed with this appointment at this time.
Meigs asked and Russell said it has been an advantage to the City having him on the Board. He said when he
is on the Board of the insurance company it will allow him to be able to pick up the phone and call the Executive
Director and say there is a problem, but noted that could be watered down if he wasn't on the Board. Meigs
asked and Russell said the health insurance industry has carriers that attend the same conferences. He said he
knows a lot of representatives that work for the other insurance companies and noted those individuals have
known all along that he has been on the Board. He said this has not limited other providers to respond to the
RFP. He said the City is always looking at bettering the City benefits. Meigs said it would be to Georgetown's
advantage to have Kevin remain on the Board if the City stays with TML. Berryman withdrew her motion.
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 3 of 13 Pages
Gonzalez withdrew his second.
Lotion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to approve the appointment. Approved 4-2 (Berryman, Gonzalez
opposed) (Eason absent)
L Final discussion and possible action on the 2011/12 Annual Budget and proposed reductions -- Micki
Rundell, Chief Financial Officer and Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg described the item and gave a brief Powerpoint Presentation over the history of the budget. He
said the revised budget is totaled at $178,271,253 and the total general fund budget is $39,698,050. He said the
previous shortfall was close to $1 million and, after the revised budget was approved, the shortfall is now at
$247,052. He provided Council with a summary of actions and budget reductions that Council made at the
special meeting on August 29, 2011. He said, in addition to the reductions, the council reviewed opportunities to
sell City facilities in the downtown area. He said the Council also approved the first reading of the ordinance
setting the tax rate at $0.38750. He said the Council also approved the first reading of the 2011/12 Annual
Budget. He summarized the actions to be taken at the meeting tonight.
Gonzalez said, based on the last discussion and the fact that we still have a shortfall of over $200,000 and
some of the savings are unpredictable and not realized, he would like to mention the rail district. He wants the
citizens to be involved and noted he would like to read off information from the Rail District website. He noted
he would like for this type of membership be placed on a ballot for the citizens so they can determine whether or
not the City should be a member. He read a summary from the Lone Star Rail District website. He said it seems
it is expected once a rail is feasible that the City will have to help pay for the construction of the rail and possible
stations. He said the city has given money to them and not received anything back yet. He said he would like
to put this on the ballot and take it out of Council's hands. He described LStar and said there is no estimate on
what this project will cost.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Berryman to remove the City's participation from the Lone Star Rail District
from the budget for future years until the citizens vote.
Jonrowe asked and Rundell said the City needs to approve a budget tonight. She said the City Council can
bring budget amendments back as they go through the year. Rundell said the City has to have a budget and,
what staff can do is remove or add items to the budget through budget amendments throughout the year as
Council wishes. Jonrowe asked and Rundell confirmed that the City Council can work on this throughout the
entire year. Brandenburg said the City needs to set the tax. He said the budget is always ongoing and the
revenue reports can be brought back to Council throughout the year. He said the revenue reports should not
hold up the passing of the budget. Jonrowe said she would hate to cut programs when the Council can look at
the budget from the fee side.
Motion by Jonrowe to add the funding from the Palace Theatre back into the budget. Motion failed for lack of
second.
Speaker Sid Covington, Chairman of the Board for the Lone Star Rail District, said he is sorry they missed the
last meeting. He said Georgetown was one of the first members of the Lone Star Rail District. He
complimented Patty Eason and her hard work on the Board. Covington said Georgetown has been instrumental
in the development of a lot of the Ordinances and policies and is a basis for the rail district other communities.
He spoke about the positive impacts this project will bring to the Georgetown community. He said Georgetown
has made a significant investment in the project. He said they value the City's membership in the district and
added they are in the middle of the environmental process. He said if the City is not a member during the
environmental process, it would be very expensive to get back in.
Speaker Joe Black, Operations Manager for the Lone Star Rail District, said he would like to go forward with this
project with Georgetown in the project. He said the City of Georgetown is not on the hook for the entire project.
He said they have an idea of how much it would cost and he described that it would be about $400 million for
the initial build of the system. He said, once the ridership grows, it would be an extra $400 million to bring the
project up to full build standard. He said they are updating those costs right now.
Speaker, Lalena Parkhurst, said she is grateful for the time that Council has put into the budget process and the
dedication to fiscal responsibility. She said, living in Georgetown, she feels like she is getting the best value
around. She thanked Council for raising taxes and she said it is strange to say that, but she understands the
difficult situation we are in and the need for it. She thinks cutting the money for the rail district would be very
short sighted. She said she is disappointed that some of these issues came into the scene at the last minute.
She noted she would like to say it was a difficult decision to cut the compensation for Council but noted she
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 4 of 13 Pages
appreciates the Council being willing to cut that for the short term needs of the City.
Speaker, Ross Hunter, said he is more interested in getting past this moment in tirne. He noted it is clear that
when staff brought this budget to Council, they brought council a balanced budget with a mild tax rate increase.
He said the staff bought the council an extra year. He summarized what was brought to the Council during the
budget process. He said the Council blinked at the last minute and took the extra year away from the citizens.
He said staff anticipated they would go into a whole year's worth of workshops with the Council to address the
budget. He said it seems the Council pulled all of the proposed budget cuts out of the air and noted it is all
arbitrary. He noted he wants to start seeing these workshops and added the whole town needs to be involved.
He said, somehow, the town needs to work together. He said he would like to see a public workshop and public
hearing on the subject of the membership on the rail district. He continued to express his concerns with this
budget process.
Speaker, Seiglinde Field, said she is here to address the issue about the tennis center. She said she came to
Georgetown in 1998 to play tennis and added she would just like to say that there is a lot going on at the tennis
center and noted it has improved tremendously. She said there has been a lot of improvement with the
children's programs at the tennis center as well. She asked that Council not cut any budget for the tennis center.
Speaker,
Rebecca
Gibson-Laemel, said she
loves the tennis center
and noted it
is financially accessible to
anyone in
the town.
She said she just
wants
to express her support
for the tennis
center.
Brandenburg said there were a
lot of things spoke
about
on August 29, 2011 and the tennis center did come up,
but the Council did not remove
any budget for the
tennis
center at that time.
Speaker, Brenda Latta, said she is also there in support of the tennis center.
Speaker, Dwight Richter, said his concern is about raising the tax rate. He said times are tough right now. He
said his home appraisal was 25% higher than the previous year when he understood they could only go up 10%.
He asked that Council be very careful with the city's money. He said he loves to live in Georgetown and noted
things just can't keep going up constantly. He said he would like to be involved in any future budget workshops
and get more involved. He said he does not see how Council can raise the tax rate during these economic
times.
Speaker, Barbara Owens, said she was part of the Parks and Recreation Board and she is now a member of
Parks Pals. She said there were cuts made to cut one day from each of the pools. She said pools are one of
the economic levelers and said citizens from the lowest economic system use the pools. She asked that the
City reframe their cut of the air conditioning for the Palace Theater as not a cut of theater, but of the air
conditioning units. She said she would like that to be framed slightly differently so that if others in the
community would like to get the $20,000 for air conditioning, they can do so. She spoke about rail and how the
people who vote against it have not lived in a city that had public rail. She said the Council does a great job.
She asked that Council consider bringing the pools back throughout the year.
Hellmann asked and Brandenburg said it would be possible to put it on the ballot. Hellmann said he would vote
to keep it in the budget until the people vote on that issue. Meigs said at this late hour, it is too hard to pull it
from the budget. He said further discussion on the rail district needs to happen and noted he suspects that this
will be expensive but, he is opposed to pulling that item at this time. He said this will give the Council a year for
a cost analysis. Sattler said he is opposed to the rail district at this time. He spoke about the current alternatives
to the rail district including SH 130 and an extensive bus system. He described the possible costs of the rail
district. He said we did not cut a lot of things from the budget but asked why the city still wants to keep $50,000
in the budget for just a wish. Berryman said Williamson County has a seat at the table at the Rail District and
noted she can't imagine the City losing all opportunity to be involved. She said the rail district falls somewhere in
the " I need it" category and not in the "gotta have it" category. She said $50,000 equates to somebody's job in
the City. She said she does not see the federal government jumping to the bandwagon of providing rail money
to the city. She noted she can see the need for it but noted reality has to keep in at some point. She said it
would not have been on the list if staff hadn't considered it as an expendable budget item. Jonrowe said she is
disappointed that Council is trying to politicize this right now. Jonrowe said it would be very expensive to pull out
of the Rail District now and then decide to join again later after all of the environmental testing was done. She
spoke about the many positive economic impacts the rail would bring to the area.
Gonzalez asked if we do get this rail station, how are people getting from the station to the rest of Georgetown.
He continued to speak about the commuter rail. He said ideally we are looking at a million dollar shortfall for
next year. He said, at the end of the day, the Council has to make tough choices about our economy and our
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 5 of 13 Pages
future. He said we are still looking at a quarter of a million dollar deficit with the budget cuts they have just
decided to make. He said we have 17 positions frozen throughout the city, which is less services we are
providing to the community. He said he is supporting a tax raise against every fiber of his being to protect
against the shortfall for next year. He said it is about being fiscally responsible. He noted he did not come here
to be a life long politician but noted he is here to serve Georgetown and do what is for the best for the City. He
said, even without the rail, the City is still a couple of hundred thousand dollars short. There were many
comments from Gonzalez.
Vote on the motion to remove the Rail District from the budget: Tied 3-3 (Hellmann, Meigs, Jonrowe
opposed) (Eason absent) Mayor broke the tie and opposed the motion. Motion failed.
Mayor said to raise this issue at this moment in time is too late in the process. He said last night he learned that
there has been some indication that the rail company who has to be partner to make this happen is
reconsidering its participation. He continued to speak about why he voted in favor of this item.
M Second Reading of an Ordinance levying a tax rate for the City of Georgetown for the tax year 2011 -- Micki
Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Rundell described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to move the adoption of a property tax rate of $0.38750 of which 0.22290
will be for Maintenance and Operations and $0.16460 is for interest and sinking.
Gonzalez
said, based
on this
Council's feeling that the budget
is not important, that the council should consider
lessening
the
tax rate
if
the
it
feels
there
is extra money
in the
budget.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Berryman made a substitute motion that the tax rate be moved back by a half
penny.
Mayor asked and Chapman clarified that the first motion must be voted on unless it is withdrawn.
Gonzalez withdrew his motion.
Berryman said she will not be supporting this. Sattler said he is not in support of this and said he hopes that we
take the tax rate down even further than the half cent proposed by Gonzalez. He said it would like to take it
down a full cent. Meigs said he supports the tax rate since it is the rate that has been discussed since May of
this year. He noted the big majority of this tax increase is due to the bonds voted on by the citizens. He added
the tax rate is the lowest in the area. Hellmann said he agrees with Gonzalez in that he hates raising taxes but
noted the only thing that makes it easier for him to approve the raise is that the majority of these increase was
voter approved. He said there needs to be some sort of caution in how we raise taxes and he feels the city has
been very cautious and the majority is voter approved. He said he can not see how playing games with this is
any good. He noted he would hate to do something that would limit the City's options until they see what the
people want. He said he does not want to increase taxes but if it comes down to choosing between jobs and
this tax rate, he has a hard time. He said he is willing to vote for the tax rate so that we are responsible and not
facing a million dollar shortfall and another tax increase in the out year.
Gonzalez said the proposed half cent reduction is for the portion that is not voter approved. Jonrowe said she
would like to support the tax rate that Rundell proposed. Berryman begged her Council members to consider
that the half cent tax increase was not voter approved. She said the City found $400,000 in cuts and the
Council should give something back to its citizens.
Vote on the original motion to approve the Second Reading of the Ordinance (2011-34) on the tax rate:
Tied 3-3 (Berryman, Gonzalez, Sattler opposed) (Eason absent) Mayor broke the tie and voted in favor the
motion. Motion Approved.
N Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution ratifying the property tax increase included in
the 2011112 Annual Budget and acknowledging that the 2011 tax rate will raise more revenue from property
taxes than the previous year -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Rundell described the item and read the caption of the Resolution.
Motion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to approve the Resolution.
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 6 of 13 Pages
Vote on the motion to approve the Resolution: Tied 3-3 (Berryman, Gonzalez, Sattler opposed) (Eason
absent) Mayor broke the tie and voted in favor the motion. Motion Approved.
O Second Reading of an Ordinance adopting the 2011/12 City of Georgetown Annual Budget for the fiscal
year beginning October 1, 2011, and ending September 30, 2012 -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Rundell described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to approve the Second Reading of the Ordinance (2011-35) on the
budget.
Vote on the motion: 5-1 (Berryman opposed) (Eason absent)
P Second Reading of an Ordinance amending § 2.08.010 "Administrative Divisions and Departments" of the
Georgetown Code of Ordinances -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Rundell described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance. She said this is required by the City's
Charter.
Motion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to approve Ordinance 2011-36. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
Q Consideration and possible action to provide direction to staff on whether or not to continue the architectural
selection process for the amphitheater project -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director and Micki Rundell,
Chief Financial Officer
This item was pulled from the agenda by staff.
R Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution authorizing Social Service Funding Agreements
between the City of Georgetown and Assistance League of Georgetown Area, Bluebonnet Trails
Community MHMR Center -PRIDE Early Childhood Intervention, Capital Area Rural Transportation
System, Faith In Action Caregivers - Georgetown, Georgetown Caring Place dba The Caring Place,
Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County, Inc., Light Texas, Inc., Literacy Council of Williamson
County, Lone Star Circle of Care, Senior Center at Stonehaven, Williamson -Burnet County Opportunities
Inc., and Williamson County Crisis Center dba Hope Alliance, and for these agencies and organizations to
continue to provide services for the citizens of Georgetown -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg reviewed this item and the Social Service agreements for the Council.
Motion by Sattler, second by Hellmann to approve the Resolution. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
S Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution authorizing Youth Program Funding Agreements
between the City of Georgetown and the Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown, the Georgetown Cultural
Citizens Memorial Association, the Georgetown Partners in Education, the Georgetown Project; and the
Getsemani Community Center, and for these agencies and organizations to provide services for the citizens of
Georgetown -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Motion by Sattler, second by Hellmann to approve the Resolution. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
T Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution authorizing a funding agreement between the
City of Georgetown and the Williamson County and Cities Health District for this agency to continue to
provide services for the citizens of Georgetown -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg described the item said this is the annual contract the City has with the Williamson County and
Cities Health District.
Motion by Sattler, second by Hellmann to approve the Resolution. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
U Consideration and possible action to approve the Emergency Service Organization Agreement between
Williamson County and Williamson County Emergency Service Organizations -- Bridget Chapman, Acting
City Attorney and Robert Fite, Fire Chief
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 7 of 13 Pages
Chapman said this is the contract Council discussed earlier in the evening in Executive Session.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Sattler to approve the agreement. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
V Consideration and possible action regarding drought conditions and additional actions required by the
drought contingency plan -- Glenn Dishong, Utility Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager
Briggs described the item and said a memorandum has been put into the packet regarding an update on the
drought. He said for the folks that may not have seen the memo, the context of it is the intensity of this drought
could become the new drought of record. He said, in the last hundred years since records have been kept, this
drought cycle is probably approaching the most severe.
He said it does raise the level of concern to the fact that some of the statistical information available through the
state will provide indications looking forward with the growth and the amount of people within the state and how
long we can sustain this level of growth. He said the drought of 1987 and 1989 cost an estimated $39 billion and
affected 70% of the US population. He noted the early stages of this drought has cost the state $4.1 to $3.8
billion in losses respectively. He said experts expect this drought could equal about $9 billion in losses. He said
approximately $30 billion will be needed in future water supply projects. He said the water development board
predicts that our failure to meet water customer needs could cost Texas $100 billion by 2060. He said water is
key to what we do and we are fortunate that this community started planning for water in the 1980s to meet the
demand for its projected growth. He said the City has planned out and has enough water to meet its CCN
needs. He said we are in a serious drought and the agriculture community is suffering greatly. He said the City
is currently about 23 inches below normal. He said, without rainfall, next summer will be much worse than this
summer.
With a Powerpoint Presentation, Dishong provided the Council with the current drought conditions. He showed
Council a picture of Texas demonstrating the current conditions. He said virtually the entire state is in drought.
He showed Council a graph of the levels of Lake Georgetown. He said Georgetown, Round Rock, Brushy Creek
and Chisholm Trails use the lake and he described how those entities use the water supply. He said we are
about three feet above the level that would require the City to go into Phase Two. He showed Council a graph
of the monthly average aquifer level. He said, as the dry weather persisted, the aquifer has continually lowered.
He noted, however, the controlled release out of Lake Georgetown has helped sustain the City's wells and
prevented the Phase Two trigger. He noted the City has sustained a high level of demand, but note there have
not been particularly high days. He gave council an overview of the system operations. He said Lake
Georgetown is nearing Phase Two trigger and said the lake level will recover as water demand drops through
the winter. He said, because of where we are now with the ground water supply and lake hanging in there just
above its trigger, staff is recommending the implementation of the drought plan Stage Two. He said, under stage
two, there is two day per week irrigation limitation and more restrictive outdoor water use. He said conservation
rates will continue throughout the period when drought plan and phase two is in effect. He said they would exit
the phase 2 plan when there is a rain event that recharges the Edwards Aquifer and Lake Georgetown. He said
staff is recommending going forward and implementing Phase Two in an effort to prepare the City for a
continuance of the drought. He said customers will all receive a Phase Two notice in addition to what they are
seeing tonight. He said folks are going to have to reprogram their controllers in order to spread the demand out
throughout the week.He said Mondays are still a non -irrigation day and the remaining six days is spread to
include two days per household irrigation. Jonrowe asked and Dishong said the Ordinance provides for
variances in health and safety situations. Jonrowe asked and Dishong said a person can go and apply for a
variance if a person relies on water for their food supply. Jonrowe asked and Briggs said the City has looked
into treating wastewater for potable water. He said the City uses that type of water for irrigation of the parks and
golf courses. Sattler asked and Dishong said you can water with a handheld hose or bucket at any time. There
were many questions and much discussion regarding the City's water supply. Sattler asked and Briggs said the
City must make an amendment to the current Ordinance before implementing Phase Two. Sattler asked and
Briggs said staff is looking for concurrence from Council to move forward with Phase Two of the plan.
Motion by Sattler, second by Meigs to approve moving forward with initiating Phase Two of the Drought
Contingency Plan. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
W Discussion and possible direction to staff regarding the feasibility of municipal corporations for utilities --
Pat Berryman, Councilmember District 5
This item was pulled from the agenda.
X Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution to support of the Georgetown Cycling Challenge
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Page 8 of 13 Pages
, including a cycling race in Downtown Georgetown in 2012, and designate it as a City -sponsored event --
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Mayor described the item and said the proposal for the Cycling Challenge was presented to Council at today's
Workshop session. He described the event for the City Council.
Motion by Sattler, second by Hellmann to approve the Resolution.
Brandenburg briefly described the event for the audience. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
Y Forwarded from the Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation (GTEC):
Discussion and possible action to approve a Discretionary Service Agreement with Oncor Electric Delivery
Company, LLC, for relocation of Oncor's electric facilities which are in conflict with the proposed
construction of Southeast Arterial One from Maple Street to SH 130 in an amount of $300,000.00 -- Edward G.
Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services Director and Bill Dryden, P. E., Transportation Engineer
Polasek said this is an item with ONCOR for the relocation of Oncor's electric facilities. He said the City needs to
have an agreement with ONCOR to fund those improvements. He said they budgeted it at $400,000 and
received unanimous approval from the GTEC Board.
Motion by Berryman, second by Gonzalez to approve. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
Z Forwarded from the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board (GTAB):
Consideration and possible action to approve Task Order No. KCIA1-002 with Kennedy Consulting, Ltd., of
Georgetown, Texas, for professional engineering services related to the DB Wood Road Improvements at
Proposed Fire Station No. 5 in the amount of $117,900.00 -- Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation
Services Director and Bill Dryden, P.E., Transportation Engineer
Polasek described the item and said this is related to the DB Wood improvements. He described the
improvements that would be made under this contract.
Motion by Meigs, second by Berryman to approve the task order.
Sattler asked
and Polasek said the City
used the
same consulting
firm on both
items Z and AA because
Kennedy did
the original improvements
and staff
considers this an
extension of
that
project.
Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
AA Forwarded from the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board (GTAB):
Consideration and possible action to approve Task Order No. KCIA1-003 with Kennedy Consulting, Ltd., of
Georgetown, Texas, for professional engineering services related to the Shell Road Intersection
Improvements at Bellaire Drive/Westbury Lane in the amount of $156,100.00 -- Edward G. Polasek, AICP,
Transportation Services Director and Bill Dryden, P.E., Transportation Engineer
Polasek described the item and said this is to do the design and construction management of a turn lane being
necessitated by the new McCoy Elementary School. He said GTAB recommends moving forward but noted
they have concerns about the costs. He said the project shows that a left turn lane would have to be built from
the southwest bound traffic on DB Wood road. He showed Council a map of this project. He said the school is
expected to be open this time next year and there is a conflict with school traffic coming from Shell Road from
the Beery Creek area as well as the traffic for the Village Elementary located off of Sycamore. He said the city
has to get the turn lanes in place so we do not have conflicts during the AM and PM peaks. He said one mile
further to the north there is a Shell Road improvement that is necessitated from this and will be the county's
responsibility. He spoke about a middle school being built in the area and what additional improvements will be
needed. He reviewed the cost of the initial design. He said the City does not currently have a funding sources.
Rundell said there is not a current funding source for this project. She said if the Council moves forward with
this project, she would come forward with a bond reimbursement resolution saying the city may issue bonds in a
future date. She noted that would be a last minute decision. Mayor asked if it would be okay to put it on the next
agenda for further discussion. Brandenburg said the bigger issue is the ongoing planning and communication
with the school district. He spoke about when the school revises a plan, it changes the traffic impacts. He said
the City assumes a $1 million cost without any official plans. He said the City should enter into an agreement
with the school district ahead of time for these type of things. Sattler asked about what would happen if this
doesn't get funded. Brandenburg spoke about the complaints and the safety issues that would occur if the City
City Council Meeting Minutest
Page 9 of 13 Pages
did not do this. Mayor said, without a real opportunity to factor in what our responsibilities are for this project, we
are suddenly saddled with another $1 million of cost that has not been projected for this next fiscal year.
Gonzalez said and staff agreed that the school's planning is now our deficit. Gonzalez said it seems there is no
solution out of this problem. Hellmann asked and Rundell said the City has a little over $100,000 rolling off from
this year. Sattler asked and Rundell confirmed they have to fund the new public safety facility as well. Rundell
said fire and their needs and costs have already been addressed. Mayor said the school district has additional
schools they are planning to build and they have not chosen locations. Jonrowe asked how this could be
avoided in the future. Brandenburg said there was no breakdown in communication but noted the assumption is
if the problem is off school property, it is not their problem. Briggs spoke about TIA requirements. Chapman said
the legislature just added an additional provision in the law that clarified that school districts may agree to pay
for improvements like this if it is a benefit to the school property. Gonzalez said, at the end of the day, all he is
asking for is a chance to budget for it. Polasek said when the school came in for development review, it did not
trigger a TIA study under the City's requirements. He said when the middle school comes in, it will trigger a TIA
study. Brandenburg said all of that is flawed because it is based on people taking buses to school. He said the
use of buses going to school is declining.
Motion by Meigs, Berryman to approve the task order.
Berryman asked and Polasek said the alternative is to receive complaints with citizens. Berryman asked and
Brandenburg said we don't really have an option.
Approved 5-1 (Sattler opposed) (Eason absent)
BB Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action regarding CCN transfer requests from Chisholm Trail Special Utility
District (CTSUD) customers in the CTSUD CCN -- Glenn Dishong, Utility Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant
City Manager
Briggs said this issue came up after there was a request from the Shady Oaks neighborhood that the Council
consider serving them water. He said, rather that looking at one neighborhood, staff decided to look at all
neighborhoods that they could transfer service to. He said taking on these particular areas requires the City to
leverage the current rate base and our current supplies while we wait and find the opportunity to acquire
additional supplies to cover the areas that might get picked up. He spoke about the pros and cons to securing
water for these new properties. He said the City needs about 12,000 acre feet of water to service the additional
areas that have been identified. He said this would put the City back in the water shopping business. He said
the City would be counting on the fact that major users would be giving up that water when they are doing to
system contracts. He said the City will have new electric generating plants coming on soon as well, which uses
a lot of water. He noted there are some entities that are completely out of water throughout the state. He said, to
a lot of folks, Georgetown is considered water rich. He noted Georgetown would be less likely to receive water if
they ask for it, so it is a risk to add these areas to our service. He said the areas that Dishong will describe and
the areas that might be considered is a small sliver of what comprises the CCN known as Chisholm Trail.
Sattler asked and Briggs said they are asking for direction to put it together and start negotiations with Chilsolm
to transfer service territory. Briggs said staff has evaluated which properties are preferred and staff has a
recommendation for Council to consider. Gonzalez said the issue is what we can service for what cost.
Dishong described how staff evaluated these areas to see if it would be possible to serve water for them. He
showed Council a graph demonstrating the current water CCN. Mayor asked and Dishong said CCN stands for
"Certificate of Convenience and Necessity", which means it is the area where the City is allowed to serve and no
one else is allowed to serve that area. Dishong described the current service area and said it is about 45,452
acres, or 70 square miles. He said Chisholm Trail has one third of the water supply but 5 times the amount of
service area. He showed Council number demonstrating what the City's total build out would be. He showed
Council a chart demonstrating the areas that the City may be able to serve. He said the areas in lime green
made sense to staff and added the red areas means that there are some connections to Chisholm Trail and it is
not recommended to bring in to the City. He said, in the case of Shady Oaks, it made sense to move that area
into the City. Dishong reviewed the staff recommendations for Council. He said some of these areas would
require the purchase of existing equipment from Chisholm Trail. He described the areas for which staff is
recommending Chisholm Trail retain service.
Briggs said if someone came in to develop to an urban level standard on some of these properties, there would
not be proper water service level to develop. He noted this is why they are recommending taking over some of
these areas. He speaking about the current ISO rating and how better water service will protect and improve
that rating during growth. Briggs said the GUS Board looked at this at length and noted it was not a unanimous
vote. Mayor asked and Briggs said, rather than taking just one neighborhood, the staff wanted to look at the
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Pagel 0 of 13 Pages
entire area in its full context so they can take in new areas all at once. He noted it is up to the Council to decide
if we want to include some of these areas with our service. Mayor asked and Briggs said the GUS Board did not
address annexation because that is a function of the Council. Brandenburg said, while we are talking about
bringing areas into the CCN, that does not necessarily mean they will be brought into the City. He noted, while
we may add these to the City's CCN, the City has to ask what benefit will come from doing that. Hellmann asked
and Briggs said he has not thought about how you would pay for the new extra acre feet of water the city will
need. He said, historically, all users would pay for that extra water supply. Hellmann asked and Briggs confirmed
it could raise rates for the Georgetown rate payers until development in those areas pays for itself. There were
many questions.
Hellmann said he thinks it is a good idea to move forward and investigate this. He said this could mean a good
value to the City's sales tax. He said he thinks it is a good investment for the future but he is curious and
cautious about the impact to the citizens. Meigs said he is concerned with the current rate payers. He noted we
have to do this as good neighbors to help these folks find water, but he is also worried about the City's current
supply. Sattler said all we are asking for is the opportunity to evaluate these at this time, but not to absolutely
commit to serving the areas. Berryman spoke about the water supply and said the ramifications here are very
serious. She asked if we would get to a point where it would be prohibitive for folks to use our water. Briggs said
he does not think we would get to that point. Jonrowe said her brother just bought a house in Pflugerville and
added his last bill was over 250 dollars. She said she thinks water is not expensive enough and citizens are
taking it for granted. Jonrowe asked and Briggs confirmed the City will be reviewing water rates soon. Jonrowe
asked and Dishong said there is no additional surface water available at this time. He said the BRA has a pan
for conjunctive use. Briggs spoke about how a Special Utility District (SUD) like Chisholm Trail is allowed to
charge taxes if they so choose. Gonzalez said water is an economic resource and, at the end of the day, it is
going to come down to a cost analysis versus the benefits to the City. There was much discussion.
Mayor
spoke about how this
year's drought was
different from the
drought of two
years ago. Mayor asked and
Briggs
said
the 40,000
water
meters
is
the
total
number
of
meters
between
water
and
electric.
Speaker, Delton Robinson, Chairman of the Shady Oaks Water Ad Hoc Committee thanked Council for letting
him address them. He said they sent a couple of scathing letters to TCEQ suggesting that they given them help
and support to resolve the water difficulty they have. He said they would be very happy to have that 30 feet of
water to their property. He noted they will be more than happy to go to the twice a week watering scheduled. He
thanked the Fire Department for coming out and making sure they have fire flow. He said Briggs and Dishong
have done a sterling job with this issue. He said they would like to hear a favorable response back from the
Council.
Speaker, David Wolf, applauded leaders from the past that have the forethought and thinking for providing for
long range plans. He said he has a unique piece of property on Williams Drive, between HEB and Sun City. He
said his property is completely in the City limits and would like a continuity of service at this development. He
requested that Council agree to pursing the transfer of these CCNs. He noted they are in the process of
developing on the property and he is looking to get water service. He said his intentions are to get his track
transferred to City service.
Motion by Berryman, second by Sattler to move forward with the recommendation from staff to explore the
opportunities and options. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
CC Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to award the Annual Electric System Overhead Construction and
Maintenance Bid to various vendors in the estimated amount of $1,410,000.00 -- Paul Elkins, Energy Services
Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Elkins described the
item and said it is for
a bid for
our overhead
construction and maintenance. He said the
City had six bidders
and one withdrawal.
He said it
is a four year
annual contract.
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve the award of bid. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
DD Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to award the bid for the purchase of two (2) scheduled replacement
service buckets from Altec, Inc. of Creedmoor, NC in the total amount of $237,192.00 -- Paul Elkins, Energy
Services Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Elkins said these two buckets are on an annual replacement. He said they are about ten years old. He showed
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 11 of 13 Pages
Council
a picture of what a service bucket
looks
like and noted the two trucks we currently have are 10 years old
and the
normal vehicle replacement cycle
is 6-8
month delivery cycle.
Motion by Sattler, second Hellmann to approve.
Hellmann asked and Elkins said the old trucks are sold in auction. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
EE Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to award the bid for the purchase of a digger derrick from Altec, Inc. of
Creedmoor, NC in the amount of $175,614.00 -- Paul Elkins, Energy Services Manager and Glenn Dishong,
Utility Director
Elkins showed Council a picture of the truck that is up for purchase in this item. He described how a digger
derrick is used.
Motion by Sattler, Hellmann to approve the award of bid. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
FF Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to amend the contract with the Brazos River Authority (BRA) for the
management, operation, and maintenance of the City's wastewater treatment plants for the period starting
October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012 with an operating budget of $1,625,101.00 -- David Thomison,
Water Services Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Thomison said this contract is for a period of five years and noted this is the third amendment of that contract.
He said staff recommends approval of the amendment.
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve the contract. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
GG Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility Systems (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to amend the contract with the CH2M HILL OMI (OMI) for the
management, operation, and maintenance of the City's water treatment plants for the period starting
October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012 with an operating budget of $1,690,255.70 -- David Thomison,
Water Services Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Thornison
said this
is
a fiver year contract which started October 1, 2008. He said the term of the contract is for
the Clty to
provide
for
an annual amendment each year.
Motion by Sattler, Hellmann to approve the amendment. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
HH Second Reading of an Ordinance approving the Redistricting of the City's Single -Member Council Districts
And Establishing New District Boundary Lines Based On 2010 Census Data for Georgetown City Council
Elections; Directing the City's Redistricting Consultant to Submit the Adopted Plan for Preclearance Under
Section 5 of the Federal Voting Rights Act; and Providing for an Effective Date --Bridget Chapman, Acting City
Attorney
Chapman described the item read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Jonrowe, second by Berryman to approve Ordinance 2011-37. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
II Second Reading of an Ordinance rezoning Georgetown High School Subdivision and 5.0 acres in the A.
Flores Survey from Agriculture (AG) District and Residential Single -Family (RS) to Public Facility (PF) District
for the expansion of the Georgetown High School, located at 2211 N. Austin Avenue -- Carla Benton,
Planner II and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director
Benton reviewed the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Hellmann, second by Berryman to approve Ordinance 2011-38. Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
JJ Second Reading of an Ordinance rezoning 47.42 acres from Agriculture (AG) District to Planned Unit
Development (PUD) District to be known as Sun City Neighborhood 56 -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal
Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 12 of 13 Pages
Cook said she is substituting for Maddox. She read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Meigs, Gonzalez to approve Ordinance 2011-39,
Sattler asked if the City has resolved all of the issues up there concerning the September floods.
Approved 6-0 (Eason absent)
KK Discussion and possible action
on the
performance review process and format for the
City
Manager --
Danny Meigs, Councilmember
District
3 and Kevin Russell, Director of Human
Resources
and
Civil Service
This item was pulled from the agenda.
LL Consideration and possible action regarding modifications to the City Attorney job description and
qualifications and the process for the appointment of a new City Attorney -- Kevin Russell, Director of
Human Resources and Civil Service and Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
No action or discussion took place on this item.
Motion by Berryman, second by Sattler to adjourn.
Meeting adjourned at 10:42 PM
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 10:42 PM.
Secretary Jessica Brettle
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 13 of 13 Pages