HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 09.27.2011 CC-RMinutes of the Meeting of the Governing Body
of the City of Georgetown, Texas
Tuesday,® •
The City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor
George Garver presiding.
Council Present: Council Absent:
Patty Eason, Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Pat All Council Present.
Berryman, Tommy Gonzalez, Troy Hellmann,
Rachael Jonrowe
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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, Glenn Dishong, Utility Director; Carla Benton, Planner II; Terry
Jones, Support Services Director; David Thomison, Water Services Manager; Paul Elkins, Energy
Services Manager; Rachel Osgood, Environmental Services Coordinator; Kathy Ragsdale,
Environmental and Conservation Services Director; Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager; Ed
Polasek, Transportation Services Director; Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil
Service
Minutes
Regular Session - To begin no earlier than 06:00 PIVI
(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 -- Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:08 PM
Pledge of Allegiance
Comments from the Mayor
- Welcome and Meeting Procedures
City Council Regional Board Reports
-CAPCOG
Berryman said she does not have a report this month.
-CAMPO
Mayor said he is privileged to represent the City on this Board. He said there was a public hearing last night for
requests of CAMPO for funding of roads, sidewalks and another number of items. He noted the list of people
requesting funds far outweighs the actual dollars.
- Lone Star Rail District
Eason said the next meeting of the Executive Committee will be Friday, October 7, 2011 and added she is
extending a formal invitation to all of her colleagues on the City Council to attend the meeting with her.
City Manager Comments
Georgetown Airfest
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 1 of 10 Pages
National Night Out
Water Restrictions
Action from Executive Session
Motion by Eason, second by Berryman to increase the stipend for assignment to Acting City Attorney to a
payment of $1,764.50 per month. Approved 7-0
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 - As of the deadline, no persons were signed up to speak on items other than what was posted on the agenda.
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, September 13, 2011 -- Jessica Brettle, City Secretary
D Consideration and possible action to approve an amendment to an annexation development agreement,
allowing for the removal of land from an agreement on property identified as Tax ID number R040756,
located at the southwest corner of Wolf Ranch Parkway and West University Avenue -- Bridget Chapman,
Acting City Attorney and Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner
E Consideration and
possible action to
approve
a
Lease Agreement between
the City and Celebration Church
of the Albertson's
Building for the
storage
of
donations to fire victims --
Paul E. Bradenburg, City Manager
F Consideration and possible action to approve a Master Services Agreement with Camp Dresser & McKee
Inc. of Austin, Texas, for professional engineering services -- Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Motion by Berryman, second by Hellmann to approve the consent agenda in its entirety. Approved 7-0
Council will individually consider and possibly take action on any or all of the following items:
G Public Hearing and possible action on a Second Amendment of the Development Agreement for Cimarron
Hills, located on State Highway 29 West -- Carla Benton, Planner II and Elizabeth Cook, Community
Development Director (action required)
Benton said this is a second amendment to the development agreement for Cimarron Hills. She said their
current agreement had a concept plan attached to it, which has expired. She said in order for them to continue
platting, they will need to amend the development agreement. She said this amendment addresses only a
couple of additional lots. She said the remainder of the property that is undeveloped will come back to Council at
a later date. She said they are proposing to come in to the City's current standards, including the preservation of
Heritage Trees. She said the two sections they are developing have a significant number of heritage trees
which will be preserved by this amendment. She said it is a low density residential under the future land use
plan. She said, while they are going to more urban sized lots, they will be meeting the City's other standards as
well. She said the 606 lots that was part of the original development agreement is still what the development
agreement is under this amendment. She said they will be meeting the UDC for all the standards. She said the
City's UDC has standards that are much better and more appropriate in that it is the City's desire to see them
develop under current standards. She said this application went to the Planning and Zoning Commission and
was recommended for approval unanimously. She said there were no public speakers at that meeting.
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Motion by Berryman, second by Gonzalez to approve the amendment.
Public Hearing was opened at 6:36 PM
No persons were present to speak.
Public Hearing was closed at 6:36 PM
Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
H Public Hearing and First Reading of an Ordinance for a Rezoning of 44.54 acres from the Agriculture (AG)
District to Planned Unit Development (PUD) District, to be known as Sun City Neighborhood Fifty -- Jordan
J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director (action required)
Maddox described the item and said this Ordinance is for a new Sun City subdivision and added it was
approved unanimously by the Planning and Zoning Commission. He read only the caption of the Ordinance
after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter.
Public Hearing was opened at 6:38 PM
No persons were present to speak.
Public Hearing was closed at 6:38 PM
Motion by Hellmann, second by Berryman to approve the Ordinance on first reading.
Sattler asked and Maddox said all
of the issues related to
the flooding in that area are
being addressed right
now. Thomison said they brought
an outside contractor to
look at the issues and Pulte
has agreed in writing to
make the it provements. Vote on
the motion: Approved
7-0
Discussion and possible direction to staff regarding the feasibility of municipal corporations for utilities --
Pat Berryman, Councilmember District 5
Berryman said, last Spring, this concept was introduced to her. She noted it was put on the Council project list
and studied by staff. She said, during that interim time, Jim Briggs has been looking at this issue. She said she
hoped that Briggs would be able to speak to this issue tonight and give Council an idea of what that might look
like. She said she would like to look into having us go forward with this taking shape within the City. She said
she has concerns that the City's "three legged stool" that is financially balancing us is getting a little wobbly at
being able to support us. She said our major source of income seems to be the utility and she would like to look
at how best to utilize those funds in the utility. Mayor asked and Berryman said she would like to see what
Briggs has found with his research. She said there are cities like College Station who did not set aside enough
money for the utility and, at some point when they needed something for the utility, they had to go out and take
out debt for those items. She said we are in a very serious situation with our water and electrical power and
added Briggs and his staff have done an excellent job servicing the City's needs. She noted, there were many
major items at the last meeting related to the utility and the Council is not as knowledgeable as the GUS Board.
She said, frankly, the GUS Board is running our utilities. She said she would like to run the utilities like a
business to protect our utility needs in the future.
Brandenburg spoke about the history of this issue. Brandenburg expressed some of the concerns that the City
has with this idea of Council being ready to give up the authority. He spoke about the many questions he has on
this subject. He noted, if this is something the City wants to pursue, it will take some time to analyze and study
it. He said this is a more complex issue than it seems. Briggs said he thinks Brandenburg encapsulated some of
the items he would like to share with Council. He said, previously, this came up as a full blown corporation and
he prepared a white paper dealing with that issue which was delivered to Council. He said there are other
entities that deal with certain issues that are in existence that could be explored that don't have some of
limitations associated with the legal issues of debt. He said some entities such as New Braunfels, Denton and
Bryan are completely different utilities with different staff. She spoke about why Council need to be leery about
those type of situations. He said there are ways to establish some governance levels, utilizing the Board to keep
tabs on some of the utility functions that may be beneficial. He said there are different models out there for
different needs. He said he is generally not a big advocate of a separate corporation of this because of the cost
for this and the transfers to the general fund. He said we are a growing utility and one of the larger medium
sized public power facilities in the state. He said the City is in the top ten of seventy two utility owned
City Council Meeting Minutes/
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communities in the State. He said we need to make sure we continue to take care of that asset.
Gonzalez said one of the reasons he got involved in the City, is because he saw what a City can do to itself
when it owns its own utility. He said the Council needs to discuss the protection of our utilities to make sure that
our infrastructure needs will be met without heavy burdens being placed on the end users because of lack of
planning. Sattler said he is in agreement with what Briggs has said. He said he does not think we need to go to
a municipal corporation but added there is something we can do something in between. He said there are a
number of things that go to the GUS Board and the Board gets into the bowels of what these deals are and a lot
of questions are asked. He said there are some discussions on that board that are in depth and he challenges
anyone to find a better Board. He said, whenever staff presents to GUS, they are asked extensive questions
about each project and the financing. He said he would like to see a next step. Sattler said if we can move to
the point where the items that are approved by the GUS Advisory Board would not have to be brought to the
Council unless it is absolutely necessary. He said he thinks we should take the next step in looking at some type
of entity that can go a little further than what is normally in the GUS municipal system. He said he is looking
forward to seeing what Briggs can bring forward as a recommendation. Meigs said he is open to listening and
added he has a lot of questions on why this is an important issue. He said he is not a utility guy and asked why
this came up as an issue. He asked what current issues we are having which would bring up this questions. He
said he has a lot of questions on how this would effect the stability of the City. Hellmann said he agrees and
noted he just needs some more information. Eason said she supports looking into this but added she thinks
some of the issues that need to be dealt with are the problem with timing for being able to be proactive instead
of reactive with a lot of the issues that come forward in the utility system related to everything from buying power
to the timing of contracts. She said she definitely wants to see what will be presented in terms of possibilities
and expect that the Council is ultimately responsible for whatever this Board would do. She noted she also likes
the idea of taking the politics out of the decisions that are made on this Board.
Motion by Berryman, second by Sattler to ask staff to come back with different models and plans that would
address these issues.
Berryman said she has some reservations about this because some of the issues that have come up recently
regarding water procurement. She noted she sees as we go through these events, they are changing our utility
world. She said, as we begin to address all of the issues out there, we need to have a very proactive board. She
noted she does question Council having the ability to approve these type of items because we are not familiar
with these issues. She said, for Council, they rely greatly on the GUS Board already. Briggs said he would bring
back a couple of plans that are out there and added he will also have a recommended plan based on the
Georgetown plan. Mayor said, as a society, the citizens elect the Council to represent them. He noted, if the
Council gives some of that responsibility to a Board who is not elected by the public, it may forfeit some
oversight. He mentioned that some of the current Council members are also sitting on GUS and the dangers of
removing some Council members from those Boards. He said he knows nothing that has happened over the last
three years that would have jeopardized the City or handicapped GUS in any way. Berryman said no one has
suggested that the Council members leave the Board. She noted no one has made that suggested and no one
will She noted she is not sure if the mayor knows the intent of this. She spoke about this being a hybrid of the
current Board structure. There was much discussion.
Speaker, Cunningham, said he has worked with a number of these utility groups across the state. He said his
general impression of this is very favorable. He noted, at the rate Georgetown is growing, it is worth it to at least
look at this as a viable option for the future. He said some of these work superbly well and others are failures.
He said he thinks we have the people here that would take this and do something favorable with it. Vote on the
motion: Approved 7-0
J 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
Jones described the item and the process.for this project. He said he is asking for some direction from staff on
this on how to proceed with this project. Mayor asked and Jones described the options for Council and said it
would be to either put it on the shelf and come back to it at a later date or to go forward with it as planned. He
said it would not be a good idea to move forward with the design unless they want to construct it, as some of the
technology could become obsolete over time. Berryman said, in light of the discussions that took place earlier,
we are in a different situation that where we were when we first started this discussion. She asked and Jones
said the cost for the design of this project is about $400,000. Berryman asked and Rundell said the money for
the the design of the amphitheater was included in the bonds from October of 2010. She said the City has the
money for the design but noted, if we don't do this, the money would be used for other projects in the bonds.
She noted we did not issue bonds to build the theater. Jonrowe asked and Rundell said we can change the
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 4 of 10 Pages
design to make it less expensive but Rundell said the City would need to issue bonds for the construction.
Jonrowe asked and Rundell said they did not do any studies on potential revenues but they do know more
information on operating costs. Rundell said, hopefully, the revenue stream would be able to fund the operating
costs. Gonzalez said, if we are not ready to move forward with construction, we need to move those monies to
other things that may need it now. He said we can look at this again under a different economic situation.
Gonzalez said it is safer to wait at least a year. Sattler asked and Rundell described what else the money can
be used for. Rundell said it can go toward parks items as well as road items that were in the 2010 bond issue.
Sattler asked and Rundell confirmed this money has to be spent on something on that list. Sattler asked and
Polasek spoke about the road projects under the bond issue. Sattler asked and Rundell said she hopes to be
able to use the design and engineering related money within three years. Bradenburg clarified about the bond
money and said the money for the actual construction, however, can be used at any time. Rundell confirmed
and said if Council does not use the money for the amphitheater design, it can be used for something else on
that list. There were many questions and much discussion.
Motion by Berryman, second
by Meigs postpone this
until next
year for
further review
and to take
the current
bond money set aside for this
and apply it to another
project on
the list.
Approved 6-1
(Jonrowe
opposed)
K Discussion and possible action to develop the structure of and authorization for the appointment of a
Charter Review Committee per Council Action on April 12, 2011 --Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg said this item is coming back to Council and he reviewed past discussions that were had regarding
the Charter. He described what had been done in the past with Charter Committees. He said the last time a
Charter Election was done was in 2003 and, according to law, a city can only have a charter election every two
years. Sattler said he looks at this as two separate pieces. He said one is to develop the structure and the
second is to authorize the appointment of a Charter Review committee. He noted the Council needs to
determine what the committee will review prior to appointing the committee. Meigs asked and Brandenburg said
there have been some Charter issues that staff has talked about and brought up since 2003. He said staff
developed a small list of items they would like to see changed. He said a past Council member had also
compiled a list of things he would like to see reviewed. He spoke about what was done in the past regarding the
committee and what they found. He said, back in 2003, the committee found over 30 items to review but noted
not all of those items went to the ballot. He said, ultimately, anything that will go to the voters must be approved
by the Council. Mayor asked and Brandenburg siad there is nothing in the Charter that slows us down or gets in
the way from allowing the city to do business. Eason said, since the last time there was review was 2003, it is
our due diligence for us to at least review it. She noted this would be a good opportunity for us to study the City
Charter as well. She said eight years since the last time the Charter has been reviewed is too long. She said it is
high time the City does this. She spoke about how having objective eyes on the charter is an important thing.
Berryman said if we go with the process Ms. Eason is proposing, we will end up with the same problem as last
time. She said it is wiser for us as a Council to have the recommendations come from staff. She said she thinks
the guidance needs to come from staff and the Council. She spoke of the danger of throwing the Charter out in
the public for recommendations for changes. She said that would make it more cumbersome. Eason said that
was not at all her intention. She said she stated specifically that just because there is a charter review, that there
does not need to be an election to change the charter. She noted she is intending that we follow the process as
we have done in the past. Hellmann said he likes the idea of the staff bringing a list of what they would like us to
consider. Meigs said any business plan or financial plan should be reviewed regularly. Sattler agreed and said
we need to take a cursory look at this issue. He noted he likes what Brandenburg suggested regarding first
looking at staffs recommended changes before moving to a committee format. Jonrowe said it is a good idea for
it to be reviewed on a regular basis. She said she likes Hellmann's idea of having staff coming forward first with
their recommendations. Gonzalez said he has no challenges with reviewing the charter as long as the goal from
staff is to find things that would help make the City better and more efficient. Mayor suggested that not only
should staff bring back suggested items for review but that the Council should also read the Charter and come
back with their own list. Hellmann asked and Brandenburg said he would like a little longer than 30 days to
gather input from staff. Gonzalez said any ideas from the previous Council should be shelved and let us start
anew during this process. Jonrowe asked why those ideas should be shelved and said those could be valid
ideas.
Motion by Meigs, second by Berryman that staff bring forward at a future date Charter recommendations at a
Workshop and that time Brandenburg give the Council a 30 day heads up so Council can prepare their own
recommendations to the meeting. Approved 7-0
L Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution expressing official intent to reimburse net costs
for the purchase of the Public Safety Vehicles and Equipment, as well as, costs associated with the Road
Improvements at Shell Road and Bellaire Drive, in amount not to exceed $2 million with proceeds from
bonds that will be issued at a later time -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
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Rundell described the item and read the caption of the Resolution. Sattler asked and Rundell explained why the
City usually issues bonds in May.
Motion by Meigs, second by Gonzalez to approve the Resolution. Approved 7-0
Berryman asked and Rundell said it could effect the tax rate up to an increase of a third of a penny.
M Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to approve the contract for the San Gabriel Wastewater Treatment Plant
Chemical Feed Modifications to Cunningham Constructors & Associates, Inc. of Georgetown, Texas, for
the amount of $447,800.00 -- David Thomison, Water Services Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Thomison described the item and said this is for the replacement of existing chemical storage. He said from July
17 through July 24, 2011, five utility contractors obtained plans and five competitive bids were received. He said
the low qualified bidder for the project was Cunningham Constructors. He said this item was unanimously
recommended by the GUS Board for Council approval.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Sattler to approve the contract. Approved 7-0
N Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to approve Task Order CDM -11-001 with Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc. of
Austin, Texas, for professional services related to Pump 3 & 4 addition to Sun City Lift Station, in the
amount of $85,000.00 -- David Thomison, Water Services Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Thomison said this process involves preparing bid documents for the expansion of the Sun City Lift Station
which would add two pumps to the station. He said this item was unanimously recommended by the GUS Board
for unanimous approval.
Motion by Berryman second by Hellmann to approve the Task Order. Approved 7-0
O Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to renew contracts for the Electric System Underground Construction &
Maintenance and the Electric System Trenching & Conduit Installation Labor to Pedro S.S. Services, Inc.
of Austin, Texas, in the estimated amount of $2,075,000.00 -- Paul Elkins, Energy Services Manager and
Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
Elkins said this item is for the renewal of the electric system trenching and underground bids. He said this went
through GUS and was unanimously approved.
Motion by Hellmann, second by Berryman to approve the item. Approved 7-0
P Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible authorization for staff to enter into contract negotiations with Texas Disposal
Systems (TDS,) as allowed in the current contract -- Rachel Osgood, Environmental Services Coordinator and
Kathy Ragsdale, Environmental & Conservation Services Director
Mayor described the item. Ragsdale said this is to enter into a contract with Texas Disposal Systems (TDS) for
the solid waste disposal for the City. She said the contract that we currently have allows for three five year
extensions and the current contract would end in September 2012. She noted, in order to negotiate with TDS for
an extension ahead of an RFP process, we have to start it now. She said one of the reasons we are accepting
this is because they put out a survey asking the customers what they would like and if they were pleased with
the current services. She reviewed some of the results from the survey. She noted, however, 55% wanted
single stream recycling and more plastic and cardboard picked up on the sidewalk. She said those services are
not in the current contract. She said the Council expressed a lot of interest in the supplemental revenue stream
that is possible through the transfer station which is available with TDS. She said, in order to address these
issues and improvements in service, staff would like to start negotiations with TDS and see where they come out
now.
Sattler reviewed the recommendation from the GUS Board on this issue. He said the GUS Board said that the
City would take 30 days and then come back to the Board with a new proposal from TDS. Sattler asked and
Ragsdale confirmed, in 30 days, a new proposal from TDS will come to the GUS Board. Ragsdale said, after the
City Council Meeting Minutes/
Page 6 of 10 Pages
GUS Board sees it, it will be brought back to the Council. She said, if we do extend the contract, we have
$50,000 in our current budget to do an RFP. She said if we do come up with a contract that is workable for us,
we would save $50,000 in the budget for next year and not have to do an RFP. Sattler asked and Ragsdale
confirmed there will be plenty of time to go out for an RFP if needed. Ragsdale said that is why we are starting
this process now. There was much discussion. Berryman said, in the process of negotiations, she would like to
see a few things added to the discussion including construction waste and how that could and should be
handled. She spoke about the idea of having a free drop at the drop station without having a charge incurred
regardless of the size of your trailer. Briggs said that is definitely something he thinks the City will have dialog
on. Jonrowe said she would like to discuss the issue of a composting program and composting pickup as well.
Motion by Meigs, second by Jonrowe to approve the item.
Sattler said he would like to make an amendment that this will come back to GUS Board in the next 30 days
and that Council will see this item no later than November. Briggs said the November time frame works well for
staff. Meigs accepted the amendment.
Berryman asked that
any additional
items and
corresponding costs be spelled out for the Council when this
comes back to
them
in
November.
project
Approved
7-0
Q First Reading of an Ordinance amending Section 10.04.010 of the Code of Ordinances relating to the duties
and authority of the city traffic engineer; making such other findings and provisions related to the subject;
providing a severability clause and establishing an effective date -- Mark Miller, Transportation Services
Manager, Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services Director (action required)
Miller read only the caption of the Ordinance after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter. He said
what initiated this item is for the construction speed limit for the Lakeway project. He said a request came in for
him to reduce the speed limit but the reduction used to be required by Ordinance. He said right now the traffic
engineer has the authority to go in and adjust truck speeds and this will allow the engineer to adjust speed limits
on construction projects as well without having to be amended by Ordinance. Sattler asked and Miller said the
police do not already have the authority to do this. Miller said, normally, the Council will change the speed limits
by Ordinance and added this change will allow the traffic engineer to review the traffic and barricade plan and
change the speed limit as needed. Sattler asked and Miller confirmed this changes it from just trucks to all
vehicular traffic.
Motion by Hellmann, second by Jonrowe to approve the Ordinance on first reading. Approved 7-0
Berryman asked
and Miller
confirmed
if workers are not present and work is not being done, the speed limit
change stays in
effect until
the
project
is done.
R First Reading of an Ordinance repealing the existing Chapter 13.16 of the City of Georgetown Code of
Ordinances, and adopting a new Chapter 13.16 of the Code of Ordinances relating to the Drought
Contingency Plan, establishing criteria for the initiation and termination of drought response stages,
establishing restrictions on certain water uses; establishing penalties for the violation of and provisions for
enforcement of these restrictions; establishing procedures for granting variances; providing a severability clause
and establishing an effective date. -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
(action required)
Dishong said at the last Council meeting, staff brought forward a recommendation to move forward with Phase II
of the drought contingency plan.He said this Ordinance will help to make the changes and allow for staff to
enforce the changes. He read only the caption of the Ordinance on first reading after having satisfied the
requirements of the City Charter.
Motion by Hellmann, second by Meigs to approve the Ordinance on first reading.
Speaker, Mary McGriff, said as she watches the trees and the yards dying, all she can think about is a dry
timber box waiting for a spark. She asked why we are adding more people and development if there is not
enough water for the people we already have living here. She said next year and the year after will have more
solar flares and noted we could have two more years of drought and heat even worse than this year. She is
asking if the City and County is talking to the State to address these issues and what is the planning for our
emergency drought plan. She said we need a better plan. She said she believes we are at critical mass. She
spoke about purchasing planes for the national guard. She spoke about tax incentives for companies to have
more storage containment to help subsidize some of the water. She asked about artificial turf for some of the
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companies as well. She also spoke about color studies and how it could be helpful for the heat.
Mayor said staff will get in touch with McGriff to speak with her about some of the efforts that are currently
underway to address the severe drought.
Sattler asked and Dishong said people are allowed to wash their cars on the days they can irrigate as long as
they use a shut off nozzle.
Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
S First Reading of an Ordinance amending Sections 13.04.110 and 13.04.120 of the City of Georgetown Code
of Ordinances relating to Conservation Water Rates; revising criteria for the implementation of the
conservation rates; establishing provisions for the enforcement of these sections; providing a severability clause
and establishing an effective date -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Glenn Dishong, Utility Director
(action required)
Dishong
described the item and
read only the caption
of the Ordinance after having satisfied the requirements of
the City
Charter. Dishong made
some clarifications on
the changes within the Ordinance.
Brandenburg asked and Dishong said by the second reading.
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve the Ordinance on first reading.
Speaker, April Welch, said she has lived here since 2000. She said they have had astronomical water bills. She
said, recently, they had a utility water bill of over 900 dollars. She said she told her husband to call the utility
office and added he was told the City only allows 18,000 gallons of water per month per resident. She noted she
was told it does not matter how big your lot is. She said, over 11,000, the rate goes above $4.50 a gallon. She
said she was told the watering is a luxury in Georgetown She noted her grass is dying right now because they
are staying in line with the regulations. She said she thinks it is unfair that they are being charged more for water
than for gas.
Mayor said she raises two important questions. He said the people right behind her would like to talk to her
about her concerns. Mayor said staff will be able to assist and help you deal with the issue of your water bill and
why it could be so high. He said we are all paying the same water rate for the same usage and added staff will
be able to help her with what they can.
Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
T First Reading of an Ordinance amending Sections 2.16.010 and 2.16.020 of the Code of Ordinances relating
to Compensation and Expense Reimbursement for the Mayor and Councilmembers; making such other
findings and provisions related to the subject; and declaring an effective date. -- Bridget Chapman, Acting City
Attorney (action required)
Chapman described the item and spoke about the current salaries for the Council and the changes this will
make to the Council compensation. She noted on August 29, 2011, Council decided that the compensation
should be changed and she described those changes for the Council. She said the Ordinance will change the
Council salary to $400 with no expense reimbursement and noted the Ordinance will not be effective until June
11 2012. She said the Charter requires that the changes be made only after the election. She read only the
caption of the Ordinance on first reading after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Berryman to amend the Ordinance for
Council
to
leave the
salary amount
unchanged and to limit the expense reimbursement amount to no more
than $100
a month.
Approved 7-0
U Discussion and possible action to provide $15,000 from the 201012011 council contingency fund to the
Main Street Advisory Board and for the amount to act as a matching grant toward the attraction of tourism to
the downtown area during the holiday season and throughout the year -- Bill Sattler, Councilmember District 4
Sattler said he is concerned about things that are happening downtown. He noted he thinks the City needs to
get more and more people to the downtown area. He said, over the holiday season, he thinks we have an
opportunity to attract more and more people to the downtown square especially during the week. He said he
happened to attend the Main Street Advisory Board meeting and there he saw an enthusiasm that gave him
great home. He said they wanted to do something but noted the only thing lacking was funds. He noted the
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Board said they would like to do a challenge where, if the City would put up funds, they would work hard to raise
that same amount to go toward attracting tourism to the downtown area.
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman that the City provide $15,000 from the 2010/2011 contingency funds to
the Main Street Advisory Board as the basis for a challenge grant. He added the Board would have to raise the
same amount of funds and use the money to enhance the downtown area and attract visitors and tourists to the
square during the holidays and throughout the year.
Speaker, Linda McCalla, said she moved to Georgetown 30 years ago as Georgetown's first Main Street Project
Manager. She said she had the privilege to be a part of what is one of the most noteworthy downtown
revitalization projects in the Country. She said she serves as the Chair of the Main Street Advisory Board
because she is interested in maintaining the vitality of the Main Street area. She noted, in her opinion, holiday
lighting is a small item in the budget, it can have a large impact in the community. She said, while the square is
not the economic center of the community, it is symbolically still the heart of the community. She said the
impact the city would receive by taking this money and raising more funds and increasing what the City has had
in holiday lighting, can benefit the community locally and statewide. She said in their strategic plan, holiday
lighting are part of their ongoing hopes for the future of downtown.
Speaker, Karin Truxillo, said the lighting of the square brings a lot of people downtown. She said the lighting is
causing the City a lot of money and she thinks they have complained about it, She noted they would really like
a wow factor for the lighting of the square for the holiday season.
Berryman said there are a lot of exciting things going on around the square. She noted, when we have these
moments and festivals, we should expand them and make them a major happening. She said, in Marshall
Texas, the lighting of their area is so well known that people travel there from all over the State. She spoke
about how Burnet, Texas has Bethlehem City, where people travel from all over to see. She said she thinks
Georgetown has the bones and makings of that type of event. She noted she is really in favor of this and added
she thinks we should generously share this with something that can make a difference in Georgetown. She said,
with the wineries and other businesses coming to downtown, it is an exciting time to add to that. She said she is
enthusiastically in favor of this. Jonrowe said this is a fantastic idea and added her only concern is she would
like to see a plan in writing. Gonzalez said anything we can do to help put Georgetown on a bigger map, the
better. Brandenburg asked and Sattler said this is for Christmas lighting as well as other items the Board thinks
would be useful. Brandenburg asked and Sattler said the concentration should be for the holiday season but
noted it could be used for other things as well. Brandenburg asked if this is seed money or matching money. He
said his concern is a matter of timing, as Christmas will be coming up pretty quickly. Sattler said he is proposing
it as a matching grant and noted the Board is a motivated group and can find $15,000 without any problem.
Garver said the main priority is for the holiday season but noted the money will be given when it is matched with
their fundraising effort. Sattler agreed with the Mayor. Meigs said he supports this but asked if there is a written
plan and how we would measure success. Hellmann said he is all for it. Eason said she is for this and she said
she believes her questions have been answered so far. She noted success is measured when the Board raises
the $15,000. Berryman asked what would happen if the Board is only able to raise $10,000. She asked if the
City should really put a limit on that amount.
Sattler amended his motion to have the matching grant amount be "up to" $15,000, depending on how much
money the Board is able to raise. Berryman accepted the amendment.
Berryman said, in terms of writing up a plan, she
suspects the Main
Street Board
already has something
specific
in mind. She asked that the Board get their plan
to Council as soon
as possible.
Mayor said it may be a
good
idea to have the committee forward a plan to the
Council as soon as possible.
Vote on the amended motion: Approved 7-0
V 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
Meigs said that Brandenburg, Meigs, Sattler, Jonrowe met to discuss the evaluation process for the City
Manager. He noted it has been over two years since he was evaluated last. He said they would like to look at a
way to have an automatic trigger to start this process each Spring. He noted, unlike some of the other
employees that report to Council, there was a process in place for the City Manager. He said the group looked
at the past evaluation, made some changes and submitted it to the Council for changes. He said there should
be a "trial run" evaluation in October and then another one in March. Brandenburg spoke about some of the
reservations Council has had with the 360 review process. He said the 360 review process will be done
electronically through survey monkey and it will be completely anonymous. He said he supports moving forward
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with a trial run. He explained the reasoning for doing this review in the Spring and noted it will go along with the
budget as well as include the current council members instead of the new members after an election. Russell
said, when the subcommittee met and looked at the former evaluation that was added, the process that we had
in place before is what was designed and what is in front of Council. He spoke about what was added to the
City Attorney evaluation, which was how the City Attorney filled out the same form as the staff. He said that is
not part of the process now, but Council can add that component if they so choose. Gonzalez said Council felt
that was a helpful component and noted it is important to add that in.
Motion by Meigs, second by Gonzalez to approve with the addition of the City Manager filling out his own
questionnaire.
Berryman said she has a concern about the employee receiving the reviews that are filled out by staff. Russell
said when the City Attorney comes in and meets with staff, they should not get it ahead of time. He said it is not
appropriate to release those documents ahead of time. Berryman said she does not want to set up a situation
where an employee does note have the freedom to share what's in their heart and mind without worrying about
a confrontational opportunity in this process. She said she does not want to see that repeated and noted there
needs to be changes. Russell said in the past; when he was required to release that information to Council, he
only provided it to Council and no one else. He spoke about ways to protect that information. Brandenburg said
the way he understands it is he is going to receive a composite of the information gathered from those surveys.
He said he is professional enough to where he will not go back and say "who said what." He said he thinks it is a
good process. He noted it has been two years since he has been evaluation. He said he would like to move
forward because this has gone on way too long. Meigs said he would like to try this as a trial so that we can start
initiating this as a yearly review. Meigs said he did not see this as cast in stone and noted it is flexible. Gonzalez
said it is important to make sure the employee reviews are part of the Council's regular duties. There was much
discussion regarding the review process. Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
Adjournment
The meeting was ad;ourned at 08:33 PM.
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