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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 06.22.2010 CC-WThe 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: Danny Meigs, Gabe Sansing, Dale Ross, Tommy All Council Present. Gonzalez, Patty Eason, Pat Berryman, Bill Sattler __ tes A Social Service and Youth Program Funding Presentations -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager Mayor called the meeting to order. He introduced the City Manager, who gave a brief history of the social service and youth program funding process. He complimented all of the various groups for the services they bring to the City and its citizens. He described what will be done tonight and how the meeting will work. Brandenburg and Eason showed the audience the binders of applications and information given to the Council. He said each organization will have three minutes to speak and he gave a breakdown of the funds available for the organizations. Mayor reviewed the protocol of the evening. He asked that each organization summarize their needs and requests. Mayor said Shirley Rinn has done a great job over the years gathering information and applications on this issue. Assistance League of Georgetown Yvonne Slavich, President, said they are a non-profit all volunteer organization focused on putting caring and commitment into action. She spoke about their program, Operation Schoolbell, and said, last year, they clothed 1,179 children. She noted many of the volunteers are former educators. She said qualified recipients are identified through reduced lunch programs and noted the number increases each year as the economy continues its downturn. She spoke about their thrift shop and how it is their major year round fundraiser. She said they are asking for $5,000 toward their goal of $75,000 in order to clothe over 1,500 students next year. Bluebonnet Trails Community MHMR Center- Pride- Early Childhood Intervention Joy Delman, Director of the program, said they are grateful for another year of support from the City. She said research keeps pouring in, confirming the importance of early childhood intervention (ECI) to maximize healthy brain development of infants. She said they provide ECI and added they have so many success stories. She spoke about the many reasons why ECI works for the children. She said they consider the child and the caregiver as their client. She said their staff not only knows how to work with the child, but also with the parents so that the child gets intervention all day long. She noted they change the brain trajectory of the child's development. She said they work alongside other organizations in Georgetown to coordinate and enhance City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 1 of 6 Pages services to children and families in the community. She spoke about early head start and said they work with the school district to make sure all students who need special education services are found. She spoke about the challenges the organization will be facing over the next year. Sattler asked and Delman said 64 children are enrolled and all of them are from Georgetown. Capital Area Rural Transportation (CARTS) Donald Hewlett, Director of Field Operations, serves a 10 county transit area, which is in line with CAPCOG. He said they provide services in Georgetown from Monday through Friday. He said they also provide special services on Saturdays for medical needs. He listed the amount of trips they provide each week. He thanked Council for their support over the past year and said they have just completed a facility add-on, which they hope to open in September. He said they are trying to connect that new facility to an inner City bus route. He noted, with that bus, they can purchase a ticket that can transfer you to another bus that can get you anywhere in the nation. He said they look forward to shipping freight as well. He thanked Council for their support. Faith in Action Caregivers Rita Hanley thanked Council for helping them serve seniors in the community. She said they are an interfaith organization that offers transportation and other support services to people who are 65 years or older and need assistance in Georgetown. She said over 240 seniors are currently enrolled in services. She said they have served over 300 seniors this year and it is the only program that provides individualized transportation services. She added they offer door through door services. She said, without their services, many Georgetown residents would be at risk of losing their independence and quality of life. She noted the majority of their transportation related services are for medical appointments. She continued to speak about the services they provide. She said they expect to increasethenumbers they serve by at least 20% based on the new clients they have had enrolled since January. She said 18% of their contributions come from their clients. She spoke about how the money provided by the City will be used within their program. Georgetown Caring Place- The Caring Place John Stock, Executive Director, said the Caring Place just celebrated its 25th year in 2009. He said, after last year, their numbers have been exceeding past levels. He said they have spent more money to assist families with their utility bills and added they have given out hundreds of tons of food. He said they also help families in the area of medical needs. He said they have a program called the Rebuild Program, which makes accommodations in homes with newly disabled residents. He spoke about their request for funding, which represents 3.4% of their budget this year. He also described their other funding sources. He said the store pays almost 100% of the operations. He said they expect to provide a record amount of services over the next year. He said they have a continued need for support and he thanked the City Council for their time. Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County Christy Johnson, Resource Development Director, thanked the Council and described what the organization does for the community. She said they are the only non-profit to offer affordable home ownership opportunities to low income families in Georgetown. She said their administration and fundraising cost remain competitive, which is less than 11 %. She added this means the rest of the funding go toward home building in the community. She said, to date, the organization has empowered 191 individuals to break the cycle of poverty. She said 33 homes were built in the Georgetown community, which has 81 children and 41 adults. She described their current staff. She said 55% of their families are single mothers, 45% are married couples with children, 4 families are waiting for a home which will be built in Old Mill Village and they have secured $150,000 in CDBG money from the County to purchase land. She said the revenue from property taxes is quite large. She spoke about the other benefits their organization has provided to the community. Gonzalez asked and Johnson said the market value of the home is anywhere from $65,000- 75,000. Ross asked and Johnson said 4 houses were built from the monies that the City provided last year. Literacy Council of Williamson County Gloria Cueva, Executive Director, said they are also celebrating their 25 year anniversary in Williamson County and Georgetown. She said they are an adult literacy and GED tutoring program service. She noted they have taught adults to read that are high school graduates and even college graduates. She noted they provide GED services for high school dropouts over the age of 17. She said 8% of the adults in Williamson County are illiterate and 45% of the US population is functionally literate. She said high school dropouts continue to be a problem and Williamson County has the second highest dropout rate in 10 surrounding counties in the area. She said they are the only non-profit provider of these services. She said they offer services for $20 per adult. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 2 of 6 Pages She said they provide a service that positively affects the crime rate and poverty rate. She said they serve 900 clients annually. She noted they appreciate the City's support. Lone Star Circle of Care Jack Hunnicut, Board Chair of Lone Star Circle of Care, spoke about the organization and said their budget has grown to over $45 million this year. He said he feels they have done well with the money provided by the City. He gave Council a profile of the type of people their organization serves. Berryman asked and Hunnicut confirmed they have secured a way for people with special needs to receive care. Berryman asked and Hunnicut said he can not put a number of cost savings attained by the patients not having to wait in emergency rooms. Mayor asked and Hunnicut said they opened in January of 2002. Senior Center at Stonehaven Pat Schneider, Director, said the Center was built in 1968. She said, at the same time, the Stonehaven apartments were built at the same time. She said they are located at 1704 Hart Street. She added they are not on any busy streets and, with the Stonehaven units being nearby, it makes it convenient for those residents and seniors to enjoy the center. She noted people from all over Georgetown enjoy the center as well. She noted the Center is open to residents of Georgetown aged 55 years or older. She said their seniors find the Center a warm place for them to come and socialize. She described the activities, programs and services they provide. She noted they provide health and educational seminars for them as well. She noted, on Mondays, they serve a light lunch. She said the City of Georgetown provides about 29% of the funding and they gather the rest from other sources. She invited Council to their senior pot luck luncheon. Williamson County Crisis Center John Duck, Development Director, thanked Council for their service to the community. He spoke about the services they provide to survivors of family and sexual violence. He spoke about the two Georgetown outreach offices and noted they operate the only family violence shelter in Georgetown. He said, last year, 10% of their clients were from Georgetown. He described how the organization uses the money given to them by the City. He said it aids in reducing the cost of police protection and housing services in the City. He said, upon exiting their program, 87% of their clients said they would be homeless if not for the shelter of the center. He continued to provide Council with statistics about the type of clients they serve. He said their request is for $45,000, which is 4% of their overall budget. Berryman asked and Duck agreed they have seen some cuts and noted private donations are down about 50% from what they had last year. Williamson -Burnett Co. Opportunities (WBCO) Paula Goodsen, Senior Nutrition Program Director, said they have been partners with the City Georgetown and the Madella Hilliard Center since 1976. She noted their home delivered meals have gone up 25% since last year. She spoke about the amount of Georgetown residents on their rosters. She noted Sun City has the largest home delivered route. She said they delivered over 32,000 and over 5,000 to seniors in the community last year. She said meals are prepared and delivered 5 days a week and noted meals are compiled by a registered dietician. She spoke about the costs. She said the average age of clients who use the home deliver program is 80 years old. She noted 20 of their clients is over 90. She noted they are requesting 27 dollars per client in the program. She thanked the Council for their continued support. Sansing asked and Goodsen said they have about 30 people that they are serving in Sun City. Sansing asked and Goodsen said there is not a financial requirement for meals on wheels. She noted they look at the the surrounding support of each client. She said the fact is those people are not able to prepare meals for themselves. Johnson said they get a lot of support from churches in the community as well. Boys and Girls Club of Georgetown Daniel Anstee, Executive Director, said he would like to thank Georgetown for its past support over the years. He said they are dependent on community support in many ways due to their inexpensive enrollment fees. He said, because of the funds given to them last year, they were able to buy a fourteen passenger van for use. He said they are able to serve more children with that van. He said, because of the facility expansion the after school enrollment has grown to about 80 to 90 people per day since last May. He said they continue to see summer participants from the surrounding areas. He spoke about the many programs they offer to its members. He said they are working with the Helping Hand Tutoring organization as well as the Ride On Center for Kids. He said they have seen an increase in program costs. He said they have added a full time teen and family director position and added summer staffing has increased to help respond to the demand in service. He said their next goal is to be able to serve the west side of town. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 3 of 6 Pages Gonzalez asked and Anstee said the increase of their request is due to the fact that they are no longer receiving support from the Housing Authority. Meigs asked and Anstee said they were able to double the size of their facility to about 5,000 square feet. He said a whole wing is dedicated to teen and family programming. He said they have already soaked up a bunch of kids and noted they have basically doubled the size of their facility. Ross asked about the increase of requests and Anstee reiterated that they are no longer receiving money from the Housing Authority. Mayor asked and Anstee said the average membership rose from 50-60 to 80-90 children during the school year. He said the most they had last summer was 120. Boy Scouts of America- Capital Area Council Daniel Hamilton said they have never asked for funding before and said they are celebrating their 100th anniversary. He said they are nearing 1,000 members in both the boy scout and girl scout programs in Williamson County. He said they are asking for the funding for the boys who are in the program who do not have the ability to pay their dues. Eason asked and speaker said there are no restrictions on who can join the organization. He said, as long as they fall in the age range, they can join. Eason asked and he said that there is no other organization in Georgetown that can offer the same character development as well as the outdoor and the camping aspect as the Boy Scouts. Berryman asked and he said 120 kids were in the after school program. Berryman said and he confirmed the after school program is a pilot program within the schools. Berryman asked and he said they would like to expand the after school program from 3 schools to 7 schools in the community. Exceptional Georgetown Alliance No person was present to speak. Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association Paulette Taylor, thanked the Mayor and Council for their continued support. She spoke about the progress of the Willie Hall Center and said it is favorable, in spite of the national economic hardships. She said they have served 15-20 children this past year. She said their kids are kindergarten bilingual children trying to make the transition to English language learning. She said there is never enough tutors for the children and noted they are trying to build relationships and cooperation with surrounding schools. She said they are hoping to continue to serve the community. Georgetown Project Katie Burk, a member of the Board of Directors, thanked Council for their time. She said, they have a 13 year history in Georgetown. She said they partner with businesses, social services agencies, parks and recreation organizations and the City to keep the youth of the community engaged. She said they provide safe places for the children to be entertained. She said they are looking for funding for two programs: Kid City (which provides two nutritional meals a day for children in grades 2-5) and G -TEAM (a program they collaborate with the parks and recreation center). Gonzalez asked and Burk said they provide tutoring in the teen center and, last year, there were 15 students that received continuing tutoring services. Getsemani Community Center No person was present to speak. Georgetown Partners in Education Joshua Schrader, Chair of the Board of Directors, gave Council a summary of Georgetown Partners in Education. He said Helping Hands Tutoring is one of their flagship programs. He noted they are in 10 school sites and 7 community sites. He said they provide a lead tutor to manage each site and then they provide the community volunteers who are trained and provide tutoring to the students at those sites. He said, last year, there were 100 students that received tutoring. He said they focus on 3rd grade reading, 8th grade math and TAKS testing. He said their goal is to break the cycle of poverty through education. Berryman asked and Schrader confirmed they provide the lead tutor with training and education, who then go in and gather the volunteers for the Helping Hand Tutoring Program. Williamson County and Cities Health District City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 4 of 6 Pages Cynthia Guerrero said they are here to request funding for their Get Fit program. She said one in three children in America is overweight or obese. She gave statistics on fitness and nutritional data in the Georgetown and GISD area. She said, in a recent fitness assessment, 57% of the GISD students did not pass. She said 18% of these children were classified as overweight and 19% obese. She noted these children are now being treated for adult diseases. She described the G3 program in the community. She noted Georgetown schools have requested that they work with the school district to have this fitness programs available after school. Berryman asked and Guerrero confirmed the City provides money to WCCHD, but clarified this request is specifically for the G3 program. B Presentation previewing the 2010/11 Annual Budget -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer and Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager With a Powerpoint Presentation, Brandenburg introduced the budget presentation. He gave Council a budget preview and said the entire budget will be presented on July 12, 2010. He reviewed what will be covered in this presentation. He spoke about what's in the budget and spoke about the funds needed to provide current levels of service. He said there are no new programs. He spoke about one time expenditures in the budget including fire station 5 design and construction, replacement of security system for facilities, IT desktop virtualization program, replacement of 10 patrol vehicles, continued funding for AMI/CIS project, implementation of 2010/11 CIP Plan, public safety "step" increases, increase in health insurance, fully funded annual TMRS retirement obligation and adding 2 positions at the Recreation Center. He spoke about what is not in the budget including no added funding for travel and training, 22.5 positions to remain frozen, no funding for employee performance bonus, no cost of living or merit adjustment and no operational increases without warranted need. He gave accolades to Rundell and her staff for their hard work on this budget. Rundell noted things are a little better than originally thought. She said general fund revenues have stabilized, which includes a 2.5% increase in sales tax for 2010/11. She noted development revenues are projected to be flat, recreation center revenues have increased to offset costs of staff additions, interest revenue continues to decrease and property tax revenue has increased. She continued to speak about financial impacts and said the utility revenues have slow growth rates. She said stormwater revenue also remains stable. She said tap fees and impact fees continue to be flat due to development slowdown. She spoke about potential rate adjustments to be made to electric, water, sewer, stormwater drainage and garbage/recycling. Rundell gave the Council a preliminary tax rate and said the assessed valuation is better than originally projected. She spoke about the 2009/10 debt service. She said the 2009 tax levy is $700,000 less than budgeted. She noted the estimated effective rate is about $0.38 or more, which is the rate needed to receive the same amount of funds as previous year on the current assessed valuation. She noted the estimated 2010 tax rate will stay the same at $0.35622. She drew many conclusions about this presentation. She said the budget will be very "lean", the quality of service is going to be maintained, the tax rate will remain low, the recommended tax rate will be below the effective tax rate, financial reserves will remain at the current level, financial policy compliance will be maintained and potential utility rate adjustments are projected for 2011. Gonzalez asked and Rundell said, because of interest rates for investment being so low, there is not an opportunity to do advanced refunding. Rundell said interest rates are at a historic low and noted this may be reason to reconsider the 2008 bond issue. Brandenburg said the major presentation on the budget will be coming back to council on July 12th. Mayor asked about the issuance of road bonds and how that will affect the tax rate. Sattler asked and Rundell noted it will not come as a surprise to the voters if the bonds are issued. Council recessed to Executive Session under Sections 551.071, 551.074 and 551.086 -- 4:53 p.m. Council returned to Open Session and adjourned -- 6:25 p.m. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 5 of 6 Pages The meeting was adjourned at 06:25 PM. City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 6 of 6 Pages