HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 10.27.2009 CC-RThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor
George Garver presiding.
Council resent: 11 Council Absent.U
Keith Brainard, Gabe Sansing, Dale Ross, Ben All Council Present.
Oliver, Pat Berryman, Bill Sattler, Patty Eason
,Staff resent: _ 11
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Mark Sokolow, City Attorney; Jessica Hamilton, City Secretary; Jim ;I
Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations; Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer; Elizabeth 11
'Cook, Community Development Director; Terry Jones, Support Services Construction Manager; Robert
Fite, Fire Chief ; Travis McLain, Airport Manager; Thomas R. Benz, Systems Engineering Director; j
Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Principal Planner; Brent Schacherel Interim Police Chief; Kimberly Garrett, I;
Parks and Recreation Director; Carla Benton, Planner II; Laurie Brewer, Assistant Finance Director;
j Glenn Dishong, Water Services Manager; Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager;
Regular Session -1'o begin no earlier than 06:10 PM
(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.)
�
Comments from the Mayor
. Welcome and Meeting Procedures
. Proclamation in recognition of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Mayor read the proclamation and presented it to Linda Lilly, Facility Project Coordinator at Lone Star Circle of
Care.
. Planning Award for the Parks, Recreation and Trails Master Plan
Mayor introduced Kimberly Garrett, Director of Parks and Recreation, who presented the award to the City
Council.
Action from Executive Session
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve, as related to item 2, the settlement and to pay the
landowners $22,834. Approved 7=0
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve, as related to item 3, the award for $6,500 and a settlement
with the landowners for that amount. Approved 7=0
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 1 of 9 Pages
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 - Ron Boyd regarding water issues in Section C of Berry Creek
Speaker, Boyd,
showed the City
Council a
video of a past meeting with the Georgetown
City Council. Boyd said
the City Council
made the wrong
decision
in 2002 and it did not solve the water issue in
his neighborhood.
- Marvin Dorsey regarding the management of the Housing Authority
Speaker, Dorsey, said he has been Chair of the Housing Authority since March of 2009. He noted he wanted to
speak to certain issues that have appeared in the paper. He spoke about the Sierra Ridge project and why the
funding for that project fell through. He noted no one could have gotten that project funded under the current
circumstances.
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 Council Workshop held on Tuesday, October
13th and the Council Meeting on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 -- Jessica Hamiton, City Secretary
D Consideration and possible action to re-sign the existing School Resource Officer contract to include
signatures of current officials -- Brent Schacherl, interim Police Chief
E Consideration and possible action regarding a resolution granting a petition and setting public hearing dates for
the voluntary annexation into the City for 18.81 acres, more or less, in the 1. J. Dyches Survey, Abstract 180,
for the Pierce Tract, located at 1000 F.M. 1460, east of Madison Oaks Avenue and west of High Tech Drive --
Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director
F Consideration and Possible Action on a Preliminary Plat for 60.930 acres out of the Dyches Survey, also
known as Walnut Springs Subdivision, Phase 11, located on Joshua Drive off of FM 3405 -- Carla Benton,
Planner 11 and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director
G Consideration and possible action to approve a Task Order KPA 10401 with Kasberg, Patrick & Associates, LP
of Georgetown, Texas for professional services related to the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone
Rehabilitation Phase VI & VII in the amount of $39,776.00 -- Thomas R. Benz, P. E., Systems Engineering
Director, Jim Briggs, ACM for Utility Operations
H Consideration and possible approval to appoint the Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations as
signature authority on behalf of the City for joint use agreements in matters relating to sharing Texas
Department of Transportation rights -of --way for City utilities and utility adjustment work -- Jim Briggs,
Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations and Thomas R. Benz, P. E., Systems Engineering Director
Consideration and possible action to approve Task Order No. TCI 10401 with Terracon Consultants, Inc., of
Austin, Texas, for professional engineering services related to the Lake Water Treatment Plant 3 MG
Clearwell in an amount not to exceed $20,000.00 --Thomas R. Benz, P. E., Systems Engineering Director and
Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations
J Consideration and possible action to approve Task Order No. SEL -10-001 with Schneider Engineering, Ltd.
(SEL), of Boerne, Texas, for professional services related regulatory supports in an amount not to exceed
$47,500.00 -- Thomas R. Benz, P. E., Systems Engineering Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for
Utility Operations
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 2 of 9 Pages
K Consideration and possible action to approve purchases from Active Network to upgrade the Parks and
Recreation Software in an amount not to exceed $45,000 -- Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director
and Randy Morrow, Director of Community Services
L Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution approving the 2009/10 Budget and related
Property Tax Assessment for the Georgetown Village Public improvement District #1 -- Laurie Brewer,
Assistant Finance Director, Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Sattler asked and Rundell said the wrong name on the contract is not an issue in regards to the City Attorney's
name. Sattler asked and Rundell explained why this item was not brought to the particular Council member in
the corresponding district.
M Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution documenting the City of Georgetown's support and
acceptance of a grant from TXDOT to fund the rehabilitation of hte airport streets and to instals additional
taxiway identification signs at the Georgetown Municipal Airport -- Travis McLain, Airport Manager and Paul E
Brandenburg, City Manager
Motion by Sansing, second by Berryman to approve the Consent agenda in its entirety. Approved 7-0
Legislative Regular Agenda
Council will individually consider and possibly take action on any or all of the following items:
N Public Hearing and First Reading of an Ordinance to amend the unified Development Code (UDC) Section
10.02 "Summary of Permitted Signs", Section 10.04 "Signs Prohibited Under this Code", Section 10.06 "Sign
Design and Area Regulations", and Section 16.04 "Definitions of Uses" and adding new Section 10.06.070
"Changeable Electronic Variable Message (CEVM) Signs" -- Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development
Director
Cook described the item and gave a brief history of this issue in the City of Georgetown. She said the current
proposed Ordinance has locational, size and scope limitations and she described those limitations. She said
there will only be one electronic sign allowed per property. She noted the text proposed would be amber on a
black background with dimmer control and brightness control at night. She said emergency messages could be
displayed as well. She said there are additional application testing requirements compared to what a regular
sign would have. She described the Unified Development Code (UDC) process this amendment went through.
She described some of the ideas and issues that came up at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in
which this item was discussed. Cook said the current proposal would be a single image being displayed for 60
minutes, or the equivalent of 24 messages per day. She explained how different groups had recommended
different length of times for the image display. She continued to describe the discussions that took place at the
UDC Task Force meetings. She reviewed the proposed daytime brightness level. She showed Council a picture
of the Dairy Queen sign in relation to Williams Drive and 1-35. She said Dairy Queen was the only business that
participated in the task force meetings. Cook read only the caption of the Ordinance on first reading after having
satisfied the requirements of the City Charter. Eason suggested Council hear from the speakers before making
a motion. Berryman asked and Cook described the current properties that would be affected by this proposed
Ordinance. Cook noted the Ordinance is very limited as to which businesses along 1-35 would be impacted by
this change.
Speaker, Rick Williamson, said he has been involved in this process as well as the Planning and Zoning
Commission meetings. He noted he has made many suggestions in order to reach a compromise on this issue.
He said he is worried that these type of signs would take the driver's attention away from the road. He said,
after speaking with other "Old Towners," he does not see the need to compromise anymore. He noted
downtown is the attraction core for Georgetown and he does not believe it needs flashing electronic signs. He
said downtown is like a donut hole that does not need to be disturbed. He asked Council to reconsider this
decision.
Speaker, Linton Mayfield son of Robert Mayfield, said people either love or hate electronic signs. He noted,
from a business point of view, electronic signs has saved them precious time and reduced insurance by not
having to physically change the signs. He said that the affected area of Williams Drive is very windy and the sign
letters are known to fall from the manual sign. He noted staying static would not be a problem for the owner and
they are willing to compromise and keep the digital image at 60 seconds. He gave Council a picture of their
Dairy Queen on Burnet Road in Austin. He added they would also like to participate in the amber alert system.
Speaker, Jean Carlson, spoke in opposition of the new amendment. She read a note from Jodi Salyer to the
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 3 of 9 Pages
City Council
on why approving
this amendment
would be the wrong decision. She noted she agreed with
Salliers and
said she does not
want
1-35 to look
like Tokyo.
Speaker, Sherry Dana, said she does not agree with the fact that people are suggesting that this sign has to do
with safety. She said this issue only has to do with competition for business along the frontage road. She
spoke about refusing to stop in a town because of what it looked like from the highway. She requested that
Council respect the UDC and deny this amendment.
Speaker, Peter Dana, said he usually comes to Council as a naysayer but he is coming to the meeting as a
supporter of the UDC. He noted he is against this sign amendment and he explained why approving this
amendment would be detrimental to the City.
Speaker, Ross Hunter, described why he thinks this is an odd amendment to the UDC. He said this amendment
is odd because this was started because a specific request brought forward from Dairy Queen. He noted staff
has created an amendment that specifically fits with what Council asked for last year. He said this would be chip
away on standards set by the current Codes and the 2030 Plan. He noted attractiveness of the City means
money. He read an excerpt out of the current 2030 Plan. He said the 2030 Plan exists from a lot of citizen input
and it is a credit to Council that most people do not show up to meetings until crisis' erupt. He said the public's
will has been codified in the 2030 plan and the Council is now chipping away from it. He said the majority of
citizens who spoke at the task force public meetings were not in favor of this sign and added citizens fear the
Council will act on their own personal opinions. He noted the question is whose opinion should count.
Speaker,
John Marler, said no business
is going to
leave an
economically profitable
spot like Georgetown. He
stressed
the
fact
that
Council
should
not
stray
from
the 2030
Plan
by approving
this
amendment.
Speaker, Renee Hanson, said the issue is whether or not the Council wants Georgetown to look like every other
town along 1-35. She said, if Council approves this Ordinance, it is one more step in ruining the City's unique
image. She said, if the Council chooses to approve the sign, that they should take Planning and Zoning's
recommendation.
Speaker, Ernest Paredez, director of operations for Dairy Queen, noted the current location was falling apart
and said they came in with the intentions of improving the location and bringing in a new concept to a beautiful
city like Georgetown. He said they just want to make sure they do not have old shoes with a new suit
Public Hearing was closed at 7:18 p.m.
Ross thanked the Mayfields for doing a wonderful remodel of the Dairy Queen. Motion by Ross, second by
Oliver to not approve any amendment to the UDC.
Ross said there will be no way to read that sign from 1-35 and said Dairy Queen already has a strong brand in
Texas. He noted he is not sure who would actually read that sign while on the access road. He continued to
question the readability of the sign. He said he does not see any good reason to tinker with the Unified
Development Code because of this request. Sattler asked and Cook said Dairy Queen was the only business
that actively participated in this process. Sattler asked and Cook said they never received any comments from
the Economic Development department. Sattler asked and Cook said Dairy Queen's intention is to put up a pole
sign and the electronic sign would be a component of the entire pole. Sansing agreed with Ross regarding
visibility of the sign. Sansing said Dairy Queen is part of the Williams Drive Gateway and he noted that is a
concern to him. He noted it does not appear that many other locations would be eligible for this type of sign. He
added the new proposed sign would be smaller than the current sign as well. He said he does not agree with
everything that has been said at the meeting and added he thinks the current sign Ordinance is ultra restrictive.
He said he is in support of this Ordinance. Brainard had Cook put an example of an electronic sign on Dairy
Queen. He noted he thinks this would be a detriment to the current landscape and he is in support of the
motion. Oliver said he does not like these signs and added he does not like the fact that Council is trying to
draw up an Ordinance to help one issue and request. He spoke about other aspects of the proposed Ordinance
that he does not like. He noted these type of signs will not pull customers in from 1-35 and added the Ordinance
is full of gimmicks. Berryman said she would be against flashing, moving, red lights and said she will miss the
opportunity to have an amber alert in Georgetown. Eason thanked the Mayfield's for the renovation to the Dairy
Queen. She gave an example of when her attention was drawn away from her driving toward an electronic sign
on the side of the road. She spoke about how electronic signs are distractions to drivers. Vote on the motion:
Approved 5-2 (Sassing, Berryman opposed)
O Consideration and possible action related to the formation and transition of Georgetown utility Systems into a
separately governed utility Board -- Jim Briggs Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 4 of 9 Pages
Mayor reviewed the item and Briggs described the history of this issue. Briggs said the advantages and
disadvantages of creating a separate utility Board have been provided for the Council. He said the Georgetown
Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board indicated, for the Board to make a better deciison on this issue, they would
have to look into the management as well as bond issues. Briggs said, in order to do that, he would need
additional resources and funds that he does not currently have. He said the issue is back on Council to decide
on how the structure should be established. Ross asked and Briggs reviewed the direction given to staff from
Council on this issue. Briggs noted the extra $10,000 would be used to create a complete study to bring back to
the Board. Ross said he is not ready to spend $10,000 more dollars to research this issue. Brandenburg
recounted the past direction to staff from Council. Oliver said, from reading the materials, there are legal issues
but they are solvable. Oliver said and Briggs confirmed there would be a way to lay out a plan that Council is
comfortable with in order to make this happen. Oliver said the issue is whether or not Council wants to give up
direct control of rate fees. Sokolow said he has been in a City where Council has given power to a Board. He
noted, other than rate setting, an issue can be management and how many resources Council wants to give to
the Board. He noted independent does not always mean better. Sattler noted he can support this type of Board.
He said his last employer was this type of Board and all decisions are made with the public interest at heart.
Sattler said this type of Board could be more effective at replacing the lost tax revenues caused by the growing
population of people 65 years or older coming into Georgetown.
Motion by Sansing, second by Oliver to reject the idea of the creation of a separately governed utility Board.
Brainard said he thinks this idea has merit and noted future Councils may not have the knowledge or abilities of
the current Council. He said it may be good to take the potential politics away from the people who control the
City's utility rates. Ross asked and Mayor repeated the motion on the floor. Berryman said she has concern
about how Austin is running their utilities and she added she sees a need to explore the implication of politics
and how they effect utility rates. Brainard asked that staff continue to explore this opportunity without having to
spend extra money. Sansing said the current staff in the City's utility department is incredibly experienced. He
noted the City is not ready or big enough to have a separate utility board. Brainard noted neither Council nor
staff will always be here and politics need to stay out of this issue. Eason suggested that the finance director do
a complete analysis of this type of Board. Brainard said he thinks this is a governance issue and added he
thinks the City must have the resources in house available to prepare a full study on this issue. Vote on the
motion: Denied 3-4 (Sattler, Berryman, Brainard, Ross opposed)
Motion by Brainard, second by Sattler to keep the idea alive, strip it of the $10,000 cost, and have staff prepare
alternative suggestions for future governance of the Georgetown Utility System.
Eason made a friendly amendment to include a financial analysis. Eason asked and Rundell said there are
financial concerns regarding any type of these Boards, particularly in regards to the City's debt. Rundell said
Briggs has recommended a type of hybrid of these types of Boards. Brandenburg and Rundell reviewed other
possible financial consequences. Mayor said, in his opinion, if it isn't broke there is no need to fix it. Sansing
noted this type of motion sounds a lot like micromanagement. Berryman said this motion will enable the Council
to make an educated decision on this issue in the future. She said the City will have many concerns in the future
that the City can not ignore, including a a changing tax base, and it would not be wise to eliminate options. Vote
on the motion as friendly amended: Approved 6-1 (Sansing opposed)
P Discussion and possible action regarding information disbursement on issues that relate to
Councilmembers' Districts -- Bili Sattler, Councilmember District 4
Sattler asked that, whenever something comes to the City Manager and applies to a particular district, that the
Councilmember be made aware that that type of inquiry has been made. He asked that a notification be sent to
each Council member when something happens in their district. Sattler said he is not looking to create
additional work for staff but noted he would appreciate a small notification. Mayor asked and Sattler said this
could go through the City Manager. Brandenburg said he could ask staff to notify each Councilmember every
week of an event that is happening in their district. Brandenburg said he is willing to work with Sattler. Sattler
pulled this item from the agenda and noted he will discuss this with the City Manager in the future.
X First Reading of an Ordinance suspending enforcement of Section 10.16.030 B. of the Code of
Ordinances, for four months, on all streets within the downtown overlay currently signed and marked for
two-hour parking -- Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager
Miller reviewed the item and
spoke about the
history of this issue in front of
Council. He noted he visited with the
City Attorney and they have
come to Council
with
a completed
Ordinance.
Miller read the entire Ordinance on
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 5 of 9 Pages
first reading. Berryman noted she would like to shorten the moratorium time to one month so as to not
completely eliminate the idea of a study.
Motion by Berryman,
second by Sattler that
staff alter this Ordinance
to a one month moratorium so as to not
impair the businesses
on the square in case
the moratorium causes a
parking problem.
Sansing said he is not sure how staff could obtain a study with a moratorium. Berryman noted the moratorium
should be able to tell Council how this affects the parking on the square. Berryman noted, in a short amount of
time, the Council will be able to see whether or not a parking Ordinance is necessary. Berryman said she thinks
too many people will be taking advantage of the parking during the moratorium. Ross asked about who would
conduct a study and Berryman said that is a question for Miller or Brandenburg. Berryman said the business
owners that park on the square in front of their stores are not doing very good business. Brandenburg said the
two hour parking is still in effect until after the second reading of this Ordinance. He described other studies and
surveys that have been done regarding the parking issue on the square. Sansing said he thinks a study needs
to be done with the current parking limits in place before the moratorium goes into affect. Berryman said if the
square is full of cars and there is no increase in sales, you know there is abuse going on by current business
owners. Mayor suggested that staff take a questionnaire to the businesses along to square in order to get an
opinion from the people that would be effected by this parking moratorium. Eason said she believes changes
are necessary and a study must be done, but she does not believe there should be a moratorium.
Speaker, Judy Lester, thanked Council and said this is a very important issue to her. She read an excerpt from
Clark Thurmon's editorial in the Sun regarding the parking issue. She showed Council pictures of the square at
11 a.m. with cars filling all of the spots. She noted 70% of the spots were full and most of them were filled by
employees of the local businesses. She gave Council copies of letters from businesses and people who were
opposed to the parking moratorium. She noted the fine structure is, however, mean spirited. She noted she has
never received any complaints about parking restrictions. She said she could agree with an increase to three
hour parking as well as a one month moratorium, as long as it is not during the Holiday season.
Speaker, Kyra Quenan, said she owns Quenan's Jewelers on the corner of 7th and Austin Avenue. She said
her customers have never complained about the two hour parking limit. She noted, if Council approves a
moratorium this season, it will be a "free for all" and will negatively affect the parking along the square.
Speaker, Jack Hackmeister, said he owns and operates Chupa Rosa. He noted, if the people on the square who
own the businesses do not park off of the square, they are not running a good business. He said there are 14
shops on the square and, if you have 10 minutes to spend each shop, a person will be over the two hour limit.
He said, if the City has a two hour parking limit, it is saying that the square is only worth two hours of a person's
time.
Speaker, Lee Hamblea, said he represents small businesspeople who are renting on the square and who are
not there for more than four hours. He said he designs websites and he hopes for some kind of permit in order
to park on the square. Oliver asked and Hamilton explained the timing of the validity of the Ordinance if it is
approved. Oliver said a 30 day moratorium would be very disruptive to the holidays if it were approved on the
current schedule. Sansing said he thinks Council should postpone this Ordinance until January. Brainard
suggested the option of moving the parking limit to three hours.
Motion by Brainard, second
by Sattler to
change
the two
hour limit
to a three
hour limit indefinitely, continue to
study the parking issue and
proceed with
revising
the fine
structure
along the
square.
Mayor asked and Sokolow said staff could come back with a second reading Ordinance with the suggested
changes from Brainard at the next meeting. Sokolow asked that Council discuss the issue of fee structure today.
Berryman made a friendly amendment to include the fine structure of a warning on the 1 st offense, up to $20
for the 2nd offense and up to $75 on the 3rd offense. Brainard accepted the friendly amendment. Vote on the
motion as amended: Approved 7-0
R Consideration and possible action regarding a request for disannexation by Durwood M. (Woody)
Thompson, Jr., relating to those certain tracts of land having the 2009 Williamson County Short ID R091153
and R038789, and the street address of 801 and 900 Carlson Cove, and located in 2006 Annexation Area
No. 8 -- Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director
Polasek described the item and the land involved in this request for disannexation. He described the type of
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 6 of 9 Pages
City services this area currently receives. He noted the City has not failed to provide any services to the
applicant's property. He said this area was included in the 2006 annexations and added the request for
disannexation was denied by staff. He noted, if this request for disannexation is approved, the City is required to
hold public hearings as well as conduct financial reports. He said there would also be a 10 year moratorium on
being able to annex the property again. He said the recommendation from staff is to deny the request at this
time.
Speaker, Thompson, said he and his family would like to be dropped from the City's tax rolls. He said it is hard
to make a living out there and being annexed has cut into that deeply. Sansing asked and Polasek said, for the
City's purposes, the area is zoned as agricultural and there is an AG exemption on that property at this time.
Sansing said he does not like donut holes in the middle of the City. Oliver asked and Polasek said, if this
property is disannexed for failure to provide services, the City can not annex the property for another ten years.
Ross asked and Polasek said a listing of City services being given to the property has been provided to the
Council. Thurwood said the only service his property receives is trash.
Motion by Oliver to approve the request. Motion died for lack of second.
No action was taken by Council.
T Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to award construction contract with Cunningham Contractors & Assoc., Inc.
of Georgetown, Texas for the construction of the LWTP 3 MG Clearwell in the amount of $2,622,800.00 --
Glenn Dishong, Water Services Director, Thomas R. Benz, P. E., Systems Engineer Director and Jim Briggs,
Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations
Dishong reviewed the item and noted this item entails the actual construction of a third Clearwell to provide
additional storage and help reach peak demand. He said this item was publicly bid and there were 25
contractors that responded. He said this price is substantially less than the engineer's estimate.
Motion by Berryman, second by Sansing to approve the award of contract. Brainard asked and Dishong said
the City is paying for this contract with cash and bonding. Ross asked and Dishong has done good work for the
City before. Dishong confirmed staff has no reservations with this item. Approved 74
U Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to award a contract to CDM Constructors, Inc. (CCI), of Houston, Texas, for
Lake Water Treatment Plant (LWTP) Filter #10 and Sun City Pump No. 4 and 5 for amount not to exceed
$21033,200.00 -- Glenn Dishong, Water Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility
Operations
Dishong reviewed the item and, with a Powerpoint presentation, gave a brief history of the Lake Georgetown
Water Treatment Plant (WTP). He reviewed past projects that have been done on the plant. He spoke about
the original plan for that site and noted there was a pump upgrade scheduled for 2012. He said the lake plant
expansion was schedule for three different parts and he described those parts and when each part is scheduled
to begin. He also spoke about the 3 MG Clearwell and the Sun City pump station. He showed Council a picture
of the current Lake Georgetown WTP Master Plan. He reviewed lessons learned from the drought of 2009
including observations about the surface water supply, the ground water supply and the Sun City pump station.
He said the City had a hard time alleviating fires over the summer because of the lack of available water. He
reviewed the current plan and noted Brazos River Authority is going to increase the pumping capacity of the raw
water line by two years up to the summer of 2010. He said staff is also continuing with the 3MG Clearwell Plant,
which should be ready for service by the summer of 2010. He said, if the City goes with the standards process
for design and construction of these plant expansion, the completion date would be pushed into late of 2010 or
2011.
Dishong said staff is recommending the implementation of mandatory watering restrictions from May to October
of each year. He noted Council directed staff to investigate additional options to bring the WWTP up and
running sooner than what the current planning allows. He said staff is recommending Council declare
emergency procurement to speed up the process. He showed Council a graph demonstrating future expansion
options. He said the use of emergency procurement requires that the City declare that health and safety of the
citizens is adversly impacted by the current situation. He noted declaring emergency procurement would bring
the pump up and working 5 months sooner. He said the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board has
recommended that the City declare that the emergency procurement is necessary. Eason asked and Dishong
confirmed the aquifer was at good levels prior to this past summer and the drought we had this year could
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 7 of 9 Pages
repeat itself. Eason noted, just because the City has had these recent rains, it does not mean we should ignore
the issue completely. Dishong said the original plan would be to determine that the emergency option is not
necessary. He said, if Council votes not to do the emergency procurement, it may require additional mandatory
water restrictions for the next two summers. Dishong again summarized the item. He said this went to the GUS
Board and it was approved with a 5-1 vote.
Motion by Sansing, second by Berryman to approve the award of contract.
Oliver asked and Dishong confirmed emergency procurement means the City will do this project without a bid.
Briggs said the expansion is to create back up for the wells, which the City did not have this past summer.
Sokolow said the procurement laws are one of the harshest and, if the City does not have an emergency, the
Council could be removed from office and would risk not being able to serve for another four years. He spoke
about the potential perils for the contractor as well. Mayor asked and Sokolow said his recommendation is that
Council really consider the issue of procurement law and whether or not this is actually an emergency. Sansing
said he thought they already took a vote on this issue and considered it an emergency a long time ago. Eason
asked and Dishong said, if the City does not get moving on this project in the next two weeks, the City will not be
able to get the project into the ground by the summer. Sattler asked and Dishong said the usage restrictions
are a tool but Dishing added they are in a completley different category than being able to pull water on demand
for the customers. Dishong said staff anticipates going to mandatory restrictions regardless of whether Council
approves this or not. Berryman said her definition of an emergency is the possible loss of fire protection for the
City. She said her only question is whether or not the City could avoid that emergency. Mayor said
documentation from MCRA stating that the area is still in a drought should support the argument that this is
indeed an emergency situation.
Oliver asked and Dishong said the City will be receiving more pumping capacity from Stillhouse in June of next
year. Oliver asked and Dishong confirmed, if Council does not do this, there will be mandatory water usage
restrictions in place. Oliver said the question is whether the City can make it through two summers without
adding additional water capacity. Dishong noted it is much harder getting through two summers rather than
one. Mayor said the issue is not the amount of water the City has available, but it is the ability of the City to
process it so that people's demands are being met. Sansing spoke about an incident in the past when filters
blew out at the treatment plant, which put the City is great jeapordy. He said he would not like to see that
happen again. Ross said he gets very nervous when people declare emergencies. Ross asked and Dishong
said the drought of the past two years has been worse than the drought of record and that's why the City had not
planned for this type of situation. Ross asked and Dishong said the City said this was an emergency back in
July. Ross said he agrees this needs to be done but he asked why the bid process takes so long. Ross asked
and Benz said, if the City went to competitive bidding, the plant would be ready by the fall of 2010. Ross asked
and Dishong said there is no way to push up the deadline due to the problem with the lead time of the pumps.
Sansing said he thinks the City still needs to conserve, but noted it also needs to have the appropriate
infrastructure in place. Sokolow said it makes him nervous that Council is voting on a contract that they have not
seen yet. He suggested that Council have a special meeting and speak to CDM about the details. Brandenburg
and Oliver agreed with Sokolow and said Council should know what they are voting on. Berryman asked and
Briggs said next week would be better than two weeks, which would push the construction schedule out by a
month. There was much discussion.
Berryman made a friendly amendment to discuss this issue on Monday. Sansing agreed. Sansing withdrew
his original motion.
Motion by Brainard, second by Berryman to revisit this issue at the Monday special meeting. Approved 5-2
(Eason, Sattler opposed)
Q Consideration and possible action to award the bid for electrician services to Mercury Electric in the estimated
amount of $90,000.00 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Construction Manager and Micki Rundell, Chief
Financial Officer
Jones reviewed the item. Motion by Brainard, second by Berryman to approve the award of bid. Approved 7-0
S Forwarded from the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board (GTAB):
Consideration and possible action for the award of the annual bid for Emulsion oil used in road construction
to Ergon Asphalt & Emulsion, Inc. of Austin, Texas for the estimated amount of $50,414.70 -- Mark Miller,
Transportation Services Manager, Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations `
Miller reviewed the item. Motion by Brainard, second by Berryman to approve the award of bid. Approved 7-0
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 8 of 9 Pages
V Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Discussion and possible action to execute an agreement between the City of Georgetown and Clear Wireless
LLC for the lease of antenna and equipment space at the James Street elevated storage tank in the
amount of $29,000.00 -- Glenn Dishong, Water Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for
Utility Operations
Dishong described the item. Motion by Berryman, second by Brainard to approve the award of bid. Approved
7-0
W Forwarded from the Georgetown Utility System (GUS) Advisory Board:
Consideration and possible action to amend the contract with the CH2M HILL OMI (OM1) for the
management, operation, and maintenance of the City's water treatment plants for the period starting
October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010 with an operating budget of $1,513,514.00 -- Glenn Dishong,
Water Services Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations
Dishong described the
item
and
noted the
existing contract requires
that the City go through annual
amendments. He said
OMI
has
requested
from
an increase in
their
base
fee.
Berryman left the dais.
Motion
by Sansing, second by Sattler to
approve the amendment. Ross
asked and Dishong explained why
they
are
asking
by
Brainard
for more money
from
the
City.
Approved
6-0
(Berryman
absent
from dais)
Y Second Reading of an Ordinance to amend the Unified Development Code (UDC) Section 3.13.010"
Applicability'; Section 3.15 "Variance (Zoning); repealing Chapter 4 Zoning Districts, Chapter 6 Lot Standards,
and Chapter 7 Site Design Standards and adding new Chapter 4 Zoning Districts, Chapter 6 Residential and
Agriculture Zoning Districts: Lot, Dimensional and Design Standards, and Chapter 7 Non -Residential Zoning
Districts: Lot, Dimensional and Design Standards -- Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
Cook described the
item and read only the
caption of the Ordinance
on second
reading. Motion by Sansing,
second
by
Brainard
to approve Ordinance
2009-56. Approved 6-0
(Berryman
absent
from dais)
The meeting was adjourned at 10:13 PM.
City Council Meeting Minutes/October 27, 2009
Page 9 of 9 Pages