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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 08.27.2007 CC-WThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor Gary Nelon presiding. Council Present: Council sent: Patty Eason, Gabe Sansing, Keith Brainard, Bill All Council Present Sattler, Pat Berryman, Farley Snell, Ben Oliver Staff Present: Paul Brandenburg, City Manager; Tom Yantis, Assistant City Manager; Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations; Patricia E. Carls, City Attorney; Sandra D. Lee, City Secretary; Micki Rundell, Director of Finance and Administration; Glenn Dishong, Water Services Director; Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director; Heather Brewer, Urban Forester; Leticia Zavala, Controller; Terry Jones, Support Services Manager; Tom Benz, Manager of Systems Engineering; Mark Thomas, Economic Development Director; Keith Hutchinson, Public Information Officer Called to order at 4:03 p.m. A Workshop discussion on City's Purchasing Policy and consultant selection process for engineering --Marsha Iwers, Purchasing Manager; Tom Benz, System Engineering Manager; and Micki Rundell, Director Finance and Administration With a slide presentation, Iwers gave a brief purchasing overview. She listed the Purchasing Goals: 1) Compliance with State and Federal laws; 2) Compliance with all city ordinances; 3) Procurement of the highest quality material and services at the best value; 4) Provide guidelines for the procurement of material, services and equipment. She explained the City Purchasing Policy. Benz explained the State requirements for Professional Services Contracts, explaining the two-step process of hiring an engineer, and listing the steps in developing a project scope. Sattler asked and was told that a staff team within the department negotiates the purchasing contracts, including Attorney Carls, if needed. It was explained that the City uses a purchase order form for purchasing equipment , and professional services contracts are written by the City using a standard form. Sattler asked and Iwers explained the bidding process. She said there's no way to know how many bids will come in, and sometimes when only a few bids are received, staff calls vendors to remind them and see if they will bid. She said, if only one bid is received, it must be within market price. She said bids are not accepted on estimates, only firm bids. When asked by Sattler, Benz explained that "value" engineering is done during preliminary engineering throughout the entire project, then once the bid is received, there can be no more value engineering other than in the construction manager at risk contracts. Sattler confirmed that staff has the flexibility to determine best value. He asked and was told the way the City determines best value. He asked and it was confirmed that architects and engineers fall into the "professional" qualification, which is controlled by State Regulations. He asked who writes the construction contracts, and Benz explained that is done by project managers and engineers. Berryman asked if one company gets most of the jobs in Georgetown. She questioned why the City uses one particular engineering firm from another city rather than using a local engineering company. Benz said engineers are chosen based on best qualifications and they try to use local companies when possible, for instance local surveyors, testing laboratories, and other subfirms. She asked to see a formal list for City Council Meeting Minutes/August 27, 2007 Page 1 of 3 Pages engineering, surveying, archiLecture, and environmental evaluations. Brainard asked if it is required that the bids be advertised locally and Iwers responded in the affirmative. He asked how many licensed engineers are on staff, and Benz responded that there are four, and at least one of them is always involved in the contracts. Sansing noted that state law is about to change where bids are not necessary for $25,000 to $50,000, and asked if the City could ignore that change in the law and continue to go out for bid. Iwers explained that smaller vendors have a problem with the bidding process, so it would be better for the City and for the smaller vendors if they were not required to follow the formal bid processes. He also asked and Carls explained that the bids for the Library are different because they are Construction Manager at Risk. Sansing asked and was told that the savings in the contingency fund on the Library construction came back to the City. Jones explained that the actual subcontract fee goes back to the contractor. Sansing suggested that if the City wishes to negotiate the cost sharing, it can be written into the AIA contract form. He said he wants the City to look at that option in the future in order to save money. Carls explained that the current contracts being used are from the AIA template. She said because the City is a public entity, the state law has to be added into the contract form. Eason verified if there is a loss in the Construction Manager at Risk contract, the contractor takes the full risk. B Second Public Hearing on the City of Georgetown Property Tax Rate -- Micki Rundell, Director Finance and Administration Rundell provided a handout and explained the way the property tax rate is determined. The Public Hearing was opened at 4:53 p.m. Speaker, Keith Peshak, gave his opinion of City finances. The Public Hearing was closed at 4:58 p.m. C Oak Wilt Presentation -- Heather Brewer, Urban Forester and Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director Brewer introduced Rob Grotty, Staff Forester from the Texas Forest Service, and Oak Wilt Coordinator. With a slide presentation, Grotty explained oak wilt, which occurs in 55 counties of Texas. He noted that the disease is present in Georgetown, specifically southwest at Leander Road. He explained the method of installing a trench around an effected tree. Brainard asked if there are other cities who have subsidized the removal of trees effected by oak wilt, and Grotty noted that Austin, Bee Cave and Lakeway have ordinances about removal of trees that die of oak wilt. D Transportation and Road Project Update -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager for Utility Operations With a slide presentation and handout, Briggs showed a map of the Overall Transportation Plan. He listed the key elements of the plan. He explained travel demand modeling and descriptions of level of service, listing the projects that were planned by 2010, but several in conjunction with the State, will not be funded. He explained the considerations being done by the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board to accomplish funding for some of the projects; and explained that money from Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Commission (GTEC) could go to certain projects. There were questions and comments from the Council regarding specific roadway projects. E Overview and discussion regarding the "Guidelines and Criteria Governing Tax Abatement Agreements" within the City of Georgetown and its Extraterritorial Jurisdiction -- Paul Brandenburg, City Manager and Mark Thomas, Economic Development Director Brandenburg said the incentives started back in 2002, and noted that Council has a handout on the dais of the existing Principles for Economic Development Incentives. He said the principles have been fairly informal, and staff realized that they needed to be "tightened up," but not so formal that the potential business has to sign off on the arrangement at the beginning of the process. Thomas said the tax abatement agreement is needed to be filed with the state. He noted that these guidelines, once adopted, would be provided on the website so that companies can look at them and be prepared for what to expect from Georgetown. He reviewed the proposed guidelines and criteria, including the six -step approval process. There were questions from the Council. Brainard asked if it would be worthwhile to withhold some of the information and just provide what is necessary to file with the State. Carls said in the process of preparing these abatements and guidelines, there were some that were specific to Georgetown, but the rest is common language in such guidelines from other cities. City Council Meeting Minutes/August 27, 2007 Page 2 of 3 Pages ayof 6:42 p.m. recessed to Exec Session City Council Meeting Minutes/August 27, 2007 Page 3 of 3 Pages V