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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 08.06.2007 CC-SThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Special Session on the above date with Mayor Gary Nelon presiding. Council Present: Gary Nelon, Gabe Sansing, Bill Sattler, Pat Berryman, Farley Snell, Ben Oliver Council Absent.9 Patty Eason, Keith Brainard Staff Present: Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Patricia E. Carls, City Attorney; Jessica Hamilton, Assistant City Secretary; Micki Rundell, Director of Finance & Administration; Tom Yantis, Assistant City Manager; Kimberly Garrett, Director of Parks and Administration; Leticia Zavala, Controller; Tom Benz, System Engineer; Shirley Rinn, Executive Assistant to the City Manager • P=M •• '- • •• • • • 1"� 11 Mayor Nelon announced that Executive Session would be held at this time. recessed to Executive Session -- 4:01 pm Executive Session Regular Session to convene and continue Executive Session, if necessary In compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Chapter 551, Government Code, Vernon's Texas Codes, Annotated, the items listed below will be discussed in closed session and are subject to action in the regular session that follows. C Sec.551.071: Consultation with Attorney - Advice from attorney about pending or contemplated litigation and other matters on which the attorney has a duty to advise the City Council, including agenda items -Transamerican Underground vs. Arch Insurance Co., C. C. Carleton Industries, and Third Party Defendant the City of Georgetown, Cause No. 06-121-C277, District Court of Williamson County, 277th Judicial District D Sec 551.072: Deliberations about Real Property - Consideration and possible action regarding the proposed disposition of City -owned property located at 605 W. 15th St., said property being more particularly described in a deed recorded at Volume 2262, Page 201, Official Records, Williamson County, Texas -- Terri Glasby Calhoun, Paralegal and Patricia E. Carls, City Attorney returned to Open Session -- 4:13pm Regular Session A Action from Executive Session Motion by Sansing, second by Oliver that the City Council approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the compromise and settlement agreement regarding the lawsuit TransAmerica Underground vs. Arch Insurance Company to authorize the City Attorney to execute the documents necessary regarding the City's position on the claims not resolved by this settlement agreement. Approved 5-0 (Brainard, Eason Absent) B Vote to place adoption of the proposed 2007 tax rate on a future agenda and to set dates for two public hearings -- Micki Rundell, Director of Finance & Administration City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 1 of 8 Pages Rundell gave a Powerpoint presentation regarding the proposed tax rate. She said that the 2007 Assessed Valuation is certified at a little over $3.6 Billion and that's net of $89 million in TIF districts. She said that it also includes $336 million of new and annexed property and that $722 million is now frozen. She added that 20% of the total tax space is in frozen valuation. Rundell noted that the 2006 value was $3.1 billion and the freeze then was $713 million. She noted that Assessed Valuations continue to rise and they have tripled their valuation in over 10 years and doubled it in 5 years. Rundell said that, this year, the average home value has increased about 9.7% to $183,970. She said that the effective tax rate is the rate necessary to derive the same amount of revenue as previous year based upon the current year assessed valuations. She added that the effective rate this year is $0.34217 and that the adopted 2006 tax rate was $0.36728 and that included $0.0312 sales tax for property tax relief. Rundell said that the Proposed 2007 tax rate to fund the City Manager's budget is $0.35659 and that also includes the $0.0312 sales tax for property tax relief. She gave a summary of the proposed tax rates and said that the effective rate is $0.34219, the rate needed to fund the Clity Manager's budget is $0.35659 and the rollback rate is $0.37527. She said that the proposed rate of $0.35659 is a 4.2% increase over the effective rate. She added that the M&O fund, which funds the General Fund, is $0.20322 which is less than the 2006 M&O rate of $0.21979. She said that the I&S, the debt service portion, has increased to $0.15337 versus last year's $0.14749. She added that the increase is directly attributable to the 2004 bond authorization that the City issued for the Rec Center. She said that the total GO impact from the 2004 bond issue is 4.67 cents. Rundell showed Council a graph that illustrates the differences between the effective and the adopted tax rates as well as the rollback rates. She said that most of the increases over the prior years were because the City is dealing with increases in staffing and things that are related to public safety. She said that, this year, the City is somewhere in the middle. Rundell said that Council has to vote for a future tax agenda item which is required by the Texas Tax Code. She noted that they will set public hearing rates as well as meet certain publication requirements. She said that this is a record vote, and that the record of this vote is included in the publications. She told Council that what they are voting on is to set the maximum amount that would be considered for tax vote at a future Council meeting. She reiterated that Council can go below the posted amount, but not above it. She reviewed what goes into the tax rate. She said that the M&O portion of the rate is variable and that the I&S rate is determined by the debt service for the 2007 amount of $0.15337. She added that any changes that Council makes to this tax rate impacts the General Fund. Rundell showed the Tax Component chart. She said that the O&M portion of the rate goes down from last year and that the debt portion is substantial. She gives Council four options to consider for the tax rate. She said that Option 1 is the tax rate set by the City Manager, the $0.35659 that fund the proposed operating plan. She added that Option 2 is the rollback rate, $0.37527, which increases General Fund revenue by about $525,000. She said that Option 3 is the same tax rate as the prior year, $0.36728, and it increased the General Fund revenue by $308,000. She mentioned that any other tax rate could be considered by the City Council and, if the City was to go with the effective tax rate at $0.34217, that would decrease the general fund by $416,000. Mayor commented that the additional options are numerous under Option 4. Motion by Snell, second by Oliver to vote to place adoption of a tax rate of $0.35659 cents per $100 valuation, equaling $0.20322 cents for Maintenance and Operation and $0.15337 cents for debt service, as an action item at the August 30, 2007 special Council meeting to be held at 4 p.m. at City Council Chambers, at the northeast corner of Seventh and Main Streets, Georgetown. Approved 5-0 (Brainard, Eason Absent) Motion by Snell, second by Oliver to set two public hearings, as required by law, to be held on Monday, August 20 at 4:OOp.m., and on Monday, August 27 at 4:OOp.m. at City Council Chambers, at the northeast corner of Seventh and Main Streets, Georgetown. Approved 5-0 (Brainard, Eason Absent) E Applicant Presentations and Discussion of Community/Social Services and Youth and Children's Program Funding Applications for FY'07-08 -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager Brandenburg thanked all of the applicants and gave a brief overview of the funding application process. He said that the funding is broken into two categories: social service funding and youth and children's program funding. He added that there are sixteen requests for the social service funding and seven for the children's and youth program funding. He said that the total dollar amount requested for the social service funding is about $332,000, and there is about $309,000 from the proposed base budget to be used. He added that, for the youth and children's program funding, there is about $15,000 requested. He said that this is in the base budget. He said, on the City Council Agenda next Tuesday, the Mayor will appoint a subcommittee of Council members that will take all of this information and come up with a recommended budget on how to fund the programs. He said that this will become a part of the budget that will be adopted for 2008. Joyce Spitznogle of the Assistance League of Georgetown Area, said that Assistance League is a non-profit, all volunteer philanthropic organization dedicated to helping those in need in our community. She added that their signature philanthropic project is "Operation School Bell." She said their request to the City is for $3,000 to partially fund this project. She noted this represents 4.9 percent of the budget for Georgetown students. She said the total budget for both Georgetown and Jarrell is $68,250. She added this is a $68.25 per child for the City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 2 of 8 Pages 1,000 students they serve. one spoke about "Operation School Bell" and what'it provides for the children. She said there is no other program in our community that provides both new shoes and new clothes for children in need. She told Council in September 2007 there will be over 16,000 children that qualify for free and reduced lunches in Georgetown alone. She said, while Assistance League has been able to serve an increased number of students each year, they still fall far short of having enough funds for everyone. She said that, in 2007, their plan is to provide for 900 children. She said funding comes from grants, direct mailings to the community, and a thrift shop where they sell goods. Joy Dillman Director of ECI- PRIDE Early Childhood intervention (Bluebonnet Trails Community MHMR Center), said it has been a joy working with the people of Georgetown. She said that she has been involved in ECI for more than 30 years. She noted, because of what is learned each year about how the brain develops in young children, she continues to be excited about what can be done in their program to make life-long differences in the growth and development of children and their families. She said all of the children they work with have some sort of medical condition, developmental delay, or have suffered trauma that sets them back in their development. She added the first three years of life is the most critical time for brain development. She said, if they can start early enough, their intervention can often help the children overcome the effect of their disease, their exposure to alcohol and drugs, and their experience of abuse and neglect. She noted they provide support and information to families and they provide therapy and help to children in many ways. She said it became Federal Law in 2007 to screen and evaluate every child under three that is in the Child Protective Services system. She said this has increased their referrals and enrollment significantly. She described the effects of stress and abuse on the brain. Sattler asked and Dillman confirmed that they are very involved in the Georgetown Project. Dillman confirmed that they are associated with Georgetown schools. Berryman asked and Dillman said this was an unfunded mandate that she received, but that the Legislature has appropriated some additional funds for the next biennium. Sattler asked if they get any funding from schools in regards to drug screenings. Dillman said that is not part of ECI, but they do try to get families to access those services. Sattler asked and Dillman confirmed that they work closely with the Child Find program. Edna Johnson of Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS), spoke about their curb to curb transit program. She added they do not go into the homes, but they do help the clients with their groceries. She said it costs about $90,000 to run a vehicle. This includes insurance, fuel, and oil. She noted that the vehicles are propane powered, which is a mandate from TXDOT. She spoke about an "out of area" vehicle that runs out of town to Round Rock and Austin five days a week. She told Council, last year, they did over 8,500 one-way trips. Johnson added that they are working on the intermodal transit facility at the Park 'n Ride lot. She gave Council a brief update of that and other projects. Berryman asked and Johnson said that they did 8,500 rides last year, which included Sun City. Berryman asked and Johnson confirmed that the 'but of area" vehicle follows a route from Taylor, through Georgetown, and to Austin. Berryman asked and Johnson said that the people who use CARTS know the schedule and pick up times for all of the rides. She mentioned that they work with Faith in Action Caregivers. A speaker from Catholic Charities of Central Texas said the organization has been around since 1962 to assist the poor and vulnerable in twenty-five different counties. He said they have had a presence in Williamson County for a little over two years. He added they have been helping people in Round Rock as well as Katrina survivors in Georgetown. He said the request they are submitting is for $5,000 to serve grandparents that are raising grandchildren. He said this came about from the 2005 American Communities Survey showing there were 4,533 families in Williamson County that had grandkids living with them. He added, out of that amount, 2,279 were raising those grandchildren. He said the $5,000 request would go toward rent and utility assistance. He noted their goal is to assist seniors in developing and implementing a plan for increased self-sufficiency through case management. Oliver asked and the representative confirmed that this is a new program started on August 1st. Snell said this is a great program and he knows people that are living this life. He added the problem he sees is that the City has developed some refined guidelines on where funding should go, and he is not sure if this organization fits those guidelines. Snell suggested, in the future, they should tailor their application to the City's guidelines. The representative said he will take that into consideration. Rita Scott of Faith in Action Caregivers , told Council they are an interfaith volunteer organization that offers free transportation and other support services to people who are 65 years of age or older and who live in Georgetown. She noted they currently serve 208 seniors and the services are provided by 141 dedicated volunteers. She said their program is the only agency in Georgetown that focuses on individualized transportation needs for seniors living in their own homes. She added they offer door-to-door service, and many times the drivers stay with clients during their doctor visits or trips to the grocery store. Scott said, without their assistance, many elderly Georgetown residents would be at risk of losing their independence, have to move to a congregate living facility, or still drive on the streets with severe vision and hearing problems. She noted the majority of their transportation services are for medical -related purposes which help the seniors maintain their health and have their chronic conditions monitored in a timely manner. She said, last year, their volunteers provided 3,234 one-way transportation services and contributed over 7,000 hours of service to the community. She said they expect their need to rise. Scott said the funds requested will help to provide the necessary infrastructure to keep their program viable and to help recruit volunteers from the community. Sattler asked and City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 3 of 8 Pages Scott said the volunteers use their own personal automobiles. Sattler asked and Scott confirmed that they work with CARTS, saying as people enroll in their program, they are given information on other services that are available, including CARTS. Sattler asked and Scott confirmed that they have both clients and volunteers in Sun City. She noted that they try to match volunteers to clients that live in the same area. Berryman asked if they have a counterpart in Austin. Scott said there are eight different organizations in the Austin area. Sattler asked and Scott confirmed they receive funding from churches that provide about 20% of their budget. Snell asked and Scott said the grants will pay for telephone services, her salary, volunteer training, volunteer screenings, and all of the things necessary to get the drivers matched up to clients. Family Eldercare, Inc. No representative was present to speak. Don Loving of The Caring Place (Georgetown Community Service Center), said he would like for their original amount requested to be reduced to $45,000. He said their original application was for $65,000 and, as he conducted an internal audit, he found they had a surplus fund in their minor home repair account in the amount of $26,000. Loving said The Caring Place has been in the community since 1985, providing emergency assistance to people. He said they are currently providing direct emergency assistance to over 2,400 families per year. He added they are providing fresh food for over 3,000 families, and over 1600 families receive other kinds of assistance. He said their services are for emergency services only, so people who come to their facility have to demonstrate what kind of physical or personal emergency they are having. Sansing said he finds it awkward that they reduced the request by $20,000. He asked if the extra $20,000 would help repair more homes. Loving said he is not sure; and they are making contacts with the people who can identify those homes that most need the services. He added, to be good stewards of the funding, they want to make sure they are able to get to those homes that need it. Berryman asked and Loving said there were 7 homes last year that received repair. Berryman asked and Loving said he does not know why there weren't more requests for funding last year. Brandenburg said Code Enforcement has been offering up The Caring Place as a resource to people who can not afford to fix their homes. Snell said that he feels it is important that Council supports this. Snell commented and Loving agreed that this is a contract for specific services and is not a grant. Sansing said, to him, it's more than just cosmetics, paint, and gutters. He said some houses that people live in should be deemed uninhabitable. Snell agreed. Paulette Taylor, of Georgetown Cultural Citizens Memorial Association, Inc. said this is their first request and they would humbly appreciate any percentage Council designates for them. She said one of their main focuses is the high utilities at their facilities. She said they want to be able to provide a facility that is measurable and that benefits the community. She noted they want to be able to provide a wholesome atmosphere for children in our school system. Taylor said they want to become an ongoing program so that their facility is not closed during the summer. She said she does not want the children and the community to lose that enhancement. Snell said he noticed they had also made an application to the Children's and Youth Fund. He said their association seems to address that kind of world better. Snell added that the paying for utilities to a building that has multiple uses is a little bit of a stretch. He added that he thinks this is a great organization, but he wanted to send out a little signal that it doesn't quite fit. Taylor said they were new at this and they decided to submit both applications, one for the children, and one for their two facilities. Berryman asked and Taylor confirmed that they have a tutorial program. Taylor said this is under the Education Helping Hands Tutoring and she is one of the lead tutors. She said there are several in the community. Sansing said he was looking at the utilities and he knows the Shotgun House is probably the majority of the electric because it is not insulated and is in disrepair. He said it may be time to revamp the guidelines for the funding applications Debbie Hoffman, of Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County said, as of July 1, they have expanded their service area to all of Williamson County. She said they are constructing three houses right now in Old Mill Village and the request is to continue that construction. She added they will continue to request a partnership with the City of Georgetown to expand their reach into other parts of the City. She said, for right now, they need to complete the development between 17th and 18th streets. Laverne, Treasurer of Handcrafts Unlimited said they are a unique organization that has served artisans in the Georgetown Area for 24 years. She added that the wide community support that the shop enjoys is demonstrated by the fact that the Executive Director, the Board members, and all of the volunteer staff have been volunteers for many years. She said that they have no paid staff or employees. She noted Georgetown has an increasing number of retirees and, at the same time, a growing number of the workers are opting for early retirement. She said it can be assumed that a large number of these retirees are searching for a purposeful activity and a connection to others outside of the traditional workplace. She said the artisans can sign their handcrafted creations over to the shop where they are sold. She added that a percentage of the sales are retained by the shop for operating expenses. She said many of the artisans rely on the shop to provide funds to supplement their social security and other fixed income sources. She noted activities at the store also give our senior citizens a social outlet. She said classes in a number of the handcrafts such as quilting, crocheting, and knitting are provided all age groups, thus helping to preserve and pass on these traditions. She said their annual budget barely covers their expenses. She added they have had to draw upon limited reserves to avoid operating in the red. She said their future plans include providing funding for staff training, City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 4 of 8 Pages merchandising, display, ano advertising. She told Council their mission is to c,untinue operating a successful retail shop to help provide older citizens an interactive environment and the chance to supplement their incomes. Snell said they have continued to focus on the clear physical need of citizens and he feels this is a stretch for that kind of guideline. Laverne said she understands, but the program does help the seniors supplement their incomes. Oliver asked and Laverne confirmed that most of the $10,000 is a one-time expense. She also added they might be facing a relocation. Berryman said and Laverne agreed, handcrafts provide a greater mental health capacity for older people. Gloria Cueva, of Literacy Council of Williamson County said they are the only agency in the County that provides adult literacy tutoring as well as tutoring for high school dropouts. The implications of not helping these adults increase their literacy skills is significant and greatly impacts the workforce, healthcare costs, and other social services costs. She said they are making a huge difference in the community. Cueva noted they have a very small budget, considering they are serving, countywide, 1,200 people for about $130,000. She added they are partnering with the Getsemani Community Center who is going to offer them space for GED tutoring. Berryman asked and Cueva said they serviced 350 adults from Georgetown last year. Jack Hunnicut, of Lone Star Circle of Care said this year, they will do over 70,000 patient encounters, and just under 30,000 of those will be citizens of Georgetown. He noted their budget this year will be just shy of $12 million. He added the request for funding will be for less than 1 % of their budget to provide healthcare for the underserved and uninsured. He said they have added extended hours at their Pediatric Center; they now have comprehensive OB -GYN services; a full time psychiatrist on staff; and they added a child psychologist to the staff last month. Hunnicut added, in August and September, they will be adding two new family practice positions at the Georgetown adult site. Cindy Hecker of Pregnancy Center of Williamson County , thanked Council and said they are the first Pregnancy Help Center in Williamson County. She said they mostly serve the women, children, and families of Georgetown. She added they partner with Lone Star Circle of Care. She noted they served 250 new clients and over 1,100 total client visits last year. She said, one of the reasons for the request is to help fund the educational classes for the girls who choose to keep their children. She spoke about the educational classes on parenting they provide to pregnant women. She also said they have a credit system for all of the classes they offer. She said they give out new infant cribs as an incentive for attending the classes and obtaining credits. She added that, for safety reasons, they are not allowed to give out used infant cribs. She noted the cribs and matresses are about $175 and they become toddler beds, youth beds, and then a double bed. She said they need three to four cribs a month. She said the other item they have requested funds for are educational materials for their library. She said one of the ways the girls can earn credit is viewing CDs, videos, and reading books. She added this is good for girls who have transportation issues. She said there is a great need for spanish speaking videos and spanish books. Berryman said one of the concerns that has been brought to her is that there is a problem regarding the separation of church and state. Hecker said they offer a Bible study class, but none of their classes are mandatory. The girls can choose which classes they want to go to. Snell asked and Hecker confirmed that, in order to receive the cribs, there are certain education requirements that need to be met. Hecker said this is a great thing because the girls will make a commitment and the program builds great self esteem. Berryman asked and Hecker said the books are on parenting, breastfeeding, and child birth. Snell commended the organization for providing support services to women who choose to keep their child. Snell asked and Hecker confirmed that their education covers not only being a good parent, but preventing future pregnancies through abstinence. Snell asked and Hecker said those classes do not count for earning credits for the cribs. She said, as far as abortion, they use a brochure that is done by the State of Texas entitled "The Woman's Right to Know." Sattler asked and she confirmed that the women must take their crib to their own homes. Pat Schnieder of Stonehaven Senior Center, said the Center is a place for seniors over 50 to come and have their social, recreational, educational, and creative needs met. She said the Center was designed by Dr. Lancaster of Southwestern and was built at the same time as the Georgetown Housing Authority. She added it was built with the understanding it would be a separate entity to serve the senior citizens of this area. She noted it is at a very convenient location close to Stonehaven Apartments, and added the Center is not only for residents of the Apartments, but for everyone in Georgetown and Williamson County. She noted people must have their own transportation to get there. She spoke about the many services the Center offers citizens. She said it is a way for senior citizens to get out of their homes and meet friends. Schnieder said they are not open on Saturdays and Sundays, so they rent out their building in order to generate extra funds. She added they get funds from renting the building as well as memorial and monetary contributions. Patty Connor of Williamson County Crisis Center dba Hope Alliance , said they run the only Emergency Shelter in the County for women and children. She said they house 35 individuals and are staying full. She added, unfortunately, for the past year and a half they have been turning away 15-20 families per month. She said, fortunately, they have received about $2,500 from the County to use for hotel funds. She said $69 a night is the cheapest rate they have been able to get in the County. She noted they offer individual and family counseling as well as support groups. She added they have a legal advocate on staff who can help clients access City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 5 of 8 Pages protective orders as well as crime victims compensation funds. She said they nave outreach offices in Georgetown and they are a founding member of the Sexual Assault Response Team. Connor said they have a prevention program called Project Empowerment where they go into schools and provide presentations on conflict resolution, dating violence, healthy relationships, and safe space. She spoke about their housing program. She said they have up to 12 apartments where they can transition women from the shelter into the housing program for one year where they help supplement the rent. She said 7% of their clients come from Georgetown, not including those in their housing program and hotline. She said she is asking for an increase in funds this year for a couple of reasons. She saidt the shelter is continuing to stay full; they have had a 2% increase in the number of Georgetown residents that they are serving, and they have recently had to move out of the County annex building where they have been housed at no cost. She said they are having to lease space for $1 per square foot. Andrew Shell of Williamson- Burnet County Opportunities , said they have been in business for about 40 years and were founded in 1966 by a former Mayor of Georgetown. He said they are asking for continued support for their congregate meals and the Meals on Wheels program. He said they serve and deliver approximately 140 meals per day, which equates to 2,800 per month. Shell said, in many of those cases, the volunteer is the only person that their clients are seeing on a regular basis during the day. He added, for a lot of people who go to their noon congregate meals, that is the only social time they have during the day. He said it is much more than delivering food and eating meals. He said they are asking for the continued use and utility support of the Madella Hilliard Neighborhood Center. Shell noted they are requesting the same amount of funding and, although this is a small percentage of their budget and they have a large volunteer base in Georgetown, they have seen a tremendous increase in cost. Snell asked Brandenburg why the utilities and rental items could not be part of an actual request in the grant applications in coming years. Brandenburg said he is not adversed to that and that he feels it is a holdover from year's past when funding was a lot tighter. Shell said he felt it was inappropriate to list everything on their application. Snell said that WBCO is grandfathered by the social services budget and they don't have to worry about the guidelines. recessed -- 5:37pm resumed -- 5:44pm Brandenburg gave a brief background of the Children's and Youth Program application process. He said the City received seven requests for Childrens and Youth Program Funding totaling $70,500. He added, last year, the Council allocated $25,000 for Children's and Youth Program funding and the proposed budget for the 07/08 fiscal year is about $38,000. He said, last year, they had three applicants and this year they have seven applicants. Daniel Anstee of the Clements Boys & Girls Club- Georgetown Stonehaven Unit , said their association name has changed to "Boys and Girls Club of Central Texas." He gave an overview of which cities are in their organization. He said they have to sustain themselves through their own fundraising means. He said they are a new program and this is their second year of operation. He added they are in their summer program. He noted they have a current active membership of 332. He said their membership is 65% hispanic, 20% caucasian, 15% African American. He said 75% of the children who came throught the program last year qualified for free and reduced lunches. Anstee said they are operating out of two units: the Stonehaven Unit and Getsemani Community Center. He said that they are serving 120 kids per day and one of the big goals of their program is to help the community in as many ways as possible. He spoke about their partnerships with other organizations. He noted the money that sustains their program has to come from as many different local entities as possible. He said the bulk of the cost of their annual budget of $100,000 to $110,000 is predominantly staffing costs and program supplies. Oliver asked and Anstee said they use the Getsemani Community Center to help split the children up into age groups. He added the 13-17 year olds have been going to Getsemani in the afternoons. Sattler asked and Anstee noted they have a management agreement with Killeen. Mayor said and Anstee agreed that Killeen is their sponsoring corporation. Sattler asked and Anstee said they have total control over their monies. Don Loving of the Georgetown Community Service Center aka The Caring Place , said the percentage of the budget for their Emergency Services is about 5% and the funding for the youth services program they are proposing is less than I%. He said the over -arching vision of their organization is to break the cycle of poverty. He added their primary service is emergency assistance to individuals with an emphasis on self-sufficiency. He added, based on research and experience, they believe the silver bullet to break the cycle of poverty is education. He said they are crafting a summer program called "Sizzling Summer" which is designed to reach 25 children who would otherwise not have a summer educational experience. Paulette Taylor of Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association , spoke about the Willie Hall Center's After School Tutorial Program. She said the children in this neighborhood enjoy coming to the Willie Hall Center as a foundation. She added they have the math curriculum from GISD which parallels with what the children are City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 6 of 8 Pages learning. She said this helps them perform well on the TAKS test. She said they have a comraderie with Carver and the forwarding schools. She said the main reason for their request is that they have children who have no one to help them with homework when they get home from school. She added they are hoping to offer computer classes. She said they are trying to get Southwestern, as well as retired couples who enjoy tutoring children, to help with the after school program. Taylor noted they try to provide supplies for the families that cannot always complete their supply list. She said their focus is to help the children achieve. Berryman asked and Taylor said they have been able to track the children's performances inside and outside of school. She said they do criminal background checks and, per the parent's permission, they have access to school progress reports. She said they have a tracking system and work with GISD under Partners in Education. Snell asked about their relationship with Partners in Education. Taylor said Partners in Education provides the lead tutors with educational backgrounds or degrees in education and they also get sponsors to provide a stipend for the lead tutor. She said, as a lead tutor, she works under the umbrella of Partners in Education to provide educational services. She noted Partners in Education has training for volunteers as well as lead tutors. She said they are following a supervised guideline and the rest of the responsibilities lie with the Cultural Citizen Memorial Association. Doug Smith of the Georgetown Palace Theatre , said the Palace Theatre will be doing 10 productions in the coming year. He said, in September, they will be doing "You Can't Do That, Dan Moody" which will be performed in the restored Court House where the original trial took place. Smith spoke about their children summer workshops. He said the Palace Board of Directors considers this program to be an important part of our community. He added this is the fourth year they have offered this program and it has grown each year. He said last summer 350 children were enrolled and, this year, they have nearly 400. He noted the summer program consists of five two-week sessions for four age groups. He said most kids pay $150 a week for tuition, but this fee does not cover the whole cost of the program. He added 38 of these children are on scholarship. He said the children on scholarship are recommended by their teachers and come from parents who cannot afford the cost. He said they are requesting $10,000 to help subsidize their program. Smith noted the kids receive training in acting, singing, and dancing. He said they have classes going on at the Palace Theatre, two spaces on Rock Street, in one of the community rooms at the Library, and in the Main Street Baptist Church facility. He said they have a small weekend program during the school year which is held in the singing and dance studios on Rock Street. He said their goal is to give the kids self confidence and a sense of self worth which will help them succeed in life. He said the program is especially important to the scholarship students who are mostly at -risk kids. Snell asked where the $10,000 figure came from and spoke about the guidelines and how they are well crafted to provide scholarships. Sansing asked and Smith said the tuition does not pay for the full cost of the program. Smith said it pays for the teachers, the rent at the Library, the rent at Rock Street, and the rent over at the Baptist Church. He said it does not pay for any of the Palace Theatre overheads. Smith said the cost per student would probably be more than $200. Mayor said the total would easily equal $10,000. Snell said, if they were to enter into a contract with the Palace Theatre for scholarships, there should be guidelines for where the money would go so there is accountability. Darrick McGill of Georgetown Partners in Education , recited their mission statement. He said the request this year is for $10,000 for their Helping Hands Tutoring program. He said there is an overview of their programs in the grant application. He noted there are three main volunteer -based programs: Project Mentor, Helping Hands Tutoring, and Business Link. He said, last year, volunteers mentored 957 GISD students. He said the Helping Hands Tutoring program is the only no -cost tutoring program in Georgetown. He said their $10,000 request is to fund the lead tutor stipends at five of their six sites. Sattler asked and McGill confirmed the foundation has been set up and they are just about to kick off their initial fundraising drive. McGill said the overall foundation of the program is expanding. He said its first priority is to fund the three core programs and, outside of that, provide grants for teachers in GISD in order to improve their classrooms and expand their curriculum. Mary Calixtro of Getsemani Community Center , said their mission is to create community by strengthening families, connecting cultures and empowering leaders. She spoke about the history of the Center. She said it was a Methodist Church owned by the Rio Grande Conference that served Spanish speaking Methodists. She said the Rio Grande Conference was unable to fund the Church, so it stayed vacant for a number of years until Methodists decided to turn it into a community center. She said they collaborate with both the Boys & Girls Club, the Literacy Council, and Helping Hands Tutoring. She added they also rent the Center for two families as well as the Sertoma Club. She described their summer program and said it will end on the 17th of August. Calixtro said they want to expand the program to target at -risk kids. She added they have gotten a list of these children from the principals of schools throughout GISD. Sansing said First Methodist Church has been very active in helping to keep Getsemani going. He said he was the one who lead the team to build the parsonage and redo the church. He added this program is exactly what social services funding is for because the kids in the area are indeed at -risk. Calixtro said there are no other programs within walking distance of the nearby neighborhood. She said she wanted the neighborhood kids to have a place where they feel safe. Snell asked how the summer program is related to the Boys and Girls Club. Calixtro said the Boys and Girls Club uses the facility in the afternoon and the summer program is in the morning with K -6th graders. Gene Davenport of the Georgetown Project , said the Georgetown Project was created 10 years ago as a City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 7 of 8 Pages vehicle to build collaboration:He said they have about 45 partners, including' rnany of the organizations that just spoke to Council. He added the Georgetown Project ensures the organizations that influence kids do it in a professional, responsible way. He said they use a research -based program called Forty Developmental Assets. He noted those assets are designed to ensure success for children. Davenport said, in 1997, 25% of GISD students were on free and reduced lunch. He added, today, the number has risen to 37%. He said educational outcomes are directly related to the economic level and the educational level of the home. He noted the poverty level in our community is having a direct impact on what is happening with our children. He said through collaboration and the projects they are promoting, we are well on our way to addressing the needs of these children so coming from disadvantaged homes is not a liability but an asset. Davenport said they are asking for $5,000 for the ASAP and KID CITY programs. Mayor asked that Brandenburg recap what the next steps will be in this process. Brandenburg said the Mayor will appoint a Council Subcommittee at the next City Council meeting. He said the Subcommittee will go back through the applications and come up with a formal budget for the two different programs. He said it will then be presented to City Council for confirmation. Sattler asked and Mayor said the appointment of the Subcommittee will be at the next meeting and then Council will meet a week or two after that to finalize it. Brandenburg said they should have a confirmation by the second meeting in August. Mayor said the Subcommittee meets between the date of appointment and the following meeting in order to make recommendations. Sansing asked and Brandenburg confirmed they have a total of $348,140 for both the Social Service Funding and Children's and Youth Program Funding. Sansing said the total being asked for is $384,000. He noted there is only a $35,860 gap, and he said Council should study the applications to see if these organizations can get the funding that they have requested. Mayor said the Subcommittee will have to take all of this into consideration. Motion by Berryman, second by Sansing to adjourn. adjourned -- 6:21 pm The meeting was adjourned at 06:21 PM. City Council Meeting Minutes/August 6, 2007 Page 8 of 8 Pages