HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 02.08.2000 CC-RThe City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the
above date with Mayor presiding.
Council Present: [Council Absent:
Charles "Noss" Burson, Charlie Barton, ,All Council Present
Ferd Tonn, Lee Bain, Shorty Valdez,
Susan Hoyt, Clark Lyda
Staff Present:
George Russell, Assistant City Manager; Marianne Banks, City Attorney; Sandra Lee,
City Secretary; Ed Barry, Chief of Development Services; Randy Morrow, Director of
Parks and Recreation; Tom Yantis, Director of Information Resources; Anthony
Lincoln, Fire Chief; Verna Browning, Director of Community Services; Larry Hesser,
Police Chief; Clay Shell, Fire Services Lieutenant; Wendy Walsh, Development
Planner: Clvde von Rosenbera. Chief Lona-Ranae Planner
Called to order at 5:30 p.m.
A Presentation on Killeen Regional Airport at Robert Gray Army Airfield - Charlie Barton and George Russell
Don Christian, Manager of the Killeen Regional Airport, presented for Council reasons to support
designation of the new Regional Airport in Killeen.
B Update on Proposed Addressing Policy -- Rebecca Wainwright
Yantis explained that a staff task force was formed in September, 1999. He listed the members of the staff
task force and introduced Rebecca Wainwright who explained that the primary goals of the group were
public safety and emergency response. Anthony Lincoln and Clay Shell displayed slides that demonstrated
the addressing problems in Georgetown. Wendy Walsh explained the ordinance procedure which would
allow for addressing consistency. Wainwright spoke about the technology base necessary to coordinate
the information that needs to be input. She explained that the City currently owns a mapping application to
be used for public safety, and one used by Community -Owned Utilities. She noted that the City will need in
the future a server and additional software.
6:26 p.m - recessed to Executive Session - 7:30 p.m. resumed Open Session
Executive Session
C Sec.551.071 consultation with attorney
D Sec.551.072 deliberation on real property
- Lease of San Gabriel Park
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 1 of 9 Pages
- Habitat for Humanity
E Sec.551.086 deliberation regarding economic development
- Cimarron Hills
Regular Session
F Action from Executive Session
Motion by Barton, second by Valdez to authorize the lease of San Gabriel Park from February 17 through
March 3, 2000, for the filming of a movie, "Picnic", for a fee of $1000.00 per day with details to be worked
out by City Manager and City Attorney. Approved 7-0.
G Citizens wishing to address the Council
Randall Terrell, an attorney representing Mark and Debbie Walker of Shell Road Golf Center, spoke to
Council regarding a dispute over the lease of a portion of San Gabriel Park to San Gabriel Batting Cages,
Inc. He distributed copies of his letter, and gave reasons why he believes the lease should be considered
void. He asked that this issue be set on a future Council Agenda for action.
H Consideration of approval of the minutes
for the Regular Council Meetings on
January
11
and January 25,
2000 and the Special Council Meetings on January 18 and January 31,
2000 -- Sandra
amount of
D.
Lee
Consideration of a resolution calling a general election in Georgetown, Texas, to be held on Saturday, May
6, 2000, ordering a runoff election, if necessary, and establishing procedures for said elections -- Sandra
Lee
Kersch asked if it were possible to request voter registration lists of city residents only. Lee responded that
specific lists had been requested in the past to contain only city residents, but the Voter Registrar
expressed concern that people with route and box number addresses are difficult for his office to identify as
to whether they are inside the city limits. She said to avoid inadvertently leaving some people off the list,
the Voter Registrar would prefer to provide a list that contains everyone registered within a specific county
precinct.
J Consideration of an award of bid to Rope Works Inc., to build the Ropes Course for San Gabriel River
Park ill in the amount of $52,300 -- Terry Jones and Randy Morrow
Hoyt asked and Morrow confirmed that businesses would be charged for use of the ropes course because a
certified instructor would need to be present.
K Consideration of an award of bid for a 2000 Topdresser to Watson Distributing, Inc. in the amount of
$19,286.00 -- Terry Jones and Micki Rundell
Barton asked for and received clarification from Jones regarding the amount of bid.
L Consideration of
an award of the annual
bid for
water
meters
and accessory kits to U.S. Filters in the
estimated annual
amount of
$34,880.00 -- Terry
Jones
and Jim
Briggs
M Consideration of an award of bid for employee uniform service to G & K Services in the estimated annual
amount of $20,500.00 -- Terry Jones and Mlcki Rundell
N Consideration and possible action to approve a contract amendment to the existing Professional Services
Agreement, with HDR Engineering, Inc., for the specific purpose of evaluating water supply options
available to the City of Georgetown from the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer and the Colorado River Basin, in the
amount of $21,000.00 -- William Adams and Jim Briggs
Lyda asked for clarification of a previous arrangement for a cost-sharing study. Briggs said this
contract amendment would be in lieu of the previous arrangement and would primarily be drafted
to give Georgetown an idea of the options available. When asked by Lyda, Briggs responded that
the draft report should be ready in approximately 90 to 120 days.
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 2 of 9 Pages
O Consideration of a resolution to authorize a License to Encroach into a platted twenty (20) foot public
utility and access easement for Williams Addition, Unit 7, Block A, Lot 20, located at 901 Garden Meadow
Drive -- Carla Benton and Ed Barry
Motion by Hoyt, second by Barton to approve the Consent Agenda in its entirety. Approved 7-0.
N^• '-• ' •� •i.
P Consideration of an award of bid for construction of San Gabriel River Park III to Cherokee Construction,
Inc., in the amount of $2,666,104.35 -- Terry Jones and Randy Morrow
Morrow explained that Cherokee Construction was the lowest of three bidders. He noted that the next item
on this agenda is for a change order to cut the total amount down to the $1,000,000 amount awarded in the
grant. He said staff has been removing items from the project, such as lighting for the softball fields,
(estimated as between $400,000 and $500,000), but the lighting for the Hike and Bike Trail is required by
the grant. He said other items may need to be postponed such as irrigation for the fields, fences, and
restrooms. Motion by Bain, second by Tonn to approve the award of bid. Approved 7-0.
O Consideration
of a
change order with Cherokee
Construction
reducing the amount of the contract for San
Gabriel River
Park
Ili Project by
$1,666,104.32 --
Terry Jones
and Randy Morrow
Morrow indicated that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will work with the staff to determine if there
is any other way to include some of the items that have had to be removed. He said a recommendation
from the Parks Board would be brought back to the Council in the next 30 days. Motion by Tonn, second
by Barton to approve the change order. Approved 7-0.
R First Reading of an
ordinance amending the Zoning Ordinance to include
standards for
implementation
of the Urban Design
Element of the Century Plan -- Charlie Barton, Charles "Noss"
Burson
and Clark Lyda
Barton noted that his comments would apply to Items R, S, and T, saying the Urban Design Group has
been in existence since March, 1998. He commended the group for their professionalism and dedication to
Georgetown. He said the expenses involved in complying with the plan have not been quantified. He
suggested deferring the reading of the ordinances until cost comparisons can be done. He also suggested
further public hearings to provide information as to the total impact of the plan.
Janet
Tharp from J. D. Wilson
and Associates, gave a brief overview of
the process used to
create the new
urban
design standards. She
gave a slide presentation to highlight the
specifics
of
the new
ordinance.
Jim
Mills, 1900
C.R.
103, developer of Georgetown Village,
and member of the
Urban Design
Task Force,
said
he feels the
new
urban design standards are needed to
keep Georgetown a
special place
to live.
Debbie Walker, 3704 Buffalo Springs, spoke of being a descendent of the founder of Georgetown, saying
she wants to keep Georgetown beautiful and commends the work of the Urban Design Task Force.
Todd Janssen, representing Del Webb Corporation, said he had gone through the public hearings with
Dennis Wilson in the City of Southlake when they developed their urban design standards and that
Southlake is pleased with the results.
West Short, 404 E. 7th Street, said he would like for Georgetown to stay beautiful and is in favor of some of
the designs talked as presented by the consultant, but thinks there is some information about
implementation about which the public needs to be informed. He said there would be considerable cost to
the owners of commercial property if their current use were to change.
Karen Stearns, 805 Shepherd, said she has asked many questions that have not been answered. She
said it is unclear what the financial impact would be to owners of commercial property and said she is also
concerned about the effect the new standards will have on new construction by the school district. She
asked Council to complete a cost impact study prior to approving the ordinances.
James Draeger, Box 710, thanked the task force for their time. He said he feels the full outcome of the
ordinance is not known by the public and asked that the Council delay the decision. He asked for public
hearings.
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 3 of 9 Pages
Sharon McCarty, 3412 Deer Trail, representing herself, said she is concerned for the small businesses that
would be impacted financially. She asked that the City staff be more involved with the process because
they would be implementing and enforcing the ordinance. She asked for a more in-depth study and cost
analysis.
Avis Wukasch, 209 Church
Street, said
she is
in favor of
urban design and applauds the efforts of the
committee, but would like to
delay action
until a
study can
be done to determine the financial impact.
Clare Easley, 912 Forest Street, member of the urban Design Task Force, said the members of the task
force did not have hidden agendas. She said they spent long hours and told Council if they reject the work
of this task force, they will discourage volunteerism in the future.
Gordon Baker, 3107 Whisper Oaks, representing the Chamber of Commerce, said the Task Force has
worked hard to create the ordinances that will help preserve the heritage of Georgetown and the unique
way of life.
Don Martin, 3345 Bee Caves Road, resident of Austin, representing himself, told Council he is a member
of the Chamber and a member of the Task Force. He said he was adding his strong support for the
ordinance. He acknowledged that Councilmember Barton's words are well -taken, but he feels a lot of time
has already been spent studying cost impact and said he feels that the cost will be minimal. He said in
many instances, the ordinance adds incentives as opposed to restrictions. He cited some "big box"
developments in Round Rock as an example of what might come to Georgetown if the ordinances are not
adopted.
John Kuhn, 1702 Olive, representing himself, said he agrees with Councilmember Barton that there should
be more time spent to give the community an opportunity to respond.
Karen Gilbert,
105 Riverwood,
said she would like to urge
the Council to take more time,
saying she
doesn't
think
30
to 60 days
will
destroy
the
life
we enjoy in
Georgetown.
She
encouraged
citizens
to attend.
Tom Nichols, 1506 Elm Street, representing 1113 Architects, said he was asked to speak regarding the
costs that might occur. He said some projects would be benefitted from the changes, but some smaller
projects would not have enough flexibility to take advantage of some of the benefits of the new ordinances.
He said he was a part of a similar program in Columbia, Maryland. He said it worked there and can work
here too.
Ed Baxter, 1280 CR 100, said he highly recommends the ordinance and applauds the work of the Task
Force. He said it would be virtually impossible to develop a cost analysis. He urged the Council to approve
the ordinance. He said he feels the issue is urgent.
Bill Jones, 1602 Pecan Street, representing Southwestern University, told Council he has been a resident
of Georgetown for 35 years. He encouraged the Council to go forward with the urban design plan, looking
at it as a whole, and not picking it apart.
Jim Dillard, 1404 Maple Street, said he attended the meetings of the Urban Design Task Force and
informed himself on the issue. He urged Council to move forward with the recommendations of the Task
Force.
Kathy Heidemann, 407 Golden Oaks, said she basically supports the current proposal. She asked that
traffic studies be included.
Don Hewlett, Don Hewlett Chevrolet, representing himself, said his landscaping for the new facility was
over $80,000 and the maintenance will be $35,000 per year. He said Council needs to consider how the
new ordinances will affect the property owners. He said he sent a letter to the Council three years ago
offering his downtown property for parking. He said nobody asked him or the Draegers for their opinions of
the new standards.
Rene Hanson, 1252 Austin Avenue, representing herself, thanked the Task Force for their work. She said
the ordinances are needed. She said she feels opportunity was given for citizen input. She said if the
ordinance is delayed, new development should be delayed as well.
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 4 of 9 Pages
Gael Dillard, 1404 Maple, said she thinks its time to take action and vote for the ordinance.
9:19 p.m. recessed - 9:35 p.m resumed
Valdez said he would like to have a cost study done on the Draeger property, the Hewlett property, one of
the schools, and the hospital. Mayor said there would need to be a specific proposal. Lyda said the
ordinance had been largely complete since October 1999. He said a number of the members of the
community had suggested doing a cost analysis, but to his knowledge, not one cost analysis has been
done. He asked that the analysis be very specific and that it be determined who would do the cost analysis,
who would pay for it, and who is responsible for re -designing the projects so that the comparisons are
meaningful.
Barton asked if there is information available from comparable communities through the consultant that
might give us more information. Janet Tharp said this is a recurring issue, but no one has ever found a
solution to it. She said the committee has looked at cost comparisons of the landscape plans, but true
comparisons are very difficult due to the differences in the sites. She said compromises were made during
the work of the Task Force.
Lyda listed the members of the Urban Design Task Force and said he thought the Task Force was very well
representative of the community. He expressed concern that if the interim design ordinances are not
adopted soon there could be a development in Georgetown that would be a source of embarrassment as
alluded to by some of the speakers, saying it is very likely that "an unrefined big box" could be submitted to
the City and the City would be obligated to process it under the current standards. He said he feels that
people should have taken part in the process and made sure that they were well informed.
Tonn
said
he thinks
the Council has heard that
there are a lot of business people that are not informed
about
the
ordinance
revisions and he asked for
an extension of time before they are adopted.
Motion by Tonn, second by Valdez to defer the decision on these ordinance for 30 days (to the first
meeting in March) with two public hearings (to be paid for out of the Council Contingency Fund) to be held
with a presentation and an opportunity to ask specific questions in order to give the public another
opportunity to become informed prior to the ordinances being brought back to Council.
Barton stated that he very much supports the ordinances but said he still has questions even though he
was on the Task Force.
Kersch reminded Council that one of the speakers had suggested that if the ordinances were postponed
development should be suspended until the ordinances are in place. It was determined that could not be
done on this agenda.
Bain said
he also supports
the ordinances and thanked
the committee for their long hours.
He
said he
thinks the
members of
the
business community
need
to
take
the
time
to
become
involved
and
informed.
Motion was approved 4-3, (Burson, Bain and Lyda opposed)
At 10:00 p.m.
it was determined
that the Council
Meeting would continue because two Councilmembers would not be
able
to return
tomorrow evening
if
the
Meeting
were recessed
and
resumed
tomorrow.
S First Reading of an ordinance amending the Subdivision Regulations with regard to lighting for
multi -family and commercial uses and landscaping and buffering standards -- Charlie Barton, Charles "
Hoss" Burson and Clark Lyda
Motion by Tonn, second by Valdez to defer the decision on these ordinance for 30 days (to the first
meeting in March) with two public hearings (to be paid for out of the Council Contingency Fund) to be held
with a presentation and an opportunity to ask specific questions in order to give the public another
opportunity to be informed prior to the ordinances being brought back to Council. Approved 4-3 (Burson,
Bain, and Lyda opposed)
T First Reading of an ordinance amending the Sign Ordinance to include standards for implementation of
the Urban Design Element of the Century Plan, with regard to the design, location, construction and
permitting of signs within the City of Georgetown and it's extraterritorial jurisdiction -- Charlie Barton,
Charles "Ross" Burson and Clark Lyda
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 5 of 9 Pages
Motion by Tonn, second by Valdez to defer the decision on these ordinance for 30 days (to the first
meeting in March) with two public hearings (to be paid for out of the Council Contingency Fund) to be held
with a presentation and an opportunity to ask specific questions in order to give the public another
opportunity to be informed prior to the ordinances being brought back to Council. Approved 4-3. (Burson,
Bain, and Lyda opposed)
U Second Reading of an ordinance amending the City's Single -Member District Plan to include properties
that have been annexed and a property that has been disannexed since the May 1, 1999 General Election
-- Marianne Banks
Banks read only the caption on second reading. Motion by Tonn, second by Barton to approve
Ordinance No. 2000-11. Approved 7-0.
V Second Reading of an Ordinance to Rezone University Park, Section One, Block A, Lots 1 and Block
1, Lot 1, from RS, Residential Single Family to C-1, Local Commercial or any more restrictive district,
located on SH29 East -- Wendy Walsh and Ed Barry
Walsh noted that the Council's motion at the previous meeting did include one additional use, "other uses
shall require a special permit as approved by City Council." She told Council that she updated the
ordinance to include the additional use. She read only the caption on second reading.
Connor said it appears that the second reading of the ordinance has been revised in the manner that he
and his client understood would be done. He encouraged Council to approve.
Motion by Lyda, second by Tonn to approve Ordinance 2000-12. Approved 7-0.
W Consideration of a resolution in
support of the
proposed
State Highway 130 from
Interstate Highway 35
north of Georgetown to Interstate
Highway 10 near Seguin
-- Clyde von Rosenberg
and Ed Barry
von Rosenberg announced that there would be a Texas Department of Transportation public hearing on
Thursday evening. He said this resolution would support the construction of the route in the vicinity of
Georgetown. Kersch asked that a statement be added regarding timely scheduling for Georgetown. von
Rosenberg said he would add that wording and bring it back to the Council later in the meeting.
X Consideration of a resolution directing the publication of notice of intention to issue City of Georgetown,
Texas Combination Tax and Utility System Limited Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series 2000; and
other matters related thereto -- Micki Rundell
Rundell told Council this is the next step in approval of the bonds. Lyda clarified that these are General
Obligation bonds, not utility bonds and asked for explanation that they will require no additional increase in
next year's property tax rate. She said the debt service for these bonds is included in the current year's tax
rate. Rundell read the resolution.
Motion by Barton, second by Valdez to approve the resolution. Approved 6-1. (Lyda opposed)
Y First Reading of an
ordinance replacing
Chapter 15.16 of
the Georgetown Municipal Code
regarding the
City of Georgetown
a school speed
Ordinance
-- Marianne
and adopting the
1999 National Electrical Code --
Dave Hall
Electrical
Hall read only the caption of the ordinance after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter.
Motion by Tonn, second by Hoyt to approve on first reading. Approved 7-0.
Z First Reading of an ordinance amending
Section 10.12.090 of the Code of
Ordinances
of the City of
Georgetown establishing
a school speed
zone on San Gabriel Boulevard.
-- Marianne
Banks
Banks recalled that this ordinance was brought to the Council at the request of the owner of the Day Care
Center on San Gabriel Boulevard. She read only the caption after having satisfied the requirements of the
City Charter.
Motion by Hoyt, second by Tonn to approve on first reading. Approved 7-0.
At this time, Council returned to Item W.
W Consideration of a resolution in support of the proposed State Highway 130 from Interstate Highway 35
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 6 of 9 Pages
north of Georgetown to Interstate Highway 10 near Seguin -- Clyde von Rosenberg and Ed Barry
von Rosenberg read a
statement to
be included
in the resolution regarding
the timely scheduling of the
Georgetown portion of
the highway
construction
as suggested earlier
at
in the
it as charity
meeting
by
Mayor
but
Kersch.
Motion by Tonn, second by Barton to approve the resolution. Approved 7-0.
AA Consideration of a recommendation from the Library Advisory Board to build a new library, separate
and distinct from any and all other agencies -- Sheila Henderson and Verna Browning
Henderson introduced Nell Dixon, Chair of the Library Board, who spoke to Council concerning library
growth, saying the Library Board has compiled results of a survey of library patrons and recommends that a
new library be built in a downtown location. Barton asked if this proposal meets with the previously
discussed suggestion to combine the library with non-profit organizations. Dixon said the Board feels the
library should not be combined with other agencies.
BB Discussion and possible action concerning policy for donations of land to non-profit organizations such
as Habitat for Humanity -- Verna Browning
Browning gave an overview of the proposed policy that was developed by the Housing Working Group at
the request of the Council at the last Council Meeting. She noted that in the Local Government Code there
is a provision for conveyance of land to an entity to develop low-income or moderate -income housing and if
that conveyance of land serves a public purpose, then that land can be conveyed at a less than fair market
value. She said one of the major elements that is important to the Working Group is that this would allow
low income people to be able to afford homes through development of affordable housing.
Kersch and Bain asked for clarification of the term "surplus." Browning responded and Banks confirmed
that the term is meant to refer to property not otherwise able to be used for municipal purpose. Bain
questioned the formula for qualifying and whether the applicant would be capable of making the payments
to Habitat. Browning stated that Eldon Reynolds of Habitat has met with the applicant in question and
established a payment plan that will meet the guidelines. He noted that the house will be sold for $42,000,
but Habitat would request a "break" on the cost of the land in order to keep the cost low. He said the
monthly payments will go back into the Habitat fund to generate more houses. Bain suggested clarification
of the wording regarding conveyance of clear title. Banks responded that she would re -write the paragraph
in question.
Kersch said she is supportive of Habitat but is concerned about "giving away the public's assets."
Browning said that the Working Group has a strong feeling that providing affordable housing is very
important to the community well being and is an important aspect of the role of the Housing Working Group.
Kersch asked and Browning confirmed that this same policy would apply to other non-profit organizations
other than Habitat.
Bain thanked the Housing Working Group and Browning noted that Eldon Reynolds was extremely helpful.
Tom
Nichols, representing
the
Housing Working Group, asked Council for their support and asked that
they
proposed policy
not
conveying clear
look
at
it as charity
but
as a chance
to
build
a
better
community.
Ken Evans, 711 E. University, said he has great respect for Habitat for Humanity and intends to support
them personally, but he doesn't understand the term of "surplus" city property. He said he thinks the City
should sell the property and put it back on the tax rolls.
Lyda said he personally supports Habitat but can't see the public purpose in converting public property to
private use.
Hoyt commended the Housing Group for creating a flexible policy.
Motion by Tonn, second by Barton to adopt the policy.
Bain noted that
Banks has written
a more clarified
paragraph to
replace the second to last paragraph in the
proposed policy
having to do with
conveying clear
title. He read
the replacement paragraph.
Motion by Bain, second by Lyda to amend the previous motion by adding the re -written paragraph.
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 7 of 9 Pages
•v• ,r -c t11
Vote on the main motion by Tonn. Approved 7-0.
CC Report on Police Services Division issues concerning turnover, morale, promotional processes, and
supervisor to employee ratios -- Larry Hesser
Hesser responded to the posted issues, particularly addressing the turnover since October of 1999. He
said there are 12 positions above the rank of sergeant in the Department. He said they consider the rank of
sergeant and above as supervisory personnel. He said there are 58 positions considered as service
delivery positions supervised by sergeants and above, saying 17% of the positions at Georgetown Police
Department are supervisory. He noted that many police departments across the country have many more.
He gave an accounting of the promotional process, saying there had only been one grievance in the
process for the last six years. He said he and the command staff discuss the "attitude" in the police
department frequently and they have no reason to believe that there are any significant morale issues.
He said a survey done by Southwestern University shows that 97.7% of the citizens surveyed feel "safe" or
"very safe," and 95.7% of the citizens surveyed rate the quality of police services as "good" or "very good."
He noted the positions needing to be filled by other cities in the surrounding region. He said he and the
other police chiefs have discussed the difficulty in filling positions saying they have determined that the
reasons are the strong economy and the fact that they are all drawing from the same applicant pool. He
said the national turnover rate for dispatchers is 45% to 75% because of the low pay for a very stressful job,
working shifts on weekends and holidays.
Hoyt asked about publicity for the neighborhood interaction meetings. Hesser noted the various ways that
the meetings are being promoted on the cable, signs in people's yards, advertising in the newspaper, on the
City web site, and door hangars. Bain said he appreciates what the police department is doing. He said he
thinks the survey "tells it all."
Guy Gimenez, 320 B Tamara Drive, said Hesser's version is not what he is hearing from police officers. He
said this issue started several years ago when he saw concerns that he thought were not being addressed.
He said some of the officers in attendance in the audience to show support of the Chief had told him
previously that they were not in support of the Chief. He asked Council to "keep an eye" on the issue.
Kelly DeVoll, 302 Apple Creek Drive, an officer with Georgetown Police Department, said he has discussed
this issue with other officers and gave Council a list of names of the officers who wanted Council to know
that they support Chief Hesser and asked Officer DeVoll to speak for them. He listed their names. He said
the Chief did not know they were coming in his support. DeVoll said he thinks it is time for the allegations to
stop. He said the majority of the police officers are happy with the Chief and the command staff. He said
the officers are tired of dealing with the attacks and the attacks cause morale problems. He asked the
Council to support the Chief.
DD Consideration of changing first Council Meeting in March to the first week of March instead of March 14 --
MaryEllen Kersch
Motion by Barton, second by Bain to move the first meeting in March from Tuesday, March 14th to
Wednesday, the 8th of March at 5:30 p.m. Approved 7-0.
EE Review of information concerning recent Attorney General Opinion No. JC -169 and possible adoption of
a policy related to the posting of the general public comment ("Citizens Wishing to Address the Council")
item on future agendas -- Marianne Banks
Banks noted that she had provided a copy of the opinion to the Council several weeks ago. She read a
section of the legal opinion from the Texas Municipal League Legal Staff regarding the posting of the
general public comment section of the agenda, saying that if the governing body is aware or should have
been aware of the topics to be raised, the governing body is responsible for making sure that the item is
placed on the agenda, and failure to do so would mean they could not receive the comments if they had
prior knowledge of it. She noted that Public Comment is not necessarily required on an agenda, saying that
the City currently allows it as a matter of practice. Kersch asked for clarification and Banks confirmed that
the public may comment on any items that are listed on the agenda as items for the Council to consider. It
was determined that public comment could be allowed if the public notified the City Secretary prior to the
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 8 of 9 Pages
Council Agenda being created and distributed. It was also determined that if the Council doesn't have prior
knowledge about a topic, citizens could still spontaneously speak to the Council.
James Brown, 117 Randolph Road, said he doesn't think the Council is interpreting the law correctly.
Banks suggested Council set up a process for citizens to sign up to speak. She said the burden is on the
Council and not on the public. Motion by Lyda, second by Bain to establish a policy that citizens wishing
to speak to the Council under the section "Citizens wishing to address the Council" will be required to
register with the City Secretary or contact the City of Georgetown web site by noon on the Wednesday
prior to the Council Meeting or by noon on the day that the agenda is to be finalized for all meetings, regular
and special, and there will be no spontaneous "off-the-cuff' comments allowed. It was clarified that this
policy will apply to all Boards and Commission Meetings as well. Approved 7-0.
Lyda suggested scheduling the public hearings for the new urban design ordinances. Council determined that the
hearings would be held on Wednesday, February 16, and Tuesday, February 29, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council
Chamber with Thursday, March 2 as an alternate date.
Motion by Lyda to adjourn at 11:42 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:42 PM1
pproved
d
AIL
Mayor MaryEllen Kersch
City Council Meeting Minutes/February 8, 2000
Page 9 of 9 Pages
AttestA/
City Secretary Sandra Lee