HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 11.08.2011 CC-RMinutes of the Meeting of the Governing Body
of the City of Georgetown, Texas
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, met in Regular Session on the above date with Mayor
George Garver presiding.
Council Present:
Patty Eason, Danny Meigs, Bill Sattler, Pat
Berryman, Tommy Gonzalez, Rachael Jonrowe,
Troy Hellmann
Council Absent:
All Council Present.
Staff Present:
Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Bridget Chapman, Acting City Attorney; Jessica Brettle, City
Secretary; Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer; Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager; Elizabeth Cook,
Director of Community Development; Jordan Maddox, Principal Planner; Robert Fite, Fire Chief; Susan
Morgan, Finance Director; Cathy Leloux, Court Administrator; Terri Calhoun, Real Estate Services
Coordinator; Terry Jones, Support Services Construction Manager; Bill Dryden, Transportation Engineer;
Valerie Kreger, Principal Planner; Mike Elabarger, Planner III; Kevin Russell, Director of Human
Resources and Civil Service;
Minutes
Regular Session - To begin no earlier than 06:00 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.)
A Call to Order
Pledge of Allegiance
Comments from the Mayor
- Welcome and Meeting Procedures
- Boards and Commissions Applications
City Council Regional Board Reports
-CAPCOG
Berryman said she has some news and said, with the obligations she has with her family, she has chosen to
submit her resignation to CAPCOG because they have reached the nomination period. She said the next
meeting is this coming week.
- CAMPO
Mayor spoke about CAMPO and how they are hung up on dilemmas that have postponed moving forward with
awarding monies to entities throughout the state. .
- Lone Star Rail District
Eason said on November 4 she attended the meeting of the Lone Star Rail executive committee. She said one
of the agenda items was to consider and take appropriate action on cooperative rail planning and integrated rail
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management approach between Austin, Capital Metro and Lone Star Rail. She spoke about Project Connect
and said it is a plan that CAMPO, Capital Metro, Austin, Lone Star Rail and others are working on to advance
the overall public transportation component of the CAMPO 2035 plan. She noted transit technologies are the
focus of the Project Connect implementation plan. She described what transit technologies include. She said
the executive committee unanimously supported continuing the Lone Star Rail's participation in Project Connect
implementation.
City Manager Comments
Action from Executive Session
Motion by Eason, second by Meigs to direct the City Attorney to finalize resolution of the 2008 Pine Street and
2008 1/2 Pine Street demolition and clean up on terms discussed and approved in Executive Session.
Approved 7-0
Public Wishing to Address Council
On a subiect 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 -Colin Berr regarding public transit and its effect on the economy
Berr introduced himself and thanked the students, residents from Sun City and business representatives in the
community who have come out to show their support. He introduced himself as a first year student at
Southwestern. He said, unfortunately, he did not have a car as a freshman at the university. He spoke about
the fact that there was no bus or rail for him to take at that time. He said, after a great study abroad experience
in Germany, his eyes were opened to the possibility of public transit and the benefit to the community. He said
he spoke about the motivations people have for public transit. He spoke about the many cases that could be
made in favor of public transit in the community. He spoke about how public transportation is a job creator. He
added it also creates development, brings people to businesses and encourages job creation.
- Tylor Hugley regarding how public transit can save lives
Hugley gave Berr his three minutes. Berr spoke about how national security is another way public transit is good
for society. He spoke about traffic and how many resources are needed to transport sixty people by car, bus or
train. He spoke about public safety and how someone dies every 15 minutes from an auto accident. He said a
light rail has a 0% fatality rate. He noted public transit is patriotic and he described why that is so. He said we
deserve choices on how we travel.
- Grayson Edwards regarding breaking myths about public transit
Edwards said he wants to start and talk about myths of public transportation. He said all forms of transportation
are highly subsidized. He spoke about the total cost of roads and highways subsidized. He said, by having a
convenient and cost effective form of public transit, citizens will have more choices on how to get around and it
will be a way for the Georgetown community to generate more revenue. He said another myth is that it is more
cost effective to own a car. He spoke about why that is not so. He said another myth is that public transit only
works in high density areas.
- Brandee Knight regarding why Georgetown needs public transit
Knight introduced herself and said she will hopefully be majoring in environmental studies. She commended
Council's decision with continuing their membership with the Lone Star Rail District. She said we have the
perfect population to support public transportation. She said the population includes active retirees, students at
Southwestern University and residential communities in and around Georgetown. She said there are a lot of
public events in Georgetown and she said public transit will create greater turnout and less parking fiascoes
downtown. She said the students hope not to lose CARTS in the Spring. She spoke about the importance of
CARTS and the service it provides to the community. Berr said he would like to talk specifically about the transit
pilot program and how it was used to test public transit in Georgetown. He said that program can not be used
as evidence and noted it was highly flawed from the start and he described why. He spoke about the 2030 plan
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and how transportation improvements was ranked number two on the list of priorities for Georgetown.
- Karin Truxillo regarding safety issues at 2008 Pine Street
Truxillo said she is here regarding the demolition of 2008 and 2008 1/2 Pine Street. She spoke about how
changes were made in the Code last year to make sure demolitions were done properly. She said we have a
situation where a safety issue has been raised regarding this demolition. She spoke about the complaints and
safety issues she has received regarding this project from the neighbors in the area. She spoke about how code
enforcement has been giving extensions about the demolition and they are only on the first house. She said the
last drop dead date was November 6. She said these same citizens have resorted to calling on past Council
members and city officials to clean up the site. She said the neighbors want to know why this has taken so long.
- Dale Ross regarding public safety and health issue in the vicinity of 2008 Pine Street
Ross said the motion Eason made out of executive session indicates that there is action planned for the City to
take care of this. He said if he could get an answer for a plan to demolish, he would rescind his speech. He
asked if there is a deadline attached to the fact that Council will be taking care of this. Eason said that
information was discussed in Executive Session and is confidential material. Ross said some residents of the
San Jose neighborhood reached out to him to get this issue resolved. He said it has been a safety issue that
has been a detriment to that area of the city for over a year. He said the City's process was not followed and
noted the first issue of demolition indicated a September 1, 2011 deadline. He said that deadline came and went
and then November 6 came and went. He said he understands the property owners.have constitutional
protections regarding property taking. He said the neighbors in the area have been very patient to make sure
these issues would be resolved in a timely manner. He said, in this case, there is no claim by the property
owners that this was an improper property taking since they also said they want to demolish the structures. He
said he does not see any risk for the City in this situation. He said in short the city's maximum legal risk for this
is $5,000. He spoke about how the City could rectify this issue. He spoke about how the budgetary costs should
not override this public safety issue. He asked the City to take care of this and hopes the City will tell him when
they think this will be completed.
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 Workshop and Regular Council meeting held
on Tuesday, October 25, 2011-- Jessica Brettle, City Secretary
D Consideration and possible action to appoint Keith Fruge to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, to fill a
vacancy as recommended by the Mayor -- Mayor George Garver
E Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution adopting ethical and training standards for
juvenile case managers employed by the City of Georgetown, providing for implementation of said
standards, and providing for periodic review to ensure implementation of the requisite standards -- Micki
Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
F Consideration and possible action regarding a Resolution granting a petition and setting public hearing
dates for the voluntary annexation into the city limits of 0.1656 acres, more or less, in the Clement
Stubblefield Survey, located near the intersection of Wolf Ranch Parkway and West University Ave -- Jordan
J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
G Consideration and possible action regarding a Resolution granting a petition and setting public hearing
dates for the voluntary annexation into the city limits of 10.8 acres, more or less, in the William Roberts
Survey, located at the intersection of Shell Road and Bellaire Drive -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal
Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
H Consideration and possible action to approve a lease agreement between Williamson County Emergency
Services District No. 8 and the City of Georgetown -- Robert Fite, Fire Chief
Motion by Hellmann, second by Meigs to approve the consent agenda in its entirety. Approved 7-0
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Legislative Regular Agenda
Council will individually consider and possibly take action on any or all of the following items:
I Public Hearing for the voluntary annexation into the city limits of 0.1656 acres, more or less, in the Clement
Stubblefield Survey, located near the intersection of Wolf Ranch Parkway and West University Ave -- Jordan
J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
Jonrowe left the dais. Maddox described the item and said this was part of an annexation agreement signed in
2008. He said the property owner wishes to sell this piece to another buyer. He noted this is the first of two
public hearings tonight and does not require action.
Public Hearing was opened at 6:54 PM
No persons were present to speak.
Public Hearing was closed at 6:54 PM
J Public Hearing for the voluntary annexation into the city limits of 10.8 acres, more or less, in the William
Roberts Survey, located at the intersection of Shell Road and Bellaire Drive -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP,
Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director
Maddox said this item is the first of two public hearings for a tract of land in the Georgetown Village area. He
said this is a piece of land carved out after the purchase of land for the new McCoy Elementary School. He
spoke about why annexation is necessary with this property.
Jonrowe arrive at the dais
Public Hearing was opened at 6:55 PM
No persons were present to speak.
Public Hearing was closed at 6:55 PM
K Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution finding public convenience and necessity and
authorizing the use of eminent domain to condemn property, if necessary, for the acquisition of real property
from Georgetown Railroad Company to effectuate certain public road infrastructure improvements in
connection with the Southeast Arterial One Road Project -- Terri Glasby Calhoun, Real Estate Services
Coordinator, and Ed Polasek, Transportation Services Director
Polasek said the Council approve a similar resolution in July 2011 however, while the legal council believes that
resolution is correct, he recommended staff follow a new procedure and bring this Resolution to approval.
Berryman left the dais.
Motion by Eason, second by Meigs to approve the resolution authorizing the use of the power of eminent
domain to acquire fee simple title to the property owned by Georgetown Railroad that is described in the
proposed resolution attached as agenda item K for the Southeast Arterial One project and to approve said
proposed resolution.
Record Vote:
Eason -Yes
Hellmann -Yes
Meigs- Yes
Sattler- No
Berryman- No
Jonrowe- Yes
Gonzalez - No
Approved 4-3 (Berryman, Sattler, Gonzalez opposed)
L Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution expressing official intent to reimburse costs for
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design and preliminary construction of a Public Safety Facility, in an amount not to exceed $2.5 million
with proceeds from bonds that will be issued at a later date Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Mayor described the item and what occurred in the Workshop for this item. Rundell described the item and said
the bonds will fund the design and preliminary engineering for the public safety facility with any excess to be
used to fund the actual project. She said the 2012 budget did include these bonds. She said the bond
reimbursement resolution will allow the design work and construction to move forward using the existing cash
reserves and reimburse ourselves with the bonds. She spoke about the estimate tax impact of these bonds. She
read the caption of the Resolution.
Motion by Meigs, second by Sattler to approve the Resolution.
Speaker, Ron Greene, said he would like to address the subject of the public facility. He said the City residents
approved the issue with the full understanding of what they were voting for. He said he and others were under
the distinct impression that the City was moving forward with necessary action of getting the facility built by
2014. He said the safety of our community is important. He said our law enforcement officers are asked to be
doing more with less and are putting their lives at risk for our safety. He asked how we can turn a blind eye on
the fact that we need to be sure that our police officers have the appropriate training and facilities for our future.
He said we need to work at keeping out officers in the City. He said he knows of one officer we have lost to
another city partly because of our poorly equipped facilities. He said he had breakfast with Sheriff Wilson and
noted we have the biggest conduit for drugs passing through the City called Interstate 35. He asked when will
the City of Austin with all of its crime problems start growing north in our direction. He asked that the facility be
built as planned. He asked that Council not be foolish that the tax dollars you may save are worth the lives you
may be putting at risk.
Speaker, Joe Pondrum, said he was the co-chair of the public safety facility task force. He said this task force of
citizens sat down with the city's two public safety chiefs and took a tour of the facilities. He said he was
ashamed at what our people have to work in. He said he has been a marine, a cop and the tax business and
the city needs to step up. He said the citizens voted for a 70,000 square foot building and the only thing that
needs to be said is get this voted on tonight.
Speaker, Steve Fought, said he is a conservative and he believes in limited government. He said he believes
we should give the government the powers we prescribed and the resource necessary to do the powers we
prescribed and to do it well. He said public safety is a fundamental prescribed power. He spoke about the
necessity of getting the new public safety facility built. He said there is a bubble of safety over Georgetown, but
the bubble over the public safety is fragile. He said, if it breaks, it can not be recreated. He said the bond
initiative for this facility was approved by voters. He said there is no doubt in his mind that you have forged the
correct vision. He said, if you need to raise money for the project, then raise it. He said he is confident the
political support is out there.
Speaker, Karen Gilbert, said she can not imagine anything more important than the safety of the community.
She asked that Council ride with one of our police officers on a Saturday night. She said out officers get spit
upon, kicked, puked on, and other things that they are expected to take and do. She said the citizens showed no
hesitation in voting for this bond issue. She noted it is a given that crime will increase. She said she would like to
feel safe in her home and noted she does not see a reason to go on with this facility as decided upon by the
voters.
Berryman said in the Workshop, Council chose to continue with the vision and noted they are decided which
avenue to decide upon. She said the police chief and fire chief gave Council assurances that we are on the right
track.
Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
M Consideration and possible action to appoint a selection committee for the purpose of evaluating
contractor/architect team qualifications and making a recommendation to City Council on a design/build
team for the construction of Fire Station 2 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director and Micki Rundell, Chief
Financial Officer
Jones described the item and said for the past two months, City staff has worked with Broaddus and Associates
for the design build of Fire Station two. He spoke about this process and said they are ready to start the review
and select a committee to choose an appropriate team for the project. He said Mayor Garver is recommending
the appointment of Council member Jonrowe, Council member Gonzalez, Board member Bob Young, Fire Chief
Fite and himself to be appointed to this committee.
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Motion by Meigs, second by Berryman to approve the selection committee. Approved 7-0
N Forwarded from the General Government and Finance Subcommittee (GGAF):
Consideration and possible action to approve the guaranteed maximum price to J.Jacobs Construction in
the amount of $4,047,120.00 for the construction of Fire Station 5 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director
and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Mayor described the item for Council.
Motion by Meigs, second by Sattler to approve the item.
Jones said this includes the fire station, a training building and also a training tower. He said the City is well
within its budget right now and continues to do value engineering. Brandenburg asked and Jones described the
timeline for the construction of fire station 2 and fire station 5. Fire Chief Fite thanked the council and said he
appreciates the support. Fite said station 5 is a key station because it will help back up the entire northwest part
of town. He said station 1 and 5 are two key large circular stations. Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
O Forwarded from the General Government and Finance Subcommittee (GGAF):
Consideration and possible action to award the bid for Police vehicles, pickups, passenger vans and small
utility vehicles to Caldwell Country Ford in the amount of $261,910.00, Philpott Motors in the amount of
$410,980.00, Grapevine Dodge in the amount of $39,238.00 and Ron Carter Automotive in the amount of
$20,521.00 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Jones said this is to consider a purchase of police vehicles, pickups, vans and small utility vehicles.
Motion by Meigs, second by Sattler to approve.
Berryman asked about the timeline given to local dealerships to bid on these purchases. She asked that we call
the local businesses sooner in order to let them know these bids are opening. Approved 7-0
P Forwarded from the General Government and Finance Subcommittee (GGAF):
Consideration and possible action to approve the purchase of a skid steer loader, a backhoe and a small
track loader from RDO Equipment through the Texas Buyboard in the amount of $191,290.00 -- Terry Jones,
Support Services Director and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Jones described the item and how the equipment will be used.
Motion by Sattler, second by Berryman to approve the purchase.
Berryman asked that we contact our local groups earlier to give them ample opportunity to respond to bids.
Approved 6-0 (Gonzalez absent from the dais)
Q Forwarded from the General Government and Finance Subcommittee (GGAF):
Consideration and possible action to approve the purchase of a 12 yard dump truck from Santex Truck Center
through the HGAC purchasing contract in the amount of $91,164.00 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director
and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer
Jones described the item. He said this vehicle was approved for replacement and is used for hauling road repair
and construction materials. He said $100,000 was budgeted for this purchase. He described the purchasing
contract used to buy this equipment and how it benefits the City.
Gonzalez returned to the dais.
Motion by Berryman, second by Meigs to approve the purchase. Approved 7-0
R Forwarded from the Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board (GTAB):
Consideration and possible action to approve the Smith Branch Watershed Master Plan and to prioritize and
program related improvement projects through the Stormwater/Drainage Capital Improvement Plan process
-- Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services Director and Bill Dryden, P.E., Transportation Engineer
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Polasek said this item began when we were approving the Maple Street reconstruction project wit the box
culverts. He said this project was intended to remove as many houses as possible from the flood plain. He said
Council approved the box culvert option which left money in place to look at the entire watershed. He said the
City had David Patrick from KPA to look at the whole watershed master plan and concept. He said, using the
balance of the money, they have created a master plan. He said the GTAB Board recommended that we change
the consideration of capital improvements to the option of buyouts as the primary recommendation. He said, by
accepting the report tonight, Council would be recommending that staff add the option of buyouts to the
stormwater CIP. He said David Patrick of KPA is here to present the report.
With a Powerpoint presentation, Patrick presented the Smith Branch Master Plan for the Council. He described
the current 100 year flood plain throughout the City. He said they looked at many year storm events to take all of
the residences that are in the current 100 year flood plain out of that level. He also spoke about the 500 year
flood plain levels as well. He said with Tropical Storm Hermine, Georgetown was over the 500 flood plain level.
He said they looked at many alternatives for the 100 year storm plan and to take all residents in the smith
branch area out of the flood plain.
John Simsick, certified flood plain manager with KPA, provided the Council with a map of the Smith Branch
watershed drainage area and he described the area for Council. He showed Council a picture of the 1 % annual
chance flood plain. He said there are currently 12 properties in the flood plain according to FEMA maps and
other models. He said that model includes the box culverts. He said, for the fully developed conditions, they
increased the number to 16 properties in the flood plain. He said the total cost for property buyouts for all 16 of
these properties is a little over 3 million dollars. He gave Council a list of options they investigated before
deciding on the buyout option. He said they found that not all of the properties were removed from the flood
plain as a result of brush removal. Berryman asked and Simsick said, with the brush removal, the only option
would be to buy all of the homes from the property owners. He said they are not recommending that set of
improvements. He said the next option was the channel clearing and up-sizing. He said, after widening
occurred, you would end up with a 225 wide channel section of Smith Branch. He said, with this option, there
would be 8 properties remaining in the flood plain and no significant effect on peak flows. He said another option
is an offline regional detention pond. He said this one was done for the intent of trying to avoid mitigation costs.
He said they found that this would not remove the properties from the flood plan and the city would still have to
do a buyout of all of the properties. He said they do not recommend that improvement. Sattler asked if there is
any way to increase the depth of the pond. Simsick said increasing the depth would be difficult because you
would end up creating a lake if you deepened it any more. He said construction and property purchase costs
would also go up if you were to make it bigger. He said the fourth option was detention ponds in sequence. He
said these ponds removed properties from the flood plain.He said it reduced the 1 % annual chance peak flow as
well. He said there was property buyout costs for the properties to the upside of Maple Street was $528,000. He
said it would cost $6.3 million to build these bonds as well. He said the total project cost would be $8.1 million.
He said they do not recommend doing this option. He said the fifth option is the online regional detention pond.
He said this is a combination of the channel cleaning as well as the offline pond. He said it removes properties
from flood plain under existing development conditions, reduces the peak flow and the property buyout is limited
to the 5 properties west of Maple Street. He said the property buyout cost is $528,000, construction is $4.5
million, and mitigation cost is $2.6 million making the total project cost $7.6 million. He said the last physical
improvements they look at was phase one of the previous option which is a channel cleaning with some extra
excavation to be included in a future detention pond. He said this does remove properties from the flood plain by
creating additional storage space within the channel. He said it does not effect peak flows because these
improvements do not create a complete structure. He spoke about the total project cost for this option. He said
the property buyouts are for 16 properties. He said the total buyout cost would be just over $3 million. He spoke
about how the costs were calculated with the help of appraisers. He spoke about mortgage costs and moving
expenses with this option and all of the factors that went into the cost estimate for the total buyout option. He
spoke about permitting and mitigation in this option. He spoke about the possible participation in mitigation
banks. Jonrowe asked and Simsick said there are no mitigation banks close by. He said, because of that, our
consultant felt that we could participate in that mitigation bank if the City went that route. Simsick showed
Council a map of the area around Smith Branch considered to be wetlands. He showed Council a table
summarizing all of the improvements that were just spoken about. He said the property buyouts are the lowest
project cost. He said the brush removal is the second lowest but it does not bring the properties out of the flood
plain. He said the recommendation from GTAB is to buyout the properties in phases. He explained each of
those phases for the Council. He said, typically, buyouts are done on a voluntary basis and the land is left as
parkland and remain undeveloped.
Mayor asked and Simsick said it would be a little over $3 million to buy all sixteen of the properties. Mayor asked
and Simsick said, if the City bought all properties, the area would not require further maintenance beyond what
is normally done. Polasek explained the buyout process for the Council. Mayor asked and Polasek said the
recommendation from GTAB is for Council approve the Master Plan of the property buyout.
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Motion by Meigs, second by Hellmann to approve the master plan.
Hellmann asked and Polasek said any changes to each phase of the buyouts will be made through the CIP
plans each year. Polasek said if the homeowners say no, the City may require them to sign an affidavit saying
they are aware they are in the flood plain. He said this will give us time to look for federal funding sources for
buyouts. Gonzalez asked that Council be informed when staff is about to contact the members of the community
about these buyouts. Briggs said we have identified these properties that have continued been effected by flood
waters. He said what happened with Hermine will happen again. Brandenburg spoke about the fact that history
will repeat itself in this area. He said he has been looking into the legality of requiring them to sign an affidavit if
they refuse to move and let the City buy their property. Jonrowe asked and Briggs said, if we do the buyout
program, it will be the homeowners' choice to decide where to move or if they want to build a new home.
Gonzalez said, as a suggestion, he would like to see the city have a third party advocate explain or be available
to these folks so they know what to expect and understand their options before they sign anything. Berryman
said a lot of these people are related to people a few houses away. She said these are homes that are not just
one generation. She said she hopes the city will work with them to help them stay in close proximity. She said
a lot of these people have lived in those homes for a very long time.
Vote on the motion: Approved 7-0
S Consideration and possible action to waive rezoning application fees for properties under consideration in the
2011 Annexation Program -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community
Development Director
Maddox said this item is the potential item to waive application fees related to rezoning for the 2011 annexation
program. He said we are currently in the annexation process and the first ordinances will be November 15. He
said staff has currently received three applications for agricultural exemption. He said staff thought it was fair to
waive application fees for rezoning if they are received.
Motion by Gonzalez, second by Hellmann to approve the item .
Eason asked and Maddox said, prior to this meeting, Council could not come up with the exact amount of fees
they would waive because they had not received any applications at that time. He said staff received three and
is now able to provide Council with the amount of $2,925. He said staff required that they already make the
payment so that staff could total the amount and bring it back to council for reimbursement. Berryman asked
Maddox said the normal process is they have to pay the fee. Berryman asked and Maddox said there is an
option to waive the fee because the rezonings will occur due to an involuntary annexation. He said the zoning
items themselves will come back to Council at a later date. He noted the applicants are not under the
impression that their fees will be waived. Berryman asked and Maddox confirmed these applicants are wanted
to come in as a different zoning district than they currently are. Jonrowe asked and Maddox said, when anyone
is annexed into the City, the UDC says that area will be the default district of agriculture. He noted that area
would have to apply for a different zoning district. There was much discussion about when applicants will need
to pay fees. Eason said she thinks this sets a bad precedent and noted she will be voting against this. Vote on
the motion: Denied 2-$ (Eason, Gonzalez, Hellmann, Meigs, Jonrowe opposed)
T Second Reading of an Ordinance for a Rezoning from Agriculture (AG) District and Planned Unit
Development (PUD) District to Planned Unit Development (PUD) District for 207 residential lots on 60.77
acres, to be known as Sun City Neighborhood 57 -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth
A. Cook, Community Development Director (action required)
Maddox described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Berryman, second by Hellmann to approve Ordinance 2011-46. Approved 7-0
U Second Reading of an Ordinance amending part of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) District known as
The Summit at Rivery Park, specifically 11.03 acres described as Lots 4 (part) and 7, Block A, of The Rivery
Park II, and Lot 1, Block A, and Lots 1 - 4 and 11, Block B, of Brownstone at the Summit Phase 1, located on
Rivery Boulevard -- Valerie Kreger, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development
Director (action required)
Kreger described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
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Motion by Hellmann, second by Jonrowe to approve Ordinance 2011-47. Approved 7-0
V Second Reading of an Ordinance Rezoning Georgetown Technology Park Lots 6 and 7, totaling 5.88 acres,
from Agricultural (AG) District to Industrial (IN) District, located at 1 and 3 Sierra Way -- Mike Elabarger,
Planner III and Elizabeth Cook, Community Development Director (action required)
Elabarger described the item and said the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval of this
unanimously. He read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Berryman, second by Hellmann to approve Ordinance 2011-48. Approved 7-0
W Second Reading of an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas amending Section
10.16.035 and Section 10.16.040 Parking Restrictions of the Code of Ordinance of the City of Georgetown;
repealing conflicting ordinances and resolutions; providing a severability clause; providing for publication and
setting an effective date —Bridget Chapman, Acting City Attorney and Robert Fite, Fire Chief (action required)
Chapman described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Berryman, second by Jonrowe to approve Ordinance 2011-49. Approved 7-0
X Second Reading of an Ordinance to allow for Military Service Credit in the Texas Municipal Retirement
System -- Kevin Russell, Director of Human Resources and Civil Service (action required)
Russell described the item and said this will allow for individuals to secure up to five years of added service
credit into TMRS if they have had active military service in the past. He said there is no cost to the City. He read
only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading.
Motion by Berryman, second by Hellmann to approve Ordinance 2011-50. Approved 7-0
Y Discussion and possible action to appoint two (2) Councilmembers to a Committee, along with the City
Manager, the Assistant City Manager and the Director of Community Services to review a request to rename
the Right -of -Way that accesses the business, Page House, in the name of Historic Georgetown resident "J.M.
Page", pursuant to the policy established by the City Council on November 14, 2006 regarding the Naming of
City Facilities, Public Park lands and Public Streets -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg described the item and the new process for the renaming of streets within the City limits. Meigs
and Gonzalez volunteered to serve on the committee.
Motion by Hellmann, second by Berryman to approve the appointment of Council members Danny Meigs and
Tommy Gonzalez to the committee. Approved 7-0
Z Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution casting City of Georgetown votes for the election
of the Williamson Central Appraisal District Board of Directors -- Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager
Brandenburg described the item and recommended the votes be distributed 53 and 52 based upon the order of
the names on the ballot.
Motion by Gonzalez, Berryman to approve the item. Approved 7-0
AA Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution changing the City's general election date to
November beginning in 2013 pursuant to Senate Bill 100, Eighty -Second Regular Legislature -- Bridget
Chapman, Acting City Attorney and Jessica Brettle, City Secretary
Mayor described the item. Chapman said this is the Resolution that Council had asked us to bring forward. She
said this is a resolution to change the City election date from May to November. She said it is recommended we
ratify this Resolution with a charter election in November of 2012 which would effect the election in 2013. She
said everyone's existing Council member terms would be extended for six months from May until November.
Berryman asked and Chapman confirmed this will not effect the May 2012 election.
Motion by Berryman, second by Hellmann to approve the Resolution to change the election from May to
November in order to increase voter participation.
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Speaker, Kim Moran, said when the City moves the election to November, the only voter participation you will
increase are those who are partisan voters. She spoke about the statistics of the down ballot. She said what
council will do by doing this is citizens will not get the information on individual candidates as they should. She
said the City's information will be thrown away. She said it is a big disservice for the residents of Georgetown.
She said she has spent many years being involved in elections and added she speaks with knowledge when
she talks about this. She urged Council not to support this change.
Speaker, Ethan Lane Miller, said he is a student and resident at Southwestern. He said one of the fantastic
things Southwestern has given him is a participant in the Election process. He said we live in an environment
that is partisan. He said, when it comes down to it, he is concerned with partisan politics. He said it seems like it
will be difficult for local elections to have their voices be heard. He said he feels strongly about how partisan
things are right now and he wants to hang on to what we have. He said he wants to do what is best for
Meigs asked about the cost of the elections. Brettle described the cost differences between having an election in
May and November. She handed the City Council a sheet demonstrating cost and voter turnout for all elections
since May 2007. Meigs asked and Brettle confirmed the cost of the elections double when moved from spring to
fall. He said the school district decided not to move the elections to November because of the cost issue. He
said he is going to change this support and vote against this. He said the school district felt if they were placed
on a larger ballot, they would get lost. He said he tends to disagree that this change would improve our
situation. He noted he is going to change his support and vote against this. Berryman said the costs of
November elections are higher because you are paying for more polling places and more days for voting. She
said we never had an bond issues fail during the November elections. She said you are paying more because
you are getting so many more people participating. She said the lower percentages in May means that people
are receiving a special interest vote. Gonzalez said the voters in Georgetown are astute and know what they are
voting for. He said when you see the voter turnout in the November elections, he does not know why you would
not want to move the elections to that date. He said he is fully in support of moving the elections to November.
Jonrowe said the argument of more informed voters works both ways. She said she laid in bed at night and
thought, if she were a real politician, she would support this change. She said the fact is she makes her
decisions based on the pros and cons of the situation. She said, if we move to November, we will be increasing
the voter turnout but some of those people will be voting for the wrong reasons and will get lost on down ballot
issues. She said keeping our elections in May will prevent the elections from being too politicized. She spoke
about the negative effects of trying to compete with national elections. She said she will not be voting for this
Resolution. Eason said she will be voting against this resolution. She noted, even though there is higher voter
turnout in November, there is no evidence that those extra numbers or polling locations actually voted in City
elections or for City issue. She said we are going to be paying more money for extra folks who may not even
vote on city issues. She noted the City would not be keeping anyone from voting by keeping the elections in
May. Hellmann said he likes Jonrowe's points quite a bit but he said that it is good for students and minorities to
have more of an opportunity to vote. He noted anything that gives us an opportunity to get more people
involved will be better for the City. Sattler said he wants to give everyone a chance to vote in November.
Jonrowe said she wanted to note in no way shape or form is she trying to restrict voters in May.
Vote on the motion: Approved 4-3 (Jonrowe, Eason, Meigs opposed)
BB Discussion and possible action on the performance review process and format for the City Secretary --
Tommy Gonzalez, Councilmember District 7; Pat Berryman, Councilmember District 5 and Kevin Russell,
Director of Human Resources and Civil Service
Berryman and Gonzalez said the evaluation process is similar to the City Manager's and noted the form is
tailored to her job duties. He said the City Secretary is in agreement with this form and process. Meigs asked
about a specific month in which this would occur. Berryman said it was decided to start the evaluations at the
first part of the year with the City Secretary, then the City Attorney and then City Manager. Meigs asked that the
timeline be placed into the document. Meigs asked and Russell said the timeline would be triggered by the
Human Resource Director. He gave an example of how the process would work.
Motion by Berryman, second by Gonzalez to adopt the evaluation process as discussed in the committee
meeting and to set up a timeline for the City Secretary evaluation to occur in January, the City Attorney in
February and the City Manager in March of year. Approved 7-0
Adjournment
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Approved
r
Mayor Georg arver
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The meeting was adjourned at 09:00 PM.