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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN 05.10.2011 CC-RCouncil Meeting Minutes for the City of Georgetown, Texas Tuesday, May 10, 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: Council Absent: Patty Eason, Gabe Sansing, Danny Meigs, Bill All Council Present. Sattler, Pat Berryman, Dale Ross, Tommy Gonzalez Staff Present: Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager; Mark Sokolow, City Attorney; Jessica Brettle, City Secretary; Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer; Elizebeth Cook, Community Development Director; Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager; Glenn Dishong, Utility Director; Jordan Maddox, Principal Planner; Laurie Brewer, Finance Director; Lorie Lankford, Controller; Edward G. Polasek, Transportation Services Director; Travic McLain, Airport Manager; Terry Jones, Support Services Director; Mike Elabarger, Planner III; Bridget Chapman, Assistant City Attorney; Minutes Policy Development/Review Workshop Regular Session Executive Session Regular Session A Call to Order Pledge of Allegiance Comments from the Mayor - Welcome and Meeting Procedures - Presentation of Proclamation to Pickett Elementary by Councilmember Meigs Mayor introduced the item and turned it over to council member Meigs. Meigs spoke about the recognition of their Student Council and an excellent award that they have received. He recognized the leadership at the school. He read the proclamation for the audience and invited Cale Perry, Vice President of the Pickett Student Council, to speak. Perry spoke about the national award Pickett's Student Council has recently received and the many charitable activities the Student Council has been involved in throughout the community. City Manager Comments May 14, 2011 Election Social Service Funding Applications Seasonal Irrigation Restrictions Action from Executive Session City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 1 of Pages Motion by Ross, second by Sattler that the City Attorney's performance and status will be considered and final action taken at the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting. Approved 7-0 Public Wishing to Address Council On a subject that is posted on this agenda: Please fill out a speaker registration form which can be found on the table at the entrance to the Council Chamber. Clearly print your name and the letter of the item on which you wish to speak and present it to the City Secretary on the dais, preferably prior to the start of the meeting. You will be called forward to speak when the Council considers that item. On a subject not posted on theagenda: 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 - As of the deadline, no persons were signed up to speak on items other than what was posted on the agenda. Statutory Consent Agenda C Consideration and possible action to approve the minutes of the Workshop and Regular Council Meeting held on Tuesday, April 26, 2011 -- Jessica Brettle, City Secretary D Consideration and possible action to accept the City's Quarterly Financial Report, which includes the Investment Reports for the City of Georgetown, Georgetown Transportation Enhancement Corporation (GTEC), and the Georgetown Economic Development Corporation (GEDCO) for the quarter ended March 31, 2011. It also includes the Divisional Activity & Status Report for mid -year 2010/2011 -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer; Laurie Brewer, Finance Director and Lorie Lankford, Controller E Consideration and possible action to approve a two year agreement with Unifirst for city wide uniform services --Trina Bickford, Purchasing Manager and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer F Consideration and possible action to award a bid for swimming pool chemicals for a two year period to Pool Sure and Progressive Commercial Aquatics in Houston, Texas in the estimated amount of $87,375, with an option to renew for 2 additional 1 year periods -- Kimberly Garrett, Parks and Recreation Director and Randy Morrow, Director of Community Services 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 14.6 acres in the William Roberts Survey, for the new McCoy Elementary School, located on Bellaire Drive. Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director H Consideration and possible action to accept the Georgetown Fire Department's 2010 Annual Report -- Robert Fite, Fire Chief I Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution authorizing the City of Georgetown to enter into an Advanced Funding Agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation related to the Safe Routes to School program for sidewalk and bicycle and pedestrian improvements in the vicinity of Mitchell Elementary School -- Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services Director and Mark Miller, Transportation Services Manager Motion by Meigs, second by Sansing to approve the consent agenda, with the exception of item J, which was pulled to the Regular Agenda by Eason. Approved 7-0 Legislative Regular Agenda K Evaluation of Employment and consideration and possible action on employment status of City Attorney Mark Sokolow -- Martha S. Dickie, Almanza, Blackburn & Dickie and Mayor George Garver This item has been pulled by the City Council. J Consideration and possible action to approve an amendment to an exclusive contract and license agreement with National Sign Plazas for the installation and maintenance of subdivision directional signs consistent with the City's Wayfinding and Signage Master Plan eliminating a $10 administrative license fee payable to the City for each sign panel installed -- Dave Hall, Director of Inspections and Building Official and Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 2 of Pages Moved to the Regular Agenda by Eason. Eason said she has several questions about this issue. She said she needed clarification on whether the rates were being removed completely or amended. Hall said this is the elimination of a $10 administration fee that is being paid to the City for each sign panel or sign face. He said, instead of an $80 total charge that National Sign Plazas charges the builders, it would be reduced to $70 as an incentive to those builders. Brandenburg said, with the contract, to make sure the total fee would be $70. He said staff felt it would be a good faith gesture for the developers. Eason asked and Hall confirmed the total $70 fee would go to National Sign Plazas for the maintenance of the signs. Motion by Eason, second by Meigs to approve the item. Approved 7-0 L Discussion and update related to current 2011 drought conditions -- Glenn Dishong, Utility Director and Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager With a Powerpoint Presentation, Briggs said it is necessary to raise awareness of the drought conditions in the city. He reviewed the drought that transpired in 2009. He said the City had more rain in 2010, but not enough to break the drought cycle. He showed the City Council the drought monitor in August of 2009. He showed the map of the conditions right now and added there is no part of Texas that is not in a drought condition. He said the severity of the drought will increase throughout the summer and added we are in a serious situation. He noted Lake Georgetown will continue to drop and the city will continue to see high water demands on the water supply system. He noted, in 2009, staff came to Council requesting a $2 million expansion to the water treatment plant. He said, if the city did not expand at that time, it would be in trouble. He said staff looked at the forecast for rainfall and added they are not expecting much rain. He noted they are expecting a maximum of about half an inch of rain per month. He said the environment right now is evident of a drought in that it is so dry that the air is not conducive to rain. He said citizens need to be aware of this situation and diligent as we move into the summer months. Mayor asked and Briggs said the reservoir for Lake Stillhouse Hollow is the Lampasas River that feeds into it. Briggs said the water levels in the reservoir are sufficient enough to make it through a significant period of drought. Dishong also mentioned the increased fire danger that comes with the dry conditions. He said the current water demand is already exceeding the demand that has been seen in the past two years. He showed Council a graph demonstrating the drought's effects on the City's water supply. He said Lake Georgetown is trending downward steadily. He described the normal triggers for starting the Stillhouse Pumps. He noted they expect the first pump to come on this week, the second in 3 to 6 weeks and the other new pumps in a couple of months. He showed Council a chart showing the monthly levels for the Edwards Aquifer. He spoke about system improvements that have been made since 2009. He said the city has 2.2 million gallons of additional treatment, 5 million gallons of additional storage and 7,500 gallons per minute of additional potable water pumping. He added there are two additional pumps at Lake Stillhouse as well. He spoke about the current plan and described the seasonal irrigation plan we are in. He said the City is currently in drought plan stage 1 and he described the irrigation plan. He said under this plan, there is no irrigation on Monday, odd addresses can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and even addresses can water Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. He spoke about the AquaMessenger service and what service it provides to citizens. Sansing said he sets his watering for every five days, but that may make him a little off from the recommended watering days. Dishong said no one will come after him, but added the problem is he may end up watering on Monday. He said the Monday restriction is very important because it gives staff an indication of whether or not citizens are participating in efforts to help keep the water supply intact. Sansing agreed and said Monday's are an important day for the system to rebuild and recharge. Sansing asked and Dishong said Gabriel Dominguez can go out to people's homes and assist people with their irrigation systems and timers. Berryman asked and Dishong said, based on yesterday's demand, there are still some folks that are doing irrigation on Monday. Berryman asked and Dishong said staff has to continue with its communication plan to make sure citizens are aware of these restrictions. He described the communication plan for the Council. M Public Hearing for the voluntary annexation into the city limits of 14.6 acres in the William Roberts Survey, for the new McCoy Elementary School, located on Bellaire Drive -- Jordan J. Maddox, AICP, Principal Planner and Elizabeth A. Cook, Community Development Director Maddox described the item and said this area will be the site of the new McCoy Elementary School. Public Hearing was opened at 6:45 PM City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 3 of Pages No persons were present to speak. Public Hearing was closed at 6:45 PM No action was taken by the City Council. N Discussion and possible direction to staff concerning City of Georgetown efforts to secure funding for the IH 35/1-akeway Bridge Improvements -- Jim Briggs, Assistant City Manager and Edward G. Polasek, AICP, Transportation Services Director With a Powerpoint Presentation, Polasek described the bridge project. He said the bridge will be from Airport Road to Business 35 and crosses IH 35. He described the amount of lanes on the bridge. He said it is 1.81 miles in length. He said the City has approved an advanced funding agreement with TXDOT on this project. He noted this was in the CAMPO 2035 Plan. He said the design, environmental studies, right of way and utility clearance has been approved. He showed Council a map of the bridge reconstruction and described the proposed development and improvements. He spoke about the current conditions of the area as studied from June 2009 to April 2011. He said there have been 28 motor vehicle accidents. He added there are about 6,500 trips a day across the bridges and 4,500 trips a day on Lakeway Drive. He said the City and Region lost two Economic Development Projects along the area because of the current deficient bridge. He showed Council pictures of the peak traffic on the bridge in the morning and evening. He introduced Robert Stuard, Deputy District Engineer for the TXDOT Austin District and John Wagner, the Area Engineer of the TXDOT Georgetown Area Office. Stuard congratulated the city and said they are bound and determined to make sure this happens as soon as possible. He said they have this scheduled for July 2011, contingent upon it being considered a group project. He noted, no matter what, it would not happen later than November. Berryman asked and Stuard said it is unpredictable how the vote for the funding of these type of projects will go. He said it is rare to see this vote come in as unanimous for a project. Garver said much of the credit for the success of this project starts at TXDOT. Mayor asked and Stuard said they are hoping to get federal approval over the next couple of weeks. Mayor thanked staff for their time and effort on this project. O Consideration and possible action to award the Airport Aviation Fuel bid to the low bidder, Avfuel Corporation for a period of two years, with three, one year options, effective July 1, 2011 for an estimated annual cost of $2,600,000.00 -- Travis McLain, Airport Manager and Paul E. Brandenburg, City Manager McLain described the item and said this is for a two year fuel bid with three, one year options. Motion by Berryman, second by Sansing to approve the award of bid. Approved 7-0 P Forwarded from the General Government and Finance Advisory Subcommittee: Consideration and possible action to approve the selection of the Construction Manager -at -Risk for the construction of Fire Station 5 -- Terry Jones, Support Services Director and Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer Jones described the bid process and said six contractors were picked for the second step of the process. He said the scoring sheet and fee tabulation has been provided to the Council on the dais. He said the committee interviewed the top firms, J.Jacobs Construction and CHASCO. He said, when this item was presented to GGAF, he had not completed the reference checks. He said he has gathered references since then and he provided those recommendations to the Council. He said some members of the committee had concerns that the inexperience of J.Jacobs Construction and their extremely low fees may create problems during construction. He added, however, the members also felt that J.Jacobs went through the same fair process and should be awarded the contract. He said the committee felt either of these contractors would be a good choice. He said the GGAF subcommittee had three votes for CHASCO and two for J.Jacobs Construction. Gonzalez said, based on the report that both companies would perform adequately, he would have to vote for J.Jacobs as they are both qualified and a local company. Motion by Gonzalez, second by Sansing to award the contract to J.Jacobs. Eason said she will be voting against the motion in that there were issues brought up in the GGAF committee meeting regarding warranty issues with the J.Jacobs Construction people. She said she is concerned that someone would bid at half of the other company's bid. She said this is a very important project and the City has City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 4 of Pages other projects that J.Jacobs can work on to expand its resume. She said the city must have a quality fire station for not only the activities that will go on in that building, but also for the safety of the firefighters. She spoke about the safety of the firefighters who would be housed in the facility. Sansing said, as a member of the committee, he would like to clarify. He said the committee was satisfied by the explanation given to the firm about their warranty issues. He said they have been resolved. He noted, while the CHASCO presentation was twenty times better than the presentation from Jacobs, you can not ignore the difference in cost. He said this is going to be a bonded job and the taxpayers should benefit from the savings. He said he is comfortable with letting Jacobs do it and added he knows other fire stations and projects will come up in the future. Meigs asked and Jones noted he is satisfied with the answers staff received from the low bidder. Meigs asked and Jones said Chief Fite was part of the process as well. Sansing said the fee for doing the project is one thing and added the cost of construction is another. Fite said they were satisfied with both firms and added they have no concerns with either one. Sokolow said, based on the published criteria, the best bidder is J.Jacobs. Jones confirmed. Ross asked and Jones said J.Jacobs guaranteed that the project cost will not change. Mayor asked and Jones spoke about what happens if something goes wrong with the project. There was much discussion. Vote on the motion: Approved 6-1 (Eason opposed) Q First Reading of an Ordinance authorizing the 2011 Certificates of Obligation (CO) bond issue and matters relating to this issue -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer (action required) Brewer reviewed the item and noted Council had previously authorized staff to move forward with the issuance of these bonds. She said staff along with the Mayor went to Dallas for bond rating presentation. She spoke about how the captions were published and said this Ordinance will authorize the issuance of $9,720,000 in certificates of obligation to fund various city projects including the construction of Fire Station 5 and the training center, the reconstruction of Fire Station 2, vehicles for fire services, renovations to the Madella Hilliard Facility, new security system and the third payment to Williamson County for the funding for the Williams Drive project. Brewer introduced Jennifer Douglas and Jana Edwards from McCall Parkhurst and Horton, the city's bond counsel. She read only the caption of the Ordinance after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter. Douglas said Standard and Poors affirmed the City's AA+ bond rating. She said, on the last page of the report on the outlook section, they site the City's credit strength and competitive tax rate. She said they are now mentioning that there is some upward pressure to move toward a AAA rating. She showed Council a summary of the bids for this bond issue. She noted they have received a whopping 13 bids and JP Morgan Chase came in with the low bid at a 3.2% interest rate. She compared the interest rate last year compared to this year's rate of 3.34%. She moved on the Section A and how it highlights the money the City will receive at closing. He spoke about the City having the money nine days from now. She said the pricing summary is to show the Council the interest rate. She continued to describe the report and spoke about the debt repayment schedule. She said these bonds are callable and pre -payable by the city in 2020. She said this is 20 year bond and it will mature in August of 2031. Sansing asked and Douglas said the soonest the City can pay this off is 2020. Edwards spoke about the fact that is the first and final reading. She reference the Local Government Code and how this can be adopted in one reading regardless of whether or not the Charter says differently. There was much discussion. Motion by Berryman, second by Gonzalez to approve the Ordinance on first and only reading. Approved 7-0 R First Reading of an Ordinance formally adopting the Fiscal and Budgetary Policy as amended to be used in preparing the 2011/12 annual budget and to guide financial operations -- Micki Rundell, Chief Financial Officer (action required) Brewer described the item and said, at this evening's Workshop, staff went into detail and reviewed the proposed changes to the fiscal and budgetary policy. She described the proposed changes to the policy in this Ordinance. She summarized the discussion that took place in the Workshop. Brewer read only the caption of the Ordinance on first reading after having satisfied the requirements of the City Charter. Motion by Sansing, second by Meigs to approve the Ordinance on first reading. Approved 7-0 S Second Reading of an Ordinance for a Comprehensive Plan Amendment to add new Vision Statements in conjunction with the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Annual Update -- Jordan Maddox, Principal Planner and Elizabeth Cook, Director of Community Development (action required) City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 5 of Pages Maddox described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading. Motion by Sansing, second by Gonzalez to approve Ordinance 2011- 18. Approved 7-0 T Second Reading of an Ordinance on a Rezoning from C-1, Local Commercial District, to C-3, General Commercial District, for 1.01 acres in the Stubblefield Survey, Abstract 558, to be known as Speedy Stop, located at 1006 Leander Road -- Mike Elabarger, Planner III and Elizabeth A. Cook, Director of Community Development (action required) Elabarger described the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading. He said there have been no additional public comments received since the last time council saw this Ordinance. Motion by Ross, second by Meigs to approve Ordinance 2011-19. Approved 7-0 U Second Reading of an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Georgetown, Texas, amending the Code of Ordinances as follows: Chapter 2.36 "City Commissions, Committees and Boards," Chapter 2.48 "City Planning and Zoning Commission," Chapter 2.49 "Zoning Board of Adjustment," Chapter 2.50 "Historic and Architectural Review Commission," Chapter 2.56 "Airport Advisory Board," Chapter 2.64 "Building Standards Commission," Chapter 2.68 "Georgetown Convention and Visitor's Board," Chapter 2.69 "Main Street Advisory Board," Chapter 2.72 "City Library Board," Chapter 2.100 "Economic Development Advisory Board," Chapter 2.104 "Parks and Recreation Board," Chapter 2.108 "Youth Advisory Board," Chapter 2.109 "Utility Systems Advisory Board," Chapter 2.111 "Animal Shelter Advisory Board," Chapter 2.112 "Arts and Culture Board," Chapter 2.113 "Georgetown Transportation Advisory Board," and Chapter 2.116 "Housing Advisory Board," Repealing Conflicting Ordinances and Resolutions; Including a Severability Clause; and Establishing an Effective Date -- Bridget Chapman, Assistant City Attorney; Mark Sokolow, City Attorney; Rachel Saucier, Assistant City Secretary; Jessica Brettle, City Secretary (action required) Chapman reviewed the item and read only the caption of the Ordinance on second reading. Motion by Meigs, second by Berryman to approve Ordinance 2011-20. Approved 7-0 V Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution amending the Bylaws for the Airport Advisory Board, Animal Shelter Advisory Board, Arts & Culture Advisory Board, Building Standards Commission, Convention & Visitors Bureau Board, Historical and Architectural Review Commission, Housing Advisory Board, Housing Authority, Library Advisory Board, Main Street Advisory Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, Youth Advisory Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, Transportation Advisory Board, Utility System Advisory Board, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment -- Bridget Chapman, Assistant City Attorney; Skye Masson, Legal Assistant; Mark Sokolow, City Attorney; Rachel Saucier, Assistant City Secretary; Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Chapman described the item and said these are the revised bylaws for all of the Boards and Commissions, incorporating the changes that were approved in the Ordinance that was just approved. Motion by Ross, second by Berryman to approve the Resolution. Approved 7-0 W Consideration and possible action to approve a Resolution setting the date and time for the canvassing of the May 14, 2011 Election -- Jessica Brettle, City Secretary Brettle said the original date for the canvassing was scheduled for May 19, 2011 but noted it was brought to staff's attention that there were some scheduling conflicts with the Council members. She added, according to the Secretary of State, this meeting must be held before the 25th of May. She said the two options for dates are either Friday the 20th or Monday the 23rd and it is up to Council to decide which date works best for everyone. Motion by Sansing, second by Eason to hold the canvassing on Friday May 20, 2011 at 6 PM. Approved 7-0 Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 6 of Pages Approved: Mayor George Garver City Council Meeting Minutes/ Page 7 of Pages Attest: City Secretary Jessica Brettle