Minutes August 30, 1994CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
August 30, 1994
Th~ Council convened into the Executive Session on Tuesday, August
30, 1994 at 5:15 p.m. in'the Civil~ Defense Room.
PRESENT: Mayor Castleberry; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members
Chew, Cott, Perry, Miller and Smith.
ABSENT: None
1. The Council
Session:
considered the following items in Executive
ao
Be
Legal Matters -- Under TEX. GOV'T CODE Sec. 551.071
1. Considered claims of R. Rodriguez and J. Owens.
Real Estate -- Under TEX. GOV'T CODE Sec. 551.072
Ce
Personnel/Board Appointments -- Under TEX. GOV'T CODE
Sec. 551.074
The Council convened into a Special Called Session on Tuesday,
August 30, 1994 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
PRESENT: Mayor Castleberry; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members
Chew, Cott, Perry, Miller and Smith.
ABSENT: None
1. The Council considered approval of a resolution ratifying the
amendment to the agreement with the Texas Department of Commerce
for an Enterprise Zone.
Debra Drayovitch, City Attorney, stated that this resolution would
ratify the action of the Mayor. The City had submitted a boundary
amendment to the enterprise zone in June. Several days ago the
City had received information that an amendment to the enterprise
zone was due before the Council would meet. The Mayor executed the
amendmen~ so that it could be sent with the Georgia Pacific
application for enterprise zone funding. Staff recommended
approval of the resolution.
The following resolution was considered:
NO. R94-048
A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ANAMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE CITY OF DENTON AND THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR AN
ENTERPRISE ZONE (ENT~ERPRISE ZONE II) WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE
CITY OF DENTON AND'~THE EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION OF THE
CITY; RATIFYING .;fHE ACTION OF THE MAYOR IN EXECUTING THE
AMENDMENT; AND'P~OVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
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City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 2
Perry motioned, Brock seconded to approve the resolution, on roll
vote, Brock "aye", Cott, "aye", Miller "aye", Smith "aye", Chew
"aye", Perry "aye", and Mayor Castleberry "aye". Motion carried
unanimously.
2. The Council considered adoption of an ordinance approving the
1994 appraisal roll.
Kathy DuBose, Acting Executive Director for Finance, stated that
the ordinance would approve the appraisal roll. The Council would
also be required to approve the roll after the tax rate was 'set.
The following ordinance was considered:
NO. 94-156
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, APPROVING THE 1994
APPRAISAL ROLL AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Chew motioned, Perry seconded to adopt the ordinance. On roll
vote, Brock "aye", Cott, "aye", Miller "aye", Smith "aye", Chew
"aye", Perry "aye", and Mayor Castleberry "aye". Motion carried
unanimously.
3. The Council received and considered answers to questions on
the 1994-95 fiscal year budget.
City Manager Harrell reviewed the supplemental topics from the
August 23, 1994 Council meeting.
(13) Cable Television - Radio Audience - this item addressed the
question regarding radio audience.
(14) ADA compliance procedures - this item addressed the question
Council had concerning ADA compliance.
(15) Sprinkler systems and building on the Square -
Veronica Oglesby, Administrative Assistant, stated that staff was
asked to study the feasibility of installing sprinkler systems in
buildings around the Square. Based on that research, the findings
could be separated into four parts; the current policy, the cost
involved, the financing alternatives, and staff recommended
options. The City's current policy followed the guidelines
established by the Unifor~m Building Code requirements. Buildings
constructed after June, '~, 1991 of non-combustible materials and
having more than 10,~00 'square feet were required to install
sprinklers. Those buildings constructed after June 1, 1991 of non-
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 3
combustible materials and having more than 5,000 square feet were
also required to install sprinklers. Buildings which made
additions or enlargements where the total.square feet of all of the
additions exceeded 10,000 square feet or the total additions
exceeded 25% of the square feet of existing building prior to June
1, 1991 were required to install a sprinkler system. Since the
building around the Square were constructed prior to June 1, 1991,
they were considered legal non-conforming uses and could not be
requir'~ to install sprinklers. According to the Fire Marshall and
the Fire Protection Engineers, the cost to install sprinklers in
the buildings on the Square would be approximately $1.50 per square
foot to install as a part of neW construction and $4.50 to retrofit
a building for a sprinkler system. The cost for most buildings
would be approximately $12,000 to $20,000. Conflicting information
had been received as to whether insurance premiums would increase
or decrease with a sprinkler system. There were five possible
financing alternatives associated with this issue: (1) Using the
General Fund or utility revenues to assist property owners with the
installation of sprinkler systems on the Square. The Lega!
Department indicated that an initiative of this type other than for
use on historic sites might violate the State constitution
regarding the giving of gratuities to private businesses. The only
funds which might be used must comply with the guidelines for the
use of Lalor funds. (2) Providing tax abatement relief for
historic buildings. The Texas Tax Code indicated-that a city could
exempt from taxation, a part or all of the assessed value of a
structure if it was designated by the governing body as a historic
site. The current tax abatement ordinance exempted 50% of the
assessed value for historic sites. An initiative of this type
could be used to provide an additional abatement to those who'
installed sprinklers. Currently there were 25 historic
designations in Denton. Sixteen of those existed in the Oak-
Hickory Historic District, five in the immediate Square area and
four others located in the Central Business District. (3) Using
hotel/motel tax funds. The Texas Tax Code allowed the use of Lalor
funds for historical restoration and preservation projects or
advertising which encouraged tourism in historic sites and museums.
If Council found that installing sprinklers met these requ~rements,
the Lalor funds could be used. The revenues each year were limited
as almost all of the local tax authorized by State law had been
allocated. (4) Providing a tax abatement. Council would
designate a sprinkler district and the buildings in such a district
codld qualify for tax abatements if sprinklers were installed..
This option would require an amendment to the current ordinance and
only the excess assessed~value generated by the improvement could
be abated. (2) Establishing a public improvement district.
Designation of a publi= improvement district was authorized by the
Texas Local Governmen~ ~ode and provided improvements or services
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City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 4
to a designated area. Public Improvement Districts were funded by
income by the assessment generated from property owners in the
district. To initiate a public improvement district a petition
signed by owners of more than 50% of the appraised value of taxable
real property and one of the following two options - owners of more
that 50%. of the area per square foot of the taxable property or
more than 50% of the record owners of the real property. The Texas
Local Government Code authorized improvements such as water,
wastewater, public safety, security, business recruitment and
development. Staff felt that no one program would be effective but
a combination of programs was recommended. Such a program would
include a tax abatement for improvements, tax relief for historic
sites with additional tax abatement for buildings with sprinklers
and the use of Lalor funds.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock asked if individuals interested in the
formation of a public improvement district and sprinkler district
would have to vote on whether to create such a district.
Oglesby replied yes that a petition would have to be received from
more than 50% of the appraised value owners and then either a
petition from 50% of area owners or a petition from more than 50%
of the record owners.
City Manager Harrell stated that staff was not recommending to
proceed with the option of a public improvement district. Creating
a sprinkler district would result in an amendment to the tax
abatement policy. The City could set out an area for such a
district and a business located in the area would qualify for
additional tax abatements.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that a public improvement district would
be an area where the majority of the property owners would agree to
tax themselves while in a sprinkler distric% the businesses would
simply become eligible for additional tax abatements.
Council Member Cott felt that this would not be a valid system if
not all the businesses participated.
City Manager Harrell stated that the installation of a sprinkler
system in any building would be advantageous.
Council Member Miller felt that the use of tax abatement alone
would not be much incentive. If 100% of the taxes were abated, it
would take approximately.~0-74 years for a business to recover the
cost of sprinkling the building. He felt there was a need to find
out the interest in.s~inkling the buildings.
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 5
City Manager Harrell stated that no one single program could be
used exclusively and encouraged involvement in the program. Three
programs under a unique set of circumstances might promote the
program.
Council Member Miller stated that with the tax incentive portion,
even if 100% of the tax were abated, the dollars would not be
available. He felt that the financial incentive was quite limited.
City Manager Harrell replied that that would be correct except if
the sprinkling was done as a part of an improvement which was going
to be done anyway. This would be an incentive to proceed with a
sprinkler system.
Council Member Perry felt that it would be a good idea to carry
f°~ward with the staff discussing the options with the property
owners to determine if they were interested in proceeding with the
project.
Council Member Cott felt that the sprinkler concept was not the
whole concept and that the Central Fire Station was also a part of
the situation.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock agreed that it would be a good idea to pursue
the alternatives with the property owners. She did not consider
these incentives as an alternative to adequate fire protection and
suggested a continued discussion regarding the staffing of the fire
department and the placement of fire stations.
Council Member Smith stated that monitored smoke alarms might be
another option for the downtown area and might be another method
for the early warning of a fire.
Mayor Castleberry stated it was important to be concerned about the
City's historic buildings. He felt that Council wanted staff to
look into the possibilities of a combination of the proposals
including monitored smoke detectors. Staff would work with the
property owners and return with a work session item.
City Manager Harrell stated that staff's intention was to hold
meetings with the area merchants, review the possibilities and
solicit input and suggestions for modification. Those would then
be brought back to Council for Council deliberation.
Council Member Smith s~gested including information regarding
monitored smoke alarms tar the merchants.
(16) Automatic doors ~t the Senior Center
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City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 6
Bruce Hennington, Facilities Manager, stated that there were two
options regarding automatic doors at the Senior Center. One was to
install automatic doors similar to what was at City Hall at a cost
of $2,900 and the second option was to install one set of automatic
doors similar to what was at a grocery store.
Council Member Cott asked if option one could be installed with
automatic opening at a lesser price.
Hennington replied that the door at City Hall was run by push
button which would open the door. It was timed to remain open for
a designated amount of seconds and then would close. This type of
opener would be needed for both sides of the door at a cost of
approximately $2,900.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock felt that the people at the public hearing had
a valid point regarding the doors at the Senior Center. Those were
difficult doors for the elderly and felt that an automatic door was
needed. She felt that the grocery store type of opener would
better fit the needs of the Center.
Council Member Smith felt that it might be awkward to have doors
opening into people and agreed with option 2.
Mayor Castleberry asked about the ADA schedule for the Senior
Center.
Hennington stated that all requirements in that building had been
completed and only the tennis center had uncompleted items.
Council Member Chew stated that there was a need for the doors and
that Option 2 should be included in the budget.
(17) Space eXpansion - The remaining building projects were City
Hall West and City Hall. City Hall West was on a good time line
and should be back to Council with bids for the building remodeling
for the Planning and Engineering Departments. The budget for City
Hall West was very modest. One item bid as an alternative was the
installation of fire sprinklers in the building with an estimated
cost of $80,000. That amount was not included in the project
budget. Council might want to address that during the budget
discussions. The current City Hall had only $224,000 budgeted for
the entire building and with theexpectations of the Council on how
the building would be done, there would not be enough allocation of
funds. An option to deal with the issue was to set aside some
additional funds from th~ budget in a reserve account for City
Hall remodeling or pus~ the project back a few months to work out
alternatives and deal ~£th it in the next year's budget.
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 7
Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that the City had applied for a grant
for a sprinkler system for City Hall West and questioned when the
City would learn of the outcome of that request.
city Manager Harrell stated that there were several steps involved
in that issue.
Council Member Miller stated that Denton's project was ranked 10th
out of the tentatiVe list sent for COG consideration.
City Manager Harrell stated that once that local step was cleared,
the next step was to go to the State for rankings.
Mayor Castleberry asked if the City could proceed with the funds
for a sprinkler system and if the grant was awarded that money
would be freed up so that the time frame would not be slowed down.
Svehla replied that if funds were spent before receiving a grant,
that money could not be reimbursed. Staff was in the process of
finding out more about the ranking of projects and the time table
regarding the grant.
City Manager Harrell stated that staff would look at the award
schedule and modify when to award the bids to fit that schedule.
If the City did not receive the grant and did not put $80,000 in
the budget for the sprinkler system, there would be a problem. It
would be a lesser problem if $80,000 could be earmarked ahead of
time.
Council Member Perry felt that if the renovation of the City Hall
were delayed, the costs of the project would rise. He was in favor
of setting aside money for the project which in the long term would
save money.
Mayor Castleberry felt that it was important to proceed with the
project and Council should set aside funds for the renovation.
There was a need to have a sprinkler system for City Hall West and
the City should set the example for sprinkler systems. He stated
that when it was appropriate during the budget discussions, he
would like to have Council consider setting aside funds for further
renovations for City Hall West and City Hall.
Council Member Smith asked if the grant was approved, would 100% of
the costs be covered.
Svehla replied that the"grant was submitted with matching funds.
?
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 8
Council Member Smith stated that the estimates from an earlier
report stated that $80,000 would not do the entire project.
John Cook, Fire Chief, stated that the cost for both buildings had
been estimated at $100,000. This was an estimate from a contractor
and an engineer at $4 per foot. He felt this was very high and
that the cost would be closer to $2.50 per foot.
(18) - Teen Court - Harlan Jefferson, Treasurer, stated that
Council had requested staff to investigate implementation of the
Juvenile Diversion Task Force recommendations. There were three
items to investigate for Council consideration. One was to obtain
office space for Youth and Family Counseling. Their proposal
required the City to provide office space and utilities and
originally it was felt that such space could be donated. That did
not work out and as a result, staff began contacting agencies in
Denton which might allow the service to use their facility. RSVP
expressed an interest and would charge approximately $4200 for
office space which would increase the cost of the Youth and Family
Counseling proposal from $27,091 to $31,291. The second area of
investigation was to contact agencies for support for
implementation of the Task Force recommendations. A presentation
had been made to the DISD Board and was well received. The Board
could not vote on the item as it was not listed on the agenda but
would be discussing the proposal at a future work session.
Discussions had also been held with the Denton County Bar
Association and there was an indication that they would be willing
to serve as judges for the Teen Court. The Boy Scouts of American
had been contacted and they would be asking permission to help
sponsor the Teen Court. The final area of investigation was in the
area of public counseling. Staff had received three other
proposals for counseling from TWU, UNT and the Counseling Center of
Denton. A core group of the Task Force met and discussed these
proposals. That group was recommending that all three of the local
proposals be used as opposed to Youth and Family Counseling as it
was felt that a combination of the services would be more
beneficial to Denton. The Presiding Judge would determine which
agency to use. Assuming that DISD provided one third of the funds
and if the revised recommendations were accepted, the total cost
for the proposal would be reduced from $45,031 to $31,750. It was
felt that if implemented, the recommendation would reduce the work
load in Municipal Court.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that staff would continue to work with
the County for funding. .~'
Jefferson stated that~aff was still working with the County but
was using different avenues. Staff did not want to assume the
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 9
County would make a contribution for budget implications.
Council Member Miller supported the idea of moving ahead. If the
DISD provided one third of the costs and the County did not provide
funding, the City's costs would be $18,600 for the next year to
.implement all of the recommendations of the Task Force. The Task
Force was satisfied that all of the counseling services would be
adequate and had a similar quality.
Jefferson replied correct. Ail agreed that it would be a better
option to use local facilities.
City Manager Harrell stated that in order to balance the general
fund, $3,360 of lost revenue would have to be added to the $18,000
to get a true increase for budged costs.
Jefferson stated that the cost would be $18000 with a revenue
reduction.
City Manager Harrell stated that the impact on the budget would be
$22,009 assuming the DISD provided one third of the costs.
Council Member Cott stated that the DISD had set up a special
program for their disciplinary needs and the City had to deal with
those problems. He felt it was necessary to have people pay for
services.
(19) Drainage concerns at 3011 Santa Monica Drive - a report was
presented to Council on a citizen concern regarding drainage.
Council Member Cott felt that the problem was the whole drainage
channel.
Lee Allison, Director of Water Engineering and Operations, stated
that the western most lot line for Lot 6 in Zone X was subject to
a 500 year flood. The flood plain boundary was 2/3's over the lot.
Without any improvements, a 100 year flood would rise to that
level. The home and foundation~appeared to be above the 100 year
flood area. The next area was the flood way and was the area where
building was not allowed. There was a storage building located in
that area. Studies and maintenance work were being done in the
area.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock asked about flooding in the Wisteria Street
area. She asked if there.~ould be a treatment of the problem in the
uDcoming CIP.
Allison replied that he was not aware of it in the CIP.
20
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 10
Svehla stated that there was a report in Item 24 regarding the CIP
projects. There was a project on Wisteria which was recommended by
the Planning and Zoning Commission and the '91 Committee.
(20) Visual Arts Center Air Conditioning Options
Bruce Hennington, Facilities Manager, stated that there were four
options to assist with the air conditioning problems at the Visual
Arts Center. (1) Hire an engineer to do a study and evaluate the
air conditioning problems at the Center; (2) Install 8 ceiling
fans in Festival Hall; (3) Install screening materials on all
windows; and (4) Install double pane windows in Festival Hall.
Mayor Castleberry asked how much the ceiling fans would help.
Hennington stated that Richard Foster's letter indicated that fans
could produce a chill factor from 3-5 degrees.
Council Member Miller suggested installing the ceiling fans and to
wait with the other options to see if this would do the job.
(21) - Health insurance rates
Tom Klinck, Director of Human Services, stated that the City was
experiencing a positive experience with Harris Methodist Health
Plan. claims for the three month experiences was a 142% loss ratio
which was very high. Half were in catastrophic claims but the City
would need to see that trend reduced as the City moved throughout
the year. One option from Harris was a no rate increase which
would maintain the current options. The second option was a 2.5%
rate reduction if a new prescription drug program were initiated
with a split co-pay plan. Either option was a considerable
difference from the proposal of an 8% increase. A majority of
those present at a recent Employee,Insurance'Committee meeting and
a majority of the Executive Directors agreed to accept renewal for
the drug rider and a 2.5% rate reduction for employees. A majority
of the employees would experience a $4 decease per month in
premiums. One area of concern was not covering the smoking
cessation patches. The Employee"Insurance Committee recommended
using $3,000 to help with one half of the cost of a one time six
month smoking cessation treatment. A letter had been written to
Harris Methodist regarding the use of Denton Regional Medical
Center. Harris was in final negotiations with an anticipated
response within 3-4 weeks.
(22) TTRIPS - this was ihformation for Council regarding a program
run by the Denton ISD~
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page I1
(23) Street lighting - street lighting expenses for the upcoming
budget had been underestimated and $35,000 would have to be placed
in the budget for street lighting expenses.
(24) CIP program
Jon Fortune, Budget Officer, stated that at a prior Council
meeting, the '91 Committee had presented several options to Council
which would enable the City to postpone a bond election for one
year. He reviewed those options as detailed in the agenda backup
materials.
Council Member Cott asked if First Southwest had been contacted
regarding not delaying a bond election due to the ever changing
interest rates.
City Manager Harrell stated that the timing for holding a bond
election was not the critical issue on interest rates.
(25) Municipal Cost Survey - this was information provided for
Council after including Gainsville and McKinney in the survey area.
(26) and (27) Fire Station Relocation Analysis and Fire Department
Staffing options
Rick Svehla, Deputy City Manager, stated that Council had asked
about station locations and recommendations for locations. In
1991, staff had presented some possible locations. Given a choice,
the best location would be at a different location from either one
of those two proposals. There was a great deal of overlap if both
of those stations were occupied and there were advantages and
disadvantages to each. In 1991 Station Three was recommended based
on the financial situation of the time. The best strategy was to
build another station rather than occupy both stations. There were
reserve funds available to find a new location in the area if
desired.
Council Member Cott stated that from the calls he had received, the
feeling was to reopen Station One. People viewed this as a
principal entrance to the City and if anything happened in the
area, it would be very serious.
Council Member Miller stated that the perception was that the
location for a fire station was downtown. He had many calls and
contacts with citizens r%garding this issue and had not heard from
anyone who did not wan~ a station downtown. This was a budget
issue. Council was fa=ed with making a decision between services
and the cost to citizens. The basic decision made in 1991 was a
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 12
budget issue and it still was a financial issue. He felt that
Council needed to find out if the citizens were willing to pay for
the stations. He proposed getting information which would enable
Council to add firefighters on an incremental basis this year and
looking at the possibility of reopening Station One on a temporary
basis while looking at the options of having a permanent station in
the downtown area. He asked if Item 26 and Item 27 could be
combined as it was not just a location issue but also a staffing
issue. He requested the figures on adding three firefighters in
January and three later in the year. He asked how many additional
firefighters were needed to adequately cover fire protection in the
City. This would make the citizens aware that this was an issue of
dollars for new firefighters and new stations. He suggested
Council look at the budget to put in place the possibility to take
the necessary steps.
Council Member Smith asked for figures regarding the cost of
overtime and how that would be affected if more firefightes were
hired. How would the number of firefighters needed be determined
and were there different standards which had to be met.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that she had received much comment
regarding this issue from citizens. Those who were supporting
better coverage of the downtown area had been very reasonable and
responsible for budget considerations. She felt that sometimes
decisions made sense from a technical standpoint but not from a
practical standpoint. Possible placement of a future station on
Carroll Blvd. would require the consideration of future planning
issues.
Council Member Cott stated that perhaps the Council did not have to
just look at the fire budget in this case. There might be the
ability to take dollars from another part of the budget for 1995.
Council Member Miller stated that he still had some questions for
Chief Cook regarding staffing and station locations.
Mayor Castleberry felt that there was a need to decide why
additional firefighters were needed. He felt that Council should
hear from Chief Cook after the information was gathered and what
his opinion was regarding the issue. He asked if overtime were
taken out, how would that affect the income of existing
firefighters and how they budgeted themselves.
Council Member Miller askg~ for Chief Cook's input.
Mayor Castleberry aske4'if Council wanted to hear from Chief Cook
at this meeting. ' ~-~
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 13
Council Member Chew stated that he would like to have the Chief do
some research and return with the data to the Council at a later
date.
Council Member Perry asked that the research include coverage,
response time, key rate, and all factors involved in how many men
and stations were needed.
(27) Fire Department Staffing Options
Rick Svehla, Deputy City Manager, stated that as part of Council's
discussion at the last meeting, questions had been asked regarding
staffing and suggested staffing levels. The Fire Department
operated on three shifts. If different manning strategies were
considered and more added stations, there would be a need to do
personnel in multiples of three because multiples of three allowed
personnel to be added to each shift which allowed more flexibility
over all the operation. Three was the minimum with additional costs
due to overtime, sick leave and vacation, c. He recommended if
more firefighters were hired, that it be done in groups of three to
assist with scheduling. The second issue dealt with the transfer
of ambulance service. It was felt that this was a good idea and
might generate some revenue for the City. Staff was researching
with the Legal Department the issues involved with an exclusive
service in Denton.
Council Member Miller asked for the cost figures of adding six
firefighters on the basis of hiring three in January and three in
July. He suggested reopening Station One until a decision was made
regarding the overall concept for the City.
Mayor Castleberry indicated that he had Speaker Cards from Norma
Seeley and Art Seeley who supported the Fire Department.
Ken Gold stated that the City needed more firefighters. If the
Council was considering adding more firefighters, he urged the
Council not to increase the level of service.
4. The Council discussed and considered the listing of major
budget issues and gave staff direction.
City Manager Harrell stated that at the next Council meeting, staff
and Council would work through the various issues of the major
budget report and then would consider the items added at this
meeting. He asked Council if there were other major issues to
consider which needed to~ be added to the list.
City of Denton City Council Minutes
August 30, 1994
Page 14
Council Member Chew requested consideration of additional part-time
staffing for the MLK Center.
City Manager Harrell stated that that was a package which was
requested but not recommended for funding.
Council Member Miller asked about a tax abatement for the
handicapped.
Mayor Castleberry suggested using the same level as the DISD.
City Manager Harrell stated that the utility fund issues would also
be included in the discussion for the next week.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that when the Council got to the point
of deciding on a tax rate, she would like to review the legal
requirements for reducing the ad valorem tax in proportion to the
income from the half cent sales tax and what the Council was
required to do and what it could do in those terms.
5. The Council held a discussion and gave staff direction
regarding additional issues concerning the 1994-95 fiscal year
budget.
This item was not considered as it was included in Item 4.
Mayor Castleberry stated that staff was recommending a 24.5%
decrease in the property tax and he would like to make a major
budget issue to round off that decrease to 25%.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
NYP~ WALTERS
Y ~,~RETARY
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
BOB CASTL~R~
CITY OF DENTON
ACC00207