Minutes November 08, 1994CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
November 8, 1994
The Council convened into a Closed Meeting on Tuesday, NovemBer 8,
1994 at 5:15 p.m. in the Civil Defense Room.
PRESENT: Mayor Castleberry; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members
Chew, Cott, Perry and Miller
ABSENT: Council Members Smith and corr.
1. The Council considered the following in Closed Meeting:
A. Legal Matters -- Under TEX. GOV'T CODE Sec. 551.071
Received a report, held a discussion, and gave
staff direction relating to the audit of GTE's
franchise fee payments.
B. 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 the Work Session on Tuesday November 8,
1994 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers.
PRESENT: Mayor Castleberry; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members
Chew, Perry, and Miller
ABSENT: Council Members Smith and corr.
1. The Council received a report, held a discussion, and gave
Staff direction regarding a proposed road hump policy.
Jerry Clark, City Engineer, presented the basics of the speed hump
policy. He stated that the speed humps were not like the ones in
shopping center parking lots. These were 12 feet wide and 3 inches
high. Clark said Council may remember the characteristics of speed
humps from the test site visited during the CIP tour. The proposed
policy was based on the City of Dallas's policy. Clark said Staff
investigated other alternatives.of enforcing, speeding through
residential neighborhoods including traffic circles and putting
stop signs at every intersection but in most cases they were not
totally .effective. The speed hump concept was first presented in
October of 1993 and at that time Council directed Staff to install
a test site. The sight chosen was in the North Lakes neighborhood
on Parkside and .Bowling Green. The test was conducted from late
January of 1994 through early October of 1994. Originally
scheduled to end.in the s-mmer, the policy was extended through the
summer to get the full effects of the traffic from the ball fields
at North Lakes. During the test period the speed limit was changed
to 30 mph. The most recent poll of the neighborhood indicated
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Page 2
approximately 81% neighborhood approval with 52 in favor, 8
opposed, 4 vacant, and 1 uncommitted. The proposed policy outlined
what a speed hump was, showed exactly how to apply for a speed
hump, how to rate multiple requests and establish priorities.
Clark mentioned other issues associated with speed humps including
liability protection, stripping, signing, warnings, v and
maintenance. He said speed humps cost approximately $1,000.
Because there were no budgeted funds for installation, Clark said
funding by the City would come from the Street Maintenance budget.
Traffic Safety recommended the funding mechanism adopted by the
city of Dallas which considered 35 mph to be a reasonable speed.
The funding structure outlined the percentage of installation costs
to be pai~ by the resident and the City. Basically, the closer the
average speed to 40 mph the more the City would fund. The
exception was that speed humps in neighborhoods located within the
CDBG target area would be fully funded by the City. Based on the
CDBG target area map approximately 2/3's of the City was located
within the target area. Staff recommended that Council establish
a maximum budget of $15,000 through the Street Maintenance funds.
Afterwards, if Council elected to proceed with speed hump
installation Staff would recommend establishing a budget item of
approximately $15,000 - $20,000 to install speed humps on
residential streets only.
Council Member Perry thought that was something the Council should
do especially in view of the overwhelming positive response by the
neighborhood. He said when driving through, you can see that the
speed humps were not like those used in parking lots. They were
nice but they would slow you down.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock said as she understood the speed hump policy
traffic volumes must be more than 500 vehicles per day but less
than 8,000 per day. Brock asked what the average traffic count
was for a resi~ntia'l, street.
Ciark replied that counts generally ranged from 600 to 1,500.
Bro~k asked if the main purpose of the test humps had been to
encourage people to use collectors and arterials rather than
residential streets for through traffic.
Clark responded yes. He said the speed humps physically forces the
vehicle to slow down rather than having some sort of police
enforcement. That usually diverts some traffic from residential
streets.
Miller asked if that was all on streets with a 30 mph speed limit.
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Clark responded yes, all residential streets except for those
affected by schools had a thirty mph speed limit.
Miller asked where the data regarding the percentage of traffic
traveling at certain speeds came from.
Clark indicated that the Traffic Department Staff conducted the
labor intensive studies using a radar gun. Because they were so
intensive, studies were only done when the request would actually
seek to meet warrants.
Miller asked if a neighborhood would know when the request was made
if they would have to participate in the cost.
Clark responded that they would not know unless they were in the
CDBG Target Area. The neighborhood would not be asked to pay for
anything until they had an opportunity to evaluate the results of
the study and let Staff know if they still wanted to proceed.
Miller asked if his neighborhood wanted to have speed humps
installed, and had an average speed of 35 mph, would they have to
pay 100% of the cost. Also how would the neighborhood determine
who should participate in the cost of the humps and how many should
be installed.
Clark stated that the neighborhood would have to raise the money
and it would be at the neighborhood's discretion who would
participate. The policy stated that sixty-seven percent (67%)
approval of the neighborhood was needed before they would be
allowed to participate in the process.
Miller asked how the sample was determined and how many people or
blocks would be included in the sample.
Clark stated that a minimum of one block was needed. The humps
needed to be spaced a reasonable distance from the intersection but
could be done as close as a couple hundred feet.
Miller said he could see this working where the City funded the
installation but had a difficult time seeing how this would work in
the areas where the neighbors would be asked to pay for the humps.
He asked if Staff had checked with Dallas and' the other cities to
see if they were actually collecting money from the neighborhoods.
Clark replied yes, but in most cases the neighborhoods were a
little more affluent. Staff had asked neighborhoods to participate
in curb and gutter. In the past that had been difficult so there
was a good chance that it may be difficult for the neighborhoods to
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raise money.
Miller stated that he remembered prior to his coming on Council a
sidewalk issue and what happened there. He was in agreement with
the general principal especially if it was a neighborhood where the
people wanted it.
Clark mentioned that the Traffic Safety Commission got into
significant discussion on the issue of the neighborhoods paying for
the humps but concluded that the policy was the best place to
start. The policy could be modified later if Council desired.
Chew asked Clark to explain the liability associated with the speed
humps.
Clark deferred to the Acting City Attorney, Mike Buoek, for a
response.
Bucek stated that any time the city did anything in the roadway
that made it abnormal, appropriate signage needed to be provided.
If not there may very well be some exposure for putting an
obstruction in the street. He said the City could have
obstructions as long as citizens were warned of them.
Chew asked if the city would be exposing itself if the maintenance
and upkeep was not done adequately.
Bucek said that once the City was on notice that the warning sign
was down then it had to be replaced. There needed to be a general
maintenance schedule.
Brock asked if the owners of a certain percentage of property
needed to be just along that street.
Clark responded that the petition needed to be signed by 2/3's of
the residents in the petition area.
Brock asked what the petition area was.
Clark stated that the petition area for the test humps included
Parkside, North Lakes, and Bowling Green. He suggested that people
who would not logically use the streets should not be included.
Council Member Jerry Cott joined the meeting at 6:25 p.m.
Brock said she thought about the area where she lived and said that
Highland Park Road or Willowwood would probably not be eligible.
She said speeding was a problem on those streets and she had called
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about that because it was dangerous especially to children trying
to get to school.
Clark stated that Highland Park Road was a collector and Willowwood
was a secondary arterial.
Miller suggested that reports be made to the City Council and the
Traffic Safety Commission as a part of the reassessment process
since a policy decision was being made.
Clark stated that one of the reasons the reassessment was included
in the policy was that some residents did not like the signage so
close to their residences.
Perry motioned, Brock seconded to move ahead with the speed hump
policy and bring an ordinance back to the Council. On roll vote,
Cott "nay", Brock "aye", Miller "aye", Mayor Castleberry "aye",
Perry "aye", Chew "nay". Motioned carried with a 4-2 vote.
2. The Council received a report, held a discussion, and gave
Staff direction regarding the selection of a City Attorney.
Tom Klinck, Director of Human Resources, stated that the purpose of
the presentation was to assist the Council with the recruitment and
selection of a City Attorney. He discussed recruitment which
included - job description, job opportunity announcement; the ad
copy and sources for advertising the position; screening
recommendations; and asked for Council's direction on how Staff
should proceed. Klinck stated that Debra Rose, Personnel
Generalist, assisted in updating the job description and job
opportunity announcement. .Staff recommended advertising in the
Texas Bar Journal, Texas Lawyer, and Texas Town and City. Staff
also recommended that the ads be placed in the December 1994 issues
with a closing date of January 15, 1995. The advertising copy
provided in the Council's backup material left the position open
until filled but Klinck suggested Staff could better manage the
number of ~pplicants with a deadline. He said Council could extend
the deadline to a later date if desired. Staff recommended an
initial paper ~r~n of minimum qualifications, exDerience, and the
applicants presentation on paper to narrow the pool to 20-30
applicants. The secondary screen would consist of a telephone
interview or a written questionnaire which would be used to develop
a semi-finalist pool of 10 to 20 candidates. With the semi-
finalists, a telephone screen of references would be used to
determine a finali~t~ pool of l0 candidates for council
consideration. Staff recommended that either the full'Council or
a Council committee conduct the interviews with Human Resource._
Staff assistance to screen the finalists. He s~.ated that Staff had
City of Denton City Council Minutes
November 8, 1994
Page 6
also made a request for limited legal assistance to review the
technical competence of the applicants, to draft a release of
information for Staff to check references, to draft an employment
contract between the City Attorney and the Council, and for other
minor legal issues that would arise during the process. Staff
asked that Council provide direction regarding the screening
process and limited legal assistance if they were comfortable with
the updated job description, job opportunity announcement,
advertising copy, sources, and the January 15, 1995 closing date.
Council Member Perry asked Klinck to further explain the meaning of
"senior management experience" referenced in the job opportunity
announcement.
Klinck stated that the position served on the Executive Committee
with the City Manager, Executive Directors, and other Staff members
that set broad policies, strategic issues, and made recommendations
to the Council. A person with senior management experience would
have managed a large budget and outside legal assistance. Staff
recommended that Council look at candidates that had experience
doing those things in a city similar to Denton's size or that
served second in command or candidates from a smaller city that had
been at a higher level in managing large resources, hiring,
disciplining, and managing the staff of technical employees and
others.
Chew thought an employment contract always existed and expressed
concern with bringing in a legal assistant to draft a contract the
City already had. He asked what the legal assistant would be
doing.
Klinck stated that the contract with Mrs. Drayovitch was drafted in
the early 1950's and many changes had occurred since that time.
The legal assistant would also assist with assessing the legal
competence of the candidates. Klinck said he was not in a position
to assess the technical competence of an attorney.
City Manager Harrell added that the Goun¢il was in an unusual
position when trying to execute an employment contract with someone
that would head up the Legal Staff because normally the City
Attorney's office prepared the legal contract that would be
recommended to the Council for execution. The situation before the
Council was that the City Attorney's office Staff would report to
the person the Council would be negotiating with. Staff
recommended an arms length relationship with the City Attorney's
Office in drafting the employment agreement that would be
recommended to the Council. He stated that was why Klinck
suggested that Betty Springer play that role for the Council.
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Cott agreed with Harrell and suggested that the nuances of change
in a very technical profession was something the Council could not
afford to get behind on. He suggested that the Council use the
legal assistance.
Perry stated he would feel comfortable if the technical assistance
was used to assist with the writing of the employment contract and
not technical competencies. He asked that the term technical
competencies be spelled out more clearly. Perry also expressed a
concern with the term senior management staff. He asked that this
term be clarified as well.
Klinck responded that maybe technical competencies was not the best
term but it would in some way help Staff and Council look at the
applicants and screen them down to the finalist pool. He also
stated that if Council was in agreement with obtaining information
from references as a screening mechanism, Staff wanted to have the
applicant release information so Staff would be able to talk freely
with their previous employers and the other people the applicant
provided as references. He said if his Staff was called, for
example, for a reference on an employee they had to basically say
yes or no to whether they were employed with the City, the dates,
salary, and their promotional history due to people's tendency to
sue.
Miller said it would be helpful to have an attorney's assistance to
asses the legal experience of the applicant especially since the
applicant pool would contain people with at least five years
experience in city government. He said the legal assistance would
be invaluable to get that kind of input over and beyond looking at
the employment contract and other technical aspects of employment.
Klinck responded that another technical point to consider was that
Denton owned its electric utility unlike many other cities. He
said it would be important to assess the candidate's ability to
lnok at the legal aspects of operating that electric utility.
Cott responded to Council Member Perry that the aDproach to quality
used by every factory in the community in the early 1980's had
become obsolete. He said they all used the third generation
approach to quality. Council would want to know that the attorney
had the third generation techniques.
Brock commented that Council could use Ms. Springer's assistance to
review technical competence because resume writing had developed to
a new art. She said Council needed someone knowledgeable in the
field to assist Council in evaluating all of the applicants.
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Mayor Castleberry said the decision to use the full Council or a
Council Committee for the screening process needed to be included
in the motion as well as the other issues Staff needed direction
OR.
Klinck agreed and added that if Council could include in the motion
the updated job description, job opportunity announcement,
advertising copy and sources, and ~anuary 15 ciosing date.
Mayor Castleberry asked if Staff would be able to meet the December
submission deadline if Council moved to go forward.
Klinck commented that December 15 was the deadline and Staff was
able to meet that time frame.
Cott asked if Council was going to hire the consultant.
Mayor Castleberry said the legal assistance would be used to
determine legal qualifications of the applicant.
Klinck said the primary responsibility would rest with him and his
Staff to screen the applicants down to 20-30 to be reviewed by the
full Council or a Council sub-committee. He said Staff would
provide Council a list of applicants that had been screened and the
reasons why along with the list of 20-30 recommended applicants.
Miller asked what kind of time frame Staff was looking at to have
the pool of applicants screened down to 20-30 with the January 15
closing deadline.
cott asked if any Legal Department Staff would be involved in the
screening process.
Klinck recommended that the Legal Department Staff not be involved
in the selections process.
Brock recommended that Council postpone the decision to look at the
list of semi-finalists as a full Council or Council sub-committee.
Miller motioned to direct Staff to proceed with the process,
including the job description, the posting, advertising copy and
sources for December placement, utilizing legal assistants needed.
He also recommended that Council decide in' January how they wanted
to process the applications. Chew seconded the motion.
Brock wanted to be sure that the motion would allow Council to call
on Mrs. Springer's assistance with any part of the screening
process.
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Miller said the motion was meant to include that.
Perry asked that Staff spell out what was meant by senior
management experience and ascertaining legal competence.
Miller amended his motion to include in the advertising copy and
job opportunity announcement a minimum of 3 years experience as
city attorney or assistant city attorney. Chew seconded the
amendment. On roll vote, Cott "nay", Brock "aye", Miller "aye",
Castleberry "aye", Perry "aye" Chew "aye" Motion carried with a
5-1 vote. ' ·
3. The Council received a report, held a lscusslon, and gave
d' '
Staff direction regarding the re-write of the zoning ordinance.
City Manager Harrell mentioned that Council had been briefed in the
past regarding the proposed re-write of the zoning ordinance. In
last year's budget Council included funds to obtain legal
assistance to put the ordinance in appropriate legal form and to
examine recommendations made by the Council,s Zoning Task Force and
Planning and Zoning Commission. Harrell stated that Council asked
for a final general briefing regarding the rewrite of the ordinance
to make sure there was complete understanding prior to the time
outside counsel was engaged.
~r~k ~obbins, Executive Director for Planning and Development.
ln~ca~ed that he would review briefly how Staff developed th~
rewrite and would give the Council an opportunity to aSk questions.
First, Robbins said the City needed to have a more outstanding
product. He presented a list of approximately 10 reasons why the
ordinance should be rewritten. The list included removing weak,
outdated standards in the districts that allowed for incompatible
land uses, difficulty dealing with the edge between different types
of land uses; make the ordinance more user friendly; remove
provisions that were no longer usable; and update the table of
permitted uses. Robbins said there was no direct relationship
between what was in the standards of the ordinance and the policies
of the Development Plan. Staff had done a number of piece-meal
amendments to that affect. The Planning and Zoning Commission made
a recommendation to Council in May of 1994 to no longer do piece-
meal amendments but to fund legal assistance to assist with the
rewrite of the ordinance. Robbins also presented a list of the 13
member Zoning Ordinance Task Force that worked approximately 3
times each month for 2 1/2 years. He suggested that the Task
Force's reco~mendation would probably represent a consensus within
the community. Robbins briefly reviewed the Zoning Ordinance Task
Force process which was to try and understand zoning and to go
through the entire list of ways to deal with land use issues. The
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Task Force defined the various standards, processes, and format
problems and analyzed each solution using approximately 50 zoning
cases. The Task Force came forth with a recommendation that
received the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association
award. He said since 1989 there had been a number of piece-meal
amendments. The last one was to reorganize the Board of Adjustment
section in the ordinance that dealt with variance and appeal and
the Airport Zoning.
Cott motioned, Brock seconded to move forward with the rewrite.
Miller asked if the motion involved the $25,000 investment for
legal assistance.
Mayor Castleberry said legal assistance was included.
On roll vote, Cott "aye", Brock "aye", Miller "aye", Mayor
Castleberry "aye", Perry "aye", Chew "aye". Motion carried
unanimously.
4. The Council held a discussion and gave
regarding City Council agenda preparation.
Staff direction
Brock commented that she thought the item was in response to her
question regarding how things got on the agenda. She mentioned
City Manager Harrell presented the procedure used by Staff to
prepare the City Council agenda. He said by 12:00 noon Monday, 8
days prior to a City Council meeting, all Department Heads must
submit agenda items to the City Secretary. Those requests must
include the exact wording as suggested to appear on the agenda,
any board review and recommendations. The City Secretary also
included tabled or carried over items requiring Council action. On
Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., 7 days prior to the meeting, the Executive
Staff discussed back-up needs, reviewed the draft agenda and
scheduled items for future agendas. Harrell stated that Wednesday
at 5:00 p.m. was the deadline for citizens to place items on the
agenda and for Staff to turn in back-up materials to the City
Secretary. On Thursday at 9 a.m. the Council appointed Agenda
Committee, consisting of Mayor Castleberry , Council Member' Perry,
and the City Manager met to review and check off on the tentative
agenda. On Friday, by 5:00 p.m. the agenda was posted to meet the
72 hour posting notice required by the Open Meetings Law. Staff
also distributed back up material to the Council. The following
Tuesday, day of the Council meeting, the Executive Staff conducted
the final review of the agenda, clarified who would present the
agenda item and discussed any feedback received regarding the
agenda.
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that after some months things she had requested seemed to have
dropped into a black hole. At one point she passed out a sheet
listing 6 items so that everyone would remember. She said she had
been concerned and still was concerned about the process even
though the Manager's discussion was very enlightening. Brock asked
to have the procedure written so the Council would know the
procedure. She wanted to be sure that a lot of what the Council
came from Council initiative. She was also concerned about the
possibility that the Agenda Committee was a screening committee
determining what topics would and would not be discussed. If that
were indeed true she thought that more Council representation or
frequently rotating Council representation on the Agenda Committee
was needed. She was still not sure exactly what authority the
Agenda Committee had. Brock asked if the Agenda Committee
determined whether something made it on the Council agenda.
Mayor Castleberry responded that any item a Council Member
requested would be brought back to Council on the agenda. He said
if an item fell out of place that would be most unusual but that
would mean it had been inadvertently missed. Mayor said the Agenda
Committee did not in any way manipulate the agenda. Depending on
the number of items on the agenda, Council requests may be brought
back the next week or the next month. He suggested to Mayor Pro
Tem Brock if she had a question regarding a particular item that
had not yet come before Council she should mention it.
Brock commented that she had received some responses to the six
items. Not all had appeared on the agenda but she has dealt with
them in other ways.
Mayor Castleberry asked if there was a particular item that may
have been missed. He said the Agenda Committee did follow the
rules and was selected by the Council.
Brock mentioned that on one Friday at 1:00 p.m. she asked if it was
possible to add an item to the agenda and the City Manager
discouraged her from doing that because the Agenda Committee would
probably not be favorable towards that.
Harrell stated that the rules adopted by the Council said an
emergency item requested by a Council Member, after the Agenda
Committee had met, needed to be approved by the 2 Agenda Committee
members needed to agree. He said in the particular instance Mayor
Pro Tem Brock referred to he simply offered an opinion that he did
not feel from past conversations that either the Mayor or Council
Member Perry would be inclined to include that item on the next
agenda. He said he was certainly not trying to impose that
decision upon Mayor Pro Tem Brock but simply offered an opinion.
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According to Council rules, if two Council Members on the Agenda
Committee would have agreed, the item would have appeared on the
next agenda. Harrell said he followed the provision for an
emergency council item and needed to know if the Council wanted to
have that provision changed.
Brock said that procedUre was indeed on page 7 of the Council's
order of business set.
Mayor Castleberry invited anyone to attend the Agenda Committee
meeting at 9:00 a.m. Thursday mornings.
Brock asked if the Agenda committee meeting was open to the public.
Acting City Attorney Bucek responded that the meeting had not been
opened in the past but the Council could certainly adopt a rule to
allow that. He said the concept behind the meeting was for the
City Manager to share with the Committee the draft agenda. He said
Staff would certainly research the issue at Council's request but
suggested that for management reasons that might be inappropriate.
Mayor Castleberry again stated that any Council Member could attend
the meetings. He said the Council unanimously appointed the Agenda
Committee and they were doing their job. He thought it was very
important that Mayor Pro Tem Brock speak up if she felt things were
not being handled as they should.
Miller suggested that the policy to place an emergency item on the
agenda be brought back for Council to review and consider
modification.
Chew suggested that the Council first define what was an emergency
basis.
Miller suggested that the current procedure may be putting too much
power in the hands of the Agenda Committee. He said the advice the
City Manager gave at the time was probably good advice. However,
one Council Member had something that needed to b~ discussed at the
next meeting or Council would not be able to handle the item. He
said that would come up especially when Council was looking at
budggts.
Mayor Castleberry mentioned that Council needed to keep in mind in
addition to the definition of an emergency the time factor for
Staff to prepare back-up material for the Council.
Perry said that Harrell made it pretty clear that Council was
following a time honored process. Perry said he was committed to
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following the procedure and rules and felt that the Agenda
Committee had never violated them.
Mayor Castleberry said the Agenda Committee was charged with
getting the agenda together in a timely manner. Should there ever
be concern in regards to the integrity of the Committee please do
not hesitate to ask questions.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock wanted to make it perfectly clear that she had
no questions with regards to the integrity of the Committee of the
carrying out of the process. Shewanted the Council to look at the
process itself to be sure she understood the role of the Committee.
Miller motioned, Brock seconded to bring for Council review and
consideration for changes to Section 6 of the Council rules which
dealt with placing an emergency item on the agenda. On roll vote,
Cott "nay", Brock "aye", Miller "aye", Mayor Castleberry "aye",
Perry "aye", Chew "aye". Motion carried with a 5-1 vote.
5. The Council held a discussion and gave Staff direction
regarding Council attendance at the UNT and TWU Board of Regents
meetings.
Mayor Castleberry mentioned that at the last meeting the item ended
in a 3-3 tie vote and the rules of the Council stated that the item
would be included on the next agenda.
Perry motioned to suspend rules and postpone action on the item
until the first meeting the full Council was in attendance. He
spoke with Council Member Smith prior to the meeting and she felt
optimistic that she wouldreturn within a couple of weeks.
Miller called for point of order and suggested that the rules
provided for bringing the item back until a full Council was
present.
Perry realized the item automatically came up until a full Council
was present but proposed to suspend the rules-and postpone bringing
the item back until there was a full Council.
Mayor Pro Tem Brock felt that not suspending the rules would allow
consideration at the earliest time.
Cott seconded the motion. On roll vote, Cott "aye", Brock "nay",
Miller "nay", Mayor Castleberry "aye", Perry "aye" Chew "aye"
Motion carried with a 4-2 vote. ' '
6. The Council considered approval of a resolution recommending
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Page 14
that the Denton Main Street Program be entered into the Great
American Main Street Awards.
Jane Biles, Main Street Manager, said the Great American Main
Street Award recognized the nation's best community efforts at
revitalizing downtowns and neighborhood business districts. She
said the award was sponsored by the National Trust Fund for
Historic Preservation with the support of Edward D. Jones. The
local broker, Abe Naffeus' office, sponsored the entry fee and
worked closely with Staff in preparing the application. She said
the 30 entries receiving the highest scores would be designated as
semi-finalists. From that group, 5 finalists would be chosen as
winners and announced at the Nationalist Trust for Historic
Preservation's National Town Meeting on Main Street in Little Rock
in May of 1995. Biles said the City would receive prior
notification if selected as a finalist. A cash award of $5,000 was
associated with the finalist status, but Biles felt the highway
signs that would designate the community as a Great American Main
Street Award Winning City was even more important. She said the
deadline for submitting the application was the following week.
Because of the limited space provided for answers, the process was
difficult. A focus group made up of past and present leaders in
the Denton revitalization effort reviewed each question and gave
Staff direction on how to respond. The application outlined the
history of the program, the five major achievements, economic
impact and why Denton should win the award. Also included were 10
slides of the community with descriptions, Council's resolution of
support and letters of support from people in the community. She
said Denton met all criteria but with that being the inaugural year
for the award Staff did not know what the judges would be looking
for. Regardless of the outcome, going through the process let her
know that Denton was a winner in every way and the community had
strongly supported the downtown.
Brock motioned, Chew seconded to approve the resolution.
Cott said he had a fear that when all of the activity took place
there would be another serious fire. Because of that he would have
to vote no.
Perry agreed with the phrase that Denton was a winner in every way.
The following resolution was considered:
NO. R94-069
A RESOLUTION OF THE dITY OF DENTON, TEXAS, RECOMMENDING
THAT THE DENTON MAIN STREET PROGRAM BE ENTERED INTO THE
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GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARDS.
On roll vote, Cott "nay", Brock "aye",
Castleberry "aye", Perry "aye", Chew "aye".
5-1 vote.
Miller "aye", Mayor
Motion carried with a
With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.
CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS
BO~ CASTLE~~
CITY OF DENTON, TEy ~
AMM00614