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Minutes June 10, 1997 CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES June 10, 1997 After determining that a quorum was present and convening in an open meeting, the City of Denton City Council convened in a closed meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 1997 at 5:30 p.m. in the Civil Defense Room of City Hall. PRESENT: Mayor Miller; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members Beasley, Kristoferson, Cochran, Durrance, and Young. ABSENT: None 1. The Council considered the following in Closed Meeting: A. Conference with Employees -- Under TEX. GOV'T CODE Sec. 551.075. The Council received information from employees or questioned employees during a staff conference or briefing, but did not deliberate during the conference. The Council convened into a Work Session on Tuesday, June 10, 1997 at 6:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers of city Hall. PRESENT: Mayor Miller; Mayor Pro Tem Brock; Council Members Beasley, Kristoferson, Cochran, Durrance, and Young. ABSENT: None Mayor Miller presented a proclamation for "Harlan Jefferson Day". 1. The Council held a discussion regarding delinquent tax collection services and gave staff direction. Jon Fortune, chief Finance Officer, stated that staff was seeking direction on which firm the Council would like staff to negotiate a contract with for the collection of delinquent taxes. Young motioned, Kristoferson seconded to retain the firm of Hayes, Coffey, Berry, McCreary, Veselka and Bragg as the City's delinquent tax collectors. Council Member Kristoferson felt that the current firm had exceeded performance expectations by both percentage results and time factors. Council Member Young felt that the current firm had set a standard for tax collection this year. No other firm could match what they had done. They were a local firm, were more efficient and collected the taxes faster. This firm was more economical and had a Staff which worked in Denton. The firm had done an outstanding job and had a good working relationship with the citizens in Denton. On roll vote, Beasley "nay", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran "nay", Durrance "nay", Young "aye", Brock "nay~ and Mayor Miller "nay". Motion failed with a 2-5 vote. Durrance motioned, Cochran seconded to direct staff to prepare a contract with the firm of Blair, Goggan, Sampson & Meeks and Mike Gregory. 75 city of Denton city council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 2 council Member Durrance stated that each firm had presented an indepth presentation at the prior council meeting- There were several criteria to review for this contract. All the firms were qualified and were well staffed. The historical perspective of the past performance of the firms was a great consideration, council was given numerous facts and figures regarding each firm. Each firm made claim to being a local firm. He felt it was important to review the aspect of what a firm was doing prior to litigation and also during and after litigation. Quality must be viewed in light of areas that would be applied. The scope of service needed to be considered to contact and locate a particular area, individuals, owners, or trace those individuals where ne~es~ar~^~h~e firms which presented many figures at ua~e ......1 s discussed percentages and success percentages- All three firms had impressive figures. This was a specialized area of the law which required a special need to be familiar with the special circumstances of the law. He felt it was significant to look at the percentage of collection rates after turnover. Those rates were significant in determining the capability of the firms. His motion was based on a performance basis. Mayor Miller stated that he would be voting against the motion. This was his third time to consider a firm for the collection of ad been brought up before about a delinquent taxes. The issue h _ f ears, the city h~d a = ~ocal firm. After ~ number ? .Y ..... ~=tion with an firm being firm which ~a~ to~ally a local firm and not in outside firm. He tried to judge the firms based on local practice. He was convinced that a good choice for a firm would be sawko & Burroughs- Miller motioned an amendment to include a cancellation clause with 30 days notice. city Attorney Prouty stated that there was such a clause currently in contract which was mutual for either side. Young seconded the amendment to the motion. Mayor Miller withdrew .his amendment if such a clause was already in the contract. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran ,'aye", Durrance "aye", Young "nay", Brock "aye" and Mayor Miller "nay". Motion carried with a 5-2 vote. ' cussion and gave staff direction 2. The council held. ? dis_ '~v Denton's 1997 Action regarding possible revisions to the C~-= of . Plan for housing and community development and the Human Services committee recommendations. This item was not considered. 3. The council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding an early warning system. City of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 3 Ross Chadwick, Fire chief, stated that common goals of a warning system would be to save lives, limit further casualties, and reassure and care for the public, citizen expectations of a warning system were to alert citizens in advance of a disaster and properly keep them informed of the situation. Key elements of a warning system included detecting the problem, evaluating the threat, deciding what to do, acting on that decision, and putting the warning in place. The warning was effective if those hearing it understood it and were willing to respond with action. A disaster warning must be specific about the danger, about what to do, about who was being warned, be issued by all possible sources, and be based on previous education. Current capabilities in Denton included the National Warning System, the Texas Warning System, the Texas Law Enforcement Telecommunications, the National Weather Service, Skywarn, the Emergency Alerting System, cable television override, and a telephone/pager system. Additional possibilities included sirens, a telephone system network, future extensions of the emergency altering systems or others. A consensus of the cities which had early warning systems was that their systems were necessary for public safety but were ineffective in and of themselves. In addition to the sirens, there needed to be public education, a cable television override and an AM radio system. In most cities, the line of succession of the emergency management plan was followed. Smaller cities relied on their dispatch center to get out the warning. Physical activation usually was through a dispatcher. Ail levels of the intergovernmental system must cooperate to determine how the warning system would be funded, implemented, administered, maintained and evaluated. The Denton State School, the University of North Texas and Texas Woman's University each had a siren system. Staff had three specific recommendations. One was the purchase of a system at a cost of $400,000 for 21 sirens. Council Member Cochran asked about the types of events for using sirens. Chadwick stated they would be used when the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning. Council Member Cochran asked if they would only be for tornados. Ross stated that they could be used for a chemical spill and only certain sirens in the immediat~ neighborhood would be used. Council Member Cochran asked about the number of instances of this type the City had in the last five years which would warrant such a system. Chadwick replied approximately two per year. Council Member Cochran asked for the price of the total system. Chadwick stated that the education section would add another $10- 20,000 per year. The second staff recommendation was to seek City of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 4 77 community partnerships with FEMA, private corporations, DISD, UNT, TWU, the State School, Denton County, neighborhood associations, the hospitals and large nursing homes. Council Member Young asked if there were plans for shelters for people to go to. Chadwick stated that usually recreation centers and school sites were designated as shelter sites. Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that several years ago there was a jail break from the county jail. There was a concern in the neighborhood that they were not alerted to the jailbreak. She asked if such a system could be used for that type of a warning. Chadwick replied yes that it could be used for any type of emergency. The third staff recommendation was to phase this project in over a three-year period as part of the CIP program. Mayor Miller felt that the AM radio station should be the first thing to do as many disasters happened during waking hours. It would provide immediate coverage during a 24-hour time period. For a limited investment, it would provide better coverage than what the city had now. Council Member Beasley asked where in the CIP this would be placed. Chadwick stated that he was not sure of what process would be used-whether to make changes to the current CIP or place it in the next CIP. Kathy DuBose, Executive Director for Finance, stated that several funding methods could be used through the CIP such as issuing certificates of obligation or using surplus or one-time funding. Council Member Durrance suggested looking for additional ways to phase in the system. He felt that the AM radio station might be the first step. Sometimes the sirens were good and sometimes they were difficult to hear. He suggested thinking about a combination of systems. He requested a cost breakdown on the cost implementation of each one of the systems. COuncil Member Young felt that a siren system was something which was needed now. He did not feel any further research was necessary on the issue. He recommended starting on a plan right now as the sooner one was put together would be better. Citizens felt such a system was needed. Council Member Kristoferson felt that this looked like an excellent plan. She was concerned about the implementation and funding of the system. DuBose stated that any addition to the CIP at this time would require additional funding. The voters approved a five-year plan City of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 4 77 community partnerships with FEMA, private corporations, DISD, UNT, TWU, the State School, Denton County, neighborhood associations, the hospitals and large nursing homes. Council Member Young asked if there were plans for shelters for people to go to. Chadwick stated that usually recreation centers and school sites were designated as shelter sites. Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that several years ago there was a jail break from the county jail. There was a concern in the neighborhood that they were not alerted to the jailbreak. She asked if such a system could be used for that type of a warning. Chadwick replied yes that it could be used for any type of emergency. The third staff recommendation was to phase this project in over a three-year period as part of the CIP program. Mayor Miller felt that the AM radio station should be the first thing to do as many disasters happened during waking hours. It would provide immediate coverage during a 24-hour time period. For a limited investment, it would provide better coverage than what the City had now. Council Member Beasley asked where in the CIP this would be placed. Chadwick stated that he was not sure of what process would be used-whether to make changes to the current CIP or place it in the next CIP. Kathy DuBose, Executive Director for Finance, stated that several funding methods could be used through the CIP such as issuing certificates of obligation or using surplus or one-time funding. Council Member Durrance suggested looking for additional ways to phase in the system. He felt that the AM radio station might be the first step. Sometimes the sirens were good and sometimes they were difficult to hear. He suggested thinking about a combination of systems. He requested a cost breakdown on the cost implementation of each one of the systems. Council Member Young felt that a siren system was something which was needed now. He did not feel any further research was necessary on the issue. He recommended starting on a plan right now as the sooner one was put together would be better, citizens felt such a system was needed. Council Member Kristoferson felt that this looked like an excellent plan. She was concerned about the implementation and funding of the system. DuBose stated that any addition to the CIP at this time would require additional funding. The voters approved a five-year plan 78 city of Denton city council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 5 and the city was in the secon proposal had been sent to the planning and zoning If was coming to council in the near future regarding the CIP. council wanted to begin right away, the project could go to the oversight committee for a recommendation- certificates of obligation could be issued without voter approval. council Member Beasley felt that there was a need to proceed but to also continue to look for ways to fund the system. to get other entities to Pro Tem Brock felt there was a n~ed There was a need to do May~-~-~te so as to have a partnership, sources of par~l~a everything to bring the cost down and find other funding. council Member Cochran expressed a concern about the high cost of the system. He felt the voters needed to make a decision regarding the system and he would encourage such a vote. Mayor Miller felt there was a need to proceed on investigating the cost of a system. There might be other types of disasters which the system could be used for. He felt the city could proceed with could work on a cost of some immediate alternatives and implementing an educational system. Member Young felt that the education system should be council ursue as quickly as possible a siren started now but to a~so P ..... than just for a tornado. system, sirens would De useu council Member Beasley stated that she was interested in proceeding with the project and to get specific facts on the prices of the sirens and information on other options. 4. The council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding proposed changes in the truck route ordinance. Rick svehla, Deputy city Manager, stated that this proposal was to use the northern route of Loop 288 for a truck route. Former ouncils had considered this issue and expressed two concerns was the installation of a sound C ....... tation. The first ..... :-- and the second was before lmp~m=~ - ~^ ~own North SuD~lVlSlU~ wall on Loop 288 near u~= ~ and Loop 288 which was an at grade a traffic signal at Kings Row crossing. The wall had been completed and the signal was installed in early March. The issue was taken back to the Traffic Safety commission in May which felt that the two issues had been addressed and recommended the proposal to council. council Member Durrance expressed concern about the other end of were several ramps there and he was the Loop by 1-35. There as a truck route, a truck would have to concerned if this was used go over the overpass making a hairpin curve onto the service road to enter 1-35. He asked if there were plans as to how that might feed into 1-35 as a continuous ramp. City of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 6 79 Svehla stated that there were no plans at this point in time. The road was fully capable for taking the trucks and would require a slower speed from the frontage road. Council Member Durrance stated that he would be in support of this proposal as it would eliminate the traffic on university. He suggested looking into the possibility to find other funding for a free flow on-off ramp in the area. Svehla stated that the City could discuss that with TXDOT but felt that TXDOT would build the ramp if the City would provide the funding which could be as much as several hundred thousand dollars. Council Member Cochran asked how many trucks would be diverted onto the Loop. Svehla stated that part of that issue would be enforcement. If a truck had a delivery on University, it would be allowed on the street. The last truck traffic count was 18% of the traffic in the area. Most highways had 5% truck traffic. Because university was a major route to the quarries in the west, there was more truck traffic on University. Council Member Cochran stated that noise concerns. Loop 288 was proposed to be a functioning in that capacity. and safety were also by-pass and was not Council Member Young felt that it was a good idea to divert truck traffic off University Drive. The sand and gravel truck could still get around the City on 1-35 and Loop 288. Council Member Kristoferson asked about the turning radius of the trucks. She asked if there was a good turning radius for the trucks either getting on or off the Loop or back onto the highway. Svehla replied that going east was an easy turn. Going west to the Loop was a large radius. Within the next year to year-and-a-half, the State would begin working on Highway 380 from Loop 288 east to Highway 377. The lanes under the bridge at Loop 288 would be wider for easier turns. Council Member Beasley asked about the process if this proposal was accepted. Svehla stated that the City would have to talk with TXDOT for approval for the rerouting of the trucks as Highway 380 was a U.S. Highway. This should be much of a problem but might take some time. Consensus of the Council was to proceed as proposed. Svehla stated that staff would visit with TXDOT before returning to Council for formal consideration. 80 City of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 7 5. The Council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding the Urban Forest Management Plan. Cecile Carson, Community Improvement Coordinator, stated that staff had been working on this project for over four years. The project started as a grant from the Texas Forest Service to do an inventory of street trees. There were 6,224 trees within 12 feet of the curb on primary and secondary arterials and collector streets. There was a need for some type of plan which would help with the maintenance of the trees, who would be responsible for the trees, how would new trees be added, etc. A grant from the Texas Forest Service in 1995 organized an urban tree management plan. The plan was divided into five categories which represented the foundation of how to deal with the urban forest. Topic areas related to safety, health, attractiveness, diversity and education. Various City departments, which were responsible for tree maintenance, were contacted to help identify primary and secondary contracts for dealing with each item. The reco~nendation included funding options for these various aspects. The Tree Board had prioritized three of the four items to work on through private funding. Council Member Kristoferson asked how responsive the developers were to the Building With Trees Seminar. Carson stated that there was better representation from the university of North Texas than from the development community. Three developers were present along with an arborist. Council Member Durrance stated that there was a voluntary program by some citizens through utility billing. Carson replied correct. Council Member Durrance asked if the results were positive. Carson stated that research found 50 cities surveyed had a voluntary program. Mayor Miller stated that there were three recommendations to consider. Carson stated that the Tree Board had prioritized some of the projects. Those included a Red Bud Trail which was approved in concept by Council last May, a tree hot line program and information on the Shade Keepers Program. Mayor Miller asked if that included seeking possible funding from the Public Utilities Board. Carson stated that, if directed by Council, they would like to pursue that avenue of funding. Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that the funding issue was very important. It was also important to take care of the trees once City of Denton city Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 8 81 they were planted so that funding for maintenance was important. The Public Utilities Board consideration would be a very first step. Council Member Kristoferson asked if there was a consensus on the Tree Board for the amount of funding. Carson stated that at the May 13th meeting of the Keep Denton Beautiful Board, a recommendation was made for $.10 for a monthly amount not to exceed $.25. The Tree Board was looking for $.25 with one no vote and one abstention when voting for $.25. Council Member Beasley stated that this would be a voluntary program for billing to utility bills. Carson replied correct. Beasley motioned, Brock seconded to approve the Urban Forest Management Plan and the funding issues associated with the plan. Council Member Young felt that $.10 was not enough. He felt it should be at least $.25 and not more than $.50. Council Member Kristoferson stated that the numbers supported the $.10 for the fee. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran "aye", Durrance "aye", Young "aye", Brock "aye" and Mayor Miller "aye". Motion carried unanimously. 6. The Council received a report regarding a renovation update for city Hall. Rick Svehla, Deputy city Manager, stated that the renovation work would redesign the building to be more the way the building was designed. New furniture would be purchased which would be compatible with the design of the building. There would be new audio visual equipment for the Council Chambers. June 17th would be the last city Council meeting at city Hall with the completion of the construction estimated to be .August 30th. September 23rd would be the dedication of the building. The temporary City Council meeting location from July 1st through August 26th would be at the Denton Municipal Complex. The Executive Session would be in the Police Conference Room and the work sessions and regular sessions would be in the Central Jury Room. It would be possible to have live television coverage of these meetings. The Planning and zoning Commission would also be meeting at the Denton Municipal Complex. The dedication of the renovations would be on September 23rd from 4:00-6:00 p.m. at City Hall. Project II involved the renovation of the Denton Municipal Complex in the areas of the vision Room and the west wing of City Hall. Those renovations would include bringing city Hall up to building code and ADA compliance, Customer Service and the Tax Department would move to %he DMC, all staff from the basement would move upstairs to the 82 city of Denton city Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 9 west wing, new furniture would be provided along with a continuance to strive to meet the 1992 space study/plan goals. The Council would be considering contracts in the near future for some of these projects. Council Member Beasley asked about CIP funding. Svehla replied that major portions were CIP but there were also matching utility funds and/or certificates of obligation and operating funds. The type of funding depended on the particular part of the project. 7. The Council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding the results of the 1997-98 supplemental budget priorities questionnaire. Kathy DuBose, Executive Director for Finance, stated that the results of the questionnaire now included the new Council Members' priorities. All responses were compiled with aggregate scores. One ranking was by effort in which each service area was ranked as to reduce current effort, keep current effort, or substantially increase an effort. Another ranking was a priority ranking by effort and as reflected in the responses by priority. These rankings were used for budget preparation to develop the budget for Council consideration. Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that there was much misunderstanding over the years regarding the priority section. She understood that it was not a priority of what to do but a priority of what was important which the City did. The service the city did might be high but the Council not want to increase the effort. Council Member Young asked if the individual comments were used. Dubose stated that they were reviewed when preparing the budget. Following the completion of the Work Session, the Council convened into a Special Called Meeting in the Council Chambers of city Hall. 1. The Council considered approval of a resolution amending the Investment Policy for the funds of the City of Denton and designating the Internal Auditor as an Investment Officer. Harlan Jefferson, Director of Fiscal Operations, stated that the Public Funds Investment Act required that one or more investment officers be designated. Currently the Executive Director of Finance and the Director of Fiscal Operations were designated by the City. It was suggested that the Internal Auditor be designated as such due to his acceptance of another position. A resolution would have to be passed designating the Internal Auditor as an Investment officer and a resolution to amend the investment policy to remove her responsibilities to review the monthly reports. There were also a few other changes to the policy recommended by the Investment Committee and noted in the back-up materials. city of Denton City Council Minutes June 10, 1997 Page 10 83 Council Member Young asked who the Internal Auditor reported to. Jefferson replied that she reported to the Executive Director of Finance. Council Member Young felt that since this position was the Internal Auditor, she should report to the City Manager. Jefferson stated that in terms of investments, it would not make a difference. Council Member Young felt that the position should report to the City Manager as there might be a conflict there. The following resolution was considered: NO. R97-026 A RESOLUTION AMENDING THE INVESTMENT POLICY FOR FUNDS FOR THE CITY OF DENTON; DESIGNATING THE INTERNAL AUDITOR AS AN INVESTMENT OFFICER; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. Durrance motioned, Beasley seconded to approve the resolution. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran "aye", Durrance "aye", Young "aye", Brock "aye" and Mayor Miller "aye". Motion carried unanimously. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS ACC00394 4 This page intentionally left blank.