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Minutes August 26, 1997CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL M1NUTES August 26, 1997 After determining that a quorum was present and convening in an open meeting, the City Council convened in a closed meeting on Tuesday, August 26, 1997 at 5:15 p.m. in the Police Conference Room of the Denton Municipal Complex. 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: 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, August 26, 1997 at 6:00 p.m. in the Central Jury Room of the Denton Municipal Complex. 1. The Council held a joint meeting with the Keep Denton Beautiful Board regarding recommendations for use of the Governor's Community Achievement Award. Larry Mullens, Chair-Keep Denton Beautiful Board, stated that the City had been awarded the Governor's Community Achievement Award for a landscape project that had to be designated on a State right-of-way. The Board did not have a definite site for consideration but had several proposals. Once the decision was made at the City level for a location, the process would go to the Highway Department for consideration. Cecile Carson, Planner III, stated that TxDot provided funding of this type on an annual basis. Denton was one of nine winners and this was the third time Denton had received this funding. The award this year was for $60,000. Factors for site selection involved safety, visibility, future construction, and support network for maintenance. The next step was the development concept that was done to decide specific elements of the project. The preliminary design stage would be done by TxDot. As this was not a grant but an outright money gift, no matching funds by the City were required and the City needed no landscaping design. The final approval stage had to be approved by TxDot. Once the plan was finally adopted, it would be bid by TxDot and a contract awarded. TxDot would work with the contractors for construction, have a final inspection with a maintenance phase included. There were a number of proposed sites with pros and cons for each site. One proposed site was Avenue D at 1-35E. This site was highly visible, had a potential of connecting with landscaping being done at UNT and the project design could be similar to a project done in Richardson that TxDot could use. Cons for this site included the possible construction of a new bridge or road widening which could eliminate the site and the requirement of the City by TxDot to assume the maintenance on I-35. Another site was Fort Worth Drive at 1-35 to Collins Street. This site was part of the TxDot road construction project, was visible from I-35E and Fort Worth Drive, and was included as a priority entrance that needed improvement by the original Beautification Task Force. The cons for this site included the timing of the road construction project set to begin in January 1998. An 1-35W entrance marker was another possible site. Pros for this site included the fact that this was a CIP approved project with strong citizen commitment. Cons indicated that the marker was not on State right-of-way, TxDot would require City maintenance of I-35E and the limited use of landscape. A redbud planting, another City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 2 proposed project, would have a faster implementation since there was less design required but the locations were limited to 30' from the road or along slopes. An 1-35 wildflowers planting, the last proposal, had the pros of faster implementation since less design was required and a seasonal impact. A con for that site was that it would be hard to determine a success factor and was a seasonal impact. Mayor Miller stated that there was no recommendation from the Board. Carson replied no that the Committee had asked for a joint meeting in order to discuss where the project should be located. Mayor Pro Tem Brock stated that her first choice would be Avenue D at 1-35E. One side of the intersection had a very pretty yard and the other side had no landscaping at all and looked very bad. Some type of work needed to be done in that area as it was one of the main entrances to the University of North Texas. Council Member Beasley asked if there was bond money for beautification or for roadwork only. Rick Svehla, Deputy City Manager, stated that that money was for roadwork only. UNT had indicated that they would have some money available for landscaping and entrance markers to the University. Council Member Beasley asked about landscaping money for Fort Worth Drive. Svehla stated that there was a small amount of money for landscaping from I-35 to Collins Street. Most of the right-of-way was narrow and would be hardscaped. Council Member Beasley stated that she would be in favor of either of the first two projects. Council Member Kristoferson stated that her preference would be the redbud planting as 1-35 was so visible for visitors in Denton. Her second choice would be Fort Worth Drive. Council Member Young indicated that the entrance marker to Dallas Drive needed some work, as it was hard to see. One area to consider was landscaping Dallas Drive all the way to Bell Avenue. Council Member Cochran stated that the wildflower planting would be his preference. That project would cost less with money available for other projects. Council Member Durrance stated that all of the projects had merit. The entrance marker was already in the CIP and he would not recommend that project. Initially he was interested in redbud planting. He suggested finding the project that would visualize the maximum amount for the dollars available. Mayor Miller stated that the two previous projects made a difference in the streets. His opinion was for a more noticeable difference as with the overpass at Avenue D and he would favor that project. Mullens stated that there would be a board meeting with a committee set up for Council City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 3 consideration. The time frame needed to be worked on. Matching funds could be put into the project along with the award money. 2. The Council received budget presentations, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding the hotel occupancy tax funding to various organizations including: B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. K. L. Denton Denton Denton Denton Denton Denton Denton Friends Black Chamber of Commerce Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau County Amphitheater Association County Historical Museum Festival Foundation Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Holiday Festival Foundation of Denton County History, Inc. Greater Denton Arts Council North Texas State Fair Association Scholars Phair Foundation of Texas Tejas Story Telling Association A. Denton Black Chamber of Commerce Curtis Himes stated that Lalor funds were given to different organizations in the community to help bring in tourism for the City of Denton. The Black Chamber of Commerce was trying to do that by bringing in outside sources to support Denton's tax base. Council Member Beasley asked what projects were proposed for tourism. Himes stated that the Chamber was seeking a national convention in 1998 to come to Denton. They also had the annual African-American Music and Art Festival. B. Denton Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitors Bureau Jane Jenkins stated that an activity report and marketing plan had been previously reported to Council. The Bureau's mission statement had been revised with a different direction to work on enhancing visitor services and promoting tourism activities and providing hospitality training to all tourism partners. The CVB provided two centers for information - one at the Chamber of Commerce and one at the Outlet Mall. The Denton brochure had not been reprinted in three years and needed to be done. Advertising was done to promote Denton. The marquee billboard was a project of the CVB and was provided free of charge to organizations promoting tourist events. This procedure would be changing due to the cost of the billboard. The convention services were severely cut as they would not be going after large conventions but would provide services to those conventions coming to Denton. The funding which the Convention and Visitors Bureau received from the City went to the Chamber of Commerce which had a contract with the City to manage the Bureau. All of the monies were separate. A revised budget for the Bureau was given to Council at this meeting. Council Member Young stated that one year the billboard had an advertisement for the Juneteenth celebration but he had not seen it in recent years. He asked how the decision was made for use of the billboard. City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 4 Jenkins stated that applications were made for information to be placed on the billboard but that often that did not happen. If no applications were made, the Bureau would select a project. First priority went to applications made for the billboard. Council Member Young asked if the Bureau helped with the Jazzfest or the Fair. Jenkins stated that the Bureau had some direct involvement with the Director's time and some monetary support. The Bureau would be willing to help with any other event that was going on in Denton. Council Member Beasley stated that she had seen in hotels, a brochure or magazine that listed all events which were going on in that particular city. She asked why that was not done in Denton. Jenkins stated that that was part of a new plan for enhanced services to visitors. The Bureau would be working on such an item in the near future. Council Member Beasley asked about the billboard north of Denton and felt that it was not an efficient use of money. Mayor Pro Tem Brock asked about the position of"information assistant". She asked what that person did. Jenkins stated that that was the person who greeted someone as he came into the building. Mayor Pro Tem Brock asked if the cost was shared with the Chamber, as some of the duties were a receptionist for the Chamber. Jenkins replied no. C. Denton County Amphitheater Association Peggy Capps stated that in 1989 a group of individuals coming back from another outdoor theater production thought Denton would be a great place for its own outdoor theater. After approximately five years of studying this issue, a site was chosen. The economic impact of such a production on Denton would be approximately $19 million. This group was working to be the number one reason for individuals to come to Denton. January 24, 1998 was the target date for a brochure promoting tourism and the proposed project. The group was also planning to do a video to market Denton and the drama. D. Denton County Historical Museum Norma Gamble stated that the Museum had made a terrific impact on the City for visitors. It was the one main visitor attraction in Denton. Council Member Cochran asked about the Museum following the Open Meetings-Open Records policies. City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 5 Gamble stated that the Museum's meetings were open to the public and the open records were followed as they applied to corporate law. Council Member Cochran asked whether the financial records from the City were open to public. Gamble stated that a financial audit was given to the City as required by Federal law. Council Member Young asked how much money the Museum requested this year. Gamble replied 11.96% as it had requested in the past but had received only 8.09%. Council Member Young stated that that was $10,000 decrease. He questioned if the Museum would be able to provide the same amount of service with that amount of decrease. Gamble stated that the Museum was in the process of raising the additional money to compensate for the loss of dollars. The Museum had expanded services in the last four years and had increased hours of operations. The Museum would be publishing a magazine to celebrate its 20th anniversary that would be placed in all hotel rooms in the City. Council Member Young stated that he wanted to restore the Museum's funding to the same level, as there was no justification to cut the funding at this time. Mayor Miller stated that the Council had already taken action on the funding. This meeting was only for presenting the organization's budget. The proposed funding was voted on at a previous meeting. As the Council went through the budget process, a Council Member could make an amendment as desired. Council Member Cochran questioned the statement that the Museum had a $10,000 reduction in funding. He understood that the allocation had been raised, not reduced. Jon Fortune, Director of Management and Budget, stated that the contract amount for last year was $66,035. This year the contract amount was $60,308. However, when the carry forward funding was included in the amount, this year was $69,829 and for next year would be $72,952. Council Member Cochran stated that the funding was not really being reduced. Fortune replied correct. E. Festival Foundation Carol Short stated that with the City's support, the Festival Foundation was able to grow and develop into a major regional festival. The Festival had received the National Events and Business News Award. It had broad support from the community and a large membership that contributed to its success. Money raised at the Festival went back into the community for arts facilities. As the festival grew, its needs would also grow. The Foundation appreciated the support it received from the City. City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 6 F. Denton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Pat Alva-Green stated that the Chamber had two activities planned that would profile Denton and bring in tourism. One activity was a Hispanic concert and another was a bilingual procurement exposition. Both events were two-day events and the requested funding was for the promotion of the activities. G. Denton Holiday Festival Foundation Peggy Caps stated that the Foundation appreciated the Council's recommendation for funding. The Foundation would be using the proposed funding to prepare a brochure for the area hotels listing events for November and December. H. Friends of Denton County History, Inc. Barry Vermillion thanked the Council for the proposed funding. The organization had three fund raising projects that would promote tourism. It did not have an itemized budget, as it had not done any projects at this point in time. The organization was created to gather money to help promote the protection of history of Denton County. I. Greater Denton Arts Council Herbert Holl stated that the allocation from the City was about 33% of their budget. The funds were allocated according to three principles -where the money was needed the most and was the most difficult to raise; where was the easiest to document and track the money in terms of reporting purposes; and what would be the most beneficial to the public. The funds were placed in administrative expenses, operating expenses and gallery programs. Mayor Pro Tem Brock asked if there might be small sums available for grants to help with individual events for first starters. Holl stated yes that the grants program was done in terms of what would be bought for the community - not, in terms of which groups were being supported. The grants program was an extension of their own mission to provide accessibility to arts through free and low cost programs to the community. J. North Texas State Fair Association Bill Allen stated that Lalor funds were 25% of their budget. There had been a concern expressed that the Fair was only a once-a-year event but actually the Fair was a year-round operation. The Association was actively promoting the use of the fairgrounds all year round. It had purchased 11 acres north of the fairgrounds to help with the parking in the neighborhoods. The City's funding paid for the administrative funds so that the proceeds of the Fair could be used for improvements at the Fair. K. Scholars Phair Foundation City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 7 Donald Cox stated that Texas Youth Phair was one event that the Foundation would be sponsoring. This activity was now a multi-state event. He presented the activities that were included in the event that dealt with Black history events. L. Tejas Story Telling Association Karen Morgan stated that the Storytelling Festival had grown during the past 12 years. Participants came from all over the State of Texas and from foreign countries. Over past years the Association had to struggle for funding and with these funds the event would be able to continue to grow. 3. The Council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding the 1997-98 proposed budget. Kathy DuBose, Executive Director for Finance, stated that Council had received answers to the questions it had raised at the last meeting. Tab #11 provided a memorandum regarding utility transfers. Tab #12 dealt with a question regarding the visualization project and the charge back included in the proposed budget. Tab #13 presented calculations regarding the hiring of two workers and associated equipment costs for the Parks Department for the next budget year. Council Member Kristoferson stated that if the March option were used for the hiring of the Parks employees, there would be a balance remaining of approximately $5,800. She suggested allocating that money for library materials. Kristoferson motioned, Young seconded to allocate $47,128 for the additional Parks positions and equipment in March and the balance to be allocated to the library. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran "aye", Durrance "aye", Young "aye", Brock "aye", and Mayor Miller "aye". Motion carried unanimously. City Manager Benavides stated that he was recommending amending the fee proposed for park site reservation to only require payment for reservations at South Lakes, North Lakes and the Civic Center Parks and that the neighborhood parks be at no charge. Brock motioned, Kristoferson seconded to follow the Manager's suggestion regarding park reservation fees. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "aye", Cochran "aye", Durrance "aye", Young "aye", Brock "aye", and Mayor Miller "aye". Motion carried unanimously. Following completion of the Work Session, the Council convened into a Special Called Session. 1. The Council considered approval of a resolution supporting the existing boundary between Denton County and Tarrant County and supporting Denton County in its dispute with Tarrant County over approximately 5,500 acres on Denton County's southern-most boundary. Council Member Young stated that Denton County was asking for the City of Denton to support City of Denton City Council Minutes August 26, 1997 Page 8 them in their dispute with Tarrant County over the border line. Young motioned, Cochran seconded to approve the resolution. Council Member Beasley stated that this was a legal dispute and the City did not have any bearing on the outcome. She supported the idea of keeping this land in Denton County. Council Member Durrance stated that he would be voting against the resolution and asked Council to do the same. He felt this was bad public policy and was meddling. The issue was in litigation and was not a matter of public policy. He felt it was a mistake to pass such a resolution and not try to influence matters and items outside the City. Mayor Miller stated that he would vote against the resolution because it was a legal matter. He did not know where line should be. Denton County was trying to settle the matter out of court and he felt he was not qualified to decide where the line needed to be drawn. Council Member Young stated that all of the cities in Tarrant County had signed a resolution in support of Tarrant County. All of the other cities in the County supported Denton County. This resolution supported Denton County and its stance. There were no recommendations to the Court, it only supported Denton County. Mayor Miller stated that the first "WHEREAS" stated that the Denton City Council believed that the existing boundary between Denton County and Tarrant County was the correct boundary. He was saying that he did not know that and could not support that. Council Member Cochran stated that he was only supporting the County Commissioners on this issue. The document stated that they were citizens of Denton County and were in general support of Denton County. Council Member Kristoferson stated that she believed in the good neighbor policy of the two counties and supported Denton County. This was, however, a matter of law and in negotiation. The resolutions by other cities may have been done prior to the issue going to court. On roll vote, Beasley "aye", Kristoferson "nay", Cochran "aye", Durrance "nay", Young "aye", Brock "nay", and Mayor Miller "nay". Motion failed with a 3-4 vote. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. JACK MILLER, MAYOR CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS JENNIFER WALTERS CITY SECRETARY CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS