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Minutes February 6, 2006 CITY OF DENTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES February 6, 2006 After determining that a quorum was present, the City Council convened in a Special Called Work Session on Monday, February 6, 2006 at 11:30 a.m. in the Council Work Session Room. PRESENT: Mayor Brock; Mayor Pro Tem McNeill; Council Members Heggins, Kamp, Montgomery, Mulroy, and Thomson. ABSENT: None Item #2 was considered. 2. The Council received a report, held a discussion, and gave staff direction regarding Denton becoming a WiFi city. Alex Pettit, Chief Technology Officer, presented information concerning common terms, history of broadband, other municipal initiatives, commercial carrier offerings, and City of Denton wireless. He reviewed the terms associated with WiFi such as WiFi, WiMax, Hot Spot and WiFi Mesh. The history of broadband associated with the City indicated that there was wireless available January to September 2001 until the company went into bankruptcy. There were three different models of public initiatives ? franchise model, do-it-yourself and community model. Rules for these differed by community. Council discussion ? What was the policy for paying for WiFi in other communities - Pettit replied that it varied per community. A city or Chamber of Commerce or private individuals might fund it. The interest in WiFi for Denton would be as an amenity for tourists to use while visiting the downtown area. Many individuals already had this in their homes ? mainly would be used by people traveling to Denton Have another agency such as the Convention and Visitors Bureau start the process and operate the technology. Pettit stated that the bottom line was how much would the public use the service. He presented the pros and cons between public and commercial systems. Council discussion ? Investigate if another organization would operate the system as part of a tourism attraction. Staff was currently looking into the feasibility of establishing service at the libraries ? considerations were cost and impact on the library budget. Consider a test placement in one library first rather than placing the technology in all libraries. Collect more information from South Lake on its usage for the next 6 months. Consider a survey of possible users by the library to see if there would be any interest. Council returned to the regular agenda order. 1. The Council received a report, held a discussion and gave staff direction regarding a Code Enforcement presentation by Jim Olk, Building Official with the City of Farmers Branch. City of Denton City Council Minutes February 6, 2006 Page 2 Jim Olk, Building Official-City of Farmers Branch, stated that code enforcement was important in Farmers Branch due to the perception of declining neighborhoods, problem areas, aging housing stock, property values, housing concerns, fragmented enforcement and increased complaints. He indicated that a main priority of the Farmers Branch City Council was property maintenance and appearance. Major concerns voiced included neighborhoods in decline, no effective code enforcement, trash and debris allowed to sit for weeks, too many vehicles, overcrowding, garage conversions and overall neighborhood appearance. Staff analysis included analyzing the existing ordinance, benchmarking housing concerns, studying neighborhood appearance issues, researching previous ordinances, benchmarking property conditions, benchmarking procedures and processes, analyzing staff time and the mapping of level of service. A system was developed of structure rating and a housing condition survey was completed. The current complaint process was charted for effectiveness and how employees spent their time in certain areas. Other considerations included other property appearance issues, existing ordinances, the need for some updated ordinances, desired level of service and a determination of who was their customer whether it was the violator or neighbor. The Farmers Branch initial actions included a review of Code Enforcement Strategic Plan, adoption of ordinances for issues not currently covered such as garage conversions, RV storage and utility trailers, items in front yard, fences in front yard, accessory building regulations, and inoperable building regulations. Other actions by Council included revising the policy regarding violation notices, communicating the desired level of service, and amending an apartment-licensing program. Compliance was the goal with only one notice to violators. Certificate of occupancy inspection procedures included inspection of all single-family dwelling units upon change in tenant, inspection for violations to the property maintenance code, and minimum housing code standards. Council discussion ? Number of code enforcement officers in Farmers Branch ? Olk stated there were four employees. How was his department set up ? Olk replied that the code enforcement officers reported to the building official who supervised building inspections and code enforcement. There was a need to analyze what was in the city before determining department-staffing needs. Consider outsourcing a housing survey to get results as soon as possible. Farmers Branch held meetings with apartment complexes to let them know what was coming. What was done for lower economic individuals who failed to comply due to financial constraints ? Olk replied that social service agencies or other available agencies assisted. Collecting data was important in order to get compliance. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. ______________________________ __________________________ EULINE BROCK JENNIFER WALTERS MAYOR CITY SECRETARY CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS CITY OF DENTON, TEXAS