June 27 - Agenda Questions & Responses June 27 - Agenda Questions & Responses smartsheet
.. Response
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Consent C. 23-601 Does the Texas law exempt Judges? Penal Code Section 46.03(a)(14)prohibits the possession of firearms(shotguns,rifles,handguns)in lawfully posted open meetings of a
governmental body.While Section 46.15(a)(4)creates an exemption for judicial officers(judges and district/county/municipal attorneys)
who are licensed by the Department of Public Safety to carry a handgun,if the City posts appropriate signs under Sections 30.06 and
30.07 prohibiting a licensee from possessing a handgun in an open meeting,concealed or openly carried,that prohibition applies equally
to a private citizen and a judge.
2 06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Consent E. 23-1054 Understanding this is a city program.I would like to discuss ways that could be Economic Development will work closely with Marketing&Communications to ensure information regarding this item is communicated and
better communicated and publicized. publicized.
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session A. 23-1173 1 agree with the committee member,to replace the police audit with the other 2 See response below.
3 secondary audits.I would like a summary of what happened with the property
information transfer and what happened.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session A. 23-1173 This seems like a catastrophic failure that can"never"happen.Shouldn't we audit I'm concerned about the characterization of a'catastrophic failure'here—this is not accurate as to why the audit was delayed. For clarity,
to make sure it can*never*happen again? we do have a records management system is in place that tracks inventory,however,given the promises that were not fulfilled by the
system(ICS/Athena),the moving of the evidence from one location to another(due to the remodeling of the HQ)had to be done manually
without the benefits of a seamless electronic transition/inventory.Working through paper(since electronic wasn't a full option)is merely
more time consuming,but it is far from catastrophic.Extreme caution should be used in the characterization of anything related to
evidence rooms—the delay in the audit is due to the appropriate and measured inventory process while the room and its contents are
moved.Internal Audit believes delaying the scheduled follow-up review of the Police Property Room Audit and inventory is prudent at this
time due to staffing limitations.Technology procurement process issues that may have resulted in this issue have been examined as part
of the Audit of Network Management:Security Controls(an unredacted report can be provided upon request)
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session A. 23-1173 There is no realistic way of manually researching 300,000 items in our lifetimes,is Evidence Management Unit personnel and other PD staff are working to manually enter the information into Athena RMS.While the City
there? What are the the potential consequences?What would best practices does have a record of every item,it is just currently retained as individual files in Laserfiche.Although this is not ideal,this is how Property
indicate we do to remedy or mitigate?Could that be an appropriate modification of Rooms operated for many years before record management systems were widely used.
the audit plan item?
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session B. 23-268 Status on Police a-bike purchase or not? Information included in the attached document.
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session B. 23-268 Technology purchases:I would like to know where I can read more details about Information included in the attached document.
what is being purchased/requested?Re:Fiber There are 3rd parties that fund
fiber installation(I think).Where can I read more about the replacment and why
the city is funding it?
8 06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 Especially on the total change in debt rate but ideally on each item,can we please Information included in the attached document.
see the value expressed in dollars on the average tax bill?
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 Why do we need a new DME campus? Is there a way to address the need with Information included in the attached document.
9 say$10 or$20 million rather than$75 million and if so what goal would be
sacrificed?
10 06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 What is the expected annual savings generated by the automated meters item? Information included in the attached document.
11 06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 How is tree trimming capital,not operating? Information included in the attached document.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 (Water Utilities)Is the Ray Roberts rerate part or all,the beginning or the end,of The current Ray Roberts Regulatory and Performance Upgrade Project will improve the capacity to an expected 30 MGD with
the current capacity building process? What will the total be? improvements to the existing plant.This project is expected to be in construction by 2Q 2024.The Ray Roberts Expansion Project will plan
12 for an additional 50MGD in the next 25 years,using a modular approach.The initial expansion will add 20 MGD,to be functional by the
end of 2029.The expansion will utilize new technology to enable the plant to increase capacity as well as ensure the distribution of safe
drinking water to the growing community.The total for the planned expansion within the next 25 years will be an estimated 80 MGD.
Adjustments were made based on increased construction costs that are being associated with current projects in the water utility sector.
13 06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 (Solid Waste&Fleet)Will the new vehicles be electric,powered by DME? Information included in the attached document.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 Do we need more than$5.3 million additional to reach our 10-minute walk and Information included in the attached document.
total green space acreage goal,especially as opportunities are diminishing?
14 Side note-I read the State has approved$1 billion for state park expansion.True?
Is that a way to supplement our efforts especially in the NE part of town and ETJ
where contiguous green space still exists?
15 06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 (Facilities)Can we get some building and category level detail on this$80 million? Information included in the attached document.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session B. 23-268 (Technology Services)Is this upgrading fiber capacity or just replacing?Does this Information included in the attached document.
16 only serve the city or could it potentially increase our capacity to serve data-
intensive enterprises located in Denton?
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session C. 23-601 The chief of police advisory committee is to report out to council twice annually. The upcoming police department overview has information about the committee in it,thus meeting the reporting requirement.Police
17 Has that been occurring? department staff is actively working with the City Secretary's Office to bring forth a possible amendment to the ordinance to allow for
staggered terms.Staff has discovered that changing the entire board at one time is counter-intuitive to the overall mission of the board.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session C. 23-601 Violent crime and property theft are up.Are we deploying more officers but need Crimes are up,and we're deploying our officers as we can,as calls are increasing.We will continue to need to hire more officers to keep
18 to reconsider how and where they are being deployed?Or is recruiting such a up with the current demand and the expansion.Recruiting is a challenge everywhere,and certain factors will certainly weigh into whether
challenge that we are not actually deploying more officers? or not a potential officer(or lateral officer)will want to come to Denton,when he or she has other options.We are working to address that
as we can.
06/25/23 Council Member Meltzer Work Session C. 23-601 What do you believe is the true total rate of mental health as a primary or While we cannot put a number on the total rate of mental health calls,it is estimated that the number is significant.We are at a distinct lack
19 contributing driver of overall calls? of mental health resources,but between our mental health and homeless outreach team,they do a good job of referrals as they can.We
are like every other mid-size agency that I've ever worked with,as they are dealing with the very same issues.We are not unique in this
challenge.
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Work Session F. 23-217 Has the city provided scholarships in the past?I would like to understand the legal Staff is not aware of any scholarships provided in the past.In accordance with the 2-minute pitch ordinance,requests to assess the impact
questions and considerations better.If possible please email a legal status that a new policy or potential program estimated to take more than a total of two hours to complete first receive a consensus from the full city
explains what would be require to spend public money on private educations. council regarding the use of staff time to fulfill the request. Because the request and associated legal considerations will take more than
two hours to complete,this information will be researched and provided to city council if direction to proceed is provided during the work
session.
06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Item for Individual A. 23-1221 Have we had any public hearings on this in the past?Please provide the dates if There have been no public hearings held on this matter. The issue has been discussed in a 2-minute pitch on Aug.2,2022,a Nov.1,
21 Consideration so,so that I can go back and review the meeting(s). 2022 work session,a Dec.6,2022 work session,and a 2-minute pitch on June 6,2023.Prior to the Nov.1,2022,staff held a discussion
with the Government Relations Committee of the Chamber of Commerce. That feedback was provided to Council for previous work
session discussion and is summarized in the Agenda Information Sheet for this item
Exported on June 27,2023 11:02:18 AM CDT Page 1 of 2
Date Received Submitted By Type Item Agenda Item Question/Comment Staff Response
22 06/25/23 Mayor Hudspeth Item for Individual C. 23-1162 What was the date of the previous vote to approve the sale of some of the assets? The sale of the Gibbons Creek power plant site was approved by City Council on January 26,2021,and the sale of the Mine was approved
Consideration by City Council in December 2021.
Exported on June 27,2023 11:02:18 AM CDT Page 2 of 2
Agenda Questions & Responses—June 27, 2023
Finance
Especially on the total change in debt rate but ideally on each item, can we please see the value
expressed in dollars on the average tax bill? (Meltzer)
Average Estimated Single Family Residence Taxable $ 316,281
Value
Estimated I&S Increase in 2025 $ 0.025
General Government - Facility Improvements $ 26.25
General Government - Parks Improvements $ 2.13
General Government -Traffic Improvements $ 2.54
General Government - Fleet Management $ 2.80
Improvements
General Government -Vehicle/Equipment Additions $ 1.62
General Government -Vehicle/Equipment $ 5.82
Replacements
General Government -Technology Services $ 18.55
Improvements
General Government - Drainage Improvements $ 1.43
General Government - Parking Lot Improvements $ 0.99
General Government - Roadway Improvements $ 16.93
Total Average Estimated Tax Bill Change (I&S) $ 79.07 Annual /$6.59
Month
The estimate above is dependent on certified values and is inclusive of all preliminary projects.
It is only representative of the I&S rate. The total average tax bill may increase or decrease
pending the O&M rate and final certified values.
Electric
Why do we need a new DME campus? Is there a way to address the need with say $10 or $20
million rather than $75 million and if so what goal would be sacrificed? (Meltzer)
Over the last several years as DME has attempted to rehab and remodel the existing buildings
on its campus on Spencer Road, many projects that were deemed necessary were not possible
as two of the four buildings do not meet Denton building codes and thus the cost of
renovations has been determined to be less cost effective and too disruptive to operations than
replacing three of the four buildings. One of the buildings, that houses transmission
engineering, planning and safety are manufactured office buildings that were considered
temporary when it was moved into position in the mid -2010s. The Administration building and
the Field Operations building are not fully ADA compliant due to their age and the fact that no
major renovation projects have been performed.
Agenda Questions & Responses—June 27, 2023
The rapid load growth that DME has experienced along with the implementation of new
technologies to monitor the transmission and distribution grids has created the need for
additional warehouse facilities, engineering and metering laboratories, transformer testing, and
locker room facilities for DME's men and women. There are currently no such locker room
facilities on the DME campus. The current facilities are not sufficient to accommodate these
critical needs and the cost to renovate and remodel facilities is not cost-effective. DME's
customer count growth, miles of distribution system, larger wholesale market presence, etc.
will require additional office and operations facilities. On a total kilowatt hour per year served
basis, DME will be the third largest Municipal Owned Utility (MOU) in Texas in the next two
years behind San Antonio and Austin. DME will be fourth in terms of the number of meters.
There is no room at the existing DME campus for the additional personnel and equipment
required for such a growing operation.
Since DME's operations are 24/7/365, the interruption in operations associated with a
shutdown of even one of the existing buildings creates logistical problems that have the
potential to impact service reliability to the customers of DME. Thus, large and disruptive
renovations, if they were cost-effective are not optimal.
Warehousing requirements for the campus have increased due to the move of all wire and
major equipment from the City's Service Center. The construction of a higher distribution
voltage in the rapidly growing section of the city requires additional spare equipment. The
continuous high growth of the city and the equipment required to extend service on a
reasonable time schedule also require the storage of additional equipment that was not
previously experienced and for which, adequate facilities do not exist. DME currently uses
three separate warehouse locations which erodes efficiency and the ability to stage equipment
to maximize construction and maintenance crew efficiencies. There is currently no covered
warehouse facility at the DME campus. Operational and maintenance efficiency gains
associated with a single central warehousing location and the ability to stage jobs for the crews
have a significant annual cost savings potential.
The City of Denton's Facility Department conducted a facility assessment study of all DME's
buildings in 2022. The conclusions of that study indicated the following for the current
buildings on the DME campus:
Field Operations— Nearing the end of its useful or serviceable life
Administration — Nearing the end of its useful or serviceable life
System Operations/Engineering— Nearing the end of its useful or serviceable life
Transmission Engineering (temporary building)—Well maintained condition
In addition to the needs of DME, the plan for the new building will be to house the city's
Customer Service operations, moving them from City Hall East and freeing up that space for
other city operations including public safety. Integration of customer service at the same
Agenda Questions & Responses—June 27, 2023
location as the city's largest utility will increase customer satisfaction and enhance the
customer experience.
The proposed facility will also address much needed campus security improvements, improved
employee training facilities, weather shelter facilities that do not currently exist, a data center
to house the ever-increasing needs of DME required by ERCOT, the PUCT, NERC, and DME's
Advanced Meter Infrastructure systems, truck shelters to protect the very large capital
investment in vehicles and specialty equipment and optimizing the layout of the pole and
transformer yards.
The $75 million cost estimate is high level and includes the cost of real estate procurement.
DME plans to keep system operations in the existing Operations/Engineering building as part of
that building is storm hardened. DME's Energy Management Organization will be moved to
that building and all 24-hour operations, with the exception of the DEC, will be housed in the
same building. All other office structures will be removed or repurposed.The CIP includes $5
million in FY 2024 for the purchase of real estate and to perform the engineering and
architectural design. That work will result in a detailed construction cost estimate that would
be revised in the FY 25 and FY 26 CIP budgets. DME and its contracted architects and engineers,
if approved, will do everything possible to control costs.
Is there a way to address the need with say $10 or $20 million?
Not likely. There is insufficient real estate on the existing campus to meet the warehousing and
operational needs. The cost of real estate alone is estimated at $3-4 million. Because the three
main buildings, Administration, Transmission Engineering, and Field Operations can't be
demolished until replacement facilities are constructed, the existing footprint of those facilities
is not available for the layout design.
What is the expected annual savings generated by the automated meters item?
There are three primary drivers for the electric AMI upgrade. The first and most impactful is
the desire to move the water system to AMI. Conversion from manual read meters to an AMI
solution does in fact save money for the water utility. In December 2021, an independent
third-party analysis of the electric and water metering operations was performed which
contains the specifics of the business case for AMI system upgrades and replacement along
with the forecasted return on investment. The study can be supplied if requested. The reason
why this impacts the electric AMI system is the fact that Trilliant (our current technology) does
not have a water AMI solution and it would not be ideal to run 2 independent AMI systems for
two city utility services. The second driver is that our current AMI system was not fully
integrated with the billing system when it was implemented. There are many operations that
should be autonomous that are having to be done manually. We are not able to see the full
potential of our AMI system. These decisions were made to integrate the AMI meters with the
existing NorthStar billing system which has many challenges that will eventually need to be
addressed. Finally, the last driver of the electric AMI project is the fact that we are
Agenda Questions& Responses—June 27, 2023
experiencing extended delivery times for meters and minimal customer support between
Trilliant and the meter manufacturer. This puts DME in a very difficult position when they point
fingers at each other and neither one is very responsive or accountable to us. Although Trilliant
is a big player in Europe, they do not have much market share in North America and it's
showing in our lack of support.
How is tree trimming capital, not operating?
Tree trimming is an operating expense. It is budgeted in the Maintenance division. The project
noted in the presentation table was incorrectly titled and has been updated to "Stub Pole &
Telecom Relocation". The capital project does not include tree trimming.
Water
Is the Ray Roberts rerate part or all, the beginning or the end, of the current capacity building
process? (Meltzer)
The current Ray Roberts Regulatory and Performance Upgrade Project will improve the capacity
to an expected 30 MGD with improvements to the existing plant. This project is expected to be
in construction by 2Q 2024. The Ray Roberts Expansion Project will plan for an additional
50MGD in the next 25 years, using a modular approach. The initial expansion will add 20 MGD,
to be functional by the end of 2029. The expansion will utilize new technology to enable the
plant to increase capacity as well as ensure the distribution of safe drinking water to the
growing community.
What will the total be? (Meltzer)
The total for the planned expansion within the next 25 years will be an estimated 80 MGD.
The adjustments to earlier bond projects are on what base amount originally committed. Just
driven by labor and materials inflation? (Meltzer)
Adjustments were made based on increased construction costs that are being associated with
current projects in the water utility sector.
Solid Waste and Fleet
Will the new vehicles be electric, powered by DME? (Meltzer)
Solid Waste heavy duty does not include the purchase of any electric vehicles as there is no
current infrastructure and the vehicles cannot meet the City's operational demands.
Police and Fleet
Status on Police e-bike purchase or not? (Hudspeth)
We are working on an initial purchase/trial run of a total of 6 e-bikes, which includes 2 for
police, fire and parks. Once they can be tested in the field in various purposes, we can move
Agenda Questions& Responses—June 27, 2023
forward with further implementation, if necessary or desired. The request will come up during
the budget review for the 23-24 City of Denton budget (Shoemaker).
Parks
I had the impression the full 2019 $5 million for parkland purchase was already accounted for
with the new library location. Why is that not so? (Meltzer)
Yes. To date the remaining balance from the 2019 bond program (approximately $2,000,000)
as well as additional funding allocated from Certifications of Obligation of approximately
$992,000 has been earmarked for Good Sam Parcel #1. This is the parcel in which the proposed
bond projects (South Library and Active Adult Center) could be located. The other adjacent
properties to Good Sam Parcel #1 do not have funding, nor do the other possible land projects
that are being explored.
Do we need more than $5.3 million additional to reach our 10-minute walk and total green
space acreage goal, especially as opportunities are diminishing? (Meltzer)
This is a difficult question because the total cost is unknown and a moving target. The simple
answer is that $5.3 million is not sufficient to reach a 100% goal. Land that is purchased
adjacent to a existing parks will enhance the park and the user experience but will not
significantly help in the 10-minute walk goals. Land acquisition is the first step in achieving the
10-minute walk goal but developing the park is the final step that increases the number of
residents within a 10-minute walk to a park. Per Trust for Public Lands,the park needs to be
"open to the public" for it to contribute to the 10-minute walk goal.
Side note- I read the State has approved $1 billion for state park expansion. True? Is that a way
to supplement our efforts especially in the NE part of town and ETJ where contiguous green
space still exists? (Meltzer)
Staff can investigate this as an opportunity. I would assume in working with the state operates,
this could take time and would include a significant amount of planning efforts. This could be
an option for future land purchases.
Facilities
Can we get some building and category level detail on this $80 million? (Meltzer)
The $80M referenced is a five-year total of the following:
• $27M Service Center Remodel
• $20M Capital Replacements
o Replacements for major assets (HVAC, boilers, generators, roof, or flooring)
nearing end of useful life or requiring replacements due to catastrophic failure.
The assets addressed in this fund ask are not included in the deferred
maintenance as identified in the Facility Condition Assessment.
Agenda Questions& Responses—June 27, 2023
• $33M FCA Deferred Maintenance
o Deferred maintenance as identified in the Facility Condition Assessment for both
the immediate and short term (1-2 year) needs.
System Immediate Short Term
(1-2 yr)
Structure $725,863 $7,362
Facade $736,679 $1,758,122
Roofing $683,593 $4,983,044
Interiors $2,197,502 $1,275,341
Conveying $323,000 $27,125
Plumbing $1,519,079 $2,582,767
HVAC $1,636,929 $1,617,648
Fire Protection $815,481 $294,569
Electrical $3,187,810 $2,964,656
Fire Alarm & Electronic $1,293,004 $303,615
Systems
Equipment & $39,250 $308,925
Furnishings
Special Construction & $451,000 $120,076
Demo
Site Work (Pavement, $793,915 $895,254
Utility, Development)
TOTALS $14,403,200 $17,138,600
Technology Services
Is this upgrading fiber capacity or just replacing? Does this only serve the City or could it
potentially increase our capacity to serve data-intensive enterprises located in Denton?
(Meltzer)
Tech Services submitted a five-year CIP estimate to replace 216 miles of city fiber used by our
city government (including used by the electric utility) that had reached end of life or nearing
end of life. Fiber can last upwards of 20+years and some of our city used fiber has aged over
this or is near it.This first year we recommend bringing on a fiber consultant to provide a
multiple-year strategic replacement plan. This is for city government uses only and not new
fiber for expansion or for non-city government use. This is fiber replacements to maintain
operational integrity.
Technology purchases: I would like to know where I can read more details about what is being
purchased/requested? (Hudspeth)
Agenda Questions& Responses—June 27, 2023
Through the technology strategic plan, an initiative was recommended to regularly fund and
replace equipment to maintain operational capabilities at the end of warranty periods, end of
life or as business needs change. For the FY24 CIP request, there are 290 end user computer
replacements, 90 Police and Fire radio replacements, 18 Firewalls, 5 routers, 2 security devices,
26 switches, 11 voice gateways, 2 storage access appliances, and 1 uninterruptible power
supply replacement.
The requests for software replacements are a modernization initiative of our technology
strategic plan. There are three major applications recommended for replacement and have an
estimate in the CIP budget: Enterprise Asset Management (several departments), Computer
Aided Dispatch/Records Management Application (Police/Fire), and Land Management
Application (Development Services). As these projects move through the purchasing process,
Council will receive further information and approval review.
Re: Fiber There are 3rd parties that fund fiber installation (I think). Where can I read more
about the replacement and why the city is funding it? (Hudspeth)
Tech Services submitted a five-year CIP estimate to replace 216 miles of city fiber used by our
city government (including used by the electric utility) that had reached end of life or nearing
end of life. Fiber can last upwards of 20+years and some of our city used fiber has aged over
this or is near it.This first year we recommend bringing on a fiber consultant to provide a
multiple year strategic replacement plan. This is for city government use only and not new fiber
for expansion or for non-city government use. This is fiber replacements to maintain
operational integrity.
Tech Services has GIS data of city fiber and original purchase dates to estimate ages of
operational city fiber. Finance staff can explore external funding options (if applicable).