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Home My WebLink About08/22/2019 - Regular Minutes - City CouncilRM0082219 Minutes Page 1 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING CITY OF COLLEGE STATION AUGUST 22, 2019 STATE OF TEXAS § § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Karl Mooney, Mayor Council: Bob Brick Jerome Rektorik Linda Harvell Elianor Vessali John Nichols Dennis Maloney City Staff: Bryan Woods, City Manager Jeff Capps, Deputy City Manager Jeff Kersten, Assistant City Manager Carla Robinson, City Attorney Ian Whittenton, Deputy City Secretary Yvette Dela Torre, Deputy Local Registrar Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present With a quorum present, the Regular Meeting of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Mooney at 6:31 p.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2019 in the Council Chambers of the City of College Station City Hall, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas 77840. 1. Pledge of Allegiance, Invocation, consider absence request. Hear Visitors Comments Elianor Vessali, College Station, came before Council to honor the service and sacrifice of Army Capt. Blake H. Russell. David Higdon, Emerald Forest, came before Council to complement the staff and Council on their efforts to provide access to information and seek public input. He also wanted to urge early compliance as the upcoming census will certify the city population is over 100,000 and thus require increased reporting on the finances of elected and appointed officials. Jorge Sanchez, Woodland Hills, came before Council to highlight the American Anti-Corruption Act and urge council to adopt its policies. RM0082219 Minutes Page 2 CONSENT AGENDA 2a. Presentation, possible action, and discussion of minutes for:  August 8, 2019 Workshop Meeting  August 8, 2019 Regular Meeting  August 12, 2019 Budget Meeting  August 13, 2019 Budget Meeting  August 14, 2019 Budget Meeting 2b. Presentation, discussion, and possible action on a contract with Invoke, LLC not to exceed $888,946.48 for Microsoft products and services for the Microsoft Office 365 project implementation, training and software licenses for three years. 2c. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding awarding a contract for Annual Padmount Equipment Repair and Restoration to Utility Restoration Services Inc. in the amount of $321,644.66. 2d. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the award of a contract to TransGard, LLC for the purchase, delivery and installation of animal control fencing at five (5) electric substations for a not to exceed amount of $256,750. 2e. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding Ordinance No. 2019-4115 amendment to Chapter 8, “Businesses,” Article IV, “Gravediggers,” Division 2 “License,” Section 8-145 “Application,” and Section 8-146 “Requirements and Qualifications,” of the Code of Ordinances of the City of College Station, Texas, by amending certain sections relating to Gravediggers License; providing a severability clause; declaring a penalty; and providing an effective date. 2f. Presentation, discussion, and possible action to ratify and approve the renewal of the letter agreement for Professional Auditing Services with BKD, LLP for an amount not to exceed $89,390. 2g. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding approval of the renewal of the City’s annual blanket orders for electric meters and sockets with estimated annual expenditures of: Anixter Inc., $37,952; Priester Mell & Nicholson, $164,363 and for Texas Electric Cooperative for $22,230. The total recommended renewal is for an amount not to exceed $224,545. 2h. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding Resolution No. 08-22-19-2h in support of the 2020 U.S. Census. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Councilmember Rektorik and a second by Councilmember Brick, the City Council voted seven (7) for and none (0) opposed, to approve the Consent Agenda. The motion carried unanimously. REGULAR AGENDA 1. Public Hearing, presentation, discussion, and possible action on the City of College Station 2020 advertised ad valorem tax rate of $0.534618 per $100 valuation resulting in an increase RM0082219 Minutes Page 3 in tax revenues. Also discussion and possible action on announcing the meeting date, time and place to adopt the tax rate. Mary Ellen Leonard, Finance Director, presented the first of two public hearings on the tax rate. The proposed tax rate of 53.4618 cents per $100 assessed valuation will generate $51,722,744 in taxes. The certified property valuation totaled $10.0 billion, which is a total increase of $492 million or approximately a 4.93% increase in value over last year. The effective tax rate is 49.5757 cents per $100 assessed valuation. The current tax rate is 50.58 cents per $100 assessed valuation, and the proposed tax rate is 53.4618 cents per $100 assessed valuation. If adopted, the proposed tax rate per $100 of assessed valuation would be 53.4618 cents and would provide 22.1444 cents for debt service and 31.3174 cents for operations and maintenance. This tax rate meets the Debt Service requirements, and funds the proposed General Fund budget. The FY20 Budget reflects a 2.8777 cent per $100 assessed valuation. The proposed FY20 budget is $341 million, this is $19.7 million below last year’s due to the timing of capital project appropriations. At approximately 6:53 p.m., Mayor Mooney opened the Public Hearing. Jorge Sanchez, Woodland Hills, came before Council to urge Council to consider a more efficient tax system that encourages increased density of housing and decreases urban sprawl. Mike Lee, Castle Gate, came before Council representing a group of citizens to oppose the proposed tax rate. He believes that this increase is a burden to the citizens and the City does not have a plan to address current and future needs without raising taxes. Holt Carlo, Edelweiss Gartens, came before Council to question the need for more police officers when College Station is among the safest municipalities in Texas. Brien Smith, College Station, came before council to oppose the proposed tax rate as increased taxes, which cause citizens to prioritize taxes over personal expenditures. There being no comments, the Public Hearing was closed at 7:14 p.m. Mayor Mooney announced that the Council will vote on the tax rate on Thursday, September 26, 2019 at 6:00 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall. 2. Public Hearing, presentation, discussion and possible action regarding approval of a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the City and Brazos County Municipal Utility District No.2. Jennifer Prochazka, Planning and Development Director, stated that this is the second of two public hearings required before approving the Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) with Brazos County MUD No. 2. The SPA outlines conditions for annexation of the District and limited purpose annexation of commercial land. The first Public Hearing is was held during the July 25, 2019 City Council Meeting. At approximately 7:16 p.m., Mayor Mooney opened the Public Hearing. There being no comments, the Public Hearing was closed at 7:16 p.m. RM0082219 Minutes Page 4 MOTION: Upon a motion made by Councilmember Nichols and a second by Councilmember Rektorik, the City Council voted seven (7) for and none (0) opposed, to approve a Strategic Partnership Agreement between the City and Brazos County Municipal Utility District No. 2. The motion carried unanimously. 3. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding approval of a contract granting Community Development Partnership Grant (CDBG) funds to Elder-Aid, Inc. in the amount of $463,026 for the purchase and rehabilitation costs related to the creation of four affordable rental units located at 3312-3314 Normand and 3337-3339 Longleaf. Debbie Eller, Director of Community Services, stated that the City of College Station annually receives the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. CDBG funds are utilized to address the growing need for more affordable, decent housing units, create a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities, principally for low and moderate income residents. RFP 19-080 was released on June 11, 2019 to seek proposals for the development of affordable housing. Two responses were received to the RFP, including a proposal from Elder-Aid, Inc. Currently Elder- Aid, Inc. has a rental program that includes ownership and management of multiple properties that provide affordable rental opportunities for seniors. This proposal includes the expansion their current rental program to two duplexes located at 3312-3314 Normand and 3337-3339 Longleaf. This contract will grant funds to Elder-Aid, Inc. in the amount of $463,026.00. With these funds they will acquire and rehabilitate two duplexes located at 3312-3314 Normand and 3337-3339 Longleaf, making them available for lease to income-eligible senior households. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Councilmember Maloney and a second by Councilmember Rektorik, the City Council voted seven (7) for and none (0) opposed, to approve a contract granting Community Development Partnership Grant (CDBG) funds to Elder-Aid, Inc. in the amount of $463,026 for the purchase and rehabilitation costs related to the creation of four affordable rental units located at 3312-3314 Normand and 3337-3339 Longleaf. The motion carried unanimously. 4. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on future agenda items and review of standing list of Council generated agenda items: A Council Member may inquire about a subject for which notice has not been given. A statement of specific factual information or the recitation of existing policy may be given. Any deliberation shall be limited to a proposal to place the subject on an agenda for a subsequent meeting. Councilmember Vessali requested a future agenda item to discuss how annexation laws have changed and the impact on city planning. 5. Adjournment. There being no further business, Mayor Mooney adjourned the Regular Meeting of the City Council at 7:32 p.m. on Thursday, August 22, 2019. RM0082219 Minutes Page 5 ________________________ Karl Mooney, Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________ Tanya Smith, City Secretary