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Home My WebLink About04/28/2011 - Workshop Minutes City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP CITY OF COLLEGE STATION APRIL 28, 2011 STATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Nancy Berry, Mayor Council: John Crompton Jess Fields Dennis Maloney Katy-Marie Lyles, absent Jana McMillan Dave Ruesink City Staff: David Neeley, City Manager Kathy Merrill, Assistant City Manager Carla Robinson, City Attorney Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary Tanya McNutt, Deputy City Secretary Call to Order and Announce a Ouorum is Present With a quorum present, the Workshop of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Nancy Berry at 3:01 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011 in the Council Chambers of the City of College Station City Hall, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas 77842. 1. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on items listed on the consent agenda. Item 2f was pulled from the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Fields stated he would have item 2e pulled from Consent for a separate vote. Councilmember McMillan stated she would have item 2f pulled from Consent for a separate vote. 2f.• David Schmitz, Interim Director for Parks and Recreation, explained the $100,000 for this year is for a preliminary conceptual design. Construction is in the future. This was approved in the 2008 bond election. WKSHP042811 Minutes Page 1 2. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding community bicycle programs Karen Gauss, leader of the Maroon Bike Project, and Ron Steedly, TAMU Alternative Transportation Director, briefed the Council on the Maroon Bike Network, a bicycle rental system for the Bryan/College Station area. Current Bike Share Systems in European cities include Paris, London, and Barcelona. In North America, cities such as Montreal, San Antonio, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Chicago, Des Moines, Denver, Boulder and many others have already instituted bike systems. Some benefits from this program are that it is fast, convenient, flexible; designed for short trips and errands; multi-modal and extends the transit network at relatively low costs; reduces traffic congestion; and promotes cycling as an urban transportation mode. It also reduces emissions from vehicles and conserves energy. A system requires a fleet of bikes, docking stations, user registration and payment systems. One bike for every 110 people is needed. If all the bikes are taken from a docking station, the terminal will tell the renter where the next closest bike can be found. A bike can be picked up from any location and returned to another docking station. They envision eight or nine stations on the TAMU campus with additional locations throughout the city. This provides individuals an opportunity to ride bikes without the expense of purchasing a bike. 3. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on the City of College Station's use of See/Click/Fix. Bob Cowell, Planning and Development Director, provided an overview of a new initiative relative to code enforcement. It is a web-based application used in non-emergency instances. Code enforcement officers seek out partnerships with residents, property owners, students and others. See/Click/Fix is intended to supplement these partnerships. The program offers an additional manner to report code violations. It will increase transparency and accountability and also helps to stretch resources. Instead of adding more officers, this will empower residents to help with code violations. This application is free to the citizen. There are two ways to access the program, either via the web or with a mobile smart phone. 4. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on the scope of the Citizens Charter Review Commission and provide direction regarding the charter provisions to be reviewed. Carla Robinson, City Attorney, stated that we are empowered to amend our charter in any manner we wish as long as we are compliant with the Texas constitution, state law and city ordinances. When we do amend the charter, the Council will need to consider the changes very carefully. Minor modifications can have a significant impact. The Council has no obligation to accept any of the recommendations. Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary, requested direction from the Council as to the Charter provisions the Council wishes the Commission to review. Staff recommended a review of the following: • Article III, Section 21, Vacancies • Article IX, Nominations and Elections • Article X, Initiative, Referendum, and Recall • Article XI, Franchises and Public Utilities. WKSHP042811 Minutes Page 2 The Council was asked if there were any issues they wanted the Commission to research for possible inclusion in the Charter; e.g. single-member districts, Council compensation, etc. The Council was also asked to provide the Commission with the latitude to make practical and beneficial recommendations on other areas of the Charter where appropriate. As the Commission reports back to Council, further direction may be necessary. Council directed the commission to review the charter in its entirety for compliance with state law. Other issues the commission has been requested to research are: • Council compensation • Adding to the charter the number of councilmembers required to place items on an agenda • Shortening terms of office from three years to two years • Term limits 5. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding a potential Interlocal Agreement between the Cities of College Station and Bryan for the ioint development of a Research Valley BioCorridor. David McNeeley, City Manager, updated the Council on the Research Valley BioCorridor. The ILA is expected to be brought back to the Council at the May 12 meeting. The BioCorridor resulted from the "One Health Plus" initiative. It represents a shared vision, and a task force was established in 2010. The task force contracted with Broaddus Planning to develop the concept Master Plan, identify the priority of infrastructure projects, and recommend the strategy for implementation. The master plan includes a 3,500 acre corridor on the western edge of town. It is a dynamic land use plan with a level playing field for development. It also encourages unity between College Station and Bryan. The draft ILA establishes the initial size of the Development as 186 acres; provides for Ad Valorem revenue sharing on real and personal property and will exist only in the defined area of the ILA (sharing formula based on the lowest O&M tax rate between the cities at $0.12 per $100); utilizes current economic development guidelines; adopts joint building/site design standards; provides for phased roadway infrastructure; and resolves several outstanding CCN matters. The benefits of revenue sharing and the ILA include: • Cities jointly share in necessary infrastructure costs • Anticipated to save both cities millions in infrastructure and legal costs (CCN Swap and Roadway Infrastructure) • Makes project area "site ready" • Creates level playing field for development • Consistent with recommendations of BioCorridor Concept Master Plan • Serves as catalyst for development of the BioCorridor Council consensus was for the HSC Parkway, Phase 2A, alignment to be straightened out so that it runs along the city limits line. WKSHP042811 Minutes Page 3 6. Council Calendar • May 3 Brazos Valley Worldfest Ribbon Cutting at WPC Amphitheater Plaza, 4.30 p.m. • May 5 Arbor Day Ceremony at Crompton Park, 10:00 a.m. • May 5 Plannine & Zoning Commission Meeting, 6:00 p.m. • May 6 Keep Brazos Beautiful Annual Awards Extravaganza at CS Hilton 6.00 p.m. • May 9-12 Chamber Washington Trip in Washington D.C., 8:00 a.m. • May 10 Unveiling of Larry Ringer Portrait at the Library at Larry Ringer Library - 1818 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, 3:30 p.m. • May 12 Citv Council Workshop/Regular Meeting 3:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. May I is Lemonade Day; stands will be located throughout the city. Duck Jam is this weekend. 7. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on future agenda items: a Council Member may inquire about a subiect 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. There were no items. 8. Discussion, review and possible action regarding the following meetings: Animal Shelter Board, Arts Council of the Brazos Valley, Audit Committee, Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board, Brazos County Health Dept., Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Brazos Valley Wide Area Communications Task Force, BVSWMA, BVWACS, Cemetery Committee, Code Review Committee, Design Review Board, Historic Preservation Committee, Interfaith Dialogue Association, Intergovernmental Committee, Joint Relief Funding Review Committee, Landmark Commission, Library Board, Mayor's Council on Physical Fitness, Mayor's Development Forum, Metropolitan Planning Organization, National League of Cities, Outside Agency Funding Review, Parks and Recreation Board, Planning and Zoning Commission, Research Valley Partnership, Regional Transportation Committee for Council of Governments, Signature Event Task Force, Sister City Association, TAMU Student Senate, Texas Municipal League, Transportation Committee, Wolf Pen Creek Oversight Committee, Zoning Board of Adiustments. Mayor Berry reported that BVSWMA met yesterday and the Twin Oaks Landfill will open in June. Councilmember Maloney reported on the Wolf Penn Oversight Committee. They are putting the finishing touches on meeting a contractual agreement to put in a water feature. They have worked to decrease the overall O&M in the future. Councilmember Ruesdink reported that the Gennan students from Germany had returned to Germany. Also, regarding the CVB, a team from Fredericksburg was in town interviewing WKSHP042811 Minutes Page 4 people to see ways to increase tourism and how HOT money can be most effectively used. They will come back in a few weeks with a summary and recommendation. 9. Executive Session In accordance with the Texas Government Code §551.071-Consultation with Attorney, the College Station City Council convened into Executive Session at 5:25 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011 in order to continue discussing matters pertaining to: A. Consultation with Attorney to seek advice regarding pending or contemplated litigation; to wit: • City of Bryan's application with TCEQ for water & sewer permits in Westside/Highway 60 area, near Brushy Water Supply Corporation to decertify City of College Station and certify City of Bryan • Clancey v. College Station, Glenn Brown, and Kathy Merrill • Rachel Rahn v. Alma Martinez, The Arkitex Studio, Inc. et al, cause No. 09-000656- CV361 • Weingarten Realty Investors v. College Station, Ron Silvia, David Ruesink, Lynn Mcllhaney, and Ben White • Chavers et al v. Tyrone Morrow, Michael lkner, City of Bryan, City of College Station, et al • Water CCN / 2002 Annexation / Wellborn Water Supply Corporation B. Consultation with Attorney to seek legal advice; to wit: • Legal issues regarding possible revenue sharing and legislation in bio-corridor • Legal Issues Related to Wellborn Annexation The Executive Session adjourned at 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011. No action was required from Executive Session. 10. Adiournment MOTION: There being no further business, Mayor Berry adjourned the workshop of the College Station City Council at 6:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, 2011. Nancy Berry, Mayor T ST: Aberry Ma burn, City Secretary WKSHP042811 Minutes Page 5