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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/10/2011 - Workshop Minutes City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP CITY OF COLLEGE STATION NOVEMBER 10, 2011 STATE OF TEXAS § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Nancy Berry, Mayor Council: Blanche Brick Jess Fields Karl Mooney Katy-Marie Lyles Julie Schultz Dave Ruesink, absent City Staff: David Neeley, City Manager Kathy Merrill, Deputy City Manager Carla Robinson, City Attorney Sherry Mashburn, City Secretary Shelley Major, Records Management Coordinator Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present With a quorum present, the Workshop of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Nancy Berry at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 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. Items 2c, 2bb, 2f, 2n, 2p, and 2u were pulled for clarification. Mayor Berry announced that 2g would be pulled for a separate vote, and she would be abstaining. 2c: Cheryl Turney, Assistant Finance Director, confirmed this will authorize the City Manager to approve contracts up to $50,000 which will follow state statutes. 2bb: David Neeley, City Manager, briefly explained the history of the Green College Station Citizens Task Force. He noted the Committee has spent quite a bit of time on cost-saving efforts and energy retrofits for buildings. The energy retrofits are aside and apart from the charge given WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 1 to the Committee. Their charge is to develop an action plan, which will come back to the Council for their strategic plan and policy development. He suggests Council disband the Committee and charge the staff to finish up the action plan. Another committee would probably be appointed later when the Council's direction is clear. Hugh Stearns, Committee Chair, presented the Council with an information packet. He stated his three goals include 1) save the committee; 2) get higher buy-in from the Council; and 3) raise a concern. He stated that the committee has been treated poorly and has not been given clear direction. 2f Councilmember Moony stated that policies and procedures for contacting public officials should be reviewed on an annual basis. R. B. Alley, Fire Chief, reported on the agreement with TAMU to provide fire safety. 2n: Cheryl Turney, Assistant Finance Director, explained the prompt payment discount consideration in the bid process. 2p & 2u: Jeff Kersten, Finance Director, explained the RFP process and renewal. Chuck Gilman, Director of Capital Projects, stated we had three firms, and we are renewing two of the three based on responsiveness and cost. 2. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding a proposal to bring an annual National Junior College Athletic Association Football Bowl Game to Bryan-College Station. Ted Raspiller, president of the Brazos County campuses of Blinn College, along with Dick Speas, Director of Athletics, presented the concept for a National Junior College Bowl for Brazos Valley. There is a need to pump up activities in the community and contribute to HOT funds. There are not a lot of bowl games at the junior college level, and the average attendance to games is 3,000-5,000. The proposal includes a location at Kyle Field because College Station has a national appeal. Blinn would work in conjunction with the CVB. There are some important deadlines. By December 31, 2011 they must submit a letter of intent, with a secured sponsorship as a key element. On March 28, 2012 they will need to make their presentation to the NJCAA Championship Events Committee. The projected budget is $92,865. Total projected revenue is $6,500 but the impact to the local economy is estimated to range between $650,000 - $975,000 dependent upon the number of attendees. To answer what's in this for Blinn, there will be more participation from high school students in the service area and more exposure on the national scene. This will also serve to re-cement their partnership with TAMU. They are requesting up to $25,000 from HOT funds to cover the cost of renting Kyle Field if they are successful in securing sponsorships. Council consensus was to move forward. 3. Presentation and discussion regarding an update presentation on electric deregulation in Texas. Mark Zion, Executive Director of the Texas Public Power' Association, will give a presentation on how electric deregulation has affected public power utilities in Texas. WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 2 David Massey, Electric Division Manager, provided some highlights on the 2001 deregulation study. Strategic planning activities included an assessment of utility's current market posture and educated stakeholders on changing the electric market structure. They also evaluated the "Opt-In" decision and developed specific strategic actions. Mark Zion, Executive Director of the Texas Public Power Association, reported on the electric utility industry structure and the implications for municipally-owned electric utilities. There are 72 municipally-owned utilities in Texas. Many have been serving their communities for over 50 years. Local authorities set MOU rates and policies that are responsive to community priorities. The rates are set locally, are stable, and at the low end of the scale. The service is reliable. MOU's are finances by utility revenues, not taxes. A portion of MOU revenues support general municipal services like public safety, roads, parks, libraries, and community services. Like other MOUs, College Station Utilities is an important asset to the community. The rates are reasonable and stable. CSU has better than average metrics statewide. MOU's have taken a "wait and see" approach until it becomes clear that real benefits to customers and their cities can be achieved and maintained. Deregulation has other names: electric deregulation, retail deregulation, customer choice, industry restructuring. Customers choose among a variety of electricity retailers, the local utility operates electric lines like a common carrier to transport the electricity of multiple retail providers, state regulations apply to customer switching, certain customer service policies, etc. Texas has regional deregulations. Senate Bill 7 provides that a MOU is not part of deregulation until an affirmative decision to opt-in is made by the local governing body (usually the MOU's city council). To date, none of the 72 MOUs in Texas have opted in to retail electric deregulation. Policy considerations for a MOU that might opt in to deregulation include: potential negative impacts on City finances, including bond ratings and the transfer of electric utility revenues to general government; the impact on other City operations, like water and wastewater utilities which share billing with the MOU electric system; the impact on customers now paying stable and affordable MOU rates who may experience varied pricing levels in deregulation. 4. Presentation, possible action and discussion regarding the presentation and information on the Revenue Rescue cost recovery program. R. B. Alley, Fire Chief, reported that Revenue Rescue/Intermedix is the nation's leading emergency response billing company. The Bryan Fire Department and Brazos County Volunteer Departments currently participate. Staff is dedicated only to fire billing, and they assist each city in implementing its own custom billing policy. They are responsible for the recovery of expenses for response to incidents caused through negligence or other risky behavior; the scope is determined by the client. The types of incidents they collect for include collision, vehicle fires, and hazardous materials. For 2009, Revenue Rescue received 316 submissions from BFD and collected $82,373, an average of $260.67 per submission. MOTION: Upon a motion made by Councilmember Lyles and a second by Councilmember Fields, the City Council voted six (6) for and none (0) opposed, to approve the concept of the Revenue Rescue Cost Recovery Program. The motion carried unanimously. WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 3 5. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding the Council's Policy Action Items Plan of Work and Strategic Plan 2012 Update. Staff was directed to provide Council with some options regarding meeting dates and times. 6. Presentation, possible action, and discussion regarding a construction contract with Dudley Construction, Ltd., in the amount of $2,978,060 for construction of Dowling Road High Service Pump Station Improvements. Dave Coleman, Water Services Director, reported on the Dowling Road Pump Station project. The DRPS receives raw well water from transmission lines. The water is chlorinated and gets contact time in the reservoirs. Water is pumped out to customers via a distribution system. Capacities at the DRPS are a public safety issue. The required pumping capacity is 33,400 gpm. We are currently at 22,000 gpm and are planning for 34,350 gpm. The design contract was approved December 10, 2010. A second pump station will be constructed at the Dowling Road site for efficiency with a separate header for full redundancy. The construction contract was bid, and the low bidder was Dudley Construction at $2.98 million. This will keep us in regulatory compliance for approximately ten years. 7. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on a Professional Services Contract (Contract Number 11-264) with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for $1,518,250 for design, bidding, and construction administration for the Bee Creek Sewer Line. Dave Coleman, Water Services Director, said staff has been looking at this for fifteen years. They held off on the comp plan until the Comprehensive Plan was completed. This line needs to be built very soon. The trunk line was built in 1973, and the west side developments were not anticipated forty years ago. The plan is to replace the existing trunk line with a 48" trunk line. He provided the results of flow monitoring. They looked at several alternatives to replacing the trunk line, and it was readily apparent that replacing the line was more economical. He stated that we must proceed with the Bee Creek project to avoid sewer line overflows. TCEQ fines/penalties would be significant. They also propose to begin a line cleaning project in FY12 to regain some capacity. Staff recommends awarding the design contract to Kimley-Horn in the amount of $1.5 million. 8. Council Calendar • November 11 Roy Kelly Multi-Modal Terminal & Parking Garage Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 301 W. 26th Street (Bryan), 11:00 a.m. • November 11 Veterans Day Ceremony, Veterans Park & Athletic Complex, 5 p.m. • November 1 1-12 Brazos Valley Worldfest, Wolf Pen Creek Park • November 14 IGC Meeting at BVCOG, 12:00 p.m. • November 15 Reception for Salamanca Delegation & Joint Proclamation, University Club, Rudder Tower, 5:30 p.m. • November 16 Union Pacific Safety Train Trip, John Kimbrough Drive Train Crossing, 8:45 a.m. • November 16 Exploring History Lunch Lecture in CS Conference Center, 11:30 a.m. WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 4 • November 16 Reception for Salamanca Delegation at Arts Council, 6:30 p.m. • November 17 *DATE CHANGED*, BVSWMA Board Meeting at Twin Oaks Facility, 2690 SH30 Anderson, Texas, 11:00 a.m. • November 17 Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting in Council Chambers, 6:00 P.M. • November 21 City Council Workshop/Regular Meeting at 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. • November 24 City Offices Closed - HOLIDAY • November 25 City Offices Closed - HOLIDAY Council reviewed the Council calendar. 9. Presentation, possible action, and discussion on future 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 Brick asked to see an item to prohibit parking in front yards. Mayor Berry asked to revisit the policy of how the City names things like parks and streets. Councilmember Fields asked to discuss our safety services relationship with TAMU. There was no consensus. He wanted to see a different perspective on deregulation. There was no consensus. Councilmember Fields requested an update on HOA involvement for assuming responsibility for parks maintenance. 10. 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 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, Zoning Board of Adiustments. Councilmember Brick reported the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Greenways Advisory Board is organizing a greenways tour. Mayor Berry reported on the interfaith dialog dinner. She also reported that the MPO adopted new job descriptions and job performance standards for the executive director. Councilmember Lyles spoke with the new director of the health department. The next board meeting will be November 30 at 5:30. WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 5 Councilmember Schultz reported on the Historic Preservation Committee. The 75`h Anniversary will be October 19, 2013. 11. Executive Session In accordance with the Texas Government Code §551.071-Consultation with Attorney, §551.072-Deliberation Regarding Real Property, and §551.074-Personnel, the College Station City Council convened into Executive Session at 5:13 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 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, Civil Action No. 09-CV- 01480 • Rachel Rahn v. Alma Martinez, The Arkitex Studio, Inc. et al, cause No. 09-000656- CV361 • Chavers et al v. Tyrone Morrow et al, No. 10-20792; Chavers v. Randall Hall et al, Case No. 10 CV-3922 • College Station v. Star Insurance Co., Civil Action No. 4:11-CV-02023 • Woodruff v. College Station, Cause No. 10-000515-CV-272 • Ongoing criminal investigation of municipal court missing funds 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 the expiration of Wolf Pen Creek Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. C. Deliberation Regarding Real Property; to wit: • Property located southeast of the intersection of Rock Prairie Road and Bird Pond Road in College Station. D. Deliberation Regarding Personnel; to wit: • Internal Auditor • Council Self-Evaluation The Executive Session adjourned at 6:51 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 2011. No action was required from Executive Session. 12. Adjournment WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 6 MOTION: There being no further business, Mayor Berry adjourned the workshop of the w College Station City Council at 8:51 p.m. on Thursday, November 10, 2011. Nancy Be y, Mayor ATTEST: Sherry Mas m, City Secretary WKSHP111011 Minutes Page 7