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Home My WebLink About09/28/2004 - Special Minutes City Council vr Mayor Ron SilvIa Mayor Pro Tempo,"" Dennis Malonry City Manager Thomas E Brymer City Council James Massry John Happ Roben Waremg Susan Lancaster Nancy Berry Crn' OF COLLEGE STATION CnllegeStation, 7'nlllilwllaI 'alua. i'IY1tJr...;...l'It~Ut tlre_ ~.1Iey MINUTES College Station City Couneil Special Meeting Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 3:00 p.m. City Hall Couneil Chambers, 1I0l Tnas Avenue College Station, Texas COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Silvia. Mayor Pro Tern Maloney. Council members Massey. Happ. Wareing. Lancaster. Berry STAFF PRESENT: City Manager Brymer. Assistant City Manager Brown. City Attorney Cargill Jr.. City Secretary Hooks. Assistant City Secretary Casares Mayor SilVia called the special meeting to order at 3 04 P m Speeial Meetine Aeenda Item No. 1 -- Presentation. diseussion and possible adion on all reeommendations to date from the Neiehborhood Ad Hoe Task foree reeardine neiehborhood inteeritv issues. Assistant City Manager Glenn Brown introduced Assistant Police Chief Scott McCollum. Assistant Fire Chief Eric Hurt. and Director of Development Services Joey Dunn Mr. Brown highlighted the key policy decisions and summanzed the Neighborhood Ad Hoc Task Force and staff recommendations regarding neighborhood integrity issues He also presented an overview of the charge delegated to the task force Mr. Brown pointed out that all of the recommendations fall mto two categories: (I) those which will be applicable on a city basIs. and (2) those that would apply to a zoning overlay district only. Recommendations regarding parking, code enforcement, noise and rental registrations would be applied City Wide In all R-I and R-2 areas. Recommendations regarding an overlay zoning district would apply to a specific geographic regIOn of the City. Overlay districts could address such Issues as: lot Size, number of unrelated, percent of green space on individual lots. contextual set backs, architectural controls and preservation of building plots. Also. as a reminder, all aspects of the zoning ordmance are subject to grand fathering or amortization Mr Brown. Mr. McCollum and Mr. Hurt presented the following recommendations CODE ENFORCEMENT KEY POLICY ISSUES FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION: ADDITIONAL STAFFING/SPEED UP PROCESS · With adoption of the budget. Council approved an additional position for Code Enforcement. Tradlllonol f alues. Progressrve TIIII.kmg In the Resear,'h f alley City Council Special Council Meeting 9/28/04 3:00 p.m. Page 2 · To speed up the process. staff recommends we return to the use of certIfied mall for all code enforcement letters mailed out. By knowing the date of receipt we can begin enforcement aetivities in a time span that will be reduced by 2 to 5 days. There IS an additional cost of approximately $13,000 per year to do this Task Force Recommendations: . ProVide more personnel and resources . Provide more education . Work to speed up the process Mr. Hurt presented a brief overview of the Code Enforcement Education program "A Joint Effort .. The City Council recommended: · Use certified letters after no response to original Violation letter from Code Enforcement Allow seven to ten days before using certified mail. · Continue educational programs and work with property owners. property managers to incorporate Code Enforcement ordinance requirements as part of their lease. . Incorporate Blinn Students mto the educational process. · Consider using Wolf Pen Creek music series as another educational opportunity for Code enforcement. NOISE KEY POLICY ISSUES FOR COUNCIL: HIGHER FINES/ADDITIONAL RESOURCES . Regarding fines. maximum limits are established by State Law, so this is not a decision point for the Council. Also, it should be pomted out that the City's Municipal Judge establishes a window for fines that fall within state statute In comparison to windows established by municipal judges in other cities, it appears nOise/code enforcement fines are higher in College Stallon · Regarding more stnngent enforcement, staff said the current programs have reduced loud party complaints by 52% in four years, and It is recommended contmuing the programs with the eXisting resources that have been allocated. Task Force Recommendations: . Increase fines for violations · Provide more stringent Police and Code enforcement . Fine landlords where violations occur . Police responselT ABC/Code Enforcement The CIty Council recommended' · Police Department staff will work with Legal Department to amend eXisting ordinances, or establish an ordinance that would be used as a vehicle making the property owners more responsible for nOIse Violations. · Continue all programs and efforts currently in place. Trad/llanal Values. ProgresS/\'e Thmkmg In the Research I'alley City Council Special Council Meeting 9/28/043:00 p m OVERLAY ZONING DISTRICT Page 3 KEY POLICY DECISION FOR COUNICL: · Consider directing staff to develop an ordmance for the establishment of Overlay Zomng District Task Force Recommendations: · That the use of overlay districts should be a tool encouraged by the CIty and used by neighborhoods wanting to identify and preserve the existing character of their neighborhoods. The City Council recommended: · Development Services will work with Legal Department m developing an ordinance establishing overlay zoning districts as well as determining the mmimum Size for the overlay districts. · Development Services Will complete a draft of the process that neighborhoods will follow when applying an overlay district. RENTAL REGISTRATION AND RENTAL INSPECTION PROGRAMS KEY POLICY ISSUES FOR COUNCIL: RENTAL REGISTRATION PROGRAM AND FUNDING · ConSider directmg staff to prepare an ordinance creating a rental registrallon program. Staff also recommends that an ordinance establish a fee so the program will have ofTsetting revenues in compliance with the city's financial management pohcies. Task Force Recommendations: · Implement a rental registration program. at no cost to the owner of the rental propeny. · Do not implement a rental inspection program. The City Council recommended: · Code Enforcement staff will work with Legal Department in developing an ordinance creating the rental registration program and estabhshing a fee · Staff should consider a grace period of six months to a year at the initiation of the program, to encourage property owners to voluntarily sign up. . The City Council did not recommend implementing a rental mspection program. NUMBER OF UNRELATED PER SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING KEY POLICY ISSUES FOR COUNCIL: · Consider changing the current ordinance. or leaving it at four. (The staff recommends the number remam at four.) · Consider directing staff to address the issue in a zoning overlay ordinance Tradlllonal /'alues. ProgresSl\'e Thmkmg In the Research J 'alle,' City Council Special Council Meetmg 9/28/043'00 p m. Page 4 The Task Force recommended the number be left at four. Council recommended: . Leave at four unrelated per single family dwelling. . Directed staff to address the issue in a zoning overlay ordmance. PARKING RECOMMENDATIONS KEY POLICY ISSUES FOR COUNCIL: ON-STREET PARKING LIMITATIONS . Consider the estabhshment of a process for limiting on-street parking that has not been identified as a pubhc health/safety issue by staff. . Consider a change to the Zomng Ordinance to require one off-street parking space per bedroom for new construction, or mclude m an overlay zoning district (Current requirement is two spaces for a single family home.) The Task Force Recommended: . Parking be limited to one Side of street . Change requirement to one off-street space per bedroom . Limit on-street parking hours . Investigate an on-street parking permit system The City Council Recommended: . Incorporate mto the zoning overlay district ordinance That is, limitation of parking on one Side of the street, or limit hours of parking that will be considered by neighborhoods groups as part of a zoning overlay ordinance processes. SpeeiaI Meetine Aeenda Item No.2 -- Adiourn Heanng no obJections the special meeting adjourned at 5:12 p.m. PASSED and APPROVED this 21" day of October, 2004 APPROVED ". . < ') 'n"lI ,,fll', \ . :;-"'-~ Mayor Pro Tern MalGn.s:1 Tr"dlllonall alues. Progressl\'e Thmkmg In ,he Research Valley