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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/05/2021 - Special Minutes - City Council MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING CITY OF COLLEGE STATION FEBRUARY 5, 2021 STATE OF TEXAS § § COUNTY OF BRAZOS § Present: Karl Mooney, Mayor Council: Bob Brick John Crompton Linda Harvell Elizabeth Cunha John Nichols Dennis Maloney City Staff: Jeff Capps, Interim City Manager Jeff Kersten, Assistant City Manager Carla Robinson, City Attorney Tanya Smith, City Secretary Ian Whittenton, Deputy City Secretary 1. Council Breakfast. 2. Call to Order and Announce a Quorum is Present With a quorum present, the Retreat Meeting of the College Station City Council was called to order by Mayor Mooney at 8:36 a.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021 in the Council Chambers of the City of College Station City Hall, 1101 Texas Avenue, College Station, Texas 77840. 3. Introduction and Retreat Process. Jeff Capps, Interim City Manager, gave a brief summary of the agenda and proposed discussion. Bryan Woods, City Manager, also provided an overview of the challenges of the previous year and Items below were presented out of order. 4. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding a review of FY 2020 in accordance with the Strategic Plan. (presented 1st) Brian Piscacek, Assistant to the City Manager, presented a brief update on FY 2020 in accordance with the Strategic Plan. He stated that is some overlap where staff is still working toward the goals of the current year, or to some extent addressing goals of the prior year, while working toward establishing priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Therefore, the existing strategic plan includes some crossover between the two years. RT020521 Minutes Page 1 Prepare for the 2020 U.S. Census: Completed; efforts were led by Planning & Development staff and collaboration with many local partners to drive participation. Dedicated webpage on cstx.gov promoting the effort. Presentation to Council in September 2019 in advance of the count. Review homestead exemption levels: Done as part of the budget process. Complete construction of new police facility: Complete on time and under budget. Begin construction of new City Hall: Construction underway. Complete update to Capital Improvement Plan: City staff annually prepares a 5-year CIP budget, which Council reviews as part of the budget process. Conduct annual meetings with neighborhood stakeholders: Due to COVID-19, this has been postponed or canceled various educational and outreach opportunities such as the neighborhood seminar suppers. Although, three seminar suppers were held virtually or in- person. More efforts to reach out to various groups in the community are planned for 2021. Engage Texas A&M in neighborhood integrity processes for student housing: Neighborhood Services reestablished the Aggie Up Committee with city and Texas A&M staff to collaborate on off-campus student issues and opportunities to educate off-campus students on CS ordinances and Good Neighbor practices. Along with other community members, Texas A&M student representatives and groups were specifically targeted for engagement in The Next 10 process. The resulting Evaluation and Appraisal Report proposed a recommendation to create a new Partnerships chapter which is focused on highlighting and building upon relationships with Texas A&M and our local partners. Review and update Economic Development Master Plan: Presented to the Economic Development Committee early March and then to the Planning & Zoning Commission and City Council in April for final adoption. Now in the implementation phase and making progress each quarter. It is Performance Indicators. Promote the College Station brand: Embarked on a rebranding effort with Belmont - Grow/Visit/Compete College Station. Developed subsequent marketing collateral accordingly with Public Communications and brought in Tourism department under Economic Development. Continue Comprehensive Plan update: The Comp Plan Evaluation & Appraisal Report has been a significant endeavor. It was accepted by Council on October 8, 2020 and included months of work from staff, stakeholder input, and guidance from CPEC. City staff is now launching plan update process and will present this later in the Retreat. 5. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding strategic priorities, ongoing activities, and Key Performance Indicators for FY 2021 in accordance with the Strategic Plan. (presented 2nd) Brian Piscacek, Assistant to the City Manager and Jeff Capps, City Manager, updated Council on the items requested at the 2020 Council Retreat and the future agenda item requested following the Council Retreat. They explained what is completed, ongoing, and put on hold due to COVID- 19 and budget restraints. Mr. Piscacek provided the following overview of the strategic priorities, ongoing activities, and Key Performance Indicators for FY 2021. RT020521 Minutes Page 2 Develop and implement a legislative policy agenda: Legislative program adopted by Council by resolution on December 10, 2020. CMO staff met with elected representative th December 2020 in advance of the 87 Texas Legislative Session. omplishments, activities, and events: Public Communications staff has implemented outreach strategies, primarily through additional video products, including a monthly series to highlight positive accomplishments. Development is underway on another new series focusing on the innovate use of technology to deliver efficient and high-quality services to residents. lic Communications staff has made strides toward increased accessibility for videos, offering captions for any voice work. This is beneficial not only to the hearing impaired, but also those who consume our video products on a mobile device students in particular. Analyze the potential for additional beautification efforts during construction projects: Staff is incorporating landscape into current and future road projects based on the recently adopted policy. At the request of Council staff from Public Works presented an item on October 8, 2020 regarding the costs of installing and maintaining landscaping on City thoroughfares. Following Council direction, a proposed policy regarding landscaping was returned and approved by Council December 10, 2020. Develop a campaign to promote the investments and opportunities at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex: Investments continue at this signature park and athletic complex. A workshop presentation was made on September 24, 2020 to discuss future enhancements to Veterans Park, including the Military Heritage Center, conservation area signage, and tree plantings. A $1.9 million contract was approved August 27, 2020 to improve drainage and other infrastructure, add restroom facilities, and two new military-themed playgrounds. Also provide HOT funding to support Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial in Veterans Park. Pursue city initiatives and designations related to smarter technologies, sustainability, and collaborative solutions: AMI installation began in November 2020. In addition, the City has migrated to the Microsoft Office 365 environment which enables collaboration and work from anywhere with implementation of OneDrive, Office ProPlus and Outlook on the Cloud. City has also implemented SharePoint providing another tool for automated workflow and document collaboration. Regarding the pursuit of designations, the City received the Bicycle Friendly Community Award Designation December 2020. 6. - 19 pandemic and its effects on City operations, the FY 2021 Budget, and FY 2022 Budget planning. (presented 3rd) Mary Ellen Leonard, Finance Director, presented an overview of COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on City operations. FY20 Revenue over Expense Statement General Fund: Sales Tax Exceeded Budget by $2.4 million partially due to the opening of Texas to 75% occupancy and one home football game at 25% occupancy Recognition of TDEM Revenue of $2.3 million in funds received over expenses Additional departmental cost savings of $2.6 million Capital outlay timing differentials of $2.2 million Assigned Fund Balance (Council set asides - $8.1 million, including $3.4 CARES Act) RT020521 Minutes Page 3 Unassigned Fund Balance percentage 30.46% FY21 Revenue over expenses year end estimate: Sales Tax Exceeding Budget by $3.4 million partially due to the opening of Texas to 75% occupancy and two home football games at 25% occupancy Mrs. Leonard explained that Budget Amendment 1 contained a transfer into the General Fund from Court Technology for Software for which expenditure has not been incurred, so expenses are below budget. With the current FY21 fiscal trends the city has positive financial options that did not exist when the budget was originally developed. FY21 Budget Mitigation Strategies: Frozen positions - $2.8M Pay Plan - $620K OPEB - $0 Under the CARES Act, the City was allocated $6.4 million to help with its expenses related to the pandemic like additional expenses for first responders. To date the city has received a total of $5.5 million with $912K still under review for applicability, but this amount does not include the CDBG funding Debbie Eller, Director of Community Services, has been presenting this fiscal year. The Community Subgrants must meet the same requirements as the City but so far, the city granted $1.7 million to community partners, primarily hospitals and the reserve amounts are intended to assist with coming expenses related vaccine distribution costs to the community FY22 Estimated Impacts of Homestead Exemption: Revenue impact is uncertain (FY21 valuations are pending) Small reduction in property taxes paid for Homesteaded properties Without mitigating increase, reduction in General Fund revenue and debt capacity Net Impact shown is assuming that a mitigating tax rate is enacted to offset revenue loss by moving burden to second homes / investment community At 10:34 a.m., the Mayor recessed the Retreat meeting. RT020521 Minutes Page 4 The Retreat meeting reconvened at 10:51 a.m. 7. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the Comprehensive Plan. (presented 4th) Alyssa Halle-Schramm, Planning and Development, provided an update on the Comprehensive Plan, which includes the overall city-wide direction, focused planning and implementation. Ms. Halle-Schramm explained the details of the Master Plans and the District & Neighborhood Plans. These plans will implement the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the departmental work programs & budgets, the City Council Strategic Plan and the Code of Ordinances. Next 10 Evaluation Assessed plan implementation Robust public input 10-Year Evaluation & Appraisal Report Big Picture Recommendations Consider renaming chapters to reflect aspirations Refine the vision statement and goals Refine the Concept Map Refine the Future Land Use Map Prioritize areas for additional detailed planning Refine the Thoroughfare Plan Refine the Annexation Priorities and Phasing Plan Add a chapter about partnerships and collaboration structure and format Text Edits Update vision statement Update chapter goals & rename chapters Update 2030 population projections Streamline background context Add new Strategic & Ongoing Actions Create new Partnerships Chapter Create a plan implementation matrix Map Edits - Future Land Use Map Reduce the number of categories (from 25 to 17) Rename to be distinct from Zoning District names Introduce new categories Re-evaluate Suburban Commercial & General Commercial locations Update the Natural Areas boundaries General clean-up items & map graphics 8. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding traffic congestion and mobility issues. (presented 6th) Councilmember Crompton stated that the citizens have ranked traffic congestion as a top concern for recent years. According to recent estimates congestion is increasing 4-6% every year, over RT020521 Minutes Page 5 time this will have an overwhelming impact on mobility and quality of life. He believes that there are two distinct areas of congestion, one around the campus and one in south college station. Council directed staff to consider emerging roadways, engage the MPO, seeking and incentivize alternative transportation, acquire right of ways, and be prepared with s to take advantage of federal grants. Staff will bring back a report for the needs of the community, funding options, and opportunities for partnership. 9. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding CIP planning and future projects. (presented 5th) Emily Fisher, Assistant Director of Public Works, provided an update on the CIP completed, current and future projects. There are five (5) active facilities in the amount of $57,200,000; (25) active street projects in the amount of $79,250,000, of which $13,300,000 are in construction; and (17) active water/wastewater projects in the amount of $120,815,000. Completed Projects: Police Station, Greens Prairie Road, Fun for all Park and LC Trunkline. Current Projects: City Hall, Francis Drive, Neighborhood Safety Improvements and Water Tower FY 21 CIP Changes Projects on hold (have since restarted) Woodson Village Rehab CCWWTP Centrifuge Project Pushed project funding timeline Southeast Park Royder Phase 3 General Pkwy Extension Reduced project funding SH 40/FM 2154 Interchange Luther Extension Greens Prairie Road Phase 2 Budget $11,214,000; Summer 2021 start; 18 months Facilities Maintenance Building Budget $2,100,000; Summer 2021 start; 9 months Sidewalks along Southwood Dr. and in Eastgate Budget approx. $500,000; Fall 2021 completion Deacon RR Crossing Budget $5,740,000; 18-month completion time Rock Prairie West Widening/Railroad Crossing Budget $7,390,000; 12-month completion time Outlook for FY 21 & Beyond James/Puryear & Thomas Park Budget $3,300,000 (combined); Award design contract March 2021 Jones Butler Extension & Intersection Budget $10,035,000; Currently under design WD Fitch Rehabilitation Budget $8,260,000; Currently under design Lincoln Drive Rehabilitation RT020521 Minutes Page 6 Budget $7,970,000; Construction start next year Francis Drive Phase III Budget $2,050,000; Design start late 2021 Rock Prairie Road East Widening Budget $5,500,000; Currently under design At 11:58 a.m., the Mayor recessed the Retreat meeting. The Retreat meeting reconvened at 12:39 p.m. 10. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding broadband internet services. (presented 8th) At 2:10 p.m., the Mayor recessed the Retreat meeting. The Retreat meeting reconvened at 2:26 p.m. Sindhu Menon, Chief Information Officer, presented an overview of the city broadband internet services and options to provide better, faster, and more affordable broadband services to the residents of City of College Station; and address underserved areas. Option 1: City partners with new Broadband Carrier to provide broadband services to the residents of College Station. Option 2: City partners with a new Broadband Carrier to lay the fiber and provide services to residents of College Station. Option 3: City partners with a new Broadband Carrier and becomes the ISP for the residents College Station. Option 4: City continues to work with existing Broadband Carrier to improve their services to the residents of College Station. Risks for all Options: Carrier does not support and deliver appropriate services to residents RT020521 Minutes Page 7 Not have enough residences to justify the costs of laying fiber Not enough funding options from the Carrier or City to support reduced costs If funding options are available today due to the pandemic, what will happen when those funds are unavailable: Would the City no longer provide the services and eliminate the program; or Would the City absorb all the costs? The digital divide may still exist if sustainable funding option is not available Council Direction Requested: Maintain current state and improve on vendor communication Improve communications with local ISP providers Suddenlink, Frontier, Wirestar, CEO LLC Continue to explore further Prioritize as a strategic initiative Conduct additional discovery of options and costs Work with additional providers to build services in the region MetroNet, Rise Broadband, Sifi Networks, Wifiber and others Deep dive legal review of the statues and agreements needed Partnership Alignment Target POCs Citizen Communication Project Business Case Development including budget, funding, scope, timelines and resources Council directed staff to not heavily invest City funds to build the fiber infrastructure; to bring competition by engaging vendors who would build the infrastructure; want City Fiber utilization to be optimized; directed staff to work with TAMU TEEX in an advisory capacity; and explore the and bring back the least expensive of the options presented. 11. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the ethics policies for the College Station City Council. Councilmember Crompton brought forward to Council the possibly of a Charter Amendment regarding the 2012 ethics policy language, complaint process for council ethics violations, and an A majority of the Council directed staff to bring back proposed language for an amendment to section 116 of the charter that is substantially similar to the 2012 language; to propose language to the charter that provides a complaint process for council ethics violations; and a draft ordinance 12. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding the format of City Council meetings. Jeff Capps, Interim City Manager, provided a brief overview of the current COVID status with regards to opening meetings for in person citizen attendance. A majority of the Council directed staff to continue with Zoom Council Meetings while staff monitors COVID cases and return with options as the numbers decrease. RT020521 Minutes Page 8 Mr. Capps presented information related to the posted and actual start times of Council meetings and requested a reconsideration of the start times due to an increasing number of items and late meetings. A majority of the Council directed staff to start the Workshop Meeting at 4:00 p.m., executive session following, and move the Regular Meeting from 6 p.m. to a 7 p.m. start time. Additionally, Council directed staff to review the items coming to each Council meeting and if staff sees the meetings will be lengthy, schedule a Special Meeting. 13. Presentation, discussion, and possible action regarding revisions to the Strategic Plan. (presented 7th) Bryan Woods, City Manager, requested Council provide feedback and revisions to the Strategic Plan. FY22 Strategic Initiatives (Proposed): Traffic Congestion Parks co-production (volunteer support, nonprofit, for profit, etc.) Emphasis on buses; augment bus system; traffic congestion Neighborhoods ability for neighborhoods to take action description artnerships Economic Development leakage, realizing all sales tax revenues Prioritize hospitality community to support tourism efforts Business Advisory Board TAMU/TAMUS collaborative efforts Comp Plan carry out study area analysis Volunteer Engagement Focus on living with COVID safe gatherings, open meetings with protocols, finding ways to have safer gatherings Promoting the College Station Brand Amusement Park Having additional things to do, signature features (WPC water feature), venues for residents and visitors Development changes related to cul-de-sacs Demonstration area to incentivize redevelopment; protecting/enhancing what we have proactively. Utilizing existing resources for shorter-term impact; driving demand for future investments (mowing, urban forests and better utilizing publicly owned land) YMCA 14. Presentation, discussion, and possible action on a future meeting to follow up on strategic priorities. Item pulled no discussion. 15. Adjournment. RT020521 Minutes Page 9 There being no further business, Mayor Mooney adjourned the Retreat Meeting of the College Station City Council at 3:58 p.m. on Friday, February 5, 2021. ________________________ Karl Mooney, Mayor ATTEST: _______________________ Tanya Smith, City Secretary RT020521 Minutes Page 10